Happy Friday!

 I hope everyone has had a great week!  We packed a lot into just a few days!  We've been working on comprehension/retelling strategies, wrapping up our opinion writing, practicing our poems, following the Iditarod, and finishing up our work in Geometry!  Next week we'll be doing some more exploration about the weather, working with coins, learning some more poems, and beginning some narrative writing.

Our Mystery Reader this week was Dr. Hal Cohen!  He is a general practitioner and a theater friend of Mr. and Mrs. Cole.

These are our Poem Pockets!  Thank you for helping us practice our poems at home!  Our Poetry Reading will take place on Friday, March 22nd at 2PM.  We'll view our 120 Museum in our classroom first, then go to the cafeteria to recite our class poems and then break into small ensembles to share our individual poems.

We have had a blast following the mushers' progress in the Iditarod!

Just a reminder that book orders were due today! :)
Also, there is no school for students next Friday-it is a teachers' workshop day.

Parent-teacher conferences have been launched in PTCFast.  If your child has had recently, or will soon have an IEP meeting, that may be used as the conference if you wish.  If none of the dates and times listed work for you, we can find a different one.  I will know my further availability better after March 22. 

We're busy practicing our songs for the First Grade Spring Concert!  Please be at WHS by 6:15 so that we can help the kids find their spots and I can take a group photo.  I will find out at our rehearsal that morning where our class will be standing, and will send home an email that afternoon to let you know. :) https://wps.rsu14.org/apps/news/article/1006199

Spring pictures will be taken on Thursday the 21st- a flyer went home in Eagle News today.

Have a terrific weekend!  I'm going to spend some time with my family, visit my horse, and pack for my next NEA work session in Denver next weekend.  I hope you all have some wonderful time together.

:)
Becca

Hello!
Just a couple of weeks until Spring!
I hope the kids enjoyed their vacation!  Our flight home on Sunday was delayed, so it was a very short night but I was excited to get back to our classroom and hear all about everyone's adventures!
Kola enjoyed the NEA conference, but he had more fun on a chilly day at Myrtle Beach.  Can you spot his new friend in the background?

We've been enjoying our geometry work, opinion writing, and work with retelling/sequencing stories!  We're also practicing skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s to 120!

Valentine's Day was a fun afternoon!



Poems/Poetry Reading: Thank you for helping us bring in our poems!  We'll host our Poetry Reading and 120 Museum on Friday, March 22nd at 2:00PM in the cafeteria.  Friends and family are invited to attend!  The children will recite some poems we're learning as a class, then stand in groups around the room and take turns reciting their poems.  The audience will travel to each group at their leisure.  This will give the kids multiple opportunities to share their poems, and they won't have to stand alone in front of a big crowd. :)

120th Day Museum: If your child's 120 Art Project is large or fragile, you can bring it with you to the event vs. sending it in ahead of time.

Book orders are going home today; please submit online and paper orders by March 8.

Basket Raffle: Classes will be creating baskets for the annual Basket Raffle!  Our class is creating a Movie Night basket.  I already have the basket, so we just need donations of items that could be enjoyed on a Movie Night.

The Iditarod sled dog race will start tomorrow in Alaska!  We'll be tracking the mushers' progress and learning about the origin of this race.

Thanks for checking out the Upcoming Events list!

Enjoy your weekend!  I have a committee meeting in Augusta all day tomorrow, but am looking forward to some snowshoeing on Sunday.  I hope you all find something special to do too!
Becca

Hello!
It felt quite springlike this week!  I hope we get a few more days like that soon!

We've been working hard this week-learning how to write reviews, comparing and contrasting books using a Venn diagram, starting our geometry unit, and learning about Acceptance with Mrs. Patch.  We'll continue all of this great work next week!

Our Mystery Reader this week was Mr. Michael Tooher!  He is the president of Mrs. Cole's theater club, but he is also a consultant who helps people with pyrotechnic special effects for concerts, films, tv shows, and other productions.  He specializes in the safety aspects of SFX.  Quite a cool job!

I sent an email on Monday with a list of our first names for children who would like to bring in valentines.  We can't distribute valentines that have candy/other food attached.

Nearly everyone has read 100 books!  Don't forget to tally and return those reading calendars!  February break is a great time to catch up :)

Don't forget to find a poem for your Poem Pocket!  The criteria are on a sheet in the green Homework Folder.  If your child didn't return a homework folder yet, I am sending the criteria in today's Eagle News.

Here are some pictures of our math work this week-we are having fun and learning a lot about shape attributes and spatial relationships.

Thank you for all of the donations for the 100 Day Food Drive!  We contributed 2 bags of personal care items!  Outstanding!

Monday will be the 100th Day of School!  We will do some 100th day activities, but our big celebration will be on the 120th day in March! 😄

Thank you for helping us make sure that we have a snack and a pair of gloves or mittens each day...

I'm going to help build the set for Biddeford City Theater's next show tomorrow, then spend Sunday preparing for my conference in North Carolina.  I hope you have a fun weekend with family and friends!  It sounds like several of the kids will be attending the Father-Daughter Dance! Enjoy!
Becca

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