April 17th Newsletter

Important Dates
April

23 – Open House at Ide
24 – Early Dismissal – 12:00
26 – Mother Daughter Tea

May

3 – Family Fishing Day

Chick Embryology Unit
Mrs. Fish came to the school on Friday and gave a presentation on chickens. She did a great job! Ask your child to tell you about it.

Author of the Month
Mary Jane Auch is our new author for this month. Many of her books are based around fairy tales, such as Chickerella, Peeping Beauty, & The Princess and the Pizza. We have been comparing these stories to the original fairy tales that they are based upon.

Character Counts
Our pillar for the month of April is “citizenship.” Please have your child wear purple on Fridays to support this theme. Thanks.

Science Assembly
On Friday, our school had an assembly called Steve Belliveau's Science Detective Show. The children loved it. Have your child tell you all about it. Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this assembly.

Reading
Next week we will be reading The New Friend and some poems about friendship.

Comprehension Strategies
We will be working on story structure, how to read a poem, and evaluating.

Vocabulary Words
Next week’s vocabulary words are: birthday, city, cookies, empty, party, seventh, soccer, & years.

Phonics Skills
We will work on base words and endings –es, and –ies. Also, we will discuss prefixes un- & re-, and review sounds for y.

Grammar Skills
We will learn when to use was and were.

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: dishes, dresses, boxes, beaches, wishes, kisses, classes, brushes, children, & family.

Have a great weekend!

April 9th Newsletter

Important Dates
April

10 – No School – Good Friday
17 – Science Assembly
23 – Open House at Ide
24 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

Chick Embryology Unit
We began our “Chick Unit” this week. We will have eggs incubating in our room from April 14th until they hatch approximately 21 days later on May 5th. This is an exciting unit for the children. You will be amazed at how much they learn about chickens. Please remember to ask your child what he/she learned each day. Many of our projects will be available for you to see at our Open House on April 23th.

Egg Shells
One of the projects we will be doing requires egg shells. Please save any you use at home and send them to school. We need the ones that are left after cracking an egg open for baking or breakfast not pieces from a hard boiled egg. They need to be cleaned well and wrapped carefully so they won't break into little pieces. You can send them as soon as you have any. Thanks!

Reading Anthologies
We just finished reading our latest anthology. Your child is bringing it home today along with a set of vocabulary words from Theme 8. You may keep the book until April 24th. Please read over the stories with your child. We will be starting a new book in class on Monday.

Reading
We will be reading When I Am Old With You from our anthology. There is also a technology link about inventions called Inventions Then and Now.

Comprehension Strategies
The strategies we will work on next week include the following: monitoring clarifying, noting details, and using headings.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words are: canoe, cards, cedar, field, fields, Grandaddy, imagine, mind, remember, and tired.

Phonics Skills

We will be learning about the long “i” sound spelled “y”. We will review base words and endings –ed and

–ing.

Grammar Skills
We will be working on using “is” and “are” correctly.

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: by, my, cry, try, fly, why, pry, multiply, buy, & guy.

Have a Happy Easter!

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!

February 27th Newsletter

Important Dates

February
28 – Snowflake Ball


March
2 – No School – Casimir Pulaski Day
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



Reading Books
Please remember to turn in your child's hardcover reading book if you haven't done so already. Thanks.

Conference Slips
Conference slips went home on Friday. Please return them as soon as possible. If you are unable to come to the conference time that is scheduled, please let me know & I'll try to fit you in at a time that is convenient for the both of us. Thanks.

Black History Month

Since February is black history month, we have been reading some books to go along with this theme.
The class really enjoyed the book called Almost to Freedom. It's a story about slaves escaping to the North as told from a doll's point of view. Ask your child to tell you about it.

Math

In math, we have been working on greater than, less than, equal to, one less than, one greater than, ten less than, & ten more than. Some children use a number line or a number grid to figure out the answer and others are able to do it in their heads. We will be finishing chapter 11 some time next week.

Reading

We will read the stories Lost and On the Move.

Comprehension Strategies

Next week we will work on sequencing, monitoring, clarifying, reading a diagram, and recognizing signs.

Vocabulary Words

The vocabulary words for next week are: building, buildings, city, disappears, elevator, friendly, library, part, scare, & worry.

Phonics Skills

The children will work on the o sound made when using double o as in the words book and look. We will review the oa and ow vowel pairs.

Grammar Lesson

We will be working on proper nouns for places and things.

Spelling Words

Our spelling words will be: look, book, took, good, foot, cook, hoof, crook, school & police.

Enjoy the long weekend!

February 20th Newsletter

Important Dates
February
26 – Pictures
27 – Reading Books Are Due Back
28 – Snowflake Ball
March
2 – No School – Casimir Pulaski Day
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

Robert Crown Health Center
On Thursday, all 1st graders went to Robert Crown Health Center and learned about the 5 different food groups, our 5 senses, germs, parts of the body, & what they do. Have your child tell you about what he/she learned.

Paper Making Assembly
On Friday, we had a paper making and recycling assembly. Each child got to make their own piece of paper by tearing up old paper, adding water and glitter to it, and then straining off the excess water. The importance of recycling was also discussed. Ask your child to tell you about it.

Reading Books
We just finished reading our anthology entitled Surprises. I sent it home on Wednesday for students to practice reading the stories. Please send them back to school by February 27th.

I also sent home a pink list of words from the last 3 stories. Please go over this list of words with your child. I will be checking to see if they can read these words in the next few weeks. Thanks.

Reading
We have a story and two poems in our anthology next week. The story is That Toad is Mine. The poems are Hug O’ War and Sharing.

Comprehension Strategies
The children will work on summarizing, problem solving, using rhyme and how to read a poem.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words for next week are: agree, book, books, candy bars, fault, food, hop, toad, lemonade, shared, & toys.

Phonics Skills
The children will work on the following skills: vowel pairs oa, ow, ai, & ay. They will also begin to learn about dividing words into syllables.

Grammar Lesson
We will work on proper nouns for people and animals.

Spelling Words
The spelling words for next week are: boat, slow, coat, grow, show, toad, coast, know, coach, & throat.

Have a great weekend!

Important Dates
February
16 – No School – President's Day
19 – Robert Crown Field Trip
20 – Paper making Assembly
26 – Pictures
28 – Snowflake Ball

March
2 – No School – Casimir Pulaski Day
6 – End of the trimester
10 – Report Cards
12 – Early Dismissal/Conferences
13 – No School

Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola is our author for the month of February. We have been reading his books everyday and explored his website at www.tomie.com .

Student of the Week
Matthew was our “student of the week” this week. He has done a nice job of writing the date and leading the calendar.

Valentine's Day Party
Thank you to everyone who helped with the Valentine's Day party. It was a nice way to end the week of testing. The children had a good time.

IOWA Testing
We finished taking the IOWA test today. If your child was absent during testing, make-up testing will be done next week.

“Lend a Can” Food Drive
Thank you for making the school's service project a success! Our class brought in 106 cans of food and approximately $10.00 in spare change. Thank you for your generosity!

Reading
This reading lesson was started this week. The children did not have 'Power Hour' the week of February9th and will not have it the week of February 17th due to the shortened week and our paper making assembly.

In our anthologies, the children will be reading the story Red-Eyed Tree Frog and the poems The Snake and The Toucan.


Comprehension Strategies
The children will be practicing the skills of predicting and inferring.

Vocabulary Words
The vocabulary words for next week are: boa, caterpillar, eyed, eyes, iguana, katydid, macaw, moves, poisonous, tongue, & toucan.

Phonics Skills
The children will be learning about the vowel pairs ai and ay. We will also review the long e vowel and the vowel pairs ee & ea.

Grammar Lesson
We will be focusing on naming words for one or more.

Spelling Words
Next week’s spelling words are:
day, say, play, may, way, stay, away, holiday, evening, & near. (The test will be Feb. 20th due to IOWA tests.)

Happy Valentine's Day - enjoy the long weekend!