Closer than ever to 1st and 2nd grade!!

Hello parent partners -

I can hardly believe it is the last week of school! In room 128, we have been busy bees - preparing for the end of the school year and, especially, our Author's Tea.  Here are some last notes/reminders for the end of the school year...

 
Field Day is this Friday, June 11! 

We will be having fun at field day this coming Friday morning.  Please remember to send a water bottle to school with your little one, if possible.  Also, it would be great for the kids to come prepared to school with sunscreened skin, sneakered feet and comfy clothes for moving.  To celebrate school spirit on Friday, room 128 will be decked out in our identifiable green shirts.

 
Our Author's Tea is Monday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m.!

Our very special writer's celebration will be on this coming Monday from 1-2 p.m.  Families as well as siblings are welcome.  Refreshments will be served and the kids will be host to you! We are so excited about all the fantastic writing and illustrating happening in our classroom and can't wait to share it with you!! Please RSVP with regrets only if you cannot make it so that we can assure everyone has someone with whom to share their hard work!

Last day of School: Tuesday, June 15th!

The last day of school will be a time for us to reflect as a class on the time that we have had together and what we all have to look forward to.  There will be, of course, the year end assembly in the morning and "clap out" at the end of the day to congratulate our little ones on making it to 1st and 2nd grade. 

 
As for this last week, we are busy wrapping up writing, finishing books and enjoying the fruits of our labor - literally! We will have one more visit to clean up the garden.  Our hope is to have a salad celebration in class on the last day (depending on what is available from our garden!)  Please keep in mind that you are welcome to maintain/enjoy the garden even during the summer. 

We have enough handled paper bags - thanks to all of you who sent them in! All items kept by the children from the school year will be sent home in these on the last day of school.

One last big thank you to all of you that have helped out in the classroom and supported your child's learning from home!! We could not have done it without you. We hope you have the best of summers!

Jennifers and Room 128

Memorial Day Weekend Plans?

Hello parent partners!

If you're in town this weekend and looking for a way to help out the classroom, see below...

- Our garden is in need of some weeding, with...shall we say, some grown-up assistance? The kids have been trying very hard but, with little hands and lots of rain, we haven't quite knocked out the weeds in order for our garden to flourish.  So, if you have a chance to stop by, even for a bit during the weekend, it would be greatly appreciated! The kiddos can lead you to our garden plot and explain what we have planted/what it looks like.

- Secondly, as the end of the year approaches and cluminating projects are being finished, we have quite a bit of lamination to be cut out.  If you're willing to take a portion home over the weekend or after school next week, it would really help us out!

- Finally, if you shop at a place where brown paper bags with handles are provided (i.e. Trader Joe's), we are collecting some for the kids to take home end of the year projects/supplies.

Thanks for all that you do! :)

Authors Become Editors...

Hello parent partners -

You may have noticed or heard that, in the past couple of weeks, we have been practicing how to craft and edit complete sentences.  In fact, we are using the Forest Park key proofreading marks in our new morning sentence routine and you will see it in 1st grade literacy center work that goes home each Friday. I invite you to challenge your soon-to-be 1st or 2nd grader to show you how they can write and edit.  Grocery lists? Family journal entries? Happy writing! Jennifer

Just so you have a copy, you can download Key Proofreading Marks here.

2009-2010 Forest Park T-shirts!

Hello parent partners -

On Friday, this year's Forest Park t-shirt order forms were sent home with your child.  T-shirt designs were created by Forest Park fifth graders.  Then, each child in the school got to vote on the winning design, which is shown above.  There is also the regular "Forest Park" logo available on a t-shirt.

If you would like to order a t-shirt, orders need to be submitted to the office by: Friday, May 14.

If you choose grey, the print will be black...if you choose red or black, the print will be white. Additional order forms are available in the office. Thanks!

May Update from Room 128...

Dear Parent Partners,

The school year is quickly moving along! We have been busy in room 128 celebrating big accomplishments – like the fantastic “Jack & The Beanstalk” performance – and working on new ones, our class garden being one.  We have been learning so much about plants, gardens, trees, and forests.  We had the opportunity to do a “tree walk” in our own Forest Park forest and then connected our studies to the field trip to the Tillamook Forest Center where a great time was had by all!  “Write Night” was another fantastic April event that was not only valued for the opportunity to celebrate some of the kids’ journals and writing but also for the coming together of community to share the process and reward of thoughtful writing.  Here’s more detail for our last full month of school (wow!)…

Literacy

Our literacy centers have begun exploring the topic of transportation.  However, we continue to weave in our studies of plants and forests.   Activities have included anything from science experiments to reading “leaf charts” for math skills.  In writing, we will be publishing our final drafts of our all about books and start compiling each child’s school year writing anthology.  To complete this project, we will focus on skills in illustration.  We will also end the year with another opportunity for the kids to write personal narratives.  It’s hard to believe but, with the approaching end of the school year, we will begin our last set of literacy assessments for the year.  

Math

Within the topic of geometry, we have moved into the realm of 3-D!  We will be wrapping up our study of shapes and moving onto new number studies.  Whole group math will focus on “How Many in All?”, a unit that brings together the concepts of counting, measurement and overall sense of the number system.  The first grade math will primarily focus on number sense through the practice of number games and story problems.

 

Science

We are hoping that the April showers are really officially finished so that we can get to the business of gardening! Weather-permitting, I’d like us to have the opportunity to garden at least once a week before the end of the school year. I’ll post pictures of our vegetable garden on the blog soon – after we’ve done more weeding! J  A new plant experiment that we have started is our lima bean experiments.  The leading question: can a seed grow without soil?  There are varying opinions in our class but the children are recording their observations in individual science packets and it will be sent home with the scientists as soon as the experiment is complete.

Social Studies

The children have been working hard at practicing and modeling good problem solving.  The most important and very challenging lesson to learn: how to use respectful words to solve problems.  I have seen a big difference in the way the kiddos are relating to each other and communicating.   April presented the opportunity to discuss Earth Day and all that we can do to take care of the world around us.  We have been putting this to practice in our classroom by composting and recycling.  The children have had the chance to view three puppet shows that supported our themes in class: “Kenji and the Three Rs”, “Compost City” and “Mother Nature’s Garden”.  If you have a moment, reflect with your child on what you and your family are doing to help the environment.                                        

Thanks to families for your continued support and assistance in the classroom! Please do not ever hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Cheers, Jennifer

 

May Volunteer Calendar

Dear Parent Partners:

I have posted the May Volunteer Calendar on the pages section of our classroom blog.  Please e-mail me (jwalker2@pps.k12.or.us) with any changes that need to be made.  Thank you for volunteering your time! Cheers, Jennifer

Shape Up! and Backpack Lunch Program

Hello Parent Partners - A couple of reminders...

- If you have not already done so, please ask your child to finish up and turn in their "Shape Up Across Oregon" maps.  Joni Huntley will get the official certificates as soon as possible.

- This is the third and final round of the "Backpack Lunch Program", where we collect what we can for kids' lunches.  If you have any extras in the cupboard that could provide a meal for a little one in need, we would sure appreciate it! Collections are through Friday.

Thanks for supporting the health of your children and others! Jennifer

Run For The Arts Due Back Monday 4/26

Hello Parent Partners - This is a reminder that money collected from pledges for Run For The Arts is due this coming Monday, April 26th.  Please have the children bring in and put in the collection box.  Thanks again for your support! Jennifer

Reminders for Week of 4/19...

Hi families -

 

This is a busy week so I thought I'd send some friendly reminders:

 

- We are celebrating "Earth Week" this week and asking the kids to pledge to do something (hopefully active!) while they turn off their tvs/electronics.  If they turn in their pledge card, I can add their pledge to our class chart and there will be a raffle drawing for some gift cards.  Also, tomorrow we celebrate Earth Week by wearing green!

 

- Tomorrow night is Family Write Night! Children were sent home today with handy pencil reminders.  If you can make it tomorrow, all festivities begin at 6:30. It would be fantastic to see you here!

 

- Wednesday is a late start! Please have children arrive by 9:55.  When there is a late start, we do not have a brain break or morning snack so please make sure the kiddos are prepared (i.e. if they need a snack before school starts!).

 

- I may as well throw in a reminder that our field trip to the Tillamook Forest Center is next Wednesday, April 28.  There is no limit on chaperones so please let me know if you are interested in joining us and I will get together directions/information for you!

 

Have a great day! Jennifer

One more week to collect pledges for Run For The Arts!!

Run For The Arts is this coming Friday, April 16, 2010!

This is the last week to collect pledges for RFTA.  100% of the funds raised during our RFTA drive stay at Forest Park and allow us to bring additional art experiences to school. For our class, this meant having an experience with Taiko Drumming this year.

The kiddos should bring their filled out pledge forms to school next Friday, 4/16 and record the number of laps they run. (Pledge forms can be brought in at any point before Friday if all pledges are collected.)

After the run, money should be collected from pledges and returned to school by Monday, April 26.

Thank you all so much for supporting your school's art program!!