Tuesday, Sept. 8th

Third week of school! Amazing. Everyone is now realizing first grade requires more effort than they thought! However, they are holding up well! In fact, I would say they are enthusiastic learners, and I'm impressed.
Morning meeting: what's this all about? For our class, it's a chance to reconnect, take a look at what the day will be like, discuss any issues that might come up, and to get to know each other better. Building the classroom community is huge for me as a teacher. Ownership is essential. I want the kids to have a safe environment for learning...a place where it's ok to take a risk when trying to learn something new. I want them to see me as a learner, as well. My hope is that during this important school year they learn a lot more than what's required academically, and that is why the Primary Years Program (PYP) is so wonderful.
Planner? What does that mean? A planner is a unit of inquiry. We are currently in "What the World Needs Now"....the central idea is "attitudes and actions affect the world around us." This falls under the "Who We Are" PYP over riding theme.
Make sure to come to Open House, Sept. 15th. I'll explain it all then!
Everyone seems to be settling in to the new routines. The kids checked out library books on Friday and they will be due Friday. Please help them to remember to put the book in their backpack and bring it to class, so they can check out again. Some chose to leave it in their desk at school.
We have finished reading "Fantastic Mr Fox" by Roald Dahl. The kids loved it! I'll be reading some Mrs. Piggle Wiggle stories this week, and we will start our new teacher read aloud soon.
All for now!
Ms J