Newesletter January 25 - 29

Brrr..... it is freezing outside!  Please make sure that you check the weather and send appropriate attire with your child everyday!  Lunch break is typically about 25 minutes and that is a long  time without a coat.

The following are helpful notes for this week:

• The January Scholastic book order that I sent home last week is due tomorrow, January 26.  Ordering online using our classroom code is the more efficient and easiest way to order.
• Tomorrow the 100 day homework project assignment instructions will be sent home.  Don't worry, it's not a huge assignment, but one that the kids really enjoy.
• Chapter 6 Math Homework packet is due on Wednesday, January 27.  The test will be the following day, Thursday January 28.  
• The PTA January reading calendar (yellow paper) will be due on Monday,  February 1.  This is worth 50 points in my class.  The PTA will provide prizes.
• Please send back your SEP assignment note ASAP.  Remember that our SEP conferences are next week, February 1 - 5 and that school will dismiss at 2:30 everyday that week including Wednesday.
• Our library day will be on Friday this week instead of Thursday.  We will not have library next week due to the PTA book fair.  Please make sure that your child is returning their library books every week!
• If you ordered a class picture those will be reprinted.  Remember we had one "extra" student from second grade on our print.  I will send those home as soon as they return.
• This year instead of a science fair, our school has opted for a Science Expo day.  Each class will work on science concepts and projects and present those to parents on Friday, February 19.  Our class will work on life cycles.  We will learn about the butterfly life cycle, a chicken's life cycle, and the plant life cycle.  Parents are invited to come to our classroom from 2:00-2:45 that day.  
• We are continuing our study of Ancient American Civilizations.  We have learned about the Mayan's most prodigious crop, maize, the importance of extended family to the Mayans, and about the large Mayan city Bakaal.  We study vocabulary words daily (words such as: harvest and noiselessly) and have also investigated proverbs, one being:  "the more the merrier".  We are learning together!!
• I sent home a note last week about signing up for "Remind".  Thanks to those that did that.  If you haven't, it's simple and easy and is such a great way to hear about happenings in my classroom.  Sign up now if you haven't!
• Read every night for 15 minutes!!! 

Have a great day!

Newsletter January 19 - 22

I hope you all had a nice MLK holiday.  I was driving a lot--back and forth to Vegas on Saturday and back and forth to Provo on Monday.  I think I have caught up on my sleep.

This is what's happening this week:

• We will begin our Unit on Early American Civilizations. We learn about the Maya, Inca and Aztec civilizations.  During reading groups this week and just today during our computer time, I had two excited students come and show me "the great pyramid" and a "sarcophagus".  What we have learned about Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia has transferred :)  I am excited to see what our journey through the Early American civilizations will take us.
• Tomorrow is our spelling test.  I sent home the words last week, with the date of the test on the top.  Please make sure that you child knows these words.  They are also on the right-hand  sidebar of this blog.
• It didn't register with me that SEP conferences will be the first week of February (Feb. 1 - 5) this year.  They have always been the first week in March.  I am kind of happy for the earlier conferences.  I will send home your child's assigned time by this Friday.  Please look it over and send it back ASAP.  If you need to change your time, you are welcome to contact me via e-mail or Remind, or send a note on the assignment sheet.  At these conferences, we will discuss your child's recent DIBELS scores, and I will save their 2nd quarter grades for that time, as to better discuss them with you. School will dismiss at 2:30 everyday that week, including Wednesday.
• The 100th day of school will be on Monday, Feb. 1.  I will send home a little homework assignment by next Monday.  It is not very time-consuming, but the kids love it.  It will be due that Monday, Feb. 1.  I will demonstrate the assignment to my students before I send home the assignment.  I will also send home information about our super-exciting, 100-Book challenge that day.  Please watch for both pieces of information regarding the 100th day assignment and the 100-book challenge!
• Our classroom pictures have arrived, but there is an error.  A second grade student was inadvertently placed on our print.  He is absent from his actual class.  I am hoping that the company will reprint all of those pictures.  I have e-mailed the company and  I will let you know when I hear back from them.  
• The Math Chapter 6 Homework packet will be due on, Wednesday, January 27.  The test for that chapter will be the following day on Thursday, January 28.

Happy Reading--remember to read with your child for 15 minutes each school night!!  It helps!!

Newsletter January 11 - January 15

This Friday is the end of the second term.  Please have all missing homework or assignments in by that date.  I will not accept late assignments for the second quarter after that date.  We will also have our middle of the year DIBELS testing.  Please make sure that you child is here that day, well and rested.  I will send home results of that test next week.  If your child would benefit from a reading intervention group based on those results I will inform you via e-mail for your consent. 

Our spelling test will be this Wednesday.  Please help your child study the words.  I sent home a list of words last week, and the list is on the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

I sent home a "take home" reading sheet titled "Things That Swim".  That is an actual piece of text that we have read in class.  That would be great practice for your child at home and can be used for some of their reading time.  That does not need to be returned.

If you have any box tops and could send them by tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12 that would be great.  The winning class will receive a pizza party.  They will collect them tomorrow morning.

Our first grade awards assembly will be tomorrow at 3:00 in the lunchroom.  I have informed you via e-mail if your child will be receiving an award.  Parents are welcome to attend.

We are finally finishing up on our Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt unit.  We will begin and finish the lessons on "world religions" this week.  We will focus on three main religions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Information about these religions will be taught and the role that religion plays in modern and ancient civilizations. 

In math, we reviewed "ten more" today.  It took longer than I anticipated so we did not get to lesson 6.3.  Please wait until tomorrow to work on 6.3 homework as my students have not been exposed to the concept yet and will likely be confused and frustrated. 

Have a nice three day weekend and Happy Reading!

January 4 - January 8

Welcome back to school!  It only takes me a day to get back into the swing of things, except I am still yawning a bit, and my "kids" are again asking, "When is it lunch time?"

Today we took most of our Chapter 5 test in math.  If your child has not turned in their Math Chapter 5 homework packet please turn that in tomorrow!  We will finish that test tomorrow and start on Chapter 6 on Thursday.  I will send home the new Chapter 6 math homework packet that day with a schedule. 

We are continuing our study of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.  We have recently talked about the building of the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx and today we talked about how a "princess", Hatshepsut (hat, shep, soot) helped to change some ancient Eygptian laws.  Ask your child about what Hatshepsut did that was courageous and different from the other Egyptian pharaohs.

Tomorrow we will take our spelling test on the days of the week.  I sent home a list of those words before the break, and stated on the top that we would take that test today, but with our Polar Express and pancakes day, we needed to move that test until tomorrow.  If you could help your child study those words tonight that would be great.  We did some rainbow writing this afternoon to help us remember how to spell those words, but they are long and somewhat tricky so any extra practice at home would be helpful. The spelling words are always on the left sidebar of this blog, along with math and literacy homework reminders.

The December PTA reading calendar is now due!  I sent home a January calendar today (yellow paper).  Please turn the December calendar in by Friday, for 50 points in my class and a treat or prize from me and from the PTA.  Many students tell me they "never get a reading calendar".  I know that is not true, as I put one in every child's box or homework folder at the beginning of the month.  I do not have extra calendars, as this year the PTA provides those.  Please put those calendars in a place where they will not get lost and that will remind you to read with your child for 15 minutes every night.  If you have lost your calendar you can send me a signed note, with the number of minutes read for the month and I will count that.

Thank you for getting your child here on time everyday!  This is such a great time for academic growth in first grade.  If you child is missing valuable reading instruction then the growth may also be missed.  We are in Unit 4 of our skills unit for reading.  We have just learned the /er/ (sound) and how it is spelled and today we concentrated on the /ar/ (sound) and spelling.  We have started a new informational text that will complement the sounds and spelling patterns that we learn in class.  It's amazing to see my students devour texts that once seemed overwhelming.  Don't let up on reading with your child every night!  We will have our next DIBELS testing next Friday, January 15.  Most likely all of my students will be moved up a level or more.  That will mean that their take-home books will be moved up to their appropriate "new" level.  Watch for that change. 

Happy Reading!