May 1st Newsletter

Important Dates

May

             1 – Gym Night    6:30-8:00

            15 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

            22 – Author Day – Aaron Reynolds

            25 – No School – Memorial Day

            29 – Sunglasses Day

                    

   Chick Update

          We candled some of our eggs this week to see whether or not an embryo was growing.  We used an overhead projector and a very dark room.  We were able to see the air cell, blood vessels, and the embryo moving around.  Ask your child to tell you about it.

          Mrs. Fish brought her hens to our school on Friday and gave a presentation on chickens.  She answered many of the questions the children had wondered about during the last couple of weeks.  She did a great job and was very patient with the students!  The children had a chance to pet a chicken and touch its comb and legs if they wanted to do so.  

   ABC Countdown

5/4 – “A” – Be an “Artist” today

5/5 - “B” – Buddy Read

5/6 - “C” – Cartoon Day

5/7 – “D” – Dance Day

5/8 – “E” – Exercise Day

 *** Progress reports are being sent home on Friday, May 1 only on an as-needed basis. If your child receives one, please sign and return it.  Thanks.

Reading

      This we read Frog Life Cycle by Justin McCory Martin.  We worked on facts and opinions.

Phonics Skills

      We will be working on suffixes –ful, -ly, and –y and the sound of /al/.

Grammar Skills

     We will be working on antonyms (opposites).

Spelling Words

Our spelling words for next week are:

bad, vet, fact, all, talk, walk, small, made, their, beanstalk

      Thank you for attending last week’s open house.  It was good seeing everyone.  This year has gone by quickly - I guess that’s what happens when you have a nice class!

            Thank you also for the donations to our classroom.  We were able to get several new books.

  Blackberry Farm Field Trip  

   Our field trip to Blackberry Farm will be on Wednesday, June 3.  If you are interested in chaperoning, please send me a note or an email.  I have 2 volunteers (Mrs. Selig and Mrs. Howard), but could use more. I believe the cost is $6 for children and also $6 for chaperones. A permission slip will go home later in May.  You may send your money in at that time. Thanks.

Enjoy the weekend!

April 24th Newsletter

Important Dates

April   

          30 – Reading Rewards – Fuzzy Friend Day

May  

          1 - Mrs. Fish’s Presentation

               Gym Night

          15 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

          22 – Author Day – Aaron Reynolds

          25 – No School – Memorial Day

                    

Chick Embryology Unit

   Our eggs have arrived!  On Tuesday, we placed 12 eggs in the turner in our incubator. Six of the eggs came from the U of I Extension Office and the other six came from a friend close to home that raises different breeds of chickens. We have a total of 5 dozen eggs throughout the 1^st grade classrooms. Our eggs are different sizes and colors.  It will be interesting to see what kinds of chicks will hatch. The chicks should hatch in approximately 21 days (May 12). I’m sure your children will keep you posted.

Math

     This week in math, we have been working on using graphs to collect data.  We completed a picture graph of our favorite eggs to eat.  Scrambled eggs won!

   

Reading

          We have been reading many books on chickens – fiction and nonfiction.  We made a Venn diagram comparing the 2 stories – Cinderella and Chickerella.  The children did a nice job on this activity.

          This week we also read Chick Life Cycle by Elizabeth Bennett.  We went over the vocabulary words and tried to find answers to any questions the students had.  We also compared a rooster to a hen.  The students are very interested in this unit and can’t wait to learn.  Ask them to tell you about our daily activities.

Phonics Skills

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

Grammar Skills

    We will be working on plurals by adding –es to words that end in -x, -ch, -sh, or -s.

Spelling Words

Our spelling words for next week are:

Got, bun, belt, fork, storm, horse, forty, goes, does, morning

 

  Ryleigh-Jeaux will be our “student of the week” for the week of April 27. 

Have a good weekend!

April 17th Newsletter

Important Dates

April   

      22 – Earth Day – wear   

            green,   brown, or blue

          23 – Spring Open House/Book Fair

          30 – Reading Rewards – Fuzzy Friend Day

May

          1- Mrs. Fish’s Presentation

          15 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

          22 – Author Visit – Aaron Reynolds

          25 – No School – Memorial Day

Ide Open House/Book Fair

    Our Open House/Book Fair will be held on Thursday, April 23 from 6:30-8:00pm.  All family members are welcome to come to it. We hope to see you there.

Chick Update

     We have been reading books on chickens and eggs.  We have also been doing some activities to go along with what we have learned.  We are currently doing an experiment where we have placed a regular egg into a jar of water, vinegar, saltwater, and 7Up.  We have talked about the scientific method and are observing the eggs daily.  We are recording our findings on a paper that we have placed in the yellow chick folder.  Ask your child to tell you about their observations.

Chase will be our “student of the week” for the week of April 20.

Math

    We just completed Topic 13 on telling time to the hour and half-hour.  We are starting Topic 14 which deals with using different types of graphs (picture graphs, bar graphs, & real graphs) to collect data.

Reading

    This week we read, Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones by Ruth Heller.  We discussed what the word “oviparous” means and found animals that were hatched from eggs.  We also cracked open an egg and observed the different parts. The children were able to touch the membrane and label the different parts of the egg.

Phonics Skills

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

Grammar Skills

    We will be reviewing adverbs

Spelling Words

Our spelling words for next week are:

Jet, dig, help, boy, toy, enjoy,

annoy, two, four, destroy

     April 22^nd is Earth Day.  Please remember to reduce, reuse, & recycle!  Please wear green, brown, or blue on this day also.

April 10th newsletter

    Important Dates

April   

10 – PTO Bunco Night

22 – Earth Day – wear green, brown,or blue

    23 – Spring Open House/Book Fair

    30 – Reading Rewards – Fuzzy Friend Day

May

       1 – Chicken Presentation with Mrs. Fish

         

Please remember to charge your child’s iPad and return it to school by Friday.  Thanks.

                    

Chick Embryology Unit

   Mrs. Fish (a parent from our district) will be coming to our school on Friday, May 1, to give a presentation on chickens.  She will be bringing a couple of her own chickens for the children to see and touch (if they want to).  She is very knowledgeable about chickens and will answer any questions the children may have thus far.  She will also be taking our baby chicks home with her a couple of days after they hatch.  She brings several of them back each week for 2-3 weeks to let the children see the changes that occur.

   

 Blackberry Farm Field Trip

    All first grade classrooms will be going on a field trip to Blackberry Farm sometime in June.  I will send out more information as the time gets closer.  If you are interested in chaperoning, please send me an email.  I would like to take as many chaperones as possible, but I am not sure how many we are allowed to bring. I will let you know as soon as I find out.

Reading

      This week we read the book, Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross. Ask your child to retell the story to you.

Phonics Skills

            We will be learning about the /oy/ sound.

Grammar Skills

We will be reviewing adverbs.

Spelling Words

The spelling words for next week are:

bug, had, film, oil, coin, noisy, spoiled, would, right, boiling

   Sydney will be our “student of the week” for the week of April 13.

Have a nice weekend!