Hike at the Park

Thank you parents and volunteers for joining us for our annual fall hike last Friday. We had wonderful weather to walk the trails, explore nature, and spend time with friends from other classrooms. We love this UID tradition!

Writer's Workshop

The children are busy writing small moment stories each day. They are trying to pick one tiny seed from the watermelon topic to write about. They might write a story about the time they scored a goal at the soccer game. They are learning how to bring stories to life by making characters move, talk, feel and think. First graders are also working hard to make sure their writing is easy to read. 

Butterflies!

We were so excited to meet our butterflies this week! All 3 caterpillars changed into butterflies in our classroom and all 3 were boys. You can tell if Monarchs are boys if you see two black dots on their wings. We had fun watching them for awhile before releasing them. We knew they were hungry to find nectar from flowers. Maybe we will see them flying around the playground again!

Chromebooks

This year all first graders will have a Chromebook to use at school! We will use them to integrate technology in most subject areas. Last week the children set up their accounts and opened a game on the www.abcya.com site to practice using the Chromebooks. Thank you Mr. Wells, Mr. Baron, and Mrs. Peterson for helping us that day! 

Caterpillars in the Classroom!

Our first science unit will be Organisms. The children are excited to observe monarch caterpillars grow and change in the classroom. We have three caterpillars and one turned into a chrysalis today! The children are so excited to observe them each day.

First Week of School

We had a great week in first grade! The children explored with different materials, learned how to select and return books, shared about their vacations, and made new friends. 

Dear Parents,    

         I hope everyone is having a relaxing summer.  It is hard to believe that our school year will begin soon.  I am looking forward to having new friends join the class and having old friends return. I wanted to share some information so everyone is prepared for the first day of 1st grade!

 

Most of the materials your child will need are already available in the classroom.  Here are a few things your child should bring on the first day:

1. A backpack large enough to carry library books.
2. An extra set of clothes to leave in your child’s cubby. Please label all clothing sent to school.
3. A healthy snack packed separately from lunch unless your child is buying a snack from school.
4. OPTIONAL: A pencil box for your child to store his/her crayons and pencils. I will provide baskets for tables but some children enjoy having their own case. Please know this is completely optional though.

    Our school day begins at 7:50 and dismissal is at 2:35.  The children begin the day with a morning recess. Your child will leave his/her backpack in the gym and head out to the playground before the school day begins.

 

We will have snack in the classroom every morning around 9:30. Snacks need to be packed separately from lunches and be peanut and tree nut safe.  Children can also purchase a snack or snack milk from the school. 

 

Hot lunch will be available beginning on the first day. The monthly menu will be posted on the Underhill ID website. Children can get milk at snack time and/or with their cold lunch (bag lunch from home).  You do not need to send money for lunch or milk on the first day. 

Please remember to send a note or email if your child is doing something different after school. This includes riding another bus, getting off at a different stop, getting picked up by someone else, or getting picked up if your child usually rides the bus home. Please feel free to send me an email or note on the first day about your child's after school plans. It is always helpful to know the plans in advance, especially if your child's plans change depending on the day.

           This year your child has Physical Education on Monday and Friday.  Please remember sneakers these days.  We will have Spanish on Monday as well.  Library is on Tuesday and Guidance will be every other Tuesday or Thursday.  Music is on Wednesday and Art is on Thursday.  I will send home a copy of our weekly schedule at the beginning of the school year.

 

 Please encourage your child to bring in something to share on the first day to represent his/her summer vacation. Some ideas could be a photograph, shells collected on the beach, a favorite summer book, item made at camp, or a rock discovered on a hike. We will spend the day sharing about our vacations while getting to know one another.

 

If you have any questions or concerns before the beginning of school, please feel free to contact me.  I am looking forward to another great school year!  Enjoy the next few weeks and I will see everyone on Wednesday, August 26^th.

         

Sincerely,

Kathy Cowan

kathleen.cowan@cesuvt.org

10 River Road

Jericho, VT 05465

(802) 899-4680