Polar Express

Today before our party we had Polar Express Day.  We were able to watch the movie, have our golden ticket, have hot chocolate (really chocolate milk), eat some popcorn, and discover a magical bell in our desk.  It was quite a fun experience in our PJ's too.

After Polar Express, the kids were pumped about the party.  We had such a blast creating our reindeer cookie, creating our snowman magnet picture craft, getting a new book from the book exchange (still working on learning our left and right hands :-)), and playing a fun game.  An extra special thank you to our room moms who organized the whole thing!  It was such a blast!

I hope you have a fabulous two week break!  I can't wait to see all those precious kiddos back in a brand new year!  Thanks again for letting me have the privilege of teaching your child every day.  They each are such a precious gift to me - loving on them and teaching them everyday is beyond awesome to me.  I can't get over the fact that I truly have the best job in the world!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

On the Polar Express

Dash's final goodbye

Today Dash showed up with a letter for our class. Santa lifted Dash's power so they each had the opportunity to hug him one time.  They were all SO SO excited about it. Below you will find the picture of each kiddo getting to hug Dash.

Thanks for letting him be apart of our December - the kids and I had a lot of fun with him.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Holidays Around the World

Today first grade was able to experience our annual holidays around the world.  Our class got the opportunity to visit 6 countries (one country per 1st grade teacher's classroom) and learn about different traditions and customs around the world.  After their passports were complete, they loaded up their suitcases (backpacks) with the supplies they would need for their adventures ahead.  They were able to visit China, Germany, Mexico, Israel, America, and Holland. Be sure to ask them all about the things they learned and check their suitcases (backpacks) for all of the souvenirs they picked up along the way.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Working hard in "China" on their new years lanterns. 

So excited to show off their finished lanterns and passports. 

Dash is at it again . . .

Today when we walked into our room, we found Dash covered in stickers in our class sticker bucket.  I heard lots of giggles and comments like "Silly Dash" and "He must love stickers."  Dash has been such a fun part of our weeks leading up to our holiday break.  All of the students love racing in the class every morning to see what Dash could be up to next.  I can't wait to see where he will be tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Mrs.Monk

Book Buddies

Every week, we are paired up with a third grade class (Mrs. Springer's homeroom class) and we have book buddies.  This is a time where your first grader gets the opportunity to read and get encouragement on their reading from a third grader.  They take turns reading and can hear the great examples of the third grade readers. They absolutely love this time of the day every Friday!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Here is a snapshot of our reading today.

Dash

Dash has made his appearance in our classroom.  He has been back and forth from our class to the North Pole all week long.  Today the kids loved what Dash was doing.  He was hanging upside down from the map - silly Dash!  The kids really enjoy having him in the classroom and constantly make connections with Dash and their elf at home.  I even catch kids talking to him and watching him throughout the day to make sure he is still there.  I wonder what Dash will get into next . . .

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

iPad Lab

Today we had an opportunity to visit the iPad Lab. All the students were able to rotate through 3 stations and were able to use iPads at each station.   It was great to see how tech-savvy our students are. Be sure to ask your child about this experience! Below is the link to the different stations that we completed.  Our awesome technology facilitator, Buffy Edelstein,  put this together for us to complete today.  We are so lucky to have her here at Carroll.

https://sites.google.com/a/friscoisd.org/1st-grade-thanksgiving/

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

I am thankful . . .

I am a teacher and this Thanksgiving I am thankful for 19 precious things.

I am thankful for Rachel because of her caring heart.

I am thankful for Kayla because she always has a smile on her face.

I am thankful for Caleb for always being willing to help.

I am thankful for Victoria because she is always giving me compliments.

I am thankful for Matthew for always keeping me in check.

I am thankful for Jack for teaching me how to dance.

I am thankful for Michael for always being a great example.

I am thankful for Glen because he has such a passion about writing.

I am thankful for Chelsea and her willingness to help others.

I am thankful for Vincent for always giving me the best hugs.

I am thankful for Hannah and her ability to make learning fun for everyone.

I am thankful for Lukas and his ability to make me feel like the greatest teacher in the world.

I am thankful for Mac because he always works hard in everything.

I am thankful for Valen because she is so sweet and loving.

I am thankful for Casey Jane because she challenges herself to be better in everything.

I am thankful for Ryan for always wanting to learn more.

I am thankful for Cian because he always making me laugh.

I am thankful for Jocelyn and her excitement for learning.

I am also thankful for each of you and the support you provide me throughout the year. Thanks for entrusting me with your children every day.  

Disney World

So I have been promising the kids that they can see pictures from my trip and thought you might enjoying seeing a couple as well.  It was so much fun to get away and spend time with my awesome husband.  Even though I had a wonderful time, it was so easy coming back to a class full of sweet students who welcomed me with lots of love and hugs.  I truly have the best job in the world.  Below are just a couple of my favorite pictures from the trip.  I hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Election Day

As you all already know, today is a very important day in our country.  We are voting and deciding on a  president.  In order to help the students understand a little more about what is happening in our country we have been discussing freedoms all week long.  Today, we talked about our freedom to vote.  We did a mock election and voted for our classes favorite ice cream.  We chose from vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.  Each student had a secret ballot and casted their vote.  We talked about several aspects of our election and was able to relate it to what is happening in our country today.   I am wearing my "I voted" sticker today and showed them how proud I was of my freedom to vote.  They each got a sticker as well and are wearing them proudly!  The kids are fascinated by the process of electing the president.  As you are watching and waiting tonight for the results be sure to include your kiddo in that conversation - I hope you are pleasantly suprised at home at how much they already know and how much they want to continue to learn about this process.

Go vote!  

Sincerely,

Mrs. Monk

Last Boosterthon Day

Today was our last visit with Air Jordan.  The kids have loved getting to know him this week and learning all about how to make great choices from him.  Today we learned that we finished 1st place in the ENTIRE school earning $97 per lap.  That is absolutely incredible!  Now it is time to collect all those pledges and to thank all of our sponsors.

Below are pictures of our last day with Air Jordan.  There is also a video from our dance party - your kids and Air Jordan have some sweet dance moves!  They had a blast.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Learning how to call and thank our sponsors. 

  

Dance Party :-)

All smiles!

Silly ones are always funny!

Yep . . . that's right!  We are number 1 in the whole school!!! Thanks so much for all of your hard work and support for our school.  We are truly thankful!

Doubles Facts

After having so much fun at the Boosterthon Fun Run, we had to have an afternoon of fun learning as well.  We learned about our doubles facts and how they can help us solve other addition problems.  We made an iPod and learned a cute rap to help us with our doubles facts.  Some of the students wanted to perform the rap for the class.  I videoed the students that wanted to perform to show you our awesome Doubles Rap!

In case you have a hard time understanding what they are saying the words are below. . .

It's the doubles baby, let's go, let's go
It's the double baby, and it starts with zero.
0+0=0 Oh!
1+1=2 Ooo.
2+2=4 More.
3+3=6 Kicks.
4+4=8 That's great.
5+5=10 Again!
6+6= 12 That's swell.
7+7=14 Let's lean.
8+8= 16 My queen.
9+9= 18 Jellybean.
10+10=20 That's plenty!

Be sure to ask your kid to rap for you later on tonight!

Sincerely,
Mrs.Monk

Fun Run

We had such a blast today running and earning money for our school! Remember tonight is the last night for pledges so let's be sure to finish strong. I hope you enjoy the videos and pictures from today.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Our awesome banner - Thanks room moms!!

Getting warmed up . . .

                                                            Busting through our banner . . .

  

We were so worn out from our running that we had to take a quick break. :-) 

Monk's Monkeys

We LOVE being # 1!!!