Weekly Update

Happy Thursday! I am posting our weekly update a day early this week since we do not have school on Friday.

What a blessing to have an extra day during Labor Day weekend this year! We have been so busy, that I think we could all use a little rest and relaxation to wrap up the end of summer. :)

Next week we will refine some procedures and try to get into a normal schedule. We will also review the expectations and procedures that we learned this week, as well. We will continue to get to know each other as we build our classroom community/family. On that note, I am impressed with how well how class is getting along. We have a lot of sweethearts in Room 3!

Here's some important information for you to know. Please read through to the end. It's a lot this first time around...

Please Subscribe to My Blog!
Many of you have done this already, so thank you! If you have not, please take a moment to subscribe to my blog  by entering your email address in the box to the right that says "Follow by Email." You will receive a confirmation email to verify your subscription. Please click the link in the email to verify your email address. You will then receive an automatic notification each time I have added a new post.

Please Sign-Up for Remind!
If you haven't yet signed up for my Remind text messaging service, please do so by downloading the Remind app and joining my class. After you download the Remind app, click "join a class" and enter my class code: @grade1drum. I send many messages throughout the year for various reasons. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Room Parent Needed:
I am in need of at least one Room Parent to help coordinate and plan our yearly parties and events. If you can help with this, please email me. You will be guided through the year by our PTA Room Parent Coordinator.

Snack:
Please be sure to send a nut-free snack with your child each day. Please do not send dips, sauces, or other liquids for snacks. Please do not send snacks with creams or frosting. Please do not send snacks that require utensils to eat. We do not have a long snack time, so please send only one item for your child's snack.

Water Bottles:
First graders are a thirsty bunch. Please feel free to send a water bottle to school with your child each day. Please send a reusable bottle. Please do not send water bottles with twist off caps for classroom use...the kids have a very difficult time getting the caps back on and those bottles typically spill or leak.

Ice Cream:
Please ensure your child knows whether he/she may buy ice cream in the cafeteria on Fridays. To avoid confusion in the cafeteria, I do expect the kids to know this when they come to school. Thank you!

Lunch:
Our lunch time is from 10:59-11:29. You are welcome to eat lunch with your child any day, and you may bring your child lunch purchased from a restaurant (places like Panera, Chick-fil-a, or Moe's). If you would like to eat lunch with your child, please sign in at the school office and meet us at the cafeteria at Table 4. Please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of out lunch period as our instructional day continues.

Monthly Behavior Charts
Students will receive their first monthly behavior chart on Tuesday when they return to school. They will keep this behavior chart in the back pocket of their Homework folder. At the end of each day students will color in their chart to show what color the ended the day on our classroom behavior chart. If you notice that your child comes home on yellow, orange, or red; please discuss this with your child. If you have any questions about behavior, please send me an email so I can help out.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading-We will discuss how to use our classroom library, and procedures and expectations for Independent and Partner Reading. 
• Writing- We will continue with our handwriting lessons and I will introduce their First Grade Writing Journals. 
• Math-We will continue our Number Sense unit. We will learn to count by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's. We will also explore concepts of odd and even numbers, and compare and order numbers. 
• Social Studies- We will continue building our classroom community as we explore the qualities of a good citizen in our school, our community, and our world. 
• Science- We will talk about the definition of science and what a scientist does/is. 

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We're off to a great start :) 

Donal and I are headed to Connecticut for the weekend to visit his family and Raleigh will be having a nice stay at the pet hotel :) I hope everyone has a fantastic 4 day weekend and safe travels to those who will be on the road!

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday! It's been a long week, but I'm so grateful to head into the weekend both having met my new class of firsties, and having met many of you.

We had our first "Den Rally" today! It's an assembly format used to build community and better connect our teachers and students. Once a month or so, the whole school gathers in the gym for a short morning assembly during which we listen to our school news, say the pledge together, recite the "Puma Creed," learn about social skills, and generally celebrate being part of our AWESOME Pinebrook community. Please ask your child about our Den Rally!

Meantime, if you were directed to this post by an email, please kindly take a moment to subscribe to my blog. I use this blog to communicate all school and classroom news, information, and dates. You can follow my blog by typing in your email address in the box to the right that says "follow by email." After you input your email address, you'll receive a message to verify your address. Simply click the link in the email to verify your email address, and you'll be subscribed forevermore with no worries about missing important information! *Please do not skip this step.* I usually have my blog updated each Friday by 5:00 p.m. If you don't receive an email, then I did not post anything new that day.

Have you signed up for the Remind text messaging service? If not, please take a moment to download the Remind app (look for the white text bubble on a blue background) from the app store and join my class. After you download the Remind app, you can join my class by texting @grade1drum to 81010.

In class, we are continuing to work on community building, routines, and procedures. Next week, I will begin to introduce some of our academic routines, such as morning work and morning routine. However, in a school environment--and particularly with younger children--the most important things that I can do in the first few weeks are establish explicit and reliable routines and procedures, establish specific behavior expectations, and build a solid foundation for relationships in our room. Those things will remain a priority for the next 2 weeks and beyond.

A couple of reminders:

• Don't forget to send a daily peanut free snack with your child. Snack should be something that can be eaten independently (no utensils please) while we work. 
• Don't forget to send a water bottle with your child. We do not have a water fountain in our classroom, so a water bottle is the only way for your child to get a drink of water during the day. 
• Next week the kids will begin to use their agendas. They will list their weekly homework in it each Monday. Until mid-September, homework will be nightly reading. 
• Tuesday is our Multicultural Night. I hope to see many of you there as we teachers learn from you parents about the various cultures and traditions represented at Pinebrook!

I am in need of at least one Room Parent who would help in coordinating class parties and communication. Please let me know if you would be interested in being our classroom Room Parent this year. 

I think that's all that I have for this week. Please reach out at anytime with questions, comments, or concerns. Don't forget to check the Pinebrook homepage about many upcoming school and classroom events. 

It's the weekend! Hooray! My parents are coming to visit Donal and I this weekend, and they will be bringing their two adorable pups as well, so it will be a house full of craziness! I hope you all enjoy the bearable weather this weekend! :)