First Day of School!
August 16, 2007
by Mrs. Dux
Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year! I am so excited to be back into the classroom . We had a great day trying to get our brains back into “thinking” mode. It was difficult at times, but we had so much fun.
The first thing we did was to celebrate Jordan's birthday! I gave her a pencil with a "Happy Birthday" logo on it, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Her birthday was August 10th.
There is nothing like the smell of new notebooks, crayons, and markers. The students had all of their supplies ready to start the year. Everyone tried to make themselves feel at home by “moving in” to their desk. After the big move, we had introductions.
I introduced myself through a letter and a PowerPoint that showed the students all of the exciting activities we will do throughout the year. The PowerPoint also included pictures of me from my childhood to recent pictures of my family. After sharing the letter with the class, I gave the first dreaded assignment of the year. The students have to write me a letter and introduce themselves. I’m very excited to get to know each of my students.
Whether they liked it or not, I had to go over the “Think Time” procedure for the building. We discussed classroom rules and “The Dux Theory”. The Dux Theory contains secrets for success in school. I passed out the "homework" for parents. Parents have lots of papers to read, fill out and return to school!
Finally I discussed the rules and procedures for recess and the lunch room which made everyone’s stomach growl. It was definitely time for lunch.
Cheeseburger, french fries, juice, fruit, and milk were just
what the doctor ordered. We have early lunch this year, so we
headed to the cafeteria for the delicious food. What a
treat!
After lunch and recess it was time for a “thinking” activity called Train Switcharoo. Since trains were the subject of the activity, the students used buttons as an engine and train cars. The object was to exchange train cars from point A to point B and put the engine back in the car barn. This activity really made everyone think.
The next activity was called Personality Spheres.
Students had to cut out circles and answer questions about
themselves in the center. This will remind the
students that we are all unique. If we work together we can
accomplish anything, and our class will be stronger when we work
together than when individual students work on their own. I
will hang them from our ceiling to remind them of our
individuality.
Since this Roving Reporter will be turned
into a podcast, we had to take a tutorial to learn how to produce
one. I think it will be so much fun, and parents will never
have to ask their child, "What did you do in school today, dear?"
At last, students gathered up their things, filled their backpacks full of papers, and were ready to head out the door. Everyone had a big smile on their face, including me! It had been a great first day of school.
View more pictures of the First
Day.
