Having all my little peeps right back in room 221! Whew! We’ve had some tales to tell about Spring Break. We wrote all about it too. With real sentences….complete with capital letters and periods at the end of the sentences. We posted our writing in the hallway, so sneak a peek when you are down the first grade hall.

And then……know what we did next?  We got rid of our little first semester journals with the place for the picture and we got REAL journals. With all lined paper. In folders. Like BIG kids use…..’cause you know why?  We ARE big kids! In a mere 48 more school days we will be in 2nd grade! Know what we did with our new big kid journals?  We wrote at least 4 sentences and practiced sticking to the same topic. Today, I gave them a topic….”I don’t like….” and they wrote, and wrote and wrote all about something that they did not like……and the stories were FABULOUS! Everyone stuck to the point. Everyone read out loud. Everyone practiced respectful audience behavior. They asked great questions that helped the reader know where they should add more detail to their stories. I am a happy teacher……

Homework for you, Bear Class Parents:  Get a notebook or a folder full of paper and have your child practice writing something each day. Put the date at the top and practice sticking to the point. Write at least 4-5 sentences on whatever is the topic of the day. Write more if needed. I always tell them to “write until they tell the whole story”. It may be 4 sentences. It may be 10. I do not want them to get stuck on the number of sentences. That just teaches them to stifle their creativity. This is fantastic practice for the writing portion of the SAT that these little people will be taking before you know it!

And! This just in….! Ms. Pilsch literally just brought our new Promethean Wand! Whoo hoo! No more standing in chairs! No more jump-and-touch! We will finally be able to reach the top of the board every time! I am a happy teacher……

This week is testing for grades 3-5. Our schedule will be wonky. I’ll let you know what is going on and when it will be happening. Best advice…..not a good week to come eat lunch with your Bear. No telling when we will eat or when we will be in PE. Same goes for next week. Our only job is to work quietly and walk softly in the hallways. No problem for us.

Some stuff we need to finish out the year (if you are so inclined….)

Kleenex tissues. We are out.

Treasure box items. We are low. Clean out your car, spring clean the playroom, etc…

Clorox wipes, lysol wipes, generic wipes of any kind. We have 1 box of 72 left and we will need at least 10 more BIG tubs to get us through the end of the year. We clean our spot at our table everyday, so we use at least 20 wipes per day. 20 people x 48 school days = lots of wipes!  🙂 Thank you so much!

Alicia (who was happy to return to school……for the most part……)