What a terrific first day. It was a pleasure to meet and get to know your children. In the morning the Strawberry Creek students went on a room hunt following clues to get to know the supply areas, materials, maps and each other. After the hunt they introduced their “high-five” partner (a random partnership made at line-up in the morning) to the class at morning meeting followed by a group tag game and tour of the campus to view the new construction.
Along with the first experience of having recess before eating lunch, the students were introduced to the class library and made their first reading selections, took part in a math visualization activity, and began a preliminary stage of a writing project that will develop over the next few days. Throughout the day we had wonderful conversations about books, student interests and how to be a successful and thoughtful Strawberry Creek community.
Reminders:
Lake Anza, Friday, September 9 - If we did not receive a permission slip (mailed with the summer letter) for the Lake Anza trip for your child one was sent home with him or her today.
Emergency Forms – If you have not done so already, the school needs your child’s emergency form right away.
Homework, 9/6/11:
1. Summer Artifact (due Wednesday)- Please find an artifact (item) at home that represents something you did over the summer. You will have an opportunity to share with the class about the item, so be sure to practice what you would like to say (less than a minute). The artifacts will stay on display in the classroom over the next two weeks as we take turns sharing.
Due: Tuesday, September 7.
2. Reading (every night)– Read for 30 minutes each night (you select the reading material). More information on how to track reading and related assignments will be sent out in the coming days.
3. Journal Project (due Thursday): Collect photos, pictures, poems, drawings . . . Use the white envelope provided to collect an assortment of images that you will bring to class to use to personalize your writer’s journal in class on Thursday. We have the journal, so all you need are the images. We will be cutting and pasting to make a collage type cover, so be sure you bring images you are okay about altering. What types of images will work? The goal is for you to personalize the journal, so try to find pictures, poems, words, symbols that you connect to in some way.
