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 1st and 2nd 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 1st and 2nd 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 1st
and 2nd 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
No comments:
Post a Comment