Snack shelf Only a few more snack reminders for the school year. Thanks for sending in items each month.

Check backpacks In your child’s backpack will be two items of interest. There is a green registration form that we need to have completed and returned. We use the information to decide on staffing for the next school year. Additionally there is a Spring Break bingo sheet from Mr. Behrens. It contains fitness activities to complete during spring break.

Reading Envelopes Remind your child to return their reading envelope to school after Spring Break. We need to change the calendar page. Thanks.

Science We are in the middle of our science unit on Balance and Motion. The kids really enjoy the hands on aspect of the unit. Soon we will begin using motion with “wheels” and “axles”. We use science journals to record our science activities as a reminder of the concepts we are covering.

Social Studies Famous Americans continue to be our focus in Social Studies. We have about ten more Americans to learn about before we begin making our poster boards. The students are little sponges. Two months ago they didn’t know anything about most of these people but now they know that Thomas Edison put an elevator in George Washington Carver’s house. They learn about the Americans through note taking, read-aloud books, and short videos.

Math – We are refining skills in several areas – counting money, telling time, math facts through 20, and symmetry in geometric shapes. The students are doing a great job with the 2 minute math folders at home. Second grade math involves addition and subtraction with regrouping (carrying and borrowing). Students that know their math facts will have a definite advantage with regrouping. To no one’s surprise, word problems are the most difficult area and require the most instruction and practice.

Dates to Remember:
April 3 – Wednesday – Bike and Walk to School Day
April 12- Friday- APT Parent Chat-8:20-8:45 (everyone welcome to come learn more about APT)
April 12- Friday- Field Trip to Corvallis High School singing performance- 9:30-11:20
April 19 – Friday – 2 Hour Early Release
April 22 – Spirit Day: Wear a recyclable day (Hamndidown clothing, accessories made from recycled paper, cardboard, newspaper, plastic containers, construction paper, etc.)
April 25 – Thursday – Fine Arts Night 4:30-7:30
May 1-Wednesday-Bike and Walk to School Day

Welcome to your brand new blog at Edublogs!

To get started, simply visit your blog’s dashboard, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.

Like more help?

We can walk you through step-by-step in our guide to getting started with your blog.

Happy blogging!

I decided this was an appropriate title since my classroom door decoration for the year was “The Wizard of Oz” based. “My little pretties” have escaped to second grade.

It was a great pleasure having your children in my classroom this year. I could not have asked for a better group of students than I had this year. Honestly speaking, I didn’t need to ask. Mr. Bethards knew it was going to be my last year and purposely filled it with families that I already knew. The fact that first graders can have a work ethic and drive to succeed is amazing. The compassion they could show to others always makes me comment that I can’t believe they were wearing diapers three years ago. (I know it probably isn’t factual which just encourages me to say if more often).

I will be around Adams next year when I am needed. I plan to help with punching cards on the AIM track. It will allow me to see the most kids in the least amount of time. Mr. Abrams has asked me to assist students in fifth grade math. Of course I will also volunteer in Ms. Dixon’s second grade class at Jefferson. So we will see how the year goes.

Enjoy your summer with your munchkins!

Famous American presentations On Friday, June 14th, our class will be sharing information about famous Americans in the library at 12:20. The event only lasts about 30 minutes but is adorable. Parents/siblings/grandparents are all welcome to attend.

Step Up Day There will be a “Step Up” day (1/2 Hour actually) on Monday, June 17th. The students will spend about 30 minutes in their second grade classroom.

Last day of school ‘field trip’ Weather permitting, on the last day of school our class will go on a walking field trip to Sunset Park for lunch. We pull our lunch cart filled with sack lunches and balls to the park. The students end lunch, play on the playground equipment, and play ball games, if interested. It makes the last day special for us. I will be sending home a field trip permission slip. The students can bring their own lunches or order a sack lunch from the cafeteria.

Upcoming Events
Monday – June 3:Starker Forest field trip 9:00-2:00
Wednesday – June 5: Bike and Walk to School, Community Info Night 6:30-8:30
Friday – June 7: Graduation Walk. Former Adams students that are 2019 CHS graduates will be visiting Adams. I am really looking forward to this.
Friday – June 14 – Famous American presentations in the library 12:20
Monday – June 17 – Step Up Day (10:00-10:30), Field Day (1:00-2:30)
Tuesday – June 18 -Last day of School – End of the year assembly 8:30, Class lunch at Sunset Park (about 10:30)
Dismissal 12:40

Field trip We will be going on a field trip to Starker Forest on Monday, June 3rd. It is an annual first grade field trip. The field trip is all day. Permission slips will be coming home shortly.

Class Famous American presentations – We have just begun working on our end of the year classroom “program”. We will be presenting information about famous Americans and performing a song on Friday, June 14th in the library at 12:20. This performance is pretty adorable. Friends and family are encouraged to attend, if possible.

PE News Tuesday, May 21st -Family Yoga after school from 2:45-3:30 Tuesday, May 28th is an open gym/open hallways night. The school will be set up for physical activities. Kids love being able to run in the hallways – so against the rules. Friday, May 31th is the 11th Annual Spring Run at 9:35am. Join us or help out. Contact Mr. Behrens with questions.

Dates on the horizon:
May 1 – Walk and Bike to School
May 17th – Friday, Carnival 5:30-8:00
May 21st – Family Yoga 2:5-3:30
May 24th – Spirit Day – Wear red/white/blue for Memorial Day
May 27th – No School – Memorial Day
May 28th – Open Gym 5:30-7:00
May 31st – Adams Spring Run 9:35
June 3rd- Starker Forest Field Trip all day
June 14th – 12:15-12:45 Friday – McShane/Dixon class Famous American presentation – Library
June 17th- Field Day 1-2:30
June 18th- Last day of school

Snack shelf Only a few more snack reminders for the school year. Thanks for sending in items each month.

Check backpacks In your child’s backpack will be two items of interest. There is a green registration form that we need to have completed and returned. We use the information to decide on staffing for the next school year. Additionally there is a Spring Break bingo sheet from Mr. Behrens. It contains fitness activities to complete during spring break.

Reading Envelopes Remind your child to return their reading envelope to school after Spring Break. We need to change the calendar page. Thanks.

Science We are in the middle of our science unit on Balance and Motion. The kids really enjoy the hands on aspect of the unit. Soon we will begin using motion with “wheels” and “axles”. We use science journals to record our science activities as a reminder of the concepts we are covering.

Social Studies Famous Americans continue to be our focus in Social Studies. We have about ten more Americans to learn about before we begin making our poster boards. The students are little sponges. Two months ago they didn’t know anything about most of these people but now they know that Thomas Edison put an elevator in George Washington Carver’s house. They learn about the Americans through note taking, read-aloud books, and short videos.

Math – We are refining skills in several areas – counting money, telling time, math facts through 20, and symmetry in geometric shapes. The students are doing a great job with the 2 minute math folders at home. Second grade math involves addition and subtraction with regrouping (carrying and borrowing). Students that know their math facts will have a definite advantage with regrouping. To no one’s surprise, word problems are the most difficult area and require the most instruction and practice.

Dates to Remember:
April 3 – Wednesday – Bike and Walk to School Day
April 12- Friday- APT Parent Chat-8:20-8:45 (everyone welcome to come learn more about APT)
April 12- Friday- Field Trip to Corvallis High School singing performance- 9:30-11:20
April 19 – Friday – 2 Hour Early Release
April 22 – Spirit Day: Wear a recyclable day (Hamndidown clothing, accessories made from recycled paper, cardboard, newspaper, plastic containers, construction paper, etc.)
April 25 – Thursday – Fine Arts Night 4:30-7:30
May 1-Wednesday-Bike and Walk to School Day

Spring Conferences Conferences are just several days away. Your child and I will both be sharing information at the conference. This is the link for the families that haven’t yet scheduled a conference. http://signup.com/go/cUHLXPq If your family is going on a family vacation during this time, I will send home an update on your child’s academic growth. Thanks.

Lunch workers We are lunch workers for the month of March. Student workers are given a free lunch on their “work” day (if they so choose). The schedule of workers are:
Mondays – Olivia, Paige, Henry, Ethan, Keira
Tuesdays – Landon, Gabe, Nixon, Ellie, Emily
Wednesdays – Avery, Elliet, Lily, McKenzie, Trevor
Thursdays – Tyler, Zoey, Natalia, Jacob, Kate
Fridays – Macey, McKenna, Harper, Jackson, Judah

Social Studies – We have added a few more Americans to our study. Most recently we have studied Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. They were all born between 1809 and 1847.

Science We are finishing our unit on the body systems – can’t do much more now that they have taken their brains home. Our next unit is called “Balance and Motion”. Our vocabulary words include: counterweights, balance point, and center of balance.

Reading envelopes – Please send in the reading envelopes so we can attach the March reading challenges.

Math– Math instruction always includes a variety of topics. During calendar time, we have been learning about two dimensional shapes and their attributes. We have been noting congruent shapes. Other topics have included: adding 3 one digit numbers (8+4+3), adding and subtracting on number lines, solving problems with missing addends (___ – 4 = 7), and counting by 5s and 10s. Next we will be adding by 10s such as 32, 42, 52, etc. From there we will be adding numbers such as 47+5. Several students have been completing the Beat the Clock folders on a regular basis. It has made a dramatic difference in their fluency with numbers.

What is on the Horizon
March 1 – Friday – Early Release Day 12:40
March 6 – Wednesday – Walk and Bike to School Day
Marcy 7 – Thursday – 5:30 – Book Fair begins
March 7 – Thursday – 5:30-7:00 Open Gym/Open Hallways – This is a wellness activity. There are fitness activities for the kids in the gym and hallway. Last time I enjoyed watching scooter racing in the hallway.
March 13-15 No School – Conferences
March 22 – Spirit Day – Crazy Hair/Wacky Wear (I told them this would be a good time to wear their Halloween costume if they wanted to)
March 25 – March 29 – Spring Break

Snacks We have recently had our snack shelf restocked so we are good for February.

Report cards Report cards will be sent home in a couple of weeks. I want to clarify how the “scores” on the report card are determined. The report card is on a 1-4 scale. If a student currently meets the end of the year grade level standard they will have a 3 on their report card. If they are on track to meet the end of the year standard, they will receive a 2. If extra support or practice is required, then the student will receive a 1 or 1.5. If the student is mastering skills that are beyond grade level expectations (i.e learning math facts through 18 instead of through 10) then a 3.5 or 4 would be indicated.

Social Studies – We will be studying 27 famous Americans for the remainder of the school year. Our culminating activity is a very small performance on the last Monday of school. Each child will be sharing a little information about one famous American. It is very cute. So far we have studied Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Betsy Ross.

Post Office – Our annual Post Office fundraiser begins on February 4 and continues through the 15th. “Stamps” will be available before school and throughout the day in the office. Stamps sell for a dime each. The money will be used to help fund the annual fifth grade science camp. Students enjoy writing letters to classmates or friends within the building. They put stamps on the letters and place them in the “mailbox”. The fifth graders deliver the mail a couple of times a day. Often parents participate in the program and write letters to their children which are delivered to their classroom.

Valentine’s Party We will be having a party on Thursday, February 14 from 12:30-1:30. Most students choose to share Valentine cards. The names of our adorable students: Avery, Ellie, Elliet, Emily, Ethan, Gabe, Gus, Harper, Henry, Jackson, Jacob, Judah, Macey, Keira, Landon, Lily, Kate, McKenna, McKenzie, Natalia, Nixon, Olivia, Trevor, Violet, Tyler, Zoey

School Spirit Days – I took on the responsibility this year of thinking of ideas for the monthly spirit days. Valentine’s Day is also Oregon’s birthday so I thought it would be good to have a “Dress Like an Oregonian Day”. Possible ideas: OSU, Blazer, Portland Timber, or UO gear; flannel, beanie, tie-dyed item, raingear, sandals with socks. I am leaving off – nicely trimmed beard and t-shirts that advertise craft beers.

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday – February 6th – Bike and Walk to School Day
Friday – February 8 – Report cards go home in backpack.
Wednesday – February 14 – School Spirit Day – Dress like an Oregonian
Valentine’s Party – 12:30-1:30
Monday – February 18th – No school – President’s Day
Tuesday – February 21st – Field trip – 9:30-11:30 “Beauty and the Beast” play preview at CHS

Monthly Snack Reminder Our snack shelf is fairly depleted.

Good Samaritan Hospital Field Trip On Friday, January 11, we will be going on a field trip. It is the annual first grade field trip to the hospital. We will leave school at about 9:00 and return in time for lunch. The field trip form was sent home on Dec. 20th (last day before break) If you haven’t seen it, please check your child’s backpack. It is interesting how at times they say they can’t fit any papers in their backpack because it is filled with their coats.

Reading Calendars Hopefully your child is able to find time to read most days. I know that many parents are reading books to their children at bedtime. You could have the child read a few sentences in the book that are at their level.

Science/Health Our current health unit focuses on the body systems. The digestive system will be discussed next. I am looking forward to reading one of my more engaging pop-up books next week that begins with a squishy tongue and ends with a pop-up toilet. I do know my audience.

Math Math continues to incorporate a variety of concepts. For example, students are easily able to understand that 3 + 4 = 7, but the idea that 3 + 4 = 2 + 5 can be confusing. That is followed by 3 + 4 = 1 + ?. The idea is to work on “number sense”. We are also continuing on counting money, telling time, fact families, and story problems.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

January 7 – Monday – First day of school for students
January 9 – Wednesday – Walk, Bike to School Day
January 11 – Friday – Hospital Field trip (Taylor/McShane)
January 21 – No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 25 – Friday – Spirit Day – Hat Day
January 31 – Thursday -No School – Designated as a weather make up day, if needed
February 1 – Friday – No School – Teachers input data on student report cards

Photos- The third photo shows our school trophy domination. The Bike/Walk to school trophy has a very unique design.

Snack Shelf This is the monthly snack shelf reminder. Thanks.

Reading envelopes Hopefully this system is working out well with your family. The expectation is that students regularly spend ten minutes a night reading. I realize that it is not always possible based on other conflicting family plans. The books can be the ones in the envelope or any book from home. At the end of each month I will change the calendar to the new month.

Social Studies “Scholastic News” is one of our major avenues for social studies. It includes the paper form the children take home, along with a digital version that contains videos and a comprehension activity in a game format that the kids enjoy. We have almost finished our famous Amerians/Symbols book. We added Martin Luther King, Jr. this week. All we have left is Uncle Sam and a personal first grader author page. I enjoy reading their personal accomplishments.

Science We are beginning to study several human body systems. Our first system is the skeletal system. Main concepts – 206 bones, different types of joints, bones give your body shape.

Math Our current focus is fact families (ie. 3+4=7, 4+3=7, 7-4=3, 7-3=4) and story problems. Understanding fact families assists students in memorizing their math facts. Each day several students return their “Beat the Clock” 2 minute math folders. It is a great way to learn their math facts. Our math program, Bridges, has created several games that the children play to practice their math facts without realizing that they are not just games. In first grade, students are expected to learn their facts through ten which prepares them for second grade when they learn their facts through eighteen. During our calendar time, we have also been working with telling time to the half hour and counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes).

Dates to Remember

December 5, Wednesday – Bike and Walk to School Day
December 7, Friday – 2 hour early release (District meetings)
December 20, Thursday – School Spirit Day, Pajama Day
December 21, Friday – No School for students, Professional Development for Staff