Sunday, August 30, 2009

First week of School!

Wow. I have been so excited for this week for a long time. The first week of school is so exciting! It can also be very nerve wracking for children. This week we focused on community building activities, and problem solving strategies. We got to know one another through games and assignments. We had a blast playing some of the games. We learned 2 songs, one is "make new friends" and "Aint it great to be crazy!" I am thrilled with out class! We have some really talented students! I am so impressed. Parents, thank you for allowing me to get to spend time with your children, it is such a privilege! Here are some pictures from this week!Sharing "Who am I"



Sharing an assignment "Who am I", when I rang a bell they moved to share with another person


Human knots, can you tell the boys had a rough time? They did think it was pretty hysterical, and it was! It's a challenge to get out of this! Such good looking kids!
The girls doing the same 'human knots' game, I was maybe going to do the whole class together, but half at a time was challenging enough! They LOVEd it though, and they really understood the value of working together and communicating :) That's what makes me smile. plus, like I saidm they are just SO cute?! Don't you agree???



Next week we will be going to our new reading and math classes. It will be an adjustment, but we are excited to dive right into the curriculum! It is also spirit week! Monday is Sports day! It is also Parent teacher conferences this week! I am looking forward to meeting with all of you!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Meet Your Teacher!

Hello students and parents! Welcome to our class blog! On this blog, I will be posting pictures, activities, sometimes homework assignments, and updates for parents. It will be a very successful tool for our classroom, and I hope to use it often so you can share with family the activities we are doing in our classroom!


First, I want to introduce myself. I am Courtenay Lance, your new third grade teacher! I LOVE teaching, and third grade is the BEST! I taught third grade for 2 years in Syracuse Utah before I came to Taylorsville to teach at Bennion. I was married in September 2007, so I have almost been married for 2 years. My husband John is a soldier for the Utah National Guard and he was deployed to Afghanistan for a whole year! He was finding bad guys and serving our country :) I'm sure you'll see him around sometimes, he's going to the University fo Utah right now. I am a REALLY CRAZY teacher! I like to sing and dance around and play my guitar! I LOVE art, and P.E. and I love to read. I don't think I have one favorite book, but you will get to hear some of my favorites this year in class. I love to read and tell stories, and listen to music and play games. I also like teaching really cool stuff, you will find that I teach things in very creative ways :) I love to have fun, but I also love to work. My students always know when it's time to work hard.
I don't have any children yet, I love to ride my red bike, and I love to play outside. Camping and hiking are some of my favorite things to do. I also love to sew, you will notice some things around the classroom that I have made, and some things that I wear. John and I don't have any pets, but we wish we could have a dog, and some tropical fish.

This is John and I at Capitol Reef National Park, we love camping and exploring!
I have been to some really cool places, like Egypt, where I rode a (very stinky) camel, and Jordan (the country) where I saw Petra (one of the places in an Indiana Jones movie) and Israel. I have been on a humanitarian trip to help some Indians in Mexico, and I have spent a summer at a fishing lodge in Alaska. I love snorkeling and Scuba Diving, I even got to see clown fish (like Nemo) in the Red Sea! I can't wait to tell you about some of my adventures, especially with some pretty cool animals, like sea turles, bears, and camels!

This is in Egypt, I am riding a funny camel, he looks like he is smiling! Say CHEESE!!!
You can see the pyramiids in the background!

This is my jumping off of the base of one of the pyramids, the stones are HUGE!

One very odd thing about me is that I have a disease called Celiac's disease. Some people have heard of it, and some haven't, but it is a disease that makes me very sick if I have something called Gluten. Gluten is in lots of foods, including anything with wheat. So that means I can't eat bread, cookies, cake, brownies, pie, or anything with wheat flower in it. I know its crazy and you probably think I am crazy because I can't have donuts for breakfast or cookies and cupcakes at a birthday party, but trust me, there are plenty of other things I can eat. My favorite foods are Nacho's and Ice Cream, but NOT together! :)

I am very fun, totally crazy, and super excited to meet you all!

*Below is a list of School Supplies you child should bring on the first day of school. The supplies are optional, and I will provide supplies if any child comes without. Also, any extra supplies would be appreciated for those who are unable to buy them.
-1 Plastic pencil box
-1 Box of Kleenex
-1 box of crayons, any size
-Markers
-Colored pencils
-Glue, at least 2 glue sticks and one bottle of glue
-Watercolor paints
-Pencils, 24 (or more) to contribute to the class.
-1 bottle of hand sanitizer the bigger bottle the better! :) (we will be sanitizing every time we come into the classroom from any other class and recess, and washing hands at the beginning of school, and before lunch, we don't want anyone to get sick!)
-One bag of class incentives (Bag of wrapped candy, small toys, etc. After holiday sales are a great time to stock up, you can bring them in at the beginning of school, throughout the year…or both!)

Optional Items needed in our classroom:
-Dry erase markers
-Ziplock bags, every size
-Colored copy paper


Your first homework assignment is to read this post with your parents, and leave me a comment. In your comment, tell me your name, including a nickname if you go by one (for example, if your name is Christopher and you like to be called Chris). One last thing, PARENTS: please post your email addresses (Mom's and Dad's if you both have them) so I can keep you updated.
-if you are uncomfortable sending my your email via post, you certainly email me :) cblance@thelances.net

I am looking forward to meeting everyone this Friday for our Nacho Party FIESTA!!!