March 27th Newsletter

Important Dates
April

6 – Classes Resume/Chick Unit Begins
7 – No School – Teacher's Institute
10 – No School – Good Friday
17 – Science Assembly
23 – Open House at Ide
24 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

Student of the Week
Sean was our last “student of the week.” He did a nice job of taking care of the fish and frogs and helping me to clear off the back table.

We will not have any more “students of the week” this year. Instead, I will choose a different student each day to be my helper for the day. This way everyone will get at least one or two more chances to lead the calendar before the end of the school year.

Volunteers Received
Thanks to everyone for volunteering their time. I chose the 1st three e-mails I received to be the volunteers for the chick project in April. I will send you more information as the date gets closer.

Barnyard Moosical
All the 1st grade classes did a nice job at the music concert on Wednesday. Thank you to Ms. Wyse for all of her hard work. I really enjoyed it – I hope you did too.

Reading
When we return from Spring Break, we will be reading Johnny Appleseed and Life Cycle of an Apple.

Comprehension Strategies
The following comprehension strategies will be covered next week: predicting, inferring, drawing conclusions, reading a time line, and viewing photographs.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words for next week are: apple, bread, cider, clothes, river, stories, years, & young.

Phonics Skills
We will work on base words and endings, vowel pairs “ou” and “ow” and syllabication (VCCV Pattern).

Grammar Lesson
Action words with -ed endings.

Spelling Words
Our spelling words are: checking, telling, missed, filled, sleeping, bluffing, planted, walked, jumping & landed.

**Our spelling test over these words will be on Thursday, April 9th due to no school on Friday, April 10th.

Have a great Spring Break!

March 20th Newsletter

Important Dates
March 25 - 1st Grade Music Concert – 7:00 at Lakeview
28 – Spring Break Begins
April 6 – Classes Resume/Chick Unit Begins
7 – No School – Teacher's Institute
10 – No School – Good Friday
17 – Science Assembly
23 – Open House at Ide
24 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

Volunteers Needed
I need a couple volunteers on Monday, April 20th from 9:00 to 11:00 to work on a project with the 1st graders. We will be making plaster of paris chicks to coincide with our chick unit. Please e-mail me if you are available. Thanks.

Student of the Week
Jake was our “student of the week” this week. He's been very helpful & did a nice job of bringing the attendance to the office and returning library books.

Character Counts
During the month of March, we will be talking about “fairness.” Please have your child wear orange on Fridays in March to go along with this pillar.

Conferences
Thanks for coming in for conferences last week. It was good to see everyone again. Please remember to sign & return your child's report card envelope if you haven't done so already.

Reading
In our anthology we will read the nonfiction selection,
See How They Grow BUTTERFLY. We will also have an art link entitled Earth.

Comprehension Strategies
We will be working on identifying the topic, main idea, details and summarizing.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words for next week are: butterfly, caterpillars, changing, chrysalis, danger, enemies, nectar, orange, suit, suits, science words, color words, & pattern words.

Phonics Skills
Vowel pairs ow, ou, and syllabication (VCCV pattern).

Grammar Lesson
We will be learning about present tense.

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: house, cow, out, down, now, found, pouch, crowded, always, & ready.

Spring is finally here! Yippee!!!!

March 12th Newsletter

Important Dates
March

13 – No School
25 - 1st Grade Music Concert – 7:00
28 – Spring Break Begins

April
6 – Classes Resume
7 – No School – Teacher's Institute
10 – No School – Good Friday

Ease the Tease Assembly
On Wednesday we went to an assembly entitled Ease the Tease. It dealt with teasing and different ways to deal with various types of teasing. This goes along with our Character Counts program. Thank you to PTO for sponsoring this event.

Student of the Week
Kayla was our “student of the week” last week & this week since they were both short weeks. She's been very helpful & did a nice job of writing the day/date on the board.

Computers
We have been working on the program called Education City. We have been practicing vowel sound pairs such as /oa/, /oo/, /ai/, /ou/, etc. We have also been working with putting numbers in order from least to greatest and greatest to least.

Please remember to sign and return your child's report card envelope if you haven't done so already. Thanks.

Exploration Stations
We finished our unit on measurement last week. Children studied about measuring objects using scales, rulers, yardsticks/meter sticks, tape measures, cups, & quarts.

Our next unit will be our Chick Embryology unit which will begin in April.

Reading
The stories from our anthology for next week are: The Forest and Saving the Earth.

Comprehension Strategies
We will be working on categorizing, classifying, and summarizing.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words are: about, because, draw, happy, teacher, part, tiny, tells, loves, planted, added, & compound words.

Phonics Skills
In phonics we will be reviewing the /oo/, /ew/, /ue/, /ou/, /u_e/, and long /i/ (ie, igh).

Grammar Skills
We will work on action words (verbs).

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: cup, cups, frog, frogs, tree, trees, gloves, birds, because, & about.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March 6th Newsletter

Important Dates
March
6 – End of the trimester
10 – Report Cards
12 – Early Dismissal/Conferences
13 – No School
25 - 1st Grade Music Concert – 7:00
28 – Spring Break Begins
April
6 – Classes Resume

Conferences

Conferences will be held next week. I am looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress. If you are unable to make your conference time, either contact the office or send me an e-mail. Thanks.

Student of the Week
Haroon was our “student of the week” last week. He did a nice job of reading a book to the class and also sharing his poster and thumb print artwork.

Author of the Month
Patricia Polacco is our author for the month of March. Many of her books are about things that happened to her when she was growing up. We read Thunder Cake last week when we had a thunder storm at school. Have your child retell the story to you. This helps to improve comprehension skills.

Reading

The story from our anthology for next week is: If You Give a Pig a Pancake. There is also a health link entitled Blueberry Pancakes.

Comprehension Strategies
The children will work on the following strategies: questioning, fantasy and realism, how to read a recipe, and viewing categories.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words for next week are:

born, bubbles, closet, favorite, maple syrup, music, piano, probably, & remind.

Phonics Skills
Next week the children will be working on vowels oo, ew, ue, ou, u, u_e, and the long /i/ as in ie and igh. They will also be reviewing the oo sound and compound words.

Grammar Lesson
We will be reviewing pronouns.

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: food, moon, room, soon, too, zoo, balloon, moose, toothache & raccoon.

Remember to set your clocks ahead on March 8th!