Bienvenue!

Bonjour, parents! Welcome to our class blog. We have been having a FANTASTIC first two weeks of first grade!

We have been practicing the rules and routines of grade one, and the students are learning quickly. Grade one is a big adjustment!

I hope that you will all be able to make it to our Meet the Teacher/Welcome Back BBQ, which will take place on Thursday, September 22nd. However, I know that you must be curious about where your child spends their day! I would therefore like to share a little virtual tour of our classroom :)

I am with the students for the first two blocks of the day, during which time we study French (encompassing Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and the Arts). The students have M. Joachim for Health and Physical Education, and then during the last block they are learning Mathematics with Mrs. Severson. 

We begin each morning at our carpet area ("le tapis") where we discuss our morning message ("le message du jour"). While we are there, we sing our song of the week. Last week we learned "Bonjour", which the students loved.

When we are not at the carpet area, we can be found moving around the classroom (doing yoga, dance, or other kinesthetic activities). Students work at desks when they are writing, making art, or doing other independent work. 

Our "Mur des Merveilles" (wall of wonders) is our showcase for our best work. For now, I have put the students' first craft in their frames, but later in the year students will begin to self-select work that they are proud of (any piece of art, writing, math, etc.) and it will be displayed in their frame.

You may have heard that we have Monarch caterpillars in the classroom! This has been a very exciting project that we started last Thursday. We received 5 caterpillars and one chrysalis. The students have been observing the caterpillars, and drawing or writing to describe what they see.

On Monday, the first chrysalis transformed into a butterfly! We observed it closely, and then released it during recess. Hopefully we will soon have five more butterflies to release!

A few notes and reminders: 

• Thank you to those who have returned the three school forms sent home last week. If you have not yet had a chance to return these forms, please do so as soon as possible. 
• On Monday, we sent home September's Scholastic book order. Please return the Scholastic order by tomorrow - Thursday, September 15th. 
• Although we have some cooler weather outside, it continues to be quite warm inside our classroom on sunny days. I would recommend sending your child to school wearing layers, so that they have the option of wearing a t-shirt or sleeveless shirt in the classroom, as many students have been complaining of being hot.
• We no longer have a water fountain in the classroom, so please send your child to school with a water bottle to minimize trips to the fountain down the hall. Merci!

Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week, 

Mme Bena