Update February 27th

*This update is for the remainder of this week and next.  I apologize for the late update.

*In Math, we are finishing up Unit 6.  We will start the Unit 6 Assessment this Friday and finish next week.  We are continuing to focus on place value, combinations of 10 and finding equivalent names for numbers.  Next week, we will begin Unit 7 of Everyday Math 2. Our focus for this week is finding totals of two numbers quickly.

*In Social Studies, we continue to learn about famous Americans.  Over the next two weeks, students will learn about the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*In Writing, we continue to write friendly and persuasive letters.  Students are doing a great job of following the rules and structure of writing a letter.

Also, every Monday we write Weekend News in the morning.  Students were beginning to write about their whole weekend or one whole day.  I have begun to encourage students to pick one event (one small moment) and writing details only about that event.  I was very happy that students listened to this advice this week when writing about the vacation.

*Next week we are celebrating Read Across America Week.  Here are the spirit days for the week:

Monday March 4th	“Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!” Wear a “Cat in the Hat” hat, a crazy hat, or your favorite hat.
Tuesday March 5th	“Green Eggs and Ham” Wear green and pink colored clothes
Wednesday March 6th	“Wacky Wednesday” Lets get silly! Wear your clothes backwards, inside out, or mismatched
Thursday March 7th	“Crazy Fox in Socks!” Show off your crazy or mismatched socks
Friday March 8th	“Dress as a Favorite Book Character” Please join us in wrapping up our “Read Across America” week by dressing up as your favorite book character. (Note: It does not need to be a Dr. Seuss book!) The character a child chooses to dress as should be appropriate for his/her grade level. Costumes shouldn’t be scary or ghoulish. Masks are not allowed for school. Accessories may be part of a costume (i.e. a honey pot for Winnie the Pooh), but toy weapons or other items that may be considered threatening are not allowed

Looking Ahead:

Friday, March 8th and Monday, March 11th- I will be taking personal time these two days.  My family, along with my in-laws, are taking a quick weekend trip to Disney.  Mrs. Carvalho, a substitute the students know well, will be filling in during my absence.  Please remind students to show expected behavior.  Thanks!

Tuesday, March 12th- School Store for 1st Grade

Thursday, March 15th- 12:20pm Early Release

Monday, March 25th- No School 2-8pm Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, March 26th- 2 Hour Delay 8:15-10:30 Parent/Teacher Conferences

Update February 11th

*On Thursday, we'll celebrate Valentine's Day with a party in the afternoon. Thank you to everyone for donating or volunteering for the party! Please remember to send Valentine's into school by Thursday (no candy included.)

*On Friday, we will walk the Robifulli Trail to visit our 4th grade Book Buddies at Crisafulli.  Please dress for the weather, winter boots are a good footwear choice.

*We had a great time celebrating our 100th day of School on Wednesday.  My favorite part was the hearts that the class brought into school to share their favorite parts of our school and classroom.  We all sat together and shared our most favorite things about Robinson.

*As we are expecting some snow this week, we will likely have a chance for students to get out and play in the snow during recess.  In order to play in the snow, students need to have snow gear including: boots, coat, snow pants and gloves.  I recommend that they bring all snow gear in a reusable shopping bag that stands up on its on.  The coatroom gets very full in the winter months.  The reusable bags work well if they can be placed under the student's coat hook.

*In Math, our focus will be on near doubles facts (5+6, 5+7.)  We will also focus on making 10 to solve harder number sentences.

*In Social Studies, our focus is on Abraham Lincoln and Clara Barton. Last week, the class came up with following character traits to describe Washington: brave, leader, kind, smart.

*In Writing, we will learn how to write a letter.  Students will use a graphic organizer to write a persuasive letter.

Looking Ahead:

*No School, February 18-22

Update February 1st

We had a great week of Kindness with the Great Kindness Challenge at school this week!  Students showed the cared about other classmates, family, friends and teachers.  I hope these kind acts can continue throughout the school year.  We've been repeating this quote all week long:

Be Kind.

Kindness Matters.

*On Tuesday, first grade will have School Store.  There are still a few friends who have not cashed into their 50 cent coupon I gave out at the holidays.  They can bring their coupon back to school on Tuesday or let me know they want to cash in and I'll give them 50 cents to spend.

*Wednesday is our 100th day of School!  In my 12 years teaching, this is the earliest we've ever had the 100th day.  Thank you Mother Nature!  On Thursday, I sent home 4 hearts from students to write 4 things they love about our classroom or school.  Please send those back to school by Wednesday.  We will also do fun 100th day activities during the morning.

*Wednesday is also a 12:20pm Early Release day.  We will not have lunch at school, but please send students with a snack!

*We will finish up our Science unit on Light and Sound this week.

*We'll begin our study of Famous Americans this week.  Students will learn about many famous Americans and will begin by learning about our oldest famous American, George Washington.  Throughout the unit, we will discuss the character traits that are similar amongst the people we learn about.

*In Writing, we will begin writing about something the students want to change.  They will also think about who the audience will be for their change.  For example.  I will ask my parents to change my bedtime. 

Looking Ahead:

February 6th- Early Release

February 14th 1:30pm- Valentine's Party- I will send out an email shortly with information

February 15th-Book Buddies at Crisafulli (weather dependent)

February 18-22 No School, Winter Break

Update January 25th

*We have a busy week coming up as we will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge.  Throughout the week, we will talk about kindness, focus on a kindness quote each day and read books about kindness.  We'll also participate in kindness activities and have school spirit days each day.

Monday: “Kindness Matters at Robinson”

            Wear your Robinson School Apparel or colors (red/black)

Our class will read "Be Kind" by Pat Zietlow Miller

Teachers and Staff will make a kindness tunnel as students come into school in the morning.

Tuesday: “Shine Bright with Kindness” 

            Wear bright/neon-colored clothes!

Our class will read "Swimmy" by Leo Lionni

We will write kind opinions about a friend/cousin/parent/sibling/grandparent that we think is best!

Wednesday: “Save the Day with Kindness” 

            Wear your favorite superhero attire or colors

 Our class will read "Because Amelia Smiled" by David Ezra Stein

We will tell a classmate why we think they're super!

Thursday: “Peace, Love, and Kindness”

            Wear tie-dye, smiley faces, hearts, and/or peace signs

Our class will read "Spork" by Kyo Maclear

We will make cards for an adult in our school.

Friday: “The Robinson School Loves Kindness” 

            Wear Pink or Red

Our class will read "Friends to the End by Bradley Greive

*In Science, we will continue learning about how sound and lights create messages and we'll create our own messages and codes.

*We will finish up our Mid Year Math assessment this week and finish up with Unit 5 of Everyday Math.  We will continue to compare numbers and find the difference in numbers.

*We will begin with a new spelling list this week.  Our focus will be on consonant clusters using the letter R.  Consonant clusters will include words that start with cr-, pr-, tr-, dr-, br- and fr-.

*The class is doing an awesome job during reading groups and I'm so happy with the growth I've been seeing.  Many students are beginning to read books with chapters (2-5 chapters.)  Please take a look at the reading log I send home with students before they begin reading.  Most nights I send students home to read one or two chapters a night.  Please only read what is assigned so we can focus on different strategies each reading group, such as making predictions, making connections and reading with fluency.

*Each week we are adding more and more to the Seesaw App.  This week I'm hoping to teach the class how to upload their own work independently.  If you haven't signed up to see your child's work, there is still time to sign up! Seesaw is private; you'll only see posts created by your child.

Please Sign Up Now

1. Click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/854-285-390
2. Choose your child from the list
3. Create your account
4. Once I approve you, you can see content from your child

After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app and sign in. You can also access Seesaw from a computer at https://app.seesaw.me.

If you used Seesaw last year or have more than one child using Seesaw, follow the link above, then click the 'Sign in' tab at the top of the screen. You do not need to create a new account.

Update January 18th

*This is a reminder that there is No School on 

Monday, January 21st and Tuesday, January 22nd.

*Since it is a short week of school, we will not have Spelling Homework or a spelling list.  I will send math work on Thursday.

*This Wednesday will mark our 90th day of school.  The school year is half way through and flying by very quickly!

*In Math, we will focus on finding the difference between numbers and creating subtraction number models (equations.)  We will also begin our mid-year math assessment to see how students are doing with the concepts we've learned throughout the year.

*In Science, we will experiment with sound and learn how movement creates sound.  We will explore using different musical instruments.

*In Writing, we will continue to learn and write about facts vs. opinions.

Donations Please!

We are in need of empty paper towel rolls for our math number scrolls and tissues (we are going through tissues constantly!)

Update January 11th

*This Friday we will welcome our 4th Grade Book Buddies to Robinson.  We'll read the book The Jelly Donut Difference and talk about acts of kindness.  The students will also read to their book buddies.

*We are looking for donations of tissues and empty paper towel rolls.  The empty paper towel rolls will be used to keep track of our newly made number scrolls for math.

*In Math, we will measure crooked paths, continue to compare numbers and create number stories with 2-digit numbers.

*In writing, students will begin our Opinion Writing Unit.  We learn the difference between a fact and an opinion.

*In Science, we will explore with shadows and learn how shadows change depending on the source of light and where it is.

Looking Ahead:

January 18th- Book Buddies at Robinson

January 21 & 22- No School MLK JR Day and Professional Development

Update January 4th

*On Tuesday, first grade will have School Store in the morning.  If students would like to bring back their coupon from my holiday gift to school, I will give them 50 cents to spend at School Store.  They can use this coupon once this year at any School Store.

*In Science, we will use a flashlight and different materials to explore how light goes through some fabrics and not through others.  We will also experiment with shining light on a mirror.  Last week, we talked about different sources of light.  Students began to write a story about being in a dark place and what tool they could use to create light.  We'll finish these books this week.

*In Math, we will continue to talk about place value and the value of numbers in the tens and ones place.  We've been working to exchange for a long (10 cubes put together) when we get 10 cubes.  We will also begin to use the symbols for greater than, less than and equal to when comparing two numbers or equations.  We will play a new game called Penny-Dime Exchange this week.  This is a game you can play at home.

This year we are using Seesaw to share and communicate with families! Your child will post to Seesaw to share their learning. I'll also use Seesaw to send you messages and reminders. Seesaw is private; you'll only see posts created by your child.

Please Sign Up Now

1. Click on this link: https://app.seesaw.me/s/854-285-390
2. Choose your child from the list
3. Create your account
4. Once I approve you, you can see content from your child

After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app and sign in. You can also access Seesaw from a computer at https://app.seesaw.me.

If you used Seesaw last year or have more than one child using Seesaw, follow the link above, then click the 'Sign in' tab at the top of the screen. You do not need to create a new account.

Looking Ahead:

January 8th- School Store- don't forget your coupons from me!

January 18th- Book Buddies at Robinson

January 21 & 22- No School MLK JR Day and Professional Development