Update September 8th

*On Friday, our class filled our Pom Pom Jar for the first time this year.  Students earned pom poms individually or by whole class expected behaviors.  Pom poms were earned for pushing in chairs, cleaning up quickly and quietly, walking through the halls in a safe way or showing expected behavior.  The class voted on a prize for filling the jar and have decided to have a "Bring Your Stuffed Animal to School Day" this Tuesday, September 11th.  They should bring one stuffed animal from home and it should be small enough to fit in their backpack.  Please help me in congratulating them on a great start to first grade!

**Last week, we began our routine of doing "Weekend News Writing." Each Monday, students will write about something they did over the weekend.  Often times, students forget what they did over the weekend.  Please recap your weekend with your child on Sunday night or before school on Monday.  If it's helpful for your child, write a sticky note with a couple of ideas to bring to school.

**We will continue to introduce the components of Daily 5.  Last week students worked on building their Read to Self reading stamina.  This week, we will introduce Work on Writing and finding I-Pick Books.  I-Pick Books are books that students feel they can read on their own and are of interest to them.

**We will continue our Science Unit- Plants and Animal Parts.  This week, we will find similarities between offspring and their parents.  

**In Math, we will focus on 1-more, 1-Less Number Stories, Comparing and Ordering Numbers and Introducing Tally Marks.  We will also learn the rules of some important math games.

**Our classroom tends to get warm throughout the day.  We take frequent water breaks to fuel our bodies.  Please consider sending your child to school each day with a refillable water bottle.

**We have been working on learning the I-Care Rules in our class.  All teachers at Robinson follow the I-Care Rules.  Students will see these same rules when they visit other classrooms: in the gym, art room, etc.  This week students will be working on an I-Care Rules homework called, Caught Using the I-Care Rules.  Students will be tasked with noticing friends and family members using the I-Care Rules.  This homework will be sent home on Monday and need to be returned by Friday.

Looking Ahead

**Grade One Back to School Night is Monday, September 17 from 6:00-6:45pm. 

These sessions will be for parents and guardians only. This will allow much needed time for teachers to focus on curriculum topics and for parents to ask questions. I hope to greet many of you as I discuss the first grade curriculum.