Just a Few First Week Highlights

Hello families,

This first week has been wonderful. Coming home today is a letter with lots of information about our class and the year ahead. There are also two last forms for you to send back to me next week. I know there's a lot of paperwork this first week--I appreciate you all for getting it back to school quickly!

This week we read books about individuality, acceptance, and friendship as we embark on our journey as a new learning community. Our read alouds were: ABC I Like Me, A Bad Case of Stripes, and Friends to the End.

Here are a few of the things we did together this week:

• decorating name tags
• "me, myselfie, and I" art and writing project -- check them out on the bulletin boards outside our room to learn all about the people in our class
• free choice playing
• playing fishy, fishy cross my ocean to practice safe tagging and tagger's choice
• Primary Sing
• capital letter handwriting review
• reading books with partners
• exploring math materials
• team building games
• sharing photos

This first week I'm sending home a paper copy of our classroom news to all of you. I'm hoping to be able to send news electronically throughout the year. Please be sure to either send in the form with your email address(es) or email me directly at: tfox@u32.org .

Have a wonderful long weekend. See you Tuesday!

Welcome Back!

August 29, 2016

Dear Families,

Welcome to a new school year! My name is Theresa Fox (Mrs. Fox in the classroom) and I am thrilled to be your child's teacher this year. We are also lucky to have Mrs. Joslyn as another teacher in our room again this year.

Together this week we'll be exploring many areas and materials in our classroom through guided discovery. We'll be working on a fun project with our classroom materials to help learn more about each other too.

Just a few things to keep in mind for the first week of school:

Please remember to send in a peanut and tree nut free snack for your child to eat in our classroom each morning. Your child may have peanuts or tree nuts at lunch while sitting at the designated nut table.

Picture day is this Thursday, September 1st. The form should be coming home today. Send it in by Thursday if you want to order school pictures! If you don't want to order pictures, your child will still have a picture taken for his/her lunch card as well as our class photo.

Please note that our class has P.E. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students must have sneakers for all P.E. classes! Please either send sneakers in on these days or leave a pair of sneakers in your child's cubby. Students also need secure footwear for recess each day (sneakers or sandals that strap on -- not flip flops).

There will be lots of mail going home this week--I know this can be overwhelming with so many forms to fill out. Thanks in advance for your quick turn around on all the paperwork for the office and myself! On Friday I'll send home our classroom informational letter. Please send me an email ASAP so I have your preferred contact information. I will send you a link to our class blog each Friday so you can read all about our week and classroom news.

My email is tfox@u32.org

That's all for now. I look forward to the rest of this first week with our new class and to working with all of you this school year.

~Theresa Fox

Dates to Remember:
Thursday September 1 -  Picture Day.
Monday September 5 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday September 21 - Open House 6:30-7:30
Friday September 30 - All School Hike

Happy Summer!

Dear families,

This week we finished up our animal reports and brought home a lot of work from the year. We did some organizing and cleaning in the classroom. We did some fun class activities too (memory books, camouflage, capture the flag, closing circle). Today we had step-up day and got to meet for the first time as our classes for next year in our new rooms. We also said goodbye to the sixth graders, our buddies, at the All School Meeting.

This last day of school was bittersweet. We connected to the book, Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg. We're sad to say goodbye and for our year to end but we're also excited for the summer and whatever adventures it will bring our way.

This has been an amazing year. I have loved teaching all of your children and we thoroughly enjoyed each other as a whole class. I am sad to see so many of my students moving on to other schools or other classes here at Rumney next year. Thanks for your ongoing support this year. I hope you'll stop by and say hi next year!

Our next school year begins on Monday August 29th. Until then enjoy the summer. Swim, laugh, hike, read, eat creemees, play, and have fun!

Love,
Theresa Fox

A Quick Note

Hi all,

Just a quick note for you this week!

Please do make sure you check your child for ticks--Thursday and Friday were days out in the woods and fields for us.

On Monday and Tuesday next week we'll still be doing some school work and also cleaning/organizing. Please keep sending your child in with a backpack--there will be lots of stuff coming home!

This year class lists were mailed home to you--it should arrive today or tomorrow at your home. On Wednesday morning we'll have step up day to gather as next year's classes for the first time. Don't forget that Wednesday is also a half day. We'll have lunch here at school before 12:30 dismissal.

Here are a few pictures from our field day today! It started out cool and overcast but turned into a beautiful afternoon!

It was a perfect afternoon for a swim afterall!

Our students beat the challenge of cleaning up all the beach toys in under 2 minutes!

Have a good (hopefully warmer than the past few days) weekend!

Field Day Information

Here's our schedule (and Ben's too) for field day stations tomorrow, Friday June 10th. 

9:30  Buses leave school
9:45-10:00      Snack at Wrightsville
10:00 - 11:00  Beach time
11:00 - 12:00  Hiking
12:00 - 12:45  Lunch at the big shelter
12:45 - 1:45    Field Games
1:45 - 3:00      Water Exploration
3:00 - 3:15      Ice Cream
3:15  Buses leave Wrightsville and return to school for dismissal


Don't forget to pack bathing suits and towels, warm layers, dry clothes, water bottles, sunscreen, bug stuff, and good active footwear for tomorrow!
If you were asked to help contribute an item for our picnic please send it in tomorrow morning (or bring it if you're volunteering). Thanks!!

Our Class Plays!!!

Hello everyone,
Here are links to our class plays on youtube. They are unlisted videos so you can't search for them, but you can direct your friends and families to this blog to get the links if you'd like to share. I'd recommend watching them in full screen mode. Enjoy!

"There's No Place Like Home"

"Home for Sale"

"Ready to Fly"

"Once Upon a Food Chain"

Highlights from the Week of Our Plays!!!

Hello everyone,

This week has been truly amazing. We did so much work to get ready for our plays. Each cast practiced during literacy time. We also practiced in front of each other so we could use our full volume and expression! We painted our scenery, made props and costume pieces, and gave each other constructive feedback for how we could make our plays even better. We have a wonderful group of supportive, creative, and encouraging performers! I always love doing plays at this time of year because we really know how to work together as a cohesive group!

I want to thank all of you at home for helping your child practice lines, prepare costumes, or send clothes in for costumes. We couldn't have done it without you!!! Thanks also to all who came today to see our plays and for the last minute contributions to our cast party. I'll try to get some photos and videos up of our performers and performances if I can! For now....

The Stage is Set!

Second grade mathematicians worked steadily on end of year assessments to show me what they know about adding, subtracting, place value, mental math, and solving various types of story problems. We also got to design some of our own math games to play at school and then take home to play over the summer!

We finalized our report drafts this week and will be typing them up on Monday with our buddies. Next week we'll all board the publication train! These finished pieces will come home to you before the school year is out!

Speaking of that, can you believe we have only 8 more school days this year? I am so thankful for this wonderful group of students, friends, and learners. I am also thankful for all of you. I really appreciate your help and understanding all year! I'm also happy to say that I won't have to miss any more Mondays and Tuesdays--I'll be here every day for the remainder of the year!

Next week we have 2 special events -- both are days outside in the sun and water. Please be sure that on Thursday and Friday your child comes to school with sneakers or secure sandals to wear, water shoes or shoes that would be okay for going in the Rill, bathing suits/water clothes, towels, sun screen, water bottles, and hats. On Thursday if your child also wants to bring a water toy or ball/frisbee to play with at the picnic area that's okay too! We will be walking down to the picnic area at 11:00 and then take a bus back up to school at 3:15/3:20 in order to be back at school for dismissal.

On Wednesday Ben, Matt, Leslie and I divvied up all the picnic items for our K-1-2 picnic spread for the field day next Friday. Please let us know if you can send in the item we assigned you. Also if you're chaperoning that day let us know if you can help transport food from Rumney to Wrightsville, help setup the picnic spread, or help clean up the picnic spread. Thanks for all the responses I've received already!!

During our last, short week of school we'll be doing a lot of cleaning and bringing home of school items. On those days sending an extra canvas bag or shopping bag could be helpful--I don't want any backpacks to break from being so full! I have also submitted the final Scholastic order. For those who ordered on time, that package is already en route to us. For the few who ordered late I have submitted the orders and hope they will reach us in time!

Have a wonderful weekend!


Dates to Remember:
Tuesday June 7th -- 4 Winds 2:45-3:20 
Thursday June 9th -- 1/2 End of Year Fun Day at Shady Rill Picnic Area 11:00-3:15 (rain date Tuesday June 14th)
Friday June 10th -- All School Field Day at Wrightsville Reservoir (rain date Monday June 13th)
Friday June 10th -- Next Year's Class Lists Will Be Sent Home
Wednesday June 15th -- Step Up Day (moving up to meet their new teacher and gather with the new class for next year!)
Wednesday June 15th -- Final All School Meeting, 6th grade slideshow & t-shirt presentation
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day) 12:30 dismissal