Week 2

Weekly Greetings!

The first week of school was full of fun, and adjustments to being back in a school routine. I was so pleased to see every student in class each day and eager for a new year of learning. Also, thank you for getting all the paper work signed and sent back in! Every student in our class returned the forms by the Friday deadline!

On Thursday, we got a new student that balanced the class out to an even number of 14! We have 7 girls and 7 boys as shown below by the real graph we made to show our class numbers.

In addition, everyday the students learned about a special key to having a successful year in school. All of the 4 keys covered last week will be on a page in an individual book for each student when we complete the last two keys this week. The pictures to follow were from the key "Love and Belonging".

 In Science last week, we began a short unit on "Healthy Habits".  We reviewed the need to wash hands regularly, and on Thursday Rita Abel visited us from the UA Cooperative Extension Service. She specializes in nutrition education and she did a wonderful job sharing the need for healthy foods with fresh vegetables from the district greenhouse for the students to sample. Rita also had a number of handouts with information the students took home. We will continue this theme for the next week.

 

This week we will be covering the last of our" Six Keys for Success" in our classroom. The last two keys will be:

5.) Valued Purpose- The book used will be another Rainbow Fish book called Hidden Treasure and the main point is that each one of us are special and we will be having valuable learning experiences while in school this year. The craft will be a golden key with a shell filled with precious treasures in it to tie into the story.  For a symbol we will pat our hearts because the students are full of gifts and treasure in their hearts that they will discover this year. For the treat they will get a rich Dove chocolate, just like each one of them is full of rich hidden treasure inside.

6.) Success- The book used will be The Little Engine That Could. We will discuss how to be successful by not giving up and “thinking we can” do things even when it might seem hard. For a symbol we will use two thumbs up and again every student will make a golden key showing a trophy for success. An Almond Joy treat will be the special treat for the key because the students will be filled with joy when they succeeded.

When we finish the last of the six keys, we will revisit each key and discuss everything the students remember about what that key will look like in our classroom. Each student will have their own key book to help them remember what is needed for a successful year. Then I will read The Hare and the Tortoise, and discuss never giving up despite how impossible something may appear. Each student will make a school promise that will be recorded on a worksheet with a picture showing themselves keeping their promise. The promises will be posted on the class Commitment Wall and displayed all year.

Also on Thursday this week, I will be handing out a cloth bag to each student to keep for "Show and Tell" days every other week. The bag will say "All About Me!" and have their name on it. I will model and share about my family and things I like on Thursday, to help them get some ideas of things to share. On Friday this week, they will have a chance to share about themselves. Please look for your child's clothe bag that will look similar to the one pictured below, and encourage them to bring something in it to share.

 

To conclude, I will be sending homework home except on Friday each week, and I will start this week. The students will get a sticker when it is returned, and on Friday they can pick form the prize box if it has been done everyday. With the homework starting this week, I will also have a Scholastic Book Club order form attached and if you want to order books, please return the form and payment to me by Wednesday Sept 23rd. 

I am looking forward to another great week, and I hope you are enjoying the lovely fall season. 

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown