Library Books Due and Hands and Bathroom Breaks!

Hello!

Today was our 20^th day of school! Can you believe that? The students helped me count from 1 to 20 by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s. After we did this a couple exclaimed “I see a pattern!” as we reviewed the numbers. I love when they see patterns around us in the classroom.

Reading buddies stopped by this morning. I heard some of my students “read the pictures” and then buddies “read the words”. Seeing the students apply what they’re learning to the books makes me so proud! Ms. Mesheau read The Thankful Book by Todd Parr, and we started to journal our thoughts and ideas. We later talked about books that “fit” us as individual readers, something we will discuss in depth and repeatedly.

Tomorrow is library day! Books are to be returned in order for a new one to be signed out, as per Mrs. Paolini.

We had a large group discussion on Pillars of Care, especially Care for Others. It has been noticed in the classroom, gym, at recess that some children are not demonstrating this pillar. We talked about the importance of not pushing or pulling, keeping our hands to ourselves, and being gentle with our hands. A couple volunteers modeled ways to get a friend’s attention and how to ask a friend to play, such as tapping on a shoulder or asking verbally, as well as pretend shoving and yanking arms and legs. The class shared with me they understood which ways were acceptable and which were not. This will continue to be reinforced and my hope is that after recess my students are not in tears as someone else has hurt them.

Now on to the topic of bathroom use. I have a number of students who are requesting to use the bathroom multiple times in the day. I always ask if they can wait, especially if it means they are missing valuable lesson time, or if it is an emergency. I asked the class to listen to their bodies to determine if their body really needs to use the bathroom.  I will be connecting with parents of a few children who have been using the facilities more frequently, just to ensure I am not missing something important.

Thank you,

Ms. Cokar