Miss Martin's Mallards

Goodbye!

2010-06-24T08:07:00.000+10:00

Friday was a day filled with lots of fun. We passed out awards, shared memories from the year and wishes for the future. We celebrated our hard work and enjoyed the time together. It was also a day to say goodbye. I promised to share these quick, last pictures with the students, and here they are:

As Dr. Seuss wrote...

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

There are many memories from room A-1 that will bring a smile to my face for years to come!

Thank you, students, for all your hard work and smiles!

Thank you, parents, for your support!

Have a great summer and good luck next year!

Marianas Cup

2010-06-19T23:22:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Maya, Anne, and Kyona for being a part of the Marianas Cup! You did a wonderful job during the opening ceremony and I hope you had fun! Thanks, too, to the rest of our fans!

The Last Week

2010-06-18T16:02:00.000+10:00

Our last week of school went by extra fast with spirit week, the pep rally, a half day, and other end of the year preparations and celebrations. We've come a long way over 180 days in room A-1. Here are some special moments from our last week together!

End of the year stations

2010-06-12T08:43:00.001+10:00

We had a lot of fun doing stations last Friday! The students rotated from station to station and had time to enjoy many of their favorite activities from the year and some brand new jobs!

The finger painting station.

The clay station.

The self-portrait station. Students used a mirror to draw a picture of themselves. Then each student picked a word to describe him/herself and glued it on in foam letters!

Building with blocks

Teamwork at the puzzle station

Students at the computer station took their Star Math tests and then created works of art using Kidpix.

Beautiful things

2010-06-09T20:00:00.000+10:00

After reading the story of Miss Rumphius, whose goal was to do something to make the world more beautiful, we went on a walk in search of beautiful things. As you can see in the pictures below, the students found a lot of beautiful things! Each picture shows something they picked out. We also reviewed ideas of things we can do to make the world more beautiful.

We love Eric Carle!

2010-05-28T21:43:00.000+10:00

Grid and Bear It

2010-05-17T11:28:00.000+10:00

Every Friday the students work hard to get their work done so that we can do Grid and Bear It. Grid and Bear It is a math and listening exercise where Miss Martin reads the directions (i.e. “up one” or “left three”) out loud and the students have to listen and follow the directions to create a picture on their paper grids. It’s always a mystery until the end! After the design is complete, students have a few minutes to color it and add their own details to the picture. This Friday students created a jogger. Take a look and see how these joggers were transformed into ninjas, police officers, and more!

Sidewalk Art

2010-05-16T11:15:00.001+10:00

Since we were lucky enough to ride in the submarine and see the underwater world in person, we decided to share our experience with everyone else at GES!

The students used sidewalk chalk and worked in groups to draw the things they saw underwater and create a sidewalk mural.

Paper Leis

2010-05-16T11:07:00.000+10:00

An important even took place last Friday night to Saturday morning – the Marianas March Against Cancer! Garapan Elementary School teamed up with the Bank of Guam again year to support the worthy cause. The entire school helped to prepare for the event. First grade contributed by creating beautiful paper flower leis.

The students used teamwork to finish the big job. First, we had to trace and cut out all of the flowers. When that was finished, students worked with partners to string them up in a pattern. The result was pretty great and we couldn’t have done it without working together!

The Yellow Submarine

2010-05-09T13:32:00.003+10:00

We're back on land after our underwater adventure! Last Thursday we took a trip into the ocean aboard the Deepstar submarine with Ms. Backhaus' fourth grade class. We got to see the underwater world that we have been studying up close. It was FUN!

Students saw fish, coral, and remains of a shipwreck and some plane crashes. A few lucky students even caught a glimpse of a baby shark and a sea turtle! We took a lot of pictures, so the slideshow is a bit long.

Now that we know more about the underwater world and how important it is, the students have vowed to take good care of it.

Thanks to NOAA and CRM for the resources to make this field trip possible!

Describing words

2010-05-08T14:22:00.001+10:00

We have been studying describing words for a couple of weeks. This week, we focused on words that describe taste, smell, sound, and feel. We sorted some of these words into their groups on Wednesday.

spicy, wet, smokey, quiet, fluffy, flowery, bitter, bland, fresh, squeaky, sharp, loud, booming, smooth, stale, sweet, flowery...what other words can you think of?

Robot Building

2010-05-05T14:30:00.000+10:00

Creative minds are at work in room A-1! The students have been hard at work constructing their robots out of reused materials. Here is a peak into the robot building process.

Scientists at Work

2010-04-30T16:20:00.000+10:00

We took a trip to the DEQ laboratory this week as a part of Environmental Awareness month. We got to see where the scientists work and they showed us how they test the water for yucky bacteria like total coliform and e. coli. We learned not to go in the water when a beach is red flagged and who to call if we want our water tested. Thank you to DEQ for inviting us over!

How time flies

2010-04-30T14:25:00.001+10:00

It's time again to do another catch-up post with our photos! Time goes so fast when you're busy learning!

We had a school-wide reading carnival at the end of March to celebrate all the reading we've done. Students got to choose from different reading-themed games and activities. This was the fly swatter game.

The Easter bunny snuck into our room to hide some eggs. Good thing first graders are especially good at finding them!

We studied maps. Here is a map of our playground we made as a class when we were learning about the map key.

We are money experts now! We learned all about money and how to count it. Dominic's mom let us borrow her half dollar and dollar coins, two dollar bills and souvenirs from the US Mint! Thanks, Mrs. Torres!

Timelines

2010-04-01T18:28:00.000+10:00

After studying timelines in class, each student was asked to create a timeline that includes events from his/her life. Here are the results!

The students were excited to share their timelines with each other!

A peak into math and science time

2010-03-14T15:34:00.002+10:00

Here are some pictures of the students practicing greater then and less than in math and sorting animals during science. The students first made their own groups and then learned about six of the groups scientists decided on for animals: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

Last week of February

2010-03-10T15:38:00.000+10:00

February 22 - 26 was Counselor Appreciation Week at GES. Nathanael read our class's submission for the "top 10 reasons we appreciate Mrs. Liela" at flag ceremony.

Students from MHS came to share an anti-bullying presentation with us.

We had our class science fair on Thursday, February 25.

William showed us how he made a rock fall more slowly.

Austin made an optical illusion.

Diana made an egg that could bounce by soaking it in vinegar.

Nathanael made his raisins dance in club soda.

Aundre found out that raisins will dance in 7 Up, too!

Congratulations to all of our science fair participants! We are so proud of Diana and Aundre for representing our class at the school science fair!

On Friday that week, our school had a special ceremony to honor Mrs. Liela.

Our class presented a special poem and cheer, but we didn't get a picture of it!

100th Day of School

2010-02-27T13:19:00.002+10:00

We celebrated the 100th day of school last Tuesday with many different 100-themed activities. As a class, we read 100 books, counted to 100, made a 100 book, and more! Below are some of the students' answers to a fill-in-the-blank homework activity for the 100th day.

If I had 100 dollars, I would…
go to the bank and get some money. {Aundre}
spend them. {Jesse}
keep it to the bank. {Christian}
use 1 dollar each day. {William}
buy PSP. {Winneb}
buy food and shoes. {Mcrey}
spend it on a house that has a mansion. {Dominic}
send to Philippines. {Austin}

If I had 100 pencils, I would…
share my classmates. {Sally}
give to every friend a pencil. {Jesse}
use 5 and save the rest. {William}
use a lot of them. {Czarlene}
share it with my sisters. {Ashanti}

If I had 100 mosquito bites, I would…
see the doctor. {Mikayla}
slap them. {Windy}
scratch all over my body parts. {Winneb}
be very sick. {Peter}
scratch it and put cream. {Maya}
get the medicine to heal them. {Dominic}
put a mosquito repellant. {Shawn}

If I had 100 friends, I would…
love hem like my brother and sister. {Christian}
spend my time to study with all of them. {Diana}
not be alone. {Glenn}
invite them to the beach and have fun. {Mcrey}
walk down the road to show people in the city. {Czarlene}
play with them. {Ashanti}
have snacks with them. {Naomi}

If I had 100 legs I would…
walk on the buildings. {Aundre}
trip myself. {Nathanael}
be the fastest runner. {Mikayla}
buy 100 shoes. {Christian}
be a centipede. {Peter}
climb. {Maya}
run slow. {Darelle}

If I had 100 eyes, I would…
look like a alien. {Nathanael}
see a lot better. {Mikayla}
be happy to see every thing. {Diana}
see like the fly. {Peter}
see the world. {Austin}

If I had 100 laptops, I would keep one laptop and give the other laptops. {Aundre}

If I had 100 moms, I would let them take care of me. {Nathanael}

If I had 100 drinks, I would bring it to a party. {Jesse}

If I had 100 animals, I would make a zoo. {William}

If I had 100 fans, I would feel cool. {Windy}

If I had 100 puppies, I would cuddle them all. {Winneb}

If I had 100 boxes, I would hide. {Glenn}

If I had 100 seeds, I would plant them in the garden. {Peter}

If I had 100 balloons, I would pop them one by one. {Maya}

If I had 100 dogs, I would give them away to the blind people. {Dominic}

If I had 100 flowers, I would like to give it to my mom. {Shawn}

If I had 100 birds, I would make them race. {Darelle}

If I had 100 books, I would read all of them. {Austin}

If I had 100 ice cream, I would eat everything in the morning, nighttime. {Naomi}

Tour of Presidents

2010-02-21T17:15:00.001+10:00

For Presidents Day, each class decorated their door with information about one of the US Presidents. We took a tour to learn a bit about the Presidents. All of these pictures were taken by the students.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-21T17:13:00.001+10:00

January

2010-02-21T17:00:00.001+10:00

2010 has been so busy that Miss Martin has all but forgotten to update our class blog! Sorry for the delay! Although you couldn’t tell by the blog, a lot did happen in January. Most was not captured on camera, but here’s a little peak into some of our January happenings.

2010 Census

2010-01-24T17:07:00.000+10:00

We will be learning about the 2010 Census in class and students will have the chance to participate in a poster contest. The Census also has a website for kids including interactive games. Just click on the picture to go to the site and have more Census fun!

Christmas Program

2010-01-03T16:53:00.003+10:00

The weather did not cooperate with us for our school Christmas program. It poured all morning but luckily it was dry enough in the afternoon for everyone to perform. Thank you to all of our fans for braving the weather, re-arranging schedules, and taking the time to come and watch. For those that couldn’t make it, here is a clip from the end of our song, Winnie the Pooh’s “Twelve Days of Christmas” (as it started to rain on us!).

Enjoy!

December Recap

2010-01-02T16:51:00.000+10:00

December flew by so fast there was barely time to take pictures. We had a lot of fun with our holidays around the world unit and learned about traditions in many different countries. Here’s a glimpse into our busy classroom.

Turkey Camouflage

2009-11-30T16:44:00.000+10:00

Just before Thanksgiving the first graders decided to save some turkeys from winding up on the dinner table by helping them hide. Each group came up with a plan. Do you think the hunters would spot…

…this turkey hiding in the grass?

…this turkey hiding by the American flag?

…this turkey hiding among the banana trees?

...this turkey hiding on a rainbow?

A Special Visitor

2009-11-20T22:10:00.000+10:00

Yesterday we had a special guest in our classroom, Cadet Kevin from MHS JROTC. He volunteered his time to come into our classroom and help us learn! Thanks Cadet Kevin!

Go, go USA!

2009-11-17T07:07:00.000+10:00

Garapan Elementary celebrated Citizenship and Veteran’s Day together last week. We had a special flag ceremony where veterans were recognized and everyone at Garapan Elementary pledged to support veterans. Though the rain forced us to head for cover, it ended with a beautiful double rainbow – a good way to start the week!

On Friday, all GES students paraded around the school to celebrate the holidays. Each class made a banner for the event and students created flags to wave. Our class talked about all of the things we are able to do in our country thanks to all of the veterans who have served in wars. Each student finished the sentence, “In my country, I can _______.”

This Monday we found out that our banner was picked as the lower grade winner! Congrats, room A-1!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-03T20:33:00.000+10:00

We had a lot of fun celebrating Halloween! Our class was full of superheros, ninjas, princesses, as well as a witch, a couple of devils, a ghost pirate, and even some animals! Even our spelling test was spooky! Thank you to our class moms and dads who walked with us to DFS to get treats!

Later in the day we enjoyed first grade field day. Students had fun going through the obstacle course and participating in relays. It was a good way to make our bodies feel better after eating a little too much sugar!

Cultural Spirit Week

2009-10-26T20:32:00.000+10:00

A Week of Cultures & Pictures

2009-10-18T17:43:00.002+10:00

Don't forget - Monday is picture day for our class! I hope you've picked out your favorite outfit and practiced smiling big. Make sure you get to school on time, too!

Also, this week is Culture/Spirit Week at GES! The themes are as follows:
Monday—Cultural Head Piece (straw hats, mwar, etc.)
Tuesday—Cultural Accessories (necklace, beads, etc.)
Wednesday—Cultural Items for Show & Tell
Thursday—Traditional Outfits/Cultural Wear
Friday—Cultural Day School Program (8-11 am)

Number Stories

2009-10-18T12:36:00.001+10:00

We have been learning about addition in math. On Friday, we created addition number stories using our math baggies. Each student created a story and then wrote down the story, the number sentence, and created a picture of their story.

Reading Buddies

2009-10-18T11:31:00.003+10:00

We are so lucky in room A-1 because the fourth graders in Miss Backaus’ class are going to be our reading buddies this year! They came to read with us for the second time this Friday. It is so much fun sharing our favorite books and reading together!

Flag Ceremony

2009-10-16T07:10:00.002+10:00

We have been practicing all of the songs and pledges for the CNMI, USA, and GES that we recite at flag ceremony each week. Our class will be leading flag ceremony in front of the school on October 26.

Star Spangled Banner

U.S. National Anthem

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

And to the republic for which it stands,

one nation under God,

Indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.

Gi Talo Gi Halom Tåsi/Satil Matawal Pasifiko
(CNMI National Anthem)

Gi talo gi halom tåsi
Nai gaige tano-ho
Ayo nai siempre hu såga
Malago' ho
Ya un dia bai hu hånåo
Bai fåtto ha' ta'lo
Ti sina håo hu dingo
O tano-ho

CHORUS:
Mit beses yan mås
Hu saluda håo
Gatbo na islas Mariånas
Hu tuna håo

Satil matawal Pacifico
Igha elo faluweey iye
Ighilal igha ebwe lootiw
Tipeey iye
Eew raal nge ibwe mwetesangi
Nge ibwal sefaalitiiy Ese mmwel bwe ibwe lighiti
Bwe falaweey

CHORUS:
Sangaras faal bwughuwal
Ay tirow ngalugh
Ling ghatchul teel
Faluw Mariånas
Ay Mwareiti

Prinimeti

Manhula yu’ fiet gi
påpa’i banderå-hu Notte

Mariånas na bai hu

cho’gue todu i nina’siñå-hu

para bai hu prutehi yan difendi

i Hinengge,
i Kottura,
i Lengguåhi
i Aire,
i Hanom yan i Tano’

ni’ irensiå-ku direcho

ginen as Yu’os Tåta
para todu i hinirasion Chamorro
på’go yan para todu i tiempo.

Akkapal

I akkapal ló faal

ghalleraal Marianas bwe

ibwe fééri angaang llól

bwángiy reel ibwe tepengi

me lugheey, yaasch

lúghúlúgh, kkosch, kkapas,

yang, schaal me falúw

Bweigha ikkaal ammweley

sángi Semasch Luugheiláng

ngáliir masamasal

Repaghúlúwosch ighila me

mweteló mmwal.

Garapan School Song

Garapan School is known to be the best,

where everyone goes for nothing less.

And the progress we make is alive and well

because we give our best.

“Håfa Adai to you, Teroo Womei”

Love, peace and pride we do abide.

Our caring staff and teachers too,

all strive for excellence

Si’ Yu”os ma”ase to all of you,

our dearest friends and parents too,

Any hardships we share will come to pass,

hurray pairere na Mallards!

“Håfa Adai to you, Teroo Womei”

Love, peace and pride we do abide.

Our caring staff and teachers too,

all strive for excellence

Hurray, pairere na Mallards, Hurray!!

Thank you, parents, for taking the time to practice at home. Here is our CNMI anthem to sing along with.

Words, words, words

2009-10-10T11:09:00.001+10:00

Now that we have studied all of the letter sounds, we are using our knowledge to read and write words. Last Thursday, students used letter cards to create words.

Open House Pictures

2009-09-27T08:53:00.009+10:00

Thank you to everyone who came to our open house on Thursday night! It was great getting to meet so many parents, brothers, and sisters! The students were excited and proud to show you around their classroom and I hope you enjoyed seeing where they spend their days.

Around the classroom

2009-09-27T08:38:00.002+10:00

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks. We've been learning to use different tools around the classroom.

Open House

2009-09-23T20:20:00.002+10:00

Don't forget about our open house this Thursday night! It begins at 5:00 pm in our classroom. Come in and meet me, tour our classroom, and learn more about the rules, procedures, and what's to come in first grade. Bring any questions you have as well!
You're also invited to stay for the first PTA meeting of the year at 6:00 in the GES cafeteria.
I look forward to meeting you soon!

First Week

2009-09-13T11:18:00.006+10:00

It’s been a busy first week in room A-1. So busy that Miss Martin all but forgot to take pictures. Sorry!

We spent a lot of time talking about school rules, learning about classroom jobs, and getting to know each other. All of the students (and Miss Martin) promised to follow these class rules:

1. Be nice to others.

2. Keep your hands to yourself.

3. Listen to the teacher and each other.

4. Respect our things.

5. Do your best.

If everyone follows these rules we will be able to learn a lot this year!

We also learned about healthy snacks. Oreos, Cheetos, Choco-Pies and other foods may taste good but they aren’t good for our bodies or minds. Students pledged to bring fruits, vegetables, popcorn, pretzels, and other healthy snacks instead. Please help us in following our wellness policy. If you need more ideas, please re-read the list of acceptable snacks at the bottom of my welcome letter.

New School Year

2009-09-07T19:01:00.002+10:00

Tuesday, September 8 is the first day of the 2009-2010 school year!

I hope everyone has had a fun summer vacation and that you're ready to come back to school and keep learning! Your teachers have been working hard to get everything ready for a fabulous year. See you soon!

Getting Ready for School

2009-09-07T19:00:00.000+10:00

Things you can do at home to help your child at school:

Read to your child and allow him/her to read to you.
Ask your child about school and take an interest in what he/she is learning.
Check your child’s homework every night. Be available to help if he/she needs it.
Provide healthy foods that keep your child energized, fit, and ready to learn.
Set limits on the amount of television your child watches.
Make sure your child is getting enough sleep.

Flat Nick in Saipan

2009-05-27T21:32:00.002+10:00

We’ve had a special visitor in or classroom. His name is Flat Nick, and he came all the way from Wisconsin in the mail! He came to see the sights on Saipan and learn about our island. He also made 20 new friends in room A-1. Boy did he have a lot of fun!

All of the first graders wrote about their favorite places on Saipan, so Flat Nick would have some ideas of where to go. He wasn’t able to visit them all; hopefully he’ll come back to check out the rest!

Unfortunately with summer coming, he had to leave us to go back to Wisconsin. Thanks for visiting, Flat Nick, and don’t forget all of your new friends here in room A-1!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T22:27:00.001+10:00

I hope all of our room A-1 moms had a nice, relaxing day today! Your kids worked very hard on their Leo Lionni-inspired collage cards and were oh-so-proud of their flower boquets and vases so we really hope you liked them!

Giving Thanks

2009-05-09T23:16:00.000+10:00

Thank you for all of the cards, gifts, and hugs for teacher appreciation week! We've had a busy year and learned a lot along the way. I am proud to be your teacher! Let's end the year on a great note!

Spring in Review

2009-05-09T22:25:00.000+10:00

Things have been so busy in room A-1 that we haven’t even had time to post! Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to.

Paper Airplane Contest

2009-03-21T12:11:00.002+10:00

GES had a paper airplane contest this week. Here are some pictures from our classroom competition.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T13:51:00.000+10:00

Smile!

2009-03-03T15:09:00.000+10:00

Look at those big, bright smiles! These mallards are showing off their clean teeth after a visit to the dentist. The highlights were definitely riding the school bus to CHC and receiving fun, new toothbrushes. Thanks the the CHC dental clinic for providing this free service!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2009-03-02T12:10:00.000+10:00

We celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with our reading buddies – Ms. Backhaus’ fourth grade class. They brought oodles and oodles of Dr. Seuss books to share with us. We really enjoyed it!

Happy Birthday John!

2009-02-24T12:09:00.000+10:00

John celebrated his birthday with us by bringing in lot of tasty donuts to share! As you can tell by the pictures, everyone enjoyed them. Thanks, John!

Mallard Health Walk

2009-02-21T11:57:00.000+10:00

As part of our wellness program, the whole school came together last Friday for the 2009 Mallard Health Walk. We walked around the school to promote a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise. It was hot but fun!

Secret Valentines Video Clue

2009-02-15T19:44:00.000+10:00

During the first two weeks of February, we sent poems, letters, and puzzles to Mr. Garon's class as their Secret Valentines. On Friday, we gave them our best clue yet - this video message - just hours before we revealed our true identity! We had a lot of fun doing secret valentines. We also found our Ms. Mendez's class had been writing notes to us!
This video in particular was a lot of fun to make. It was really a challenge for the students to keep their heads still for these video clips. We hope you enjoy it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T11:29:00.000+10:00

Readers Theatre

2009-02-10T11:18:00.000+10:00

Students had their first taste of readers theatre this week. We performed the play from our Trophies book, Did You See Chip? Students practiced reading their parts with expression and performed for the class at the end of the week. We hope to do more readers theatre again soon!

Timelines

2009-02-05T11:49:00.000+10:00

We've been studying timelines the past couple of weeks and for their final project, students made timelines of their lives. Check out what their hard work created!

Class Science Fair

2009-01-23T20:38:00.000+10:00

Spelling Bee

2009-01-22T21:41:00.000+10:00

The first grade spelling bee was held this Thursday. John was there to represent our classroom, after an outstanding score in our classroom-level round. The six students all tried their best and did a great job. Congratulations to everyone, especially John! We are proud of you!

Goodbye Miss Ann!

2009-01-22T18:04:00.000+10:00

This week we said goodbye to Miss Ann. She has been helping us in the afternoons since fall. We are going to miss her! Thanks for all of your help, Miss Ann!

Happy Birthday Anne!

2009-01-21T21:47:00.000+10:00

Anne turned 7 this Wednesday and celebrated with our whole class! Thanks for all the special treats! As you can tell, the students had a lot of fun.

The birthday girl's table.

Purple table enjoying themselves.

Green table thought the food was YUMMY!

Yellow table being silly.

Orange table enjoying the treats.

This was our second birthday celebration this month! Kyona's birthday was earlier in January, but unfortunately my camera was not charged. Trust me, though, we had lots of fun!

Shining Brightly

2009-01-20T22:30:00.000+10:00

Today we celebrated Martin Luther King Day and the inauguration of our new President, President Barack Obama! To mark the historic occasion, each class created a banner. The entire school marched with our banners around the outside of our campus.
The students were really excited. Ever since our class election last November, many of them have been watching Barack Obama on the news. As we walked, we sang "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." All of the students have promised to help President Obama change the world for the better by being bright, shining examples to others. I know how much they are capable of if they do their very best, and we have a bright future ahead of us if they keep their word!
Later in the day, all of the banners were judged. Ours won first place for the lower grades, winning us a pizza party! What a special day!

Congratulations Keona!

2009-01-20T20:49:00.000+10:00

Keona's "I have a dream" essay was selected as the winning essay for first grade! The contest was held in honor of Martin Luther King Day. Winners were announced at flag ceremony. Thanks to Hard Rock Cafe and Lollipops, Keona came away with some nice prizes for her lovely dream! Congratulations, Keona! We are so proud of you!

A Visit from Mrs. Leila

2009-01-13T20:40:00.000+10:00

This Tuesday, Mrs. Leila came to our class to present a special lesson on rules! Mrs. Leila is our school counselor for grades K-3. After the story, they discussed the rules we have in the classroom and at school and what the consequences are if a rule is broken. We are excited to Mrs. Leila to come back again in the third quarter!

December in Review

2009-01-03T17:44:00.002+10:00

Wow! December went by so quickly I didn't get another blog post in. It was a busy month. Here, to recap, are some photo highlights from some of the various things happening in our classroom last December.

We studied graphs in math. One day, we made a giant graph on the carped and sorted our shoes into different groups.

Students donated toys to other children in need. Above, Eliza drops off her generous donations in the office.

We packed our suitcases and flew around the world to see what holidays are celebrated and how.

In Germany, we learned about gingerbread houses and got to try making our own. Unlike Germany, it's hard to find gingerbread in Saipan, so we used coconut cookies instead.

JROTC members from MHS visited our school for the day. We were lucky to have Miss Kim help in our classroom all morning!

Thanks to all of the families who donated decorations for our classroom!

We ended 2008 performing "Hot Cup of Cocoa" at the school Christmas program. We had lots of fun learning in 2008! We hope you enjoyed the holiday season. Check back to see what we're up to in 2009.

Dreidel

2009-01-03T16:58:00.001+10:00

During our around the world trip, we traveled to Israel. There we learned about Hanukkah and got to try spinning the dreidel. It was a fun game!

Ready for Departure

2008-12-09T19:17:00.002+10:00

We're packed and ready to go! "Where," you ask? On our trip around the world! Today we fixed up our suitcases and tomorrow we will be traveling to Miss Martin's hometown in Minnesota, USA to see how they celebrate Christmas. After that we'll be leaping across the continents to visit places like Africa, Israel, Mexico, Germany, and Sweden to see what holidays they celebrate and what traditions they have there.
The boarding passes are printed out and we're ready to hop on the holiday express!
We'll do our best to track all of our fun-filled adventures right here on our blog.

December Reading Buddies

2008-12-09T19:15:00.002+10:00

Mrs. Mettao's 5th grade class stopped by to read with us today. Since it is the season of giving, these 5th graders gave of their time to share favorite stories with the first graders and make our day extra special. Thank you Mrs. Mettao's class!

Math = Fun

2008-12-07T19:13:00.000+10:00

Who knew you could build math concepts while having so much fun?

Rolling the Dice...

2008-12-06T19:10:00.000+10:00

...with addition facts!

We reviewed addition for our Unit 1 test last week using our dice and whiteboards.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T14:19:00.000+10:00

Look at all of the amazing turkey hats our mallards made with their parents! It was so much fun to see all of the unique, creative hats!

Happy Thanksgiving and see you in December!

Happy Veterans Day!

2008-11-18T14:22:00.000+10:00

Here are our first graders wearing red, white, and blue and waving the flags they created to honor Veterans Day at flag ceremony today. Thanks to all of the Veterans out there!

McCain Wins!

2008-11-05T19:29:00.004+10:00

We held the first grade presidential election in our classroom today. Students from Mrs. Nikki, Mrs. Claire, and Ms. Mendez's classrooms (as well as our own class) came to cast a ballot with their choice for President of the United States. Afterward, we tallied up the votes. Obama got 30 votes but McCain won with 45 votes.
Before school ended, we found out that Barack Obama was officially the winner of the election in the United States and will be our next President.
Thanks to all of the first graders who voted and good job to all of my students for performing your election jobs wonderfully! It was certainly a day to remember!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:14:00.009+10:00

We had lots of fun in room A-1 this Friday!
After the superheroes, witches, fairies, ninjas, princesses, angels, mermaids, and butterflies took their spelling test (yes, even superheroes need to study their spelling words), we prepared for our school costume parade.

All of the students at GES lined up in their Halloween garb to march around the school by police escort. Luckily, the rain stopped just in time! Upon our return, we were greeted with ice kakis from DFS. They were a hit!

Later in the day, we were invited to Mrs. Thorpe's third grade class to watch their October presentation. We all agreed it was spooky and very well done. Thanks, third graders!
In the afternoon, we snacked on pretzels (to balance out the sugar) and learned more about how Halloween started and how people in other countries celebrate.

Happy Halloween!
From all of the first graders in room A-1

PTA Performance

2008-10-30T22:08:00.001+10:00

Our class did a wonderful job presenting our October megaskill (caring) and ESLR (sensitive to others) at the PTA meeting tonight! Together with Ms. Nikki's class, students presented posters they made to show ways they care about their friends, school, pets, and families.

Afterward, the students sang a special song called "I Can Be Your Friend."
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it. Congratulations, mallards!

Cultural Week

2008-10-30T17:03:00.004+10:00

Each day this week, we got to learn more about each other when students shared their hats, necklaces, bracelets, outfits and other objects from their cultures. To cap things off, we celebrated as a school on Thursday with songs and dances reflecting cultures from all around the world.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Craft Ideas

Thank you to all of the parents who helped your children choose what to wear, bring and share this week and to those who were able to join us on Thursday!

Hats Off to Reading Fun!

2008-10-18T12:22:00.003+10:00

This week, we read the first story in our Harcourt series, The Hat. On Friday, students decorated their own hats using crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, scissors, glue, and a lot of creative ideas! Here they are with Miss Ann, who folded all 21 hats for us to use.

Rainy Days

2008-10-16T11:00:00.001+10:00

Rain, rain, go away.

Leave our playground safe to play!

As everyone on Saipan is well aware, we've been getting a lot of rain lately! Last Wednesday was especially wet. Luckily, students were able to play during recess and even get in our sidewalk art before the downpour began. Luckily, our students stayed safe and our classroom remained dry!

Five Senses on the Sidewalk

2008-10-15T23:34:00.000+10:00

To show off everything we know about the five senses, the students created some beautiful artwork for the whole school to see. Students worked in groups, using sidewalk chalk to draw things you can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. They came up with lots of ideas and worked hard on their drawings!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

5 Senses

2008-10-04T13:36:00.004+10:00

We have been learning about the 5 senses in science. We will use our 5 senses to help us observe like scientists. The students have enjoyed exploring their senses: see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.

On Tuesday, we practiced observing with our ears. Using their sense of hearing, students listened to the sounds made from shaking our mystery cups and were able to match the cups with the same contents. Then we used what we heard to hypothesize, or guess, what was inside each one. The students had a lot of good ideas. When we finally opened them up, we found paperclips, rice, salt, and coins inside!
Next week, students will need to bring one object to school each day to show the "sense of the day." Students: look around your homes for something you like to look at, something interesting to touch, something you can taste, something you like to smell, and something that makes sound. Items will be presented and returned.

Sense Schedule

Monday - see

Tuesday - feel

Wednesday - taste

Thursday - smell

Friday - hear

Book orders are in!

2008-10-04T13:31:00.002+10:00

Our September book order from Scholastic arrived on Thursday - just in time to send them home to enjoy over the weekend! Thanks to everyone who ordered. I hope you are having fun reading your new books and using those cool learning games!

October book orders will be sent home soon.

Reading with LeapPads

2008-09-28T17:01:00.004+10:00

We are lucky to have LeapFrog LeapPads in our classroom. The LeapPads can help students sound out and solve unknown words to read each story independently. They are a lot of fun! Last week, students used the LeapPads during center time.

Open House 2008

2008-09-28T16:54:00.003+10:00

Thank you to everyone who attended our open house last Thursday! It was nice to meet everyone and I know the students really enjoyed being "tour guides" and showing you their classroom! Everyone walked away with big stacks of books, so now we have room in our closet for extra school supplies! Hooray!

I was hoping to snap a picture of each student with his or her family, but I was so busy talking and such that I forgot. Whoops!

I hope you use and enjoy the books and workbooks at home!

Open House

2008-09-22T20:45:00.002+10:00

This Thursday, September 25 is the GES open house! Open house will begin in our classroom at 5:00 pm. Please come to meet me, tour our classroom, learn more about what we do in room A-1, and get some free books and resources to take home!
The PTA meeting begins at 6:00 pm, so please stay if you can! There will be giveaway books there as well.
See you this Thursday!

Hopes & Dreams

2008-09-20T20:43:00.000+10:00

Last week, we talked about hopes and dreams. After much thought, each student chose one goal for first grade. Our hopes and dreams will be hanging in our class for the rest of the year as a reminder of what we want to accomplish. Here is what we are going to do this year in room A-1:

I really want to learn how to read and spell.
Keona S.

I want to learn to do social studies.
Ishac

I would like to do homework.
Shella

I want to learn to use the computer.
Isaac

I want to learn how to do art.
Kyona R.

I like to do my social studies.
Mikaila

I will listen and obey.
Demson

I want to learn science because science is my favorite.
Anne

I want to learn about animals.
Ralph

I want to learn how to read.
Angelo W.

I want to learn to read.
Rane

I want to learn how to sing ABCs.
Rommel

I want to learn about science.
Ayana

I’d like to do homework.
Brandon

I would like to do homework well.
Mary

I want to learn science.
Angelo A.

I want to listen to the teacher.
Eliza

I will learn how to do my work.
John

I hope I will do best in math.
Genae

I want to write.
Kenn

Our Class Rules

2008-09-19T20:41:00.002+10:00

This week, students made a list of all the rules we should follow in our classroom. The list was very long! Next, we put the rules into groups and decided on six important “big” rules for our class:
1. Be nice to others.
2. Keep your hands to yourself.
3. Listen to the teacher and each oher.
4. Take care of our things.
5. Work quietly.
6. Do your best.
All of the students signed their names, agreeing to follow these rules all year in our classroom.

Exploring Shapes

2008-09-18T18:35:00.002+10:00

This week, students got to use our geometric pattern blocks.

Students had time to explore with the shapes. They came up with some wonderful designs, patterns, and other creations!

After students had time to explore, we practiced sorting by shape and color.

School Supplies

2008-08-27T08:53:00.003+10:00

Here is the list of school supplies each student in my class will need for the year. Please do your best to get all of these items in as soon as you can!
Water bottles, crayons, and glue sticks are not on the list because I have already purchased these for the class, so they are not needed. The items on the list will help your child learn and make our class function more smoothly. Thank you for your help!

Welcome

2008-08-18T16:03:00.003+10:00

Welcome to our class blog! I am working hard to get everything ready for the new school year. I can't wait to meet you and start learning!