Rebecca Braun - Grades 1 & 2

Notes from the Classroom:

We have started studying geography.We started with the question: “Where do you live.” There’s a lot of confusion about the difference between a city, a state, and a continent. This unit of study might take a while! We will be making “Where do I live” books next week, and will integrate our social studies into our Writer’s Workshop time by writing Question-and-Answer books about the 7 continents.

Second graders have finished a unit on graphing and are now learning how to answer test-like questions, in order to prepare for the upcoming dreaded STAR tests. Our next math strand is Measurement, which includes both linear measurement and time.

First graders are working on identifying, comparing, and extending patterns. We also are really trying to hammer home how to tell time to the nearest hour and half hour, and the facts of 10! And, just for fun, we’re conducting more surveys in class.

March 2nd Read-Across-America Day, the national celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. We plan to celebrate on Friday, March 5th by spending the whole morning immersed in books! Your child is encouraged to wear pajamas, bring a sleeping bag or blanket, a pillow, and some favorite books from home. We’ll all snuggle up and share books. (Please make sure everything you send in is easily carried in a bag that your child can manage on the school bus!) We’ll have a variety of reading activities: independent, partner, read-aloud, and guest readers. If you’d like to come and read your favorite book to the class, please let us know, and we’ll schedule you in!

Ask your Child…

Where do you live? Can you come up with at least 3 DIFFERENT answers (e.g. your street address, town, state, country, continent, galaxy!).

Can you name the 7 continents?

2nd graders: can you count back-wards from 100 by tens? From 50 by 5’s?

1st graders: can you count by 2’s to 20?

IMPORTANT DATE TO REMEMBER:

·Sunday, Feb. 28th: Peace Café, Bolinas Community Center, 2:00 p.m.

·Friday, March 5th: Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Celebration

·Tuesday, March 16th: Start of Parent-Teacher conference week (Minimum Days!)

And for anyone who reads this there is a 'this week only' reward. Let us know if you are one of the lucky winners. Ha ha ha.

Notes from the Classroom:

Well, the December rush is upon us, and in a big way!There’s so much going on all of a sudden. We spent lunch recess on Thursday and Friday working together with the whole school to make scarves and cards for the homeless, through a program called “Warm Wishes.”We’ve also begun learning/reviewing songs for our Holiday Sing-Along. Last year was our inaugural year for this event, and it was such a lovely way to celebrate the holiday season together that we plan to make it an annual event. This year it is set for Tuesday, December 15th, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.We hope that all of you will be able to join us for a fireside sing-along in our classroom.We’ll serve hot apple cider and have a potluck dessert table.

In Writer’s Workshop, students are still writing personal narratives.Our beginning writers are working hard at composing 3-part stories (beginning-middle-end) and using phonetic spelling.Our mid-level writers are working at adding details to their stories.Our advanced writers are working on adding dialogue into their narratives.Everyone chose a book to “publish” this week.We didn’t proof or type these books – we’ll save that for our final narrative-writing project.It is simply a chance for the kids to share and appreciate one another’s stories.

In preparation for starting up a worm box here at school, we have begun talking about garbage and recycling.We are very impressed by how aware and knowledgeable our students are in this subject.

Our current round of Targeted Reading Groups come to an end next week.We are busy assessing the students in preparation for our new round of Reading Groups which will start up after the New Year.

IMPORTANT DATE TO REMEMBER:

·Tuesday, December 15th : Holiday Sing-Along6:30-8:00 p.m.

·Friday December 18th: Minimum Day.1:00 dismissal.

November 20, 2009

Dear Families,

No formal note home from the classroom this week, as we are busy completing report cards. Also, no homework will be sent home, since next week is such a shortened week!

Your child has been learning all sorts of Thanksgiving songs here in class (thanks to Rebecca’s “Guitar for Teachers” class) – ask to hear one or two! They’ve also written about what they are grateful for; we’ve hung that work on the wall, so check it out next time you visit the class.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday,

Lauren and Rebecca

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Disaster Drill on Tuesday (11/24) will not begin until 2:00 on the Stinson Campus. Please do not plan to pick up your child before that time. Plan to be here between 2:00-2:45 to pick up your child. Any child still here at 2:45 will be sent on the bus to the Bolinas campus for pick-up.

20 de noviembre 2009

Queridas familias,

Ninguna casa nota formal de las aulas de esta semana, ya que estamos ocupados completando las tarjetas de memoria. Además, la tarea no será enviado a casa, ya que la próxima semana es una semana corta!


 Su niño ha estado aprendiendo todo tipo de canciones de Acción de Gracias aquí en clase (gracias a "Rebecca de guitarra para Maestros" de clase) - pedir la comparecencia de uno o dos! También han escrito sobre lo que agradecemos, hemos colgado que el trabajo en la pared, así que compruebe que la próxima vez que usted visita la clase.

Esperamos que disfrute de unas vacaciones maravillosas,


Lauren y Rebecca

Notes from Rebecca and Lauren:

This week we have kicked off our Stinson Beach Campus Lending Library.Funded by a generous donation from the Bolinas-Stinson School Foundation, the school purchased a collection of easy-reader books for our beginning readers to take home and practice with.Since these children often have trouble finding appropriate books in the school or city libraries, we are excited to have this trove of books for our students and their families.If your child brought home some of these books yesterday, please take some time to read them together (at least 3 times each).Each week we’ll send new books home with those children who have returned their others (provided they have their school folder with them – we don’t want the books getting lost or damaged in their backpacks).

This week the students all finished their Lifecycle books.They look fantastic – for that reason we are waiting until Monday to send them home, in order to reduce the chances of the books getting lost or damaged at the Bolinas campus during afternoon electives (the books won’t fit into backpacks, unfortunately).

We are picking up speed with our Narrative Writing unit; if you have a chance to brainstorm with your child about a few special memories that he or she might want to write about, you can generate a list at home that can be brought in to school.We are trying to keep the ideas small enough to be manageable; ideas might be losing a tooth, a special day with a parent or grandparent, getting a fabulous gift, learning to swim, a time he or she got lost, or was injured, scared, surprised, proud, etc.

Poem of the Week

November

In November’s gusty gale

I will flop my flippy tail.

And spout hot soup –

I’ll be a whale!

Spouting once,

Spouting twice,

Spouting chicken soup with rice!

By Maurice Sendak

Ask your child:

Can he or she recite all 5 verses of Chicken Soup with Rice that we’ve learned so far?(We’ve learned the verses for July, Aug., Sept., Oct., and Nov.)Do it with the hand and body motions we’ve made up!

Ask your child to recite all 12 months of the year.(Extra challenge: put it together with the Macarena dance steps…it works!)

2nd graders: can you find a symmetrical pattern in your house?

1st graders: where can you find triangles and rectangles in your house?

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

·Tuesday, Nov. 17: Minimum Day – 1:00 dismissal from S.B. campus

·Weds. Nov. 25-27 : Thanksgiving Holiday

Last school plan for 2 weeks. Have a happy break everybody!

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