November 28-December 2, 2016

Welcome back everyone! I was so happy to see the smiling faces of 20 little people this morning! We have 14 school days until the next break! We have so many things to pack in to these days!

Reminders:
Monday (11/28): Homework bags will come home on Tuesday!
Tuesday (11/29): Tuesday folders come home.  Please unload and return them on Wednesday.
Wednesday (11/30): Library day- Remember to turn in books

                             Skate Night 6pm-8pm
Thursday (12/1): Field Trip to the Austin Nature Center
                            Family Art Night

Looking Ahead:
December 5-9: Caraway Book Fair
12/8 International Fair
12/15 Winter Party Day
12/16 No school for Students

First Grade Field Trip

Where: Austin Nature Center

When: Thursday, December 1, 2016

Time: 10:30am-2:00pm

-Please send a completely disposable lunch. We will be eating lunch as the Nature Center!

-The students need to wear a Caraway Shirt.  They can also wear a blue or green shirt.

-If you would like to join us as a volunteer please let me know as soon as possible!

This week in Reading Workshop...
We are beginning our unit on Fairy Tales! We will discuss the elements of a fairy tale such as they begin with "Once upon a time..." and end with "Happily Ever After!" We will discuss the characters, setting, problem/solution. This is such a fun unit! Our unit with culminate in our annual Fairy Tale Parade on Friday, January 6th.  More information will come home soon!

This week in Writer's Workshop...
We will explore how writers write about imaginary things too.  This morning we talked to a partner about the characters we might put in a story and where our story will take place.  We will continue develop our story ideas as we beginning our writing this week.

This week in Math...
We are exploring the relationship between addition and subtraction. We will begin learning how subtraction problems work and finding patterns to help us solve. We will solve word problems and add strategies to our problem solving tool box.  We will also share the strategies we use when solving problems so we can learn from each other.

This week in Science...
We are discovering and observing rocks and soils! We will discuss the properties of rocks, what rocks are used for and where we see rocks in the world around us.  We will learn about the different types of soils and what they are used for.

Have a great week!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1: 1^st Grade Field Trip to Austin Nature Center

   Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester

November 14-18, 2016

Today, you will find a permission slip for the Austin Nature Center field trip.  Please fill it out and send it back by Friday, Nov. 18.  Thanks!

As we enter the holiday season I just want to tell you all how thankful I am for your support. These children are surrounded by loving and caring teachers both at school and at home. I thank you for supporting your children both as learners and citizens of our community. I am lucky to have such a sweet group of students with such thoughtful parents.

Reminders
Tuesday: Tuesday folders will come home. Please unload them and return them the next day.
Wednesday:Thanksgiving lunch in the cafeteria

         No Library this week
Thursday:  Ms. Smith out
Friday: Turkey Trot 10:30am-11:20am


This week in Reading and writing workshop...
We will be thinking like readers as we explore Thanksgiving books to learn more about the First Thanksgiving. Then we will take what we know and have learned and make our own books about the First Thanksgiving.


This week in Social Studies...
We will be learning about inventors and how their ideas changed our community. We will explore Alexander Graham Bell, Garrett Morgan and Ben Franklin. These individuals used an open mindset to try new things and take risks. They succeeded after many tries and now we can thank them for the inventions they created.


This week in Math...
We will continue our work with place value. We will compose and decompose numbers up to 120. We will compare numbers in isolation, with concrete objects and in problem solving situations.


Have a great week!   

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Nov. 16:  Thanksgiving Luncheon in the Cafeteria

Nov. 18:  Turkey Trot @ 10:35

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break- No School

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1: 1^st Grade Field Trip to Austin Nature Center

   Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester

November 7-11, 2016

I was so excited to see so many of my kiddos at the Harvest Festival this past Saturday!  Maggie had so much fun playing, laser tag, petting the animals and bouncing.  We were exhausted when we got home!  

We only have two weeks together until Thanksgiving Break!

Reminders:
Monday:  Mock Election in the Library
Tuesday: Caraway is a Polling location for the Election.
               Tuesday folders will come home- Please unload and return on Wed.

 Wednesday: Library Checkout- Please remind your child to turn in their books by 8am.
Thursday: Coffee and Conversation with Mrs. Bailey 7:45am
Friday: Last Caraway Academy this session
             Picture Re-takes and Holiday pictures

*We have PE on Monday, Wednesday and Friday- Wear tennis shoes

*Send a healthy snack for your kiddo every day

Looking ahead...
Monday, November 14: Heritage Doll Project is Due
Wednesday, November 16: Thanksgiving Lunch in the Cafeteria
Friday, November 17: Turkey Trot 10:35am

This week in Reading and Writing Workshop...
We will be learning more about nonfiction text.  We will be focusing on the Main Idea of nonfiction texts as we read and learn about Pumpkins.  We will also learn about the Pumpkin Life Cycle as we write facts about pumpkins that we learn while reading.  In Writing Workshop we will continue our interactive writing and create a class book about Pumpkins.  We will think about what we already know and write facts.  As we go through the week we will organize the facts and create our very own nonfiction book!

This week in Science...
We will be learning about forces with Magnets! We will predict how the magnets will work then we will explore different types of Magnets.  We will record our observations in our science notebooks as we learn about magnets.

This week in Math...
We will begin stretching our knowledge about Place Value this week.  We will practice with patterns on hundreds charts and magnetic tens frames so we can understand that the TENS place has groups of ten and the ONES place has single units.  Practice with the basic idea of place value by having your child count small objects out in groups of ten.  Then have then count how many groups are there and tell you the number they created. We will end the week with using Tens sticks and ones cubes as we compose and decompose numbers.

Have a great week!

       

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Nov. 11:  Last Caraway Academy @ 7:40 am

Nov. 14:  Heritage Doll Project due

Nov. 16:  Thanksgiving Luncheon in the Cafeteria

Nov. 17:  Turkey Trot @ 10:35

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break- No School

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1: 1^st Grade Field Trip to Austin Nature Center (more info to come)

   Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester

October 24-28, 2016

Kathy Caraway Elementary is celebrating Red Ribbon Week

Monday: We are Red-y for Red Ribbon Week! (Come decked in RED!)

Tuesday: We have the POWER make Good Choices!!! (Wear Super Hero Shirts) 

Wednesday: Hats off for being Healthy!(Wear hats to school)

Thursday: It’s Crazy to do Drugs!(Wear crazy socks)

Friday: Wake up healthy and strong! (wear pajamas to school)

Caraway Academies
We enjoyed Academies again last week! Hopefully you were able to order a Caraway Academy t-shirt to help support future Academies!  We have 3 weeks left in our Fall Academy session.  I know the kiddos are having so much!

Reminders

Monday: Reading Homework Bags will come home

Tuesday: Library Books are Due by 8am.

               Tuesday folders will come home. Please unload, review work and return        

                          Wednesday. 

Wednesday: Early Release at 12:00pm.  Skate Night

Thursday: 

Friday: Reading Homework Bags are Due

              Caraway Academy 7:45am-8:30am

This week in Reading Workshop...

We will begin learning about Expository Texts.  We will explore the differences between Fiction and Nonfiction texts.  Then we will examine nonfiction text features such as photographs as pictures, diagrams, headings and table of contents.  We will begin reading nonfiction texts in our small groups.  We will discuss nonfiction texts and the purpose for reading them, to learn. This week we will focus our learning on Bats.

This week in Writing Workshop...

We will wrap up our unit on Small Moments.  We have been hard at work thinking of ideas, writing stories, making them fancy then publishing them! Author's Chair on Friday we extra special because we had quite a few of our "published authors" share their stories.  This week we will begin thinking about writing comments on things we know a lot about.  We will generate a list of things we know about then choose one to write more about.  We will also focus some of our time on writing what we know about Bats before we read to find out more. 

This week in Math...

We will continue thinking about measurement as we move into telling time.  Students will be able to tell time to the hour by identifying the short hand as the hour hand and the long hand as the minute hand on an analog clock.  We will relate digital clocks to analog clocks and tell time with both.  

This week in Social Studies...

This is the last week for our Coins for Coats Drive.  It has been amazing to see the children hard at work counting the coins as they are collected.  We've raised over $200.00 so far!  One of our focuses is Selfless Giving.  We discuss how giving to others makes us feel like we've made a difference in our community.  We wrote letters last week to see if our parents can help us find some more coins at home!  

We will also learn about our community symbols as we study the US Symbols.  We will discuss their meaning and why symbols like the Liberty Bell are important to our nation's history.  We will also study our state's symbols such as the Texas Flag and the Alamo.  We will learn about our state's history and why we should be proud to be Texans.

Have a great week! 

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct. 24-28:  Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 26:  Early Release Day.  Dismissal @ 12:00

                Skate Night @ 6:30 -Playland Skate Center

Nov. 4:  Harvest Festival @ 4:00-7:00 pm

Nov. 11:  Veteran’s Day Program @ 8:00 am

Nov. 16:  Thanksgiving Luncheon @ 11:30 -send in your sign up sheet if interested

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break- No School

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1: 1^st Grade Field Trip to Austin Nature Center (more info to come)

   Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester

October 11-14, 2014

Our first Sprit Assembly was last Monday.  We practiced singing our school song that was written by Mr. Touchet.  We sang Happy Birthday to all of our friends who have October birthdays.  Then we reviewed our 3 Owl Agreements. Be Safe. Be Respectful. Be Responsible.  We will have assemblies at the beginning of each month.

     Last Friday we went to our very first Caraway Academy.    The boys and girls came back to our classroom ready to share all that they learned at their Academy! We will have Academies for the next 5 weeks on Friday mornings.  I hope your child came home and told you all about it!

Reminders: 

Thursday: Science Night at 6:00pm
Friday: Caraway Academy 7:45am-8:30am

This week in Reading Workshop...

We will begin learning how making predictions can help us when we are reading.  A strong reader is able to use connections they have made to activate prior knowledge about something.  Then from that, they are able to make a prediction about what they think will happen next in the story.  A strong reader knows that making predictions will help them to stop and think about the story, therefore increasing comprehension.  A strong reader also knows that not all predictions are correct, and that’s ok!

This week in Writer's Workshop...

We will begin to think about experiences we've had that take place within a small time frame.  A birthday party, taking the dog for a walk or going to the park are a few "Small Moments" that we will be writing about this week.  We will continue to use the writing process (sketch a picture, write words to match, make our story fancy) as we narrow our topics down and describe our experiences with detailed words. 

This week in Math...

We will be wrapping up our unit on Addition Strategies.  It is important that first graders begin to practice their math facts and solve them quickly without counting on their fingers.  We will continue to practice addition strategies and basic problem solving throughout the year.  As always, the objective for learning strategies is to become a more confident problem solver!

This week in Social Studies...

We will begin our Coins for Coats Project.  For this Project Based Learning (PBL) opportunity we are partnering with Mrs. Letendre and the Student Council to raise money for a district wide philanthropy project.  More information will be coming soon!

Have a great week! 

       

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct. 13:  Science Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Oct. 22:  Harvest Festival @ 4:00-7:00 pm

Oct. 26:  Early Release Day.  Dismissal @ 12:00

Nov. 11:  Veteran’s Day Program @ 8:00 am

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break- No School

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1: 1^st Grade Field Trip to Austin Nature Center (more info to come)

   Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester

October 3-7, 2016

Wow! It's already October! On Monday we will have our first Spirit Assembly.  It will begin promptly at 7:40am (for K-2).  We will drop our backpacks off in the room and head down to the cafeteria.  This is going to be a great time for our school community as we share good news and celebrate our accomplishments! 

     On Friday we will begin Caraway Academy.  This will also begin promptly at 7:40am.  We will drop our backpacks off and head to the classrooms where our academies are located.  There will be a note that will come home in the Tuesday folder for more information about Caraway Academy! We are all very excited to share our passions with students and help them develop their passions!

    This is going to be an amazing week at Caraway Elementary!

Reminders: 

Monday: K-2 Spirit Assembly 7:40am-8:00am

Tuesday: Tuesday folders come home.  Please sign them and return them on Wednesday.

Wednesday: We do not have Library this week.

Thursday: 

Friday: Caraway Academy 7:40am-8:30am

*Snack:  Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.

*PE:  We have PE on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Please make sure your kiddo is wearing tennis shoes (for sure) on these days.

*A conference sign-up sheet went out on Sunday evening. If you have not signed up for a conference please do so as the slots are filling up.  Email me if you have any questions.

This week in Writing Workshop...

We will be reminded about all we have learned as writers so far this year.  We will review the steps of the writing process as we lead up to our Celebration on Friday.  Writers begin a story by sketching an idea, matching their words to their picture, then rereading our story to make sure it makes sense.  We also know that a writer's work is never done.  When we finish a story we can add to our picture, add to our words to make them fancy (revising and editing).  We will celebrate by sharing our stories at our very first Author's Chair Celebration!

This week in Reading Workshop...

We will be thinking about how good readers make connections.  When we read a book we can think about how readers make a connection to something they know (text to self), something they've read (text to text) and/or something they've experienced (text to world).  "That reminds me of..." 

This week in Social Studies...

We will be exploring how the leaders in our community are good citizens.  We will discuss responsibilities of our community leaders from our school to our country.  We will also begin exploring our national symbols.  We will learn about the American Flag, what it represents and why it is so special to us.

This week in Math...

We will continue our unit on addition.  We have learned to count on (5..6,7,8) when we add. We will learn that basic facts have things in common.  For example 5+4 = 9 so, when you turn it around 4+5 = 9 you know two facts just by thinking about what the problem has in common.  We call these facts Turnaround Facts.  Research shows that students who learn strategies to acquire basic fact knowledge will become better problem solvers! At home you can use concrete objects to add together such as beans or pieces of fruit or vegetables! "I see on your plate you have 5 peas and 3 carrots.  How many veggies do you have!" Try it at dinner some time this week.

Growth Mindset: 

We've been talking about our Fantastic Elastic Brains! We know that if we make a mistake it can help our brains grow! This week we will learn a little more about how our brains grow when we read The Fantastic Elastic Brain. 

Have a great week!

       

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct. 3:  K-2 Spirit Assembly @ 7:40

Oct. 7:  Caraway Academies @ 7:40

Oct. 5:  Bike and Walk to School Day

Oct. 10:  Columbus Day- No School

            Parent/Teacher Conferences

Oct. 13:  Science Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Oct. 22:  Harvest Festival @ 4:00-7:00 pm

Oct. 26:  Early Release Day.  Dismissal @ 12:00

Nov. 11:  Veteran’s Day Program @ 8:00 am

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break- No School

Nov. 30:  Skate Night @ 6:00-8:00 pm

Dec. 1:  Family Art Night @ 6:00-7:30 pm

Dec. 5-9:  Book Fair

Dec. 8:  International Festival @ 6:00-8:00pm

Dec. 15:  Winter Parties/Last Day of 1^st Semester

Dec. 16-Jan 2:  Winter Break

Jan. 3:  1^st Day of 2^nd Semester