Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Scholastic Orders

 

 Today our Holiday order forms will be coming home. The due date for these orders is next Friday, December 7th. This will allow time for the books to arrive before we leave for Christmas break. Remember, every order you place earns our class free books and supplies!

I'm sending home several reading level catalogs for a few reasons. One is that we have readers of many levels in our class, so the K-1st catalog may not be the best for everyone. Two is that our students are interested in picking out gifts for older and younger siblings, and I figured that you may be too! All of the catalog books are available online, as well as extra books in each leveled category. You can order from any part of the site and all of the items will come in together.

The K-1 catalog is the See Saw catalog on the front of the packet. The next is Firefly, at the Pre K and K level. Next is Lucky, 2nd-3rd grade level. Last is Click, which is for all grade levels but focuses on computers, videos, and technology products.

*Special Note*
If any of the books are gifts that you do not want your student to see, please let me know by email, note, or phone call! I will pull these out and set them aside for you to pick up at another time.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

All About Me Posters

Remember that your "All About Me" Background knowledge posters are due tomorrow!  We will be sharing them in class.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Vote!

VOTE!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Relief

Today in class we discussed hurricanes, as a way to bring our own experiences into our study of weather. Of course, many students wanted to know why we were off of school for, what seemed to them, to be just a rain storm. We talked about the unpredictable nature of hurricanes and the damage caused in New Jersey and New York and many coastal communities.

Our wonderful students immediately wanted to know how they could help the people who lost their homes, businesses, belongings, and loved ones. I promised that I would find out how they could help, so here is the result of that research. I hope that if you and your family are able, you will take the chance to teach our kids about the goodness of giving to those in need, especially at a time when it so easily could have been our community.

Reliable assistance in any disaster:
www.redcross.org

An article detailing specific locations and needs:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/11/01/as-hurricane-sandy-relief-efforts-continue-heres-how-you-can-help/




Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween Party & Parade

Per Dr. Shisler, our Halloween party & parade will be rescheduled for this Friday, 11/2 due to the very wet school grounds. If you have any treats or costumes that were going to come in on Wednesday, please hold onto those for Friday. Thank you!!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Australian Stanleys

Our Australian "exchange Stanleys" have arrived! Your family's Stanley will come home today. Please be sure to read the accompanying letters (one from me, one from Stanley's friend in Australia) and to keep track of Stanley's activity on his or her log. These Stanleys are due back to school on Friday, November 2nd.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Science & Imagination



It is absolutely amazing to think of things that humans are able to accomplish with science and imagination. This video is a little heavy on the "Red Bull" product placement, but Felix Baumgartner's supersonic leap is an amazing and inspiring feat.

Felix jumped from an altitude of 128,100 feet. At this height, the temperature outside of the capsule was as low as a staggering -70 degrees F. His maximum free fall speed was 833 mph, officially becoming to the first person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle. The free fall lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds before he deployed his parachute to land safely on the ground near Roswell, New Mexico.

I wonder what our future scientists, engineers, and leaders, right here in first grade, will accomplish that will leave us all speechless in the future....

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

This Week's HW

Hi Families!

So sorry- our spelling homework did not make it into this week's homework packet. Here is a copy for tonight, I will copy and send home the sheet tomorrow. If you click on the image it should be big enough to be usable.


Monday, September 17, 2012

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers!



Keep practicing those numbers, kids!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Our first Scholastic order!



Our first Scholastic order forms will be coming home in this week's Thursday folder. I hope you'll take the time to check out the selection and prices available- there are usually lots of great deals! Ordering online is very easy and will help us earn points for our class so that we are able to purchase books for our class library and our brand new listening center.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fun Alphabet Song!

Homework starts today!

Our first homework assignment is coming home today. Please remember to check your student's W.O.W. binder each Monday for the weekly homework, it can be found in the homework section. Written homework, usually spelling, should be completed on the lined paper provided in the Homework section, leave the work here when it is finished. If the work is not a written activity, just initial next to the assignment on the Homework sheet to show that it was completed.

After I check that the work has been completed, I will move the work to the "Completed Work" section at the back of the binder. Once it's there, you can remove it and keep it at home.I will also place graded classwork, tests, and activities in this section to come home.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

We're Back!

Today was the start of the 2012-2013 school year. We had a great day! I'm sure the amount of papers and paperwork coming home is overwhelming, but just do your best to complete it without letting it become stressful to your family. Return the emergency form and statement of understanding as soon as possible, and then worry about the others. We'll be here for the next 179 days!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

It's Almost That Time Again...

Well, today is August 1st! That means 15 days until teachers report to school, and just 21 days until the first day of school! I can't wait to meet my new group of first graders and to see all of my old friends as they grow and change throughout their elementary years.

This summer has been a lot of fun for me and my family. We went to Walt Disney World in June and just returned from a trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls. Kegan is a whirling dervish at two and a half years old, and Lily is getting bigger every day now that she is three months old. I hope that you and your family have had a summer to remember as well!


Our Family at Walt Disney World in June


Our family in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, in July

We'll soon be starting all kinds of new adventures in first grade!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Summer time!

It's almost summer break! Can you believe it? In case you're not just excited, but worried, about what to do on all those long summer days, here's a great site with lots of fun ideas for a memorable summer break...
http://www.creativefamilyfun.net/2012/05/200-fun-ideas-for-your-summer-bucket.html

Also, check out our new pages to the right hand side of the site. I've added a summer bridge activities page and a summer reading list page. These are just suggestions and fun things that I've found for you in case you're interested. I will be adding to both as I find more fun things!

Handwriting Practice Resource

Summer handwriting practice- this site is wonderful! Type in whatever you'd like your child to practice writing and it will make you a customized worksheet to print. D'Nealian is our standard print in elementary school, but this site also shows block printing and cursive.

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

Thursday, April 26, 2012

She's here!



She's here! Lilian Maureen Grenier arrived at 11:03 AM, on April 25, 2012. 
Her big brother Kegan was so excited to meet her!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Report Card Rewards

A former student's mom brought this website to my attention- it may be of interest to some of our high achievers! The site lists 22 different reward programs for students with exceptional report card grades.

 http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/money/freebies-and-deals-for-students/?ordersrc=rdfc1102610

Spring Changes

Dear Students, Parents, and Families,

              Can you believe that it is already spring and that we are
beginning our fourth (and last) marking period? It seems like just
yesterday that I welcomed a group of students who were coming fresh from
kindergarten and now I am about to say goodbye to a group of seasoned first
graders- almost second graders!
             Although I expected to be with our class until the third week
of April, due to complications I’ve had to change my plans. Following my
doctors’ suggestion, my last day with our class will be Friday, March 30th.
This is our last day before Spring Break. Students will start fresh with
our long term substitute, Mrs. Anna Jones, a retired Calvert County
teacher, on their return from Spring Break. Although I will definitely be
in to visit, Mrs. Jones will be the class’ teacher through the end of their
first grade year. Mrs. Jones was able to come in on the Monday before 
Spring Break to get to know our class and routines.
             The class will continue to use many of the same routines,
rules, and customs that we have established, and I’m sure that Mrs. Jones
will have many of her own to add to the mix. Please be patient and
supportive of our class as we make this transition.
             I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your
help, kind words, and communication throughout the year. I hope to update
you all soon on the arrival of our new baby girl!

Sincerely,


Mrs. Casey Grenier