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Why can't I skip my twenty minutes of reading tonight?

08/30/2012

"Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?" Let's figure it out -- mathematically!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week.
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 min./week.
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes.Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.
Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same
reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school
days Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened
considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think
Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?

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First Day

08/29/2012

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How do you feel about your first day of school?

It was a busy and productive day. Today we brainstormed what jitters might be. The kids had many answers. After brainstorming we read a book about a girl who was very scared to go to school and wanted to stay home. In the end, we learned that the girl was a teacher. I shared with the class that I was nervous this morning and wasn't able to sleep last night. I'm happy that the class is now here!

Fun at Recess!

We also brainstormed about why we read. Children had many answers about how it is good for your brain and how it makes you smart. We focused on the learning aspect of reading and came up with many ideas. One child even said nonfiction. I was happy to hear that answer! We are starting our launch unit which will be about 4 weeks long. During the launch unit we will establish good reading and writing habits that will helps set the stage for our other reading and writing units.

Today we also read a book about a little dog that learns to read and how reading is enjoyable. We also talked about how some of us are on different timelines and that we are going to learn at our own pace. I'm trying to create a safe environment where all children are comfortable.

We also learned a lot about Miss Freundlich!

The classroom is ready for children! Bring them in!

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Back To School

08/28/2012

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Dear First Grade Parents,

Welcome back to school and welcome to Miss Freundlich’s first grade class! I hope you received my welcome letter in the mail. This year we will have 20 first graders in our classroom. Lell Kirsten is our classroom aide for grades K-5. Lell will provide classroom support during our Reading Workshop.

As the year progresses, you may notice that our classroom doesn’t run like other classrooms. We will be learning through Whole Brain Teaching, a research based system that utilizes all areas of the brain, keeps children engaged throughout their lessons, and helps them retain much more information than the standard lecture-discussion model. Whole Brain Teaching is a highly interactive form of instruction that delivers information to students in short “chunks.” Kids then teach what they have just learned to their partners, using hand-gestures to help remember specific vocabulary. While students teach each other, the teacher walks around the room to discover who understands the lesson and who needs more instruction.

Research shows that children retain more information when they have an opportunity to put it into their own words and use gestures to emphasize key instructional units …plus, it’s amazingly fun!

Be sure to take a moment to go through the Wilson School folder for school wide information. There are a few things you need to fill out and return. The folder is a great way to transport papers and information between school and home. Please keep it in your child’s backpack and check it daily.

Weekly Specials Schedule

Monday: Music & PE

Tuesday: Music & PE

Wednesday: Spanish & Art

Thursday: Computer

Friday: Library

Don’t forget to wear sneakers on Mondays and Tuesdays for PE. Sneakers may be left in your child’s cubby so they’re always here.
Return library books every Friday.

First Grade Snacks:

Mrs. Trombley and I would like to provide your child with a daily morning snack that’s simple and healthy. Please send a check for $40 made out to WES First Grade Snack Fund within the next week. This should cover snacks for the school year.

Times:

Arrival Procedures: Please make every effort to have your child here on time so we can have as few classroom disruptions as possible. There is supervision on the back playground starting at 8:10. The morning bell rings at 8:20 and students should be in their classroom ready to start at 8:25. Students coming in after 8:25 will need a tardy slip from the office.   Children are not allowed in the building until the bell rings at 8:20. We encourage you to send your child to school on the bus. The bus is always on time and it saves gas!

Dismissal Procedures: Dismissal is at 3:05. Students who take the bus, are picked up, or walk/bike home are dismissed through the JB Hall and out the front doors. If you’d like to enter the building to pick up your child, you must enter through the front door and wait in the JB Hall. Please do not enter the academic wings.

Homework:

For the first week of school there will be no official homework. I encourage you to read to your child every night. Reading to your child is important for building literacy and sharing the joy of books.


Volunteers:

I love to have volunteers in the classroom. Right now the children and I need to spend time getting to know each other and getting comfortable with routines and expectations. This is all part of building a strong classroom community. We will talk about volunteers on Parent Night. I will be using volunteers in October.

Weekly Newsletter:

Communication is important so each week I will write a newsletter about what’s going on in class. All weekly newsletters will be posted on our classroom website. To see all new updates please visit this website regularly. To access our page, please visit http://teachingandlearningtogether.com You can then bookmark this page on your own computer.

Positive Behavior Support:

We have several things going on in our classroom to support positive behavior. One system that we will be using is called “Behave your Beans”. There are 3 jars in the room with a big bowl of dried beans next to them. Individual children can earn the class a bean by demonstrating good behavior. Example: Doing exactly what is asked of them or remembering their rules and setting an example. The class as a whole can also earn a bean for good behavior. Example: coming in from recess on time, nice lines, and good reports from Specials teachers. Once one jar is full, we will have an extra recess time or choice time, two jars full will reward the whole class with a special treat from Miss Freundlich’s house, three jars full will reward the class with the most magnificent surprise!

Star of the Week:

Each week a child will get the chance to be the STAR. The STAR will get his/her own bulletin board and will display his/her very own “All about me!” poster. (More info about this poster will come soon) Many other exciting things happen when you are the star, including a share time on Tuesday mornings. Sharing is an important time to build speaking and listening skills and get to know each other. Please try to avoid toys and knickknacks. We want to see and hear about nature, trips, art projects, books of interest, pets, science collections, items related to class themes, etc.

Book Orders:

Each month (or so), I’ll send home 3 orders from Scholastic Book Club. These clubs provide great, inexpensive books and materials. Every order helps build bonus points that I use to order new books to build our classroom library. If you place an order, please make checks payable to Scholastic Books. I’ll keep you posted on due dates in the weekly newsletter.

Back to School Night: Wednesday, September 12, 5:00pm

This will be a time for us to discuss important first grade information, learn about curriculum and get to know each other. No students please.

Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or just want to say Hi. The best way to reach me is by email and I check this daily. If you did not receive an email from me last week, please send me your updated email. I am looking forward to meeting you all and to having a wonderful year together!!


Sincerely,

Rachel Freundlich

733-3077 (School ext. 3036)

E-mail: rfreundlich@tcsd.org

Website: www.teachingandlearningtogether.com

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Meet Miss Freundlich

08/13/2012

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Sunset dinner on the beach in Connecticut.

Wake Surfing on Jackson Lake!

Dear First Grade Family,

Hello!  My name is Miss Freundlich and I want to welcome you to our fantastic first grade class.  I am excited to be your teacher this year and I can't wait to meet you.   Our first day of school will begin on Wednesday, August 29, 2012. On this day we will start building our classroom community and we’ll get to know each other a lot more.  I'd like to take this time to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me.

I was born and raised in a small town in Connecticut where I enjoyed playing soccer and basketball.  In the hot summers, I loved swimming, canoeing and rope swinging with my little brother.  After high school, I attended Keene State College where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. I student-taught in a Vermont multicultural first grade classroom and then later worked with third graders in Middletown, Connecticut.

Five years ago, I took a trip out West and decided to visit Jackson, Wyoming.  I immediately fell in love with the mountains and all the friendly people. After that eye opening trip, I decided that I wanted to live in such a welcoming community. My passion is working with children and I'm thrilled to be starting my 6th year here at Wilson Elementary.

Over the past few months I have enjoyed hiking with my dog Winston, reading by the river, and traveling to Connecticut to visit family. Some highlights of my summer were: traveling up to Montana, wake surfing on Jackson Lake and working on my new home that I bought in town.

Since I've shared a few things about myself, I'd love to know something special about you!  If you could, please draw a picture or write a story about something fun you did this summer.  On the first day of school we will share our drawings and stories to our new classmates . I am anxious to meet you and look forward to our first day of school.  See you soon!

Love,

Miss Freundlich

Hike up Jackson Peak

Working on the new house.