What a busy month!

It seems like September just started and now here we are in the last week! So sorry I am not doing a better job of keeping you updated on the web. We have been so busy in the classroom that after I send home the newsletter I tend to forget to update the blog. I will try to do a better job! This month we celebrated Labor Day, Grandparent's Day in a huge way, Fall Fair, and KY Kid's Day just to name a few! We had over 300 visitors in our building the week of Grandparent's Week and I believe we had over 20 for our class! The kids worked very hard on their presentation and were very proud of their end product! Thank you to all of my volunteers for the Fair. It was a bit chilly, but I know the kids still had a blast! KY Kid's Day was as much fun getting ready for as it was that day! Each hallway adopted a biome and learned all about that biome and the animals in it. Our hall was the grasslands and our class learned all about the cheetah and tiger. We learned about animal needs, plant needs, fun facts about cheetahs and tigers, and the continent of Africa. On Kids Day the children had special guests throughout the day!

Happy Labor Day!

We are still going strong! The kids are getting into the sync of first grade and adjusting very well to being at school all day! Their stamina is building and I losing fewer and fewer after lunch! :) I just have to brag on how well they are all doing on the spelling test! In the past we have waited until about a month or so into school before the first test and we have taken three already! The children have done beautifully!!! We have already learned numbers to 120, patterns, and we will begin money next week! We have also been reading, reading, reading, & learning about our community & American symbols.

Week One!

We had a fabulous first week! If I had a dollar every time I was asked, "When is lunch?" or "Is it time to go home yet?" I would already be a rich lady. :) The kids have adjusted really well to being in school all day and I have noticed some wonderful friendships in the making. We have spent a lot of time this the week reviewing and practicing rules and participating in teambuilding and classbuilding activities. We are off to a great beginning!

Welcoming a New School Year!

I can't believe it is already that time again! The summer has flown by and open house is tonight! I will be ready to welcome the kiddos bright and early Tuesday morning! I am looking so forward to this year.

What's up with all the frogs???? Well our first grade theme is F.R.O.G: First graders, responsible, organized & growing and we are basing our concepts on this foundation and our rules.



F=Following Rules Means: Classroom Rules, Hallway, Cafeteria, Playground, Specials

R=Respecting Others Means: Using Manners, Being Compliant, Being Honest, Not Interrupting

O=Obeying Instructions Means: Listening, Following Directions, Completing Classwork

G=Giving It all I've Got Means: Not Rushing Through Work, Participating in Class, Putting Forth Effort
S=Showing Kindness Means: Helping Others, Being a Good Friend, Using Kind Words

Spring is in the air!

Well it has been a little while since I last blogged and we have celebrated a lot of important events! I have been so busy I have put the blog on the back burner! I admitted that technology was an area that I needed to work on! :) I will try my best to catch up on the other areas shortly! We finally made it to the 100th day of school and took our first field trip to the Explorium as we learned all about teeth! The children had a blast and I was impressed at how much they remembered from the classroom :0 You never quite if they are truly listening until they are asked a question out in public and then you can just hold your breath and hope for the best as they begin to answer. You never know what they are going to say! I love to read week was last week and that was also a lot of fun! The children loved the , guest readers, the DEAR (drop everything and read) time, celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and of course wearing their pajamas. Ask them about oobleck and make sure they tell you it's relation to a story by Dr. Seuss.

The kids are ready for spring so be sure to send them to school with a jacket. If at all possible we will try and go out even for a few minutes to walk around the track just to get some exercise. If you do not already get Mr.Krueger's SGE-announcements on e-mail and would like to let me know so that I can pass your e-mail along. Spring is a busy time with several events going on and I want to make sure that no one misses anything! I always include announcements in the weekly newsletter, but just in case!

First of all, I hope no one is disappointed that I haven't been sending home a weekly newsletter. I may have squeezed in one or two since Christmas, but to be honest since all of the snow days I truly can't keep up with what I am going to do next and what I need to get done to catch up from the week before and attempt to get done before the next snow hits!! Be patient...hopefully we will get back on track soon! In the meantime, keep reading at home with your kids. I mentioned to the kids that Accelerated Reader (AR) is back up and running in the library with over 10,000 tests. So the kids can read just about any book and take a test to earn points. If it is a book that is long or a little more challenging for them you can read it to them or take turns reading pages together. Just make sure you ask them comprehension questions about the book when you are finished reading to make sure they understood the book. In the mornings when they are finished with morning work or on their library days they can take a test.
I found two new children's books today at the bookstore both written by the same author, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, called Incredible You! and Unstoppable Me! Those of you who read other things besides grad school textbooks, educational materials, and picture books, may already know that he is a best-selling author and inspirational speaker. He is also the author of What do you Really Want for Your Children? and 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace. Maybe this summer in my spare time while I am off for the few weeks left in July :), I will read it, but in the meantime I thought I would share with you a little bit from the two books I picked up today that I can't wait to share with the kids:

10 WAYS TO SOAR THROUGH LIFE
1. YOU'RE GREAT-NO MATTER WHAT!
2. PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF!
3. WELCOME THE UNKNOWN
4. YOU HAVE A CHOICE (I say this all the time to the kids-but I add so make it a good one :)
5. FAREWELL TO WORRY
6. PEACE BEGINS WITH YOU
7. ENJOY THE HERE-AND-NOW
8.HEALTHY ME!
9. CREATIVITY IS THE KEY!
10. WHAT CAN YOU GIVE?

10 WAYS TO LET YOUR GREATNESS SHINE THROUGH:
1. SHARE THE GOOD
2. FIND WHAT YOU LOVE
3. YOU ARE FILLED WITH LOVE
4. FIND A QUIET PLACE INSIDE
5. MAKE TODAY GREAT!
6. CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS TO GOOD!
7. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
8.PICTURE WHAT YOU WANT!
9. EVERYONE IS SPECIAL, ESPECIALLY YOU
10. GOOD THOUGHTS GIVE YOU ENERGY

How about this weather?

Below are a few pictures from our Christmas Party:

Well at least we got our Christmas Party in! :) Ok, so it was on January the 7th, but it could have been on Valentine's Day the way things are looking! I really don't have much to say about the weather other than it looks like it's going to be a long winter and a reaaaaally long JUNE! I am just going to enjoy every snow day I have and not worry about the things I cannot control. The children were a bit out of sync (ok real out of sync) when we came back from the break. But this past Monday, which was the only day we have went to school this week, the kids were back to being their marvelous selves. I added extra homework this week for several reasons. One is because it was eventually coming and I figured in anticipation of the snow now was a good time with the kids being home needing "something to do". Also, spelling is getting harder as we are halfway through the first grade. We are beginning to lose the pattern that was so easy to find previously. I also feel that in writing skills our first graders are needing an extra boost. With Scott County having only half-day Kindergarten there is only so much that can be taught in that little amount of time. We do Writer's Workshop in first grade, but I would like to see more writing done at home also incorporating spelling, and handwriting, which we also work on throughout the day. Just work on it a little at a time with your child taking what we call at school "brain breaks" whenever needed. I am asking for you to help your child complete two or three sentences each night.