A few housekeeping details as we head into our second week of school...
* Please have your kiddo bring his or her red folder to school daily. Some days, the folder might be returned empty, but corrected papers will be sent home, as well as various reminder notices from time to time. 
* I would highly suggest labeling jackets, lunch boxes, and tupperware with your child's name. We do our best to keep things where they belong, but if something is lost, having a name on it can expedite that items being returned. 

Today, we began an All About Me book that will be our project during writer's workshop as we learn the routines. We wrote about our favorite animal, and this class likes some exotic creatures! In reader's workshop, we discussed how we can grow as a reader and made this poster: 

Your student will hopefully internalize that the best way to grow as a reader is to read. Even if he or she isn't reading much text yet, students can "read" the pictures. For those students that are reading, we will also continue to grow in literacy skills and comprehension this year!

The students brought their Braly folders home today. As in kindergarten, the folders will go home nightly (occasionally even empty) and we ask that the folders are brought back every morning. This way, if you have papers to send or return to me (such as the birthday homework paper from tonight), I will retrieve any papers from your child's folder each day. Also, papers that are sent home corrected (there will be a round of papers going home tomorrow) can be removed from the folder and kept at home.

Today we had an assembly about our Braly agreements, or rules. You can ask your child if he or she can recite the agreements, as follows: I am safe, I am kind, I am responsible. We will continue to practice being safe, kind, and responsible in room 16!

I enjoyed our first day and beginning to get to know everyone!

We read the books pictured below during transitions today (there are so many excellent beginning of the school year books out there). Feel free to ask your child which was his or her favorite and why!

Please disregard my post from last school year (below) with the wish list of school supplies. That is from the previous school year, and many of you have just donated many supplies today. Thank you!

I am hoping to update, briefly, here a few times a week to keep you posted regarding our classroom activities. Feel free to subscribe to this blog or check back weekly.