Friday, August 27, 2010

Class Newsletter 8-27


Classroom Times 8-27-2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Welcome!

      Greetings and welcome to our class blog!  We have had a busy week this week and I hope the students have had a wonderful time.  We have spent this week getting to know one another and establishing our rituals and routines. 
      I wanted to make you aware of several things.  First of all, I will no longer be doing a weekly newsletter.  I will do the first newslettter that will go home tomorrow.  However, after that, the students will be responsible for creating the class newsletter.  This means they will be learning how to use the word processor.  They will also learn how to add graphics to the newsletters.  I am very excited about this change.  I think the students will look forward to having a chance to share current events with everyone. 
      The students will also be writing/blogging about what is happening in our classrooms.  Each day, a "Roving Reporter" will be selected to write about the happenings in our classroom.  I know as a parent, we frequently ask our children what they did in school each day only to hear the response of "nothing."  Well, the "Roving Reporter" is designed to give you a look into our classroom.  Students will be responsible for writing about the days events.  I will post these reports on another blog called Ms. Snyder's Panthers. http://snyderspanthers.blogspot.com/  Feel free to check this out to see what is happening in your child's classes.
      Mrs. Schermann and I also use team building and class building activities frequently in our instruction.  Students are frequently paired up and required to work together.  We have practiced working together and have made our expectations clear in this area.  We require the students to greet one another in a courteous manner.  We then time their opportunity for sharing with one another so that each student has an equal chance to talk.  We then conclude each session with a compliment.  We feel this will build self-esteem and reduce bullying incidence. So far, the students have done a "FABULOUS" job of working together.
       Well, that is all for now.  Look for a class newsletter to go home tomorrow.  Thank you for your support in making this a smooth start to the year.  I look forward to working with you!