We have only been in school for two days, and for two days in a row, your kiddos have gotten to "kiss their brains!"
In our classroom, we tell each other over and over again that "we can do hard things!" When we all work really hard and succeed at doing something that we've never done before, we celebrate with a special song. You can listen to the song, "Kiss Your Brain" by Dr. Jean, below.
For a fun family moment, grab your first grader and have him/her sing along and show you the motions!
Today, the frog room friends got to kiss their brains for learning the routine of writing workshop and then writing independently for almost 30 minutes...on the second day of school! WOW! When everyone had finished working, we met together in front of the smartboard to congratulate one another, sing our song, kiss our brains, and share a sweet treat!
I am so proud of this new group of kiddos already!
I am so glad you are here! Throughout the year, I will use this blog to keep Frog Room parents and students up to date on important events and fun things happening in our classroom. I will post homework hints, volunteer opportunities, reminders, links for learning, pictures, videos and more!
I will also invite students to share in the blogging with me and some of the updates here will come from the mouths of your little learners! My hope is that by teaching my students to safely and successfully navigate this new form of communication, I will increase their passion for sharing life with others and their sense of urgency for writing — both inside and outside of the classroom.
Our school year is off to a great start!
Keep checking back for updates!
Warmly,
Mrs. Nelson
The last week of 1st grade was full of fun! We started the week with our Buddy Bash with our 3rd Grade Friends, having ice cream sundaes and playing games together, and ended the week with stories, classroom awards, and a visit from Mrs. Nelson. Thank you all for the blessing and privilege of teaching your children and learning from them as well! I love each one of them and each of them is special and unique! Thanks too, for welcoming me as their stand-in teacher and all the support and encouragement you gave me along the way! I am blessed because of you! Have a wonderful summer!
Love,
Mrs. Veenstra
We had an absolutely beautiful day for our field trip. We were so thankful it didn't rain! Our group was split into two groups, so the pictures are a little more of one group than the other, but I think your child will be able to tell you about the different stations that they encountered as we learned about what life was life on the farm in the 1930s! Kudos to you parents, because multiple times the teachers complimented our students on being so well-behaved! Enjoy!
We had a beautiful day for walking to Howard Miller Library this past week! Your kids were such troupers as we walked more than 2 1/2 miles! We learned about all the fun things that the library has to offer in the summer reading program, found just right books for ourselves, and made fun Curious George masks! Stopping at Captain Sundae was a perfect way to end a great day! Thanks to Mrs. Koopman for taking the pictures for us!
We had such a great day for Field Day on May 3! It was fun to see the kids interact with each other and be challenged in new and creative ways! Here are the long overdue pictures! Enjoy!
As you may have heard, Elias and I made a visit to the Frog Room yesterday! It was wonderful to be able to spend a few minutes catching up with the kids, and we were so blessed by the sweet cards and hugs and comments they showered on both of us!
I miss your children so much, but am also very thankful to know (and see firsthand!) that they are all loved and are thriving with Mrs. Veenstra. I couldn't get over how smart and mature they all seemed!
I'm sure that Eli and I will be back in for another visit soon!
As Spring Break gets closer, many parents begin thinking ahead and planning for ways that they can help their children avoid the "summer slide." After March conferences, I've received a few inquiries about summer tutoring -- and I am happy to provide it!
I typically tutor 1-2 days per week, in my classroom, each summer and incorporate lots of outdoor activities, technology, and non-traditional teaching strategies. It's just as fun for me as it is for the kiddos!
If you are interested in making a plan for maintaining your son/daughter's incredible 1st grade growth over the summer, please shoot me a quick email and I will be in touch soon!
Thanks!
-Mrs. Nelson
We have been having a great time in the Frog Room creating some very fun and interesting poems! On Tuesday, we used all of our senses to write popcorn poetry! We were inspired as we watched the popcorn pop and smelled the delicious aroma. Then, of course, we munched and crunched as we wrote our imaginative popcorn poems! Here's a few pictures of the students hard at work!
Friday was the kickoff for March Impact Month at New Groningen. For the entire month of March, the students and staff will be focused on finding ways that they can serve people both locally and globally. You should have received a postcard and explanation in your child's folder on Friday, but you can also read about it in the summary below: I have been so touched, encouraged, and inspired by the efforts of the students and the staff for the past 2 years that March Impact Month has been in effect, and I am excited to experience it with a new little twist this year...
This year, New Groningen's global project is helping to support the Offin Children's Centre in Ghana. This is the orphanage where our son, Eli, is currently living! Tim and I are ecstatic to have the involvement of the school in meeting a need that hits so close to home for us. I will actually be in Ghana while my students and colleagues are completing their service projects and raising money for the orphanage -- how cool!
New Groningen will be raising money (the goal is $2 per child) to purchase new bowls for the recently created dining hall at the orphanage and school. If every New Groningen student raises $2 this month, the Offin Children's Centre will have enough bowls for every child to have his/her own at mealtime! I know that some of you have been following our family blog this year -- as you may have read in the Come to the Table posts last month -- this is a HUGE improvement from the dining conditions we witnessed just a couple of months ago. I can't wait to be able to add updated photos and videos of the new dining hall and the children's smiling faces soon -- THANKS, New Groningen students and staff!
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