Hello!
Well, just when we thought spring was "springing"... :)  This was our 7th storm day, bringing the last day of school to Tuesday, June 19.

We spent our week practicing our poems, following the Iditarod, solving word problems, and reading, writing, and thinking!  Our Iditarod bulletin board shows the mushers' progress-we each made a prediction about when the first musher will reach Nome.  As of this morning, several of the mushers are about halfway along the trail.  You can follow the standings at www.iditarod.com and make a prediction of your own! :)

Book orders are going home today; please submit them online or order form by Thursday, March 15.

120th Day/Poetry Reading-as of today, the 120th Day will fall on Friday, March 23.  Regardless of any future (!) snow days, our team will be holding our 120 Museum (thank you for helping with our projects :) ) and our class will do our Poetry Reading on that afternoon.  We'll view the 120 Museum from 1:45-2:00, then head down to the Cafeteria for our Poetry Reading.  I will have a sign-out sheet if you choose to take your child home directly from there-we'll be sure the kids are packed up and ready. :)  You can send in 120 projects anytime during the week of March 19th.  Thanks!

Conferences-if the remaining times for Wednesday the 15th do not work for your schedule, please let me know.  I will know after next Wednesday what my after school/evening availability will be for the rest of the month of March.

Project Day on Thursday, March 15th, 1:45-2:30-we'll be planting/getting grubby. :)

Have an awesome weekend!!
Becca

Happy March!

It was great to have a little dose of spring this week-let's hope we get to enjoy some more days like that!

We've all settled back into our first grade routine very nicely.  We spent time this week reviewing computation and beginning our work with word problems, practicing our poems and making poem pockets for our Poetry Reading in a couple of weeks, hearing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and watching the original film to celebrate another 25 Caught You Being Good cards, starting our study of the Iditarod (which begins tomorrow!), enjoying a visit from The Cat in the Hat today, and doing some fun Seuss-themed activities.

Conferences will be held next Thursday and on Wednesday, March 14.  The PTCFast link was sent home on the WPS ListServe, and is also available on the WPS homepage: http://www.rsu14.org/wsd_primary/ .  If your child recently had an IEP, 504, or RTI meeting and you prefer not to meet in person, we can touch base by phone or email, and I will send home the supplemental report as well as the emailed report card (which will be sent by the office later this month).

Thank you for helping your child work on his/her 120th Day project!  We are practicing our poems here at school and I can tell that many of the kids have been working on their basic facts too.

Purple homework folders are due on Monday.  Please be sure that your child returns his or her reading books in the white folder every week, and if your child is an LLI student, be sure that the book bags from Mrs. Webster are sent back daily.

Have a fantastic weekend!
Becca

Hello, everyone!

It felt like a VERY short couple of weeks, with the holiday and our fifth AND sixth storm days and the delay this week.  Hopefully, we won't have any more disruptions due to the weather! :/

We have learned more about polar animals, and enjoyed learning about Inuit culture as well.  Other learning included computation practice, an introduction to measurement, facts about how snow is formed and the types of snowflakes, and reading/writing fluency.
Can you believe that we are halfway through first grade?

For Valentine's Day, your child may choose whether she/he brings in Valentines or not.  If your child does choose to participate, please include all of the children in the class:

Jacoby    Anthony    Paige    Nataliya    Brayden    Annika    Gage    Joseph    Kaleb    Sophia

Crosby    Madisen    Zoe       Wyatt        Kristijan    Makenzie   Lydia

Valentine's Day also happens to be the 100th day of school.  We will do some 100th-day activities, but since our math standards include numbers from 1-120, we will do our big celebration on the 120th day of school in March.  Information about this event went home in purple homework folders this week-if your child didn't yet return his or her purple folder, please send it on Monday. :)

I didn't receive any book orders or notifications about any online orders.  We will send home another book order in March for those who are interested. :)

Have an awesome weekend!  We're thinking of going to Ice Castles in New Hampshire...I hope you all get to enjoy an adventure, too!
:)
Becca

Hello, everyone!

It was nice to have a bit of a warm-up after last week's deep freeze!

Thank you for all of the donations of grocery bags!  We do use them frequently, so your contributions are very much appreciated!  One other way you can help our class is to encourage your child to learn how to put all of his or her outdoor gear on independently.  We have several kids who are still requiring a lot of assistance with tying, zipping, etc.  Thank you so much! :)

Our learning this week included contractions such as don't, can't, we're, I'm, etc.  In Math, we're continuing to build our fact fluency and practice adding two two-digit numbers (no regrouping).  We learned a lot about polar bears this week, and we're looking forward to finding out about other polar animals next week.  In Writing, we're spending more time editing our work and making sure that our sentences are complete, with correct capitalization/punctuation.  Whew!  Lots to remember!

Book orders are going home today!  Please submit your order (online or on paper) no later than Friday, 1/22.  I'll be placing the order that evening.  Thanks!

Don't forget-no school on Monday!

We have a few items that have been here in the cubbies for a few weeks; none of the kids seem to recognize them.  Please let me know if any of these belong to your first grader:

Check out the Upcoming Events tab!  Also, I know a number of kids got iPads/tablets for Christmas and asked about apps.  The ones we use in the classroom are listed in the Links tab.  Other great apps are ABC Mouse, Teach Your Monster, and Endless Reader.  Some of these do require a subscription.

Enjoy the weekend-stay dry and warm!

Becca

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and healthy holiday season, and that you are staying warm during this chilly spell!

We have transitioned nicely back into our routine, even with a snow day and delay.  :)  Thank you for labeling our outdoor gear with your child's name/initials-much easier to keep track of 17 sets of snow clothing!

We've been reviewing adding three single digits, and learned how to add/subtract 2-digit numbers (no regrouping).  If you practice this at home, please help the children remember to start with the ones place so that when we learn about regrouping it won't be a whole new mindset.  Thanks!

We've also been working on writing complete, correct sentences, using upper/lower case and punctuation appropriately.  Thanks for helping us edit our work to practice those skills. :)

Next week, we'll start learning about polar regions and the adaptations of the animals who live there.  We've had plenty of real-life experience to help us think about cold-weather adaptations! :D

If your child did not bring back his/her white and purple folders this week, please help him/her remember on Monday. :)  Thanks!

Thank you the adults who helped us with our Project Day before vacation!  It was a blast!  I hope everyone enjoyed our gifts for our families. Our next Project Day will be on January 30 from 1:30-2:30; we'll be making scrimshaw.  This is a change from the original 1/25 date, as a meeting I am attending in Hampden was moved to the 25th.  Hope you can join us!

Stay warm this weekend!  When it is a little more pleasant outside, here are some fun winter activities for your family:

Portland Kids' Calendar: http://www.portlandkidscalendar.com/
          Dozens of fun activities to do together!!!

Also...

Outdoors:

Ice Castles in Lincoln, NH http://icecastles.com/lincoln/

Indoors:

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College http://www.bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum/
       This family-friendly museum offers free admission.  On Feb 28, they will be hosting a Family Day!  Superb exhibits and knowledgeable staff-the kids will love it and you will, too!

Portland Science Center http://www.portlandsciencecenter.com/
         Pirate exhibit from now til January 14th!

Whatever your weekend holds, I hope you are able to relax and enjoy some time together!

Becca

Hello!

First of all, thank you for reading the blog each week! :)

We spent our learning time this week working on our fluent reading, detailed writing, and adding three single-digit numbers.  We discussed odd and even numbers, practiced counting by 2s, and played a bingo game to practice +1/-1 and +10/-10.  In Writing, we wrote narrative pieces about our family's Christmas tree traditions and learned strategies for writing tricky words.  On Wednesday, we got to do a fun yoga session!  Thursday morning was our usual STEM time-we applied what we learned about structures needing a base to create a structure that can support an eraser.

It was a busy week!!!

Here are some images from our STEM lessons and yoga time during the last couple of weeks!

We are looking forward to some special activities in the next few weeks!  Here are some highlights:

Thursday, December 14: Holiday Concert, Windham High School, 6:30 PM-please be there by 6:15 so that we can get into our places :)

Tuesday, December 19: Project Day!  1:30-2:15/2:30-please RSVP so I can plan which projects we will do :)  Thank you to everyone who has already volunteered to come and help us!

Thursday, December 21: Polar Express Day!  This will be a school-wide Pajama Day, but I would also like to plan some surprises for the kids, such as a viewing of the movie and some other activities.  Please send a bag or container of popped popcorn for your child to enjoy during the film!

Friday, December 22-Monday, January 1: No School-Vacation!
                                     We return to school on January 2nd.

Thanks for another great week!  I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend with our family-we got a new kitten last weekend, and our play opened as well, so it's been a very busy seven days! :)

Enjoy your weekend, too!  Rumor has it we may see some white precipitation over the next couple of days...

Becca

PS: Here are some activities your family might enjoy on the weekend or in the evenings over the next few weeks!

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' "Gardens Aglow" is fantastic!  Be sure to get tickets soon for this festive event-it sells out pretty quickly:

http://www.mainegardens.org/calendar-events/gardens-aglow/

I (and Mr. Cole) will be acting in a family-friendly production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Footlights in Falmouth this holiday season:

http://www.thefootlightsinfalmouth.com/

And, of course, the Magic of Christmas concert is always a favorite:

http://merrillauditorium.ticketoffices.com/Magic+Of+Christmas

The Polar Express at Maine's Narrow Gauge Railroad:

https://www.mainenarrowgauge.org/polar-express/

And in North Conway, NH:

http://www.journeytothenorthpole.org/

Or on the big screen in Saco:

http://cinemagicmovies.com/movie/42160/Polar-Express-The

Hello, everyone!

It sounds like holiday preparations are in full swing-many Elves have returned for their pre-Christmas antics, trees are being decorated, and I hear many, many wish list items being planned-Santa could learn a lot during our snacktime conversations  :) . 

In first grade this week, we continued learning about nouns and verbs and working on our editing skills to make sure we are writing complete, correct sentences.  We did some more work with making inferences about texts by looking for clues and using our schema.  Our math work included place value review, thinking about "ten more, ten less, one more, one less", and decomposing two-digit numbers. In STEM, we expanded on our Engineering skills from our last session by creating the tallest structure we could using straws and clay.  We looked at pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramid at Giza, and a free-standing basketball hoop to explore the idea of a structure needing a base that can support it. 

The next few weeks will fly by as we continue our learning and share some fun activities, too!  Check out some of these Upcoming Events for our class and our school:

Thursday, December 14: Holiday Concert, Windham High School, 6:30 PM-please be there by 6:15 so that we can get into our places :)

Tuesday, December 19: Project Day!  1:30-2:15/2:30-please RSVP so I can plan which projects we will do :)

Thursday, December 21: Polar Express Day!  This will be a school-wide Pajama Day, but I would also like to plan some surprises for the kids, such as a viewing of the movie and some other activities.  Please send a bag or container of popped popcorn for your child to enjoy during the film!

Friday, December 22-Monday, January 1: No School-Vacation! 
                                     We return to school on January 2nd.

When I can get my camera's SD card to talk to my laptop, I'll send this week's STEM photos! :)
Have a wonderful weekend!

Becca

PS: Here are some activities your family might enjoy on the weekend or in the evenings over the next few weeks!

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' "Gardens Aglow" is fantastic!  I already have our tickets for this festive event-it sells out pretty quickly:

http://www.mainegardens.org/calendar-events/gardens-aglow/

 

I (and Mr. Cole) will be acting in a family-friendly production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Footlights in Falmouth this holiday season:

http://www.thefootlightsinfalmouth.com/

 

And, of course, the Magic of Christmas concert is always a favorite:

http://merrillauditorium.ticketoffices.com/Magic+Of+Christmas

The Polar Express at Maine's Narrow Gauge Railroad:

https://www.mainenarrowgauge.org/polar-express/

 

And in North Conway, NH:

http://www.journeytothenorthpole.org/

 

Or on the big screen in Saco:

http://cinemagicmovies.com/movie/42160/Polar-Express-The