And They're Off...

Whew, it was a hot few days on the second floor.  Anyone who visited our classroom can attest to that!  However, despite the heat and the larger class (27 children),  we had a great first 2 days.  What an amazing group of children: smart, creative, kind, caring, interesting, athletic, artistic, hard-working, responsible... Ms. Miller and I feel like it will be a great year.

We have spent most of our time getting to know each other and creating guidelines in order for us to create a kind and caring classroom. Students have stated that they want to feel welcome, safe, have fun, have others be responsible, feel cared for and respected, among other things.  We will be finishing our guidelines and rights and responsibilities next week and I will include our finished project on our blog.

Please make sure you check our specials schedule tab on this blog.  It lists the days we have specials AND there is a copy of our weekly schedule, as well.  Also, along the business lines, I have sent various forms home.  Some of the forms are informational and some of them require you and/or your child to fill out and return to school.  I ask that the Ready-Set-Goal form be completed prior to our RSG meeting.  If you have not scheduled a Ready-Set-Goal conference, please call, email me or send me a note and we will get one scheduled.  Conferences resume again this Tuesday.

Ms. Miller's fish was a visitor to our classroom on the first day.  However, it was too hot for him so he had to return to Ms. Miller's apartment.

However, on Tuesday, the frogs will be making their way back to the Lily Pad following their summer vacation at Ms. Mack's house.

All the students were so excited about their new desks!  Here is a snap shot into a newly organized desk with brand new school supplies.  Now that's a sight!

Here are some questions that the students used as they brainstormed Ways We Want Our Classroom to be.

Finally, one last bit of information: The students brought home their composition notebooks.  We will be using these for our Writer's Notebooks and I would like for them to decorate them over the weekend.  I understand that some of you have plans to be away for Labor Day making it difficult to complete this assignment by Tuesday. If that is the case, please send the notebook back to school with your child on Tuesday.  We will send the notebook home again next week and they can complete the assignment then.  I need all notebooks at school on Tuesday, September 6 for the beginning of our Writer's Workshop.

Here is an example of my Writer's Notebook.