Newsletter May 10 - May 14

 This will be my second to last newsletter post--I have truly enjoyed teaching YOUR child this year and as I've said before I will always appreciate in-person instruction after a pandemic year. Honestly, thank you parents for continuing to have your child wear a mask for the remainder of the year!    Masks are not fun, I get it, but I appreciate your support on this matter it has made it much easier for me--especially related to classroom management and consistency.  

Here are this week's happenings:

• ALL library books--both take home and regular library are DUE  NOW--most of you returned take-home books last week, if you have yet to return those please do ASAP.  Regular library books are due this THURSDAY!  Right now in our school we have over 150 overdue books if you calculate the loss of those books at approximately $15 each book, since most in the library are hardbound books, that is a loss of over $2250. Plus those books cannot be replaced unless the overdue fine is paid.  Go for a book hunt if you haven't been able to find a missing book--I will give you a notice and remind you if your child still needs to return a book after Thursday. 
• DIBELS scores will be sent to your home address as it is a requirement that they are either given to you by hand (during SEP conferences) or sent via mail. Since we do not have another SEP conference week at the end of the year those scores will be sent to you.  In fact, they may have already been sent.  If you have questions about those scores once received please do not hesitate to reach out.  I was pleased with many of our soaring reading scores.  Please read over the summer with your child--go to the library and let them choose books they would be interested in and read them.  Join the summer reading program at the library--take a book to the park--read bedtime stories nightly.  
• In math we are finishing up our last unit on two-digit addition and subtraction.  We will test at the end of this week and then for the remainder of the days practice, practice, practice our addition and subtraction facts for automaticity and then revisit our representing data unit that we whizzed through before Christmas (graphing unit).  
• In reading we are reading from Kay and Martez and will be learning our last vowel pattern 'oa'.  For grammar portion,  we are learning how to use commas in a series of words (i.e. I like to draw pictures with pencils, crayons, and paint.) We will end with instructional writing (think "How to" writing).  We are reading Fairy Tales to end out the year.  We have read Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, and today Rapunzel.  We will also read The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, and Jack and the Beanstalk before the unit is through.  We have learned about and discuss the parts of a fairy tale after each reading (Once upon a time.... happily ever after, magical elements, royal family, problem and solution). 
• Remember for our COVID style field day we will be going to the Canyon Park (all first grade, but split in half).  We will go after our BBQ lunch on Friday, May 22.  We will walk on the trail for a bit and then play on the playground and have a popsicle afterwards.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate--I can't tell you how often it's cooled down and even rained or snowed a little bit on Field Day.  
• One last sensitive thing that I have noticed more recently is tablet use seems to be on the rise in first grade--especially students watching YouTube or TikTok (where I know there are appropriate things to watch). If I could caution you to put some parental controls on your devices or be present when you child is swiping the screen especially with YouTube and TikTok--I think our little ones eyes can be opened to things that they are not ready for even unintentionally when these things are unsupervised.  😊
• A couple of additions--the 4-H program is delivering an incubator and unhatched eggs to my classroom on Friday--We will/are learning about life cycles and this is a great way to "see" a life cycle in action.  These chicks are for sale for $2 a piece but need to be bought in groups. If you are interested in purchasing the chicks when they hatch please let me know ASAP otherwise I will have the 4-H representative pick them up at the end of next week.  If you want them I have to have verification from you and an adult will need to pick them up. 
• We have a few summer birthdays and I want to celebrate those birthdays in class next week.  These are the summer birthdays that we will have "pretend" birthdays for: Koki on Tuesday, May 18, Mason on Thursday, May 20 and Liam on Friday, May 20.  If you would like to sent a birthday treat with your child on their given day you are welcome to but it's of course optional to do that.  We have 18 students in our class and they need to be store bought. 

Happy Monday!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 26 - April 30

 I hope you are all enjoying your rainy afternoon--it's dry and so any rain is gladly received even if that means inside break all day. 🙈

ME on the Map project

Here are this week's happenings:

his weekWe had spring pictures today--I sent only those students who sent in money or informed me to send their child after making an online payment.

• We have our end of the year DIBELS test on May 6--we are winding down just 4 1/2 weeks left of school.
• In math today we started learning about adding ones or tens to a two digit number (43 + 3 = or 42 + 40 =). We modeled these problems today using tens and ones.  Tomorrow we will use a hundreds chart and will eventually line them up vertically and first add the ones and then the tens.  We will also do this with subtraction. 
• In reading we will finish up our 6th unit tomorrow and start our last unit on Wednesday.  In the last unit we will learn some more vowel combinations such as 'oa' and read from a book called Kay and Martez.  In writing we will writing a "How to" paragraph before the end of the year.
• We are continuing to learn about the history of the earth.  Today we learned about minerals and reviewed volcanoes and geysers. 
• Some things that will be happening at the end of the year--the first or second week of May we will be observing eggs hatch.  The 4-H will bring incubators and eggs and by the end of the week we'll have chicks.  The new chicks can be purchased--I will let you know a price if you are interested.  Though I just told my students today that I have only had 2 students buy chicks in 10 years and they both had farms and were set up for chicks--so they are prepared for your answer. On Friday, May 21 we will have our "field day"--since we need to have a different sort of field day we will walk up to the canyon park--first walk the trail and then play on the playground.  We will also have a BBQ that day for lunch (outside if weather permits)--all students have free breakfast and lunch for the remainder of the year and the BBQ will be included in that.  The last day of school will be Wednesday, May 26--we will dismiss as normal at 1:30 that day. 
• I will send home a final Scholastic book order this week.  Those will be due next Wednesday, May 5.  I still think you can choose to either have the books sent to your house or to the school (if you order a certain $ amount). 

HAPPY READING--please continue to take advantage of the take home books--I know it's harder this year because if you miss the turn in day or Thursday/Friday then you really miss a whole week--but it really helps to read daily and on your child's independent reading level. 

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 19 - April 23

 Our 70th Birthday bash was a hit!  It makes me proud and happy to be a teacher at such a great school.  It was on first and only assembly this year (darn COVID) but the students were very well behaved even though it was only supposed to be a 15 minute program and it ended up being almost an hour.  Thanks to the lunch helpers and the PTA for the treats.  If you want to watch the festivities and have Facebook you can watch it on the East Elementary facebook page.  

Here are this week's happenings (going to be brief):

• The bathrooms have continued to be vandalized this year even after we've tried several things.  We have more using markers on the walls, wiping inappropriate bathroom stuff on the walls, stuffing the toilets with paper towels etc.  We feel that most of this happens during lunch break when students are not monitored so in an effort to curb this vandalism we will now be given a chance to use the bathroom before lunch and after lunch.  I will always give my students that opportunity.  Mr. Moyle sent out a REMIND message this morning.  If you are not on our East Elementary REMIND you are not getting important messages such as that.  If you have any questions or concerns about that please direct those concerns to the office. 
• If your child is missing a jacket, coat etc. please have them check in the lost and found by this Friday.  Items will be donated this Friday. 
• Spring pictures are next Monday.  Please let me know if you want you child to get their picture taken.  I sent home order forms last week.  Students will not automatically get their pictures taken in the spring like in the fall.
• This Thursday,  April 22 we have been invited to join the dual immersion classes for "Feria de Abril de Sevilla" (Seville April Fair).  A big festival celebrated in Senora Fernandez's neck of the woods.  Senora Fernandez has made costumes for all the students to wear--your child will come home with that costume (I think--possibly she will want to save them for next year). 
• We are continuing to learning about tens and ones for our transition into adding and subtracting two digit numbers.  We have moved onto our History of the Earth Unit.  We wrote informative paragraphs about Outer space.  Tomorrow we will make a little "Me on the Map" project to show our place on the earth from big to small (earth to school). We are still reading from Grace and have learned all of the new spellings for this unit with "wh" as another spelling for /w/ (sound). We are trudging along and will work (in a good way) up until the last day of school.  

Happy Reading (new take home books came home today),

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 12 - April 16

 Welcome back after a glorious spring break.  It always seems like such a long time apart until we get back together and then it seems like we never had a break.  We have 32 more days of school--let's finish strong. Take home books came home today--please read those with your child Monday through Wednesday. I would love reading every night but take advantage of those leveled books for the remainder of the year.  

Here are this week's happenings:

• This Friday at 2:00 we will be having our East Elementary's Birthday Bash and time capsule opening. Unfortunately this is not an event open to families and the public (except for invited guests and retired employees).  We will be outside on the playground and will sing our school song, have a cupcake or cookie and listen to a few words.  I also believe that the school board and district leaders have been invited as well as local media.  We have a rich heritage here at East Elementary and will be celebrating 70 years!
• Spring pictures will be Monday, April 26.  I sent home a note today with information about how to order pictures.  This company is new, but I believe it will be same as in the past--pictures will only be taken for students who request it.  The whole class will not get their pictures taken.  Let me know if you want your child to get their picture taken by either sending in the form and fee or if you pay online let me know so I will for sure send your child down on that date.
• Our End of the Year (EOY) reading test has been scheduled for Thursday, May 6.  First grade is such a time of growth--if you child has been in the "red" at risk area for most of the year and is again when the results come back at the end-of-the-year please let's talk so that I can give you some advice on how to work with your child over the summer.  
• We just finished up our unit on Astronomy and will be writing an informative paragraph about outer space this week along with a little astronaut art to go along with it.  We will start our unit on the History of the Earth next week.  Think more geology type information with that unit (layers of the earth, types of rocks, fossils and dinosaurs etc.).  We will also learn about life cycles through the month of May. 
• In reading we are in the middle of our second to last unit and reader.  We are learning about using pronouns in place of nouns and my students get that concept very easily.  I think that is due to the fact that oral language precedes reading and they have learned to correctly substitute pronouns in speech before they need to replace a noun with a pronoun in writing.  This unit is heavy with different ways to spell consonant sounds--we have recently learned about the 'kn' spelling for /n/ and have learned several ways to spell /s/ (c, ce, ss, se).  We will conclude with learning the 'wh' spelling for /w/.  The last unit will be back to vowel combinations such as 'oa' for example.  
• Our sight word soldier program is still going strong.  I have a couple of students whose necklaces are brimming with beads.  That is exciting and honestly it shows in their reading.  Sight word lists or fry phrases are tested everyday except Wednesday. 
• We will have our unit 7 math test this Thursday.  We have learned mostly about two digit numbers--tens and ones, comparing two digit numbers, and ten more and ten less than a number.  We are going to practice ten more and ten less for a couple more days and then test on Thursday.  The next unit will be adding and subtracting "tens" from a number (i.e. 35 + 30 or 85 - 50).  Then we will move to two digit addition and subtraction without regrouping.  Remember I said let's "finish strong"--this is what I meant--we have some big concepts still to learn this year! 
• Just another plea for clorox or disinfectant wipes if you ever see any and could donate some to our classroom.  We clean off our desks at least weekly with this wipes and at the end of the year will use some to throughly clean our desks and chairs before putting them out into the hall for the summer. 

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter March 29 - April 2

 It's been a minute since I have made an official blog post--we have one week and then it's Spring Break (April 5 -9). Here are are what's happening in our class:

• STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) night this Wednesday, March 31 from 6:30-7:30 on the grass area near the SUU Geoscience building.  This is a free event for parents and students.  These are a great opportunity for extra learning and fun--I have seen the other schools STEAM events that they seem to be "not to be missed" activity. 
• Kindergarten registration closes on March 31--if you have a kindergarten student please make sure they are registered by that date.  That early registration really helps with classes for next year. 
• On April 16 our school will be having a Time Capsule celebration on Friday April 16.  Please have your child wear their East Elementary t-shirt that day.  We will have cupcakes or a cookie, open the time capsule that was placed 20 years ago and celebrate 70 years of EAST elementary's existence!  We'll also be doing some activities before hand  like learning the school song and making a tile about "why East is great" for an art display.
• Scholastic book orders will come home tomorrow--They will be due Friday April 2 before we leave for Spring break.  Please use the online code and order that way if desired.
• Thanks to those that have sent extra masks after my pleas of making sure your child still has a mask for school.  Those have helped and I have already probably handed out 10 of those masks since they came in last week.  We can stick it out!! Thanks so much for your help there and encouraging wearing masks in school.  That's how we have been able to stay open :)
• If you are out and about and could donate some clorox or disinfecting wipes I'd appreciate that.  At the beginning of the year when I asked for that donation they were hard to find.  I am noticing that when I go to the store now they are usually stocked on the shelves.  If you could donate some for our class that would be helpful as we use those a lot (even on non-COVID years). 
• In our learning in math we learning about comparing numbers.  We first compared by finding the number that was "greater than" then we compared and found the number "less than" and now we are comparing numbers using symbols (>,<,=).  We learned that when we compare numbers we first look at the tens and then if necessary we look at the ones place.  
• In reading we started Unit 6 and are learning more ways to spell sounds.  We have learned about the "tricky" spelling and sound 'g' and /j/ and 'c' and /s/.  We have learned that these sounds both have a soft and hard sound and that when we are reading we try the "hard" sound first and then if the word does not make sense we switch to the soft sound (ex. gem --first try /g/ as in goat and when that doesn't make sense switch to the /j/  sound).  We will be writing another descriptive paragraph starting this week after we finish our Unit on Astronomy.  Students will describe "outer space".  We have also started a new reader called "Grace" and have read the first three stories.  These stories follow Grace and her family on their farm. 

I think that's it--if I have forgotten something I will send a REMIND.

I hope that you all have a nice, relaxing Spring Break!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter March 8 - March 12

Groundhog art and paragraphs

 Sorry I missed last week with a newsletter--I am glad for REMIND so that I can send announcements that way in the absence of a newsletter.  I was very occupied with my son's state basketball tournament last week :). We are still super excited that we took STATE!

Here are this week's happenings:

• I still can't stress enough to put an extra mask in your child's backpack. Today I gave out 4 masks, thanks to Ethen's parents for providing a package of masks--otherwise I would have to send your child to the office to call home for one.
• Don't forget to read and return your child's take home books weekly--I try to remember to remind you on Wednesday night to return the books on Thursday, but again with the state tournament last week I did not get that reminder out.  We had several this week who did not get a new set of books.  This is such a great way to help with your child's reading fluency. I just read a quote where the jist of it said, "read with your child it helps them associate reading with love, connection and affection".  I believe that to be true.
• This is our final week of the third quarter.  I can't believe it honestly--this time last year we were shutting down schools.  I am so happy we have continued in school all year and it seems that we will continue all the way through the 4th quarter.  We have next Monday and Tuesday off (March 15 and 16) before we start the fourth quarter.  So in case you didn't get that--NO SCHOOL next Monday and Tuesday March 15 and 16!  Spring break will be the first week of April--April 5-9!
• In our learning we just started a unit on Astronomy.  Today we learned about the earth in relation to the sun.  We learned about the earth both rotating and revolving around the sun and learned a little bit about gravity. 
• In math we are modeling two digit numbers using tens and ones.  This knowledge will propel us to learning about comparing numbers using greater than, less than or equal to.... and then we will start adding and subtracting two digit numbers without regrouping.  
• In reading we have been reviewing different spellings for consonant sounds for example we can spell /j/ (sound) with j, g, or ge.  Today we learned the difference between an opinion and fact so that we can start writing opinion as well as descriptive paragraphs. We are reading about Kate, Nan, Jack and Max and their adventures out West in our reader "Kate's Book".  
• I sent home a scholastic reader (February).  The date has expired to order from my note attached, but I will take online orders for those until this Wednesday March 10.  I will send home March orders next week.  

Happy Reading, 

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter February 22 - February 26

 Here's my mid-week newsletter.  I guess Wednesday is better than never.  

Here's what's happening:

• We have a large accumulation of clothing items in our lost and found.  This Friday those will be donated.  If your child is missing something (coat, jacket, hat etc.) please have them look for them before Friday.  If they ask my I will let them go before school or at a convenient time during the day to look for the missing item.
• On Tuesday, March 2 we (along with the rest of the school) will be having a pajama day for "Read Across America"--Dr. Seuss's birthday celebration.  You child can wear their pajamas all day next Tuesday, March 2.  
• I will send home scholastic book orders this Friday.  Disregard the order deadline--I will extend that to Wednesday March 2.  Please use the classroom code and order online (that's the best way)--I can take a regular order too.  It's nice as you have the choice to either have the books sent here to school or last month if you ordered a specific amount the books could be sent directly to your house (I guess that's one nice thing about COVID).  
• This week I have again had several students say "I forgot my mask".  Please put an extra mask in your child's backpack.  This is especially helpful too if one mask gets misplaced during lunch break.
• Don't forget to return both library and take home books tomorrow--THURSDAY.  I was excited to hear that next week we will be having our library experience back in the library so students will be able to have a greater variety of books to check out each week.  
• In learning we have learned a lot about groundhogs and today we used a graphic organizer (hand print) to begin formulating a descriptive paragraph about groundhogs.  Ask your child to share some things they have learned about groundhogs.  I told them today they could be groundhog scientists! We have starting reading a new book called Kate's book and are concentrating on determining if a sentence is a statement or question. 
• In math we started a new chapter, "Count and model numbers".  This is the chapter where we begin place value.  Students have been counting on by one from any given number using a 120 chart and tomorrow we will count on by 10's from any number using a 120-chart (i.e. 38, 48, 58 etc.). This chapter we will model tens and ones which will help us then be able to add and subtract two digit numbers. 

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Armstrong