October Fun!

Well, my computer is back up and running after having a virus! : ) I am feeling much better, except I still don't have much of a voice! Thank goodness the kids have been understanding! Last night was the Family Halloween Party at Queen's and it was wonderful to see everyone in their costumes. What a great night! Pictures will be posted on the photo website soon! We have been working hard learning the water cycle and next week we will be completing a video all about what we have learned so far! Once this is complete, each child will be bringing home a dvd with our movie so you can see what we have learned at home!

Our class Halloween party will be on Friday, October 29 at 2 p.m. The grade 1-2 teachers have decided not to allow dressing up at the party. It was decided at a staff meeting that full costumes would not be allowed at school, but students would be able to wear one accessory item from their costume if grades could agree. We have decided to go simple and not have anything!

However, I would like to do a fun activity to get everyone in our class involved by having a Crazy Vocabulary Hat contest. We will be reading a cool book called: Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster where the kids had to create costumes or hats that told the meaning of a vocabulary word. I will hand out directions and the hats on Monday! I will give some time in class to decorate and plan. Basically, students will pick a vocabulary word and show what it means on their hat. Go to this website for some examples: http://www.debrafrasier.com/pages/gallery.html This will be part of the spelling contract grade this week! The spelling contract will be shorter as well! : ) This should be a really fun learning project! I am excited to see all the hats!

When everyone didn't have school on Friday, Mrs. Engemann was at a conference learning how to be a better teacher. It was a GREAT conference and have realized that I already use most of the techniques, but now know how to use them better. I am excited to use the new techniques too! The conference was on differentiation which means making sure that I teach in a way that reaches every student! Every child learns at different speeds and comes to each subject manner knowing different things, I learned ways to find out what your child already knows and how to make sure they are achieving at their own potential! Needless to say, I am so excited to start using my new knowledge! This is why I love being a teacher! Let's have a great week!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip and More!

Well, we completed our first field trip! Everyone got to pick out their very own pumpkin! Some of the pumpkins they picked up were HUGE! I am surprised that they all were strong enough to lift them into the bus and home. We had a great time learning about the farm, having a snack (my apologies to my students who thought we were getting apple cider and doughnuts), and a hayride. Overall, it was a fun-filled afternoon and the weather could not be better. Check our photo page for more photos from the day. Remember our password is explore.

Just a few notes for changes in our classroom!

I implemented a quick snack time in during our morning to break up the long morning before lunch. This has helped them focus on learning and not worrying about what time lunch is. A light, healthy snack can be supplied for your child! I have snacks for those kids who forget a day. If anyone would like to contribute snacks that I can store that would be helpful! Fruit snacks, animal crackers, and pretzels are what I currently have and any help would be wonderful! Thank you in advance!

To help with our math and handwriting, we will be making Snazzy Snacks. These are easy recipes that we will write down in our best handwriting and then we will make the snack by carefully measuring out the ingredients and following the recipe directions! I have a fun recipe for fall that we will do at the end of October!

Spelling Contract Activities~ Thank you to Patty Hart who volunteered to help me upload the spellingcity.com spelling lists! I have included on the spelling contract, a new activity option of using spellingcity.com activities! Just write me a note or print out the activities that your child completes. There are some fun games and learning tools to help prepare for the spelling test! I hope this helps out!

Wii Interactive Whiteboard~ A BIG thank you goes out to my husband, Scott Engemann! He has helped me implement this fun technology into my classroom! Your kids have all had a chance to come to the board! Some have had the chance to write on the board too! I can't wait to use it in full force along with our mice! Your children are learning so much and are having fun while learning. Sometimes they don't even realize that they are indeed learning! Ha! We tricked them! : )

Activity Schedules~ I know we are all very, very busy! I would like some activities schedules from the students so I can attend one activity to show my support. This could be a sports game, a play, or whatever! Just let me know! Thanks!

That is all for now! Hopefully, the website will be uploading properly now! I plan on making a few changes throughout the week. Have a great weekend everyone! Go Green! : ) and Go Blue!

Mrs. Engemann : )