Newsletter October 29 - Nov. 2

Thank you to all of the dads and uncles that came to help carve pumpkins last Friday.  I had a room full of happy first graders, dads, and pumpkin seeds!  That is one of my favorite days of the year!  Thanks for helping to make it a success! I will post pictures from this event at the end of this newsletter!

I sent home your child's 1st quarter grades today.  Please look those over and see where improvements can be made.  Please look at the attendance label that I attached to your child's grades.  Please have your child here at school, unless they are sick of course, and remember that school starts promptly at 8:55.  We start our literacy block right at 9:00 and if you child is tardy they miss valuable small group instruction, and they also disrupt the class when they come in late.

I already sent home math homework 2-11 last Thursday.  The power went out as you may remember and I wasn't able to teach math that day.  If you child already completed that homework, they will not have any tonight, but if they didn't please help your child complete math homework 2-11.  I will test on Math Topic 2 tomorrow, October 30.

Our library day is usually Friday afternoon, but this week, due to the maturation clinic, our library day will be on Thursday afternoon.  Please have your child bring back their library books by Thursday, so that they can check out two more.

The October Reading record is due this Thursday, November 1.  I still have one partially colored October reading record here at school that nobody has claimed, if your child is missing their October reading record let me know so that I can get this one into the right hands.  I will send home a November Reading record that day also.

Congratulations to Malachi and McKenlee!  He is our classroom "Catch the Vision" winner for October.  He is a wonderful first grader! McKenlee won the Red Ribbon week coloring contest.

As the weather continues to cool down, please make sure that your child has a jacket or coat if necessary.  We go out to break always, unless it is raining or snowing.  If your child is missing a jacket the lost and found is located in the lunchroom.

Don't forget to check out the pictures from our Dads and Pumpkins day.  Happy Reading!

Malachi our Catch the Vision Winner!

We voted on how to carve our classroom pumpkin.

Results from our voting--our classroom pumpkin.

Thanks Tyson's Dad!

Great job Jocelynn's uncle!

McKenlee's dad is working hard.

Thank you Cason's dad!

So many seeds!  Thanks Amilia's dad.

Pumpkins looking good!  Thanks Dalton's dad.

Raelee and her dad.

Alec and his "crazy hair".  Thanks Alec's dad.

Alvin's uncle--THANK YOU!

Taylor's dad and two cuties!!

Phoenix was so happy to have his dad here!

Mr. Stucki thank you for overlooking the mess :)

It was nice to have Kody's uncle with us!

Weston is a happy boy with his dad!

Newsletter October 23-26

I hope that you all had a wonderful Fall Break.  It definitely is Fall, most of the leaves are off the trees here at school and my cute first graders had a ball playing in them and with them during break.  You may notice their hair is full of remnants of this play.

This week is Red Ribbon Week.  I sent home a flier with your child last week, and am afraid I do not have any extra ones.  There are "dress up" days associated with Red Ribbon Week.  Today was pajama day, Wednesday is "wear red day", Thursday is "rock star day", and Friday is "crazy hair day".  We will be having an assembly tomorrow that will address the "Drug Free" message of Red Ribbon week.

I will send your child's first quarter grades home next Monday.  If you need to check and see if they have any missing work, use the online code that I gave you at SEP conferences.  I do have two partially colored October Reading records that were put in my homework box.  Neither of them have names on them.  If you child is missing their October Reading record please let me know.  I do hope that you are faithfully reading with your child every school night.  IT MAKES a DIFFERENCE!!

Thanks for helping with your child's math homework.  Just a reminder to make sure that your child has their name on it before sending it back to school.  It is tough to distinguish between handwriting when it is only numbers. If your child's paper doesn't have a name, and I can't figure out whose it is, I will have to give them a zero for the assignment.

I sent home another note about Dad and Pumpkins this Friday at 1:30-2:30 in my classroom.  I have had three dads commit to this.  Thanks in advance to Cason's dad, Dalton's dad, and Davee's dad.  I could still use a couple more volunteers for this activity.  Grandpa's, uncles and step-dads are also welcome!!  Please e-mail, send a note or call me by Thursday, October 25 so I know how many to plan on.

We are going to put our "apple head" witches together next Tuesday.  I could still use some Halloween print fabric (1 yard) or black felt.  If you would like to help donate for this project please send the fabric or felt with your child by Friday, Oct. 25.  

Cason is "Star of the Week" this week.  We enjoyed getting to know him a little bit better and loved watching his zipline video. This week we will talk about pumpkin adjectives and vote on how we are going to carve our classroom pumpkin.  We will then write similes using our pumpkin adjectives.  We will also do an informational writing piece about spiders.  I amazes me how much first graders LOVE spiders.  We could learn about them and share stories all day long.

I started to "adopt" your children today.  This is a fun literature/math activity. Ask your child if I adopted them yet.  I am so glad you are willing to share your children with me.  I feel it a privilege to be their teacher!

Happy Reading!

Newsletter October 15-17

We will not have spelling words this week, because of the three day week.  We will though, have spelling words next week, even though we do not have school on Monday, October 22nd.

This Wednesday, is the end of the first term.  All missing work will be due that day.  If you need to look at your child's grades, use the online code that I gave you at SEP conferences and check the Power School site.  I will send home a grade print out of the first quarter early next week.

The Scholastic Book order will be due this Wednesday also.  I sent home a reminder letter with book recommendations  printed on the back.  The easiest way to order books is to use the online code, and if you do that (order a book online), your child will receive a coupon for $5.00 to use for another order.

We made our apple head witches last week, and my students anxiously check the progress daily.  We will be finishing those right before Halloween.  If you could donate some Halloween print fabric, or black felt that would be appreciated.  Send the fabric or felt by Monday, Oct. 29.

I have scheduled our Dads and Pumpkins day on Friday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 here in my classroom.  We will have dads, grandpas, uncles etc. bring and help carve pumpkins in our classroom.  If you would like to help with this let me know.  Send an e-mail or note with your child and I will give you more information.

We are starting to get low on pencils and pencil-top erasers.  If you could help us by sending in a box of pencils, erasers or both, I would appreciate it.  It's amazing how fast a classroom of first graders gets through a box of pencils.

It is Red Ribbon Week next week, October 23-26.  Please look for the flyer in your child's homework folder today for a coloring contest page and dress-up day schedule.

This week we are concentrating our study on spiders.  Today we filled out a KWL chart on spiders.  KWL charts are:  What we KNOW, WHAT we want to learn, and what we LEARNED.  Today we did the KNOW and WHAT part.  We will be writing spider cinquans (poems) this week as well as starting a writing/art project about witches brew.

I hope that you have a delightful Fall break!  Happy Reading.

Math homework update

I did not send home math homework today.  I need to reteach a concept before I can move on.  Hope you have a nice weekend. 

Math homework change!

I failed to put your child's math homework in their folder today (Oct. 8)  They will not have homework tonight.  I will send it home tomorrow with your child.

Newsletter October 8 - 12

It was great to meet with all of you last week.  I hope you know that my door is always open to questions or concerns.  I love teaching your children!

This week I will start sending home the "Moon Log" book that I showed at SEP conferences.  The moon is rising very late at this point in the month so if your child cannot see it at night have them look for it in the morning.  I am the first "moon watcher" and I didn't see it last night, but this morning at 7:30 a.m I was able to see it.  Remember to have your child bring the "Moon Bag" back the very next day, so that another anxious student can have their turn and we can graph the moon phase into our individual calendars.

Tomorrow we are going on our walking Field Trip to the SUU Braithwaite Gallery.  We will leave the school at approximately 12:40 p.m. and return after 3:00 p.m. Make sure that you have signed your child's permission slip for this field trip.

On Wednesday, we are going to start our Apple Head Witches.  If you haven't already sent an apple with your child please send it by Wednesday.  If you could donate black felt, or Halloween print fabric I would appreciate it.  You can send the felt or fabric by Friday, October 26.

Please notice a couple of schedule changes from last week on my sidebar.  The Fall Carnival and AR assembly dates have been changed.  The schedule that I have now is corrected.

I will send home October Scholastic Book orders tomorrow. I will include a recommendations list and the online code.  They will be due next Wednesday, October 17.  The best way to order is using the online code (found on the sidebar of this blog), but you can also send back the order with a check made out to Scholastic.  If you order online your child will receive a $5.00 coupon that can be used for a book the next month.

October is an exciting month for first graders. This month we will concentrate on the moon phases, pumpkins and spiders.  We will be doing writing activities based around those  topics.

Please continue to read with your child every night!!  Have a great week.

Newsletter October 1 - 5

We did not get our Take-Home books down to the librarian today, before she left at 11:30.  Your child will not bring home a new book today.  I did though, include a new October Reading Record in your child's homework folder.  Remember to read with your child for 20 minutes each school night (5 nights a week).  The September reading record is now due!  These are worth 100 points.

Please continue to study the sight words with your child.  I tested most of my students on Friday on Sight Word List #2.  If they didn't pass it off, they have the list again in their homework folders with the words that they need to work on.  I am sending home a list #3 for all students that haven't passed that one off.  Just a reminder that we have 11 first grade sight word lists. 

I am sending home your child's handwriting book (ABC book).  If if was not complete I am asking you to help your child finish the page.  I attached a post-it note to the books informing you of the incomplete pages.  When your child returns this book back, I will update their grade. 

We have almost completed our first unit in math.  I am going to start sending home one sheet of homework each night that complements what we have been learning in class.  These practice sheets usually only have three problems on them.  It shouldn't take you too long to help your child with it.  These homework assignments are worth 5 points and will be due the following day.  Please look at the sidebar of this blog as some days we will not have math homework.  Your child's Family Number book is due today!  When your child brings this back they are able to share with their class one page from their books.  Some of the pages shared today were: Alec's  nine micro-machines and Cason's one waterfall.

Please check your child's backpack daily for important notes and homework assignments.  If your child is absent I will now start sending home the "morning work" that they missed and the math assignment. 

I look forward to meeting with all of you this week.  Remember that school dismissed every day at 2:30, including Early out Wednesday.

Amilia our Catch the Vision winner for September!

Congratulations to our amazing Amilia!  She was our September Catch the Vision winner.  This is an award that goes to an exemplary student.  She is definitely a wonderful first grader!