The Giving Tree

This year BJ's has agreed to help us with our annual Giving Tree. If our school is able to collect 1,000 cans, BJ's will donate $1,000 to our school. What a great deal. Let your child choose something he/she really enjoys eating and donate that item. If every child just brings in one can then we would reach our goal. Let's do our part - one can would be good but two would be great!

What are we thankful for?

Each year I love talk to the kids about what they are thankful for. Their answers always amaze me. Today Mrs. VanAlstyne read another book about being thankful for all we have. Then they returned to their seats to write what they are thankful for. You can find their paper in the planner. Here are a couple of quick highlights:
- my family
- my teachers
- my dog
- the seasons
- my toys
- my mom
- my friends
- plants and trees
- sisters
- my pets
- my school
- the earth
- the whole world
- sunshine

We hope everyone has a safe and joyful Thanksgiving.

Recycle Celebration

On Friday we continued our kickoff for our new recycling program. We were treated to bags from Sam's Club that we can use for our regular shopping. We recycled our water bottles in our great new recycling bin. We drew pictures of what we can do to recycle ourselves. And we heard a great story about recycling. This is going to be a great program for us this year which we hope to continue each year after. What a great way for our first graders to contribute to the conservation of our planet. Please help us by doing your part - use your new Sam's Club bag wherever you may go.

Extra Expedition 11/20

Soil...what is that stuff? This week we began learning about soil in class. Your child's expedition is to bring in a small sample of the soil around their home. It doesn't have to be much. We can't wait to see how different or alike the soil around our area is.

Happy Homeworking!

BJ's Night

This year BJ's became a business partner to Chets Creek. On Friday night, they will have a Chets Creek night. Our own recorder band will be playing and they will be selling hot dog specials (hot dog, chips, and soda). The cost is $3.00 and all the proceeds will be given directly back to our school. They are even donating the food to sell. So join us this Friday at BJ's on Atlantic and Kernan. Check the memo for specific details regarding time.

And the Award Goes To...

Thank you to all our parents who were able to join us this morning for our awards ceremony. We are very proud of all the students in our class. They continue to work hard and try their best daily. Thank you for sharing your child with us.

Recycle to Save our Planet

Paper or plastic? Cloth please. That is what our kids learned on Friday morning when we gathered with the rest of the first grade to kick off a project to recycle in our classrooms. Each class got their own large recycling bin that is divided into two sides. One side is for plastic and on the other side is for paper. Mrs. Alvarado got them pumped up to do their part to save our planet from unnecessary waste taking up space in our landfills and harming our precious sea animals! Ask your child what she taught them about the dangers of plastic grocery bags, how they can harm sea animals, and how they end up in our oceans.

Aussie Adventure # 8

This week our adventure took us to Melbourne. There is so much to learn about these fascinating cities across Australia. Here are some of the top ten highlights:
1. It was established in 1835 by free settlers.
2. it is the second most populated city.
3. Some common animals are the Rock Pigeion and the Red Fox.
4. It was host to the 1956 summer Olympics.
5. It is located on the mouth of the Yarra River.
6. They are building a desalinization plant there.
7. Football and Cricket are the most popular sports in Melbourne.
8. It is Australia's busiest seaport.
9. It is the state capital of Victoria.
10. The Shrine of Rememberance is an important cultural landmark.

What we learned about Sydney

Our last Aussie Adventure took us to Sydney, Australia. WOW...did the kids enjoy learning about this great city. Here are just a few things they learned:
1. It is the capital of New South Whales
2. Nicknamed the Harbour City
3. Home to the famous Opera House
4. Sydney held the 2001 Olympics
5. Founded in 1788.
6. It is a very multicultural city
7. Most popular sport is rugby
8. It is the 15th most expensive place in the world (Ahhh)
9. It has more people than any other city in Australia
10. Home to the Taronga Zoo

Extra Expedition 11/9

Last week we were reading a book called "The Lotus Seed". This is a beautiful story about a woman who cherishes her precious Lotus seeds from her childhood. The students had many questions about what a Lotus flower looked like and where they grew. Their extra expedition is to find out anything they can about a Lotus flower. They have until Wed. to bring in the information. We will be using this information when we continue our questioning strategy during Reader's Workshop. Happy Homeworking.

Non-Fiction Writing

Over the next couple weeks we will be completing Report Writing in Writer’s Workshop. During this time we will be learning about non-fiction conventions (glossary, captions, headings, etc.) and different types of non-fiction books such as question/answer books. One of our favorite authors of non-fiction is Gail Gibbons. We would love to have a variety of her books to teach from through this unit. If you are willing to purchase one or more of her titles, our boys and girls would really love it! We would appreciate any support you are able to provide. Her books can be purchased on-line from the major book stores and range in price from about $7.00 to $15.00. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

And the winner is....

Today we had our class elections for President. WOW...it was a really tough race. Both of our candidates showed up ready to win the voters. They had signs they wore and signs around the room.



Both even brought something extra for the voters (candy and cookies) along with a speech as to why the class should vote for them. Soon it was time to vote. First we began with our two candidates.












Then each student in the class was able to cast his/her secret ballot. After each vote, the student received an "I voted" sticker.







When the voting was done, the ballots were counted. Yes, it was a close race among friends. There was only one President but two girls who were still friends at the end of the day. Congratulations to our President and Vice President! We are proud of both of you.

The Presidential Election

Tomorrow is not just a voting day for adults across the country. In our class, as I am sure in many others, we will be voting on our own class president. Of course the "class president" idea was inspired by our country's Presidential election as well as our October Book of the Month - Grace for President.


After hearing this book, our class decided we too would like to have a class president. It didn't even have to be a girl! So we held our own primary election to determine which two candidates would be running for office. During this time, we spent time learning about our government and past presidents that were important to American history. Tomorrow two of our students (Faith and Julia) will be trying to win votes after their week long campaign in class. Students will be able to listen to the final campaign speeches and cast their vote.

Good luck to everyone running for President! We will keep you updated from the polls.