Saturday, August 30, 2014

Woo-hoo! Welcome back!

Welcome to first grade!
First grade is such a fun grade. We are fortunate enough to go on many field trips, have many specials events, and learn SO much academically! On this blog, you will see me update things almost weekly about what we are learning inside the classroom. (Or at least I try… J) It’s like a window into the classroom. Parents and students, feel free to check out the website! Yay to this being the first post for the 2014-2015 school year!
The first week of school, we learned and practiced basic procedures such as:
- how to unpack when we get to class
-how to walk in line quietly
-how to stand in line quietly
-raising our hands when we have something to share
-rules to the math centers
-rules to the class library

And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on!
So it took me about 2 weeks to set up the classroom. I basically kept the same layout as last year just because it worked with traffic flow and everything else. Here is what we started the classroom off with. By the end of the school year, this classroom will be filled.



Our Vietnamese word wall!

Math Corner where all the fun manipulatives are located.



We read "Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker." They really enjoyed this book. It was about an owl named Lacey that talked so much, she lost her voice! We talked about what it looks like to be a good listener after reading the book.


I felt like they were ready for math centers so I have slowly been introducing activities/games one by one. Even though the math center is fun, there are certain rules they must follow. Ask your child to share with you what these rules are!








We did a fun science experiment with gummy bears during the week. We placed gummy bears in a cup of water, observed what we saw, and recorded our observations. We then also predicted what we thought the gummy bear was going to look like the next day.
Most of the students predicted the gummy bear would get bigger and they were right! There is something about an oversized gummy bear that makes everyone so excited. The kids were so excited that it got pretty loud in our “science lab.”


This is the before and after of the gummy bears. I know, it looks like a blob but in person, you could see the definition of the bear more. 

Silly Quote of the Week:

T: “Cô Tracy, are you a kid?”

Friday, August 1, 2014

Happy First Day of August and my Summer Vacation!

The summer is coming to an end! I am ready to start setting up my classroom again. You know school is right around the corner when you start seeing Target put out all the school supplies. Just in case you don’t have access to the new supply list and want to get a head start, click on the link below.

Meet the Teacher: August 21st @ 4-6pm (Don't forget to bring school supplies!)
First Day of School: August 25th @ 7:30am (there will be no morning assembly this day!)


I just go back from a relaxing fun-filled 3 week vacation from California and Oregon. I sure will miss summer and all the free time I had just because the school year gets so busy and crazy. I will also miss that west coast summer breeze! J
I decided to share some pictures of my trip below. If you haven’t been to Portland, Oregon…I recommend it. My mom’s side of the family is from Portland and so as a child, I have always visited every couple years or so. Love, love, love the city and all the outdoor adventures it has to offer. It’s very similar to Austin minus the hot and humid heat we have here.

My bright and colorful shoes! On this 2 hour hike, we stumbled upon three beautiful waterfalls.


Multnomah Falls! A favorite childhood memory with the family.

I’m typically not an ice cream person but this place was sooo good, I had it twice within one week. Yum! 


Never ending trees, trees, trees!


It was nice being in Portland again to see relatives but also because my best friend got married! I was honored to be the maid of honor for her. She was such a beautiful bride!

Me with my cousin, Julie, who was a bridesmaid.
My 2 cousins and our fabulous 88 year old grandma in our traditional Vietnamese dresses.

Hydrangeas from my grandma’s garden. So beautiful! 

I had to get my froyo fix!

I hope the kiddos enjoy the rest of their summer. Even though I will miss my class I had so much, I'm ready to adopt 40 new children for this upcoming school year. Can't wait to bump into them as big second graders in the hallway. They are welcome to come visit me anytime! I couldn't have asked for a better group of kids as my first class!