October Madness

Happy October 🍁.  Hope everyone is ready for the rains.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather that is headed our way.  Closed toe shoes (or rain boots) and a jacket.  It may be a good idea to pack a dry pair of socks and an extra pair of shoes if possible.  Also, please remind your students to stay away from the puddles, as they will not be able to go to Nurse Becky for dry clothes.  This is because she has very limited clothing supplies and we cannot change every student who wishes to ignore our stay out of the puddles rule.  Thank you in helping us to reinforce this with a quick stay dry discussion!  Now, here is the scoop on the beginning of a very busy month...

Math:  We will finish learning how to subtract using a number lines and wrap up our unit with a test.  After this we will move on to learning how to solve subtraction word problems.

ELA:  From our NatGeo will be reading a story about a seed called, "The Daisy."  This will continue to coincide with our science unit.  We will also be learning our CAFE lesson of identify plot and back up and reread.  Spelling will focus on our blends of fl, pl, bl, cl, and gl.  

Science:  We will continue our plant unit by wrapping up the parts of a plant with a quiz at the beginning of the week.  We will also conclude our data on what happens to seeds in wet soil, and write our conclusions.  Then we will head into how seeds travel.

Social Studies:  The students will begin a two week unit of study on Ancient Mesopotamia.  They will learn about the people, traditions, and foods of the Ancient Mesopotamian people.  

Marshall Gallop:  This Friday, October 5th is our Mustang Gallop.  First grade will be running at 9:35.  Every student will be receiving a commemorative 65th Marshall birthday t-shirt to wear during the jog-a-thon.  First grade will be continue the birthday theme by dressing up as "First Grade Funfetti."  If you would like to come help us run, usher kids to the water station, and so forth we would love to have you join us.  Plan us meeting us in the classroom about 9:15 to put lap stickers on students, assist with using the bathroom, etc...  Thank you in advance!

FHS Homecoming:   Friday is also the FHS homecoming parade, which our kiddos will get to watch during lunch recess.

Parent/Teacher Conferencs:  I am sending home the newest conference schedule with your child on Monday.  If you do not have a conference but would like one, please sign your name under two of the remaining spots and return to me ASAP.  Please remember, all three days will be early release days so plan for child care accordingly.  Monday and Tuesday release is at 12:25, and Wednesday is an extra early release at 11:10.

Clothing Exchange:  While you are here for conference plan on making time to stop by the science lab and shop at our annual clothing exchange.  This is a great opportunity to "shop" for some clothes for FREE for the whole family.

Fall Break:  Conferences will be followed by fall break.  School will be closed Thursday, October 11th and Friday, October 12th.  Hope everyone has a fantastic four day!

Corn Day Festivities:  Corn day was a big hit.  Thank you to everyone who donated food items for our corn taste testing.  Our kids also had a chance to make a book about how the corn gets from farm to store, make a corn mosaic, compare and contrast two types of popcorn, and take part in a dancing corn science experiment.  The day before we also learned about adjectives with a fun popcorn activity.  The students used their 5 sense to observe popcorn popping, then wrote their adjectives on pieces of paper popcorn, which they glued into their construction paper popcorn containers.  I love when we have an opportunity to add a craft to our learning.  I took some pictures at the end of corn day, when our class was finishing up a few projects at once.  I wasn't able to get pictures of them in the other classes unfortunately, but these ones are just the best.  Enjoy!

Love these faces!  See everyone in the morning.  Stay dry and safe.  -Ms. Shaw

September 23-27 Updates

Happy fall!  Nothing beats Autumn in Flagstaff.  This also begins a very busy time here at Marshall.  Read on for the whole scoop on our busy days ahead.

Math:  Last week one of the first graders asked, "When are we going to do subtraction?"  Well, his wish will be granted this week, for we will begin our subtraction unit this week.  We will be relation it to addition (2+3=5 is 5-2=3) and learning how to subtract using our number line.

ELA:  This week I will be introducing the students to the CAFE.  The CAFE is a part of daily five that teaches them how to apply skills to their reading to become better readers.  C=Comprehension, A=Accuracy, F=Fluency, and E=Expand Vocabulary.  I will teach them the comprehension skill of recognizing literary elements and we will focus on the two elements of identifying setting and plot this week.  I will also introduce the kids to our Readers Theaters, where they will buddy read leveled plays.  These are always a huge hit and really help advance their reading skills.  Our spelling will focus on -ng and -ck words.

Science:  The students had so much fun planting their ryegrass and alfalfa seeds last week.  This week we will collect data on our grass growth and learn about the different parts of a plant and the jobs of those parts.

Social Studies:  The students will be wrapping up their studies of wants and needs/goods and services with Mrs. Ogg.

Mustang Gallop:  October 5th is our Gallop, and that means we will be running our laps on this day.  Packets should have gone home on Friday.  I was absent so if they did not, they will on Monday.  We need you to go out and collect pledges!  This is our one and only fundraiser of the year.  This year Marshall turns 65 so we have a birthday theme.  Wouldn't it be a great gift to our school if we raised the most money ever on our birthday year?  As always there are prizes for the class with the most participation (how cool would it be if EVERY student collected a minimum of $5!), the class with the most money collected, and individual prizes as well.  Students will also be receiving 65th birthday theme T-Shirts to wear as well.  How cool is that?  Of course, we will be wearing some sort of costume on gallop day to show our birthday/gallop spirit.  So hit up your friends, family, and neighbors.  Marshall appreciates your support!

Parent/Teacher Conferences:  Thank you to those who have signed up for conferences so far.  I have compiled the first round of sign up's and will be sending your times home early this week.  If you have not signed up but would like a conference please pick 2 times from the remaining slots and I will comprise a final conference schedule and send that home by Friday.  Please make sure your legibly write your child's name in the time slot you want, so that I can know who is asking me for that time space to be reserved. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing everyone at conferences.

Save the Dates:

• October 5th - Mustang Gallop (Come join us!)
• Monday, October 8th - Wednesday, October 10th - Conferences
• Thursday, October 11th - Friday, October 12th - Fall Break

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy our beautiful weather this weekend. -Ms. Shaw

Updates and Conference/Gallop/Picture Info

Hello families.  We are officially in full swings here in room 9.  RTI began last week, as did Suzuki.  This means our normal routines are all in place and the children are very familiar with what, when, and how we do things in our class.  I have begun to post our day in a pocket chart in the classroom, and the students have enjoyed reading it every morning and knowing what their day will look like.  They also were very happy with our science and social studies switch we began with Mrs. Ogg, and really enjoyed going to her room last Wednesday and Thursday.  It's been such a great start to our school year!  Here is what is happening this week...

Math:  We will wrap up learning about the commutative property of addition (better known to first graders as flip flop facts) and move into doubles and doubles plus one (ex: 2+2 is a double 2+3 is a double plus one).

ELA:  This weeks NatGeo story is "Are You Living?"  It is the first of a four week unit about plants and living vs nonliving.  We will be tying these stories into our science for the next 4 weeks as well.  This weeks spelling will be focused on qu and y words. 

Science:  Tying in with our ELA, we will begin our 4 week plant unit.  This week we will plant ryegrass and alfalfa seeds and focus on the question, "What happens to seeds in moist soil?"  This also begins our learning about the inquiry process, which we will do (and write in our science notebooks) every time we do an experiment.  

Social Studies:  The students will continue their studies on wants and needs/ goods and services with Mrs. Ogg.

Scholastic Book Orders Due:  Scholastic book orders are due.  I had set the date for Monday, but will extend it through Wednesday.  I have many children saying they are buying books, but have not received any book orders back at this point.  If you need another book order form please let me know.  If you are turning one in, please put it in the blue agenda folder and I will see it when I check folders.  Remember, you can also order online by using our classroom code Q7YBM.  In fact, if you order $25 worth of books online this month, you will receive a free book (up to $5). There are some really great titles this month, so don't miss out!

Parent/Teacher Conferences:  Conferences are Monday, October 8th- Wednesday, October 10th.  I will be sending home a paper sign up about midweek.  Please pick 2 or 3 spots that would best for you and return ASAP.  Indicate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice.  I will comprise a final conference list from this.  I have found that this is the best way to accommodate everyone's schedules and most will end up with their first or second choices.  It will be first come first serve, so returning it in the agenda as fast as possible is a good idea.  These will also be early releases, however those times have not been given to me yet.  I will let you know as soon as I have that information.  I look forward to conferencing with everyone!  

Marshall Mustang Gallop/Jog-a-Thon:  It's that time of year, our one and only fundraiser of the year kicks off this Friday.  Your child will be taking home a packet to collect money for the Gallop that will take place on Friday, October 5th.  There will be information attached explaining how the Gallop works, however for those of you that do not know here is a brief rundown.  In your packet you will have an envelope to collect pledges for the Gallop.  Pledges can take the shape of a flat donation or a price pledged for laps ran.  On the 5th of October the students will go out to our field and run their laps, which we will report the amount of laps they ran back to you.  At this point you will go back out and collect the pledges and return to us on October 9th.  I will warn you, the kids run a lot of laps (14 is average) so someone pledging $5 a lap could take a hit to their pocketbook without realizing it.  You may want to warn friends and family members beforehand.  This is our only fundraiser, so any efforts you can give in helping our school raise funds is always greatly appreciated!  We will need a volunteer or two on this morning, that info should go out on Friday as well.  This is truly a fun "fun"draiser and one of my favorite Marshall events of the year!

BoxTops:  Thank you to everyone who has turned it boxtops thus far.  Our little pile is growing!  Keep on collecting.  Box tops are due on Tuesday, October 9th.

Picture Day:  This Thursday, September 20th is our picture day!  Every child will have their picture taken for the purpose of lunch cards.  If you would like to purchase a picture packet please return the envelope that went home along with payment by picture day.  You may also buy pictures online, I just ask you let me know on blank packet envelop or in agenda.  Thank you.

Looking forward to seeing the students tomorrow!  -Ms. Shaw

September 10th-14th Updates

Hello families.  Some very exciting things are happening in Room 9, please read on to get the whole scoop 🍧:

Math:  We have some very fun math lessons this week.  We are going to be understanding the equal sign by comparing equivalent expressions (ex: 2+3=1+4) and the students will be constructing true number sentences.  We will also be taking a closer look at the commutative property (which we have already done several times informally) and use it to practice counting on from the larger addend.  

ELA:  The students officially began their first rounds of Daily 5 last week, and did an amazing job reading and writing while I worked with students individually!  Our story from NatGeo this week is "My Mother at Work" and we will be working on short e words.  In grammar we have learned about nouns and articles (which was a bit of a tricky concept).  This week we will try to fit in proper nouns and writing dates correctly.  Parents, please do not forget, we need your child to bring in earbuds to help with the noise control during Daily 5.  Please label your child's earbuds and have them give to me for storage for the remainder of the year.  Thank you!

Science and Social Studies:  We have some very exciting science and social studies news.  Mrs. Ogg and I will be switching kids on Wednesday's and Thursday's so that we may better teach our science and social studies curriculum.  I will be teaching both classes science (keeping our kiddos on Monday's and Tuesday's)  and she will be teaching the social studies.  Our kids will go to her room on Wednesday's and Thursday's for their social studies lessons each week.  I did this switch last year with Ms. Reger, and absolutely loved it!  We get so much more curriculum in this way, and the kids love going to another room with another teacher.  I will be teaching them what a scientist is and reviewing the scientific process in preparation for our unit on plants next week.  Ms. Ogg will begin with our unit on wants and needs/ goods and services. 

Picture Day:  Picture day is coming at the end of this month. Exact day escapes me at this moment, however the order packet will be going home tomorrow.  If you want to purchase pictures please fill out the packet and return to me with payment ASAP. You also have the option of paying online as well, just write that on the packet to let me know.  I will notify you of exact date in next week's blog.

Scholastic Book Orders:  I will be sending home scholastic book orders on Tuesday.  These are a great way to buy really good books at some of the best prices you can get. This is also a great way to encourage reading in our first graders! You can purchase books by either filling out the forms and turning them in with cash or check (payable to Scholastic) or by ordering online using our classroom code Q7YBM.  Book orders will be due by Monday, September 17th.  If you ever want a book order to be a gift, please let me know and I will give it to you without your child knowing.   

Classroom Helpers:  If you are interested in helping in the classroom, please let me know and we can set up a time that is beneficial to all.  We can use help doing things like helping with reading groups during ELA time, or grading to be finished folders or rocket math.  Also, if I can get a parent to volunteer to come in consistently 2-3 times a week to switch out books,  I will start sending home Book-It bags.  These are a bag with a book that children can read at home at their own pace.  After they read 10 books in a row they get a coupon for a free personalized pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  I cannot run this on my own, and will only do it if I have a parent who can help me run this.  Please let me know if you are interested in this, or volunteering at any other time.

Hope everyone had a restful weekend.   - Ms. Shaw 

Labor Day 2018

Hello families.  I apologize for the lack of a post last week, I don't usually miss a week.  However, we were in the middle of some changes and I wanted to wait until the pieces fell into place and the dust had settled until I communicated further with all my families.  With that being said, I am happy to let you know that we have added a first grade teacher to our team and that has allowed us to decrease our class sizes!  We now have 21 students in our class, down from 28.  This will allow for more personalized instruction for each student and more instructional time spent on each subject matter.  Exactly what is ideal for first grade!  The students who were affected by this change were notified last week before open house and began classes with Mrs. Flores on Thursday.  Now, here is what we have, and will be working on last week and this.

Math:  We have been learning how to solve math stories with either missing totals or missing addends.   Students learned to solve by drawing pictures or using 5 group cards, and writing answers in number sentences and matching number bonds.  We will continue using these strategies this week to continue practicing counting on up to 3 more.  We will end the week with our second math assessment of the year.

ELA:  We have officially learned everything we need to know to kick off Daily 5.  The students now know how to read to self, read to someone, work on writing, and work on spelling with work work.  They have also learned how to listen to reading, and tomorrow they will learn how to listen to the reading and write about the story afterwards.  Now this week we will put all pieces together and they will make their choices during each round of Daily 5.  I will work with them individually on sight words, and in small groups with leveled readers, helping them to become better readers.  We will also be starting RTI this week, where I will be working with a group of 5 students on a program called LASER.  This is a reading program that will incorporate a number of reading skills, and will be done solely during RTI time.  If your student is a part of this group, they will receive a letter in their LASER bag that they will take home nightly.  If they do not receive a bag with a letter it is because they will be involved in a different program with another teacher during this time.  

Social Studies:  We will continue to work on our family unit.  I have been unsuccessfully trying to incorporate making tortillas with family traditions.  I will however make sure this happens at some point this week, since the children have been waiting so patiently.  

Open House:  It was so great to see so many of you at open house!  If you couldn't make it I put a pink pamphlet in your child's cubby that was handed out at open house.  This is a quick overview of what your child will be learning in first grade, our schedule, and all other things first grade.  Feel free to review and ask any questions you may have.

Save the Date:

• Wednesday, September 5th - PTO in Library @ 4:30 - Great way to get involved and stay informed about all things happening at Marshall!  Childcare is provided, come check it out.
• Friday, October 5th - Mustang Gallop - our one and only fundraiser of the year - more info to come.
• October 8th-10th - Parent/Teacher Conferences - more info to come.
• Thursday October 11th and Friday October 12th - School Closed - Fall Break.

Hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.  -Ms. Shaw