Home Fun 12/10/2013

Word Study: Word Search Puzzle- Penguins Be a word detective. Find our 5 new words from "Penguins" in the maze of letters. This sheet goes in your Word Study NB Reading: Penguins- Please OUTLINE your words as you see them while you are reading. We may need help with this one. Reading: Nightly Reading and Log Peace- CB

Home Fun 12/9/13

Math: Counters in a Cup- Unit 3- pg. 4 Tpday we played "how many are under the cup?" We used 10 as our combination number. Tonight's number is 11. Have someone at home play with you. Tomie dePaola Author Study- Story Element Chart- Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato We have read the story 2 times. We filled in the chart today in class. Now, it's your turn. This is our first time doing the story element chart. We'll do iot again tomorrow, if needed. Reading- Nightly Reading and Log Have a marvelous Monday. CB Reminder- Our trip to the Roulette Theater is Thursday. Please send the permission form and money in, if you have not yet. $7

The Origami Tree at the AMNH

The Museum Trip was GRRRRRRREAT!

A nice outdoor lunch, a stroll around the dinosaur rooms, a peak at the origami tree, and of course, the spectacular Penguin IMAX movie. What a great day at the American Museum of Natural History. Thank you to our wonderful parent / grandparent chaperones for helping out.

Home Fun 12/3/2013 & TRIP INFO***********************************************

Word Study: Jumble Fun- Unscramble the letters to spell our 5 new words from "Time for Bed, Little Bear." This sheet goes in your WS NB. Word Work: er, or, ar, ir - Read each word on the page and decide which would make a word; er, ar, or, ir. Digraph Fun: Read through your take me home copy of "Time for Bed, Little Bear," and circle all the DIGRAPHS that you see. DIGRAPHS are ch, th, ck, wh. Reading: 15-20 mins. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY TRIP IS TOMORROW. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR BOOKS AT HOME TOMORROW. PLEASE COME TO SCHOOL WITH ONLY YOUR LUNCH. I'D LIKE TO LEAVE RIGHT FROM LINEUP. TOMORROW'S TRIP IS A TRAIN TRIP. PARENTS ARE WELCOME. WE WILL LEAVE BETWEEN 9 and 9:15.

Lunch Duty -- We're Up!

Class 1-303 has been asked to volunteer for lunch/recess duty next week. (Each of the K through 5 classrooms is assigned specific weeks throughout the school year.) PS-10 is hoping that we can provide at least 6 volunteers every day next week. (You can come for as little as one day or as many as five days during our class’ volunteer week.) The recess/lunch period is from 11:00 to 1:10. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 11:15 and stay for the duration. To put your name in, contact RoseAnn at recess@ps10.org.

We Made Origami Dreidels with Bubbe Evelyn

A big 1-303 thank you to Evelyn for her great origami dreidels. We had a great time making them and learning a little bit about the great art of FOLDING paper.

Our Chanukah Celebration was a BLAST!

Thank you to Zoe's mom, Jody, and her bubbe, for cooking our Chanukah latkes. Everyone loved them.

12/2/2013 Home Fun

Science: How do WE ADAPT to the winter? Please complete the graphic organizer by filling in some of the many ways that we ADAPT to the cold winter months. Word Study: Word Search Puzzle Fun: Be a word detective. Find our 5 new words from "Time for Bed, Little Bear" in the maze of letters. Please attach this page to your WS NB. Reading: "Time for Bed, Little Bear" As you read please OUTLINE all of your words as you read them. Hasta manana y'all- CB

American Museum of Natural History Trip is Wednesday, YES....THIS WEDNESDAY

Hey all- I am asking everyone to send in a permission letter tomorrow. Yes, a hand written letter that allows your child to go by train to the Museum of Natural History on Wednesday 12/4. There is a $7 fee for the IMAX movie, "Penguins." I know that we've had many trips recently that were $7 and $9, but that will be it for a while. Thank you, in advance. CB

Home Fun 11/25/2013

Hey gang... I could not get the Word Search Puzzle in the folders. Tonight, do the "We are thankful for..." graphic organizer and your nightly reading/ log. We'll do the word search puzzle tomorrow. Tomorrow is the Family Thanksgiving Feast. Please arrive at around 11:50 to set up.

Home Fun 11/20/13

Vowel I- Cut and Paste Me Poster- Read the directions and have fun. Due Friday (2 day activity) Reading: Meet a Pilgrim Child- As you read, please OUTLINE your words. Have a wonderful Wednesday. CB

Half Day and Parent/Teacher Meetings 

Kids get picked up at noon tomorrow to allow for parent/teacher conferences to begin. Also, if you are bringing food to the potluck, please drop your dish in room 116 before or at noon. (Don't use a dish you want returned!)

Book Fair Next Week!!!!

Great news...our class book fair appointment is next Tuesday, November 12th, at 9:30 am. If you'd like to meet us for the book fair, feel free. We'll be down in the lobby by 9:40, latest. You may shop with your child. Hope you can make it.

Bake Sale & NO School on Tuesday
Tuesday, November 5th is Election Day, which means that the kids have no school. However, the PS-10 PTA is hosting a Red, White & Blue Bake Sale during voting hours. If you can donate any homemade or store-bought baked goods, bottled water, fruit or coffee--please do! Simply bring your goodies to the school lobby on Tuesday morning. And, of course, your time is also needed. If you (or you and your child) can volunteer to sell between 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, e-mail roseannciarlante@gmail.com and let the PTA know.

Parent Fun Fridays

A big 1-303 "thank you" goes out to Rachel's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Feurer for their wonderful Haiku presentation. We wrote the beautiful Japanese writing form with Rachel's grandma and grandpa, and it was great. Thanks again.

Students of the Week

Gotta catch up. Congrats to all of our Students of the Week; Shaun, Jackson, Allan, Lily, Hannah and our most recent SOW, Nate Alberto. Great job to all.

Election Day is Tuesday November 5th

Get out and vote. Next Tuesday, November 5th, is ELECTION DAY. We will be electing a new mayor of NYC. Joe Lhota and Bill DeBlasio want to be our next mayor. The election will decide who runs our city. There is no school on Tuesday for students. Teachers will be in school that day.

Happy Halloween & Have a SAFE Day

Everyone please remember our Halloween rules for boys and girls. Stay together and have all candy looked at first. Have a great Halloween.

Parents as Learning Partners This Friday
This Friday, November 1st from 8:40 - 9:25 AM is First Friday / Parents as Learning Partners where parents/grandparents/caregivers are invited into Mr. Cliff's classroom. Afterward, feel free to head over to the Parent Coffee from 9:30 - 10:30 AM. Here, the school's guidance counselor, Mr. Oramas, will be discussing school safety and assistant principal, Ms. Napolitan, will be talking about reading levels and Common Core standards. 

Field Trip Wednesday 

The kids are heading to Green Meadow Farms this Wednesday, October 30th for a field trip. Please remember to pack a lunch and have kids in their yellow PS 10 shirts. (If you haven't paid yet, it's $9.00 a head.)

Half Day on Wednesday
The kids have a half day on Wednesday, October 23rd. Students will be dismissed at noon and all Wednesday afterschool classes will be cancelled. However, the PTA is providing half-day coverage from 12pm - 6pm, but you need to reserve a spot in advance. ($20 for a 3:30 pick-up; $30 for a 5:30/6pm pickup. To sign up, follow this link and send in the form ASAP.

Parent Fun Friday!

Today the kids taste-tested some healthy cereals for Parent Fun Fridays. It was a lot of fun and, it turns out, the kids LOVE a ton of really good-for-you cereals, which is awesome. Stay tuned for the results! There are still lots of open slots for parents to come in, so when you have a chance, please sign up. Also, *all* parents are welcome to help out or hang out during these events. (Today, Nate's mom joined the fun.)

FUN FRIDAYS! Class 303 had fun on their Adventure to Fitness- Captive Castle! They traveled back in time to the Middle Ages and helped Mr. Marc rescue his friend, Mr. Clock, who had been captured by lazy Monsieur Laze and his naughty knights! Go Adventurers!

This Week's Words of the Week

Group 1- was, came, put, said, never Group 2- house, down, mouse, sometimes, bring

Home Fun- Tuesday October 15, 2013

Sorry guys...the Home Fun sheet never made it in to your yellow folder today. Math: Carrots and Peas- 9 Veggies, Some Carrots, Some Peas Unit 1 -pg. 43 (session 4.5) Write / draw as many ways to show 9 veggies, some carrots, some peas. Word Study: Word Search- My Wonderful Aunt- Story # 1 Be a word detective. Find our 5 new words from My Wonderful Aunt, Story 1, in the maze of letters. You'll be able to find each word at least 2 times. Reading: My Wonderful Aunt- Story 1 Re-read our take me home copy of our story of the week. AS YOU READ, PLEASE OUTLINE EACH OF YOUR 5 WORDS AS YOU SEE THEM. Reading: Nightly Reading- 15 mins. Have a terrific Tuesday. CB

Sign-ups for Parent Fun Friday, Thanksgiving & Folder-stuffing
This morning, a few parents asked how to access the sign-ups. Here's the link to access all three sign-ups: Mr. Cliff's Google Drive. If you cannot access the Drives, let me or Colleen know and we'll fix it. 

Box Tops

Are you collecting Box Tops? (If No, why not??) Apparently, we need to submit them ASAP in order for PS-10 to send them in on time. You can visit http://www.boxtops4education.com/all-about-boxtops/boxtops-downloads/ to download collection sheets. Next, paste your Box Tops on the flyer and submit to the library.

First Friday--On The Second Friday
Reminder: This Friday October 11th is our rescheduled First Friday. Parents are invited to join the class from 8:40 - 9:30am to participate in a special project. Don't forget to bring the hot pink pass that was sent home in the kids' folders.

Also... Class Directory 
Each of you should have received a print out of the class directory in your child's folder. If you spot any errors, mark up the page and send it back in *or* you can simply e-mail me your tweaks and I'll make sure all is corrected and redistributed. I'm at hpevzne1@yahoo.com

Picture Day is tomorrow (October 10th)

Remember to send in your forms and payments.

Helping Out in Class

Just a reminder that Mr. Cliff needs help with folder-stuffing at the end of the day, most days. If you are available at 2:15pm, please check the Google Drive and sign up to help. And a big thanks to those who've already volunteered. (While you're on the Drive, go ahead and sign up for Parent Fun Fridays, too.)

Mr. Cliff had to attend a meeting last period, so there's no homework tonight. Back on track tomorrow. 

Parents as Learning Partners 

Mr. Cliff needs to reschedule Parents as Learning Partners ---yet to be confirmed but it's tentatively planned for next Friday, October 11th from 8:40-9:30am.

This Friday (and upcoming Fridays)

This Friday is the kick off of PS10′s Parents as Learning Partners (aka First Fridays). That means we are all invited into Mr. Cliff's classroom from 8:40-9:30am to participate in a special project. 

In 1-303, Fridays are special for another reason, too: It's Parent Fun Fridays where moms and dads come into the class and share a special activity with the kids. You can do anything, really: Share a craft or a cooking project, teach a fun/wacky/useful skill you know, take them to the park for some yoga or an exploration. If you have not received the Google doc signup sheet, please let Colleen (colleenhenckels@gmail.com) know, and she'll resend. (And thanks Chiara, Jackson's mom, for already signing up!)

Ten Stock was Great

1-303 was represented well at Ten Stock on Saturday. My son, Jack, and I had the pleasure of seeing Evan, Jackson Felix, and a host of past 1-303ers. We had a great time in the schoolyard.

September Birtrhdays...Rachel, Aedan, and Susana

We had three birthdays in a week, and everybody celebrated with us. Happy birthday to our classmates.

Something's FISHY in 1-303!

Our new class pets are settling in to their new digs. Thanks to Chloe Nebel's family, we are the proud "parents" of 5 fish. We'll name them next week. More to come...

The Book Baggie Low Down

Please remember that book baggies must be returned to school every day. We need them for reader's workshop. Thanks, CB

Yellow...If You Have It...Wear IT?

Yellow is so easy to see, especially when you're walking with 27 1st graders.

Puppetworks Field Trip Tomorrow! 

Don't forget to send the kids in their yellow PS-10 T-shirts.

Curriculum Day / Night Tomorrow and Wed. PM

Just a reminder that tomorrow morning @ 8:40 am is Meet the Teacher Day. If you are unable to attend on Tuesday AM, you may come to the Wednesday 6 :00 pm session. All those burning Q's are sure to be raised and answered. I hope to see everyone. Thanks- CB

Birthday Celebrations in 1-303

I am more than happy to celebrate birthdays in our room. Ideally, the best time is late in the school day, except for Monday. Monday we have gym last period. Please contact me a week or so ahead of time so that we can plan. Our first celebration (Aedan's) will take place this Friday afternoon. Happy birthday!

Our First Trip will be to Puppetworks on September 27th, for Alladin

Great news...our first class trip will take place on Friday September 27th. We'll walk over to Puppetworks to see their version of "Alladin." The show begins at 12 or 12:30. I'll confirm with everyone on Monday. Permission forms will be sent home next week. I believe the bargain price for September is $4.50 per child. Again...I'll confirm all info. next week. Save the date though...Friday September 27th. It should be great.

Gym Reminder...please dress for gym on Monday and Wednesday.

Please have your child dress for comfort, especially on GYM days, Monday and Wednesday. Our gym teacher, Ms. Notias, has noticed some children not wearing comfortable shoes for gym. Thanks, CB

Shared Reading- September, Chicken Soup with Rice

During shared reading we look at chunks, blends, rhyming words, capital letters, silent e's, and interesting new words. This week we have been reading "September," from Chicken Soup with Rice, by Maurice Sendak. We will be reading that month's poem every 1st day of the month. In September for a while I will ride a crocodile down the chicken soupy Nile. Paddle once, paddle twice, paddle chicken soup with rice.

THANK YOU for the supplies. We are SET for the year.

I'd like to thank all of you for your generosity with the classroom supplies. Our supply closet is bursting. We will use all of the supplies during the school year. Thanks again. Class 1-303

9/11 on our Minds...Maybe a Chat?

This morning at PS 10 our Parent Coordinator, Ms. Seide, asked the entire school to have a moment of silence in honor of the September 11th attacks. This announcement was made over the PA system. This stirred some curiosity amongst our children in 303. Questions followed the announcement. I talked about the attacks briefly with the children. I did say that people "died." The 9/11 anniversary will be on the news today. Please speak with your children tonight (if you feel it necessary) to gauge their reactions to today's discussion.

Twitter Info.

I like the idea of making a more transparent classroom by using Twitter at various times of the school day. When the time is right, and if I notice a "moment," I will take a picture and post it to Twitter. My twitter address is @Mr_CliffB. I'm not really a Twitter(er) yet. Bare with me.

Out of Classroom Classes

Hey all- I just got our schedule for the year. The children will have the following "cluster" classes. Mon.- Gym (Ms. Notias), Tues. Science (Ms. Thill), Wed. Gym (Ms. Notias), Thurs. Art (Ms. Treinen), and Fri. Computer (Mr. Waisome) AND Art (Mr. Ellis). Ciao

Contacting me by E Mail is Easy...

I have created an e-mail address that will be used ONLY by 1-303. That address is mr.cliff@aol.com. Thanks

The First Day of School is Monday September 9th

The 1st day of the 2013-2014 school year is Monday September 9th. Look for me in the school yard at the 1-303 lineup area. I'll be holding a sign that says, "Mr. Cliff 1-303." Try to arrive at about 8:30 am. Early is better, especially on the first day. I'm so excited to meet all of you. See you on the 9th, at 8:30 am.

Class 1-303 Supply List for 2013-2014 School Year

Hey Guys- The class supply list has always been sent home before we are able to take a look at what we already have left over. Here's what we'll do... if you have already purchased the items on the 1st grade list that was sent home at the end of last school year, no problem. Just check against the list below. You may not need to send some items in. Maybe you can return them for store credit? A pack of post-its (any colors), a pack of black Sharpie markers (not the fine point), a pack of Crayola markers, 3 folders (solid colors only, for now), 1 roll of paper towel, 1 box of tissues, 2 notebooks (nothing wired please), 1 pack dry erase markers (any colors), 1 pack of copy paper, one can of Lysol wipes, a bottle of anti-bacterial pump soap, and finally...1 pack of black Papermate Flair pens (for Writer's Workshop). If you are unable to purchase any of the items on the list, no worries. Contact me and we'll chat. When to bring the supply list items in- If your last name begins with A-L (ie...A= Alberto), please bring the supplies in on Tuesday September 10th. If your last name begins with M-Z, please send the supplies in on Wednesday September 11th. Thanks for your help. Mr. Cliff

Welcome to Class 1-303

Welcome to our class blog. We will use this blog to keep the lines of communication open in our class community. I'll try to post photos and announcements that will keep you and your family updated on what's happening in 1-303. Soon, I will ask a couple of our parents to join me in posting to the blog. I hope you enjoy our blog. Mr. Cliff