First Day!

Wow! What a great day!!!!

I have to begin by THANKING all of you for trusting me with your children. I can already tell they are amazing individuals and that we are going to have an outstanding year. I am so excited!!!

It is my hope that you will bookmark the blog or have the blog send you notification when it has been updated. I have found it to be a valuable communication tool! I also want to encourage you to post comments to the blog or e-mail me your thoughts privately at dana_c_holman@mcpsmd .org. I NEED to hear what is working and what needs more attention.

So...let's get on to our daily update.

The day began with me introducing and reviewing class routines such as; unpacking, ordering lunch, handing in notes, sitting on the carpet, using the restroom, etc., etc. Truthfully, this part is not very exciting but needs to be addressed each year.

We did switch for math this morning. Some students stayed with me for third grade math. Others went to Mr. Vogel's for fourth grade math. In my math class we set up our math journals and did a math warm up. The children listed various ways to "show" the number 31.

Following math I did an "All About Me" Guess Bag...I had packed various items in a brown paper bag and the children guessed what they meant. For example, I had an empty DS game box to show that I have a son in third grade who loves his DSi and Wii. This was my way to introduce myself to the children.

Tonight, for homework, the students will prepare their own Guess Bag to share with classmates tomorrow. I can't wait to see what they bring in!

Next the children went to art. After art we will set up our binders and learn about the expectations for using the binder and their student planner.

Finally, the children will enjoy lunch and recess! (How 'bout this weather?!?!)

After recess, Ms. Jones will visit to go over the discipline policy and read a story to the class. We will end the day with the students watching me write a personal narrative about a memory. Tomorrow, in class, the students will write their own personal narrative as a baseline writing sample. I will use these pieces to gather information about the writing skills they have maintained and to determine where to go next with my instruction.

PLEASE make sure you check your child's planner and home folder NIGHTLY!!!!