Groundhog Day

We had a wonderful opportunity to work with a Kindergarten class on their Groundhog's Day Science. The kindergartners were learning about their shadow, and the way the sun is in a different part of the sky at different times of the day. Our class had just finished our study of the Solar System so we had plenty of information to share with the kindergartners.

In the morning the kindergarten students stood on a line and found their own shadow. The first graders traced the shadow so that the the kindergartners would be able to compare there shadow throughout the day. The kindergarten class went back out at midday and at the end of the school day to make observations about their shadows.

After assisting the kindergartners we came in and our class wrote in their Science Journals. They drew what they observed when we were outside and made predictions about what they expected the kindergartners to see throughout the day. Our learning of the Solar System for Sleepover really payed off. All of our students were able to make accurate predictions.

Sleepover Under the Stars.

One of the amazing traditions at Chets Creek Elementary is the annual First Grade Sleepover. Traditionally the first grade has done a series of lessons and activities centered around narrative stories about sleepovers. The "Grand Finale" of the study was on Sleepover Day when the children come to school wearing their pajamas and carrying their homemade Teddy Bears that they had made for homework. They then spent the day participating in many different sleepover related activities.

This year the First Grade Teachers decided to shake things up a bit. The new tradition includes a great deal of focus on Science. The theme focuses on the night sky! The children learned about stars, planets, and the sun. Science was Incorporated throughout the day. The children read non-fiction texts about space and wrote about what they were learning. The children also participated in a series of labs surrounding the study of Space.

There was an amazing family night where first graders and their families came to Chets Creek to watch a movie under the stars. The following Friday was the culminating day! The children paraded through the building in their pajamas holding their homemade pillows which included Venus, the sun, stars, Jupiter and many more "Spacey" themed pillows. Immediately after the parade the children enjoyed a donut and juice breakfast, in the dining room. There was a slide show presentation where each first grader was represented. There was loud music and even line dancing by the teachers and our Fearless Principal Mrs. Phillips.

After breakfast, the children traveled through several different stations , they sang Unearthly songs in the Music Station. They made super cool picture frames in Art, an indescribable experience in a very large bag where the children could watch the earth and moon move, and They were able to play intergalactic games on the Smart Board. The end of the day was held in the media center where the children watched a shadow story on the ceiling! They watched a space movie and then they cranked the music and everybody danced! It was a fun filled day and a great way to celebrate all the learning that the children did about Space. What a great "new" sleepover tradition.

IT"S A BOY!

Our very own Jordan Flores is going to be a big brother in a few months. Jordan shared his wonderful news with the class today, that he and his family will be having a boy! Congratulations to the entire Flores family, we are so happy for you. We know that Jordan is going to be a great big brother. We are pretty sure that Mom, Dad and sister will be pretty good too!

Non-Fiction Reading and Writing

Mrs. Brown's class has begun some exciting new things in Readers' and Writers' Workshops. We are beginning a study of Non-fiction. In Reader's Workshop we are studying a wide variety of Non-fiction texts and learning about the various Non-fiction conventions and how to read non-fiction. Some of the conventions that we will be working on include, The Table of Contents, Appendix, Glossary, Maps, Variations in Texts, Photographs, labels, close ups and cutaways. Look for these when you and your child are reading non-fiction at home.

In Writers' Workshop we are studying and writing question and answer books. These are a continuation on our study of Pattern Books. The books being written by the children will include the pattern of asking a question about a topic that the child knows a great deal about and then answering their own question with facts. This is a terrific way for young writers to begin report writing. Ask your child what topic they are working on now.

Open House

Thursday night was great, thank you to all of our families that were able to spend the evening in our classroom. The children were so excited to show you their classroom and the wonderful things that go on in these walls. We had a very full evening. The parents went through Volunteer Training with our very own Principal Phillips. We discussed the inner workings of Reader's, Writer's and Math Workshops. We discussed the Science expectations and Homework expectations. The parents were forced to listen to me rave (one of our vocabulary words) about how fortunate we at Chets Creek are to have so many resources available to us and even more fortunate to have the ridiculously talented resource team that we have. A great night was had by all, it is always so fun for me to see the children in the evenings as they proudly show their parents around the room. Thanks again to our wonderful families, it will certainly be a great year.

Field Trips!!!!! FUN FUN FUN

Today our students received permission slips for the first Field trip of the year. We will be going to Regal Cinemas to see the movie adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are based on the Award wining children's book by Maurice Sendak, which as some of you know is my all time favorite book, and the first Read Aloud we had in this school year. The students will have the thrilling adventure of seeing the movie on the opening day! This is a book that most of our students know very well. It will be exciting to get their reactions to the movie and have the students compare and contrast the movie and the book.

I am very excited about this upcoming field trip. We have some Field Trip Guidelines for all of Mrs. Brown's students and the family members that join them on our trip. Please see the Field Trip Guidelines below so that we can all be prepared for a great first trip!

1. Each class will need a few parent chaperones to accompany us on field trips. If you would like to go please let your child’s teacher know. You must have completed the volunteer training and have received your Chets Creek Volunteer Badge. Since you will be supervising a small group of children, no siblings may accompany you on the trip. Parents are not able to ride the bus, so you will need to provide your own transportation.
2. All field trip money must be turned in promptly. This is to ensure that there is enough money to cover the cost of the trip. On each field trip permission slip there is a date given when the money is due. Late money may result in your child missing the trip.
3. Lunches for the trips must be brought in paper bags. (No lunch boxes or thermos containers) Please do not end drinks in glass containers or other food items in sealable containers that must be returned. If your child brings a food item that requires a spoon or fork please provide a disposable one. No food containers will be brought back to school.
4. If your child goes to Extended Day, please supply a snack for him or her in a separate container to avoid confusion.
5. Please dress your child appropriately for the activity and the weather.

What is a Scientist?

In Mrs. Brown's class today. We have been talking about what we believe Scientists are. The First Graders at Chets Creek were invited to share their ideas about what Scientists are on a Google Doc. A google doc is a document that is online and shared by a group of people and all of the people that are sharing the document are able to add on to the document.

This is what Mrs. Brown's class added to the First Grade Google Doc

Mrs. Brown's Class

We think scientists are ...

* A scientist is a guy that learns stuff about like volcanoes and
tornadoes, and see what the tornado can do, and they take the
pictures and stuff.
* A scientist is somone who mixes up chemicals
* Scientists do experiments
* Scientists do projects, like they can do plastic volcanoes
* They do the things that they are supposed to and there has to
be tons of scientists all over the world.
* A Scientist is someone who looks at the earth, like astronauts
* Scientists like to dig for dinosaur bones


We can't wait to be scientists ourselves this school year! It will be great.