This week with Mrs. Williams we learned how to use Typing Club! This program helps children learn about the home rows and how to type without looking at the keyboard.

Updates:

I will highlight any information that is new. Information that I leave in the newsletter each week just for reference will remain black and white.

 

Responsive Classroom: Each day, students begin with a morning meeting, with the goal being to meet students’ needs for Belonging, Significance and Fun. We greet each other, share ideas (sometimes about school and sometimes not!), play a group activity together and then read the message. This is a crucial time of day for us to work together to build our classroom community, for students to practice social skills, and for academic content to be reviewed or previewed.

 

In addition to the practice of Morning Meeting, Responsive Classroom focuses on the importance of students gaining both social/emotional as well as academic skills to support them in school and life. This week, we continued reading and learning about the skill of Cooperation and why it is important. As part of this, students are practicing “How to Find and Be a Good Partner.”

 

We created our class rules last week after first brainstorming a list of things we would need from ourselves, each other and our space, in order to achieve our dreams! Here are the rules we came up with together:

1. Listen to each other AND be kind and safe. 
2. Pay Attention.
3. Use things carefully AND keep our space clean.

 

Second Step

This program is one that Essex Elementary is adopting this year. It has targeted lessons designed to explicitly teach some social/emotional skills based on the developmental needs of the students. All first grade classrooms will be hearing the same lessons throughout the year, co-taught by classroom teachers and school counselors. Here is the breakdown of lesson 3, which happened this week!

 

Lesson 3: You Did It!

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will reflect on different skills they’ve learned and talk about how practice and continued effort helped them get better.

Try This at Home

Talk with your child about different tasks and skills they have learned to do by themselves at home, for example, making their bed, getting themselves dressed, etc. Remind them that it took time and practice to get better at these things.

Imagine Neighborhood

Listen with your child to the Imagine Neighborhood podcast, Season 2, Episode 2: Macho and the Toucan’t.

Math

A great deal of our attention in first grade is on decades (groups of ten) and how that magical number can help us in many ways as mathematicians.

 

This week we continued Number Corner. It is now a student job each day to help us update our Number Corner Calendar, Date, and Days in School Tally. Our focus is on counting, making groups of five, groups of ten and eventually, a group of 100! 

 

This week we began Math Menu. This is a time in our math workshop when students have a menu of choices they need to complete. While students are working, I meet with small groups or students individually to practice skills. This week’s math menu had 9 choices, and the goal was for students to complete 4.

 

Reading/Writing/Word Work

This week we began learning some trick words (also called sight words), and how to start tapping out the sounds in short vowel words. Additionally, we reviewed writing some of the “plane line letters,” n, m, u.

 

Science/Social Studies:

Our focus in social studies at the beginning of the  year is community. We are learning about each other, our interests, families and likes/dislikes. In science, we took a few virtual field trips that brought us inside some national parks, like the Carlsbad Caverns and the Volcanoes of Hawaii! 

Parent Conferences

Here is the sign up for parent conferences. These will be your preference of either in person, or virtual. If your preference is to have a virtual conference, simply sign up for a time that works, and send me an email requesting the conference be over zoom. I’ll reply with a link!

Four Winds

I was contacted by the Four Winds directors and asked to reach out to you all again. We only have 1 volunteer from our classroom signed up, and they are really hoping to have 2 for each classroom. If you are able to help, please email!      eesfourwinds@gmail.com

 

Picture Day

Forms were sent home in Friday folders today. Please send these back in with your order, OR place an order online. Picture Day: Thursday, October 7th.

 

Dismissal: Please let me know if your child has a change in their regular dismissal plan. It is best for you to copy Niquette in the front office at:  nbergeron@ewsd.org as well, just so we can be sure we get the message!

 

Breakfast: Breakfast is available and offered to all students each day, free of charge. Please let me know if you do not want your child to eat the school-provided breakfast.

 

Communication: A majority of our communication will be through email this year. If you have not been receiving emails from me, please let me know so I can add you to our class email list. 

 

Here is the parent email list!

 

Prepare for the Weather: We are getting outside as much as possible (in addition to daily recess). Your child should also have an extra set of clothes - these can stay at school in their bin unless they are used and need to come home to be washed. 

 

Snack: Please send in a daily healthy snack and drink. We will have snack each morning between 9:30 and 10:00. Your child should also bring a water bottle (labeled with their name) to school each day.

 

Our Schedule: Our schedule is posted on our class website. 

 

Birthdays: Birthdays are a very special time and I am happy to have your child share their special day with our class if they choose! We cannot have shared snacks sent in from home, however, if you would like to send in a special message to have me play for the class on your child’s day we would love it! Additionally, the class makes a birthday bag for the child to take home on their special day with pictures and kind words or messages! If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with us, please let me know - they can choose any day!

 

Please see this letter from the EWSD nurses.

 

Outside of School:

Your child should be exposed to reading on a regular basis. This can include you reading aloud to your child or them listening to an audio book. Your child will not receive weekly homework. However, I may periodically send home information about special projects throughout the year if you would like to work on them together at home. Students will always have time in school to work on projects as well.

 

Please make sure your child has the following items each day. 

• 2 facemasks (always good to have a clean spare!)
• snack
• water bottle
• extra clothes (these can be left at school)

Important Dates:

Fun Run September 24

EES Picture Day October 7

Parent Conferences (no school) October 8

Indigenous Peoples Day (no School) October 11

 

Updates:

 

I will highlight any information that is new. Information that I leave in the newsletter each week just for reference will remain black and white.

 

Responsive Classroom: Each day, students begin with a morning meeting, with the goal being to meet students’ needs for Belonging, Significance and Fun. We greet each other, share ideas (sometimes about school and sometimes not!), play a group activity together and then read the message. This is a crucial time of day for us to work together to build our classroom community, for students to practice social skills, and for academic content to be reviewed or previewed.

 

In addition to the practice of Morning Meeting, Responsive Classroom focuses on the importance of students gaining both social/emotional as well as academic skills to support them in school and life. This week, we continued reading and learning about the skill of Cooperation and why it is important. 

 

This week students wrote their hopes and dreams for 1st grade. There were things like wanting to make new friends, wanting to be able to understand others’ words, and wanting to be able to read chapter books. So many big dreams! Next week we will get to create the rules our classroom will use in order to create a place where we can help everyone’s dreams come true!

 

Second Step

This program is one that Essex Elementary is adopting this year. It has targeted lessons designed to explicitly teach some social/emotional skills based on the developmental needs of the students. All first grade classrooms will be hearing the same lessons throughout the year, co-taught by classroom teachers and school counselors. Here is the breakdown of lesson 2, which happened this week!

 

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that a distraction is something that takes their attention away from something else. They’ll learn different ways to manage distractions, such as reminding themselves to focus, turning away from the distraction, changing places, or politely asking someone to stop a distracting behavior.

Try This at Home

When you need to pay attention or focus on a task at home, ask your child to suggest some ways you can manage distractions.

Imagine Neighborhood

Listen with your child to the Imagine Neighborhood podcast, Season 1, Episode 7: Macho’s New Spaceship.

 

Math

A great deal of our attention in first grade is on decades (groups of ten) and how that magical number can help us in many ways as mathematicians.

 

This week we continued our first number corner of the year. Now that more of the calendar cards have been turned over, we have identified both a pattern in the colors of the cards, as well as the math model used. There are tally marks, popsicle sticks and twenty frames. In addition, we have continued tallying the days in school. On Wednesday we celebrated our first decade day! (every 10 days of school is a decade day in first grade!) Our focus is on counting, making groups of five, groups of ten and eventually, a group of 100! 

 

Students also learned 2 math games called, “Spill the Beans” and “Finger Talk.” Both games as students to use counting strategies to determine pairs that make 10.  

 

Reading/Writing/Word Work

We continued to review letter sounds and this week we began writing skyline letters. These are lower case letters that are formed by staring the pencil at the top of the line space and dragging down to the bottom line (the “grass” line). The letters we focused on this week were: t, b, f, l, k, d, h)

 

Science/Social Studies:

Our focus in social studies at the beginning of the  year is community. We are learning about each other, our interests, families and likes/dislikes. In science, we have started talking about plant parts. So far we have watched a video about how the different parts of plants work together to help them survive. 

 

Four Winds

Please see this flyer about this awesome science program coming back to EES! They are looking for volunteers from each classroom to help support this opportunity.

 

Dismissal: Please let me know if your child has a change in their regular dismissal plan. It is best for you to copy Niquette in the front office at:  nbergeron@ewsd.org as well, just so we can be sure we get the message!

 

Breakfast: Breakfast is available and offered to all students each day, free of charge. Please let me know if you do not want your child to eat the school-provided breakfast.

 

Communication: A majority of our communication will be through email this year. If you have not been receiving emails from me, please let me know so I can add you to our class email list. 

 

Here is the parent email list!

 

Prepare for the Weather: We are getting outside as much as possible (in addition to daily recess). Your child should also have an extra set of clothes - these can stay at school in their bin unless they are used and need to come home to be washed. 

 

Snack: Please send in a daily healthy snack and drink. We will have snack each morning between 9:30 and 10:00. Your child should also bring a water bottle (labeled with their name) to school each day.

 

Our Schedule: Our schedule is posted on our class website. 

 

Birthdays: Birthdays are a very special time and I am happy to have your child share their special day with our class if they choose! We cannot have shared snacks sent in from home, however, if you would like to send in a special message to have me play for the class on your child’s day we would love it! Additionally, the class makes a birthday bag for the child to take home on their special day with pictures and kind words or messages! If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with us, please let me know - they can choose any day!

 

Please see this letter from the EWSD nurses.

 

Outside of School:

Your child should be exposed to reading on a regular basis. This can include you reading aloud to your child or them listening to an audio book. Your child will not receive weekly homework. However, I may periodically send home information about special projects throughout the year if you would like to work on them together at home. Students will always have time in school to work on projects as well.

 

Please make sure your child has the following items each day. 

• 2 facemasks (always good to have a clean spare!)
• snack
• water bottle
• extra clothes (these can be left at school)

It felt great to have a regular  week together. We spent time learning and practicing how to work together - the students were amazing at using kind and clear words to find partners!

Updates:

 

From this point forward, I will highlight any information that is new. Information that I leave in the newsletter each week just for reference will remain black and white.

 

Responsive Classroom: Each day, students begin with a morning meeting, with the goal being to meet students’ needs for Belonging, Significance and Fun. We greet each other, share ideas (sometimes about school and sometimes not!), play a group activity together and then read the message. This is a crucial time of day for us to work together to build our classroom community, for students to practice social skills, and for academic content to be reviewed or previewed.

 

In addition to the practice of Morning Meeting, Responsive Classroom focuses on the importance of students gaining both social/emotional as well as academic skills to support them in school and life. This week, we began reading and learning about the skill of Cooperation and why it is important. We created a poster with examples of things we would see and hear when people are cooperating in our classroom.

 

Second Step

This program is one that Essex Elementary is adopting this year. It has targeted lessons designed to explicitly teach some social/emotional skills based on the developmental needs of the students. All first grade classrooms will be hearing the same lessons throughout the year, co-taught by classroom teachers and school counselors. Here is the breakdown of lesson 1, which happened this week!

 

Summary

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that paying attention can look different depending on the situation, for example, listening to the teacher during a lesson, or looking both ways before crossing the street.

Try This at Home

Ask your child to show you how they can pay attention, for example, when you are reading a story with them, explaining a task, or crossing the street.

Imagine Neighborhood

Listen with your child to the Imagine Neighborhood podcast, Season 2, Episode 3: Shake Your Monkeys.

Math

A great deal of our attention in first grade is on decades (groups of ten) and how that magical number can help us in many ways as mathematicians.

 

This week we began our first number corner of the year. The calendar collector started officially on the first of September, and so far we have seen different colors as well as tally marks. It is our job as mathematicians to figure out the patterns that exist in the calendar each month. In addition, we have started tallying the days in school. Our focus is on counting, making groups of five, groups of ten and eventually, a group of 100! 

 

Students also learned a math game called, “Flip and Write,” which has them practicing recognizing quantities on a ten frame model, and then tracing accurately the same number. This is to support subitizing (recognizing of quantities without counting individually), and handwriting numerals.

 

Reading

This week readers focused on reviewing some letter sounds as well as choosing some just right independent books. Ask your child about our classroom friend Echo who helps us with letters, sounds and spelling!

 

Science/Social Studies:

Our focus in social studies at the beginning of the  year is community. We are learning about each other, our interests, families and likes/dislikes. In science, we have done some exploring about what makes a scientist and how inventors come up with new inventions. Earlier in the week the students created designs for a parachute to protect “bobby,” (a paperclip) from falling too quickly down to earth. They had a lot of fun designing and testing their inventions!

 

Four Winds

Please see this flyer about this awesome science program coming back to EES! They are looking for volunteers from each classroom to help support this opportunity.

 

Dismissal: Please let me know if your child has a change in their regular dismissal plan. It is best for you to copy Niquette in the front office at:  nbergeron@ewsd.org as well, just so we can be sure we get the message!

 

Breakfast: Breakfast is available and offered to all students each day, free of charge. Please let me know if you do not want your child to eat the school-provided breakfast.

 

Communication: A majority of our communication will be through email this year. If you have not been receiving emails from me, please let me know so I can add you to our class email list. In an effort to build community I would like to create a class contact list (emails). If you do not want me to share your email with the other families in class, please let me know. I will be creating and sharing the parent email group in next week’s newsletter.

 

Prepare for the Weather: We are getting outside as much as possible (in addition to daily recess). Your child should also have an extra set of clothes - these can stay at school in their bin unless they are used and need to come home to be washed. 

 

Snack: Please send in a daily healthy snack and drink. We will have snack each morning between 9:30 and 10:00. Your child should also bring a water bottle (labeled with their name) to school each day.

 

Our Schedule: Our schedule is posted on our class website. 

 

Birthdays: Birthdays are a very special time and I am happy to have your child share their special day with our class if they choose! We cannot have shared snacks sent in from home, however, if you would like to send in a special message to have me play for the class on your child’s day we would love it! Additionally, the class makes a birthday bag for the child to take home on their special day with pictures and kind words or messages! If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with us, please let me know - they can choose any day!

 

Please see this letter from the EWSD nurses.

 

Outside of School:

Your child should be exposed to reading on a regular basis. This can include you reading aloud to your child or them listening to an audio book. Your child will not receive weekly homework. However, I may periodically send home information about special projects throughout the year if you would like to work on them together at home. Students will always have time in school to work on projects as well.

 

Please make sure your child has the following items each day. 

• 2 facemasks (always good to have a clean spare!)
• snack
• water bottle
• extra clothes (these can be left at school)

What a wonderful start to the year! I hope your children had something positive to share with you at home about this week.

 

Here are a few pictures from our first few days!

 

Individual First Day Pictures!

Updates:

 

Four Winds

Please see this flyer about this awesome science program coming back to EES! They are looking for volunteers from each classroom to help support this opportunity.

 

Dismissal: Please let me know if your child has a change in their regular dismissal plan. It is best for you to copy Niquette in the front office at:  nbergeron@ewsd.org as well, just so we can be sure we get the message!

 

Breakfast: Breakfast is available and offered to all students each day, free of charge. Please let me know if you do not want your child to eat the school-provided breakfast.

 

Communication: A majority of our communication will be through email this year. If you have not been receiving emails from me, please let me know so I can add you to our class email list. In an effort to build community I would like to create a class contact list (emails). If you do not want me to share your email with the other families in class, please let me know. 

 

Prepare for the Weather: We are getting outside as much as possible (in addition to daily recess). Your child should also have an extra set of clothes - these can stay at school in their bin unless they are used and need to come home to be washed. 

 

Snack: Please send in a daily healthy snack and drink. We will have snack each morning between 9:30 and 10:00. Your child should also bring a water bottle (labeled with their name) to school each day.

 

Our Schedule: A paper copy of our schedule was sent home, and it is also posted on my class website. This first week was a blue week for specials, so next week will be a green week. 

 

Birthdays: Birthdays are a very special time and I am happy to have your child share their special day with our class if they choose! We cannot have shared snacks sent in from home, however, if you would like to send in a special message to have me play for the class on your child’s day we would love it! Additionally, the class makes a birthday hat for the child to take home on their special day! If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with us, please let me know - they can choose any day!

 

Please see this letter from the EWSD nurses.

 

Outside of School:

Your child should be exposed to reading on a regular basis. This can include you reading aloud to your child or them listening to an audio book. Your child will not receive weekly homework, however, I may periodically send home information about special projects throughout the year if you would like to work on them together at home. Students will always have time in school to work on projects as well.

Please make sure your child has the following items each day. 

• 2 facemasks (always good to have a clean spare!)
• snack
• water bottle
• extra clothes (these can be left at school)

Mrs. Mead’s First Grade Class 

Email: smead@ewsd.org Phone: 878-2584 ext. 2122

 

Dear Families,

 

Welcome to first grade! I am looking forward to an exciting year with all of you! 

 

The current phrase for the year is, “As of right now…” On that thread, I will work hard to get you information about any changes related to Covid guidelines as soon as I know them.

 

Below are a few pieces of information about the start of the school year.

 

Arrival (7:30 - 8:00): As you know, parents will not be allowed to enter the building during the school day at least for now. Students will be dropped off by car or bus and will play on the playground. At 7:45, adults will guide students to the first grade door to enter the building. The official start of the day is at 8:00, so students who arrive after this time need to enter through the front door and check-in at the office. 

 

Dismissal: Dismissal begins at 2:40. Students riding the bus or attending the after school program will be walked to their bus or the after school counselors by a staff member. I will walk any students being picked up to the front of the building where we will meet parents outside. 

 

Pick-Ups:

You will need to park in the main lot, and then walk up to the sidewalk in front of 

the building, where we will be standing. I will have students show me the adult 

picking them up before they can walk away. If an adult other than a child’s parent 

or legal guardian is there to pick up a child, please let the office and me know in 

writing ahead of time. 

 

If your child has a change in dismissal plans, please send in a note or call the main office before 2:15.

 

Wednesdays are early releases, so dismissal is at 1:45. Please note that the first day of school is an early release!

 

Communication: A majority of our communication will be through email this year. If you have not been receiving emails from me, please let me know so I can add you to our class email list. In an effort to build community I will be creating a parent email list to share. If you do not want me to share your email with the other families in class, please let me know. I will share this list by the end of September. 

 

Your child will also have a Home Folder that will go home each week on Friday. Your child will bring home notes, schoolwork and information from the office in the folder. Please be sure to check the folder and send it back to school empty on Mondays. 

 

Lunch and Recess: As of right now, lunch and recess will be all together as a first grade team. Students are able to eat in the cafeteria and be all together on the playground.

 

Snack: Please send in a daily healthy snack and drink. Ideally this should be packed in a separate bag from your child’s lunch, but if it’s  in the same bag that can work too:) We will have a snack each morning between 9:00 and 10:00, depending on our schedule. Your child also needs to bring a water bottle (labeled with their name) to school each day as the water fountains will be turned off in the building. Please send me an email if you need a water bottle for your child.

 

Our Schedule: Our class schedule is linked here and will also be located on our website as well (I’m still updating this!).

 

Birthdays: Birthdays are a very special time and I am happy to have your child share their special day with our class if they choose! We cannot have shared snacks sent in from home, however, if you would like to send in a special message to have me play for the class on your child’s day we would love it! Additionally, the class makes a birthday hat for the child to take home on their special day! If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with us, please let me know - they can choose any day!

 

Please see this letter from the EWSD nurses.

 

Outside of School:

Your child should be exposed to reading on a regular basis. This can include you reading aloud to your child or them listening to an audio book. Your child will not receive weekly homework, however, I may periodically send home information about special projects throughout the year if you would like to work on them together at home. Students will always have time in school to work on projects as well.

Please make sure your child has the following items each day. 

• 2 facemasks (always good to have a clean spare!)
• snack
• waterbottle
• extra clothes (these can be left at school)

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. 

I am looking forward to a great year! 

Sincerely,

Stacey Mead