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 

Updates for Aug. 20th-24th

Hello families.  We are now entering our second full week of school.  I know our first graders all looked a little tired on Friday afternoon, trying to get back into the routine of full school weeks.  This week should be a little easier.  At the same time, we will be adding more to our regular daily routines.  This will include homework.  Please read on to learn more.

Math:  The students will be discovering all the ways there are to make 6, 7, 8, and 9 (ex: 6 is 4+2, 3+3, 6+0, etc...) and learning that the inverse answer is the same as the original answer (if 4+2 are parts of 6 so are 2+4).  Students will continue to write number bonds for these problems.  Students will also be making their own rekenek bracelet's to help us start working in groups of 10, and we will generate all expressions that equal 10.  At the end of all this we should be taking our first math test of the year, either on Monday or on Friday.  

ELA:   This week I had a parent ask me what ELA stands for.  This was a great question, and I apologize for not clarifying when I use teacher acronyms at times.  ELA stands for English Language Arts, and covers everything in our reading, writing, and grammar block of the day.  This week we will begin our brand NEW reading program, Nat Geo Reach for Reading.  This means the kids will start reading from our new readers, as well begin our spelling program.  During Daily 5 we will learn how to Read to Self (building stamina so we learn how to read for longer periods of time everyday), Read to Someone (which has very specific roles for each child, and very specific language for them to use), and Word Work (where the students have 6 options to choose from to help learn their weekly spelling words).  Again, if you want to come learn about Daily 5, drop on in, my door is always open.

Social Studies:  In tandem with our ELA, we will begin our social studies unit on our families.  What makes a family, traditions in families, and what our families look likes.

Homework:  The moment we have all been waiting for.  We will begin homework this week.  In order for your child to begin establishing healthy study habits now it is best to start developing some sort of homework routine.  Maybe it is a snack and then homework, or first thing after dinner.  Up to you, but a regular spot to work is a good idea.  Our homework will consist of writing our spelling words daily, writing a sentence daily, and a page or so of math.  The sentence is to be checked for capitalization, spacing, letters formed correctly, and proper punctuation at the end.  The math comes straight from our math program, and will always be a review of a concept we already learned in class.  Sometimes the concepts can be confusing to us grown-ups, or we may not be quite clear on what is being asked of our students.  If you visit my staff page via the Marshall website there is a link titled Eureka math homework help.  I have also attached the link here -             https://www.fusd1.org/Page/10110.  The videos have a lady who explains the lesson both visually and orally, and I would suggest watching these if you need any homework assistance.  Also, if you look at the top of your homework page it will tell you the Module (1-1 means first grade module 1) and the lesson that you need to click on.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Open House:  Wednesday, August 29th will be Marshall's Open House.  Our first with Principal Reasor. 😀 The plan is to begin in the gym at 5:30 for a welcoming announcement from Mrs. Reasor and then we will head to our classroom from there so your child can show you around.  Hope to see everyone there!

Supplies:  I just wanted to say a huge thank you once again to all my families for everything you donated for our class!  We are very well stocked and should be for a while!  We even have hand sanitizer.  The only thing we do not have is pencil top erasers.  Just FYI, I looked for some this morning while I was at target, and they did not have any. So if you happen to find some at another store and don't mind, please pick up a pack or two.  Thanks again room 9 families!

Checking Backpacks:  Our students are still trying to learn what goes home and what stays at school.  The only type of folder that should be going home is the blue agenda folder, and now the yellow homework folder.  Please check your child's backpack for any other folder they may have taken home by mistake.  Blue to be finished folders, green math folders, composition books, or any other color or type of folder/writing book stays at school.  I mention this because I have several folders missing, so if you would kindly check your child's backpack and return anything that is not an agenda folder, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thank you for helping with this!

Save the Date:

• Tuesday, August 28th - 10% Tuesday Marshall Fundraiser @ Fratelli's Downtown Location

• Wednesday, August 29th - Open House - 5:30-7:00 pm

• Monday, September 3rd - School Closed - Labor Day

Hope everyone has had a restful weekend! -Ms. Shaw

First 2 Days of School

Hello Marshall room 9 families.  The first two days of school were a huge success.  There were a few nerves at first, but after a very short while everyone settled down and it was all smiles from there.  I have included a few pictures from our first day of school at the end, but first a preview of what our first full week will look like.

Math:  We are diving right into our math curriculum this upcoming week.  We will be looking at embedded numbers, which means seeing parts inside of whole numbers (ex: inside of 5 we have the parts of 4 and 1, or 3 and 2, etc...).  We will also focus on making number bonds from the whole number and it's embedded parts.  Understanding number bonds now is very important because they will be part of nearly everything we do math for pretty much the rest of the year.

ELA:  The students will begin learning the Daily 5 process this week.  Along with our newly adopted curriculum (which we will start next week) I will use a variety of methods to teach your child how to read this year.  One of the methods that I have found to be proven most effective is Daily 5/CAFE.  Daily 5 is a series of 5 choices your child will make everyday during part of our ELA time.  CAFE is the methods I will teach them to implement while they are reading during Daily 5.  It may sound like a lot, but I will explain each part here in the blog as we come to it.  You may also feel free to stop by the classroom any day before or after class and I will be happy to explain it in detail.  This week during Daily 5 the students will learn how to read to self, which is broken into 3 parts - read the words, read the pictures, and retell the story.  During our ELA we will also begin working on grammar, focusing on learning about verbs, verbs in their infinitive form, and nouns.  These are just concept lessons, and we will come back and revisit them again throughout the year.

• Please note that since we are just beginning math and because we will not begin our regular ELA curriculum until next week there will NOT be homework until next week.  Again, homework will not begin until next week.  

Science:  We will be combining a fun science lesson with our growth mindset studies this week.  Growth mindset is a belief that your basic abilities come from dedication and hard work.  In first grade we start talking to ourselves about how you can train your brain by learning, how mistakes are proof that you are trying.  Last week we started a book called, "My Fantastic, Elastic Brain."  We learned about the different parts of the brain, and what those parts are in charge of and how they make us, well...us.  We will finish the book this week and learn about how we can help our brains grow through learning and with hard work.  We will learn how mistakes are the best ways to help our brains grow, and how every time we make a mistake it's ok because we learn what not to do and our brains are growing!  I love this so much!  Then we will do a fun science experiment of growing crystals (just like we grow our knowledge, and our brains).  Growth mindset will be a concept we will work on throughout the year, focusing on more ideas such as the power of yet, one of my favorites, and incorporating it with as much curriculum as possible (such as STEM challenges and ELA).  Again, I will keep posted here in the blog of these activities.  

Supplies:  Thank you to everyone who donated supplies from the extra supplies list.  We are very well stocked on everything from snacks to paper towels and everything in between!  I really appreciate your generosity.  If/when we should run out of something I will post it here.  There are 3 things that I did forget to put on the original mailed out list.  Only one will you need to worry about getting for your child.  The other two are needed but optional.  

• Earbuds - needed for each child during Daily 5.  Please bring in ASAP.
• Hand Sanitizer - Optional 
• Pencil Top Erasers - Optional

If you already purchased a ton of items, please do not worry about purchasing either of the optional items.  Let's spread the love!  Also, speaking of mailed supply lists, some of you stated that you did not receive a letter/info in the mail and asked for a copy.  I was not able to get to this before the end of the school week, but there are copies in your child's cubbies now.  If for any reason you need one and one still does not make it home to you, write me a note in the agenda and I will put a copy in there for you. 

Paperwork:  A set of paperwork went home in your child's agenda, attached to a letter explaining the agenda folder.  Please fill out and return those forms ASAP!  Also, as soon as you fill out the free and reduced lunch form on line, write me a note in the agenda so I can check it on my list that you did this.  Here is the link to the online form,   http://www.heartlandapps.com. This is one of the most important forms, because the more families that qualify for free and reduced lunch, the more Title 1 funds Marshall school receives.  These monies are used for so many things that directly impact your child's education here at Marshall.  These funds are used for our Magnet programs, including Suzuki Violin, which each K-2 student participates in for free twice a week, among a myriad of other programs and people that benefit all students here at Marshall.  Even if you do not think you will qualify, please take a minute to fill out the form anyway.  I did not think I would qualify when my son attended, and it turned out he was eligible for reduced pricing.  Although he ate home lunch, I was happy knowing that our completed form was helping Marshall earn funding.  Again, thank you for your time in doing this.  

Save the Date:

• Wednesday, August 29th - Open House 5:30-7:00 PM 

• Monday, September 3rd - School Closed - Labor Day 

First Day Jitters:  On the first day of school we read a book called, "First Day Jitters."  At the end it turns out it is the teacher who is nervous about the first day of school, which the kids thought was pretty funny.  Then we talked about who had first day jitters, who was excited, etc.  We graphed our feeling about the first day of school and made and tasted Jitter Juice, to help get rid of any left over jitters from the morning.  What do you know, jitter juice magically worked and made us all feel calmer and happier about school.  Check out the pictures from some of our first day jitter activities below...

One more thing I would like to mention is how well these students are doing with the flexible seating.  We went over how the seating will work, and my expectations for choosing and keeping a seat.  The students have done an amazing job sitting and listening respectfully in their spots and caring for their supplies.  I have truly enjoyed the start of this school year and that is because of these students.  They are good listeners, kind and respectful, and so very sweet!  I cannot wait for our year together! -Ms. Shaw

Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year!

Welcome back students and families!  This is our class blog, Ms. Shaw's Scoop,  where you will find all the information you need to stay updated on all the happenings at Marshall and in room 9 for the 2018-2019 school year.  This post, our first of the year, will be full of information you need to know before the school year begins. Here's your first scoop of the year 🍧...

You've got snail mail:  I have mailed out the beginning of the year letters.  This includes a supply list, general information sheet, and family information sheet.  Please fill out the family information sheet and return to me as soon as possible.  I look forward to having this information on all the children, and the how does your child get home section is extremely important to know by the first day of school!  If you have not received your letter in the mail please let me know via email and I can resend this information as soon as possible.  Sometimes this happens if you have moved and did not update your address with the office.  If this is the case, please call the office and update your address immediately.

Supply list:  Our Parent Teacher Organization decided they wanted to help Marshall families by buying the supplies the teachers usually request at this time of the year. Almost everything I usually ask for on the beginning of the year supply list has been purchased by them organically.  However, some bulk items are still needed. All of this information is in the letter sent home before school started, but I have enclosed the list here as well.  The following still needed items are:

• 1 Box Kleenex (Girls)

• 1 Roll Paper Towels (Boy)

• 1 Container Disinfectant Wipes (All)

• Wipe Off Markers (Skinny Black)

• GLUE STICKS! (A LOT!)

• Pencils

• Playdough for Daily 5 Reading Program

• 1 Set of earbuds for your child's personal use (forgot on mailed list)

• Hand Sanitizer (also forgot to add to mailed list)

• Snacks for 25 Students

I wanted to give you this list at the beginning of the year so that you could purchase them at beginning of the year prices, if you should choose to do so.  Your help with these items is greatly appreciate, as we will run out of these items throughout the school year.  Whenever we need supplies or snacks I will notify everyone here on the blog!  Thank you for your help, it is always appreciated!

Paperwork:  During the first days of school you will be receiving a packet of paperwork (yay).  This will be inside your child's agenda, along with a note explaining how the agenda works, and what all those papers mean.  These papers are required to be filled out and collected at the beginning of every year.  One of the most important forms is the free and reduced lunch form, which I believe can only be done online.  Here is the link to apply for free and reduced lunch http://www.heartlandapps.com.  Please, even if you do not think you will qualify, log on and apply.  Even if you never plan on feeding your child a school lunch, log on and apply.  Every child that qualifies means more Title 1 funds that come back to our school.  Here at Marshall all of those monies go straight back to your children!  A win win, but it only works if you take the time to log on and apply.  This one little thing is so helpful to our school, and we thank you for taking two minutes of your time to do so!  

Box Tops:  As we do every year, we will be collecting box tops a couple of times this year (dates to be announced).  Please start collecting box tops now! 

Blog:  After the initial round of letters and paperwork are done, this blog will become my official "newsletter"  and I will not be sending home any paper newsletters the rest of the year.  I will update the blog weekly to let you know what is happening in our classroom and at Marshall.  Checking it every week will ensure you will never miss any important events or information, and that you will always know what your child is learning.  Every now and then there will even be pictures to allow you to peek into your child's day at school.  Thank you for checking in and staying informed!

I cannot wait to meet you and your first grader on the first day of school, Thursday, August 9th.  Until then - enjoy the rest of your summer! -Ms. Shaw