December 18, 2009
Your children are such a precious gift! Thank you for sharing them with me. I hope you enjoy all the wonderment and awe children bring to Christmas. May your holidays be filled with love, family, friends, and many blessings. Merry Christmas! Love, Mrs. Schwaner
December 17, 2009
Thank you everyone for helping make our first grade Christmas celebration and class party and very special event. The kids had a wonderful, fun-filled, fabulous time!!
November
It's been awhile since I've been able to add to our class website --- I was out the week before Thanksgiving for surgery and then got pneumonia, so my Thanksgiving was mostly dedicated to rest, recovery and recouperation! Thanks for so many well-wishes and prayers sent my way. Our substitue, Mrs. Graham, did an awesome job with the class. As I prepared each day's lessons, she did wonderfully teaching and keeping the students moving forward with their first grade curriculum/skills. The kids did a super job in my absences! --- I often tell my collegues and friends about the great good group of children I have. I am soooo proud of them!!!!
November 9
A message from our Student Council for a worthwhile cause. (We hope our 1st grade families can help!! - NACHO PARTY= whooo whooo!!!!!) =) Mrs. S.
Student Council is sponsoring a can food drive again this year; November 9 – 18th. Last year over 3000 can food items were collected. J The class collecting the most K-3/SPED and 4-6 will win a Nacho Party.
November 8
Our school is having a book fair this week starting Monday and ending on Thursday. Each class will be able to visit the book fair Monday and the students can make a "wish list" to bring home. If your family would like to purchase anything, you can send money in the "wish list" envelope and your child will be helped with his/her purchase by staff and volunteers working at the book fair.
November 2
A message from Coach:
We are having a problem with the shoes the children are wearing on PE day. It wasn’t a big deal to begin with, but the number of kids wearing shoes that could cause injury is increasing each week. I just want to let everyone know that in the future if students are wearing shoes that we think are dangerous for them, then they will sit out that day. It won’t be for punishment, but rather for safety. Please let the students know this. Thanks in advance for your help.
Coach T.
November 1
A great BIG thank you to all our parents who volunteered to help our class have a fantastic time at the 1st Grade Fall Fest and at our own Halloween Centers. Your donations of items needed and your time selfishly given helped make 20 children happy =)...and 1 teacher, too!!!! A special thanks to those parents who could come to school and share their "magic":
1st Grade Fall Fest Halloween Centers
Tanner's parents: Mr. Gabriel A.J.'s parents: Mr. Jeff
Ms. Anna Ms. Joanne
Aricin's parents: Mr. Drew Pierre's mother: Ms. Selitha
Ms. Kendall Brenden's mother: Ms. Nicole
A.J.'s parents: Mr. Jeff Rebecca's mother: Ms. Kay
Ms. Joanne
The kids were super excited - as 6 and 7 year olds should be! - and had sooooo much FUN at our events! YEA for super parents!!!!!
P.S. The "Mountain Dew" flashlight experiment didn't work out. The kids and I were so disappointed:/ I told them that I would send the info home in this news up-date and maybe they could try it at home - good luck! They will be taking their bottle of soft drink home, too.
Directions:
Take one 20 oz. (or 16.9 oz.) bottle of Mountain Dew and pour out soft drink until there's about 1" left at bottom. Then add a tiny "tip of a spoonful" of baking soda into the bottle. Next, pour three cap fulls of hydrogen peroxide into the bottle. Last, cap the bottle and shake. It is supposed to glow in the dark.
October 31
Hope everyone had a fun time with your little "costumed" kids, family and friends; and a safe Halloween!
October 12
I can't thank our families enough who volunteered their time at home to help me/our class by sorting/grouping/stapling our "graphic arts" materials that we need for our on going learning! I sooooo appreciate your help!!!!! - ...and the help of all our students for being strong and responsible for getting the materials home and back in one piece!
October 10
Thanks to our five families who helped raise money for our school/classroom by participating in the school's "Cookie Dough" fundraiser! Our class earned $235 to spend on their learning needs!
October 5
Last call for "Primary Writing Journals" - We will begin using them at the beginning of the new quarter (Oct. 12th). There are still a few students who need to bring theirs in! (See Sept. 2nd below for more info.)
Our requested 1st grade materials just arrived from STPSB's Graphic Arts Dept. (We expected it at the beginning of the year :/) I will be sending home some of the "copied materials" to those of you who signed up to volunteer to help our classroom with "at home" jobs. (I am going by the sign-up list from Open House.) I am sending out the first batch of materials needing to be sorted/ together and then will send out more in the coming weeks. If you will, please send the completed "job" back to school with your child by next Monday (Oct. 12th). --- If by chance you cannot help at this time, please send the materials back asap with a little note (Can't help right now!) so I can send them home with another family :)
We will begin reading in our 2nd Reading book this week. I have included the new words/stories in your child's folder, but left the "Book 1" words/stories in the folders, too. This is for your child to continue practicing the reading words if they need more reinforcement or to practice for mastery/automatic recognition. Don't forget to include the "Readiness/Color/Number" words if your child still needs more practice - flash the "flashcards" you made - every night. The first grade reading series builds upon previous words/skills while rapidly adding more vocabulary words/skills with each new story. Along with introducing a new book, your child will also begin taking the "end-of-the-week" Reading test more independently and earning a grade that will be recorded/counted. If you notice your child struggling with their "old" words/grades, please call/email me for a conference so we can meet and discuss new strategies/options that will help strengthen their reading skills.
I have added to your child's folder our "Share Day" schedule for October -- after implementing a "workable" plan in the classroom that allows 20 kids to have their "special day" to invite us into their lives! Please look it over with your child and plan, if your child wishes, to send in something that is of interest/tells about your child on his/her day. This "share item" should be one that can fit in your child's book bag like a toy, a picture, a book, a piece from a "collection"...or can be "share time" for "newsy news" (a story about a special event, person, pet, etc.) that your child would like to tell. Plan together for your child's successful "Share Day." This is one of their favorite times during our Morning Meeting :) *The students' numbers are listed on the schedule -- 2 children share per day.
September 29
Yuuuummmm! Thanks for sending an apple (apples) to school. We were able to make an "Apple Graph" using the 5 different varieties of apples and compare what each kind tasted like. Then the apples were chopped and mixed with cinnamon, sugar and apple juice in a crock pot. The concoction simmered all day --- mmmmm! The students really enjoyed eating their homemade apple treat - some tried a tiny bite and others had 2nd and 3rd helpings! It was enjoyed by all!
REMINDER: I would like this week to be the last week to collect the "PRIMARY WRITING JOURNALS" as we will begin using them in October. If you haven't sent one/two of these in for your child, please-please-please do so this week. For more info, see note below dated Sept. 2nd, if needed.
September 20
We will celebrate the beginning of Autumn and Johnny Appleseed's birthday (which is on Sept. 26th) on Friday, Sept. 25th. Each child is encouraged to bring in an apple (by Thursday) as we will make homemade applesauce for a birthday treat. If possible, take your child along with you to the grocery store or farmer's market to shop for an apple together. Explore all the different varieties and choose a "unique" apple to add to our class mix. All the different varieties make for a tasty treat!
September 15
1st grade just got info on the "new" report cards and grading scale. Starting with this week's "pretend" grades, (and throughout the year) we will adhere to the following grading scale:
92 -100 = E---Excellent (8 pts.)
91 - 74 = S---Satisfactory (16 pts.)
65 - 73 = N---Needs Support (8 pts.)
64 - 0 = U---Unsatisfactory (64 and below)
September 13
Thank you to our families who participated in our school "Cookie Dough" fund raiser. We had a few students turn in their packets/$$$ last week. If you didn't remember the due date or haven't turned your packet in yet, please do so this week so the orders can be placed and our class can get credit for your sales.
September 2
As discussed at Open House, your child needs to bring in two (2) Primary Writing Journals as soon as possible. These type of journals have a space at the top for illustrating a story and handwriting lines below. *Remember, if your child was in T-1 last year just send in one (1) of these requested journals as I have your child's "free choice writing" journals in the classroom. Both are needed for our "Write From the Beginning" writing program which teaches specific steps for writing - starting with "brainstorming" and ending with a complete story containing a "main idea," "supporting details," and "descriptive words"... just to name a few of the elements your child will be learning to use in their writing in first grade!
September 1
I am excited to share with you that you and your child can practice reading the first grade stories online! Our reading series we are using in class can be accessed through my "Links for Students" page. Once on the website, choose the book we are reading (right now it is Book 1) and then type in the page number of the story your child needs to practice for homework (or anytime, for that matter!) and use the arrow keys at the top to turn the pages. It even reads the stories aloud to your child. Yay!!! There are some other awesome "links" your child would enjoy. Have fun! 
August 31
A HUMONGOUS thank you 
to all the parents who could attend our Open House last week. I really enjoyed seeing so many families in attendance. If you were not able to make it, I am sending a folder home with your child that contains all the info we covered during Open House. If anyone has any questions or would like to schedule a conference, just let me know. The best times for me to meet with you are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30.
The children are very excited that they will begin reading in their 1st reader this week. Lots of new procedures, routines, expectations, assessments, etc. also come with the new reader. We will take it slow (not fly so fast!) and make sure all are adjusting comfortably.
We will also begin working at workstations and in small reading groups on each child's level as well as introduce Spelling. Continue working with your child at home on the "readiness" words, color words and number words as he/she will need to add more flashcards for the "new" reading words and learn new Spelling words.
Don't forget to help out with our "cookie dough" fund raiser. Half of the proceeds go directly to our class to be spent on things YOUR child will use. A big thank you 
to the Purser Family for their monetary donation to our class for the students and their classroom.
August 23
Bonne Ecole and Rm. 22 is ready for you to come visit!! We will be having our OPEN HOUSE on Wednesday, Aug. 26th. It will start with a PTA meeting at 6:15 p.m. in the cafeteria and then parents can move to their child's classroom at 7:00 p.m. I would love to see you and tell you all about first grade and what to expect this year.
August 16
Our 1st week of 1st Grade went very well!! The kids are getting to know each other, getting comfortable with our schedule and routine, and gearing up for the 1st grade pace. I am so proud of their hard work last week. We covered a lot of ground in the classroom, on the playground, in our "special" classes and everywhere in the building. Even though we've only been at school for one week, they are trying very hard to remember to move in a safe and careful way in and out of the classroom and to respect others and our learning environment. When a mistake is made, I talk with the student and have them "fix their mistake" by practicing the proper behavior. This time of "practice" reinforces the expectations of our classroom and of our school. This coming week, we will talk about the way we want our class to be and how we can make it a place where everyone can learn. After these discussions, the students will help design our "classroom rules." Additionally, we will reinforce the "Golden Rule" ...Treat others as you would want to be treated.
REMINDER: Please help your child pack a snack to bring to school daily. They get very hungry in the afternoon and although I have been providing Animal Crackers to share just for the beginning of school, they wish for their favorite snacks from home. Additionally, I will not be supplying class snacks after a couple of weeks (after allowing time for all families to get into the swing of things).
August 10
My goal this year is to go "paperless" as far as sending home "class news/notes." Please refer to our class's website often for the latest news...although at Open House I will take a count of those needing a "paper" copy of our news and accommodate their needs.
We will take a snack break in the afternoon every day. Please remember to send your child with a nutritious (and easy to open) afternoon snack as your little one's tummy gets hungry and their brain needs a break! 
August 7
First Day of 1st Grade!
Parents, you should be VERY proud of your little ones! They had an AWESOME 1st day of school!!! I really enjoyed their personalities and excitement. Some had lots of "catching up" to do with their friends!! First days of school can be hard for some - new teacher, new classmates, new classroom, new procedures and routines, new schedules, and even, for some children, a new school! (Of course, with many of my T-1er's returning, they were VERY comfortable and moved into a new school year with ease.) Additionally, 1st days include lots of "new rules and expectations!!" - but they kept up and tried their best to adjust - or even if it wasn't "new" - no complaints from the "gallery!" Each child is precious and very much loved by you (and me, too)! I can tell this going to be a VERY GOOD YEAR!!! Thanks for sending your child to school with a hug and a kiss. It really helped their first day go well. Kudos to our WONDERFUL parents!!!
July 23
Hello all my summer friends. I am busy getting our classroom ready for you. It will look a little different than before. I hope you can come see your friends, your classroom, and, of course, me at Bonne Ecole's "Meet and Greet" night on August 5th from 5:30 to 7:00. This is a time for you to stop by and drop off your school supplies. Use the supply list on my website as it is a little different from the "generic" 1st grade list. Can't wait to see all of your faces again!! (If you can't make it that night, you can drop off your school supplies the next day (Aug. 6th) so we can have them ready for the 1st day of school! - email me if you can to let me know.)