October 31st Newsletter

Important Dates
November
4 – Teacher's Institute – No School
5 – Field Trip
6 – Picture Retakes
7- Return Reading Books
11 – Veteran's Day – No School

Student of the Week
Emma Lafin was our student of the week this week. She did a nice job of feeding our classroom pets.

Field Trip
Next Wednesday, November 5th, we will be going to Hinsdale to see Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Please pack a sack lunch for your child that day since we're not sure whether we'll be back by 12:00 for a hot lunch. Thanks.

Picture Retakes
Picture retakes will be on Thursday, November 6. If your child is having retakes done, please return his/her original package of pictures. Thanks.

Spelling Tests
Under the reading column is a new addition. We now have spelling words. There will be a spelling test every Friday from now on (unless otherwise notified in the weekly classroom newsletter). The words will appear in this newsletter each week so be watching for them. You can also check my blog.

Reading
Next week we will be reading two stories. One story is about animals that live in a cold part of the world. The other story is about what happens to animals and plants during the four seasons. While we are reading, we will practice identifying the main topic and supporting details.

Comprehension Strategies
We will concentrate on topic, main idea, details, summarizing, and evaluating.

Vocabulary Words
Our words for next week are: look, of, see, animal, bird, cold, fall, flower & full.

Phonics Skills
We will cover the vowel sound of short “u” and double final consonants (i.e. glass, fall, etc.).

Grammar Lesson
We will talk about making proper sentences.

Spelling Words
Our spelling words for our very first official spelling test are: an, at, can, cat, had, man, catch, add, have, and what.

Reading Anthologies
We have completed our first anthology (reader) and I am sending it home with your child. Please have your child read the stories in it to you or to a brother or sister.

PLEASE RETURN THE BOOK TO SCHOOL NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER7th.

***Please send in the October reading logs. Everyone who completed their log will get a Pizza Hut coupon. New logs came home today.

Have a safe & Happy Halloween!

October 24th Newsletter

Important Dates

October

31- Classroom Halloween Parties/Parade 1:30 – Parade, 2:00 – Party

November

4 – Teacher's Institute – No School

5 – Field Trip – Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

6 – Picture Retakes

11 – Veteran's Day – No School

Student of the Week

Saahil Sorakayala was our student of the week this week. He did a nice job of writing the date on the board.

Exploration Stations
We began our weather unit on Thursday. In the weeks ahead, the children will be learning about tornadoes and hurricanes with Mrs. Cornfield, seasons with me, the water cycle with Mrs. Hull, weather terms with Miss Tracy, lightning with Mrs. Sis and clouds with Mrs. Amish. They will bring home the materials from this unit on November 7th when we complete the unit.

Movie Night
Friday, November 14th is movie night for the Ide children. The movie will be shown at Praireview beginning at 6:45. Your child will bring home a flyer with all the details.

Reading

Next week we will be reading stories about bugs. In Quit It, Bug!, two children try to have a picnic on a log and a bug wants to go to his home in that log. In A Surprise for Zig Bug, some bugs think they are swimming in a pool, but it is really a jug. We also have a Science Link story called Insects.

Comprehension

• summarizing and story structure.
  

Vocabulary
The vocabulary words are:
are, away, does, he, live, pull, they, where, quit, up, zig, zag, bug, & jug

Phonics

• the vowel sound of short “u”


• blending words with the CV and CVC pattern


• review the short “e” sound also

Grammar

We will focus on using action words.

Big Words

Our big words for this week are: challenge, grateful, deserve, deceive, amble, and plead.

Math
I sent home the math tests we have taken so far this year. Please look over these tests and help your child with any of the answers they may have missed. Please sign & return the green sheet so I know that you received them. Thanks.

Have a great weekend!

October 17th Newsletter

Important Dates

October 20 – Book Orders are Due
22 – Early Dismissal – 12:00
24 – Progress Reports Go Home
24 – Jr. Achievement Begins
24 – Halloween Party at Ide 6:00-8:00 pm
31- Classroom Halloween Parties/Parade 1:30 – Parade, 2:00 – Party

Student of the Week
Michelle VanGeertry was our student of the week this week. She did a nice job of leading the calendar.

Field Trip
All first grade classes will be going to Hinsdale South High School to see the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on November 5th. A permission slip is being sent home today. Please complete it & send it back in an envelope along with $3 to cover the cost. Thanks.

Halloween Party & Parade
Please come and watch our parade. It will be outside (weather permitting) in the back of the school. We will begin at 1:30 and will parade outside beginning in front of the school and will circle around to the back of the school. We will then return to our classrooms for our party.
The students should bring their costumes to school. We will help them get dressed prior to the parade. Since the students will have a treat and a drink at the party, no additional candy treats are necessary.

Reading

Next week we will be reading stories about problems characters have and how they solve them. In Val Can Help, Rob and Val help each other make a snowman. In The Bunnies and the Fox, two small bunnies fool the fox by making a big snow bunny that scares him away. We will also read a science article about animals that live in the woods.

Vocabulary
Our vocabulary words for next week are:

do, for, I is, me, said, you, get, help, kid, next, yes, yet.

Comprehension Strategies

• fantasy and realism
• noting details.

Phonics Skills

• short ”e” sound and blending short “e” words with cvc or vc patterns.
  
  

Grammar Lessons

• using naming words (nouns).
  

Author of the Month
Our “author of the month” for October is Lois Ehlert. She has written many books, which we have been reading daily.

Math
We will begin chapter 4 in our math books next week. In this chapter, children will create addition and subtraction problems, explore how addition and subtraction are related, identify and write related facts, write number sentences to represent addition and subtraction situations, and learn how to choose whether to add or subtract.

Have a great weekend!

October 10th Newsletter

Important Dates
October
13 – Columbus Day – No School
17- Kids on the Block Assembly
22 – Early Dismissal – 12:00
24 – Jr. Achievement begins
24 – Halloween Party at Ide 6:00-8:00 pm
31- Classroom Halloween Parties

Michael Arquilla was our student of the week this week.

Fire Safety Assembly
Lieutenant Tabisz came to our school today and talked about fire safety. We learned about choosing a special meeting place in case of a fire, how to “stop, drop, and roll,” and that we should never go back inside to get something we forgot. He also showed us the special gear that firemen wear and we talked about how it sounds when firemen speak with their oxygen tanks on.

Field Trip
Our class will be going to Hinsdale South High School to see the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on November 5th. Watch for permission slips next week. The cost is $3.00 per child.

Reading
Next week we will be reading two stories. One is a funny story about a group of cats who cook a big feast for themselves. The other is about a boy and his surprise birthday party.

Comprehension Strategies
Next week we will be practicing questioning and noting details within a story.

Phonics
Lessons will be introduced on the short “o” vowel sound. We will also be blending the short “o” sound into words that have the cvc and cv patterns.

Vocabulary
We will be working with words that have the short “o” sound such as box, got, hot, lot. We will also review short “a” and short “i” words.

Grammar
Capitalizing names and word order in sentences.

Big Words
This week's “big” words were: invisible, scold, dreadful, complain, scrunched, & exaggerate

Computers
During the month of September we worked on starfall.com in the computer lab. We also practiced making a picture web for short “a” words using the program called Kidspiration. This month we are going to practice math facts using the program called Mathblaster.

October 3rd Newsletter

Magazine Sales
Thank you for participating in our magazine fund raiser. It was very successful again this year.







Important Dates
October








4 – Market Day
8 – Fire Safety Assembly
13 – Columbus Day – No School
17- Kids on the Block Assembly
22 – Early Dismissal – 12:00
24 – Halloween Party at Ide 6:00-8:00
31- Classroom Halloween Parties








Book-It
As a part of our reading incentive program, our school has decided to participate in the Pizza Hut Book-It reading program beginning October 1. Children will receive a coupon each month for a personal pan pizza if they return their reading calendar/log at the end of the month. A reading calendar and record sheet was sent home earlier this week. Please turn it in at the end of October.







Student of the Week
Meera Patel was our student of the week this week.











Character Counts
Our first pillar that we will be focusing on is RESPONSIBILITY. Responsible students bring their green folders to school every day, keep their desks organized, and do their best work. Please have your child wear green on every Friday during the month of October to show that they are responsible.

Reading
Next week we will be reading two stories from the anthology about pigs and other farm animals. A Big Hit is about two pigs who play a game. Pigs in a Rig is about some pigs who win prizes. Let’s Go to the Fair is a social studies article where we learn about things people see and do at a county fair.

Comprehension Strategies

• evaluating and cause and effect.
  

Phonics Skills

• short “i” sound


• blending words that have the cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern.
  

Vocabulary Words
Our vocabulary words for next week are: a, find, have, one, to, who, big, hit, it, pig, ran, and sit.

Grammar

• using punctuation in sentences.

Math

We are finishing up chapter 2 in math. We have been working on problem solving techniques. We practiced using the words add, in all, altogether, plus, equals, part, whole, addend, & sum. We also used counters, and drawing pictures to help us solve the problems.

Have a great weekend!