~Bat Day~

Last Friday we wrapped up our week of informational writing on bats with a BAT Day!  We transformed our room into a bat cave and did our work with flashlights while listening to bat sounds.  The students did so well researching and using their own words to write information about bats.  Next up.....SPIDERS! :)

Here are a few pictures from our day!
~Mrs. Braxton

How to help your child focus at home! Ms. McPherson

Here are some ways to help your child stay focused:

1. Get the ya-yas out first

   Moving the body motivates the brain. Try having your child walk or bike to school, play outside after school, do chores around the house, or play on a sports team. Make sure your child has had a chance to run, walk, or jump around before sitting down to homework.

2. Turn off screens and cell phones

   Before your kid tackles homework or does anything that takes concentration, turn off the television. Or if others are watching it, make sure your child is far enough away that he can’t be distracted by it. Also, shut down or move him away from the computer, and if your child has a cell phone, make sure that’s off too.

3. Make a to-do list

   Having a lot of chores and homework assignments can be overwhelming for kids. Help your child focus on getting things done by making a list — together — of everything he needs to do for the day or week. Then let him cross off each task as he finishes it.

4. Use signals

   Try to avoid conversations when your child is working. To cut out distracting talk altogether, you and your child can even come up with a few basic signals. For example, when you point to his work, that means he needs to go back to what he was doing. Or when you raise your hand, that means he should stop what he’s doing and get to work. For some kids, it helps to just lay a hand on their shoulder to bring them back into focus.

5. Take breathers.

   During homework time, make sure your child takes a few breaks. After working for 10 or 20 minutes (depending on his age), have him get up and move around, get a drink, and then go back to work. But don’t let him get involved in something else during the break. Just make that time a relaxing few minutes.
6. WWW.greatschools.org

Celebrating Constitution Day!

Open House

Open house for 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades will be Thursday August 18th at 6:00.  Please join me to learn more about life in 1st grade, what we will be learning this year, classroom expectations and upcoming events.  I look forward to seeing you all there!

*FYI: Open house for grades K, 2nd, and 4th is Thursday August 11th at 6:00.*

Welcome back!!

We have had a great first week in 1st grade! Ms. McPherson and I are excited about all of the fun things we have planned and all we will be learning this year. We're so excited to have your child grow with us!

~Mrs. Braxton

Read Across America Day!

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss’ Birthday celebration. Help us celebrate by dressing as your favorite book character and please encourage your students to do so as well. Last week, each student should have received a flyer with Seuss Day information. Remind students that their character does not need to be a Seuss character; it can be any character from any book. It cannot, however, be a Halloween costume character or a character from a movie. It must be a character from a book!

1st grade PTA Performance

1st grade PTA Performance 

March 3rd

 The 1st grade level will perform, in the cafeteria, at the end of the March 3rd PTA meeting. 1st grade students will go to their classrooms at 6:15pm. The meeting starts at 6:30pm. The 1st grade level will perform around 6:50pm when the meeting is over. Students should wear their school uniforms or something their parents want them to wear. I hope to see you there!