Mrs. Ross Classroom Blog

What a magical week in first grade!  Thursday and Friday were memory makers indeed.  The ladybugs emerged from their pupa and the butterflies from their chrysalises. Needless to say we were beside ourselves with excitement. Friday afternoon we released our butterflies and ladybugs so that they could go forth and continue the cycle of life!

 

It not only feels and sounds like spring when we walk out our doors. It is really blossoming in our first grade classroom thanks to the life cycle theme we brought into our learning.  Each day the children looked forward to hurrying into our room to check out our butterfly and ladybug larva and sprouts.  What a joy it has been to see the children so engaged in the experience of discovering nature’s life cycles.

There is even more to celebrate!  Each day I am surrounded by the blossoming I see in each child as they approach the final weeks in first grade.  Where does the time go?  I know you join me in recognizing the confidence, enthusiasm and skill your sons and daughters are bring to their reading and writing.

Following are a few highlights of this past wonderful week.

• The birth of our butterflies.  Watching our ladybugs and observing the growth in our plants.  We are still awaiting one last chrysalis.  We will complete our Butterfly Diary this coming week and then bring it home to share with our families.
• Celebrating Rosie’s 7th birthday.  Thank-you to mom and grandma for coming in to share this special time and for the yummy fruit pops!
• Reading for the last time with our 4th grade buddies.  The next time we get together will be to celebrate our year together at our buddy breakfast!  We are good to go with our donations for juice, milk and cups.  Thank you amazing parents for always coming through!

• Reading and writing activities centered on the them of plants, insects and Mothers.
• Math-We started a unit on telling time.  I haven’t seen the kids so excited about math all year!  They love it.  Now they are telling me what time it is!
• Mr. Keer stopped in to kid watch and see how the children learn best.  He was very impressed by all the children.  We loved having him observe our reading time and Daily 5 activities.

 

 

 

Today, Sunday, is a special day for mothers.  This past week our class celebrated mothers with stories, poems and special activities your child prepared for telling you how special and loved you are.  It is obvious to me that each child in my class values the time they spend with their mother and the special qualities you share with your children.  This is a bittersweet time for me.  Having lost my mother the same year your beautiful children were being born I can’t help but miss her this time of year.  I am reminded of the importance a mother plays in the life of her child on a daily basis.  A mother truly is their child’s first teacher and the lessons you teach last a lifetime.  Celebrate the bonds of motherhood and I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Reminders and Upcoming Events:

Thank you to everyone who was able to send in a donation for the raffle basket.  Our basket was filled to the brim with fun, entertaining games and activities.  It will sure make one lucky raffle winner happy!  Good luck!  (Every child in the classroom receives one raffle ticket compliments of the PTO)

• Last Math Centers: May 16th.  Be sure to let me know if you can’t make it.

  Ice Cream Day: Students will have their final opportunity to purchase an ice cream/frozen treat this Wednesday, May 16^th during lunch for $2.00.

  Early Release: Students will be dismissed early at 1:00 on Thursday, May 17^th. Students will still be eating their snacks and lunches at school.

  May 24th  Buddy Breakfast with our 4th grade buddy class.

  Family Fun Fest: Thanks to our great, supportive PTO, families will have the great opportunity to participate in some fun and exciting outdoor activities during our upcoming Family Fun Fest at Indian Trail School on Thursday, May 24^th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In case of rain, the rescheduled rain date will be on the next Thursday, May 31^st at 5:00 p.m.

  First Grade Plant Sale, Poetry Presentation, Sing, and End of the Year Celebration: We will be having our annual First Grade Plant Sale on Friday, May 25^th at 9:00 a.m., with our first grade poetry presentation, singing, and end of the year celebration immediately following the plant sale until about 10:00 a.m. in the small gym. A pink invitation was sent home on Thursday. We sure hope you can join us! *All plants will be $1.50. First graders will be ready to make change for you, using our money counting skills. Profits from the plant sale will be donated to a charity chosen by the first grade students.

  No School/Memorial Day: We do not have school on Monday, May 28^th in honor of Memorial Day.

  JUNE:-Heller Nature Center Field Trip: Thanks again to our wonderful PTO; we will be going on our field trip to Heller Nature Center on Friday, June 1^st. We will be leaving school at 9:30 a.m. in the morning, eating our disposable lunches outside at the nature center, and returning back to school by 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon. *Students will need to dress appropriately for the outdoor weather. All participants must wear longpants, socks, gym shoes, sunscreen, and bug repellent. We will be outside the entire time. **Detailed information was sent home in a note .  Be sure to send the permission slip back to school!

  Field Day: We will be participating in some fun outdoor Field Day activities on Monday, June 4^th. Students will need to wear gym shoes with socks, comfortable clothes, and sunscreen. Please remember to bring a water bottle labeled with first and last name and 1R.

  Step-Up Day/Early Dismissal: Students will be meeting their new second grade teachers and classmates for the next school year on Tuesday, June 5^th. Dismissal will be at 11:40 a.m. Students will still need to bring their healthy morning snacks, but lunches will not be eaten at school.

  Last Day/Early Dismissal: Students will be dismissed at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 6^th.

In Partnership,

Capt. Ross

Dear Parents,

If I haven’t told you lately how much I love my job let me tell you again now… I love my job! What an amazing adventure first grade is every day!  Last week was no exception.  What with Ragnar for Rory, larvae becoming chrysalises, ladybugs being born, and the excitement of learning permeating around us I just smile to myself everyday.  Literally, I sit there and look at the faces in my room and cherish the moments.  Soon it will be over for the year and I am just not ready to give them up!  Lots to do in the weeks ahead and lots to celebrate from last week.  Enjoy!

Weekly Highlights:

Science:  The children finished their habitat books and brought them home.  We also focused on animal adaptations and how animals have special adaptations to help them survive in different habitats.  The children worked in small groups to cut out, arrange and display how  body parts help animals to survive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladybug report:  Friday afternoon just before leaving school for the weekend, we noticed several of our ladybug larva that had been in their pupa stage have now emerged as small, yellow-winged ladybugs.  Brand new baby ladybugs with soft wings and no spots!  We predict that on Monday they will have hard orange or red wings with spots.

Butterfly report:  The caterpillars have gone from larva, to j-stage to chrysalises.  We have 5 chrysalises.  Mrs. Ross moved them into our butterfly net so that when they emerge they can stretch their wings and fly a bit before we release them.

 

Math:  Thank you to those parents who were able to send in items for our supermarket. The children had so much fun shopping for items and practicing their counting skills.  What an engaging way for them to get money smart.  They did tell me that my store was very affordable! 

 

The children had to:

1. Choose an item they wanted to buy.

2. Build with their coins how much the item cost.

3. Draw the coins used and show how they counted them.

4. Write the total.

When they were done shopping they had to check out with Mrs. Ross to be sure they counted and wrote their amounts accurately.  They couldn’t wait to shop again the next day!

 

 

Literacy:

The children were engaged in their Daily 5 activities throughout the week.  I am so proud of the ease they demonstrate working with different partners while remaining focused on their learning.  Those lucky second grade teachers will be impressed with these learners.

 

 

Other highlights:

Mrs. LaGone, our school social worker came in for problem solving. The children look forward to her visits and have benefitted from the strategies they are able to practice and reinforce with their problem solving skills.

 

Ragnar for Rory was a big hit this week.  Thank you to those families who were able to donate money, time, support and encouragement to our students as they created awareness for pediatric brain research, healthy lifestyles and caring communities.  Our school was able to raise over $8,000. for the Rory Deutsch Foundation!  The children also ran/walked enough steps to go from Madison to Chicago, Madison to Chicago and back again.  That’s a lot of steps!   Even more exciting news…our own classmate Sean Kupperman’s Citizenship paper was selected as the winner of this year’s Rory Deutsch Citizen writing contest for the K-2 grades.  He will get to share his paper at the end of the year assembly. Such excitement!

I hope the teachers running in the Ragnar from Madison to Chicago in June have this much energy!  :)

• Reminders and Upcoming Events -School Supplies Orders for Second Grade: School supply order forms and payments for next year in second grade are due by 3:30 p.m. next Monday, May 7^th if you would like to place an order with our PTO. “I’m Game/Build It!” Fun Fest Raffle Basket: Donations for the first grade leveled theme basket, “I’m Game/Build It,” would be very much appreciated and can be brought to school anytime now through next 

  Last Math Centers: May 16th.  Be sure to let me know if you can’t make it.

  Ice Cream Day: Students will have their final opportunity to purchase an ice cream/frozen treat on Wednesday, May 16^th during lunch for $2.00.

  Early Release: Students will be dismissed early at 1:00 on Thursday, May 17^th. Students will still be eating their snacks and lunches at school.

  May 24th  Buddy Breakfast with our 4th grade buddy class (Let me know if you can help with supplies or set up)
  

  Family Fun Fest: Thanks to our great, supportive PTO, families will have the great opportunity to participate in some fun and exciting outdoor activities during our upcoming Family Fun Fest at Indian Trail School on Thursday, May 24^th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In case of rain, the rescheduled rain date will be on the next Thursday, May 31^st at 5:00 p.m.

  First Grade Plant Sale, Poetry Presentation, Sing, and End of the Year Celebration: We will be having our annual First Grade Plant Sale on Friday, May 25^th at 9:00 a.m., with our first grade poetry presentation, singing, and end of the year celebration immediately following the plant sale until about 10:00 a.m. in the small gym. A pink invitation was sent home on Thursday. We sure hope you can join us! *All plants will be $1.50. First graders will be ready to make change for you, using our money counting skills. Profits from the plant sale will be donated to a charity chosen by the first grade students. 

  No School/Memorial Day: We do not have school on Monday, May 28^th in honor of Memorial Day.

  JUNE:-Heller Nature Center Field Trip: Thanks again to our wonderful PTO; we will be going on our field trip to Heller Nature Center on Friday, June 1^st. We will be leaving school at 9:30 a.m. in the morning, eating our disposable lunches outside at the nature center, and returning back to school by 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon. *Students will need to dress appropriately for the outdoor weather. All participants must wear long pants, socks, gym shoes, sunscreen, and bug repellent. We will be outside the entire time. **Detailed information will be sent home in a note next Tuesday. 

  Field Day: We will be participating in some fun outdoor Field Day activities on Monday, June 4^th. Students will need to wear gym shoes with socks, comfortable clothes, and sunscreen. Please remember to bring a water bottle labeled with first and last name and 1R. 

  Step-Up Day/Early Dismissal: Students will be meeting their new second grade teachers and classmates for the next school year on Tuesday, June 5^th. Dismissal will be at 11:40 a.m. Students will still need to bring their healthy morning snacks, but lunches will not be eaten at school. 

  Last Day/Early Dismissal: Students will be dismissed at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 6^th.

In Partnership,

Capt. Ross

Tomorrow is Dollars for Deutsch. Help us reach our goal  of $10,000 for the Rory David Deutsch Foundation by bringing in dollar bills.

If you misplaced your directions you can view the directions for the Trash Man super hero home project on the page found on the left side of the blog.  Remember to send them to school by this Thursday.  Thank you for your support!

Dear Indian Trail Community,

Last week information was sent home with your child about Indian Trail’s new charity,The Rory Deustch Foundation (http:// www.roryd.org/welcome). Rory is a former Indian Trail student and beloved member of our community.  At the young age of seven-years old, he died of a brain stem glioma, a type of pediatric brain tumor. His courage and optimism in the face of inevitable death was an inspiration to all who knew him. The mission of The Rory David Deutsch Foundation is to eradicate pediatric brain tumors and other devastating childhood diseases as well as to make a difference in the lives of afflicted children and their families. It accomplishes these purposes by:

• Funding medical research and programs.
• Increasing public awareness of the Foundation’s mission.
• Creating opportunities to engage young people and adults in activities that can make a positive difference in their lives.

During the week of April 30th – May 4th, Indian Trail School will host it’s first “Ragnar for Rory” school-wide fundraising event to support the Rory Deustch Foundation. In order to make this fundraiser meaningful for students, they will participate in a week-long distance running program that fosters the importance of exercise, teamwork, and goal setting during P.E. Additionally, six Indian Trail teachers will be running the official Ragnar Relay on June 8th.

Our goal is to reach $10,000.00 in donations this year and we need YOUR help!The Rory David Deustch Foundation is a non-profit organization and all proceeds benefit their mission.

All fundraiser links can be found on our physical education department blog: (http://blogs.nssd112.org/jfunke/) or on our school website (http://www.edline.net/pages/Indian_Trail_ES)

Show your support and “like” Ragnar for Rory on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ragnarforrory

We are looking forward to the Indian Trail community coming together to support the Rory Deustch Foundation.

Thank you for your support,

Coach Funke and Ms. Henkel

Happy Earth Day!   This has been one happening room in first grade.  By now you probably heard about our science unit on life cycles.  It is always very meaningful and exciting to study science close up.  We are doing just that with the arrival of our Painted Lady butterflies on Friday afternoon.  Right now they are in the second stage of their life cycle. We also planted seeds to observe the life cycle of plants, and as customary to sell at our annual first grade plant sale.  The plant sale takes place each year at the end of the year. So mark your calendars and save your quarters!    Friday, May 25th 9:00-10:00 in the Indian Trail small gym.

Weekly Highlights:

Science:  We began the week focusing on habitats.  The children sorted cards into two groups, land and water.  We discussed how habitats provide living things with what they need to live and grow.  We started a habitats book where we will take a closer look at various habitats and what we find living and growing there.  We took a closer look at the forest habitat this week.

We planted marigold and basil seeds.  The children were surprised by the size and shape of the different seeds.  We watched a video on plant life cycles and learned about different seeds , how they get pollinated, and the stages of their life cycles close up.

Earth Day!  We learned about how and why this holiday started.  Did you know the first Earth Day was in 1970?  We all agree that Earth Day shouldn’t be once a year but something we focus on every day by trying to be good stewards of our home, Earth.

We  focused on the 3 Rs as a way we can make a difference every day!  Enjoy the video-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

 

 

Math-Thank you to our parent volunteers for helping run math centers this past week.  Our focus on money was the theme of most of our center activities.

 

 

 

Parents, be sure to encourage your child to practice their math facts weekly using the Extra Math link on my blog.  The extra practice really pays off!!

Author Visit-We enjoyed listening to Sarah Weeks who visited our school this week.  She gave a wonderful., engaging presentation about her life and books.  The children were an appreciative audience and we were even able to take a photo with her after the presentation.  Thank you PTO and NSSD112 Education Foundation for providing us with this author visit.  You can visit Sarah Weeks website at www.sarahweeks.com for more information about this author and her books!

 

Daily 5-  Our Daily 5 has been going very well.  The children are really enjoying and valuing their time spent reading by themselves, with a partner, listening to reading, and writing.  I am really enjoying watching how they are becoming more self directed and responsible with their choices and learning!

This week we focused on story elements in our reading. During our StoryTown selection we practice as a class what the story elements were and how they help us enjoy and understand what we are reading. The children then practiced with me in small groups during guided reading. Finally they practiced with a partner telling the setting (time and place), characters and plot.  In writing we focused on synonyms and antonyms and how they can help make our writing stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminders:  We are collecting:

1. Items for our Fun Fest Raffle Basket-I’m Game/Build It  is the theme for the first grade this year.  Donations would be very much appreciated and can be brought to school any time now through Tuesday May 8th.

2. Box tops for education.

3. Plastic bottle caps.

Be sure to send back your school supply order forms if you plan on ordering supplies for next year with our PTO. They are due May 7th.

Indian Trail Cookbooks- Our PTO has the new I.T. Cookbooks available in the front office for $15.00.  This fundraiser helps provide materials and activities to enhance student learning.  Thanks for your continued help and support!

Don’t Forget-

Early Release- Students will be dismissed at 1:00 Tuesday, April 24th.

 

 

Parent helpers please let me know if you are not coming so that I can plan accordingly.  We are working with money  and I need to be sure I have enough helpers!  Thank you!