The first grade went on a field trip to the zoo. We had such a good time learning about the animals, laughing and jumping up and down. But, we learned lots of things too. We learned how to read maps, we got better as listening, and we used our science words: exploration and observation.

Science Night at Sinclair Elementary

Sinclair Elementary's Science Night was spectacular. Both students and parents agreed that science can be fun!

Super Star

Julian Cavazos was the leading reader of high frequency words in Ms. Devine's class.

We need your help

Please sign up to help with the PTA Fall Festival and Fish Fry that will be held on November 14. See me for details.

Sinclair Has A Wonderful Habitat

In science we are studing about habitats. So, we decided to take a walk and see what kinds of critters live in Sinclair's habitat.

We received our first donations of Bubble Gum for the Fall Festival. Please send your donations of Bubble Gum as soon as possible. Also, we really need help with many of the festivities. Please volunteer your time if you can.

Ms. Devine's class helped Lauren celebrate her birthday.

A big thanks goes to both Ethan and Julian for generously donating pennies to our Spark Park. Way to go boys!

Science is such fun...

Ms. Rector's class learned how to weigh an apple in science class today.

It is so nice to share with your friends.

Allison Tirdo brought snacks for her class to share while they are studying hard on their science and social studies lessons.

Snack Provider for Our Class and 10-Book Readers

Allysa brought snacks for the class. Thanks Alyssa. The picutre below Alyssa is all the readers of 10 books in our class. Now they are part of the MILLIONAIRE CLUB.

10-Book Readers/Snack Provider

Taking a nature walk on campus...

This week in science we learned about trees. So, we decided to take a nature walk and look at some of the trees on our campus.

We are learning about trees...

Open house was a big success. I really enjoyed meeting the students’ families. And, Ms. Clark was very impressed by the parent turn-out.

After school today was over, we all met outside on the picnic table and wished Ethan a Happy Birthday. Then, the students enjoyed a delicious cupcake with him.

Both Ms. Rector and Ms. Denton will be out tomorrow. Please ask your children to be on their best behavior for our substitutes.

If the weather permits, during science, we will take a nature walk. I’ll try to get some good pictures.

Beginning of the Week Message...

Hello Families:
This week got off to a rocky start. Ms. Denton was home with her sick daughter and Ms. Rector is out on sick leave. Students seem to be extra fidgety and just about everyone have way too much to say to their friends. Please talk to your child about respecting learning time. They hear it over and over from me, “If you are not listening, you are not learning.”

I want to thank all the parents that sent snacks for our 10:30 hungry time. Students need a little pick-me-up at that time to keep going and “thinking” until lunch at 11:30. However, please note, snack time is a privilege, not a right. If students do not listen, work, and refrain from excessive talking, they lose their snack privilege. That is the rule, and everyone abides by it. That is probably worth talking about with your child as well.

Please remember to send a notebook with your child. We have found that the folders are not working. Students have been losing valuable papers as they navigate the halls and move from class to class.

Open House is tonight. I hope to see everyone there.

Ms. Devine visits St. Charles...

Hello families!
Today I am visiting Historic St. Charles, the first capital of Missouri. I took a walk along the river front, which is located a portion of the Katy Trail (that runs all the way to Texas). Then strolled down the original cobblestone (brick) streets, still in use today.

This is a beautiful little town (my sister lives in) honors the memory of Lewis and Clark, the team selected by President Thomas Jefferson, to map out the Louisiana Purchase, one of the best political moves that Jefferson made during his term of office.

In the pictures below, you can see a view of Main Street, with some of the buildings that are almost 300 years old. We visited the Veterans’ Memorial that has a lovely fountain dedicated to veterans of all branches of the service and all wars. The next scene is a picture of my baby sister and her dog Zeke drinking at the fountain.

The dugout canoe you see is similar to the one used by Lewis and Clark. Look closely: no motors, no seats, no life jackets. Can you tell from the picture how wide the river is and how fast it flows? What a dangerous journey they must have made.

This was a fast week...

Tomorrow will be Friday. That means that our students will have a math test and a spelling test. Please work with your child tonight to make sure he/she is prepared.

Generous Moms

The entire class wants to thank Ethan's mom for sending us antibacterial moist wipes, tissues and crackers for our snacks, and Jaime's mom for sending Cinnamon Graham Crackers. Everyone gets really hungry around 10:30. So, to help students continue to concentrate, I like for them to have a nibble.

If you have any extra crackers or cereal just sitting around the house, we will gladly take it off your hands.

Today Was Switching Day...

We started switching classes today. Students seemed to be somewhat confused, but all-in-all they did well. No one got lost and everyone got to lunch on time.

Please look for homework from Ms. Denton (math) and Ms. Rector (reading/language arts) nightly. I will send home something cross-curricular once a week, starting next week.

The students really get hungry mid-morning. If you could send something (like crackers) to share with the class, it would really be appreciated.

Creating Puzzles at Recess

We ended our first week of school on a high note. After ancillary, we worked on writing our letters, and then we worked on four pages of math. Those that finished early put puzzles together.

Later, we went to recess, then we read two decodables. We had to fill out our Millionaire Club book forms and deliver them to the library, because we are now eligible to earn a Millionaire T-shirt for reading 10 books.

At the end of the day we wrote our numbers and spelled them out as well.

We had a great day today. Students worked on rhyming, beginning sounds, writing their alphabet, and reading (see picture above). Each child should have three decodables (small readers) in their folder. Please read with your child each night and sign the cover of their book so that they can get a sticker for each time their books are read.

To keep us safe and in the know, we practiced (see picture above) our emergency preparedness drill. We also have a fire drill once a month.

Please make sure that you have filled out all of your child’s forms so the office will have correct numbers in case our staff wants to get in touch with you.

We wrote our first story today. We also created our first illustration. Everyone did a great job. Our stories are on display in the hall outside our classroom. We hope that you come by to admire our fine work.

First Day Back

Our first day in first grade was a smashing success. Everyone showed up ready to go. We had a great day of learning. I am very pleased with the make-up of the class. We have already begun to create a friendly, happy class-room family.

Watch here for information on some of our activities throughout the day. We are looking for Moms and Dads that want to help out with our science and social studies activities. Please let me know if and when you have time to lend a hand.

Many students, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and grandparents came to visit Sinclair for "Meet the Teacher" day on August 21.

I particularly enjoyed meeting my new students and seeing my former first graders.

This is going to be a very exciting year. I can't wait until Monday.

Teaching science, social studies, and technology to first-graders at Sinclair Elementary is what I love to do. Sinclair is a small neighborhood school, situated on a beautiful campus which is located in the heart of Houston, Texas---the fourth largest city in the United States.

I am very lucky to have two daughters, Stacey and Meredith, one son, Jimmy, a daughter-in-law, Lisa, two sons-in-law, Scott and James, two granddaughters, Jessica and Danielle, two grandsons Parker and Paxton and scores of nieces and nephews in Missouri. I also have one cat named Mr. Cat.


In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, taking pictures, gardening, hiking and camping. But my favorite hobby is traveling because I enjoy learning about history and discovering how people live in other parts of the world. In addition to traveling extensively throughout the United States, I have visited France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Australia and most recently Scotland. I love the outdoors and have spent extended time at the beach in all of those countries. When I am home, I also like to listen to music and create mini movies (through a concept called digital storytelling) about my travels and the lives of other people. Sometimes I submit my stories to magazines for publication.


Ever since I was very small, I have spent as much time as possible out of doors. That is also why I like to teach science, camp and hike. It helps me to feel part of nature. I am very serious about protecting the environment. I teach my grandchildren, my nieces and nephews, and my students the importance of conserving our earth’s natural resources and recycling whenever possible.


I am excited about returning to school this year because I particularly take pleasure in helping students discover how wonderful and unique they truly are. I look forward to fostering their thirst for knowledge, promoting good citizenship and involving them in becoming caretakers of our precious planet.