It's Friday!! YAY!!

My apologies for not blogging last night... I was touring the big town of Kinton (sp?). Scott and I went to watch Red Level play football... so I was on Flomaton football coach's fiance duty! But... in order to make up for it... I have some wonderful pictures of us planting our beans today! We had a great day, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family and friends. Be safe and blessed!

Sam and Chase

Rachel

Nealy

Lily

Hart and Lily

A Bug, a Magazine, and a Watchful Eye!

Just a word of caution, or maybe better yet... warning. We've had a stomach bug moving through our classroom! Yuck!! We're using hand sanitizer every chance we get... but little kids are great at sharing... when it comes to germs that is! Hopefully we'll be moving past this and back to healthy soon!
Another note... I just wanted to thank all of you for all the hard work you've been doing selling these magazines! I know that everyone is busy, but it really makes a difference to our school to have that extra help on finances! Every child is supposed to sell 10... maybe it's time to call that long lost aunt? Just kidding!!!
Today seemed to fly by, just like the rest of this week has! We read our story, "Sam, Come Back!" in reading. It was full of short "a" words! In math we continued working with adding 2. In social studies we learned how to use a map key and what symbols are. During our devotion time we talked about how God is ALWAYS watching us... even when no one else is!

Time Flies!!

It's Tuesday already! Where did yesterday go? My apologies for not posting a blog, but I just didn't have access to the internet yesterday! I'll update the spelling list today.

Today we continued learning about pets in reading. We had several AMAZING words that we learned yesterday and today: needs, shelter, responsibility, cuddle, and tickle. This week we have been working on short "a" words in reading and spelling. Today we read a fun big book called "A Kid's Best Friend". See if your child can remember who a kid's best friend is! In math we worked on adding two. During social studies we talked about neighborhoods and communities. In science we were SO excited to see that our bean are starting to shed their seed coats! Hopefully we can plant them by the end of the week! During devotion time we talked about our last Fruit of the Spirit~ faithfulness. We acted out the story of Noah and the ark and talked about how Noah was faithful even when people were telling him he was crazy! See how many of the Fruits of the Spirit your child can remember... you may have to help a little bit because some of them are big words! The list is found in Galations 5:22... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

I have one other piece of exciting news! We have a new friend in our class! I want to welcome Audrey Brockmeyer to our first grade class at E.A.! We're so excited to have you with us!

How Ya "Bean"?

Well today I am feeling much better after several doses of antibiotics! We had ANOTHER great surprise! Last night Sharon Smith and Becca Smith's mom (Sorry... I don't know your name! Ooops!) came and switched out our desks! Now we have desks that open from the side, NOT the top! Say goodbye to the pinched fingers we were having every day! So, from the bottom of our hearts, and the tips of our fingers... THANKS!!

In Science we started another experiment with beans. We are trying to sprout some roots so that we can plant these bean seeds in some dirt. Hopefully the seed coats will come off and a root will appear soon! More updates on this experiment to come!

Red Throat, Red Celery

This is going to be a quick post because I'm not feeling too well. I left school a little early to visit the doctor, and hopefully after some antibiotics and rest this sore throat will kick the bucket! We did have a GREAT surprise as we walked into our room today... we had new coat hooks! Thanks to Mr. Brandon Smith for installing those hooks so that we don't trip on our backpacks anymore!

Speaking of surprises, guess what? Our experiment worked wonderfully! That celery was red from drinking the red water all night! Take a look at how this stem moved the water all the way to the leaves! The kids were SO excited when they came in and saw the experiment had worked. Science can be so fun!

It's All About Rules....

Well, life isn't all about rules... but today our Social Studies lesson sure was! We learned about different rules at school and home. We learned that rules help protect us and keep us safe. In math we acted out our addition problems today as we continued working on our sums. Science sure was fun because we started an experiment. We've been learning about what roots and stems do for their jobs in the plants, and today we placed celery in red water. Hopefully when we get to school tomorrow we'll be able to SEE how plants drink~ keep your fingers crossed!! in our devotion time today we talked about another Fruit of the Spirit... Self-Control. We read a story about a king and his hawk. See if your child remembers why it isn't good to act out of anger.Along the lines of self-control, we've also been having quite a few discussions about tattling. I know that among little kiddos tattling spreads like wild fire~ even faster than strep throat! We've been talking about when it's the right time to tell on someone, and when it's the right time to let it slide off your back... just like water on a duck. Please take a minute to discuss this with your child too... it always helps when they hear the message from multiple places at the same time. Thanks for your help!

Monday, Monday!!

How I missed my kiddos over the weekend! It was GREAT to see their smiling faces this morning... even those who still had heavy eyelids! =) Today I sent home the spelling on the weekly note, and on a paper you can keep at home to study. The last word is "here"... I know it didn't copy very well~ sorry about that! I hope to post the spelling words every Monday on the right side of this blog... but if I'm a day late, I apologize!! Sometimes my internet doesn't cooperate with me!

Today was another full day in first grade! We continued our alphabet review, added sums to 6, practiced spelling, learned about a citizen hero (Ruby Bridges) and also about two parts of plants (roots and stems)!! Your little bee's eyes may be buzzing around at all that new information. We also learned about our third Fruit of the Spirit~~ Gentleness. Ask your child about the "Gentle Little Lion" story we read today!

Oh, and don't forget!!! It's the start of our magazine sale!! We're trying to raise money for our school, so please help your child sell as many magazines as possible. I know that money is tight for many right now, but any effort is appreciated! Thank you!! The first turn in date is THIS Friday, 8/22.

Weekend Wishes and a Thank You!!

Well, we've officially made it through the first full week of first grade at E.A. this year! YAY!! I'm sure you're busy bees are all tuckered out... I know I am!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of my bees buzzing in on Monday morning!

I wanted to take a minute to say thank you. Thank you V.I.P.'s!! I have noticed that most of the V.I.P. s that I've seen so far have been moms from 1st grade! You really have no idea how much we all appreciate the work you do! Whether it's your first year teaching, or your twentieth, it's always great to have an extra set of willing, helping hands. So... THANK YOU!!!

Day 5 in the Hive...

Today was another productive day for us in first grade! We had an exciting first today... it was our first time in computer lab!! The kids did a GREAT job walking over to the high school~ ask your child how many marbles we earned in our jar! (We're working toward earning a reward party for our good busy bee behavior! Today in the computer lab Mrs. Sawyer taught us about all the parts of a computer and we even got to see the inside of one that she was working on! We were all "abuzz," that's for sure!

Over the Hump!

We have made it over the hump! Today was a good day in first grade! We kept on reviewing our alphabet and the sounds of the letters. We're gearing up for "f," "g," "h," and "i" tomorrow. In math we reviewed our ordinal numbers to 3. We were on a "number" hunt in the classroom! We also had our first Social Studies lesson. See if your first grader can tell you what topics you learn about in Social Studies time. Today we learned about different groups we are all in! During out devotion time we talked about how God wants us to forgive 70 x 7 times... and guess what? That's A LOT!! We read a book called, "Don't Call Me Names" See if your child can remember how Nell acted towards the two boys who were being bullies. It was a full day, and we even made it outside during a break in the rain to soak up some rays! Yay for sunshine!!

Day 3 as a Busy Bee...

We had another good day today. It's always great to start to settle into the routines! Today in Math we talked about the terms "same," "less/fewer," and "more." For a quick check with your child, grab a handful of pennies. You can pick a number out of the pile (say 5 for example.) Have your child show you the same number of pennies, fewer pennies, and more pennies. You can also review counting by 10s to 100. Summer is a lot of fun, and sometimes it takes us awhile to remember things we already know! Today was also our first time using our new white boards! A big thank you to Mr. Brandon Smith for cutting them for us! Now we each have our own board to use in our laps! The kids were SO excited! Speaking of our white boards, today during our devotion time we drew something that we were afraid of. Next, we read 1st John 4:18 and talked about how God's perfect love helps to cast out fear. Finally, after declaring to our boards that we had God's perfect love, we erased our fears! On a personal note... I'm so very thankful to work in a private school where we have the opportunity to share about God's love with the children. What a blessing!!

Fish Fry

Oh, I almost forgot to remind you... don't forget about the Fish Fry tonight at 6:30! Come get some great food and enjoy some even better company!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

What a busy day we had today! I wanted to say a quick thank you for returning all of the paperwork that came home yesterday... I know the beginning of school has a lot of extra things to take care of! Today was a day filled with learning all about our routines in first grade. We had a great devotion on Jeremiah 29:11 followed by a prayer time lifting our hearts together to Jesus. The kids worked REALLY hard on their "All About Me"books. I want to look over them and review them so that they can hopefully come home tomorrow! You'll be SO proud of the hard work your little one did... I know I was! We also did some number and letter assessment work today as well, so you won't find much in the take home folder! As we are starting our routines, I have decided that we will start our spelling tests next week, along with our weekly, scheduled homework. Thank you for your patience as we get all settled in.

One done!

One day done, and it was fun! We had a great first day at school today in first grade. Just a reminder that all next week we'll be learning the procedures for the rest of the school year. Be patient as we get all the kinks worked out! I'm looking forward to seeing 14 smiles walking in the door on Monday! Have a great weekend and be blessed!

Blessings...

Tomorrow it's here... the FIRST day of school! Is it strange that I still get excited and can't sleep... just like when I was the student? I love how every child is different. There' are some who won't smile the whole time because they are scared to death because God has blessed them with a sense of cautiousness. There are usually some who are nothing but smiles from the moment they step in the door because God blessed them with a bubbly personality. There are some who want to know EVERYTHING because God blessed them with a sense of curiosity. A few are quiet and watchful because God blessed them with a great sense of observation. Then there are those who have a mind a million miles away because God blessed them with a great imagination. I love the first day of school. I love to meet every single one of my students... because no matter what they are like, God has blessed me with them.

White board

Guess what? I have a NEW white board... and it looks FANTASTIC!!! I wanted to send a big thank you out to everyone who has pitched in and helped the 1st grade room look GREAT!! I'll be posting more about the first day of school (Friday) as soon as I have information to give you! I'm looking forward to meeting all of my students... it's going to be a wonderful year!

Thank you!!

I just wanted to say thank you to all those who were able to come out and help at the work day today! I was only able to be there from 7:30-10:15, but it was looking GREAT! I know that people have a lot of other things to do on their Saturdays, but your time was REALLY appreciated... so THANKS!!