First Grade Orientation & Recycle

Come meet your new teacher! Parent orientation is Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at 5:30 PM. I cannot wait to see you there!

I need your help! Please save your empty Capri Suns. Terracycle is going to donate 2 cents for each pouch. All the proceeds go to our classroom. Please wash them out and send them to school with your student. Do not send straws or straw paper. Thank you! Check it out at:  (http://www.terracycle.net/)

Summer Update

Only 26 days until the first day of school!

Please on the look out for a special postcard in the mail from me! Our classroom is starting to come together. This summer, I painted our classroom. School starts back on 8/8/2011. I have been attending several professional development opportunities this summer. I am currently at AMSTI training for the next two weeks.

Whole Brain Learning

As the year progresses, you may notice that our classroom doesn’t run like other classrooms. We will be learning through Whole Brain Teaching, a research based system that utilizes all areas of the brain, keeps children engaged throughout their lessons, and helps them retain much more information than the standard lecture-discussion model.

Whole Brain Teaching is a highly interactive form of instruction that delivers information to students in short “chunks.” Kids then teach what they have just learned to their partners, using hand-gestures to help remember specific vocabulary.  While students teach each other, the teacher walks around the room to discover who understands the lesson and who needs more instruction.

Research shows that children retain more information when they have an opportunity to put it into their own words and use gestures to emphasize key instructional units …plus, it’s amazingly fun! For more information about Whole Brain Teaching please contact me, come by for a classroom visit and/or go to www.WholeBrainTeaching.com.

Welcome

Welcome,     

       I am so ecstatic about being your child’s new teacher for first grade. I would like to introduce myself to you and your child. My name is Lisa Hood and this is my third year at WES. I have a Bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University in elementary education. While working on my degree I worked at a preschool. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education K-6 at JSU. I live here in Weaver with husband, Zach, and three dogs Sugar, Chevy, and Tucker. We are in the process of building a new house and will be moving over the summer. I enjoy doing anything outside; this is why I have a camping themed classroom! Swimming, skiing, boat rides, planting flowers, and reading are just a few things I plan to do. I am currently reading books by Debbie Diller and hope to incorporate her ideas into our classroom.                     

            There are several innovative items for you to look forward to because I love technology! I have a FLIP video camera in my classroom. I will take weekly videos of our class and email them to you! This allows you to have an inside look at what is going on in your child’s classroom. Our class blog and website are great tools for you and your child. Our private blog will help keep you engaged at home; communication is extremely important. I anticipate having contact with you at least weekly. 

            Outside of technology, we have a well know rabbit that is a celebrity at Weaver Elementary. His name is Einstein and he is looking forward to meeting parents and students as well. I am sending home an optional summer package. These are amazing resources that will help your student succeed in first grade. Your child will learn and grow in so many ways. In math, we will work on telling time, counting coins, and two-digit addition/subtraction.  In reading, we will work on improving our reading skills from kindergarten and becoming fluent readers that are aware of the story elements. Your child will have a lot of fun learning about plants, animals, balance, motion, weather, and air. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please feel free to contact me at any time. I am looking forward to an amazing year and I cannot wait to get to know you and your child! Be on the lookout this summer for orientation information and back to school bash dates. Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hood

lhood.we@calhoun.k12.al.us

(256)741-7159 School

(256)403-1051 Home

(205)215-2811 Cell