September 26th Newsletter

             

Jack Dennis will be the “student of the week” next week.   

                       

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 log at the end of the month.  The reading log is the sheet that is in your child’s purple folder. Please try to read with your child each day & keep track on the monthly log. You will then turn it in at the end of October.  Thanks.

        

  Computers

            During the month of September we worked on Starfall, ABCya, I-station and RAZ Kids either in the classroom or in the computer lab.   

RAZ Kids is a program that works on reading skills.  The children read books at their level and take a short quiz on it.  They earn points for each task completed and can then use those points to decorate a rocket within the program.  They seem to really enjoy it.  Your child may also work on this program at home.

Reading

Comprehension Strategies

We will be working on making connections when we read.

Phonics

We will be working on the sound of /ng/.

Grammar

We will practice recognizing capitals and lower-case letters.

Spelling Words

   Our spelling words for the week of October 3^rd are:

in, leg, glad, ring, sang, strong, lung, be, was and length

Magazine Sales

          Thank you for participating in our magazine fundraiser. Our final turn in date for magazine sales is Monday, September 30.  

Field Trips

  We usually go on 2 field trips throughout the school year – one in the fall and one in May. We are working on scheduling one for the fall.  I will let you know more details once decisions are made.  Thanks.

September 19th Newsletter

 Book-it Program

     Our Book-it Program will begin in October.  More information will be going home next week.

September

          23 – 1^st Magazine Turn In Date

          25 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

October

          7 – Literacy Night

          8 – Picture Day

          13 – Columbus Day – No School

         

       Our class learned how to use the computer program RAZ Kids this past week.  Some of the students already knew how, due to past experience.  I went over the program with the whole class.  We will begin using it next week during centers.  If you have internet service, your child may use this program at home also.  I am sending home a sheet of paper explaining how to access the website.  Enjoy!

Cody will be our student of the week for next week.

Book Fair/Ice Cream Social

    The book fair & ice cream social was a big success once again!  Thank you for your generous donations to our class for the book fair.  We were able to purchase several new books.  Thanks!

Math

     In math we have been working on subtracting and learning how to solve story problems. We practiced different ways to solve a problem, such as using counters, cubes, or drawing pictures.

This week we worked on “word work” which involves different techniques in order to practice spelling 

words.

Next week in reading:

Phonics Skills

l  /th/ sound

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

Grammar

We will work on using punctuation in sentences.

Spelling Words

   Our spelling words for the week of September 22nd are:

us, sad, flag, this, with, that,

 thank, me, we, and thinking

Have a fantastic weekend!

September 12th Newsletter

                       

Student of the Week

     Max will be our “Student of the Week” for next week. I will send out a master list for the student of the week date that you chose at curriculum night.  If you forgot to sign up or if you were unable to make it to curriculum night, then I will put your name in a slot that is still open.  There will be a note in the bag that will be sent home the Friday before, reminding you of the time you are to come in & read or share your occupation. 

Thanks.

  Important Dates

Sept.

16 – Magazine Day Kick Off

18 – Fall Book Fair/Ice Cream Social

25 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

Oct.

 8 – Picture Day

Book Fair/Ice Cream Social

    The book fair & ice cream social will be on Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 pm.  Parents and children are invited to come to Elizabeth Ide School (in the gym) to enjoy some ice cream and purchase books if desired.  Hope to see you there.

Homework

      We do not have math homework this weekend since we had a test on Friday. Please continue to read at home nightly.  Math homework will resume on Monday.

Spelling Words

     Our new words for next week are: 

if, hot, blot, chips, lunch, chest, much, he, she, and chicken

              Author of the Month

      This past week we read Mr. Seahorse by Eric Carle.  The book discussed the different ways that fish & sea horses cared for their eggs.  We painted a piece of paper many colors and then cut out a sea horse and added a wiggly eye.  This is how Eric Carle makes the illustrations for his books.

     We also visited Eric Carle's website and did a little exploring on it.

    

   This past week we worked on “Reading to Someone.”  The children were given partners and a book to share.  We went over the rules and expectations and then practiced in order to build up our stamina.  The children were able to read with a partner for 15 minutes so far.  They’re really doing a nice job.

Phonics Skills

l  ch sound

l  blending words that have the cvc pattern

Grammar Lesson

l  develop the students’ understanding of sentences

Have a fantastic weekend!

September 5th Newsletter

                                   

Author of the Month

   Recently we read The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle.  We discussed treating others the way we wanted to be treated and also talked about time.  We noticed details throughout the book and made predictions as we went along.   After we finished reading the book, we made ladybugs out of construction paper and hung them in our classroom.

                        Important Dates

Sept. 10 – Curriculum Night 6:00 –7:30

Sept. 16 – Magazine Drive Kick Off

Sept. 18 – Fall Book Fair/Ice Cream Social – 6:30

Sept. 25 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

     I will have a sign-up sheet for the “Student of the Week” during Curriculum Night on Wednesday, September 10.  I will explain how it works at that time and will also send home a poster to be completed and returned to school. I will store it here in a cabinet until it is your child’s turn to be the “student of the week.”

Homework/ Reading Charts

    Thank you for turning in your child’s homework promptly.  Usually we don’t give homework until after curriculum night, but we wanted to start it once we started our new math series.

     Please try to read with your child each night also.  You only need to list one of the books that you read due to the limited amount of space on the sheet.  You should try to read for 15 minutes each night if possible.

 First Grade Curriculum Night

     Please attend Curriculum Night on Wednesday, September 10, from 6:00-7:30.  This night is for parents/guardians only (no children).

        The Book Fair/ Ice Cream Social on September 18 is for everyone.     

Spelling Tests

     We will have our first spelling test on Friday, September 12.  We will be focusing on the “sh” sound.  We will write & practice spelling these words throughout the week.  The list of words for next week are:

am, get, clap, ship, fish, shut, wish, I,  the, and shampoo

 Reading

      Next week we will be practicing how to “Read to
Someone” as part of our Daily 5 lessons.  This past week we worked on the correct way to “Read to Self.”  The children are doing a nice job so far of following the rules and paying attention.

     We will be working on comprehension skills this year using sets of books that were purchased this year. We will begin using these books next week.

     Grammar lessons will focus on using capital letters at the beginning of sentences.

Enjoy the weekend – we’re off to a great start!