Mrs. Barr's First Grade Class

2012-01-08T17:55:00.000-05:00

This week we are reviewing estimation of numbers up to 100. This is our last math topic before our assessment. Word problems are also a big part of this quarter’s test. Encourage your child to read their math homework themselves and work out the problems on their own. If they get stuck you can help them out.

In reading we are talking about the things good readers do while they read. We are learning that reading is not a passive process and we should always be thinking while reading. You can help at home by asking your child to make a connection to the book they are reading. You can also ask them what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of their book.

By this point in the year most students are able to read 90 to 100 of the first grade sight words. The goal is only 50 for the report card, but if you are reading 50 I feel you are falling behind. Sight words are easy to learn and the biggest help in reading fluency. There is no better way to get your child reading on grade level! If you need a set of words to study please let me know!

Check out these pics of our students working in Math this quarter!

Xavier works in math groups.

Tyler works out addition stories.

Malachi thinking hard!

Winter Break

2011-12-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

Winter Break is December 21st to January 2nd. Please encourage your child to read over the break. Record the books they have read and send them in in January. Our top five readers will earn a trip to the treasure box!!

When we return in January Mr. Edwards will be with us full time. He will begin by teaching calendar and a math group, then work his way up to teaching the whole day. Mrs. Barr and Mrs. Keith will still be around and helping out as he takes over!
We are so lucky to have 3 sets of hands in our room!

Donors Choose Project!

2011-12-07T23:58:00.000-05:00

www.donorschoose.org/mrsbarr

Check out our classroom project here! If you donate before December 12th with your credit card and enter the code SPARK donorschoose will match your contribution dollar for dollar!! What a great deal!

2011-11-09T15:59:00.002-05:00

Parents,
Mills River is doing a food drive for the Salvation Army from now until November 17th. This is a great chance for our students to learn about giving to the less fortunate and to become aware of all they have to be thankful for. If you would like to contribute cans you can send in anything non-perishable. Cans are collected each morning and the class totals are called out on the announcements. Mrs. Barr is very competitve and loves to hear her class called on the announcements!!! Plus it's just a nice thing to do! Clean out your cabinets and and hit up those ingles sales!
Thank you!
Mrs. Barr

A Thankful Time of Year

2011-11-02T16:11:00.000-04:00

As we jump into November I am reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for here at Mills River.

A big thanks for everyone that came out to our Mills River Fall Festival, the PTA was able to raise a teriffic amount of money for teachers to use for school supplies this year.

I am also thankful for having the chance to meet all of you during our first quarter conferences. It was nice to get to sit down with you and let you know about your child's progress. When our students see us working together, school is a sucess!

Coming up this month our students are working on a special turkey project at home, these are always so much fun. The students really love showing off their turkey and story!

In the classroom we have begun simple subtraction in math, writing circular stories in writing, and we are about to being a science unit on rocks and soil with Mr. Edwards from UNCA. The reading goal for second quarter will increase, so please keep your child reading at home!

Thank you for your continued support and now for what you all really want... pictures!

Our Spooky Story Campfire:

Fall Festival Fun!!!

2011-10-12T16:19:00.000-04:00

It's officially fall and the weather and trees are beautiful! In class students are learning about patterns in math as well as adding one more, or two more to a number. Next week we will be starting doubles adding, such as 5+5 or 4+4. These simple adding strategies really help students with adding fluency and math facts in second grade.

We have been getting outside each day it isn't raining to collect leaves, plant flowers and observe the signs of fall. In writing we used four of our five senses to observe fall and then filled out a tree map to help us write complete sentences. I was SOO impressed by the awesome writing we had going on today! Remember to encourage your child to use capital letters at the start of each sentence and some kind of punctuation at the end!

Hopefully everyone has signed up for a parent/teacher conference. They will begin on the 18th. Everyone has to come for a conference before you can get your child's report card for the first quarter. When you come to the conference you will see the report card and we will sign it, then on the first week of November a copy of the report card will be sent home for you to keep.

Our Mills River Fall Festival will be October 27th at 4:30pm. It promises to be a lot of fun with a pie throwing booth, corn hole, lots of fall foods, bounce houses and pumpkins!! Tickets are a dollar and every booth will cost one ticket. If you pre-purchase, just like the fair, you get a discount! It is FREE to come to the fair, and some activities will be free. It will be a huge Mills River family event, don't miss out!

Keep checking back for updates!

Fall Updates!

2011-10-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

Our First Grade Blog has taken on a new look! If you have a google account you can follow us and get updates in your inbox! This week students are working on making patterns in math, and reading words with the short o sound in reading. Students have been reading books about animals and the farm. Some of my favorite fall books are listed in the box to the right. Next week we will read Leaf Man and make our own leaf pictures!

You may have noticed some rocks coming home in student's pockets, sorry about that! We just started our unit on rocks and soil in science and they are excited to say the least! Another great thing coming up next week is our reading buddies! We are partnered with a 4th grade class and we will begin reading a reader's theater play with them. The story is called "The Little Old Lady That Was Not Afraid of Anything". The kids love it! I will hopefully post the video of them reading it by the end of the month. (if I can figure out how to do that!)

Mr. Edwards has been coming to work with us on Wednesday for about a month now. He is a student at UNCA and will be student teaching in our room in January. He has been working hard and is looking forward to coming on board soon!!

Mrs. Keith is reading Charlotte's Web to our class a few pages a day. They love hearing about Wilbur and should be able to tell you all about the story! They love hearing a good book read aloud each day and Mrs. Keith is a masterful story teller!!

It is a joy teaching this group of students, and I sleep well at night! Lol If you have questions or would like to come in to our class to volunteer please let me know! Fall Festival is coming soon and we will need help setting up for that!! Let's hope for a few more days of this beautiful weather!!

Curriculum Night!

2011-09-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

We will have our first grade curriculum night tomorrow night at 6:15pm in the media center. All four first grade teachers will be there to speak to parents. Students are encouraged to stay home, if you need to bring your child they will need to sit quietly with you.

Teachers will cover homework, and the first grade requirements. The reading specialist will also be there to talk about our new reading assessments and reading recovery program. This is a great time to meet with all the people that impact your child everyday.

The meeting with last only an hour and then the teachers will be available to meet with you and answer questions you might have. We hope everyone can come out!!!

Open House!

2011-09-07T17:38:00.000-04:00

Thursday the 8th of September is Mills River Open House! Parents are welcome to come to the gym at 6pm to hear some information from our Princiapl Mr. Murphy. Then you will be released to the classrooms to see what our students have been learning!

Our students will be showing you around to see all the hard work they have done these first few days of school. Keep in mind our First Grade Curriculum Night will be on the 22nd of September. Hope to see you all tomorrow night!

First Grade Begins!!

2011-08-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

A big thanks to everyone that came out this afternoon to Meet the Teacher! I got to meet 16 of my 20 students for this year! Remember to read through the blue packet of papers and the pink ABC's of First Grade. If you have any questions please email me!

If you did not fill out a transportation sheet today make sure to send it in the morning with your child. Getting home safely is the most important thing these first few days. Adults will be walking with all car, bus, pspm and second load students Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully many of you will bookmark this site and check back throughout the year to keep up with all the learning going on in our class! I know it is going to be a great year in first grade!!!

Thank you,
Mrs. Barr

Meet the Teacher Day Poll for Parents!

2011-08-21T11:23:00.000-04:00

Build television sms voting polls at Poll Everywhere

This poll will be displayed at Meet the Teacher Day on Aug. 24th. Drop by from 1:30 to 3:00 to text in your answer. Can't wait to meet every one!!

Meet the Teacher and Supplies

2011-08-18T17:12:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is getting excited about the new school year! I wanted to share that Meet the Teacher will be on August 24th from 1:30 to 3:30pm. This is an informal drop in event, you do not need to be here the whole time. Just stop by and meet me, Mrs. Keith and Mr. Edwards. We look forward to meeting everyone!

If you have already purchased school supplies and would like to bring them on the 24th please do! You can drop them off when we meet. If you would like to send them on the first day or even the following week that works too. I have everything the students need for the very first day.

If you are finding school supplies too costly right now PLEASE do not feel you have to purchase everything on the list. Send what you can! We are very lucky to have extra supplies provided by companies in our area. Purchase only what you feel you can contribute at this time. I know there will be other opportunities throughout the year to contribute.

School supply lists can be found on the Mills River website: http://www.hendersoncountypublicschoolsnc.org/mrs/home/supply-list-2/

If you would like to purchase additional materials for students that might be in need in our classroom or throughout our building feel free to drop those off when you come to visit! A successful school community takes everyone giving what they can and helping each other!! What a great example to set for our children.

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year at Mills River!

2011-07-30T01:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Mrs. Barr's First Grade Class!

Our first exciting news of the year is that our class will be joined by Mrs. Keith this year as our instructional assistant. Mrs. Keith has worked at Mills River in first grade for several years. She loves to read classic books to the class and will be guiding one of our literacy groups each day. She has a true love of children and will surely be an asset to our classroom.

Another person joining us this year will be Mr. Edwards. Mr. Edwards will begin his yearlong internship with us this fall and complete his student teaching requirements in the spring. He attended Polk County High School and is currently attending UNC-Asheville. He will graduate in May of 2012! We look forward to having so many talented people on our first grade team this year!

I will be posting more information about Meet the Teacher Night soon! I cannot wait to meet all of our incoming students!! Mrs. Keith

Important Dates

2010-05-16T15:25:00.000-04:00

Hello!

With the end of the year approaching rapidly (only 18 days left) there are several upcoming events and important dates to be mindful of. I will add more information as it comes along, be sure to check your child's folder each night.

May 18, 19, 20, 28, June 4 - Mrs. Barr will be attending Math Worlds training. I will be at the school, but Mrs. Middleton will be teaching our class since I will be in the training all day.

Monday May 31 - No school - Memorial Day

Tuesday June 1st - Field Day for Kindergarten and First Grade, please send a disposable water bottle with your child and a bag lunch is possible. Students will still be able to buy lunch in the cafeteria if needed.

Monday June 7th - Mrs. Barr's class will do end-of-year awards. Parents are invited to attend from 11:15 to Noon. Students will go to recess and specials after awards. Bring your camera!

Tuesday June 8th - Board Game Day - students may bring board games (not electronic games) to share with friends. We will combine with other first grade students to rotate and play board games. Great examples are Candy Land, Connect 4, Checkers, Chutes and Ladders, ect.

Thursday June 10th - Last Day of School - please send book bags and folders until the last day. Report Cards come home as long as you have no outstanding fees (library or cafeteria).

If you know your child will not attend the last day of school please send me a self-addressed stamped envelope so I can mail your report card to you.

Field Trip!!

2010-04-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

Our students had a great time going to the Charlotte Nature Museum on Tuesday April 20th. The got to see turtles, snakes, butterflies, possums and even a skunk! Plus many other insects and reptiles.

The students participated in a class about baby animals then toured Insect Alley and Creature Cavern. They also walked through the Butterfly House!

Even with all the technology in our classroom you just can't beat the experience of a field trip! Everyone had a great time and was worn out by the time the trip was over. (I could have used a nap too.) Thanks to Target for our field trip grant of $800 that made this trip possible!

Appalachian Trail

2010-03-22T00:16:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Barr will be not be in school on Monday the 22nd. I am in Georgia taking Mr. Barr to the start of the Appalachian Trail. He will start here on the top of Springer Mountain, GA. He will end on top of Mount Katahdin, ME around Labor Day. He will walk over 2,178 miles by the time he finishes. His pack weighed 38 pounds at the start, that is more than some of the students in our class!!

If you would like to follow his journey you can check out his page with an adult's help.

www.PeterOnTheAT.com

We will follow his progress in our classroom on the map of the United States. He will travel through 14 states on his way to Maine. He has promised to send our class many postcards along the way! We love to get mail!! I will be back on Tuesday, so make me proud! I expect everyone to have a good, great or OUTSTANDING day!

-Mrs. Barr

Singing and Reading Celebration!!

2010-03-08T09:15:00.003-05:00

On Friday the 26th we had some exceptional guests for our story and singing celebration. The students shared two books they had written during the month and also two songs they have learned over the past few weeks.

My mom and dad (Mr. and Mrs. Hildreth), our UNCC volunteer (Ms. Marisa), Ms. Royal, and even a future 1st grader Cheyenne came to be our audience and share a popcorn shack afterward! The students had a great time showing off their books and feeling like real authors.

They had and even better time singing Hound Dog to show off their reading skills. Song fluency helps our first graders with tracking and sight word skills.

UNCC Volunteer

2010-02-26T16:27:00.001-05:00

We wanted to say "thank you" to Marisa for coming to volunteer in our class last Friday and again this Friday. She is working on her undergraduate degree in teaching at UNCC and is well on her way to becoming a fantastic teacher. She worked with reading groups, graded papers, and made materials for our class to use while she was with us. We wish her the best of luck for the rest of the school year! Thank you Marisa!

Class Pets

2010-02-24T16:07:00.015-05:00

Our class pets have arrived! After spending all of last week talking about the needs of animals, our class pets are finally here! Tater and Tot, the dwarf hamsters will not get any bigger. They sleep most of the day, because they are nocturnal, but they were up and all over the place Friday when they were introduced to the class.

Mrs. Barr is looking for someone that would like to take Tater and Tot home over the summer. I also need a spring break babysitter as well! Let me know if you are interested, or just want to know what kind of care they require.

Tater and Tot help our class understand the needs of animals. Animals need food, water, shelter, air and space to live. They have their food bowl, water bottle, house and glass tank. They also make great story topics during writing! There are several books in our room this week about hamster care.

Welcome Tater and Tot to first grade!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago our class had a Pre-Valentines celebration! Everyone enjoyed sharing Valentines and a snack at the end of the day.

Fourth Grade Buddies!

2010-02-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

There is nothing better than preforming for an audience! Last week we practiced reading a story for our buddies and they practiced reading for us! Our class picked one book we really wanted to read well for our fourth grade buddies and practiced all week. The fourth graders brought a story to share along with comprehension questions they wrote. After sharing our stories with our buddies everyone picked a comfy place on the floor to read some more!!

We look forward to seeing our buddies again this Thursday when they come to help us with a mapping activity to wrap up our map unit!! Thank you Mrs. Spencer's class.

Before Christmas Visit

2010-02-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

With everything going on the week before Christmas Break I forgot to mention our special guest reader! Ms. Smith, our principal, made a visit to our classroom to share two of her favorite wintry books!

Everyone enjoyed hearing a story from our principal! We were so glad to have her visit.

Back on Task!

2010-01-17T19:17:00.001-05:00

This week our students were back into the swing of things and getting down to work. Here they are working in groups to create a circle map of ideas. They were writing about what they would do if they were principal of the school for a day. Ideas were abundant and included everything from all day recess to serving ice cream for lunch!

Working in groups allows students to build interpersonal skills. It helps English Language Learners to build language fluency... plus it's just plain fun and gets everyone engaged! These circle maps were used throughout the week to write stories about being in charge for a day.

Before starting this writing topic we read a story called Bea and Mr. Jones in which a Kindergartener goes to work at her dad's job and he joins her Kindergarten class. This would be a great story to pick up at the public library or our school library!

Running out of things to do?

2009-12-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Mom and Dad,

Running out of things for your first grader to do over the break? Here are some websites we use in school to work on math and literacy skills. Add these to your favorites and your child shouldn't even need help playing these. You can feel good about letting them play online because they will be strenthening their skills!

http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=DOJO
Log on as a guest, it's free.

http://www.starfall.com/
Different levels for different readers!

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm#earlymath
More math...

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ShapeSorter/
Have your child show you how this is done!

Keep busy! There are also plenty of great books at your local library. Get a library card for Christmas!
Hope these are helpful to all!

Thanks,
Mrs. Barr

New Student

2009-12-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome Natajhma to Mrs. Barr's First Grade Class! We are so happy to have you with us!

We hope Keshara will be back in January after Christmas break! We missed her during the last days before break. Don't worry Keshara! We saved you a cookie and a treat bag!

Here are a few people that have not been on the blog lately,

didn't want to leave these cuties out!

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-28T11:07:00.000-05:00

We had a lot going on before the break. Here you can see our students decorating sugar cookies. Thanks to Casey's Dad, Mr. Stoner, for sending in the cookies. There was no way I was making 25 cookies the week before Christmas! As you can see, everyone took the task seriously and was concentrating hard! They made some nice looking cookies! Maybe some future pastry chefs in our class.

Check back later this week for more classroom pictures!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T20:05:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the break and spending time with friends and family! Be sure to keep reading over the holidays!

Our class had a great time making ornaments with our 4th grade buddies in Ms. Spencer's class this past week.

Even Mrs. Barr and Ms. Spencer got into the holiday spirit!

So, take care and be safe over the break. I will see everyone on January 4, 2010!

The Blog Is Back!

2009-12-14T21:28:00.002-05:00

Well, after a month of inactivity our classroom blog is back in action. I have so many things to post I might not catch up before the new year! First of all I had a fantastic time in Hawaii. I almost decided the school system there needed me permanently! We had beautiful weather and it was hard to return to winter.

The water, the mountains, the sunsets... it was all beautiful! I sent postcards to everyone, I hope they all made it back to the mainland. If you didn't get one let me know, I brought a few back just in case.

When I returned we checked out books from the library to share about Hawaii and volcanoes. I didn't see much lava, but I was able to climb to 13,796ft and summit Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest peak. That makes the seventh state high point I have reached.

I love to travel and I had a great time, however, I have fallen behind with grading. Progress reports are going home this week to students that are still working toward grade level. If your child is on grade level at this time, and I have no concerns about their progress they will not be getting a progress report this quarter. Report cards come up shortly after the winter break.

If you have unique travel experiences you would like to share with our class please let me know. I believe we can learn so much from sharing with each other and having new experiences! I made a few new friends and saw many beautiful places on my trip!

Mrs. Barr is Flying South!

2009-11-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

This Thursday Mrs. Barr will be leaving to go to Hawaii! She will be backpacking and camping on the island of Oahu and the Big Island, Hawaii.

Watch your mail... you may just get a postcard!

Mrs. Barr will return and be back at school on December 3rd.

Great behavior and lots of learning is expected while she is gone. Keep doing your homework and reading every night. Check the homework sheet for more details and who to contact if you have questions while I am gone.

Aloha!

Free Family Fun!

2009-11-12T20:27:00.002-05:00

Once all the rain has stopped you might want to check out this fun and FREE activity this weekend at the
Charlotte Museum of History!

Pumpkins!

2009-11-07T12:00:00.001-05:00

During the week of the 26th our students learned all about Pumpkins! We found that plants need water, air, soil and sunshine to live. We examined the roots, stem, leaves and fruit of the plant. We even found out that Pumpkins are really a fruit! When the students finally got to pick out their own pumpkin to take home they were thrilled. Mrs. Barr even got some yummy pumpkin bread out of the whole thing! Thanks to everyone for bringing in your dollar so the pumpkin patch could be a success!

Spooky Fun!

2009-10-28T17:48:00.003-04:00

What a day! Everyone in our class should be ready for a spooky weekend!

Our boys and girls told their spooky stories around a campfire in our classroom this morning. The cloudy start to the day made it even better! There were stories of haunted houses, lost girls, and big spiders! We turned off all the lights and used a flashlight to read, much to everyone's delight! I might not be able to fall asleep tonight without my teddy bear! Many stories had great vocabulary, sound effects and spooky introductions.

What great writers we have!

Look for more updates during the teacher workdays and this weekend. Don't forget about your parent/teacher conference time or it may .....haunt you!

Pumpkins

2009-10-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

Calling all first graders!

Bring in $1 before October 27th to pick out and take home your own pumpkin!

Next week we will study pumpkins together in class and you will have an oportunity to take one home. If you are unable to bring in $1 please let me know and we will work something out. Visit the pumpkin patch without leaving Stoney Creek!

*Parents - don't forget to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. We will begin on Monday the 26th through Friday the 30th. Every parent must come in for a conference this quarter.

Thank you Ms. Davis!

2009-10-10T19:28:00.000-04:00

Ms. Davis, a UNC Charlotte Teaching Fellow, came and read to our class last Friday. We would like to thank her to sharing a wonderful story with us! She did a great job of engaging the students. I just know Ms. Davis will make a great teacher in the near future!

The students enjoyed hearing from someone other than Mrs. Barr for once!!

We love to have guests in our room. If you have a favorite book you would like to share just let me know when you would like to come and read. We have several new books from the book fair you can read as well. Thank you!! We look forward to hearing from more special guests!

Green Thumbs

2009-10-06T19:14:00.001-04:00

If you didn't know your child had a green thumb check this out!

Our class planted Pansies in the garden this afternoon once the rain and mist cleared up. We dug holes, investigated plant roots and analyzed the soil. We even found a few bugs!

In all, we planted over 100 flowers! Everyone got to plant six. (we are not quite ready to multiply, but you can do the math!) There were lots of hard workers and dirty hands but now our garden looks GREAT!

Make sure to come by on Thursday on your way to the Family Literacy activities to check it out! The book fair will also be open. Two great reasons to come on down!!

Great Website!

2009-10-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

http://www.literacyconnections.com/index.php

This site has wonderful information about how you can help build your child's reading skills at home!

Writing Celebration!

2009-10-02T17:59:00.003-04:00

Our young writers had an opportunity to share their work today. Students wore the honorary Author's Crown and used our reading microphone to share their stories with the class. To celebrate the end of our first writing unit each student selected their best piece of writing to share. We were entertained with stories of pets, trips, and scary bugs all while enjoying a special snack! You can save the picture of your child by right clicking on the photo and selecting "save as..." As the year goes on we will have more writing celebrations. I can't wait to see what our little authors will write next!!

The Book Fair is Here!

2009-10-01T17:55:00.003-04:00

Our principal Mrs. Smith loves the book fair and you will too!

We will preview the book fair tomorrow to see what they have to offer. Your child can buy books from 7:10 to 8:00 in the morning every day next week if you would like to come in with them. The book fair will also be open on Family Literacy Night October 8th. Our whole class will go to the book fair next Tuesday to purchase. The fair will close at 1:30 on October 9th. I will be sharing many of the books in our classroom so everyone can benefit from these great books!

Important Dates

2009-09-21T22:46:00.001-04:00

Wednesday September 30 - Progress Reports go home

Monday October 5 - Book Fair Begins!!!

Thursday October 8 - Family Literacy Night
(Book Fair Ends)

Wednesday October 28 - End of First Quarter

Thursday/Friday October 29/30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

UNC Charlotte International Festival

2009-09-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

Parents,

This is a wonderful opportunity to see cultural dances, artwork and traditional dress for free!! There is always a ton of great multicultural food as well!! This would be a great event for the whole family!

You're invited to the 34th Annual UNC Charlotte International Festival

Saturday, September 26, 2009
10 AM – 6 PM (rain or shine)
Barnhardt Student Activity Center (Building #46 on the campus map)
On UNCC campus, the building they play basketball in.

Parking and Events are FREE!
Enjoy the sights, sounds, color, costumes, dance, food and cultures from around the world!
For a schedule of events visit: http://ifest.uncc.edu

If you have questions or want more information about this event you can email me. lauraa.barr@cms.k12.nc.us

In The Garden!

2009-09-15T16:10:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Barr's class enjoyed an afternoon in the garden today! Yesterday we talked about the four things plants need to survive: water, soil (nutirents), air, and sun. We also looked at three types of soil: top soil, peat moss, and our current dirt from outside.

Today our boys and girls got to dig in by mixing the three types together in our garden to make it a better home for flowers.

Thank you to Jadon for brining in a bucket and two small hand rakes. They sure came in handy today!

I have updated my favorite books list to include some great books about plants! Maybe you can find some books at home or in the library about plant life!

As you can see, there was a lot of good team work going on! Our students mixed the three soils to make our garden better!

Mrs. Barr is very excited about many more lessons to come in the garden. Next week on Tuesday we will be planting bulbs! Tulips and Daffodils.

If you would like to help during gardening time just let me know! An extra set of hands wouldn't hurt! We will be working outside from 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday as long as it doesn't rain!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2009-09-15T15:53:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was Matthew's birthday.

He and his mom were nice enough to think of our class and send in cupcakes for us to share on Monday. All the boys and girls had a great time helping him celebrate as you can see!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Open House

2009-09-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone that came out for Stoney Creek Elementary's very first Open House!!

Our class had a wonderful turn out, 17 out of 19 students brought their families to Open House. It was so nice to see all the parents I have met in the last few weeks again and to meet all the other parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, grandmas and uncles! When I meet a students family I can really begin to understand the child.

Some important highlights from Open House in case you were unable to attend ( or unable to hear me).

You may visit the school anytime, please sign in at the office.
Lunch is at 10:25 if you would like to come eat with your child.
I will grade on a 3,2,1 scale.
3 means your child consistently meets expectations.
2 means they sometimes meet grade level expectations.
1 means they have not yet meet the grade level expectation.
Attendance is very important, first grade builds the foundation of reading.
Your child should be getting 9-10 hours of sleep each night
You should see and sign their green homework folder every night.
Your child should read aloud with someone for at least 15 minutes EVERY night.

If you would like to volunteer you can help by:

filing papers in the classroom
reading with a student
helping students take AR tests
making copies
donating garden items (email me for a list)
bringing in old books for our class library
buying something off our target list http://www.target.com/lists/1UW2ANBTX04KS
sending in snack for special occasions

Again, thank you for taking the time to come see our new school! I look forward to seeing everyone again for Parent/Teacher conferences in October.

Please email me or post questions to the blog.

School Opening

2009-09-01T16:32:00.002-04:00

Welcome First Graders and Families,

Welcome to Stoney Creek Elementary School! With the new school year starting soon the first grade team wanted to share some important information with all of our incoming students. Our fabulous team this year will consist of six first grade teachers: Ms. Snuggs, Ms. White, Ms. Samuel, Ms. Kidd, Ms. Konarski, and Ms. Barr. We are all so proud and excited to be opening this new school with you! Together we have a wonderful opportunity to make Stoney Creek a model of growth and learning.

First grade is a very important grade. You will be doing a lot of reading and writing in all subjects. You will also be working on special projects and activities in math, science, and social studies. If this all sounds like fun to you, that’s because it really is! We love getting our hands on learning and we plan to share our excitement with you! It’s not always easy though. Our whole school and first grade in particular, really wants learning to be a team effort this year between school and home. We will team up for SUCCESS!

Please plan to join us on the night of SEPTEMBER 10th for Stoney Creek’s Open House. There you will be able to meet with your child’s teacher and hear all about the first grade curriculum. Below you will find the first grade supply list. Please do not feel that you must have all these items by the first day. Items sent in any time during the first week of school will be fine.

During the first few days of school we will be conducting hearing screenings of all first grade students. The screening is free and only takes a few minutes of the student’s time. You will be notified by the nurse if there are any concerns about your child’s screening.

Once again welcome from the first grade team! We cannot wait to meet everyone and begin the new year in our new building. We are looking forward to a great first grade year!!