Happy Groundhog Day!  I sure hope he doesn't see his shadow tomorrow!

We wrapped up our polar animals theme this week by learning more about penguins!  We also estimated with penguin erasers, read books about how snowflakes form, and reviewed the parts of a complete sentence.  We compared the work we did at the beginning of first grade with our writing now-what a difference!

Our Mystery Reader last week was Mr. Bowker!  He is an IT specialist for a company that helps people get loans for houses, cars, and other large purchases.  We had a lot of great questions for him about his job!

In February we'll be learning more about poetry, dental health, and geometry!  We'll have a Project Day on February 13, and next week the green Homework folder will have a sheet explaining homework for the month of February, which will be a little different from the usual menu... 😄

Thanks in advance for sending back reading folders, Eagle News, and the green homework folder with the menu/calendar on Monday!

Thank you for returning library books yesterday!  Almost everyone brought their books back!

Thanks for having kids finish their home breakfast before coming the classroom. :)

It was a pleasant 60 degrees in New Orleans last weekend!  I am ready for some spring temperatures here, too!  Darla enjoyed our visit and the Leadership Conference.  In two weeks, it will be Kola's turn to join me as I travel to Raleigh, NC for a Leaders for Just Schools conference, also with the NEA.  This weekend, I will be in Augusta for a two-day MEA Board of Directors meeting...I'll also sneak in a trip to Barnes and Noble :) . I can't wait to find some new books to share with my young friends!  Whatever your plans, stay warm and enjoy some family time!

Becca

Happy snowy weekend! ⛄

I'm sure the kids will enjoy getting out and playing in the white stuff this weekend-we had indoor recess a few times this week because of the cold/wind chill, so they're ready to get outdoors!

We learned even more about polar animals this week!  It was fun to compare the ways they have adapted to their cold environment.  We talked about why the Arctic and Antarctic days are different from ours at certain times of the year, and started reading and thinking about Inuit culture as well.  We wrote nonfiction chapter books about polar bears too.  In Math, we're working on addition/ subtraction facts and starting to work with graphs and data.  Thanks for your help as we practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s to 120!

We have loved creating our pinch pots in Art!

                                   

 

Our Mystery Reader was Mr. Streadwick!  He is a college student and also works at Lolli and Pops, a new candy store at the Maine Mall.  He shared about how the candy reaches the store and how he helps customers find just what they are looking for, as well as how some of the candy is made by their supplier.  We watched a short video clip that showed how macarons are made-yummy!

There is no school on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I also wanted to let you know that I will be out on Friday, January 25th and Monday, January 28th.  I am headed for New Orleans after school on Thursday to do some work with the National Education Association.  I have not been out of the classroom yet this year, so the kids and I will be discussing expectations for when there is a substitute.  I just wanted to give you a heads up, since it is the first time we will be hosting a guest teacher. 😊

We were really excited to receive a book from the Maine Education Association!  MEA President Grace Leavitt wrote a grant which provides a book to every first grader in the State!  Thank you!!

 

Stay warm this long weekend!  My play closes tomorrow, my extended family will be visiting for a late holiday celebration, and I will be getting ready to teach an adult ed class that starts next week.  I'm sure there will be some shoveling to do, too!  Whatever your weekend brings, I hope you have some fun together!
Becca

Hello, everyone!

Wow-it is certainly feeling wintry this week!  The weather is perfect for our learning about Polar Regions!  We saw a film about Arctic vs. Antarctic animals, then created a "map" of the world showing which animals live in which places.  Some animals migrate between the poles!  We also revised some of our writing, did some computation review, and read books about snow, winter, and polar animals.  One book was about "Snowflake" Bentley, a man who learned how to use a camera to take pictures of individual snowflakes!  There is a short film version of the book on Amazon Prime, if you are a member-just search for Snowflake Bentley. ⛄

Congratulations to these friends in our class who have read at least 100 books so far this year!
Darius, Damon, Aubrey, Jordan, Molly, Jack, Brielle, Rosie, Stephen, Kendall, Elliott, Soren, Clemmie, and Kai!  Make sure to tally and total your books each month! :)

Congratulations to Rosie and Brielle on earning the privilege of taking home Darla and Kola!  Amelia and Darius hosted our bears last weekend. :)

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page!

I intended to send home the February book order forms as well as January's, but they have still not reached my mailbox.  You should be able to access them online, if you order that way. :) . Please submit online and paper orders no later than Monday so I can place all of the orders together.  Thanks!

Enjoy your chilly weekend!  It's opening weekend for the play I'm in, which is very exciting.  I hope you all have some fun plans as well!

Becca

Happy New Year!
         I'm sure it's been a very exciting time at your houses!  It was a busy week before vacation here in first grade with our special projects, Christmas books, guest readers from Windham Middle School, the fantastic concert on Monday evening, and 2 delayed starts that made it extra exciting.  I hope everyone had a wonderful vacation and some memorable time with their families!

Thank you so much for the thoughtful, special gifts!  I'm fortunate to work with such kind students and families!

We settled back in this week with conversations about our resolutions, sharing about our holidays, and enjoying seeing each other again!  In January, we will be learning about Polar Regions, snow, and geometry.  Our January Project Day will take place on January 30th.


Thank you for returning our green homework folders and homework menus!  Thank you especially to those families who helped their first graders mark their Reading Calendars with their names and total number of books read.  One chapter=one book, if you are reading chapter books together. :)

Just a reminder that there is no school on January 21st, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events tab for more important dates between now and February break.

I am going to send home both the January and February book orders, in case your child would like to order Valentine's Day-themed books. :)

I'm posting the blog today as there wasn't a post before break and I am leaving for Augusta immediately after school tomorrow to attend the new Governor's Inaugural Gala and meetings all day on Saturday.  I was privileged to attend the Inauguration itself as part of the Maine Education Association Board of Directors-it was wonderful to see students featured in the program! <3  I hope you have an amazing weekend as well!

:)
Becca

Hello, families!
Brrrr!!!!!  It certainly feels like winter!  Thanks for making sure we have nice warm clothes for recess!

We spent our chilly week writing nonfiction chapter books; learning how to make snowflakes and reflecting on the challenges/solutions for that STEM activity; hosting Mrs. Koutalakis, our Mystery Reader; walking up to the high school to practice for Monday's concert; estimating and doing some graphing work in Math; and continuing to practice our reading!

Next week will be realllly busy!  It will be WPS Spirit Week!

Monday: Movement Day (and our concert that evening)...we'll have some extra motor breaks :)

Tuesday: Radiant Reading...I will have a "bright" surprise for the kids to enjoy during our reading time!

Wednesday: Holiday Sock Day...I am extending this for our class to be Holiday Hat day as well
                     Project Day-please be sure to send in a smock/old shirt, if your child does not already
                                         have one here :)

Thursday: Ugly Sweater Day...I am extending this for our class to be Holiday Wear in general

Friday:  Pajama Day...with a surprise after lunch :)

🎄Please don’t feel that you have to go out and buy special clothes for Spirit Week! We can find ways for your first grader to participate. 🎅🏻

Have an awesome weekend! I have a lot of wrapping to do, which I actually enjoy 🎁 . I hope your holiday preparations are fun for your family, too!
Becca

Hello, everyone!  Happy December!

Wow!  A full week of school! 😀  It was spent working on our literacy skills, getting better and better at computation, doing some great engineering work in STEM, enjoying our Mystery Reader, saying goodbye to Miss Mooradian and Mr. Carrigan (though they promise to come back and visit), and practicing for our concert during music class!  I can't believe it's less than 2 weeks away!  We also earned another 25 Caught You Being Good cards and celebrated with a special crafting time.

💗

Our Mystery Reader this week was Mrs. Cole's friend, Pat Phillips!  She is from England, and grew up in South Africa and The Netherlands.  We had a lot of fun finding those places on the globe and looking at some of Mrs. Cole's vacation photos of London.

We continued learning about engineering this week during STEM by using clay and straws to make the tallest structure we could.  It was super challenging!  

Don't forget to check the Upcoming Events tab! :)

On Monday, we will be walking up to the High School to rehearse for our concert on Dec. 17th.  Please help us remember to wear shoes that are comfortable for walking up the sidewalk to WHS and back, as well as standing on the risers for 45m-1h.

I wish you all a marvelous weekend!  I am going to try to finish my Christmas shopping and tackle the mountain of Amazon boxes that are accumulating in my dining room, gift wrap and tape in hand!  I hope you get to enjoy a restful pre-holiday weekend!

Becca

Hello, families!  Goodbye, sNOw-vember!

Well, it was certainly an exciting month for lots of reasons-the weather being one of them!  Fingers crossed that December is a little less stormy! ☃️

We read many books about the first Thanksgiving, practiced our computation and reasoning skills, got more and more independent with the laptops and iPads, finished our first writing unit (personal narrative) and started a new one (nonfiction),  enjoyed learning more about reactions and trying out some new thinking with an engineering project during STEM, guessed the number of bears in the Estimating jar...not to mention sharing stories about the snow days and Thanksgiving!  Whew!

Don't forget to check out the Upcoming Events tab as these days leading up to vacation get busier! :)

Thank you for returning reading books in the folder on Monday each week!

Thank you for making sure we all have the right outdoor gear!

Thank you for the contributions for Miss Mooradian's teacher tote!

I hope you get a chance to enjoy Saturday before another wintry mess on Sunday!  I have meetings for the Maine Education Association Board of Directors tomorrow and Sunday, but am hoping to squeeze in some seasonal fun too.  Have a marvelous first weekend in December! ❄️
Becca
PS...
Here are some images from the past few weeks:

 Biddeford City Theater Artistic Director,                                                                                                  Linda Sturdivant

Our Perky Turkeys!!

Attorney for the Maine Public Utilities Commission, Jody McColman

 

STEM: Engineering Challenge #1 !

 

                                          More STEM: physical and chemical reactions

Real Estate and Business Attorney Jaimie Schwartz