What a crazy February it has been! I don't know about you, but we are ready for the snow to go away and for warm, spring weather to come!

Health Fair
We had a great time at our Health Fair! The blue and green neighborhood first graders enjoyed listening and moving to the 5 different presenters. They now have a better understanding that being “healthy” doesn't just mean eating right. Be sure to check out the photo gallery for some great pictures and some videos of our health fair fun!

Food Pyramid
The past couple weeks we have really been investigating the food pyramid. To help explore the different food groups, we have read some non-fiction books, done food tastings, and tried new snacks. Check out the photo gallery and video clips of our tastings and snack explorations. Ms. Johnson has taught us some catchy songs about fiber, vitamin C, and the 5-a-day plan. We've even uploaded some of our favorites to the site if you'd like to have a listen! Stay tuned for our latest adventure with Ms. Johnson—how we are going to be “Fit Kids.”

Scholastic Book Orders
Scholastic book orders will be sent home next week. Remember, you can order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. Happy reading!
Mrs. Mason's login information—username: PVNRoom24
                                                             password: bookorders
Mrs. Elsner's login information—username: MrsElsnersClass
                                                                                             password: room25

Word Study
Due to all of the snow days, we have gotten behind in word study. New words and word study homework will come home on Monday, March 1st, with assignments in the folder. Thanks for helping your child complete each nightly task. We appreciate your support!

Upcoming Conferences
Your child will be bringing home your conference day and time on Monday, March 1st. Please send these back as soon as possible so we can make sure you get your preferred time. We are looking forward to meeting with you!

“Ask Me!” questions
Here are some questions that you can ask your child to get him/her talking more about what we've done at school in the past couple weeks! :)
Mrs. Elsner's class
What was your favorite snack that you made this week?
What were some fruits that you tried for the first time?
What were some vegetables that you tried for the first time?
What non-fiction book are you writing right now? What is it about?
Who is our new student in our classroom?
Mrs. Mason's class
What were some fruits that you tried for the first time?
What was your favorite kind of cheese that you tried?
What non-fiction book are you writing right now? What is it about?
What are your word patterns this week?
Who are we working with for our music video?

Welcome to Mrs. Mason’s and Mrs. Elsner’s brand new site! We are so excited to be able to share with you the different things that occur in the classroom, beyond just the teachers’ words and interpretations. This site will allow your child to document what they are doing and learning in first grade. How many of you have asked your child, “What did you do in school today?” and get no answer. Well, the answer is simple. We’ve done so much that they can’t think of only one thing to tell you! Now you’ll have the opportunity to get on our website and see pictures, view video clips, and listen to audio of your first grader’s learning experiences. Enjoy!

Body Posters
Since participating in the fitness challenge, we have begun a new adventure. We wanted to know why Mr. Dahm wanted us to prepare for the fitness challenge. So we began working with him and Ms. Johnson to learn more about our bodies. Our next question was, “How were we going to let everyone know about everything we've learned?” and we decided we wanted to make body posters. Check out our video clips to see how we have integrated, as well as what body parts we've added so far!

Word Study
Your child's word study folder came home this week! Watch for these folders to come home every other week. We're working on a 2-week cycle. The first week will consist of in-class activities, and the second week is when your child will be bringing his/her folder home to complete homework assignments. The folder will always contain all of the materials and instructions needed for each homework assignment. Your child is already familiar with these assignments as we have practiced them in class first.

Hundreds Day
This Wednesday, February 10th is PVN's hundredth day celebration. Thank you to the parents who donated items to help make this event successful! The students are looking forward to it!

Valentine's Party
Our class party will be at 1:00 on Thursday, February 11th. Please remind your child to bring his/her Valentines box on the day of the party!

Everyday Math
We are wrapping up Unit 5 and moving into Unit 6. Throughout this unit, we will continue to build fact fluency, introduce fact triangles, work on problem-solving, measure in centimeters, begin fractions, and continue practicing counting coins and telling time.

Mrs. Mason's students enjoyed listening to  The Little Red Hen and then making and baking rolls with Mrs. Overman on Wednesday! 

We had a blast doing Yoga, exercising, enjoying a healthy snack that included 4 of the 5 food groups, discussing out emotions, and learning about germs!