Week 2

 Weekly Greetings!

We had a great first week back to school! The students all seemed excited to be back and ready to learn. Also, thank you for getting all the paperwork signed and returned to the school so quickly. Not only can all the students use the ipad programs in class, but we are also all set for a field trip to the Long Lake burn area on Friday with Ted Morris from the forestry department.

A big highlight from the week was the new rock-climbing wall in the gym. The class just could not get enough of the physical challenge it presented!

 On one of the nicer days, we were also able to go outside for PE and play a tag game after learning about the negative effects of junk food. Two students were "it" and had soft balls to tag with that were called sugar and fat. The only way a tagged person could get free was to call out for help from someone not tagged yet saying "Eat right!".

 After the game, the students enjoyed some time on the playground equipment.

 Not only did we begin learning about the "Six Keys" to a positive classroom, but each student also made a representation of himself or herself with a positive statement to put up on our class "Inspirational Wall" to encourage each other.

 On Thursday, the class went on a numbers "Moose Hunt" to find paper moose with numbers on them.

 Then the moose had to be put in order and matched to the numbers on our floor.

 That day we also made a real and picture graph to find out if there are more girls or boys in our class this year. It turns out that there are eight boys and six girls. So, the students could easily see that there are two more boys than girls.

 

Center time at the end of the day is always a highlight for younger children. This year I painted an area with chalkboard paint and it seems to be a big hit.

 In addition, we have six ipads for the class this year and everyone is excited to use them. There are many learning programs available and they will also be using Raz-Kids Reading as a rotation during our reading time.

 The kindergarten students are finding all the classroom toys to be new and are sharing together very well!

 At the end of the week, students had time to share things they brought into school with the "All About Me!" bags I sent home on Thursday.  Everyone enjoys seeing what is brought in and asking questions. If your child forgot to bring their bag in on Friday, they can bring it in this week to start off the years sharing something about themselves.

This week we will discuss the last two of our "Six Keys" They are:

Valued Purpose- The book to be used is 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 for the Kindergarten is a golden key with a shell filled with precious treasures in it to tie into the story.  Another compare and contrast page will be completed by the 1^st and 2^nd grade students. 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 all get a rich Dove chocolate, just like each one of them is full of rich hidden treasure inside.

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 the Kindergarten students will make another golden key showing a trophy for success. The 1^st and 2^nd grades will complete the last page for their compare and contrast book. An Almond Joy treat is the special treat for the key because the students will be filled with joy when they succeed.

When we finish all six keys, we will revisit each key and discuss everything the students remember about what every 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 is recorded on a worksheet with a picture showing themselves keeping their promise. The promises will be posted on the Commitment Wall in the hallway by the office, and displayed all year.

Monday this week, I will start sending homework home four nights a week. If your child does their homework each night they will get to pick a prize on Friday. With your parent letter this week, I have also included information on the Seasonal Readers activity to encourage nightly reading. There will be a Reading Log attached to record the books read each week and we will tally how many each child has read through the school year. This month each student will take a leaf off a fall tree on the Seasonal Readers wall each Friday. There will also be a Scholastic Book order form with the homework, if you would like me to place an order for books you can read at home. If you see something you like, please return the order form back to me with the money needed to cover the cost by Sept. 10. That way the books should be here by the end of September.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the school or stop by. Have a great week!

Kind Regards,
Julie Brown

Starting School

Greetings as we begin our 2015-2016 school year!

For those of you that have students in my class for the first year, my name is Mrs. Julie Brown and I am very excited about the opportunity to be the Kindergarten through 2nd grade teacher again at the Walter Northway School this year. This will be my fourth year with the Alaska Gateway School District. I have a genuine passion to teach children of any age, and I honestly do "whatever it takes" to see children succeed.

For the next two weeks, I will be teaching about six key things we need in our classroom to have a successful year. This week I will address four topics:

Each day I will introduce a new key by reading an age appropriate story that is connected with the focus key. We will then talk about what that key could look like in our class. The next step will be to create a symbol that represents that key and do a craft that shows a picture of something relating to that key. Finally, the students will have a special little treat that symbolizes the key. The basic examples of the symbols, treats, and books are:

1.) Safety- The book to be used is a humorous book called Never Ride Your Elephant to School. We will then discuss what it means to have a safe class and things we can do to help each other be safe. For a symbol, we will cradle our arms like rocking a baby. The Kindergarten will make a craft that is a golden key with a safety ring attached to it. The 1^st and 2^nd grade students will draw themselves doing some of the safe things we discussed, then they will draw what it would look like if they broke the safety rule. Life Savers will be the treat because we can help each other stay safe.

2.) Love and Belonging- The book we will use is Rainbow Fish. The focus is that fish school and stay together to create a caring community. We will discuss what it looks like to have a feeling of love and belonging in our classroom.  For a symbol we will cross our arms as a hug, and younger students will create another golden key with a rainbow fish on it.  The 1^st and 2^nd grade students will again make a compare and contrast page of respecting the key, as compared to breaking the rule. A Hershey’s Hug will be the treat because we love and care for each other.

3.) Freedom and Independence- The book to be used is All By Myself.  We will talk about how the little boy in the story is learning to do things on his own. The more we can do independently, the more freedoms we can have in our classroom. Then we will reflect on how we can model that in our class. For a symbol we will use waving our arms to fly like a Superhero, because they are all super students with lots of potential. Each group will do a similar craft to remember the key. To celebrate the lesson we will have a Starburst fruit treat because each student is bursting with star power.

4.) Fun and Enjoyment- The book we will read is Amazing Grace. Using Grace’s fun loving experiences, we will talk about what it looks like to have fun and be happy in our classroom. For a symbol we will use big smiles, and each younger student will create another golden key with a smiley face. The 1^st and 2^nd grade students will continue to make a compare and contrast page of respecting the key, as compared to breaking the rule. A Twizzler treat will be twisted into a smile as the treat because when we have fun we smile and are happy.

When we finish all six keys, we will revisit each key and discuss everything the students remember about what every 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 is recorded on a worksheet with a picture showing themselves keeping their promise. The promises will be posted on the Commitment Wall in the hallway and displayed all year.

Next week I will teach about the last two keys, Valued Purpose and Success. I will have more on that in my next blog post. Also next week, I will be starting to send home nightly homework on Monday through Thursday. Please remind your child to return their homework bag daily.

Everyday, I will be sending home a ‘GO FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR” card. Please be looking for it daily. 

On the first day of every week, I will be sending home a letter explaining important events taking place in our classroom. In addition, I will be posting the information on a blog on the internet at: www.k12wnsnews.blogspot.com.

Furthermore, I would like to post pictures and attached a permission form with the parent letter sent home on the first day of school. I would like it returned by the end of the week, if possible. On the same page as the Internet release, and the district will be sending home a more involved form for you to sign too. I have added a local outings permission slip for the school year. If we will be going beyond the Northway village area, I will send home a specific permission slip at that time. On Sept. 4 we will be going out to the Long Lake burn with Peter Talus from the Tok forestry department, so please get these to me as soon as you can.

If you have any questions, please contact me at the school or email me at: jbrown@agsd.us. I am looking forward to an amazing year with the students of Northway!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown