Greetings, amazing 1/2 parents at Sonshine! I hope you are enjoying your summer and making some lasting memories! I am just thrilled to be following this group of students up next year and gaining some new students in our class! I have been excited to reveal our theme for 2016-2017! Well, the "explorers" in the 1st/2nd grade class at Sonshine will be "going places" this year!
Some highlights of our new adventure include:
*Focusing on a "growth mindset", where students learn more about the way they learn, how to approach challenges in a positive way, viewing "mistakes" as learning opportunities, and committing to working hard when we want to improve!
*Studying a new continent and some of its countries each month, culminating in a project based on a country of the student's choice in the spring.
*Challenging STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities throughout the school year that allow students to be reflective about hands-on experiments.
*Continued progress in our whole-language reading program, Journeys, and implementation of the writing goals in each unit. In addition, the Daily 5 that students have loved will thrive again this year!
*In addition to our MyMath program, we will have Math Daily 3, which includes "math by myself", "math with someone", and "math writing".
*Continued study in our dynamic Bible program with character analysis of the people God used in Biblical times, the character traits of Jesus, His great love and sacrifice for us, how God uses us everyday, and how we can demonstrate the love of Jesus to others.
*Student tracking of their academic progress, including assessments, so that they may become reflective learners, capable of setting personal academic goals.
*Technology instruction on library days which includes: basic keyboarding, learning games and videos, and methods of research using the internet.
*Connections to the community: learning the important roles of helpers in our community, learning the responsibilities of good citizenship, and reaching out to the community.
As you can see, we have a year of adventure ahead! We are GOING PLACES in 1st/2nd at Sonshine and I am so happy to be part of the journey these explorers will be on!
Off we go!
Thank you, Mrs. Bates
