Maternity Leave

I am on maternity leave. Ms. Edenstrom will be the classroom teacher until I return. If you have any questions, please contact her at:  aedenstrom@pps.net
Thank you!

Last day of school snacks

If you would like to donate a snack or beverage for the last day of school, please email or just let me know. We already have pirates booty and a nut mixture. Thank you!

Spelling week of 6/5

 This will be our last week of homework! Please continue to read 20 minutes daily. 

Spelling List 5.6

unhappy, refill, untie, undo, repay, unkind, undress, retell, reopen, refund, different, carry

Spelling List 5.6  List 2

unnecessary, unopened, unpopular, uncomfortable, unprofessional, remove, rereading, revisit, restarted, rewrite, regroup, relieve

Birthday memo

Birthday Memo Reminder

Dear Families,

    Just a friendly reminder that if your child has invitations for a birthday party, I ask that they do it outside of the classroom. If they have an invitation for each student, they can place them in their cubbies. I know it is not necessarily possible to invite the whole class, but I appreciate your sensitivity to this area.

 As summer approaches, we will celebrate summer birthdays the last week of school. As usual, I give the students the option of wearing a crown and the class singing to them. If you would like to send your child with a gift for the class or each student, please just email me and remember no food items please. Thank you!

  

Spelling for week of 5/29

Spelling List 5.5

saw, draw, crawl, straw, law, jaw, paw, lawn, yawn, hawk, through, science

Spelling List 5.5  List 2

caution, autumn, auction, gnaw, awkward, autograph, authentic, applause, withdraw, awfully, automobile, audience

We will have the practice test on Thursday since it is a short week. 

Dear Families,                                                 5-19-17

Thank you for taking the time to help your child gather sponsors for our Run For Atkinson. All students did a wonderful job running around Mt.Tabor Reservoir. Your child’s run form was sent home on Friday with their laps recorded. Thank you in advance for helping collect and return the run funds. If you already sent in the sponsor money for your child, the form was not sent home.

Yearbooks were also sent home if you ordered one. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Humphrey

Spelling week of 5/22

Spelling List 5.4

oil, soil, voice, point, boy, boil, coin, oink, toy, join, against, heavy

Spelling List 5.4  List 2

annoyed, hoisted, decoy, joyful, voyage, moisture, disappoint, poison, enjoyment, employer, boyish, avoid

Run For Atkinson!

Run for Atkinson was a success! Thank you to all the adults who helped out today! I have turned in all the forms and will send them back as soon as I get them. Some of you already turned in money, so you will not get your form back. Thanks again for your support!

Volunteer Appreciation

Many of you have volunteered and we would like to invite you to please join us at Atkinson Elementary to celebrate and thank you for the countless hours you have spent to make our school a better place. We would like to share the morning with you as a form of gratitude for your time and partnership with Atkinson Elementary. Join us for some coffee and breakfast! 

May 24, 2017 at 9 am in the cafeteria

Volunteer Opportunity for Run For Atkinson on 5/18

If you are interested in helping out this Thursday, please click the link below!


www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0A49A5A62AA1F85-runfor

Spelling week of 5/15

Spelling List 5.3

book, moon, took, food, look, pool, zoo, noon, good, foot, instead, another

Spelling List 5.3  List 2

Wool, overlook, wooden, crooked, goodies, cookies, rookie, understood, bookmark, good-bye, footstep, cookbook

Run for Atkinson clarification

Run for Atkinson forms are due May 18th, the day of the actual run. Please read the form thoroughly. If you want your child to get a t-shirt, please carefully read the How to earn a T-shirt on the form. If you need another form, just let me know or you can pick one up in the office. Thanks!

spelling list for 5/8

Spelling List 5.2

mouth, house, found, our, out, cloud, ouch, shout, round, count, should, loved

Spelling List 5.2  List 2

doubt, mountain, outfield, amount, outdoors, grouchy, fountain, cookout, ourselves, background, playground, cloudy

All About Writing Unit

All-About Writing Unit

We are starting an All About Writing Unit. This project involves writing informational text without the need to do research. Students have already chosen topics that they already know about for this project. Topics such as pets, planets, animals, reptiles, etc. They seem very excited about this project and I encourage them to continue to read and discuss the topic they have selected at home. They are more than welcome to bring any books they may want to use to help them with their writing.

     They will be creating an All-About Book that includes a table of contents, at least 3 sections with headings, pictures with captions, and a cover with the title and author’s name. They will also have an opportunity to complete an optional glossary. You can support them by reading books with the above components and pointing them out. You can have discussions about the topic they selected and details to support them. 

For example: All About An Overnight Bike Trip would include sections on: clothing, equipment, food, bike paths, etc. 

Thanks again for your support!

Mrs. Humphrey

          

THANK YOU

As you all know Friday was my last day of student teaching. This experience was more than I ever thought it would be. I was so blessed to have an amazing teacher to work along side of, incredible students to learn from and teach everyday, and a supportive community of parents. I want to thank all of you for your support, warm wishes, and thoughtful gifts.

        

I made the students a puzzle piece keychain and explained to them that they were each a special piece to making my first year of teaching so special. Without each and every one of them, this experience wouldn’t have been the same.

        

I am excited to see what the future has in store for each of your kiddos!

Kindly,

Miss Edenstrom

          

Passport H.W.

We will be starting a new math unit about Antarctica and learning about different types of penguins. This is such a fun and exciting unit! Each child has a "passport" in their homework folder. Please help them fill it out and return it on Wednesday, thanks!

Family Times

Dear Families,                                                                      May 1

     We are beginning our last Literacy Unit, which will last six weeks. Each week you should receive a paper in your child’s cubby labeled Family Times. This is one way we communicate with families and keep you informed about the story we are reading aloud as well as what we are learning and talking about. There are some optional ways to help your child practice and reinforce these skills: read Day 1-5. You can modify it to meet your child’s needs if you choose to.

         In addition, we meet in leveled reading groups. The children usually empty their folders on Friday and come home with a lot of papers and sometimes books. If you see incomplete papers, it is all right. Sometimes children are absent, they get pulled from our class, or they were working on different activities. This is a great opportunity for you to look over the handouts and any books that may be sent home and have a rich conversation with your child.

         Thanks again for your support!

                  Mrs. Humphrey

Extra P.E.

We will get extra P.E. from 5/1- 6/5 every Monday from 9:00-9:30 am. Please make sure to send your child with appropriate shoes, thanks!

spelling week of 5/1

Spelling List 5.1
how, town, down, now, brown, cow, clown, frown, crowd, growl, eyes, never

Spelling List 5.1  List 2

chowder, somehow, eyebrow, allow, vowel, howdy, prowling, snowplow, crowded, drowned, frowning, downward

No Spelling next week

We just wrapped up our Literacy unit which means we will not have spelling next week. The children will have two math assignments in their H.W. folder. Thanks!

April News

April News

Dear Families,   

         I wanted to thank you for your continued support this year. We have a wonderful and bright group of students who surprise us everyday!

As the weather gets warmer (hopefully), a friendly reminder to please dress your children following school rules: no flip-flops, no spaghetti straps, etc.

Exciting news: We are having an artist in residency visit April 17-21^st (funds through run for the arts). The kids will be engaged in a hands on activity and create a neat art project. Please ask your child about it!

Lastly, Ms. Edenstrom’s last day with us will be Friday April 28^th. She has been a great asset to our classroom and will be greatly missed! I know she has appreciated the opportunity to work with our class and she is very thankful. Thank you for supporting her and welcoming her with open arms.

We will have a low-key celebration on her last day. Please let me know if you would like to donate healthy store bought food items by Monday, April 24^th. We have plenty of napkins, but could use some plates. Thanks!

You can email me at lhump@pps.net

Warmly,

     Mrs. Humphrey

Guest Visitor

We are so excited about our visitor next week! We are having an Artist in Residency come all week and work on a fun project with the class! Don't forget to ask your child about it!

Spelling for week of 4/17

Spelling List 4.6
slowly, careful, quickly, useful, painful, playful, sadly, gladly, nicely, wonderful, because, across

Spelling List 4.6  List 2
 fearful, beautiful, happily, briefly, carelessly, colorful, powerful, closely, cheaply, quickly, suddenly, certainly

Spelling Week of 4/10

Spelling List 4.5
backpack, outside, baseball, herself, flashlight, bluebird, lunchbox, suitcase, inside, brainstorm, picture, remember

Spelling List 4.5  List 2

afternoon, aircraft, anything, watermelon, touchdown, typewriter, upstairs, grandfather, windshield, partnership, skyscraper, airport

Exploring bounciness of balls on different surfaces

Spirit Week

Speeling for week of 4/3

Spelling List 4.4

lie tie high might right night  bright  light  pie  tight above laugh

Spelling List 4.4  List 2

frighten, might, cried, dried, right, sight, denied, dies, slight, knight, fried, highway

Running Club update

Beginning Friday, April 7th, and going for six weeks, until Friday, May 12th, Atkinson Running Club will hold our "Running A Mile Will Make You Smile' rewards program. This program is made possible thanks to a very generous donation from Rudy Jewel Ice Cream. Based on the schedule listed below each student will have an opportunity to earn a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Ruby Jewel by running 1 mile (or 12 laps around the playground) during their grade level's designated Running Club. Running Club is 20 minutes, so this goal is very achievable even if students are walking briskly. Kindergartens, who only have 15 minutes to run, will need to run a half mile (or 6 laps) to earn their coupon. 

Running A Mile Will Make You Smile - Schedule

Kindergarten (half-mile) - April 7th

1st Graders - April 14th  (includes Ms. Chavez’s class)

2nd Graders - April 21st (includes all of Ms. Parr’s class)

3rd Graders - April 28th 

4th Graders - May 5th (includes Ms. Wheeler’s class)

5th Graders - May 12th

The coupons will placed in your office mailbox for you to passed out the Monday following the Running Club when they were earned. If you have a student who will miss their designated Friday I am happy to let them make it up on one of the other Fridays, but please let me know. 

I have already announced this to the students during all of the students' PE period, put an announcement in the FYI and will hang posters around the school. Please help me spread the word, as well. Contact me with any questions and thanks for your continued support!

Sheryl Walsh

Atkinson Running Club Coordinator

Twinkle Toes makes an appearance...

Zoo field trip today!

 Who could crack the nut faster?!

Spelling for week 3/20

Spelling List 4.3

boat road snow row yellow loaf coat soap blow pillow once wild

Spelling List 4.3  List 2

shadow, pillow, swallow, raincoat, roadside, approach, tomorrow, borrow, narrow, mower, owner, groan

Spirit Week

Spirit Week:  March 20th-24th

Monday: Favorite Video Game Character
Tuesday: Twin Day
Wednesday: Rock Star Day
Thursday: Crazy  Hair Day
Friday: Favorite Sports Team Day 

Spelling week of 3/13

Spelling List 4.2

eat, sea, each team, please, dream, treat, beach, clean, lean, colors, sign

Spelling List 4.2  List 2

please, eagle, peanut, easily, steamer, bleachers, eager, eastern, easel, creature, disease, dreamer

Atkinson AMOR Auction is coming up - Saturday, April 15th
Dear Atkinson First Grade Families,
The Atkinson PTA Auction is coming up on April 15th at the Oaks Park Historic Dance Pavilion. This year the theme is AMOR and we do love our school. Please come join fellow Atkinson families and community members to celebrate and support our school. This year there will be a dinner, live and silent auction and lots of fun!
The auction is the largest fundraiser for the Atkinson PTA and supports amazing programs such as the outdoor learning garden, multi-cultural community events, running club and basketball, classroom field trips, playground improvement projects and technology and library funds.
Tickets are on sale now for $35/person until this Friday 3/10 after which ticket prices will rise to $45/person.
Consider getting a group of 10 parents together to buy a table or ask a family member or neighbor to join you at this great event to support the school we love.
Sincerely,
Pia Nicastro
Kindergarten Parent
P.S. More information can be found at:
www.atkinsonelementarypta.org/Atkinson-pta-fundraisers-201516/Atkinson-auction-2017/

Play time

Spelling for week 3/6

Spelling List 4.1

train, way, talk, play, day, may, rain, gray, mail, afraid, about, teacher

Spelling List 4.1  List 2

holiday, afraid, remain, obtain, painful, explain, daylight, player, always, maybe, jaywalk, sailboat

H.W. week of 2/27

There will be homework next week,  but no spelling. Happy Friday!

AMOR auction

Dear Families, 
   Yesterday you should have received AMOR Atkinson Auction Ticket sale form (yellow). You can return the form to the office or place the order online at 
www.auctria.com/auction/AMOR_Atkinson2017
      We want to give a bog shout out to Jessica for organizing and creating our beautiful classroom item! Thank you for your hard work! 

Free Reading Fair this weekend!~

This is one of my favorite free events University of Portland does. I plan on taking Walker and having fun doing the activities and getting a free book! Maybe I will see some of you there! Happy Wednesday!

Pointillism Artwork

Pointillism

Mrs. Humphrey and Ms. Edenstrom

We made pointillism paintings in the style of Georges Seurat. We began by looking at pictures of butterflies, and then we sketched symmetrical designs onto butterfly templates. Lastly, we painted over the designs with dots using Q-tips. We used primary colors and made secondary colors by painting two primary colors close together. Enjoy visiting the symmetrical butterfly exhibit!

Spelling week of 2/20

Spelling List 3.6

bigger, biggest, faster, fastest, slower, slowest, shorter, shortest, sadder, saddest, good-bye, before

Spelling List 3.6  List 2

brighter, cleanest, happiest, bravest, tightest, looser, faintest, plainest, dimmest, nicest, gadget, budget

Letter Writing Unit

                                                                                 February 2017

Dear Families,

We are starting a new writing unit: Letter Writing

Unit Overview: The unit teaches the structures and conventions of letter writing. It also revisits the concept of opinion writing by guiding students through the process of writing a persuasive letter. Encourage your child to use technology and email a letter or write a letter and place it in the mailbox!

Here are student goals for this unit:

·      students will write a thank you, friendly, and persuasive letter that includes: date, salutation, body, closing and signature,

·      students will use their opinions to write a persuasive letter

·      students will use correct ending punctuation

·      students will capitalize the first word of each sentence, the pronoun “I,” proper nouns (people’s names, days, months) and titles (Mr. Mrs., etc.)

Warmly,

     Mrs. Humphrey and Ms. Edenstrom