Project Work

Today we watched Ms. Dorsel's class put on their class play. They have been working on theater for their project work. The students really enjoyed watching the second graders in their fairy tale play. They were also interested in doing a class play, and I told them we might be able to do one at the end of the year.

We have continued to work on phase two of our project with money. Students are eagerly researching questions and learning more about money every day. We may be taking a field trip to a bank soon with one of the other first grade classes.

Science Fair

Congratulations to our science fair participants! They did an excellent job of researching and learning about a new topic. We were all so interested in their ideas, and the students, eagerly listened to their presentations. I am very proud of you all!

Assigned Seats

We now have assigned seats in the cafeteria. The children are having a really hard time remembering to keep their hands to themselves, and are causing problems for the cafeteria monitors. Please help your child remember that there is no touching other people in the cafeteria. Even if it is in play, sometimes things get out of hand or it is misinterpreted. If students seem to be improving with their behavior, then we may go back to sitting anywhere they want to sit. Children may still choose a guest to sit at the back tables if they have adult visitors.

New Menu Math

We have started double digit subtraction this week with regrouping (borrowing), and to go along with our new focus will be doing some new menu math games for independent work time. Some of these games will reinforce double digit addition, and others will extend our current unit. I've noticed over the years that the children sometimes confuse the two processes, and "forget" which operation they are working on. Thus, the reason for the overlap on games. Any of the past menu math games are still available to play after journal writing in the morning or when they are finished with centers. I know there are a couple of old favorites they love.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thank you to everyone who sent in an item to add to the trail mix today. We had a great mixture of healthy snacks with a few sweet treats thrown in. The students had a really fun time passing out and opening their cards. I hope you enjoy your long weekend, and I will see everyone next week.