Hello, First Grade Families,
Last week, we practiced our play by taking on the persona of each character. We stood grumpy like King Crosspatch, practiced our cartwheels like Multiplication, and did our best belly laugh like Addition. The children observed how their peers interpreted each character and discussed how they would choose to portray their own character in our play.
As the play block requires more recitation than our other language blocks, our morning circle has taken a pause and has been temporarily replaced with a nature walk. Each morning, the children quietly walk through our campus and find a token from nature to bring back to the classroom. They then spend some quiet time sketching and tracing their object. On these walks, the children observed owls, cardinals, turtles, and lots of chipmunks making their way through the forest. The children have enjoyed spending extra time visiting the farm on some of our walks as well.
Class plays have many benefits for our Grades students. The class play allows the teacher to help guide their students in developing a variety of skills and capacities. It also helps to strengthen the sense of interdependence in the class as a whole, and it brings the opportunity to be creative through drama. Last week, we were invited to be a practice audience for the Second Grade as they rehearsed their play The Magpie’s Nest. This week, we will attend the Third Grade’s dress rehearsal of Charlotte’s Web. The first graders walked by their stage several times on their way to play at the creek. Each day, they wondered about the new props appearing on the stage. Watching the older grades perform fills our class with excitement as they prepare for our play on April 30. Our play will be held at 5:30, and we ask that for our class’s first-ever class play, only the parents of our students attend.
We are looking forward to seeing you at The Garden School annual fundraiser on Friday. The mosaic mirror made by the children is so precious! We can’t wait for you to see it!
Announcements and Reminders:
Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots).
If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.
Upcoming Events:
4/23 Third Grade class play
4/23-4/25 Fifth Grade Pentathlon
4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser and Half-day Dismissal
4/27 Community Work Day 9 a.m - 12 p.m.
4/30 First Grade class play 5:30 p.m.
5/01 Second Grade class play 5:30 p.m.
Warm regards,
Meredith
