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| Thank you to Adream Early for organizing this wonderful tower of gifts including delicious hot chocolate mix, an adorable mug, and a very generous gift card! My heart is overflowing! |
Hello Families!
I hope this finds you all enjoying the winter break. I bet all the kiddos were so excited to get to play in the snow at long last! My three girls sure were excited! I wanted to give you a sneak peek at our last couple days together in 2015, thank you for the wonderful gifts, and leave you with some thoughts for the new year upon us.
So, first, thank you for all the wonderful gifts! Hopefully individual thank you notes made it home in Friday folders on Tuesday. I am incredibly grateful for your kindness and generosity! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
On to our very short week...
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| Here is one of our friends editing an All About piece by using all she knows about capital letters, punctuation, and spelling strategies. |
We continued with our nonfiction writing and reading units of study. We'll finish up our reading unit during our first week back. In math workshop, we finished up our Double Decker Bus unit. Here we are working together with our math racks.
We demonstrated our understanding by creating and solving our own bus stories as well as solving our partner's bus story. 
Our new poem this week was "A Peppermint Stick," and it came with a peppermint stick, of course! Yo-ho-yummy-yum oh!
And finally, some words to leave you with for the new year. I like to keep this nearby all year round as a reminder.
This year...
Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion. Encourage youth. Write a love letter. Play. Keep a promise. Ask yourself questions. Manifest your loyalty. Nurture integrity. Share some treasure. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Rejuvenate and explore curiosity - you just may find your passions along the way. Weep freely. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to change no one except yourself. Walk tall. Work to understand. Appreciate. Examine your demands on others. Be kinder. Be gentler. Have faith. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Decry complacency. Welcome a stranger. Oppose malice. Resist prejudice. Consider another viewpoint by looking through an historical lens. Express your gratitude. Deserve confidence. Take pleasure in beauty. Savor Earth. Gladden the heart of a child. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it sill once again. -Howard Hunter
*I have taken some liberties with this, making some minor changes and adding to it over the years. This year's changes were inspired by a book I've been reading over the break: Big Magic:Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert and by conversations with my husband about a book he is reading right now entitled Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Both come HIGHLY recommended. I hope it speaks to you as it does to me.
Mark Your Calendars!
December 23rd-January 3rd: Winter Break
January 13: Early Release Day
January 18: No School
January 22: Ivy & Bean at Marquette
January 27: Early Release Day
February 2: PAJAMA DAY!
Bedtime Stories First Grade Event 6:30-7:30
February 10: Early Release Day & Conferences
February 11: Conferences
February 12: Valentine's Day Celebration
February 15: No School for Students/ Conferences in PM
February 24: Early Release Day
March 9: Early Release Day
March 25: No School
April 13: Early Release Day
April 19: Schlitz Audubon
April 22: No School for Students
April 27: Early Release Day
May 11: Early Release Day
May 25: Early Release Day
May 30: No School
June 9: Last day of first grade
Thanks for the wonderful update, we hope everyone is having a great break. I love the words at the end, thank you for sharing them and the book recommendations. Happy New Year! xx, The McGregors
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