We all enjoyed the Walk-a-thon today!  The weather was perfect and it was great to be active together:)


During Reading Workshop we learned that readers...

Don't whip through books really quickly!  They use their finger to search out all the important things on a page.

Look back at the pages and think - what was the most important part in the story?

Look closely at the pictures and think - who is the character, what is he/she doing, how is he/she feeling?

Find sight words and other words that we know.

Read and talk about books with a buddy.

During Writing Workshop we learned that writers...

• Stretch stories out across more than one page.
• When we're done, we've only just begun - we can add to the picture, add to the words, and start a new story.
• Stretch out each individual sound we hear in words - we used an imaginary rubber band to stretch out letter sounds.
• Label their stories to help their reader understand what is happening.

During Math Workshop we learned to...

• Look for and continue patterns.
• Describe and match objects based on attributes - we played Button Match Up.
• Use Dreambox - an adaptive, online math program.
• Counting Jar - we counted cubes, illustrated our thinking, and then

Social Studies/Science -  We continued to practice listening with our whole body - eyes watching, ears listening, body still, mouth quiet.  Classroom community is important!  We need to be kind and respect each other.  We learned about Johnny Appleseed and started exploring with our 5-senses.  We completed Johnny Appleseed activities and played several new 5-senses games.

Dear Families,

Below is information on how to access Dreambox (our District's Online Learning Platform for math reinforcement) from home.  Before having your child go on to Dreambox at home, please first check with your child's teacher to ensure that his/her class is set up and ready to participate.





How to access Dreambox on an ipad or at home on a computer/laptop/macbook:

On an ipad visit the  apps store and download the free Dreambox App. After downloading, open the app. It will ask for your school code. The code for Holmes School is :       cm3g/holmeses.

For a home computer/laptop/macbook use  this link: https://play.dreambox.com/login/cm3g  and follow the steps below:

• Click on your child’s school
• Click on your child’s class
• Have your child enter the same password, they use at school.  (Hint: primary grades use a picture icon; intermediate grades use a username and their lunch code).

It was so nice seeing all of you at Open House!  Thank you so much for coming.  The class enjoyed sharing the letters that you wrote.


During Reading Workshop we learned that readers...

• Look closely at the character, his/her actions, and notice how the character is feeling.
• Notice sight words and patterns in their books.
• Get their very own Book Bag and shop for their own books!
• Talk to their buddy about what is happening in the story.

Our Shared Reading was a sight word poem with the word I.  Each child received a copy, but it will remain in their Just Right book bag at school. 


Sight Words - a purple sheet went home today with your child's sight words.  On the back, are suggestions for practicing at home.  Enjoy!


During Writing Workshop we learned that writers...

• Fix and Fancy Up their writing!
• Add to the pictures and add to the words.
• Publish their stories!
• Celebrate and share their success.

During Math we learned that mathematicians...

• Use the math rack to explore numbers and counting.
• Use manipulatives to demonstrate and explain their thinking.
• Count with 1:1 correspondence.
• Sort objects based on attributes.

Social Studies/Science - Being part of a community.  Handling tricky feelings and/or situations with friends.  We reviewed how to calm and quiet ourselves at the peace place.  Germs spread! - we used glitter to show how easily germs can spread from one person to the next.  We talked about sneezing/coughing into the crook of our elbow to prevent the spread of germs.  We also practiced a fun hand washing song to help us clean our hands more carefully.

Please Check out the Literacy Wiki!

http://dpsk-5parents.wikispaces.com/Literacy

During Reading Workshop we...

• Looked at the cover, title, and pictures and thought - "how do the pages go together."
• Used our fingers to search out everything on the page.
• Looked for patterns in the pictures and words.
• Learned about how books are organized in our classroom library.
• Started practicing sight words - everyone has received his/her own sight word ring.

Shared reading is when the whole class reads together. Quite often, the reading is a familiar Nursery Rhyme or poem, or memorable text. We read the same piece each day, and by the end of the week the students are reading it on their own!  Our shared reading this week was Jack and Jill.  We found sight words in the nursery rhyme.  A copy of it should be in your child's Holmes School folder.  Feel free to practice!


During Writing Workshop we...

• Learned that we are all storytellers!
• We practiced telling stories and then putting our stories on paper.
• Learned that writers think of a story, draw their story, and add words or labels.
• When we're done we can...add to the picture, add to the words, start a new story!
• Chanted letter names, sounds, and pictures to match the sounds. 

During Math Workshop we...

• Used the math racks to build numbers.
• Sorted objects based on a rule - color, size, shape, type.
• Practiced our math centers routine.
• Used Dreambox in the computer lab!

Science/Social Studies - We learned about single-stream recycling.  We practiced checking the recycling chart to see what we can and cannot recycle after snack. 
We continued to practice our social skills - when someone is talking we listen with our "voice quiet, body still, eyes watching, ears listening."  Everyone has a body bubble (personal space) and we need to remember not to "pop" one another's bubbles. 


REMINDERS:
Walk-a-Thon• Children should wear blue and/or white or Holmes clothes on Friday, 9/26 for the walk-a-thon.
• We will be participating in the walk-a-thon at 12:20.
• The goal is to raise $10 child- please send in your envelopes

District-Wide Child Safety Parent Presentation

Friday, September 12th from 10:00am-Noon

Darien Board of Education Conference Hall, 35 Leroy Ave

Dear Parents,

Over the course of this school year, all Darien elementary schools will participate in the following child safety programs conducted by Kids in Crisis & The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education:   

SafeTalk (1^st, 3^rd, & 5^th grades)

• Comprehensive, child-friendly workshop designed to help keep children safe. 

• Uses the curriculum of the Child Assault Prevention Project.
• Focuses on empowerment & encourages children to be “safe, strong, & free”.
• Combines guided discussion with role-plays that focus on situations children frequently encounter, like bullies, strangers & known adults who may behave inappropriately.
• Teaches children how to recognize & respond to a potentially harmful situation & how to express their concerns to a trusted adult. 
  Feeling Safe (Kindergarten)
• The program promotes personal safety, teaching children how to be assertive & the importance of not keeping secrets that are scary, harmful &/or painful.
• The program is developmentally appropriate & conducted by Certified Sexual Assault Crisis Counselors.
• The workshops are completely confidential & respectful of the privacy of each child.
• “Feeling Safe” is safety education, not sex education. 
  Parents & teachers are partners in the process & we welcome your involvement.  To find out more about these programs, you are invited to attend a district-wide parent orientation meeting on Friday, September 12^th at 10:00 AM (Darien Board of Education Conference Hall, 35 Leroy Ave).
  The Parent Presentation will include:

• Introductions to Kids in Crisis & The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education
• Overviews of the children’s classroom workshops
• Role of the parent/family in prevention
• Suggestions for introducing & reinforcing prevention skills in the home
• Discuss warning signs & behaviors of child sexual assault & what to do if a child discloses to them
• & plenty of time for questions
   
  In an effort to promote the safety of all our children, we look forward to your participation in this very important event.
  Sincerely,
  Paula Bleakley
  Principal
  For more information, please contact:

Kristen M. Tomasiewicz Director, Community Services    www.kidsincrisis.org Kids in Crisis | One Salem Street | Cos Cob, CT 06807 phone:  203-622-6556 | cell: 203-274-1210 | fax: 203-622-8332 email: ktomasiewicz@kidsincrisis.org	Jessica Buchanan, Community Educator The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education 733 Summer Street, Suite 503, Stamford, CT  06901 203-348-9346     www.thecenter-ct.org Direct line: 203-487-0663    j.buchanan@thecenter-ct.org
Lavi Ben-Zvi, Coordinator for Student & Family Social Services Darien Elementary Schools       lben-zvi@darienps.org

 

Week 2!

We continued to practice classroom and school routines!  We begin each day with morning meeting where we greet one another.




During Reading Workshop we...

• Read from books in bins at our tables.
• Practiced taking care of our books.
• Turned and talked with our new reading buddies about the story.
• Worked on our independent reading stamina!
• Started practicing sight words - everyone will receive their own individualized sight word ring.

Shared reading is 10 minutes in our day when the whole class reads together. Quite often, the reading is a familiar Nursery Rhyme or poem, or memorable text. We read the same piece each day, and by the end of the week the students are “reading” it on their own!  Our shared reading this week was Jack be Nimble.  A copy of the nursery rhyme should be in your child's Holmes School folder.  Feel free to practice it at home!


During Writing Workshop we...

• Learned how to use our Yellow writing folders - red dot vs. green dot.
• Wrote a story through illustrations.
• Shared our story.

During Math Workshop we...

• Practiced our math centers routine.
• Learned how to use math manipulatives - (cubes, pattern blocks, 3-D blocks).
• Shared how we used the math manipulatives - (patterning, counting, constructing).
• Learned counting games like POP/TENS and counting cubes to make a rod.

During our Second Steps lesson we learned the we listen with....

• Voice quiet, body still, ears listening, eyes watching!
• We also learned about "body bubbles" and giving one another space.

We continued to build our classroom community through name chants, games and activities!


REMINDERS:

• Please send in $7.00 for Let's Find Out.
• Please send a note if your child's departure is changing.
• Everyone needs a smock for Art and a change of clothes.
• Picture Day is Wednesday!!!  Send in your order forms.