November Reminders from Mrs. Paget…

*Thank you to all of you who have already placed book orders or sent in donations for Timothy’s Toybox!  To date, we have collected $122 – thank you for the fabulous response!!!  All the book orders placed thus far have totaled just over $110.  When combined with our TTB donations, it puts our class in the 2^nd highest bonus point earning bracket; that means approximately 3000 bonus points worth of FREE books for TTB.  Wow!!  I will be ordering books for approximately 75 children ranging in ages from infant to 16 years using the monies collected from Room 13 as well as the $250+ collected at our Family Literacy Night last spring.  I am sure I will have quite a collection to share with the children when the books arrive.  The children will assist me in sorting the books by age and gender.  I am extending the deadline to Monday Nov. 18^th so if you would still like to order books or make a donation, please do so by then.  Participation in our TTB collection is completely optional.

*Please let me know ASAP if your child will not be in school on Tuesday November 26th. Our 1st Thanksgiving play rehearsals are well underway. Family members of students who will not be in school on November 26th or family members who are unable to attend our play on Nov. 26th, are welcome to attend our dress rehearsal on Friday November 22nd from 11-11:30am. Please let me know if you will be attending our dress rehearsal so I can plan accordingly. Also, please let me know if there will be NO family members present on Nov. 26th…

*Each child will need 2 small snack containers, with secure lids, labeled with their name, to transport food items home from our activity centers on Nov. 26th.   The containers should be big enough to hold ½ cup of relish and/or homemade butter.  Please send containers to school on or before November 26th. 

*We are still in need of supplies for our activity centers following the play on the 26^th.  We are all set for volunteers for this day.

*a small celebratory snack (mini muffins, donut holes…) - enough for 20 students

*3 half pints of heavy cream

*4 bags of cranberries

*4 lge. Oranges

*4 c sugar

Fun ways to practice your weekly word study words!

Here's a web tool I have been experimenting with since my T21 course last year.  I used the site, fotobabble.com, to create the following audio recording of myself explaining 3 different ways to have fun with your child while practicing weekly word study words.  I hope you find it helpful!

Today's Number Screencast

Another web tool I learned about in my T21 course was screencasting.  I used the site educreations.com to create the screencast above called, "Today's Number".  "Today's Number" is an activity the children learn about in the Investigations Math Curriculum. In first grade, there are several opportunities to teach children how to represent a number, such as 12, in a variety of ways.  In this screencast, I will demonstrate how to complete the "Today's Number" activity just as I would demonstrate it to the children during math class.  

I hope you find that this screencast opens a window into a typical math lesson in first grade. As you glance through your child's math workbooks that will be coming home shortly, look for evidence of their growth with the "Today's Number" activity.

Nice to meet you!

Hi Parents,
It was nice to meet you all tonight!  The children will enjoy reading the messages you left them on their whiteboards tomorrow morning.  I have posted the link to my PIN presentation below in case some of you were not able to make it tonight.  I know it was a lot to digest so hopefully this will help.  On the very last slide, I mention my helping hands display which is located on our classroom door.  All donations are appreciated but certainly not required!  Finally, I forgot to play the "Vowel Macarena" tonight.  I know the children will be disappointed.  Hopefully they will be able to demonstrate for you.  We certainly know how to "bust a move" in Room 13!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1l7epGso9ouGnlcd2yQHsRRHAM7pzmiGuPYWx5KCblhI/edit#slide=id.g11ae272cc_0115

Look who's blogging!

That's right folks!  I am officially a blogger.  Welcome to my blog!  I hope this will be a way for us to share regularly about Room 13 Happenings.  This year I will be piloting my newsletter and other Room 13 updates via this blog instead of Teacher Web.  You will be able to access this blog directly at welcometoroom13.blogspot.com or through the district website at www.medfield.net.  I will do my best to include some multimedia projects that I learned as part of  the T21 Course  offered through the Medfield Public Schools last year. Throughout this technology course, I learned about many different forms of technology and experimented with how to use them in the classroom.   I am excited about all that I have learned but also feel quite challenged by the newness of it all.  I hope you will bear with me as I try to make use of all this new found knowledge! Be sure to sign up for email notification of blog updates on the left side of the screen.  Also, I encourage you to revisit earlier posts as the year goes on as many topics will be covered and relevant throughout the year.  Welcome to Room 13!

Check out our Mo Willems Big 6 Project!

Here is our Mo Willems Big 6 Project!  Our library staff of Randi Groden, Donna Knott, and Laura Kirk work tirelessly with each first grade class to plan, research, write and produce a Big 6 Project on a topic of interest. (Please visit the Library website at medfield.net for more information on Big 6 projects.)  During the months of February and March the library staff met with small groups of Room 13 students in the library to create the Mo Willems slideshow below.  Enjoy the show!