Popcorn Party

As a class, we work really hard to earn links.  We can earn a link whenever the entire class is doing something great.  For example, whenever we are walking down the hall, if another teacher compliments our class on what a great job they are doing, we automatically earn 2 links.  We can also earn links by being respectful to the teacher (or any adult), working hard, or doing our best.  We work on getting our link chain to hit the floor. (You can see our link chain by the door in the picture.)  Whenever the chain hits the floor, we can decide as a class what we would like our reward to be.  Last Friday, our link chain hit the floor!  We decided as a class to celebrate by having a popcorn party on Monday.  It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed their special treat.  A special thanks to Mrs. Abbott for providing the cute popcorn bags and the M&M's for a salty and sweet treat.  I wonder what we will do next when our links hit the floor. . .

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

How things move . . .

In science this week, we have been learning about how things move.  We have talked about force, motion, pushes and pulls, and directions.  We have had fun experimenting with how motion actually works.  We have also discussed how things can move in several different types of directions (ex. zig-zag, straight, back and forth, round and round, fast, slow, etc.)  Be sure to ask your child how an angle can effect the speed of an object! :-)

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

College Week

We have had so much fun this week getting to dress up and get excited about our future.  

"Be all you can be!!" - Camo Day

"Hats off to setting goals!" - Hat Day

"College fits me to a T." College Shirt Day

"3 Cheers for Careers." - Career Day

"We've got spirit, yes we do!" - FISD shirt day

I can't wait to see what the future holds for these precious kids.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Monk

The BIGGER the better

In science, we have talked about how a scientist can use a hand lens to make any object they are observing appear bigger.  We all had a chance to practice using a hand lens like a scientist and decided to have a little fun in the process.  :-) Hope you have as much fun looking at the pictures as we did using the hand lens.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

1st grade performance

Wow!! I am so proud of all of our students.  They did a great job on their performance today!  I posted the video of our class singing just in case you wanted to watch it again.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Mrs. Easthan - Our Counselor

Yesterday, we had a visit from our school's counselor - Mrs. Eastham.  She will be coming in once a month to teach a lesson to every class.  In this week's lesson (since next week is college week), she focused on careers.  We have some ambitious students who want to be paleontologist, singers, professional baseball players, ballerinas, teachers, astronauts and many more exciting things. The students all learned the importance of loving your career and being able to choose it yourself.  I believe the sky is the limit with these kiddos!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Special Guest

Today our class had a special guest come and visit for a while - Mrs. Longfellow.  Mrs. Longfellow is coming around to classrooms to get to know each and every student by name. How lucky are we to have such a caring principal?!  She also had a chance to read a story to our class and continue our learning on making connections to a story as we read.  Making connections is one of the several comprehension strategies we will be discussing throughout the year.  Relating to any story in such a personal way helps deepen our comprehension of the book we are reading.  While you are reading with your child each night, be sure to ask them about any connections they are making with the story.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

Cutest Scientist EVER

This week we have been studying science tools.  We have had a great time with lots of opportunities for some hands on experiences. We have learned about eye droppers, thermometers, balance scales, goggles, and hand lenses.  Be sure to ask your kiddo how each science tool can be used.  Below you will find the students testing out their goggles. We learned the importance of protecting their precious eyes while conducting science experiments.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Monk

I had to get in on all the fun too!