Dingess

Happy Friday!!!  We had another wonderful week at the Creek!!  Today was our first day to have student from Kennesaw State University come and visit our classroom.  I'd like to Welcome Miss Amanda Keller to our class.  She is an education major in her senior year, and she is observing classes to learn techniques to use as a classroom teacher.  She will be with us for about once a week for a couple of months.  We are so excited that she has joined us!

Be sure to ask your children how they were a scientist today!  We observed/explored 4 types of fruits, and we shared our Observation bags.  WOW, they did a nice job of using their 5 senses to learn so much!  We began our writing and reading workshops this week, and I hope to begin small group guided reading classes next week.  Be sure to practice how to correctly form each letter in our writing and all the sounds so we can put "big words" together in our reading groups.  We also are learning all about numbers, graphing and adding/subtracting to 10.  Next week, we begin our Unit about Weather.  Begin to collect pictures of different types of weather from magazines, off the internet and books.  We will also be studying different types of  weather instruments and how water changes in forms.

Congratulations to the following students for their Summer Reading:  Cassie, Jack, Liam, Nate, and Alex!!   Way to go!  If your child forgot to bring in his/her form, please do so by Monday morning.

Next week is a BIG week!!  As a first grade team, we are collecting school supplies for children that might not have many supplies at our sister school.  Send in any donations that you may have. Also, on Thurs., we have our Boosterthon Fun Run @ 8:15-9:30.  I hope you will come and join us for our Run!!You can still collect pledges for our classroom on line at www.funrun.com.  

A big thank you goes out to Rylan's mom for volunteering and coming to training today for PVS.  If you'd like to help her out, we sure could use you.  There is another training in Sept.  Just let me know.  Also, Thank you to all the parents for our supplies, story parents and helper parent.  I appreciate all that you do to make my job so enjoyable.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!   

Thrilling Thursday!!! We had a great day today!! We all went to the Media center and we were able to check out 2 books for each child.  I asked the kids to try and find one book that they could read and one for fun!!  It was a lot of fun and we tried to help the children the best that we could.  We will be going to the media center once a week, but that schedule has not been set-up for us yet.  Once your child knows how to pick appropriate books according to his/her level, they will go on their own to the library.  So, read, read, read and return the books by next Thurs.

Turn in your Summer Reading Logs by tomorrow!! :)  I will submit the names on Monday morning to the committee.  If you chose not to do this, that is ok!!  Enjoy your Science Observation bags.  Good luck finding 4 objects that have at least one common trait and bring it back tomorrow.  Thank you to our first Story parents!!  Jacob's dad brought in a treat to celebrate his Birthday and read a wonderful story to us.  Also, Nathan's mom came in and read some great stories.  Thank you parents for all your support!!  Don't forget to get your pledges in for BOOSTERTHON!!  Please come out and join us next Thurs., Sept. 1st @ 8:15 to run/walk with your child around the track to support all of our hard work.  It should only last for about an hour...dress for Hot weather! Thanks for all do! 

Wonderful Wednesday!! I hope everyone is doing well!  Thank you so much for getting all the forms and such in to me quickly.  I hope everyone was able to log onto the Boosterthon website @  www.funrun.com last night and start getting those pledges in for the school.  Today we learned about Teamwork and how we all help each other.  Also, we did math with marshmallows...they loved that.  I forgot to send the observation bags home...they will come home tomorrow.  Our little scientist are budding.  If you would like to donate some fruit for the class to observe and taste, please email me.  I need about 4 (of each) bananas, apples, oranges, and kiwis.   I'd need the fruit for Friday...and Don't forget to sign the behavior calendar inside your child's binder every night. Thanks so much and have a great day! 

BOOSTERTHON HAS BEGUN! :)  I hope you all received your Epic adventure "map" guide in your child's binder today.  The children were sooo excited about raising $$ for their school and classroom, so we can purchase new things to help us learn.  It is a wonderful program to be involved in and a great way to support the school.  All you do is log on to the website (www.funrun.com) and put in your access code.  Be sure to watch the fun video, which is updated each day.  Then call you family and friends and see if they would like to make a pledge to  help our school.  FYI, if your aunt pledges $1.00 per lap, just be sure she knows that they usually complete 25-35 laps...so that would be $35.00 from her.

Also, be sure to initial the behavior calendar located in the front of your child's binder each night.  They are doing a great job with this, and I decided to write the # which goes along with the class rules from the back of the sheet.  Just let me know if you have any questions. 

Also, I sent home reminders of which supplies or forms still needed to be returned.  Let me know if you have any problems with that.  I will be sending home a Scientist Observation bag.  Help your child pick out 3 or 4 things from around the house that have some type of similar traits (they are all red, or round, or something).  Then they will bring it back to school and guess what is in common with the objects.  We will be doing a fruit observation/tasting on Friday.  Please let me know if your child has an allergy.

Thank you for all your support and assistance.  Let's make this the best year ever!! :0)

What a marvelous Monday!! Parents, I will be updated you about important upcoming events on the BLOG.  When the PTA, or Foundation or administration, sends something to me that you need to know about, I will post it on the BLOG.  We will have Red, White and Blue Day tomorrow to promote the kick-off to the Boosterthon!  It is a Wonderful program that promotes character skills that we all want our children to know and a fun way to raise money for our school.  The kids may go home tomorrow and discuss the Pep Rally to kick it off.  So, be sure to check the BLOG several times a week in order to know all the updated information.  A BIG thank you goes out to Maggie's mom and Nate's mom for volunteering to be the room moms the year!! They will be contacting you soon with some information.  Also, I'd like to thank Sofia's for volunteering to be the Scholastic book Order mom and Rylan's mom for being one of our Parent substitutes for teacher training days once a month.  I'd still like to have one more mom sign up for that if possible.  Here is the info. about our one and only service project for the first graders:

First Grade Service Project – School Supplies Needed

August 29 – September 2, 2011

We are excited for our first Community Outreach service project of the year - the First Grade School Supplies Drive! 

We will be collecting school supplies for our sister school, Powers Ferry Elementary.

Please bring donations to your classroom throughout the week of August 29th. Items will be collected the morning of the Friday, September 2nd.

Items needed: pencils, erasers, glue, spiral notebooks, crayons, folders, rulers, scissors, backpacks, etc.

Thanks in advance for teaching our kids about being active in our community!

Any parents who want to help with sorting the supplies on Friday, September 2^nd from 8 – 10 am and/or anyone who has questions, please e-mail heathermcafee@mac.com

 Happy Friday!!  We had a wonderful Open House on Tuesday night.  Several of you could not make it , so please review the papers I sent home and email me with any questions.  Also, I discussed birthday policy, attendance/tardies, shoes to wear, snack, drinks, etc....so if you are in doubt, or your child goes home with with a strange request, just ask me and I'll be happy to explain.

The First Week of 1st Grade was awesome!!  We have the best 1st grade Dalmatian class ever!  Your children are so sweet and well behaved!  Thanks to you!! :)  I look forward to working with and watching them grow!  I hope you found the "Take Home" binder helpful.  The papers in the slip covers are for you and your child to reference to throughout the year, so please keep them in there.   Also, please remember to clean it out and return any HW or important papers to me in the binder that comes to school Every day.  This week we enjoyed meeting our new friends and reading books/role playing how to act in the classroom, hallway, bathroom, and lunchroom.  We will continue to learn about the Lifelong guidelines next week.  Also, I plan to start some Science and have them be scientific observers next week.  The children enjoyed sharing and telling about themselves, so I thought I send something home so everyone could share some more next week.  Be sure to look for it in the backpack.  I look forward to beginning my writing and reading workshops too next week.  We will probably do these more whole group and later complete them at center time. **Sign-up for Feedblitz onthe BLOG so you will get an email everytime I update it.

Some reminders...

1.  Monday is crazy sock day but be sure to have tennis shoes for PE too. 

2.  Be sure to send in the Performing Arts envelope with it filled out the outside so your child can participate in any field trips related to that.

3.  Please send in your order for a Dalmatian class t-Shirt and the class fee made out to Mrs. Paige Minear (our room mom). 

4.  The summer Reading logs are due next week.  Some of you have already turned them in, thank you! 

5.  We still need a few "My Word Journals" to be purchased and forms turned in (medical form, etc)....pleases don't forget.

Thank you for a Wonderful first week.  I think we are going to have the best year ever!!!  Enjoy this beautiful weather and weekend!   I'll see all the dalmatian shining faces on Monday morning!  

Happy Thursday!  I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow, Friday, is crazy Hat day!!

If you want your child to wear any kind of hat, he/she is allowed to.  I hope you have a wonderful evening.

Be sure to sign-up for news feed so you will be alerted whenever I BLOG. 

Thanks for all the extra supplies you have sent in! :)