First Grade: March 21 - 25

Dear First Grade Families,

Last week, we continued in our current math block and will continue this week as well. We are using new stories to review the four math processes, and are continuing to work on our math fact fluency using numbers 1-20. 

We celebrated TJ’s birthday last week- happy birthday TJ! The students shared what makes TJ a special part of our class. Some of the things his classmates admire are: that he loves learning, that he is an amazing fort builder, and that he is a kind friend.

Reminders:

  • Friday, April 1 is Grandfriends Tea from 9:30-10:30 and is a half-day.  Please RSVP via email with the name(s) of Grandfriends planning to attend if you have not yet done so. 

  • April 4-8th is Spring Break.

  • Friday, April 22nd is a half-day and our Annual Fundraiser.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: March 14 - 18

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Last week, we continued our current math block. We have been working with groups of tens and ones, and noticing similarities in building two digit numbers. We also constructed a hundreds chart and looked for patterns, such as what happens after the 9 ones column. 

On Thursday we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by going for a forest walk leprechaun hunt, making leprechaun shoes, and listening to a lovely read aloud surrounding the leprechaun. Additionally, during painting with Ki Fatima, students were challenged to paint a rainbow while only using red, yellow and blue. 

During handwork this week, students began to sew their felt fish for our class auction project. They are coming out so lovely and the students are delighted with their products! 

Reminders:

  • Friday, April 1 is Grandfriends Tea from 9:30-10:30 and is a half-day.  

  • April 4-8th is Spring Break.

  • Friday, April 22nd is a half-day and our Annual Fundraiser.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: March 7 - 11

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Last week, we began our current math block. We are working with the tens place and the ones place, and noticing patterns that come out of numbers 1 through 100. To bring this learning to life, the children heard a lovely story titled “The Quest for the Star of the Sea.” There was a beautiful tower in our story, and we built towers out of gems that were ten gems tall. Once we got to ten “bricks,” we would start another column. Students noticed connections between groups of tens, groups of ones, and two digit numbers. 

During painting with Ki Fatima, students discussed the signs of spring. They then made a beautiful painting with red flowers.  Students are currently working through a pond unit with Ki Rachel in environmental education. Last week, they closely observed pond life and went for a pond scavenger hunt!

Reminders:

  • Saturday, March 19th, is a Community Workday

  • Friday, April 1, is Grandfriend’s Day.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley 

First Grade: February 28 - March 2

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Last week, we completed our current language arts block. Students created small books for reading practice and have enjoyed reading their books to their friends. To celebrate finishing our books, we had a reading party in the forest! This week we will begin our next math block. We will be working with the tens place and the ones place, and noticing patterns that come out of numbers 1 through 100.

We celebrated Nora’s birthday last week- happy birthday Nora! The students shared what makes Nora a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: she helps us when we are down, she is a great friend, and she helps take care of forest friends, especially our slugs!

Last, thank you so much for the birthday wishes and generous gift. Your kindness made my day!

  • Friday, March 11 is a teacher workday and there is NO SCHOOL.

  • Please send your child with two full water bottles each day.  We drink a lot more water on the warmer days.

  • Please remember to always send a full set of extra clothing and rain gear, especially boots, daily.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: February 14 - 18

Dear First Grade Families,

I hope you are enjoying some peaceful time away from school with your loved ones! Last week, we celebrated the love we have for each other and our school on Valentine’s Day. We shared what we love about our class and made friendship bracelets together. Students shared that they admire the way our class is kind to one another. They also love how we can all play together and have so much fun doing so!

We continued to add pages to our readers based on the story “The Two Brothers.” Students then took some time to read their books to one another. We will continue to practice with our readers when we return from break. 

Last week in Environmental Education, first graders took a trip to the pond. They paddled around the pond on our floating classroom and we’re delighted to share the many different things they saw!

Thank you all for coming out for parent teacher conferences. It was so nice to touch base on how the children are doing, and so wonderful to share how much they have grown this year! Thank you also for the sweet collection of flowers on Valentine’s Day. Your communal kindness made my day!

Reminders:

  • Friday, March 11 is a teacher in-service day; there is no school

  • Parents, please take time to listen to this podcast over break : How to Compete with the Stimulation of Screens | Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D. | The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast - S3 E3 https://pod.fo/e/10625a

Warm Regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: February 7 - 11

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! 

Last week, continuing our language arts block, students listened to a wonderful read-aloud titled “The Two Brothers.” Students then wrote short sentences based on the story and practiced reading them. They are using these pages to make their very own small books to practice their reading at school.

Additionally, we have been practicing how to distinguish between short and long vowel sounds. Last week, we learned a new song to help us with this! We will continue to work with vowel sounds as the year progresses.

Reminders:

  • It’s Parent/Teacher Conference week!  Wednesday–Friday are half-days.  Pick up is at 12:30pm.  Thank you!

  • Next week is Mid-Winter break.  No school February 21-25th.

Have a lovely week!

Warm regards, 

Ki Hayley 

First Grade: January 31 - February 4

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Last week we continued our current language arts block. We were introduced to several lower case letters that came to life through assorted fairy tales. Some of the stories included African fairy tales: “Nolwandle, Girl of the Waves'' and “Everything Changes, Everything Passes.”

In Mandarin class last week, students learned about the Chinese New Year and learned a new song they quickly mastered together. They have been sweetly singing during recess and transition times too!

First grade enjoyed experiencing the forest in a very wet state this week. We got wet and muddy, and so were reminded of the best ways to stay warm during the winter. An extra set of dry clothes are a must here at the forest school every day. Please feel free to send a couple sets of dry clothes to store in our first grade cottage if you wish.

February is Black History month. This week we listened to a poem written by Useni Eugene Perkins titled “Hey Black Child.” The students enjoyed listening to the poem each morning. You can find this poem below.

"Hey Black Child" by Useni Eugene Perkins

Hey Black Child,

Do you know who you are? Who you really are?

Do you know you can be What you want to be?

If you try to be

what you can be.

Hey Black Child,

Do you know where you’re going? Where you’re really going?

Do you know you can learn

What you want to learn?

If you try to learn

What you can learn?

Hey Black Child,

Do you know you are strong? I mean really strong?

Do you know you can do What you want to do?

If you try to do

What you can do?

Hey Black Child,

Be what you can be

Learn what you must learn

Do what you can do

And tomorrow your nation will be what you want it to be

Reminders:

  • It is time for our Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences.  All three conference days will be early dismissal for all students, from 12:15-12:30pm. I will be holding conferences in person, but am available for Zoom conferences upon request as well. Please let me know if you would prefer a Zoom conference via email and I will send you a link. You may sign up here. 

Have a lovely week!
Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: January 24 - 28

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! 

Last week we continued our current language arts block. We were introduced to several lower case letters that came to life through stories such as Jorinda and Joringal, Hans the Hedgehog, the Goose Girl, and Prunella. The students especially loved acting out the events of Prunella, demonstrating how to retell a story!

In Environmental Education last week, first grade reviewed camp fire safety with Ki Derek and enjoyed assisting with fire building. They also discussed the different diets of woodland creatures, and went grocery shopping to feed them! 

We celebrated Gemma’s half birthday last week- happy birthday Gemma! The students shared what makes Gemma a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: she always checks in on classmates when they are hurt or sad, she makes sure to include everyone in her games, and she is really fun to play with!

Reminders:

  • Please join us for our All School Meeting this Saturday, February 5th.  We will meet in the forest and enjoy homemade soup as our administration and Board of Trustees share our growth this past year and look ahead to our coming changes and adventures as a school. 

  • It is time for our Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences.  You may sign up here. 

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: January 18 - 21

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! 

Thank you for your help in making our virtual learning last week a success.  The children really seemed to enjoy visiting each other during the week.  It was a nice peek into each other's lives and meet siblings and furry friends. Thank you for your flexibility and grace in our need to move virtual as well. I’m looking forward to our class being together again in person this week.

Last week, we began discussing lowercase letters and their uses. We listened to more of our read aloud story “Elmer and the Dragon.” The students enjoyed sharing some of their home with the class by participating in show and tell. Last, we finished off the week with a mini magic show! The first graders were very excited to show their friends how they could disappear and reappear on their zoom screens. It was just the sweetest!

This week, we will continue our work with lowercase letters and letter sounds. We will also continue to add sight words into our word bank.

Reminders:

  • The All School Meeting is scheduled in tandem with a Community Work Day on February 5th.  More information to follow! 

  • Conferences are scheduled for February 16-18th.  There will be a Sign-Up Genius for slots closer to the date. 

Thanks for your help again, and have a nice week!

Ki Hayley

First Grade: January 10 - 14

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Last week we continued to review our four math processes. We heard different fairy tales to bring these concepts to life, including The Princess and the Pea, White Bear King Valemon, and Cat and Mouse in Partnership. We will continue daily practice of these processes during our warm-up time.

This week we will begin our next language arts block. We will be introduced to lower case letters and will continue to reinforce our letter sound knowledge.

We had three birthday celebrations this week!

We celebrated Blake’s half birthday last week- happy birthday, Blake! The students shared what makes Blake a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: that she is kind, she makes us all laugh, and that she loves math!

We celebrated Akasha’s birthday last week- happy birthday, Akasha! The students shared what makes Akasha a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: that she is a great friend, she takes good care of all our forest horses, and that she makes up very special games!

We celebrated Nolan’s half birthday last week- happy birthday, Nolan! The students shared what makes Nolan a special part of our class. Some of the things his classmates admire are: he is a great builder, he is a helpful friend, and he’s very silly and makes us laugh!

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: January 5 - 7

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy new year! Welcome to the spring semester of first grade. Here are a few updates as we begin this new chapter of learning.

First, our specialty schedule has changed since last semester. Here is the updated schedule:

Monday- Mandarin and Handwork

Tuesday- Movement, Environmental Education, and Spanish

Wednesday- Spanish, Music, and Handwork

Thursday- Movement, Environmental Education, Spanish, and Painting

Friday- Mandarin

Second, you should have seen a Google Classroom invitation last week. If your child is absent for an extended period, you may check Google Classroom in the afternoon for make up material to be completed at your discretion. Only children on an extended absence will receive the material.

Additionally, we sent our indoor shoes home before break to check for sizing. Please send indoor shoes back with your child next week so we can house them at the school again. Thanks for your help with this.

We have begun our third math block of the year. Students practiced making meaningful connections with the number ten this week. They thought of many ways to make ten using addition. Next, they used subtraction starting with ten and looked for patterns between the addition and subtraction problems. We’ll continue to revisit these math facts to encourage fluency as we move forward with this block. We’ve been discussing the seasons and what winter feels and looks like. Students were ecstatic to discover ice in the forest on Friday!

Please let me know if you have any questions, and welcome back!

First Grade: December 13 - 16

Dear First Grade Families,

Our students had a wonderful time at our class celebration last week. They were just ecstatic about the special treats. Thank you so much to all who made our treats and came out to celebrate!

We celebrated Isaac’s half birthday last week- happy birthday, Isaac! The students shared what makes Isaac a special part of our class. Some of the things his classmates admire are: that he makes us laugh, that he is very curious, and that he is so fun to play hunter with!

Warm wishes and happy holidays to all! Enjoy a peaceful time with your loved ones. I am looking forward to seeing you again in the new year!

Sincerely,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: December 6 - 10

Dear First Grade families,

Happy Monday! Last week, our students listened to a wonderful read-aloud titled “The Princess in the Ivory Tower.” Students then wrote short sentences based on the story and practiced reading them. They are using these pages to make their very own small books to practice reading with at home!

This week, we will be working on reviewing previous math concepts we covered in our last math block. After the break, we will move on to our next math block.

  • It’s the final week of our TOY DRIVE for Must ministries.  Please donate a new, unwrapped toy during carpool or you can make a monetary donation here, if desired.

  • Students will bring home all personal items stored at school over the holidays for washing, to check sizing, etc.

Warm wishes and happy holidays to all! Enjoy a lovely time with your loved ones. I am looking forward to seeing you again in the new year!

Sincerely,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: November 29 - December 3

Dear First Grade Families,

The first graders had a beautiful time walking our winter spiral this week. Thank you to those who helped set this up and make such a marvelous event possible!

This week we worked on differentiating between vowel sounds. We have started learning to write commonly used words such as “can”, “and”, “to”, “went” and “want”. Next week, we will add more words to our sight word bank. Additionally, we will practice writing short sentences and reading them aloud.

As a reminder, Ki Rachel has set up cubbies for us in our forest cottage. If you would like to have your students leave items at the school (extra dry clothes, rain boots, sneakers, etc.) to ease your morning packing routine, please feel free. This is not required, but is an option for those looking to lighten their back pack load. 

Have a great week!

Reminders: 

  • Thursday, December 16th is the last day of the Fall Semester! It is a half-day.

  • It will likely be a rainy and chillier week.  Please help your child come prepared.

  • Please consider donating to our Must Ministries Toy Drive.The Amazon wish list of the most needed toys is here and you can also make a financial donation here.  

  • If you are interested in being a substitute teacher for the early childhood and/or grades programs, please contact Ki Lesley at admissions@thegardenmarietta.org

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: November 15 - 19

Hello First Grade families!

I hope you are enjoying a peaceful week with your loved ones. Last week, we began our second language arts block. The vowels were introduced and brought to life through several fairy tales and stories. Students have been working on writing and reading consonant-vowel-consonant words with their newly discovered letters. 

During Environmental Education with Ki Rachel last week, students learned all about a local inhabitant of our forest, the river otter! The children learned how river otters love to play and slide and built shelters similar to those that river otters occupy.

Students finished knitting pocket necklaces in Handwork last week. They were delighted by a sweet surprise; our fourth-grade friends made gnome dolls for each first grader! The gnomes rest perfectly in the pocket necklaces and have been keeping us joyful company this past week.

Lastly, Ki Rachel has set up cubbies for us in our forest cottage. If you would like to have your students leave items at the school (extra dry clothes, rain boots, sneakers, etc.) to ease your morning packing routine, please feel free. This is not required but is an option for those looking to lighten their backpack load. 

Safe travels and well wishes to you all during this week away from school!

Reminders:

  • Please join us Thursday morning at 10:30 for our class’s Winter Spiral. Families are invited to join us in the pine forest, across from our outside classroom, to watch their child and classmates walk our lovely candlelit spiral as they carry light into the world and share that light with others.

  • Dress warm each day! Layers, gloves, and wool socks all help us keep warm and support learning in our outdoor environment. Hot drinks in a thermos are welcome.

Warm Regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: November 8 - 12

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! Thank you to everyone who came out for our Lantern Walk. It was so special to see the students come together for such a reverent event. Thanks especially to Sarah Darby who helped coordinate much of the festival and the path; 1000 tea lights were used for the event!

We celebrated a birthday as a class last week- happy birthday, Chloë! The students shared what made Chloë a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: that she is kind and loving, that she is a great kitty doctor, and she is an excellent forest baker!

We have completed our first math block and have begun our second language arts block of the year. We will be introducing the vowels and bringing them to life through stories and poems. We will be focusing more on reading and writing consonant-vowel-consonant words.

Reminders:

  • Friday is a half-day; pick up is 12:15-12:30. 

  • Thanksgiving break is next week.

  • Please consider donating nonperishable food items and personal care products for the Never Alone food pantry in Woodstock. Please follow this link to find a list of items most urgently needed, and to find the "Donate Now" button if it is more convenient or preferable for you to contribute in that way. 

Have a wonderful week!

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: November 1 -5

Dear First Grade families,

Happy Monday! This Wednesday is our grades Lantern Walk which celebrates the holiday Martinmas in Waldorf tradition. Students have been learning new songs in music class for the event, and loved painting and assembling their lanterns! This celebration serves to brighten our days as the weather turns colder, to remind us of our shared humanity, and to show children their role as a spark of light in the world! Martinmas celebrates St. Martin, who is known for giving to those in need and spreading warmth. To honor this, the Garden School will host a coat drive during the Lantern Walk. 1st grade’s walk will begin promptly at 6:30 pm. The students will be able to find their lanterns upon arrival. I am looking forward to sharing this class event with you!

Last week, we worked with the four math processes in class. We brought these to life with stories of four gnomes and gems: divide is a kind gnome who loves to share and split everything equally, multiply likes to make much more, plus keeps whatever they find and puts it all together, and poor minus is sad because they are always losing things. We will continue to practice these processes next week, and will introduce a fifth gnome called equals.

Additionally, students learned about habitats during environmental education with Ki Rachel this week. They built their own dams and were hoping to get some beaver visitors! 

Reminders:

  • During our lantern walk, please refrain from bringing any additional lighting (tealight candles will be provided) and dress warmly.

  • Coats can be donated all week during carpool as well as brought to the Lantern Walk evening.

See you Wednesday!

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley 

First Grade: October 25 - 29

Dear First Grade families,

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed a safe and fun Halloween yesterday! To celebrate the holiday, last week we practiced a silly witch song, listened to a fun witch story, and made pinecone spiders!

Last week we also completed our quest to find the world’s greatest number by studying the qualities of numbers 1-12. The students were delighted to find their predictions came true- all numbers are amazing for many different reasons! This week we will begin working more deeply with the four math processes: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

As a reminder, we start most mornings in the forest where it can be quite chilly until the day warms up. Students should now be coming with hats, gloves, warm footwear, and winter coats. Sweaters and sweatshirts can be worn under jackets, not in place of jackets. Thanks for your help on this!

Have a wonderful week,                                 

Ki Hayley

First Grade: October 18 - 22

Dear First Grade families,

Last week we continued our quest to find the world’s best number by studying the qualities of numbers 1-12. Our number knights are thinking hard about this posed question and are so excited to find the answer this week! We have started a new read aloud titled “Puck”. The students are loving the silly story and have started acting out some scenes during free time!

We celebrated a birthday as a class last week- happy birthday, Violet! The students shared what made Violet a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: that she is a great friend, that her family loves her, and she invents fun games!

Thank you to those who donated and helped with making our Windboy scarecrow! The students had a wonderful time and are loving seeing our scarecrow at drop off and pick up each day.

As a helpful reminder, I am sharing our weekly schedule again. It is necessary for your child to come ready for all weather learning and play outdoors every school day.  Sneakers are recommended for Movement class and boots for Environmental Education.

The first grade schedule is listed below by day:

  • Monday: Movement, Mandarin, and Environmental Education

  • Tuesday: Handwork and Spanish

  • Wednesday: Movement, Spanish, and Environmental Education

  • Thursday: Handwork and Music

  • Friday: Mandarin and Creekcess (weather permitting)

Announcements and Reminders:

No announcements or reminders this week!

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Have a lovely week!

Sincerely,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: October 11 - 15

Dear First Grade Families,

Last week we began our first mathematics block. In this block we are delving deep into the qualities of the numbers 1-12. We are bringing the numbers to life through stories of 12 number knights, who just happen to be each one of our students! The knights are on a quest to find the world’s greatest number, and are just giddy to continue our exploration!

Monday, 10/11 was Indigenous People’s Day. To honor the holiday, Ki Rachel and our students sang our creek a lullaby belonging to the Algonquin tribe during Environmental Education. The song is described by a Native elder as paying loving tribute to water as the lifeblood of Mother Earth. 

We celebrated a birthday as a class last week- happy birthday, McKenzie! The students shared what made McKenzie a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are: that she is funny, takes great care of the classroom (she is a wonderful and devoted sweeper!), and she is fun to play with because she runs really fast!

A few parents requested our weekly specialty schedule last week- I apologize for not sending this information out sooner. The first grade schedule is listed below by day:

  • Monday: Movement, Mandarin, and Environmental Education

  • Tuesday: Handwork and Spanish

  • Wednesday: Movement, Spanish, and Environmental Education

  • Thursday: Handwork and Music

  • Friday: Mandarin and Creekcess (weather permitting)

Updates/Reminders:

  • Fall Conferences are this week.  Please see the link in the main section of the Monday Messenger to sign up! Conferences may be done in person in our forest classroom, or at home via zoom. Please let me know if you would like a zoom conference, and I will send you a zoom link prior to our meeting. 

  • We will be assembling our Scarecrow as a class with parent helpers on Tuesday October 19th at 2:20pm. We will be meeting at the picnic tables to do so. Thanks for all your donations and help with this!

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Have a lovely week!

Sincerely,

Ki Hayley