Ms. Jones and Mrs. Webster's Class

ZZZZOOOOMMMM!

This year flew right past us!  We fell asleep on our blogging job!  We couldn't let this year go by without at least one post.  We all have wonderful memories of the 10-11 school year.  Some will remember it for what they learned in the classroom or perhaps friendships they made.  You may remember the awesome trip we took to the aquarium or our awesome field day!  Our wish is that your remember how special we think you all are to us.  We have a class of extremely intelligent, extra loveable, & super persistent young ladies and gentlemen.  We cannot thank our parents enough for sending your very best.  We hope that you feel we've given them our very best in return. In the words of Skippyjon, "you better read this summer, dude!" 

Love & THREE kisses,

Ms. J & Mrs. W

We Measure Up to the Standards!

Hooray!  We have completed the CRCT!  We learned our standards and we showed that test that we were more than ready for 2nd grade. 

During math we measured our plants and put them in order from shortest to longest and longest to shortest in our small groups.  Here are some pictures:

 
 
 
 

More on Roosevelt & Carver

While we gathered organic materials to create our artwork we remembered that President Roosevelt established national parks to protect our natural resources.  Here are more pictures of our "budding" artists:

 
 
 
 
 

March Madness!

Who would have ever imagined two early release days in Georgia due to snow?  Not only did we have early release due to snow we even had a snow day!  The weather has certainly been interesting lately.  We have all enjoyed being "snowpeople" in room 40, but we are eager for spring.  As a precursor to our plants unit we have been learning about George Washington Carver and Theodore Roosevelt.  We have learned that both of these men have made significant contributions to Amerian history.  Theodore Roosevelt taught us how to show respect for the environment.  George Washington Carver made improvements in farming and the study of plants.  While we discussed George Washington Carver we discovered that he was an avid artist.  We learned that he created masterpieces inspired by nature and utilizing natural pieces.  Can you imagine our masterpieces hanging in the High Museum?

 
  
 

Important Dates

February 12 - Mt. Bethel Elementary visits for Valentine's Day fun

February 15 - No School (President's Day)

February 17 - Group Pictures

March 10 - Early Release (Harriet Tubman Day)

April 5-9 - SPRING BREAK

April 14-16 - CRCT

May 21 - Last Day of School

Our Apologies

We have not blogged since AUGUST - please accept our apologies.  As many of you know I (Mrs. W) delivered the baby on October 20th (8lbs 1.2oz) and Ms. J & I have been busy getting back into the groove since that and the holidays!  Of course, we have been extremely busy in the classroom!  In reading we have been focusing on non-fiction text and strategies that we use to gain meaning from text.  In writing our focus has been informational writing - you should read our all about books in the hallway.  In math we have been learning about ways to measure time.  We also continue to work with money & addition/subtraction facts in math.  In science we are learning about light and shadows.  In social studies we have discussed the contributions of Harriet Tubman and Theodore Roosevelt.

Ms. J & I love this time of year because we see your children begin to take flight.  For the first 18 weeks of school they are little sponges & beginning in the 3rd nine weeks they begin to take all of that absorbed information and start applying it.  It is the best part of our "job"! 

It was wonderful seeing everyone at conferences - thank you again for sharing your beautiful children with us.  It is our honor and pleasure.

Welcome 2009 - 2010 School Year!

We are off to a great start in our room this year.  We have 23 very eager students and two equally eager teachers.  Ms. Jones & I love what we do and are even more thrilled by the passion that our students have for learning.  Thank you for your participation in our Open House.  It was wonderful to meet our parents and have the students show what we have been working on in the classroom.  We are well on our way to acquiring our 1st grade skills.  In math we are working on addition and subtraction.  In science we are learning about weather and changes in water.  In social studies we will begin our map skills.  In writing we are using our five senses to assist us in narrative writing.  In reading we are learning about ourselves as readers.  We look forward to "falling into learning" during the upcoming months.  As a reminder, homework is due on Friday and should be done by the students with your support.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us.  Thank you for your continued support.  Remember to use everyday moments as moments of learning.  It is important for the students to see that learning does not only occur in the four walls of the classroom. 

28 Days to Go

It is hard to believe that our 1st graders only have 28 more days left of being that.  Where does the time go?  Ms. Jones & I see them changing into 2nd graders right before our very eyes.  We hope that you had a restful and relaxing spring break.  Ms. Jones enjoyed some sun in Florida while my family and I were busy getting ready for my brother's wedding.  We both enjoyed our time with family and friends and we hope that you were blessed with the same joys.

As the year winds down we are quickly approaching CRCT.  This is something that your child should not stress over because they have learned these standards throughout the year.  Remember that during this week your child should get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and dress in layers to remove them if needed during testing. 

Important Dates: 

April 18th - Milford Spring Clean Up Day

April 21st - CRCT begins

April 28th - PTA & Spring Art Show

May 12th - Field Day

May 20th - Awards Day (during Specials)

May 22nd - Last Day of School

Thank you for your continued support!  Remember, during all of this rain, that April showers bring May flowers.

Springing into Learning

WOW - March has been busy!  Ms. Jones & I love spring - a time for growth all over the place.  The best growth we experience is in our classroom.  This is the time when our fabulous first graders show us how they can apply what they have been learning thus far.  Over half of our class knows all 200 of their 1st grade sight words & the rest are not far behind them!  Over 70% of our class knows their addition and subtraction facts! 

Reports cards go home today.  Please sign and return the card in the unsealed envelope.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Pictures or picture money are/is due back on March 27th.  Thank you to those that have already done this.  Also, we give a big thank you for the donations of our field trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  It's not too late to send in your $6 donation for our trip on April 1st. 

Check out the garden’s website:  http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/ for more information on what we will learn while we are there!  We're so excited!

HAPPY SPRING - GET OUT AND ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD!

English Language Arts Adoption

News from the county office!

 

The Elementary ELA Adoption Committee has recommended that the following titles be submitted to the Board of Education for approval:

Pearson Learning – Good Habits, Great Readers

Zaner Bloser – Handwriting (K-3)

 

These materials will be on display for public review at the county office from March 9 - March 27, 2009 during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The county office is located at 514 Glover Street, Marietta, GA 30060.