Mrs. Pierce's First Grade

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April 2, 2012 I can't believe we're in April - today is our 129th day of school! We have been busy throughout our days, working hard and doing our best!  Inwriting we recently worked on the format to write letters.  We have set up a mailbox system in the classroom and children can write letters to one another during the day.  They have also chosen someone in the Hardy school that they would like to write to and we'll send the letters this week!  Hopefully we'll get some responses!  Inmath, Room 9 did an excellent job with learning how to tell time.  We had fun playing time detective and learning what the hour and minute hand represents - try it at home!  Inscience, we have two sets of plants growing in the classroom - (1) the plants we planted a few weeks ago that we will keep in our classroom until the end... (2) and the individual plants that the children are observing and will take home over April Vacation.  It's exciting to watch everything grow!  We're excited for Tuesday this week - Mrs. Pierce will visit!!  Baby Christopher will visit in May! Here are some important dates in April: April 6th - No School April 16-20 No School, April Vacation Thanks.
   March 7, 2012 Happy March!  Room 9 has been quite busy these last few weeks.  We had our winter break in February and everyone came back rested and ready to go!  In writing we have completed our persuasive writing essays.  They had some very convincing arguments!  We also completed our Friendship Cinquain poems and they will be displayed in the hallway.  In math, we're working on story problems and focusing on showing the work in order to understand the reasoning behind the solution.  We have closed the suggestion box this week and will be looking over all of the suggestions from previous weeks and deciding how to work with the ideas.  Their suggestions have been very thoughtful!  In science yesterday, we planted seeds and hopefully we'll see some sprouts next week!  Each table chose from 4 choices: Zinnia, Morning Glory, Tomato, and Peppers.  Each plant takes about 60-70 days to mature, so hopefully (as long as they survive!) we'll have some vegetables and beautiful flowers for our last days of school!
Emilie’s mom was very generous last week and came in to talk about Mardi Gras in France and make crepes for the class! So yummy! I have some great pictures that I will get on the website soon!
Important Dates:
Friday, March 9 – Report Cards go home
Tuesday, March 13 – Early dismissal, 12:30, lunch is served
Don’t forget to set yours clocks ahead an hour on Sunday!! ~Tracy February 17, 2012 Baby News!!! Mrs. Pierce had a baby boy in the early hours of the morning - Christopher James!  Both mom and baby are doing great! We started our week with the rehearsal for the winter concert.  First grade sang for the whole school and they were able to see all of Hardy School do their performances- it was great!.  On Tuesday, everyone looked very special in their best clothes and sang for their friends and families - they sounded fantastic!!  We also had our Valentine's celebration on Tuesday, as well as an early dismissal (busy day!).   This week Room 9 has been working hard practicing their word wall words, and working on our blends in phonics (examples: pr, fr, sp, tr, pl).  We finished our persuasive letter to President Obama, and it's in the mail.  We also chose our next persuasive topic- each pair of students chose an item from our suggestion box list and will try to persuade me!!  In math we worked on our story problems and played some great math games. Our classroom continues to need ziploc bags (gallon size) and gallon milk cartons (for a science project).  Please send in if possible. We need a mystery reader for March 3 (Friday after vacation) and March 9. Have a safe and wonderful vacation!!  February 8, 2012 Happy February!       We have been a very busy class since our last update.  We are moving along with our phonics program and will be wrapping up our lesson on blends.  I'm happy to see our phonics words throughout the center work!  In writing we have been working on our persuasive writing these past two weeks.  We'll finish our letter to President Obama trying to persuade him to visit the Hardy School.   Once we complete our letter, we will be sending it to the White House and hoping for a response!  I sent home a math game today, "Dot Addition".  This is not a homework assignment, it can be used at your convenience.               I have added the February Newsletter and the Valentine's Class list to the "documents" section of the this site.  I also will be sending home scholastic order forms tomorrow.  Thank you for sending in additional supplies! We still need ziploc plastic bags if possible.       Ms. Flynn has been a wonderful addition to our classroom as the assistant teacher (my former position).  Her time is shared with Ms. Mann's first grade, and we always look forward to having her in class. Next week has some special events... Monday 2/13: Winter Concert (students only) and it's our 100th day! (I can't believe it!) Tuesday 2/14: Winter Concert (parents welcome) 9am, Valentine's Day Party (children only), Early Dismissal 12:30 Wednesday 2/15: We will have a guest speak about personal safety as part of a Great Body Shop lesson.  I will send more information home on Monday. Thursday and Friday are regular days and then we welcome vacation! January 24, 2012 Happy belated New Year! There has been quite a bit of news since our last announcement.... As of January 13th, Mrs. Pierce is now at home getting some much needed rest before her baby arrives!   I'm very excited to be taking over the classroom and am happy to be spending this time with your children.  We have jumped right into our work and are doing a wonderful job.  Please note that I've updated the mystery reader section and our Word Wall Words. (We need mystery readers for the rest of the year!!!) Thanks! Tracy <A href="mailto:tstroomer@arlington.k12.ma.us">Tstroomer@arlington.k12.ma.us</A> December 5, 2011 December newsletters will go home in tomorrow's mail.  An electronic copy is available on the "Documents" page of this site. Scholastic order forms will go home tomorrow.  I am happy to hold on to orders and get them to you "on the sly" if you want to order any items as holiday gifts for your child.  Just send me an e-mail to let me know.  Orders will close promptly on Friday to ensure holiday delivery. I have enjoyed the many conferences I have had with you so far.  I look forward to meeting with the rest of you this week.  If you have not yet had the chance, please sign up for a conference so that we can discuss your child's progress. November 23, 2011 Report cards went home today.  If you haven't done so already, please make sure to schedule a conference for one of our December conference dates.  We will be able to discuss your child's report at that time, as well as answer any questions and address any concerns that you have.  Registration is available on the APS website or by contacting Mrs. Garrity in the main office. Ms. Stroomer, our classroom aide, is also a graduate student completing the last few months of her student teaching practicum.  Next week will be a "takeover week" for her, so she will be acting as the lead teacher in Room 9.  You may hear your children mention this, so I wanted you to be aware.  I will be present every day, and I will assist Ms. Stroomer, should she need it.  Ms. Stroomer has been a tremendous asset and she has demonstrated her outstanding ability as a teacher in both of the first grade classrooms since September.  I am confident that next week will be a successful experience for her!  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this. We spent a lot of time in Room 9 this week discussing the things we were thankful for.  Your children all created beautiful "Trees of Thanks" to bring home today.  I hope that you enjoy these and that they add some festive decor to your holiday tables!  I would like to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Room 9 families!  I hope that you enjoy these four days together.  I will see you all on Monday! November 15, 2011, I cannot believe it's been more than two weeks since my last update!  Time is passing way to quickly these days! A reminder to parents that online registration has been set up for conferences.  Please make sure to register for a conference.  These are an important chance for us to meet and discuss your child's progress to date and answer any questions you have regarding their report card (which will be sent home next Wednesday).  You can register by clicking <A href="http://www.arlington.k12.ma.us/parentconferences/">here</A>. Next week is a short week due to the Thanksgiving Recess.  Dismissal will be at noon on Wednesday, and no lunch will be served.  There is no school on Thursday or Friday.  I uploaded a few photos from our class Halloween party to the photos page of the site.  I have a link to all of the photos that I will send via e-mail for you all to enjoy. October 31, 2011 Due to the Halloween holiday tonight (I know there will be many who are out trick-or-treating and/or attending gatherings) and there being no school tomorrow, I have decided to not assign homework this week.  There will be a new assignment for next week.  Please continue to read daily with your child and/or use Raz-Kids. The new school lunch program will go into affect this Wednesday, November 2nd.  Please make sure that your child knows their lunch code, if they will be buying lunch.  You can still send in cash daily, if you prefer.  I have a copy of the children's codes, but I will not be with them while they are in the cafeteria purchasing lunch.  It is important that you take the time to help your child learn and memorize this 4-digit code so that they are prepared to enter it in the lunchroom.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this new lunch system. October 28, 2011 Scholastic book orders were delivered yesterday afternoon.  Those who ordered received their books today.  A new order form will go home the week of November 7th. Next week we will have a busy and eventful week, and it's only a 4 day week!  On Monday, we will have our class Halloween party in the afternoon.  Tuesday, we have no school so that teachers can attend a professional development day.  On Friday, Odds Bodkins, a storyteller, will come to perform for the first graders in the morning.  We have a lot to look forward to next week! Volunteer schedules went home the other day.  Please get back to me as soon as possible with any dates that do not work for you.  I did my best to schedule everyone at least once, if not twice, but it was challenging in a month where we have four days off and an early release.  October 19, 2011 Today in science, we looked at our thumbprints.  We asked the question:  Do all thumprints look alike?  The children created a hypothesis and then stamped and examined their thumbprints using a magnifying glass.  They then decided on what pattern their thumbprint had:  whorl, arch, or loop.  We graphed our class data to show what kind of thumbprint patterns the students in Room 9 had.  Ask your child tonight to tell you what their thumbprint pattern is!  Don't forget, the book fair for our class is tomorrow from 10:20-11:00.  Please contact me with any questions about the book fair!  October 12, 2011 Thank you to everyone for your kind wishes and support these past few weeks as we have dealt with the death of my husband's grandmother.  I appreciate your understanding when I wasn't able to be in touch for those few days and the delay in getting caught up on e-mail.  A few reminders:  1-The book fair is next week.  You are invited to join the class to help your child shop.  They will attend the fair during their library time on Thursday, from 10:20-11:00 a.m.  You can also send in money for them to use to make a purchase (there will be plenty of adults present to help them), or you can come in Thursday or Friday afternoon from 2:15-3:00 when the fair is open extended after school hours.  Don't forget that there will also be a puppet show on Wednesday, the 19th, at 6:00 p.m.  The book fair will be open for shopping both before and after the show.  Please contact me with any questions or concerns about the book fair. 2-Scholastic orders are going home today.  Many of you have already entered online orders-thanks!  I will close the order and post it this Friday.  Please make sure to enter (or send in to school) all orders by this Friday, October 14th.  3-We are still in need for Mystery Readers this Friday (10/14) and next Friday (10/21).  Please contact me if you are interested in coming in to be our Mystery Reader.  After that, we're all set until mid-December.  Check the "Mystery Reader" page of this site for all available dates. Finally, thank you for all the congratulatory notes, e-mails, and comments on my pregnancy.  Naturally, this is a very exciting time for my family as we are looking forward to this new addition.  I have to say that it is always "bittersweet" to prepare to leave a classroom, even for a short time.  I think of your children as my Hardy family, and leaving them makes me just as anxious as if I was there parent.  I want to assure you that we are working to find the best replacement for my absence and that I will be involved throughout my leave.  Your children and their education is important to me, and I am every bit as committed to them as I would be were I here for the entire year. October 5, 2011 What we're learning this month... 
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Literacy Centers are under way, and we are starting to master the routine. Small reading groups will begin next week. Please remember to continue to practice the word wall words. We have begun to add 3 new words a week. I included an updated list on the back of the newsletter. 
In Math, we will be working on number sense, which will include visualizing numbers, building numbers in different ways, counting, working with number combinations, and completing word problems (or story problems, as they are called in our math program). 
In Science, we are continuing with various “science labs” and learning to use the Scientific Method. In Social Studies, we will begin our unit on Mexico and Mexican folk tales this month. Please contact me if you have any stories or artifacts from Mexico that you would like to share with the class. Parents, we are in need of Mystery Readers!  Please see the section of our website labeled "Mystery Reader" for a list of available dates.  Contact me to sign up. Are you finding this website useful?  Is there information that you think is missing?  Let me know your ideas and I welcome your feedback! </DIV> September 23, 2011 
<DIV>Thank you to everyone who came to Back To School Night!  It was great meeting those of you who I had not yet had the chance to meet.  I hope that the information I provided was helpful, despite the brief presentation.  As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have. There was something that I neglected to mention last night.  Beginning next week, we will begin rotating the first grade teachers at pick-up.  Ms. Mann, Miss Stroomer, and I will be rotating weekly for pick up.  Next week, Ms. Mann will have pick-up duty, so she will be the face you see in the mornings.  I will speak to the children about this today, so they are not caught off guard when I am not on the playground Monday morning.  Also, I mentioned beginning homework next week.  After speaking with Ms. Mann, we have decided to wait until the first week in October to begin homework for grade 1.  Please be on the lookout for homework to come home on Monday, October 3rd. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to volunteer in our classroom!  I am working on a schedule right now, based on the information that I have.  I will be in contact, via e-mail, to finalize a schedule sometime next week.  I plan to begin volunteers the week of October 3rd.  If you did not have the chance to sign up, but would still like to volunteer, please let me know. On the "Documents" page of our website, you can access the Power Point presentation from Back to School Night, the handout on "A Day in First Grade" w/curriculum information, and the list of volunteer needs.  Please feel free to view these documents and let me know if you have any questions. </DIV> September 14, 2011 We are now 5 days into first grade, and things are progressing nicely in Room 9!  A few things that I wanted to call to your attention: 1.  Back to School Night is next Thursday, 9/22, from 6:00-8:00.  Ms. D'Amico is working to provide child care at this event, so stay tuned for more information regarding that.  I strongly suggest that at least one parent/guardian attends Back to School Night.  There is a lot of important information that is distributed and discussed that evening, as well as time given to answer your questions.  2.  Paperwork!  So many papers have been sent home in the last week, and a brand new batch is headed your way this afternoon.  If you have not done so already, please turn in the Hardy School Non-Negotiable Rules form.  This was due back this past Monday, 9/12.  The paperwork coming home this afternoon should be returned to school no later than this Friday, 9/16.  I realize that this is a quick turn-around, but these are important papers for us to have on file here at Hardy.  Please do your best to return these as soon as possible. 3.  Parent Meetings:  I have heard back from most of you and have begun meeting with parents this week.  I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with me, as this helps me to get to know your child even more quickly.  If you have not signed up for a meeting yet, there are very few slots left.  Please contact me as soon as possible so that we can arrange for a day and time to meet. 4.  Summer Reading:  Please return your child's summer reading log, along with a photograph of them reading over the summer to school as soon as possible.  This photo will be part of a whole school display in the hallway downstairs for the next few weeks, so we can all recognize and appreciate the reading that students did over the summer!  We will also recognize each child at a special assembly in a few weeks, but this recognition will only happen if their reading log is turned in.  Please contact me with any questions you have about this. September 8, 2011 Day one was such fun!  We had a great day in Room 9 getting to know about first grade and each other.  I'm sure that tomorrow will be just as terrific, and hopefully drier!  Parents, please make sure to go through your child's home school folder tonight.  There are some forms that are time sensitive and need to be returned a.s.a.p.  This folder should come to school with your child every day.  You should be diligent about checking this folder daily, especially at this time of year when there will be a lot of paperwork and notices coming home. September 2, 2011 
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Today I put some of the finishing touches on Room 9.  I uploaded a couple of pictures on the "photos" page of the website.  Please remember, it's not finished yet!  I will complete the room on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  I am so excited for everyone to be in the classroom and for us to start the school year together!
On Thursday, September 8th, I will meet you outside by the playground door closest to the cafeteria. I will be holding a sign with my name on it so you can easily locate our class. We will line up there and walk to our classroom together.  
You will need to bring several things on the first day of school. Please bring the items from the supply list. You will also need to bring a lunch or lunch money and a snack with a drink. Don’t forget your summer reading graph-I look forward to hearing about the books you read and what your favorites were!
I look forward to seeing you all next Thursday!  Enjoy the long weekend!
 </DIV>August 17, 2011 If you haven't already, you will soon be receiving a letter from me about the first day of school.  Please feel free to contact me via e-mail with any questions you have between now and the start of the school year.  I have been busy in Room 9 the past two days getting ready for the arrival of our new class!  I will post some photos very soon!  Just 21 more days until the first day of school-I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am!  <IMG border=0 alt="" align=absMiddle src="../images/emsmile.gif"> 
July 2011 Welcome to the official page for Room 9!  I hope that you are having a great summer!  I have been busy enjoying my family and the beautiful weather, but I will be back at Hardy very soon getting ready to start our school year!  Stay tuned for updates.... 
 
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Mrs. Pierce's First Grade

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