The children are settling well into our classroom. They are all so cute! I love them all already!
My post did not broadcast last week so I am reposting part of that post. I apologize if some items are repeated. I have set up this communication method so the posts will come to you as emails.
Thanks again so much for coming to meet me and check out our classroom. I appreciate you taking the time as I know you are all busy. I do apologize if I was speaking too fast. There is a lot of information to share. It is a big transition from kindergarten. I hope the children had fun at the Welcome Back event in the school yard. It looked like a blast!
Terry Fox Walk/Run/Roll
We will be having our St. Cecilia Terry Fox tomorrow on Friday, September 27.
We will be walking around the school for 30 to 45 min. Students are encouraged
to wear Silly Socks for Terry Fox (they can be mixed up socks too). Looks like it will be a nice day!
Growth Mindset
As I mentioned on Program Night, we have been learning a lot about developing a Growth Mindset. Having a growth mindset is so important for all of us! As teachers and parents, we need to praise children for their efforts and not their achievements. We will be using the words “grit”, “you are trying so hard…” “not yet” and “We will not give up”. Please consider trying to use these words at home. This is an area that most kids need to improve. Here are a few short clips about having a growth mindset if you are interested in how this will help your child’s learning. I will continue to share more throughout the year :)
You Can Learn Anything(1.5 min)
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset (5 min)
Carol Dweck: The Effect of Praise on Mindsets (3.5 min)
Subitizing
We have started to practice our subitizing. This is the skill of looking at a group of items and knowing how many there are without counting. This was introduced to the children in kindergarten. You can practice this at home a few different ways. You can ask your child to roll a die and have them say the number without counting. Simple board games will help as well (e.g., Candy land, Yahtzee, Snakes and Ladders). Here is a video that you can have your child watch as well.
Subitize Up To 5 (soo-bi-tize) | Math Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann
Subitize Rock (sŭbitize) to 10 | Math Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann
Once your child can subitize numbers up to 5 well, please have him/her practice subitizing to numbers to 10.
St. Cecilia Newsletter
Please read the St. Cecilia Newsletter when you get a chance. It is available on the school website and it will keep you up to date on school wide events.
Headphones
I did put a set of headphones for your child's use at school on my suggestion list. They are not necessary right now. These will only be used by your child. I will let you know when we will start to use them. The chromebooks should get distributed to the primary students this week.
Dismissal
Thanks for your patience during dismissal 😊 As you probably noticed, we have started to head to the front and back gate a few minutes earlier to help them learn the new routine.
Please write me a note if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to another awesome week of Grade 1!
Sincerely,
Giovanna Smith 😊
