Welcome to Our Grade 1 Family!

Welcome, boys and girls! 

My name is Mrs. Beliveau and I am THRILLED to be your Grade 1 teacher! I know it is going to be a spectacular year filled with so much fun and learning!

I can't wait to learn all about you, but until we meet in a few days, I'll tell you a few things about me. 

Did you learn a little about me? I can hardly wait to meet you and find out what makes YOU so special!

On your first day of school, I'll help you find your very own desk. Our first activity is top secret, but I'll give you a hint ... we each will get to use our very own play dough! Together, we'll unpack your school supplies, read a hilarious story, and learn a goofy rhyme with actions! 

See you very soon!

Love, 

Mrs. Beliveau

Happy Hello!

Well hello, my favourite Grade 1's!

I am SO excited you are reading this! I am missing you and your classmates so much! It looks like we are starting a new adventure together. Our learning will look a little different, and we might make some mistakes along the way, but I trust in God's plan for us! 

Me and my family have been spending lots of time together. We really like staying in our PJs as long as possible. Today, my kids are at home. They have been baking Frog's Eye Cookies, hiding plastic Easter Eggs for each other, and playing in the backyard. They are both reading a lot, especially Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Junie B Jones series. I hope you are reading a little, too!

I am here today in the classroom, drinking my coffee and planning our learning!

Since we cannot see each other in person, I wanted to find a way to connect us.

Let's share what we are up to and what is bringing a smile to our faces! Anyone build a snowman? Bake muffins? Fold laundry? Tell a silly joke? Let's share below! Here's how:

First, take a picture. 

Then, to share your photo (or to simply add a comment):

(1) Double click on our "Happy Hello" board below. 

(2) A box will appear. Type in a comment. Upload a picture. Ta da! 

(3) Do jazz hands in celebration! Enjoy seeing our classmates!

Thank you for NOT mentioning first / last names, or any identifying / sensitive information. If, for whatever reason, you can't load your comments or pictures above, email me and I'll happily do it. It often works better from a desktop computer rather than your phone, but we will get your smiles posted either way!

I am so excited to see your beautiful smiles! 

Cookie's Mischievous Week at JV

This past week, we read the story Cookie's Week, all about a cat who causes mischief all over his house!

We jumped at the opportunity to write our own versions of this story! In our own stories about Cookie, we imagined this tricky kitty spent a week at JV. What kinds of mischief did this little trickster get into?

After a walk around the building, we brainstormed places he could make a little trouble. Then, using sentences frames, we wrote and illustrated our own stories!

These stories took several days of diligent writing and creative, careful illustrating. 

We had so much fun imagining the mischief Cookie would cause at our school! 

Watch for these stories, as well as a rubric, coming home soon!

The Season of Lent

In the center of our classroom stands a special table. It is our prayer table. As the liturgical year changes, the table changes. 

This was our prayer table earlier this week:

This is our prayer table now:

Why the change? Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a time when we look at ourselves and try and see what can change and improve so that we can be more like Jesus. We take more time to pray, to ask forgiveness of our sins, and to share with others. For forty days we prepare for the new life of Easter. 

Our Lenten wreath is brown and bare, symbolizing the desert where Jesus prayed for 40 days and also the crown of thorns. Can your child explain the symbols pictured on our wreath (purple ribbon, burlap cloth with a cross)? As we journey through Lent, we will add more symbols to help us better understand this liturgical season. 

Today we participated in Ash Wednesday mass, along with several other schools, at OLPH Church with Father Sathia. We all received ashed on our foreheads to remind us that we are sinners.

Lent is a time of change; a change of mind and heart. May the 40 days of Lent help us prepare for the joy of Easter. 

Fun & Feasting on Shrove Tuesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday. It is the last day before Lent. It is a day of feasting and fun!

Boy, did we feast today! Our energetic and generous Parent Council served a hot, delicious pancake & sausage lunch for everyone in the school. 

Sometimes Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. On this day, people would traditionally use up the rich foods in their fridge that was often not allowed to be eaten during Lent, such as milk, eggs and butter. Add a little flour, and you have pancakes!

Can you tell we loved it?

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. It marks the first day of Lent. We will gather as a school community at OLPH Church for mass at 1:00 pm. We will all receive ashes on our foreheads. If your schedule allows, please consider joining us! 

100 Days Smarter!

It's time to party!

We're 100 school day smarties!

100 days of school is a big deal in Grade 1. Huge! EPIC! 

A big part of our Math curriculum focuses on working with numbers to 100, so celebrating 100 is an opportunity to tie in several Math activities, as well as many Language Arts tasks and even the perfect Religion lesson.

So we began preparing for the 100th day on ... day 96?!?!? Yup, it's possible we had 100+ activities planned for our celebration, and we needed a jump start! So here is a peek at day 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, and even day 101!

We worked over several days to write 100 words! Be proud of that amazing long list, kiddos!

We made fabulous runway-worthy party hats! There were 10 strips of paper, and we counted 10 polka dots on each. Boom, 100 dots!

The boys and girls practiced and read a 100 word poem to several classes:

We brought in collections of one hundred items. Isn't it interesting how different 100 can look?

Counting by 10's, the students assembled trail mix. 10 of each snack item made 100 tasty treats!

The children got creative in Miss Wilson's art class and created a self portrait ... when they turn 100 years old! Aren't they wrinkly?

Mr. Marshall showed up in our room with a very, very LOCKED box, as well as a few clues! What could be inside? Our Breakout Box challenge was about to begin! The goal? Break into the box!

A Breakout Box is similar to a breakout room, but students use curricular skills to break into a box instead of breaking out of a room! Using teamwork and our knowledge of the 100-chart, we were able to open a number lock, word lock, and directional lock to open the box! Ask your child what was inside!

To bring our special event to a close, we settled ourselves and heard the story from the bible about the lost sheep. We looked at 100 cotton balls, thinking of them as 100 little sheep, and wondered Would God worry if one little sheep went missing? Wouldn't having 99 sheep be enough? No! If we stray from God, He worries and looks for us. He always welcomes the lost little sheep back. 

Happy 100th Day, kiddos! Be proud of all your learning and hard work!

Party hat labels from Cara Carroll at First Grade Parade. Door decor inspired by Sara Ann Culberson. 100's snack placemat from Kristen Smith. 

Valentine's Day: Love and Laughter

Valentine's Day is a wonderful time to celebrate friendships! We had an action packed week! Check it out!

Earlier this week, we spent time with our Grade 3 buddies making Love Monster Mail Bags! Aren't they creative and unique?

We revisited a comprehension strategy where we connect the story to our own experiences, called "text to self connections". We read Will You Be My Valenswine?, where a piggy feels as though nobody loves him ... until he realizes his mama adores him! We recalled a time we felt loved and added a few piggy details!

Not only did Valentine's Day give us the chance to sneak in some writing, but it was also a chance to sharpen our math skills, too! We played a BINGO game that gave us practice identifying and naming numbers to 100!

We had a blast delivering our cards to each other!

We finished the day enjoying the friendships we've made by playing Valentine's Minute To Win It! 

The first challenge was Heart Stack! How many candy conversation hearts can you stack in a minute?

The next challenge? Lava Heart! Using only two hearts to stand on, can you make it across the room? Don't fall in the lava!

The final challenge was Broken Hearts. Students passed a tissue paper heart using clothespins! Careful, don't tear it!

Our Valentine's week was filled with learning, friendship and fun! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love Monster Mailbags are from The Teacher Wife.

Our Valentine's Minute To Win It was inspired by Mrs. Schmelzer's First Grade. 

Will You Be My Valenswine? craftivity from Cara Carroll.