September 6th, 2024

Dear Families,
Welcome to our classroom blog!
We are already on day 6 of the school year, and a lot has been happening in our classroom. I will be using this platform, along with student portfolios, to inform you about the events and activities taking place in our community of learners. Hopefully, this will not only provide a basis for opening conversations with your child about school but will also serve as another means of communication between home and school.
Here are some highlights from these two weeks:
During our Morning Meeting period, we have been reviewing the routines and expectations in the classroom and hallway to create a safe and respectful environment where all students can learn and participate. My students have shown fantastic listening skills and have adjusted really well to the new schedule. I have been amazed at their willingness to participate in classroom activities, provide answers to questions, and collaborate with their peers. They have also been very helpful around the classroom, eagerly keeping it organized and clean at the end of each day. Some of them have even risen to the challenge of helping out in the cafeteria, where they are sharing space with the kindergarteners this year.
In our Math block, we began by discussing how we like to learn and collaborate during math time, what we prefer to hear when we are working on a problem, how we will persevere through challenges, ask questions, and solve math problems together. We also focused on using new math vocabulary and strategies to demonstrate our thinking process.
During Language Arts block, we have been introducing the Daily 5 structure. We gather at the reading area for a mini-lesson and then move to reading spots around the classroom to practice our independent reading. We have started building our stamina for independent reading, and I have already conferred with some individual students to learn about their reading preferences, fluency, and comprehension. This week, we discussed the choices of "Read to Self," "Work with the Teacher," and "Skill Practice." Next week, we will introduce "Work on Writing" and "Vocabulary Work." Students have also completed a writing survey where they expressed their excitement about writing topics and identified potential obstacles. My students have shown great awareness of their strengths and challenges, and I look forward to helping them overcome these challenges and support their growth.
We have also dipped our toes into Science this week, but more details will be covered in the next newsletter.
Additionally, and what my students are most excited about, I have introduced a reward system where they can earn points as a class for showing respectful behavior in the halls, making quiet and quick transitions, and demonstrating consistent hard work, collaboration, and effort. When the class accumulates 30 points, they will choose a whole-class activity, such as an extra recess! Your child will be able to tell you how impressed I am with their behavior; in just two weeks, they are already more than halfway to that goal! Additionally, students can earn individual tickets for their work and participation in class, for completing their checklist at the end of the day, and for being classroom or school helpers. When they collect 50 tickets, they can exchange them for a coupon for an activity or reward, such as wearing pajamas to school, wearing a hat, having lunch with the teacher, enjoying a watercolor session with the teacher, sitting with a friend for a day, and other rewards. I can’t wait to send you a Happy Mail when they receive their first reward!
Finally, I have started calling some of you at home to introduce myself and open the lines of communication between home and school. If I haven’t already called, I will be reaching out over the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, feel free to add any comments to this post or send me an email if you wish.
Have a fantastic weekend!