January News

Dear Parents,

Welcome back grade 1 families. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas break. I personally enjoyed the quality time I was able to spend with my daughter and family members. I am really looking forward to working with the grade 1 students in 2018. Thank you very kindly for the generous Christmas gifts and cards you gave me.

If you are wondering where your child’s agenda is, I have them in the class. We will be pasting some vocabulary words and a checklist. Please bring your child’s agenda and their yellow reading log book each day. Please read the readings I send home and the Raz kids online books. The readings will be put in the yellow log book (in the plastic bag). If the student forgot their agenda, please find the booklet we read that day in the pouch of your child’s agenda.

The last 2 days of classes before the break included decorating ginger bread cookies I made for the students, preparing the Christmas present the students made for their families, talking about the birth of Jesus, and making various crafts. We had an Elf on the Shelf named Bot visit our class. She often moved about the class as long as the students did not touch her. The students could hardly wait to have their turn to open the Advent calendar each day. We often said a prayer or reflected on what we could do to prepare our hearts for Christmas.

The grade 1 students enjoyed painting the reindeer with a grade 5/6 buddy. Thanks to all those students. In the next week or so, the students will bring these amazing paintings home.

The students loved the Math games we played before Christmas such as gingerbread roll and hot chocolate marsh mellow. These games were a hit as the students were able to eat some candies once they completed the game. The games gave them the opportunity to practice adding and subtracting. 

Thanks to our Educational Assistant, Maria, who was with us for a short time in December, the students   had the opportunity to review, once again, how to hang their coats, snow pants, gloves, back packs neatly. I asked her to take most of the students one by one, and to explain how to organize and keep their belongings off of the floor. Some students still need some encouragement, however, I know with some more practice and reminders they will be able to keep their belongings off of the floor.

The desk fairy came to visit us a few times before Christmas. Some students have been trying to keep their desks as neat as they can. The students are encouraged to clean their desks daily, and once a week the students help one another clean their desks.

At the end of the month, we will be having a winter celebration where the students will be performing poems and songs for their parents. More details to follow!