First Grade...Over and Out!
That's a wrap! Wow, I can't quite wrap by head around the fact that our year is over and we are now officially 2nd graders!!! Every one of these kiddos has grown tremendously in all aspects of learning and social relationships and will continue to build the friendships they have made this year.
We have had tons of fun packed in this last week as we ended our school year with a bang! Friday morning we were met with a bounce house and inflatable slide to play on for an extra fun play break.
The class kept chanting for me to do the Dab...I attempted it, however I was informed that I did it all wrong...I guess I better start practicing... ;)
Emily wrote the winning opinion paper for our class on why she should be Principal for the Day and so on Friday she helped Mr. Brown and Ms. Kinnie in the office with a variety of jobs. She even helped to make sure the inflatables were all set up and ready to go for everyone to use! She had a lot of fun.... hard work and effort in writing really pays off!
We enjoyed Field Day on Friday afternoon with games including relays, basketball, a rubber chicken toss, and more. It was close but we were able to edge out Mrs. Powell's class for the coveted GOLD CUP!!!! The trophy will be proudly displayed throughout the coming year!! Way to go first graders!!
On Monday we were able to go to Center Lake for the day. Although our day was threatened by thunder storms, we were only rained out of our first station. Even with the rain, and getting a little water logged, we had a TON of fun! In the afternoon I even went blobbing with the first and second graders! It was lots of fun and the water was perfect! Unfortunately I was not able to get pictures of all of our friends during the day, however I did capture some pure joy on some faces as they enjoyed the day!
Tuesday's activities included getting extra recess, eating a picnic lunch outside and seeing Clark the Juggler! What a fun way to end the year! In the morning we wrapped up our year with a celebration of Ball Word Success. We had friends pass a few more levels right at the end of the year so we celebrated with Ball Word Cookies! We also made sure to give extra special hugs and a "See ya later" to all of our friends, as this isn't goodbye...but rather a farewell for now!
We also spent time watching our End of the Year slideshow. If you see Mrs. Powell this summer make sure to give her a big thank you for taking the time to put all of our photos together to make a beautiful memoir of our year together! You can see our slideshow below!!
As we wrap up the year please keep in mind the following in mind as you enter a busy summer season:
Studies show that children who do not read or have access to books during the summer lose up to 2 months of reading performance. Those losses accumulate during the elementary school years so that by the time a child enters middle school he/she may be 2 1/2 years behind! ALL CHILDREN, whether from low, middle or upper income families, may fall victim to the "summer slide" if not provided with summer reading opportunities.
We had tremendous success in getting a large portion of our student signed up for our Book An Adventure Reading Program over the summer. THANK YOU to all who signed your children up and your commitment to learning! Don't worry if you did not sign your child up. There are still a variety of things you can do to help prevent the summer slide...or even help accelerate reading growth! Here are a few ideas:
* Visit our local library. There is a great summer reading program that is being put on by our Cadillac Public Library. Their summer reading program can easily be combined with our Book An Adventure Reading Program if you are signed up! There will be fun activity days and events put on throughout the summer to celebrate reading.
* Help your child to find 'right fit' books. These are books that are of high interest to your child and are not beyond their independent reading level. Try the 5 finger rule: have your child begin reading the first page of their story. If they come to a word they don't know have them skip it and put up a finger for that word. If by the end of the first page they have 5 fingers up, have them pick a different book because that one isn't the right fit for them, chances are it is too hard.
* Have your child read at least 20 minutes every day. research shows that a child who reads only 1 minute a day outside of school will learn 8,000 words by the end of sixth grade where a student who reads 20 minutes a day outside of school will learn 1,800,000 words! WOW!!!
* Set a good example. When your child sees you reading a book or magazine you enjoy, you are sending the message that reading is important and valuable.
* Read to your child - this allows them to hear the rhythm of language. Be sure to read with expression!
*Read with your child - explore different types of reading (such as poetry). This can help improve phonemic awareness skills and improve fluency.
* Play games with words.
* If your child spends time on a tablet, install interactive books/apps that help with phonics and reading skills.
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I have enjoyed this year tremendously with your children and want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be their teacher. It has been my pleasure to watch each one of these children's personalities unfold day by day. We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched our lives together this year. Remember that I will always be interested in your child, wherever they go and whoever they become. Their joys and sorrows I will always be happy to share.
As you can see our Firsties ROCKED First Grade and so they celebrated with some PopRocks for fun! We were officially promoted to Second Grade at the end of the day as we celebrated at Clap Out! We hugged and then left as we were greeted by our 2nd Grade Teachers for next year!! YAY!
Have a safe and happy summer. Make sure to come back and visit me next year!
~ Mrs. Quist ~
** If you keep a log of all the time you spend reading throughout the summer and bring it in to show me in September you will get an extra special reward from me for ALL of your hard work!
