Refocus, Renew, Recharge

 

It was great to see the children again after being home for our 10 day break. These past 2 days we were able to ease back into our daily routines and work.  We did some work on goal setting.  The children told me many stories about their holiday break and some of the awesome gifts they received.  I am refocused and recharged and ready to get back on track.

One Word for Kids:

I read the book to the children and we had a great discussion about what one word they chose to carry them throughout the rest of the school year.  This was a wonderful activity and it gave the children some time to reflect on why they chose that word.

They did some brainstorming and planning before working on the final product. The children chose some very interesting words and the reasons behind it.  

They are all displayed outside of the classroom to serve as a reminder of what word they chose and why.

 

New Year´s Resolutions;

On Friday we worked on setting goals for the new year.  This tied in nicely with the activity we did with our reading buddies.  The children created posters that included what goal they wanted to accomplish both at home and in school.  We then went to reading buddies and the 4th graders helped the Kindergarteners on what their goals would be.

The children love to see their reading buddies each Friday.  This week we had a special visit from the i-Ready mascot while we were there.  The visit was to get the children pumped up for our winter benchmark beginning on Monday. 

You can see how thrilled the children are and how much they enjoy being with their Reading Buddy.

Snow Globe Moments:

With our new year beginning, this next activity also put us in a calming mindset.  We first looked at a snow globe and discussed some of the feelings they gave us.  We did some work on brainstorming these emotions and feelings.  The most common emotion was calmness and relaxation.  The children were then asked to draw the things that made them calm and relaxed and put them into the snow globe template.  It was a great way to end the day on a peaceful and calming note.  

Our New Year Posters:

Character Trait Tree:

Each month we are dedicating a specific trait to show and display to others.  For the month of January it is having a Growth Mindset.  We will discuss what it is, how to show it and at the end of the month we give an award to the student who displays it best.  We will also be reading books about it and doing various activities around that specific trait.

This month the children will get a mitten and write how they over came a challenge by not giving up or quitting.  

I have introduced the children to a new procedure. This one involves ordering their own lunches.  I always took lunch orders in the morning, but now, I am going to hold the children accountable for placing their order first thing when they come in.  I display what the lunch choices are and they have to fill in the form for what they want to have for lunch.  Responsibility rests on their shoulders.

Even though there were only 2 days of school, we did accomplish a lot.  I am so glad to be back and seeing all the happy faces.  The upcoming week will be the real challenge, seeing that we have 5 days ahead of us with so much learning happening.  Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend.