Sheron Smith Speaks

Awesome August

2011-08-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to school, and welcome to my classroom blog. We have a busy year ahead of us! Please read the posts below this one about water and PE. They are from last year, but very much still applicable. Also, I want you to know that we TRY to get some recess or outdoor activity in every day, but with high temperatures our school nurse sometimes advises us to stay in. On those days, we will get our wiggles out inside. Speaking of the nurse, if your child needs to have any medication at school, please stop by the office and see Nurse Elisabeth. As always, if you have questions or concerns...please contact me.

Wonderful Water

2010-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Water is truly wonderful! The benefits we we recieve from staying adequately hydrated are tremendous. We know that our brains function better, and we are more capable of learning when we drink enough water. That is why I strongly encourage students to bring water to school. However, 20+ water bottles sitting on student desks can get messy. Therefore, I have some simple requirements I ask you to follow regarding water and its container. First, only bring WATER. Secondly, bring it in a spill-proof bottle. Experience has taught me that bottles with flip tops or pop-up tops leak. I require that water is brought in a bottle with a twist-on top. Store bought water is fine, but if you want to be thrifty and Earth-friendly, send water in a reusable container. As a serious water drinker I have found that polycarbonate bottles are VERY durable. (After several drops and bounces, my bottle is still intact.) You can get one almost anywhere. They will have the recycle triangle with a 7 on the bottom. Some students last year had aluminum containers with twist on tops. Those worked well, too.

Preparing for PE

2010-08-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Please send your child in shoes that are appropriate for physical activity on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. These days will be our scheduled gym days. Children wearing flip-flops, sandals, or other shoes deemed unsafe will not be able to participate in PE. Ms. Hart will have the students participating in the school-wide mileage club. Kindergartners do not participate in the mileage club. This is a privilege reserved for big kids, like first graders. Also, Ms. Hart wants parents to know that PE grades are not based on performance, but on participation. Therefore, wearing the right shoes is very important.

Warm Welcome

2010-08-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to first grade! For some of you, this is brand-new! For others, this is your last time (of many times) to be involved in first grade. Either way, I hope it will be a positive experience. I'm glad to have siblings of former students this year. I have three this time around. I'm also glad to have a twin back in my class. I've had a twin almost every year. Is there something in the water around here?
Let me know if you need anything...seriously...I'm available.

Seuss Celebration

2010-03-04T04:12:00.001-08:00

There will be a party at the Cleveland State Library to celebrate the birthday of the late Dr. Seuss. The event is scheduled for March 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The party promises games, refreshments, reading, fishing, face painting and door prizes. It is sponsored by the CSCC Early Childhood Education Program and The Early Childhood Education Club.

Counting Coins

2010-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

If you've been practicing counting coins with your child, you've probably noticed something fishy going on! I teach the children to count each "silver"-colored coin by 5s and then to count the pennies. When counting this way, the students only have to switch between counting by 5s to counting by 1s. Before you think I'm crazy, let me tell you that I learned this strategy from a seasoned and very experienced first grade teacher for whom I have great admiration and respect. THIS STRATEGY WORKS! Count the quarter 5 times (once for each of GW's hairs). Count the dime twice (for each Mickey Mouse ear that FDR wears). Count the nickel once because Jefferson is the only one on "silver" wearing clothes, and then count the pennies. If your child does well in math and has demonstrated fluency in counting by 10s, 5s and 1s, please feel free to work with him/her on counting coins the "usual way". Otherwise, trust me. This is the first step.

Pack of Pink Paper, Please

2010-02-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

I try not to make a habit of begging...so, forgive me this time. We will be publishing some Valentine's stories next week and will be in need of pink cardstock. If you would like to donate some to the classroom, it would be sincerely appreciated.

Snowy the snowman

2010-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Billy and I worked hard out in the cold to build the new addition to our family. We also worked hard to pick out a name...Snowy. This week in class we will read some books about snow. The Snowy Day and The Abominable Snow Teacher are on the agenda. After reading, we are going to write stories about our own snow adventures. I can't wait to read yours!

Telling Time

2010-01-19T04:52:00.000-08:00

We have been learning to tell time. Please practice this skill at home, at church, at Wal-mart, in the car or where ever you are. The key to students learning to tell time is PRACTICE! In class, I emphasize that "little brother" (hour) goes first, and "big brother" has to go last (but, he knows the secret numbers!). Whether you have a digital clock or an analog clock, please practice with your child. It will make a difference. You can even discuss elapsed time. Feel free to contact me about other ways to practice telling time with your child.

Treats for Troops

2009-11-30T04:49:00.000-08:00

We don't exchange gifts at school, but I do like for the students to participate in a project each year to make the holidays brighter for someone else. In the past we have made cards for the patients of St. Jude's hospital and collected toiletries for the local shelter. This year our project is called "Treats for Troops". We will be collecting items and placing them under our Christmas tree until we send them to a group of troops. We will collect until December 9. The students will decorate "gift bags" that will eventually contain the treats. You can view a full article of troop requests at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/57538/care_packages_for_soldiers_in_iraq.html?cat=23 Please participate if you can.
(As some of you know, my brother-in-law was recently deployed. These treats will NOT be sent to him. The treats we collect will be sent to different troops in a different location.)

Thanksgiving Thought

2009-11-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."-- H. U. Westermayer

Phonics Fun!

2009-11-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

If you are keeping up with our phonics progress through kidmail, then you know that we have covered many letter patterns. Next week we'll learn our second long e pattern. Before we get into that, I want to make sure you're up to date with what we have covered. Students should be able to sound out words with the following patterns (an example is after each one): a_e cake, al walk, -ck back, e_e Pete, i_e kite, gi giraffe, ge page, o_e code, ce race, ci cite, cy cycle, sh ship, th this or thin, u_e mule, wh whale, s as /z/ boys. The students have learned so much! We have over 40 more to learn!

Bazillions of Books

2009-11-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

Maybe a bazillion is NOT a number, but one this IS for sure: There will be lots of great books at the book fair next week. They are even setting up a bargain table! Who doesn't love a bargain? This may even be the time to get some Christmas gifts. A book makes the perfect Christmas gift.
The book fair will be open during selected hours from November 9 until noon on November 13. Our class will be allowed to visit and purchase books during our library time on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Subtraction Skills

2009-10-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Our students have some super subtraction skills! We have been working on subtraction for a week now and the students seem to be really comfortable subtracting. Remember, at school we use the "elevator strategy". We start at the smallest number and count UP to the larger number. As we count, we put up one finger for each number. The number of fingers up when we get to the larger number is the answer! Easy! I tell the students if you can count and if you have fingers, you can subtract! If you have any questions about this strategy do NOT hesitate to ask.

Pumpkin Party

2009-10-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our pumpkin-turkey won FIRST place at the annual Bank of Cleveland painted pumpkin contest! We are all very excited. Because we entered a pumpkin, we were invited to come to an after-hours party at the bank. They will take our picture at 5:00 with our pumpkin. I hope to see lots of my school-friends there!

Awesome Autumn Activities

2009-10-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

What are you going to do with your child during fall break? Here are some ideas:
Go on a nature walk.
Do leaf rubbings.
Sort fall leaves and guess the sorting rule.
Count leaves.
Visit the library and check out some books or movies.
Carve or paint a pumpkin.
Make a festive snack. (ex. orange gelatin treats in the shape of pumpkins)
Graph the temperature.
Rake leaves and jump in them (then shower!)
Write a spooky Halloween story.
Be creative!

Events Everyday!

2009-10-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Next week is a busy week. We have "stuff" happening each day!

Monday
Chick-fil-a Spirit Night: Eat dinner at Chick-fil-a. Tell them you are with Arnold. They will give money to our PTO!

Tuesday
Fall Pictures: Come to school looking beautiful (as usual).

Wednesday
Fire Prevention Program: We will be visited by the Cleveland city firefighters. They will tell us what to do with lighters, candles, and such. They will also help us make a plan in case of fires.

Thursday
Parent/Teacher Conferences: If we have a meeting scheduled for this week, I will send a reminder.

Friday
Mrs. Evans will spend her last day with us. It is time for her to go to her next student-teaching placement. It has been so nice to have her in the classroom. She is a great teacher! We will miss her a lot!

Apple Activities and Assessments

2009-09-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about next week! We're going to be using apples to work on lots of skills. The apple orchard is a great place to reinforce our learning about goods vs services, community workers and plant parts. In the classroom, we'll be reading books about Johnny Appleseed, apple trees through the seasons, and how apple trees grow. We'll use the ActivBoard to build words with apples and do several other activities. In math, we'll taste-test apple types and graph our favorites. We'll also work on patterns with apple die cuts. . . .And of course, if we are cutting apples into pieces we HAVE to talk about fractions! Along with all these apples activities, we'll take a few minutes each day to complete assessments to get ready for report card time.

A is for Apple

2009-09-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

We will be taking a field trip to Apple Valley Apple Orchard on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. Next week, our classroom activities will be apple-themed. We will learn about Johnny Appleseed and review plant parts. We'll also use apples in math. What kind of apple is your favorite?

Testing Time

2009-09-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Next week we will begin testing in preparation for the standards based report card. We will be assessing each day. The assessments will not be stressful, some will even be fun! If at all possible make sure your student is here and ready for a great week.

Ordering Online

2009-09-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

It is now possible to order books online from Scholastic and still get credit for our classroom. If you wish to order for September, go to http://www.scholastic.com/clubsordering Our class name is SheronSmithsClass and the password is firstgrade Scholastic always has some great deals! If you don't check it out this time, you should definitely check it out in November when I send out the next order forms.

Big Birthday Bash!

2009-09-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Don't forget everyone is invited to Arnold's birthday bash! It is tomorrow at 2pm at Arnold School. All the grade levels have displayed special projects in celebration of the occasion.

Teaching Time!

2009-09-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Evans is so excited to get started on Monday! Next week Mrs. Evans is going to do a unit on fall. Your students will be learning about leaves, plant parts, and sorting in science. In math we will be graphing and learning about word problems.

Teacher Take Over!

2009-09-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Starting next week Mrs. Evans will be gradually taking over all teaching responsibilities. Mrs. Evans is a UTC student that will be with us until October 8. She lives here in Cleveland with her husband and dog Maggie. We are excited about learning with her next week and all the weeks to come.

Revving up Reading

2009-08-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Next week we will be starting reading groups. Look for your child to bring home reading books. Be sure to read the book with your child each night and return the book to school the next day. READ!! READ!! READ!!

Counting Cohorts

2009-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

We started "math groups" today. Mrs. Evans is teaching two groups and I am teaching two groups. So far, I really like teaching math to small groups. It really gives us a chance to target instruction in a way that is difficult to do with the whole group.

Two Teachers!

2009-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Our class is privileged to have Mrs. Evans come to us from UTC. Mrs. Evans joined our class today and will be with us for six weeks! I know we will learn a lot from her.

Words, Water and Wealth

2009-08-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Words
The words of the week were procedure, transition and responsibility. Ask your child what he/she learned.

Water
I encourage students to bring water to school. I allow students to bring water in any plastic container that has a "twist on" top. In my vast experience with water bottles I have found that twist on tops are the only ones that don't leak. I, personally, use polycarbonate containers with twist on tops. You are welcome to send in store bought water as well. We'll talk more about it at our meeting. Which brings me to our next topic. . .

Wealth
Come gain a wealth of knowledge at first grade parent night. At parent night I will explain classroom procedures and school policies and answer questions you may have. Parent night is Monday, August 17 at 6 p.m. in our classroom. I sincerely hope to see you then!

One Day Down

2009-08-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Our first day was a success! We learned a lot of procedures, distributed school supplies and got everyone back home! I tried to familiarize the children with what will be our routine. However, some of our programs (reading groups, SuccessMaker) are not ready for us yet. We have a great class and we're going to have a lot of fun together.

First Things First

2009-08-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Whew!
I have been working long hours to prepare for the beginning of school. I don't want to overwhelm anyone, but I have a few pieces of information that I would like for you to look over.

Heads Up
I will be sending home agendas on the first day of school. Please read the letter that I have taped in the front. Also, your child should bring home a "kidmail" folder and math resource book on the first day of school.

Please. . .
I need "proof of residency" as soon as possible. I don't need to keep it. A phone bill or similar piece of mail will work. Also, please send in the $25 materials fee which is required system wide.

Classroom Organization
My classroom is set up to encourage collaborative learning. During the first week of school we will spend a significant amount of time going over procedures on how to work together. I believe that each student is an expert at something and I hope the children will learn a lot from each other this year.

Home Sweet Home
Please let me know by note about changes to your child's dismissal. If we didn't discuss how your child gets home while you were here for registration, please send a note Wednesday morning. I prefer to know about changes early in the day if possible.

Welcome Back!

2009-08-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to school. I hope everyone has had a good summer.

I have been very busy! I was married in July and became an aunt just a couple of days ago!

Now, I'm creating a blog to prepare for the school year. We have a lot to do this year. I'm excited to get started!