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!