Happy Lunar New Year!

Thank you to the families who were able to join us for Ethan Allen's Lunar New Year festival last week.  The scholars loved celebrating and sharing their cultures with the community.  I hope everyone who celebrates the Lunar New Year is enjoying these special days with their families.  

In addition, your child may enjoy taking a close look at the moon and night sky this weekend.  Over the past two nights the planets Venus and Mars have been visible near the moon and the planet Jupiter has also been visible.  Your budding astronomer may enjoy using the Google Sky app which is similar to the Google Earth app I showed them in class a few weeks ago.  This app can help them to identify the stars, planets, and constellations they see above them.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me photos from the festival.  I do not post photos of students online, but I save them for my Open House slide show and submit them to the school yearbook.  If you have photos from the festival, please email them to me at lgravessmith@ggusd.us or if you prefer to print them out I can display them in the classroom.

Many thanks!!!

Habits of a Scholar: Goal Setting

We started January off with Goal Setting as our focus.  We discussed how scholars always have a goal they are working towards, and that these goals vary.  They can be academic, social, behavior, or related to anything the scholar wants to become better at.  We set goals for ourselves to work towards in the new year.  Here are a few examples:

 

Tet Festival and Valentines Celebration

Happy February!
I sent this note home today but I know these letters don't always make their way to parents in a timely manner and this is an important note.  Please let me know if you have any questions.


Dear Room 5 Families,

Next Thursday, February 12 will be a fun and

exciting day!  Two celebrations will be taking place.

Lunar New Year Festival: In the morning at 8:45 we

will be having our annual celebration out on the

blacktop.  Parents are invited to join us.  1st graders

will be parading with their dragon masks and there

will be several different performances.  You may

wear traditional clothing from your culture to

celebrate (most scholars and teachers will be

dressed up for the occasion).

The Lunar New Year Festival is a very special Ethan

Allen event and it will be crowded.  Please plan to

arrive early and park in the neighborhood.  If your

child is wearing special clothing they should wear it

to school and bring a change of clothes for

afterwards.

If you would like to help with the decorations in the

morning before the festival, please let me know.  Ms.

Chin is organizing this big event and would love

some parent helpers.

There is no school on Valentine’s Day this year, so we

will be having a friendship celebration in class

during the afternoon.  If your child would like to

bring Valentines, cards, or small treats to pass out

they are welcome to.  Please follow these rules to

make sure that everyone has a fun day:

1. If you bring something, there must be one for

2. Please do not write individual names, it is

EVERYONE.  We have 22 scholars in our class.



difficult for the scholars to pass them out.

Instead, they can write “To my friend.”

3. Please do not bring treats with nuts or goodie

bags.

4. Treats need to be packaged.  The scholars will

be taking them home, not eating them in class.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Mrs. Smith

Measurement/Geometry Math Task

Here are some photos from a recent Measurement/Geometry Math Task where the scholars were challenged to "Think Like an Architect."  Even though none of the scholars were quite able to reach the objective, they all persevered and did an amazing job.  Many of the students said it was their favorite activity of the first trimester.  It makes me so proud to see scholars enjoying challenging work!

Math Tasks

During conferences I touched on Math Tasks, which are a new component of common core math instruction.  They are open ended, challenging tasks without stated steps that time for students to complete.  Students must think critically about the question to choose an effective strategy and persevere in completing the task.  Often there is more than just one correct answer.  Here are a few math tasks that we worked on recently in our addition and subtraction unit.

Typing Club

http://www.typingclub.com/

This week our big buddies helped us to set up our usernames and passwords for Typing Club.  This is a website where students can practice typing correctly with their fingers on the home row.  This website can be accessed from home for practice.  Becoming fluent typers would be a HUGE benefit and head start for the scholars, as they are expected to take tests on computers beginning in third grade.  There are many other typing websites and programs that your child can use such as Dance Mat (linked on this website), Mavis Beacon, or even just typing into a word document.  As we have started using iPads more frequently in class I have noticed that most student use the "hunt and peck" style rather than home row.  Learning to type correctly is fun for first graders and will be a lifelong skill.  If you're looking for something for them to work on during winter break, why not try typing?

Conference wrap up

Thank you to all of you for attending conferences over the past week.  I am so proud to report that many scholars have already begun working on the areas I asked them to focus on for further growth, such as more active participation, better listening skills, and taking more academic risks.  I know our new report cards are a big change so please don't hesitate to ask if any questions come up.  Overall the scholars are off to a great start this year.

The most common comment that I heard from parents was how much harder their work is this year compared to kindergarten.  Yes, that is true for many reasons.  First, remember that kindergarten is an introduction to school and structured learning and our first grade standards have always been much more complex.  Every year this is something that parents notice in both GATE and general education.  Also keep in mind that our school day in first grade is also several hours longer than in kinder so we have much more learning time.  In addition, this year we have transitioned from the old standards to common core standards which are more challenging across all grade levels.  The work that first graders are expected to do now is more demanding than what they were expected to do  just a few years ago, let alone when you and I were in first grade.  Finally, of course my expectations of GATE students are higher because I know what they are capable of.  I design my lessons to be challenging.  I would rather see my scholars tackle a challenging lesson and struggle than to only do easy work.  Of course, they are supported in their struggle and my lessons are designed to encourage their growth towards the standards and academic understanding.  GATE is not about giving students MORE work, it is about giving them different kinds of work that challenge their very capable minds.  If I were only to give easy assignments I would be doing a disservice to your talented children.

The first trimester was a time filled with learning and exploration.  I love seeing my scholars develop their minds and work habits, and I feel grateful to teach such exceptional students.  As 2014 wraps up and we prepare for Winter Break we will be having a celebration on Friday afternoon.  Please check your child's Friday Folder for a note from me.  After all of our hard work and growth we are ready for a celebration!