Our second week of school was very busy, despite the holiday on Monday!  Considering our work in reading, writing, math, and social studies, much of our learning reflects this theme:  gaining confidence.

The children are gaining confidence in our many school routines, including our lunchtime habits and even dismissal!  As you can see, Mr. Vickers has already stopped by the cafeteria to have a bite with our class. 

 We have also practiced many classroom routines with great success.  The children are participating in our large group poetry lessons, writing sight words, practicing spelling strategies, engaging in a variety of literacy stations, and choosing books for independent reading.  They have used a variety of math resources to explore number concepts, and they have explored many ways we stay safe and show good citizenship at school. 

Independent reading will be a central part of our reading program this year.  During independent reading, the children have the opportunity to apply decoding and comprehension strategies that we have reviewed together as a class.  One strategy that we discussed this week is that there are many ways to read a book.  It is important for readers to read the pictures as well as the text in a book.  Readers read the text to learn what the author wrote, but readers can also learn from the illustrations.  Details in pictures can help readers with decoding tricky words, making inferences in the story, and making predictions.  

Stay tuned as we add more strategies and your children continue to develop their love of reading!

Wow!  I can't thank you all enough for the warm welcome to Mill Run!  It was so inspiring to me to meet all of you and see your excitement for your childrens' education.  Mill Run is an exceptional school, and it is clear that you are making our school community the warm, cheerful, and exciting place that it is!  Thank you!

     Thank you, also, for coming to visit the classroom yesterday.  The children are amazing, and I am so excited to see them again on Monday.  We will spend some quality time getting to know one another while also easing into our academic routines.  Of course, I will keep you posted regarding our activities on this page every Friday.

     And, thank you to all of the parents for coming to the Back to School Night presentations yesterday evening.  As I mentioned, your children are my top priority and establishing a strong home-school connection is a critical foundation for our joint mission.  If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call, send a note, or e-mail.  I will check email before and after school each day, and I will do my very best to reply within 24 hours.  

    So, I hope you have a wonderful weekend enjoying some special time as a family.  Here are some final reminders for the first day:  Please remember to send a snack of cheese, raw fruit, or raw vegetables for our morning snack break.  If your child will be purchasing lunch in the cafeteria, please discuss your expectations regarding your child's choices.  (Are they allowed to buy ice cream every day, only once a week, or not at all?)  And finally, please remember to remind your child how they will be going home. 

     With children like yours, we are guaranteed to have a wonderful year!  I am so excited, I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep this weekend!  Please tell the children that I said "Hello!" and I'll be waiting for them in Room 4 on Monday!