May 29th Newsletter

Blackberry Farm Field Trip

   On Wednesday, June 3, all first grade classrooms will be going on a field trip to Blackberry Farm in Aurora.  Please make sure your child has a jacket in case it rains or if it is chilly outside.  

       We will be leaving shortly after 9:00 and will return around 2:15.  Since we will be eating there, please pack a disposable sack lunch for that day.  Hot lunches will not be available.  Make sure you put your child’s name on the outside of the paper lunch bag.  

         The children will stay at school throughout the end of the day & will ride the bus home or be picked up as usual.

          If you are chaperoning this trip, please be at school by 8:50 and bring a small tote bag in order to carry your group’s lunches.  You may want to bring an umbrella if it is rainy that day since we will be walking around quite a bit.

         Students that read books throughout the school year, at home or in the classroom, will be receiving their ticket to Six Flags Great America in their report card envelope on the last day of school.  Keep reading during the summer!

June

3 – Blackberry Farm Field trip

5 – School Picnic – Lunch (cheese pizza) is provided

9 – Report cards/Last day of school

12:00 Dismissal

ABC Countdown

6/1 - “T” – Team spirit day

6/2 – “U” – USA Day – wear red, white & blue

6/3 – “V” – Video day

6/4 – “W” – Walt Disney Day

6/5 – “X” – eXchange autographs

   

      This week we read Sunflower Life Cycle by Jeff Bauer.  We decorated a cup and planted some sunflower seeds in it.  We also worked on writing a “how to” paragraph on how to plant a seed.

Phonic Skills

     We will work on words with the /ur/ sound in them.

Grammar Skills

     We will continue to work on question words – who, what, where, why, when, and which.

***Please remember to pack a lunch for your child for Wednesday due to the field trip.

May 22nd Newsletter

           

  Important Dates    

May

            22 – Author Day – Aaron Reynolds

            22 – All library books are due

            25 – No School – Memorial Day

            29 – Sunglasses Day

June   

3 – Blackberry Farm Field Trip

            5 – School Picnic

            9 – Last Day of School – 12:00 Dismissal

Last Day of School

     Our last day of school will be, Tuesday, June 9.  School will be dismissed at 12:00.  Report cards will be handed out on this day.  If your child is unable to attend on this day, you may pick up his/her report card the following week in the office.  They cannot be handed out early.

End of the Year Picnic

          Our end of the year picnic will be on Friday, June 5.  We will be going outside (weather permitting) for quite a while in the morning. 

     The PTO will be supplying lunch.  If your child does not like what is being served, just send a sack lunch to school that day. More information will be coming at a later date.

ABC Countdown

5/26 – “P” – Partners/Puzzles

5/27 - “Q” – Quiet Day

5/28 – “R” – Read with a friend

5/29 – “S” – Sunglasses Day

Summer Reading Suggestions

          It is important to continue to read with your child every day this summer.  It is also important for them to read to you.  This will not only better prepare them for 2^nd grade, but it will also increase their confidence and comprehension skills. 

            Here are some popular kids' book selections for you to enjoy!

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant

Arthur by Marc Brown

Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline

Cam Jansen Mysteries by David A. Adler

Jigsaw Jones Mysteries by James Preller

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Parks

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

    This week we read Horse Life Cycle by Eric Charlesworth. We worked on vocabulary words and how this life cycle was different from the life cycles we have already studied.

Phonics Skills

            We will work on words with the /ir/ sound in them.

Grammar Skills

            We will work on using synonyms.

Spelling Words

Our spelling words for next week are:

yet, hid, kept, skirt, girl, shirt, first, of, eight, birthday

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

May 15th Newsletter

Important Dates           

May

15 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

20 – Last day to check out books

          22 – Author Day – Aaron Reynolds

          25 – No School – Memorial Day

          22 – All library books are due

June 

3 – Blackberry Farm Field Trip

          5 – School Picnic

          9 – Last Day of School – 12:00 Dismissal

Chick Update

     We had a total of 60 eggs in our incubators.  Forty-four of them hatched. Most of the chicks are yellow , but  we also have a few black chicks and a few brown with black stripes on their backs. We have several different breeds (Leghorns, Wyandottes, and Brahmas) due to the fact that we got the eggs from 2 different sources. 

     Mrs. Fish, a parent from our district, will be picking up the chicks tomorrow and will be bringing them back every Friday for the children to observe their growth and changes.  We are very fortunate to have her.

Library Books

     All library books are due back by Friday, May 22.  We will still go to the library for activities, but we will not be checking out any more books after that date.

     A librarian from a local library will be coming to our school on May 19 to talk about the library program that is offered at their library during the summer.  Most libraries offer a similar program to promote summer reading.  Small prizes and awards are given as the children reach their reading goals.  These programs are helpful in motivating the children to read over the summer.

        Barnes & Noble usually offers rewards for reading during the summer also.  Reading throughout the summer will help to maintain and improve your child's reading skills.

End of the Year Picnic

    The picnic is scheduled for Friday, June 5.  More information will be coming home at a later date.

ABC Countdown

5/18 – “K” – Kid’s Choice Movie

5/19 – “L” – Luau Day – Wear a Hawaiian outfit

5/20 – “M” – Music Day

5/21 - “N” – Neon Day

5/22 - “O” – Outstanding Author Day

Reading

     This week we read Butterfly Life Cycle by Jeff Bauer.  We continued to look at the different parts of a nonfiction book and also worked on comprehension.

Phonics Skills

            We will work on words with the /er/ sound in them.

Grammar Skills

          We will work on using quotation marks.

Spelling Words

     Our spelling words for next week are:

mud, jam, sent, herd, summer, river, number, always, also, woodpecker

Blackberry Farm Field Trip

         Permission slips are being sent home this week.  If you have volunteered to be a chaperone, please add an extra $6 when you turn in your child’s money.  Thanks.

May 8th Newsletter

Important Dates

May

15 – Early Dismissal – 12:00

            22 – Author Day – Aaron Reynolds

            25 – No School – Memorial Day

            29 – Sunglasses Day

June   

3 – Blackberry Farm Field Trip

            5 – School Picnic

            9 – Last Day of School – 12:00 Dismissal

                    

ABC Countdown

5/11 – “F” – Freeze Pops Day

5/12 – “G” – Game Day

5/13 – “H” – Hat Day

5/14 - “I” – Imagination Day

5/15 - “J” – Jeans and Joke Day

     In math, we have been working on recognizing plane (flat) shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, hexagons, rhombuses, ovals, trapezoids, and triangles. We have been doing computer programs to practice matching the shapes and their names.  We have also been playing games in centers that deal with shapes.

      Our chicks are due to hatch on Tuesday, May 12.  Our technology department is setting up a camera on Mr. Mandru’s incubator.  I will send you the link as soon as I receive it so you can watch them at home.

Headphones

     You do not need to purchase new headphones for next year unless your child's headphones are lost or broken.  Your child's headphones will be passed along to the second grade teachers.  They will be sorted & placed in the correct classroom in late August once class lists are done.

Teacher Appreciation Week

     Thank you for all the food and beverages that were sent in this week – it was wonderful!   It was so nice not to have to pack a lunch. 

     Thank you also for the treats during the week – flowers, cards, candy,jam,etc.  They really made me feel special!

Reading

    This week we read Ladybug Life Cycle by  Justin McCory Martin. We discussed and found the different parts of a nonfiction book (table of contents, headings, diagrams, labels, captions and glossary). We also found “evidence” in the book that helped us answer text dependent questions.

Phonics Skills

We will be working on the sound of /nk/ and also r-controlled vowels, such as -or, -er, -ar, -ur, & -ir.

Grammar Skills

We will be working on dictionary skills.

Spelling Words

Our spelling words for next week are:

Fin, sob, left, sink, pink, drink, thank, once, upon, thinking

Have a Happy Mother’s Day!