Viewing: first day
August 28, 2019
1/180
Surely I’m not the only person to feel a bit daunted when seeing the fraction 1/180 on the calendar. We just finished day 1 out of 180 school days this year. It seems like such a long period of time to go (and it is), and yet I know that it will pass so quickly!
Our first day was terrific! Everyone was here in class, and we began learning class and school routines, such as how we should behave during lunch, how we greet one another during Morning Meeting, our morning song (which is oh, so cheesy, but is a really special way to launch the day), and more!
(For all the images in this post, right clicking and choosing to open images in a new tab will allow you to see them in full size. On a mobile device, just pinch to zoom in.)
We also covered some of the less enjoyable but still important topics, such as what to do in the event of a lockdown. (A few students seemed a bit anxious when discussing it, but I do my best to make it low-key, by explaining that sometimes we need to stay out of the way in our classrooms to let people come into the school or room to help us to be safe. I leave the possible scenarios out of the discussion, though I did jokingly suggest that a particular third grade teacher’s crazy driving might be one cause for a code red lockdown. :-D)
We had our first Wellness class in the gym. (For new families, Wellness is our district’s term for the combined classes of gym and health.) Mrs. DeSantis had some terrific games to let the kids get out some energy and to get to know one another a bit better.
Upstairs, we started sorting the kids supplies (which was no small task, as you might imagine!) Thank you, once again, for sending in all those materials. We’ll use them well throughout the year! Of course, having a few dozen tissue boxes meant we surely had to make time for a bit of creative fun!
Toward the end of the day, we began working on our first pencil and paper activity, an “all about me” sheet, which we’ll use to get to know one another. I had the opportunity to begin to meet one-on-one with individual students to conference on this very basic writing activity, which offers me the valuable opportunity to get to know your kids as individuals, not just as a class.
It was a great first day! I tend to think that the second day two is better than the first, because we’re done with the administrative stuff (sorting supplies, learning what to do in different situations, etc.) We get to have more fun with team-building activities, beginning to develop our class routines, etc. So if your child came home excited and happy today, I look forward to an even better day tomorrow! As always, feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.
…a few final photos of smiles! Enjoy!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
August 28, 2018
A terrific first day!
Day 1 is in the history books! We had a terrific start to the school year! We began the day with some time for the kids to ask me ANYTHING, whether it was school related or something totally random (like my preferred flavor of toothpaste). Many students were able to put their early nerves to rest by asking about our class, our year to come, and how things worked in fourth grade. The opportunity for questions is ongoing, so feel free to help your fourth grader to brainstorm ideas this evening. We practiced our security routines and learned the routines for lunchtime in the cafeteria. To end the morning, we played a fun game called Two Lies and a Truth, in which students must come up with two untrue statements to keep us from identifying their third, truthful, statement. It’s a fun way to get to know one another, as both the truths and the lies helped to spark some conversations about things we have in common. Plus, it was a fun dose of competition, as we worked to see whether kids could identify the true statements better, or if I could detect the truth more successfully! (We still have three kids waiting for their turn tomorrow, so stay tuned for the nail-biting conclusion to the game… which the kids currently lead by four points… :-D)
Also, today, we had a visit from the Avon Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Carnemolla, and our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Rusack. It was nice to have them visiting our school to start us off on a great note! We went to library today, enjoyed the bell ringing ceremony (remotely, this year, due to the heat), and ended the day by sharing one good thing about the first day of school.
I must tell you: Your children are TERRIFIC! I’m really enjoying them, and I can’t wait to see all that is in store for us this year! Please feel free to email me any time you have a question.
Below, please enjoy some photos from the day, and please scroll down further to access two parent surveys to help me learn more about your child.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss