September 20, 2021
Dear Barn Swallow Families,
It has been a pleasure getting to know your children! We have spent a lot of time getting know each other and building our classroom community. Below is a brief description of some of the activities we have been working on since school started:
Dear Barn Swallow Families,
It has been a pleasure getting to know your children! We have spent a lot of time getting know each other and building our classroom community. Below is a brief description of some of the activities we have been working on since school started:
- Morning Meetings: During these meetings students learn each other's names and get to know each other better. Favorite activities last week included "Guess Who?" and "Would You Rather?"
- Reading: Students listened to read alouds about stories meant to help them develop a sense of belonging and practiced writing by completing literature response activities that went with each book. Some of the titles we read were:
- School's First Day of School
- A Letter from your Teacher (I wrote a postcard to each student, and they were introduced to our magic mailbox. I am encouraging them to write to me. If they put note to me in the mailbox, I will write back to them.)
- I Am Every Good Thing
- Not Norman, A Goldfish Story
- Our Class is a Family
- Library Lion
- Math: In math first graders worked on counting up and counting back from any number between 0 and 20. They worked on adding different combinations to make a sum of 6. Second graders practiced making ten, adding to ten, and adding to a multiple of ten.
- Out & About: Students began exploring the Sunflower Garden and the Backyard Garden. They began learning about the plants and animals that call our gardens home and what living things need from their habitats. They pulled weeds and filled raised garden beds with new soil. Amy Staats, our experiential education coordinator, taught them about tool safety. They got to know each other better by playing "Human Camera."
- Social Emotional Learning:
- Students learned our classroom rules: Be safe! Be kind! Do your best!
- They learned our school motto: Scholarship, Stewardship, Citizenship (Love of learning, taking care of your place, taking care of each other.)
- They learned skills for listening: Eyes watching. Ears Listening. Voice Quiet, Body Still.
- They learned how to focus their attention using atten-to-scopes.
