Homecoming - Color Day and Pepfest

Homecoming 2010 will be remembered for the 8" of rain that fell in Cannon Falls on Thursday, and the flooded Cannon River on Friday! Thursday was Color Day, and 1st grade celebrated by wearing purple.

Here we are!

I just had to take a "goofy face" picture, too.
Friday was Spirit Day and most of the kids wore red and black. I was planning to take a picture after lunch, but we ended up going home early due to the rising water in the Cannon River, so no picture. Oh well.
The HS kids came to the Elementary in the morning for a pepfest.


The kids filed into the gym, looking a bit unsure about what was about to happen.


We found a place to sit, and we listened to the Pepband.

We made signs on Thursday afternoon so we were all ready to cheer the Bombers!

The Pepband played again as we all stood and sang our school song.

The cheerleaders performed some great cheers.

Wow! They're really good!

Then we met the captains of the volleyball, cross country, tennis, and football teams.
Finally, we got to meet all of the 2010 Cannon Falls Homecoming royalty!

And.... the king and queen for 2010! Congratulations!

Several of the royalty are former students of mine. Who knows if some of this year's 1st graders will be future CF Homecoming royalty??

Homecoming Week

No pictures to post yet this week, but be prepared for some excited kids over the next few days! It's Homecoming Week at CFHS, and the first graders are participating in Color Day on Thursday (wear purple), and Spirit Day on Friday (wear red and black)! We will also get to go to a Pepfest on Friday, where we will meet all of the Homecoming royalty and also athletes from the football team, volleyball team , and cross country team. Plus, the Pep Band and cheerleaders will lead us in singing our school song! The cheerleaders will teach the kids some good cheers, too. Pictures coming soon!

Unfortunately, it's pouring rain at the moment, so send your kids dressed for the weather in the morning!

Learning to Read!

Learning to read is a first grader's main job, and we spend a lot of time each day in the process.

Our morning Language Arts block is spent in whole group activities such as singing songs, listening to stories, practicing phonics, and learning comprehension stategies. Then we break into small groups. During group time, the children meet with me for small group instruction where we practice new vocabulary, review high-frequency words, play games, and read stories. There is also an independent seat work time, and an activity centers time. If you walked into the classroom between 9:30 and 12:00, you would be amazed at how independent and focused the children are on their "jobs." They have already made so much progress learning routines, although remembering to "whisper" can sometimes be a challenge!

We have spent the first few weeks of school reviewing letters, sounds, and the high frequency words learned in kindergarten, and we are now ready to start Theme 1, "All Together Now."

This week, we will practice decoding words with the short a sound as we read a story called "Mac the Cat" in our new anthologies.

The kids learn to use their finger to point at words as they read.

We also read lots of "mini-books" which will be sent home to provide extra practice. Sign and return after reading at home!

During work time, they work independently in Practice Books and also do various reading, writing, and drawing projects.

This gives children a chance to listen, follow directions, and practice skills on their own.

They can also do free choice reading and writing when they finish their assigned tasks.

The children can play games, color, do puzzles, build, and read books at our activity centers.
Children have a Center Buddy for the week as they rotate through five different centers, one per day, while other children are working with me or doing their assignment for the day. Every center has a choice of activities, and reading books pertaining to the center is always a choice. The manipulatives center is always a favorite.

They also practice math skills.

It's fun to learn to read!

First Grade!!

Well, here is the Class of 2022! We have completed two days of school in the 2010-2011 school year, and the kids are doing great! Getting in the routine of being at school all day, everyday, takes a while, but so far, so good! We spend a lot of time the first few weeks of school reviewing and assessing kindergarten skills, learning new procedures, making new friends, and having fun! There's a lot to learn and remember! Don't be surprised if your kids come home exhausted by the end of the week!

It was cold and windy on Tuesday, but the weather this morning was really nice so we had a chance to take a break and get in a little exercise before going to Art. Here's the whole class! What a great group of kids!

After posing for the group shot, everyone had a chance to stretch those muscles after working hard all morning!

Keep checking often for more pictures of our beginning of the year activities!