Newsletter April 25 - April 29

Today I sent home a permission/information sheet about our two upcoming May Field Trips (Aquatic Center and St. George Children's Museum).  Please sign and return that by this Friday, April 29. I need three more adults for each field trip.  Please consider attending one or both of these field trips with us.

Here are this week's happenings:

• This week is our last week for Reading interventions.  Next week is our final DIBELS testing on Thursday, May 9.  I am excited to see the progress! I'm amazed at my little readers!
• We have started our Unit on Animal Habitats.  On Friday, we discussed what is necessary for a "good habitat" (food, water, and shelter).  Today we explored the Arctic Habitat.  My students loved learning about the different animals that inhabit this cold habitat and the adaptions needed to survive.
• Tomorrow we will have our Math Chapter 10 test. The math homework packet is also due!  We will start Chapter 11 on Thursday.  I will send a new homework packet home that day.
• Many of my students have overdue library books.  I will send home a late notice this week.  Please look for is (on yellow paper) and return those missing books or pay for them.  If you need to pay for them please do so in the office and Mrs. Scholes will give our librarian the receipt.
• On Wednesday, I will send home the final Scholastic book order for the year.  I will include, April, May and a summer reading flier.  If you would like to order books please order by Wednesday, May 4.  That way the books will get back in before school dismisses in May.

I will be gone tomorrow afternoon.  We still need to replace the English-side of the dual immersion for first grade.  I will be involved in interviews again that day.  Mrs. Sherrin Rieff will be taking over for Mrs. Vogel.  She has already visited our class twice!!  She'll be a great addition to first grade.

Happy Reading!!  The 100-book challenge ends in four weeks!

Newsletter April 18 - April 22

I'm just going to get right into this week's happenings:

• This Thursday, we will go to BARD's Birthday Bash at SUU.  This is a walking field trip.  We will leave the school at approximately 12:20 and return by 3:30.  Thanks to those who have volunteered to accompany us on this field trip.  
• In math we are continuing our unit on graphing. Today we worked on tally charts to organize information.  That is Lesson 10.5 if you are wondering where your child should be on their homework.  We are managing to keep to the schedule with this unit. (so far).
• We will finish up our "History of the Earth" unit this week.  Since our last newsletter we have learned about three different types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic), as well as fossils and the "fossil record".  Tomorrow we will learn about dinosaurs and on Wednesday we will make "fossil imprints" as a culminating activity.  We will start our Unit on Animal Habitats on Wednesday or Thursday.
• Keep reading towards the 100 book challenge!  Many students are "almost" there! There are less than five weeks remaining in this challenge and about two weeks until our next DIBELS test.  Practice makes perfect!!
• I mentioned our Aquatic Center field trip in last week's newsletter.  Please scroll down and read about that if you missed that newsletter.  That will be on May 17 in the afternoon.  I NEED 4-5 volunteers that will help that day (actually get in and swim).  We can't go without help.  Please consider helping us out that day.  We have scheduled another fun field trip for Tuesday, May 24.  All the first grade classes will board buses at 9:00 am for the St. George Children's Museum.  We will tour the museum for two hours and then have lunch and hopefully ride the Merry Go Round (still waiting on word about that).  The cost for this field trip is a donation :)  We need several volunteers that day also as the museum asks for a 5 to 1 adult to child ratio.  If you could come with us that day please let me know.  You can ride the bus down with our class.  We will be gone from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm that day.  These two field trips are a fun way to end our year.
• If your child has late library books please get those returned.  We have library every Thursday at 1:30.  Just a reminder that we have PE and Computers every Tuesday and Friday so make sure your child is wearing proper shoes those days.

Have a nice night and Happy Reading!!

Newsletter April 11 - April 15

Thanks to those that offered to come with us to Bard's Birthday Bash next week.  If you volunteered, just come to our classroom at 12:20 and we will leave shortly after that time.

Here are this week's happenings:

• First Grade Student awards will be this Friday, April 15 at 3:00 in the lunchroom.  These awards are attendance awards as well as "Catch the Vision" and "Most Improved".  I will let you know if your child is receiving an award so that you may attend the brief ceremony.
• I sent home a Yearbook order today.  This is a last minute order and it's due by this Wednesday, April 13.  If you would like to order a yearbook for your child (optional), then please send the order form and $15 by that date.
• We started Chapter 10 in Math today.  It is a unit on graphing.  Today we started with picture graphs.  The homework packet for Chapter 10 was sent home today and will be due on April 26.
• We are continuing our learning about the History of the Earth (geology) Unit.  Today we talked about minerals and the vocabulary word "characteristics".  My students especially loved the lesson last Friday on volcanoes and geysers.
• With the year winding down, field trips for May have already been planned.  I am still waiting for the Children's Museum in St. George to respond, but as of now we have a swimming field trip at the Aquatic Center scheduled for the afternoon of May17.  I am informing you early because we will need several volunteers to help with this field trip.  The pool suggests 1 adult per every 12 students in the pool.  We like to divide that number in half.  We feel more comfortable with 1 adult to every 5-6 students in the pool.  I will need at least four brave adults that will actually get in the pool and help us that day.  Male volunteers are especially helpful as I cannot go into the boys locker room and they help coordinate the boys in the locker room as well as supervise in the pool. If you can help please let me know. We will leave the school at 12:45 pm. and return just before school dismisses at 3:30.  The cost for this field trip is $1.25 per student and that includes the slide :)
• I mentioned last week or the week before about take-home books getting longer as my students are going up the levels.  If it takes your child longer than 15 minutes to read their book three times please don't reread it.  I don't want homework to be longer than 15-20 minutes tops. 
• Don't forget that the 100-book challenge ends on May 20.  Only those that read 100 books will have their picture submitted for the paper and participate in the 100-book challenge activities (balloon launching and lunch with me for our "reading picnic").  Our final DIBELS test will be on May 5.  Keep going strong!!

Have a wonderful day!

Newsletter April 4 - 8

This week I will be gone on Thursday as I sit in on interviews for two new first grade positions.  Mrs. Sauceda will be heading up to 4th grade and Mrs. Vogel will be staying home with her baby that is due in October.  I will miss both of these competent teachers.

Here are this week's happenings:

• We are just a tad bit behind still in math.  On Friday, I had a special guest teacher come and teach an enrichment (art) lesson about the solar system.  We then had a "surprise" assembly presented by the Milk Council about healthy living.  We didn't get to math that day.  Today we worked on Lesson 9.8 and tomorrow we will complete Lesson 9.9.  I will have my substitute complete Chapter 9 review with my class on Thursday and the test for Chapter 9 will be this Friday, April 9.  The homework packet will be due Friday too!  Please return the color tiles and paper clips that I sent home.  Especially the color tiles.  The paper clips are a bit easier to replace :)
• I sent home a list of spelling words. This week the list concentrates on alternative spellings for both the /s/ and /z/ sounds.  The test will be Friday, April 9.
• We have finished our Astronomy Unit and will now move onto "The History of the Earth".  Today we learned about geologists, and the three important terms to remember whenever we "think about geology".  Those words are heat, pressure and time.  In this unit, we will learn about the earth's continents and oceans.  We will learn about rocks, minerals, fossils, volcanoes, and geysers.  My student's loved learning about the solar system (so did I) and I think they will equally enjoy this unit.  
• Congratulations to Nick!  He has joined the 100-book club!  Keep reading!!!
• On April 21, we along with Mrs. Vogel's class will walk to SUU for BARD's Birthday Bash!  This is a great activity where our students will "perform" a portion of a play on the Shakespearean theater stage.  We will participate in jousting, tug-o-war, and maypole activities as well as eat cake with the queen.  We will leave East Elementary at about 12:20 that day and return just before school gets out.  I would really like an extra adult to walk over there with us. Please consider your schedules and let me know if you can help walk (and stay to walk back) to SUU on the afternoon of April 21.
• I apologize that 3rd quarter grades weren't sent home last week.  I have no excuses, except that last week turned into a busy week and I was trying to catch up a few students that didn't take a few Reading Assessments due to absences.  I just printed those off and I will send them home tomorrow.  

Happy Reading!