We Remember!

Today we took time to discuss a little bit about 9/11 with the students. I kept it very simple and brief. We read the story New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne as a way to introduce firefighters and being brave. We talked about how this day made people very sad, but we are thankful for all the brave people who help us each day.

To compliment our Dot Day (well, really Dot month) activities, we create red, white, and blue marble painting as a symbol of our remembrance of this day.

Dots and names continued!

This past week, the students had a great time creating colorful circles using an iPad app called SpinArt+ to create colorful 'dots' as we continue to read The Dot by Peter Reynolds. The students also helped take pictures of the beginning of our Dot Day art gallery. We will be adding to the gallery each week with various activities. We will be displaying work from Mrs. Keck's class as well as work from art class. Below you will see several of the the students SpinArt+ creations!

  

 

This week we will continued with our Dot Day activities. The students LOVED (and I mean LOVED) painting with watercolors this week. We will be assembling our watercolor dot projects this week and displaying them in our gallery. I will add pictures as our art gallery grows so that you can see the amazing creations. I will also work on including more watercolor painting into the classroom! To compliment the Dot Day activities, the students brought home visuals to discuss the students. The visuals provided a structure to explore the characters, setting, problem, and resolution to the story. I will post a link to the visuals within the week.

I am still working on narrowing down our class schedule. The afternoon is quite a long 'work' time for some of the students, so I am working on arranging our schedule to allow for a afternoon break.

If you look at the page menu at the top of the web page, you will see a tab for "In Pictures ~ Room 220". This will take you to a picture blog that the students will help update. My goal is to allow each student to take a picture each week and post to the blog. Keep an eye out for updates to this photo blog as well. Monthly newsletters will also be sent home. They will provide a overview of the months activities and important dates. The newsletters are also posted online for your convenience (and in an effort to save paper). I will also be sending home a form to collect email information so that updates and newsletter can be emailed home.

Have a great week!
~Melanie

Name recognition, following directions, dots....and more dots.

On Reading this week, we will be focusing on name recognition - both of students' own names as well as peer names. We will be going a variety of activities such as name songs and playing a matching game. I will also be doing some reading assessments with each of the students.

In Math, we will be working on counting up to 10 during calendar. We count the days in the week, friends at calendar, who is buying lunch, etc. We also are working on the days of the week and knowing the sequence of the days of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...)

For Science and Social Studies, we will be doing more activities relating to the book The Dot. As we read the book, we are completing art activities that are similar to Vashti (main character in the story) and we are creating a Dot Day art gallery outside out classroom. I didn't take a picture of the first section of the gallery yet, but I will take on this week and add it to this post. We are looking to collaborate with other classrooms. If you are a teacher interested in sharing Dot Day with us, please comment below!

Here is a nice animated video of the book The Dot which we will be using in class as well as reading the book over the course of the next couple weeks.

REMINDERS:

• Return internet safety/photo-video permission form ASAP whether you give permission or not. I am working on getting some things set up for "Dot Day" (actually more like Dot week) and would love for the students to participate. 
• If you have not turned in your emergency medical forms, please do that ASAP. Updated contacts are needed each year.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me. I am available between 8-9am. If you call during the school day, please leave a message and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Melanie

One week down...

Well, the first week of school is complete! The students were excited to be at school, but I think they were a little shocked when they were at school ALL day! It was quite a shocker for most of the students. We had some fun. We had some tears. We had time to explore the classroom, motor room, and outside. By Friday afternoon, although they were tired, the tears had dried up a little and they were ready to work. I have a feeling that this week another week of transitions. After Labor Day weekend, our classroom routine will be in full swing!!

Updates for this week:

Curriculum Night
Please join us for Curriculum Night Wednesday, August 28. 
Grades Pre K-2 ~ 6:30-7:10, Grades 3-5 ~7:15-8:00
I will do a classroom presentation from 6:30-7:00, then will be available after that for questions. Please feel free to attend the homeroom session during the 6:30 time and meet with me afterwards. I will have handouts available for you to take with you.

International Dot Day
September 15
We will participating in International Dot Day (well, we will make it more a dot week or so). If you want to check on some info on the event, check out the Dot Day website. This will be a great beginning of the year activity as we explore how we each can make our mark this school year. The Dot's theme:

"Make your mark, and see where it takes you."

REMINDERS

• Please remember to have your child wear gym shoes EVERYDAY. We do gross motor activities everyday ~ in the classroom, motor room, and outside (weather permitting). Gym shoes provide the most support and are the safest for the students.

• Please turn in all paperwork signed and be sure that all information is updated with the school for phone calls and mailing.

• Please consider joining the PTA. The PTA has been very supportive of the students and teachers. You don't have to attend every meeting, but helping out is a great way to get to know other parents in the school.

Happy August!

Wow!
It is hard to believe that summer is almost over!! I have to start out by apologizing for not updating this site in a while, but I have been busy finishing up my graduate work. In about two weeks, I will officially have a Masters in Educational Technology. If you'd like to take a look at my two year journey, you can check out my capstone portfolio I have been working on for over 6 months. I will consumed with coursework between now and the first day of school, but it is all well worth it! I have learned so many neat things that I can't wait to try out this year!

photo credit: permission from
flickr user TJ Houston

I hope everyone has enjoyed the summer! I know I have LOVED the weather here in Ohio once all the rain stopped! My family and I have enjoyed a couple trips to Kings Island. The weather has been perfect lately for some outside time. Hopefully, you have enjoyed some too. 

Me and my friend hanging
 with some UC players

In June, I made two trips north to meet and chat with some amazing Ohio educators. First up was #edcampCLE, a participate driven conference where the participants decide the agenda. I was excited to share some time with my #edubestie, Morgan (@room5friends) who shares my love of technology and working with exceptional students. Later in June, I ventured to Columbus to attend the first ever #ohedchat meet up. #ohedchat is a weekly chat that takes place on twitter where Ohio educators discuss various topics effecting our schools. A meet up is were individuals who interact online have a chance to meet in person. For this event, I was about to meet and interact with individuals from my personal learning network (PLN) from twitter. It was great to talk to other educators who have similar views as well as individuals who have similar struggles.

The football women ~ can you find me?

My favorite part of the summer took place this week on July 31. I was fortunate enough to attend the University of Cincinnati's Woman's football clinic. My childhood dream of playing football was fulfilled (well, at least a little bit) as we received a tour of the locker rooms before heading to the field for a little practice. We even met Coach Tuberville!! 
All proceeds from the clinic went to benefit breast cancer research at The Barrett Cancer Center at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. 

Here are a couple upcoming dates you will need to know!

• August 5 Welcome Letters/supply lists to be sent out - I will post Welcome Letter and supply list on this site as well so check back next week.
• August 15 from 6:30-7:30 Welcome Back Ice Cream Social - stop by, visit w/friends, share your exciting summer news, and enjoy some delicious ice cream!
• August 28 from 6:30-8:00 Curriculum Night - This will be a time to meet the staff and learn about academic & behavioral expectations at each grade level.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

~Melanie