Newsletter August 24 - 28

Our first Monday was a success!  Actually our first three days have been wonderful.  I have terrific, awesome, fabulous First Graders.  This is going to be a great year!

We have been working on how to be a "helpful student" and have gone over classroom rules, our management system, and many procedures that will be continuously reinforced throughout the year.  Today we got started with our new reading program.  There are two components, one the "Skills section" where students "learn to read" and the second the, "Listening and Learning section" where comprehension, vocabulary, and learning about our world is taught.  In the skills section we are mostly reviewing sound/letter recognition for the first few lessons, and then starting with lesson 6 the students will be assessed so that their needs can be met best using this program.  In the Listening section we are learning about and listening to Aesop fables.  Today we listened to and learned about the fable: "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".  Talk to your kids about this fable and ask them if they can remember the moral of the story. 

Homework will begin with this reading program starting this week.  I have included on the right-hand sidebar of this blog a schedule of homework for literacy.  I will put the number of each lesson and whether or not your child needs to return the homework the next day.   I encourage you to complete the homework that does not need to be returned.  Most of those are sight words or word work activities that are very helpful for your child.  I will start requiring nightly reading in September when the take-home library gets started.  I would love it if you were already in the habit of reading with your child every night!

We also started right into our Go Math books today.  I sent home a packet of math practice pages (Unit 1) today.  Please do not start that until this Wednesday!! You will also see on the right-hand sidebar a schedule for our math homework.  Please do not work ahead or your child will be frustrated as we will not have completed the assignment in class.  That packet will be due the day before we test.  I plan on testing on Unit 1 on Tuesday, September 8.  I will let you know if that changes as possibly I may need to slow down based on my students grasp of the concepts.

Please make sure that you look in your child's homework folder daily.  I don't  put in notes or homework assignments everyday, but please make it a habit of checking it everyday and sending it back with your child everyday!  If you haven't signed the notes from the first day (internet, safe schools, field trip, PTA etc. please do so ASAP).

Our Fall picture day is Friday, September 4.  You can send a check with your child in the envelope provided (I sent that home today), or you can pay online using our code UM375015Q0.  That code is also on the information sheet I sent home.

I have 11 of you signed up for REMIND--this is the medium I will use to send home reminders, or short bits of information.  If you have not signed up and have a smartphone please text to 81010 with the message @ad0ed (that is a number zero).  You will receive a text message back that you have been added to my class. 

Thanks to those that have sent snacks for my  hungry first graders, and for those of you that have sent extra supplies. 

If you ever have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.  Have a wonderful week!!