Bette’s
Class
Welcome
Back to School!
August
27, 2019
Dear
Families,
I hope you have
had a great summer! I am so excited about seeing my returning families
and getting to know new families and students; sharing our summer stories!
During the first weeks we pay special
attention to developing a sense of community as we establish our class routines
and get to know one another.
It can be a positive ritual to prepare for
the school year gathering supplies and setting up new routines after the summer.
I recommend:
ü
A
backpack or bag for carrying notes papers and lunches.
ü
A
book of interest for reading time.
As far as other supplies go, we have a
classroom supply of writing utensils and paper. Pencils, colored pencils,
markers and pens are fine to bring, but not required. A labeled pencil box can
help a student keep writing utensils in order. With the free movement in class,
pencils can travel a lot!
We provide good quality spiral notebooks as
“Learner Logs” for general notes, practice and reflection. In addition, we supply
Composition notebooks as “Writer’s Notebooks” for collecting ideas and experimenting
with writing prompts. You and your child may choose to pick up a special one to
bring in if you wish. Ownership is important for a successful “Writer’s
Notebook”.
Well-rested children who eat a good
breakfast and make it to school on time will be their best at school. First
bell is 8:14 and class begins at 8:19. Rest, nourishment and being on time seem
simple, but they really support a child in getting through the school day
happily and productively!
You can help the kids keep their
motors running during class by providing snacks. Our lunchtime can tend to be
late, roughly 5 hours since breakfast!! Healthy snacks include fresh cut fruits
and vegetables, crackers, cheese, yogurt, pretzels. Once a month per family
helps to keep our cupboard stocked. We
can use snacks beginning on the first day! It’s best to be nut free until
we learn more about possible allergies. Please let me know about any serious
allergies or special needs.
Please help me to know where each child is
going after school. It’s helpful if you send the info to me on a card the first
day. It’s also a great idea to keep a copy of your child’s after school
schedule in his or her backpack.
The beginning of the year there will be a
different daily routine. I spent the summer dealing with surgery on my neck. My
fantasy was to complete the process before school starts. Surgery was
successful, but there is follow up continuing for the month of September. At the suggestion of my doctor I am
requesting part time leave. I will be able to get the class started on a good
foot while still taking care of myself. I will be teaching in the mornings and
I will have a guest teacher for the afternoon. Retired Open teacher Rick Hall
has agreed to help out. Rick’s a lot of fun, and he and I will be able to work
as a team to make it the best possible experience for your child. I did not
write about it in my annual Kids Welcome letter as I don’t want to introduce
new anxiety about coming to school. I appreciate your support in promoting a
positive attitude about this unique situation.
Bette
Diem
Room
237
diem@aaps.k12.mi.us
Bette’s
Class Notes
August 27, 2019
Hi kids!
I
hope you have had a great summer! I am getting ready for a new school
year and looking forward to seeing you.
We’ll
start the year with some fun games and good stories as we get to know each
other and learn new school day routines.
I hope you are excited about starting a new grade, with new friends and
old friends.
Bring a book you are reading on the first
day of school. Also bring one item to share that represents summer to you. Think
of 3 things you can say about your item and how it connects to summer. Well
share these over the first week as we get to know one another.
We
will be using Learning Logs and Writer’s Notebooks. I will give them to you
when you come to school. If you like, you could bring your own special journal
to use.
Do you like mazes?
Here are some, just for fun.
Enjoy your last days of vacation and start
looking forward to an exciting school year!
See
you soon!
Bette
