Help Needed with Nature Adventure

Dear Parents,

By this time, many of you will have made it out into the woods with your Kindergartner or first grader.  I hope that your first day went well and that you had as much fun as my daughter's class did!

Your time, energy, and input as a parent is critical to the success of this program. With that in mind, we would like to schedule two meetings - one in the fall (mid-November) and one in the spring -  to share experiences, learn from each other, iron out bumps in the road (yes, there will be many), and make recommendations that will improve the program.  

In addition, we would like to invite you to participate anyone who is interested in developing the program to participate in other ways as well.  Below are some options that the advisory team discussed:
1.  Events - we would like to plan 2-3 events per year - each with multiple goals - community-building, education, and fundraising.  Last year, we had a viewing & discussion of the movie, "Mother Nature's Child" at the Savoy, a year-end celebration & plant sale with the Dave Keller Band, and a garage sale.  We;ve also talked about a winter celebration with hot cider and perhaps a moonlit snow-shoe hike.  So, if you have some good ideas - let's hear 'em.  If you like to organize and run events - then step right up, we need your help.
2. Grant Writing - I have two kind souls pegged for this, but if anyone else wants to be involved in the future, let me know.
3.  Fundraising Committee - Really, number 1 and 2 fit under fundraising.  With this in mind, it would probably make sense to meet periodically to discuss fundraising goals and ideas.
4.  Advisory Committee Input - If you have an interest in helping us mold this program, at a strategic level (eg - determining if/how we can expand into 2nd grade), please be in touch.
5.-100.  Other ideas
We have an immediate opportunity for a few people to help out with the Montpelier Home Tour on October 15th.  Through a very generous offer, we will be able to use this event to raise my for the Nature Adventure Program.  Please contact first grade teacher Susan Koch at susank@mpsvt.org, if a have a little time on October 15th. 
I look forward to seeing everyone in November or around the school.
http://www.montpelierchamberorchestra.org/montpelierhometour2011.cfm

Laury  Saligman
Parent Coordinator for NAP

Nature Adventure

We had a wonderful morning outside today!  We walked to Harrison Field and practiced fox walking, played games, and sang songs.  We rediscovered our “sit spots” from last year or chose new ones.  Finally, we used nets, magnifying glasses, and field guides to explore the insects around us.  When we returned to school, we wrote about one thing we saw, and one thing we are still wondering about in our science journals.  Ask your child to tell you more about our great day!

Upcoming NAP days:

October: 17th

Please send in boots or sneakers, dress your child in layers, and check the weather report for rain or snow.

Bug Day

All five first grade classes participated in a fun-filled bug day.  We walked to Harrison Field and cheered each other on with relay races, ate a bug for snack (peanut butter, crackers, and pretzels), and created bug costumes.  Our day ended with a bug parade through the school.  We had SO much fun!

Our Reading Stamina is Increasing!

The first graders have been working very hard on their independent reading.  Today the entire class read for 16 minutes of focused "read to self"!  We are all feeling very proud of our accomplishment.

4 Winds

We had a wonderful afternoon today with Laura (Jasper's mom) and Laury (Kira's mom).  We began our yearlong study of Cycles in Nature with a look at insect life cycles.  We watched a wonderful puppet show, and learned about complete and simple metamorphosis.  The students used their imaginations to experience the life cycle of a butterfly, role-played some of the ways that insects use their senses to communicate, and completed metamorphosis puzzles to learn the different stages of the two main life cycles of insects.  We can't wait for our next 4 Winds day!

Hopes and Dreams and Rules in School

We have many hopes and dreams in our 1st grade classroom.  As part of our school's Responsive Classroom approach, we foster a desire for learning through goal setting, and work as a community to support each other in accomplishing these goals.   Some first graders are working towards becoming better writers.  Others want support in making new friends.  Take a moment to ask your child about their Hope and Dream for the year.   Brainstorm with them the kinds of things will they need to do in order to reach their goal.

After sharing our Hopes and Dreams, we work as a class to create class rules.  I explain to the children that rules will help ensure that learning occurs and therefore support our Hopes and Dreams.  On the first day of this discussion we made a long list of class rules.  Today, we revisited our list and realized that all of the rules we brainstormed fit nicely into two rules:

Take care of our school community

Respect ourselves and each other

Tomorrow I will ask each student to sign off that they agree with the rules.  I will post them in the room and refer to them often.  Our next step will be to discuss what happens when a rule is broken.  Check back soon to hear more.

In Honor of 9/11

In recognition of 9/11, the first graders took some time from the day to talk about peace.  While we didn't specifically talk about the events of 9/11, I wanted to honor the day by engaging the students in service work.  We read a picture book about all of the ways you can show peace.  One way suggested picking up trash in your community.  I divided the students in small teams and we ventured outside, trash bags in hand, and combed the school grounds for garbage.  The students were very focused on their task, and I think they were quite surprised by how much trash we actually found.  It was a great way to give back to our school community!

 

Building Stamina in Reading

The past few days the first graders have been hard at work building stamina in indepedent reading.  Students began with a choice of reading the words or the pictures of books in their book bins.  We started the timer, and began "read to self".  The first day, we stopped after 3 minutes of successful reading.  As soon as someone is unable to focus, the timer stops and we gather to process our reading.  Each day, we hope to add a few minutes of "read to self" with the goal of students being able to read for thirty or more uninterrupted minutes independently.  Today we made it to 6 minutes!  Check in with your child often to find out how we're progressing!

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

Today we started our new math program with a unit on bugs.  This unit happens to tie in perfectly with our science curriculum about insects!  This week students will be sorting, estimating, and counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's as we learn about the life cycles of butterflies, beetles, and praying mantis's.  We'll be learning some new songs to go along with our work, so be sure to ask your child to share these with you!

The First Day of School

I had such a wonderful day with all of your children!  I feel so lucky to be here at Union and even more lucky to be able to work with such wonderful kids!  Here's a snapshot of our day together.