Did they tell you who A.L. was? That was their assignment last night!
Good news! I think the e-mail server is up and running. After this post, I will start answering the e-mails that came my way. I am so sorry that you had no communication back from me for a few days. Now you know that if you don't hear back from me, something is amiss! I really do try to get on e-mail messages ASAP!
Another great day was had yesterday in our class....a little long but GREAT! I told the kids there really would come a day when I would say, "Time to go home!" and they would say, "Already???!!". That day doesn't usually come for a month or so. The first days of first grade are long for the kids. Don't be surprised if your little one is EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. Don't be surprised if your little one even says that they don't like school (it happens...:) ). A long day of learning is hard for the little ones. For most, it is their first experience going to school for such a long period of time. There are a lot of demands put on them that are obviously different from their carefree summer days. HOWEVER.....after having done this for eighteen years.....I will GUARANTEE you it does get better! They won't fall asleep on their way to basketball practice (Emma!..:), they won't cry at the drop of a hat, they won't be grouchy after dinner.......and best of all, they will say they LOVE first grade and they may even say they wish it was longer!
If you read the "ABC's of First Grade" (in your welcome packet), you may have read that we had Science on Thursdays. I know some of you did because your doll babies kept asking when was Science...:) Because of scheduling, we will not have Science with Mrs. Rex until the second trimester. We will be doing fun science activities in our classroom though! In fact, we will be having a scientist of the week...be on the look out for that fun infomation!
Another question that seems to be coming up is about "Mad Minutes". Timed math tests, as you may know, are a staple at North Star. My system is a little different than in other classrooms. I am using a program that breaks the facts into very small increments meaning each step means just a few new problems your child hasn't seen before. The addition levels are A-Z. Each sheet has 40 problems but they are only required to get 30 correct in one minute. They have an opportunity to pass off daily. If your child is on a level for more than two weeks, I would encourage additional practice at home. Our goal is to get the students through all addition levels and through at least half of the subtraction levels in the year. Last year, many students knocked that goal out of the water by going through all addition and subtraction levels with 30 correct, back through the end section with 40 correct, all multiplication levels, and all division levels. It is possible! It does take hard work and isn't easy but many are up for the challenge. It is your job as parents and my job as a teacher to make sure that "comparison doesn't steal their joy". I used to celebrate each step as a class but I realized that made the students hyper-aware of who was where and either made them feel great (if they were on top) or feel awful (if this timed test thing isn't their forte). Now, I encourage you to do the celebrating at home and have them make personal goals for themselves. They will be getting a personal tracker in their homework binder in the coming weeks.
I love your kids! We've been having a great time getting to know each other. Yesterday we played a "Find A Friend" game. When it came time to find a friend who loved first grade and they all shouted, "Me!". I am shouting "me", too! I love first grade!
Have an awesome Friday!
Carin
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