All of the grade 1 students in our school and Mrs. Watt's kindergarten students performed the song "May You Always" at the grade 7 Leaving Ceremony. They did a wonderful job!
Crazy Hair Day!
Games Day!
Hip Hop Performance
Chicken Dance
In the gym, we have learned a few dances with Mrs. Watt. Here we are doing the Chicken Dance.
Drawing on the Smartboard
During Centres, some students choose to play on the Smartboard. Rachel would like to show you her drawing:
Wonderful creativity, Rachel!
Valentine's Day Party
Thank you for the yummy treats! Thank you to our parent helpers! Thank you for sending all of the cards and chocolates! Happy Valentine's Day!
February Newsletter
We are collecting empty paper towel rolls and rocks this month. See below for details. If you have extras of either of these items, they will be greatly appreciated.
Home Reading Can you believe that we are half way through the year? Division 14 students have been reading lots of Home Reading books and earning prizes for every 25 nights.
Beginning now, Home Reading will change a little. Students will still read a book, draw and colour a picture with at least 5 colours, and print the title of the book on the lines. Now, I would also like them to write at least one sentence about the book. Please encourage your child to think of their own sentence to write about the book, rather than copying a sentence from the book. Writing a sentence about the book encourages the children to demonstrate if they have understood what they have read. For example, if your child read “Little Red Riding Hood” then they could write: I liked the part when the wolf was dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandma because it was funny.
I will also allow the children to choose a home reading book from our Fiction and Non-Fiction baskets. This means that they will pick a book that is interesting to them, but may be too hard for them to read on their own. As the goal is for children to love books and want to read, please don’t discourage your child by telling them that they can’t read it. Instead, sit with your child and read the book together, helping them when they are stuck on a word.
Please encourage your child to do their work in a neat and organized way. Thank you for your help encouraging your child to complete their Home Reading every night. You make a big difference! Valentine’s Day On Wednesday, February 14th we will celebrate Valentine’s Day. On this day, the students will be given an opportunity to exchange Valentine’s Day cards. In order to avoid hurt feelings, please encourage your child to make a Valentine card for everyone in the class. Below is a list of all of the students in the class:
Zanobia Zunaira Harjeevan Emily Zack Irene Arianna Rachel Ameeran Justin Andy Landon Nadia Aryan Erik Juye Karman Stephanie Kayden Kevin
Thank you for your help and encouragement with this important concept.
We will be having a party in the afternoon with food brought by the half of the class that did not bring food for our Halloween party. Please see the attached notice to see what your child has volunteered to bring. Any parents able to volunteer from 1-2:30 on February 14th, please write a note in your child’s home reading book or tell me at the door. Thanks!
Anti-bullying Day/Pink Shirt Day Pink Shirt Day is celebrated around the world, but originally started in Canada in support of a boy who was bullied for wearing pink. At Dogwood, we will be wearing pink shirts and talking about bullying on Wednesday, February 28th. We’ll have a school-wide assembly at 9:00 am in the gym and, as always, all parents are invited to join us. Everyone is encouraged to wear pink on this day, but if you don’t have pink, then wear red and white if you can instead. We want to send a positive message that it’s okay to be yourself and the importance of being kind, not hurtful, to others.
Kindness Rocks Ms. Hunniford, our counsellor, has inspired us to create a school-wide project around our kindness theme called kindness rocks. Every child at Dogwood will need to bring in a rock about the size of their fist by February 15th. During the week of February 19th, we will be decorating our rocks and displaying them in our school courtyards. We’re hoping to inspire kindness every time people pass all of the rocks with encouraging words written on them from every student in the school!
Curriculum
Our February themes are fairy tales and kindness/assertiveness. We will be comparing and contrasting four fairy tales – Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Jack & the Beanstalk. We will be reading versions of the stories from around the world and “mixed up” versions. We will be practicing retelling and sequencing stories as well.
In Math, students will continue skip counting by 10s, 5s, and 2s, estimate to 20, count to 100 forwards and backwards starting at different numbers, break numbers into equal groups, and identify numbers that are one or two more and one or two less than a given number.
In Language Arts, students will continue to practice when to use capital letters in their writing and work on consistently using periods, question marks, or exclamation marks at the end of sentences. Our new writing goal is to be able to hear and create rhyming words. We will also be working on creating complete sentences. The students continue to practice their printing, writing in their journals, and their spelling, as well as participating in Guided Reading. Many students have now completed all 11 lists of sight words!
In Physical Education, students will learn some gymnastics skills. Mrs. Watt will be teaching the proper technique for non-locomotor skills (balancing, bending, and twisting) and locomotor skills (rolling and jumping).
In Fine Arts, students will be using different art techniques to make projects based on our four fairy tales. Please send in empty paper towel rolls. Thanks!
Thank you for your help and support!
Growth Mindset
This month we have been learning about developing a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A growth mindset means that just because you can't do something now, doesn't mean you'll never be able to do it. You just can't do it YET. Each student made a goal to accomplish something that they can't do yet (your child's goal is posted on Freshgrade). We discussed positive self talk and students created motivational signs to put at their table spots to remind themselves to persevere.
Grouse Mountain
We had an exciting, snowy day at Grouse Mountain! Thank you to all of our parent drivers who braved the snow and traffic to provide a safe ride for all of our students.
Big Buddies and Creativity
We met with our Big Buddies on Friday and our class shared the little books that they have written so far. Then the Big Buddies helped the Little Buddies to log onto Freshgrade and taught them how to make a comments (see the comment under your child's November Journal activity).
At Centres, we have a new Lego rule: "On Fridays we break everything so that we can start fresh on Monday". I promised the students that I would take a picture of their Lego creations first though (see below). Some other students were also eager to share what they created during Centres, so their photos are also below. Enjoy!
Book Creator Books and Reminders
Please take a look at your child's Freshgrade Portfolio as I have just posted their Sound Book Creator books that the students created using an iPad. They learned a lot about how the program worked and were able to show their understanding of natural and artificial sounds. Well done grade ones!
Tomorrow is pajama day so dress in pajamas or other comfortable clothes. I've also allowed our students to bring one small stuffie to school if they'd like.
All class book orders are due tomorrow (December 1). Also, it will be the last day of our school book fair.
Here is the December newsletter that was sent home today: The time is flying by and soon we will be on Winter Break, but until then we are still learning and experiencing new things. The students are familiar with the class routines now, and I’ve noticed that they are usually a polite, helpful group.
Report Cards This year, our class is using Freshgrade digital portfolios as a means of on-going communication about your child’s progress at school. Please feel free to make a comment or ask a question about any item in your child’s digital portfolio at any time. (If you have a question or comment unrelated to your child’s portfolio, please feel free to write me a note in your child’s home reading book.) On Monday, December 11th, some classes will be bringing home a paper report card if their teacher has chosen not to use Freshgrade this year. Since we are using Freshgrade, you will not be receiving a paper report card, but a one page paper for you to write comments on if you wish. I hope that you are finding Freshgrade to be a helpful way to see your child’s work in “real time” and the hope is that you will talk about the portfolio items with your child. If you wish to discuss anything about your child’s Freshgrade digital portfolio, please make an appointment at the office for Wednesday, December 13th. This will be our early dismissal day at 1:30.
Extra Clothes It’s that wet, muddy, (perhaps snowy) time of year again! If you haven’t already, I recommend that you send a complete change of clothes to school with your child (shirt, pants, underwear, socks) that can be kept at school. Sometimes children get wet, and if you’re at work or unavailable, then we look for something in the lost and found. Often these clothes are too big and children feel uncomfortable. Please send an outfit that is not a favourite so that we can keep it for the rest of the year. Thanks.
Holiday Cards If your child is interested in giving out Christmas or other Holiday cards, please ensure that your child has a card for everyone so that no one feels excluded. You will find a list of all of the students in our class below. It is certainly not necessary to give out cards; this is only if you wish.
December’s themes are Family Traditions and Generosity. As part of our Social Studies unit, we’ll be discussing, writing about, and sharing our family traditions. Please help your child to fill out the “Holiday Show and Tell” paper attached to this newsletter and return to school by December 4th.
Our writing goal for December is “I can use uppercase letters at the beginning of my sentences.” This is an important goal, as I often hear intermediate teachers saying they are still working on this with their students!
We will continue our Guided Reading groups as well. Watch for a new reading sample in your child’s Freshgrade portfolio.
The students have continued to practice their printing, write in their journals, and practice their spelling. We have now learned all of the short vowel sounds and have begun working on long vowel sounds. As always, you can find suggested words for practicing on our class website: http://mrsamitchell.weebly.com/spelling-words
In Math, students will be learning how to skip count by 5s. We will complete our unit on numbers to 20 and then learn about measurement.
In Health Education, students are learning about generosity.
In Physical Education, Mrs. Watt is teaching the students about play activities involving rules, such as parachute and co-operative challenges.
For Fine Arts in December, we will be making Christmas and winter art.
I appreciate you taking the time to read the whole newsletter. Now here’s something fun… check out these live reindeer at the website: https://reindeercam.com/ We’ll see live reindeer on December 19th when we visit Grouse Mountain!
I hope this newsletter has better informed you about your child’s classroom. If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your help and support!
Exploring Seven
Today students worked with their table group to make trains of 7 with red and blue unifix cubes. Each person at the group had to have a different combination of colours. Then students recorded their learning in their math duotangs.
Empathy and Peace
This month our school super power is empathy. Today we read a Remembrance Day poem and talked about peace. Later we watched a short film recommended by our school counsellor, Ms. Hunniford, called "Balablok". You can watch the film by clicking on the button below.
Our class created their own community. They decided which places were important in a community and we all discussed where each building should be placed and why. Then the students submitted choices for their community's name and they voted on their favourite by secret ballot. Ask your child what name won the vote. It was a surprise to me!
Papier Mache with Shirley
Our class has now made and painted their papier mache jack-o'-lanterns. The eyes, nose, and mouth are painted with glow in the dark paint so they will actually glow at night!
Reminders for tomorrow
Tomorrow (October 19) is an early dismissal day at 1:30. Also, students will be painting their papier mache art tomorrow with paint that does NOT wash off of clothes. Please send your child in old clothes or send an old shirt that they can change into. Thanks!
Pumpkin Patch
It started out rainy, but cleared up into a sunny day. The children had lots of fun on the hay ride, picking their pumpkin, and petting the adorable baby animals. Thank you to all of the parents and grandparents who braved the wind and rain to drive to Langley. We had a great trip!
Pumpkin Patch tomorrow!
Just a reminder that tomorrow is our field trip to Aldor Acres pumpkin farm. Please send the following things to school tomorrow:
a large bag with your child’s name written/taped on to it (to carry the pumpkin)
a small healthy snack that fits into your child’s coat pocket
boots (rain or shine, it is muddy!) and appropriate outdoor clothing
booster/car seat (labeled with your child’s name)
optional: extra socks and pants (in case they get too wet/muddy) in a plastic bag for when we return to school
Please be on time (8:30) as we will be leaving right after attendance.
Freshgrade
Please check your email (and junk email if you don't see it) for an invite from Freshgrade. If you have a smartphone or a tablet, I recommend that you download the Freshgrade Parent app. If you would like a larger view of your child's work, you can also access www.Freshgrade.com. Then select "Parents" from the top menu and either "Sign Up" (if this is your first time using Freshgrade) or "Log In" (if you have used Freshgrade in the past). If this is your first time joining Freshgrade, you will need to create a password. If you have used Freshgrade in the past at another school or with one of your other children, open the Freshgrade app and click on "Invites". Then accept my invitation and you are on!
Please let me know if you are not able to access Freshgrade and I can guide you through it at school. Feel free to write positive, constructive feedback on any item in your child's portfolio and talk to your child about their portfolio. Soon, I will be teaching the students how to log on to Freshgrade using the Student Freshgrade app on our school ipads and they will be given the opportunity to select their own work that shows their growth. This is the beginning of an exciting journey in your child's grade one year. Please join us!
Apple Turkey craft tomorrow
Tomorrow (Friday, October 6th) we will be making an apple turkey craft with our Big Buddies in grade 5. Parents are welcome to join us from 9:15-10:15 to help out. Please remember to sign in at the office and get a visitor's badge if you will be joining us. Thanks!
October Newsletter
We are almost 4 weeks into the school year now. The students are becoming familiar with our class routines and expectations. It is exciting to watch the students learning and maturing a little more each day.
Schedule Library – Fridays Music – Wednesdays and Thursdays Gym – Tuesdays and Thursdays
Food Drive Divisions 11 and 12 are collecting non-perishable food for the Surrey Food Bank during the first week of October. Any donations are welcome.
Thanksgiving Craft We will be making special craft before Thanksgiving. Please send one whole apple to school with your child on Thursday, October 5th. We will provide all of the other supplies. If you are interested in volunteering to help on that day, please write me a note or tell me at the door. Thanks!
Papier Mache We will be having a guest artist come to our class on October 5th and 19th. In the first session Shirley will guide the students to make a papier mache art project. On October 19th, the students will have the opportunity to paint their papier mache project. The paint they will be using will not wash off clothing, so please send your child to school in old clothes on October 19th. Thank you to the PAC for the generous donation of classroom fees which will pay for this artist visit.
Photo Day Individual student photos will be taken this Friday, October 6th. If you have any special requests for the photographer, please fill out the photo card sent home last week.
Visitors Just a reminder that if you are coming to the school to drop something off for your child, pick them up, or to volunteer in the classroom, please go to the office first to sign in. Our school policy is that all adults must wear a visitor tag when walking around the school for the safety of the students. Classroom teachers are not allowed to open the classroom door to visitors during the school day. Thank you for your understanding.
Pumpkin Patch We’re going on a trip to Aldor Acres Pumpkin Patch on Tuesday, October 17th. A notice was sent home about it last Friday. We will need parent drivers for this trip. It is also recommended that your child wear rubber boots, as it is usually muddy! Please return all permission slips and money by this Thursday. A driver information form will be sent home after that (you need to fill out a new one each school year).
Halloween Party On Tuesday, October 31st we will be celebrating Halloween. The children will participate in Halloween activities throughout the day. Students are encouraged to wear their costume to school on that day and bring clothes to change into at lunch. Parents are invited to join us first thing in the morning to take pictures. We will also eat some food and play a few games.
Half of the students will be asked to bring treats for our Halloween party (the other half will be asked to bring treats to our Valentine’s Day party). If it is your child’s turn, then they will volunteer to bring one item from a list (such as 12 cupcakes, 12 juice boxes, 24 plates, etc.). A notice will go home with those students later in the month to let you know which item your child has chosen to bring. We will be eating the treats in the morning. We will need parent volunteers on our party day from 10:30-11:40 to help with our Halloween games. If you are able to help, please let me know at the door or in a note. Thank you!
Curriculum
Our October themes are Culture and Gratefulness. Gratefulness is Dogwood’s school-wide super power this month.
In Language Arts, the students will be learning to think about their prior knowledge before reading, practice printing neatly and leaving finger spaces between words when writing. They will also learn about making connections to their own experiences and other books while listening to stories.
The students will continue writing in their journals and practicing their spelling (no spelling tests, but the words are posted on our class website – Weeks 2-5)
In Math, we will continue working on patterns. Then we will play games with dot cards and do many counting activities.
We have begun our Calendar routine where we learn about the days of the week, months of the year, the weather, count the number of days in school, skip count by different numbers (term 1 we will focus on skip counting by 10s forwards and backwards starting at different numbers), and in future months students will practice “fact families”. Fact families are addition and subtraction facts that use the same three numbers (i.e., 4+3=7, 3+4=7, 7-3=4, 7-4=3). Don’t worry if your child does not understand this yet. We will be practicing for many months!
We have been learning about responsibility, rules, and community in Social Studies. This month, we will talk about the changing of the seasons and learn more about how different cultures influence a community.
In Health Education, students have been learning about germs and how to stay healthy. We are also focusing on mental health school wide using a program called “The Zones of Regulation” so you may hear your child talking about the blue, green, yellow, and red zones.
In Physical Education, Mrs. Watt has been teaching the students the routines and safety rules for the gym, as well as playing games.
In Fine Arts, the students will be learning about the elements and principles of design – line, shape, colour, texture, and pattern. Students have created a self-portrait as well. We will also create some theme related art projects.
Remember to keep looking at our class website: MrsAMitchell.weebly.com This is where I post information and photos about what we are doing in class. If you have not checked yes on the “photo publication” section of the info forms sent home a couple of weeks ago, your child’s photo cannot be posted. Please see me if this is an issue. I hope this newsletter has better informed you about your child’s classroom. If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your help and support!
Forms!
Last week an important notice about Freshgrade was sent home. Freshgrade is the method I have chosen to use for reporting this year. This will be my third year using it and I love how parents are able to see their child's work and what we are doing in class on a regular basis. If you have any questions about Freshgrade, please don't hesitate to ask me in person, give me a call at the school, or send me an email. We cannot get started until all of the forms are signed and returned, so please send them in soon!
Today your child will be bringing home an important package of forms. This is your personal information that is stored at the office (name, address, phone number, etc.). Please check it over, make any corrections if needed, and sign and date it at the bottom. The last form in the package has several sections that require your consent. The "Name/Photo Publication" part - in order for me to put photos of your child on our class website, I do need your permission. Otherwise, your child will have to step out of all photos that will go on our class website. The "Internet/WIFI Access" and "Internet-Based Tools Access" allows your child to use apps that access the internet or search the internet for photos/information when working on a project. Internet access is closely monitored by a teacher and students do not use devices without a teacher present. On the last part "Fruit and Vegetable Program", please let us know of any allergies your child has. Thank you!
T-shirt Notice
Today a notice was sent home about our special class t-shirts. Our class and Mrs. Watt's class will be making them and the notice (see below) tells all about it. Please send the $15 in a labeled envelope or baggie by Friday, September 29th. Thank you!
Washing hands
Today we talked about the importance of washing your hands to prevent the spread of germs. We did an activity where Mrs. Mitchell put glitter on her hand to represent the germs and then shook hands with the student next to her. The students continued to shake hands around the circle until everyone had glitter on their hands. Finally, students washed their hands and drew a picture in their drawing book. Below is a sample of some students' work.
Welcome to a new school year!
Hello! Welcome to our class website. We are Division 14, a grade one class at Dogwood Elementary. Our September newsletter was sent home last week and that includes information about our class, a September calendar, an info form about your child, and a volunteer form (optional).
We have been settling into our new class and routines. Today we began our home reading program. Please see the info paper sent home in your child's new Daily Folder. My expectation is that home reading be completed every day. Thank you for your support.
Here is a sample of what home reading may look like. Please remind your child to print the title and draw the picture in pencil and then colour the picture with crayons using at least 5 colours.