Newsletter November 27 - December 1

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving break.  It was nice to have all 18 of my students back today--we've had a stretch of many absences so I'm glad sicknesses seem to be at a stand still right now.  We have 3 1/2 weeks until our Christmas break and the end of the second quarter of school.  These next few weeks like the rest of the year will fly by.  Christmas time in first grade is the best!

Here are this week's happenings:

• We welcomed a new student today, Lilly, who has joined us from Summit County (Kamas area).  She is going to be a great addition to our class.
• We are almost finished with Unit 3 in reading.  We have learned several vowel combinations (oo, oi, ou, and aw).  These vowel patterns are taught and reinforced through our book Fables.  Today we read The Dog and the Ox.  Ask your child about the lesson (moral) learned from that Fable.  I will give an assessment on those sounds and spellings
  
  
  
  
  at the end of the week and we will start Unit 4 either Friday or Monday.  We do not have spelling words this week.
• In math we are continuing to work with addition to "help us subtract".  For example, if we know that 6 + 4 = 10 then we know that 10 - 4 = 6.  This chapter in math (subtraction strategies) is fairly short and we are about mid-way through the chapter.  We have three more lessons and then review before I will test.  I plan on testing for that chapter next Tuesday.
• In December one of our activities that we will do is making Gingerbread houses out of graham crackers.  I think I want to do that the last week of school before Christmas break either Monday or Tuesday afternoon.  Our calendar hasn't been updated yet with school activities that last week, so I may need to change that to the week prior.  I will keep your informed and ask for help with supplies and volunteers for this activity.  I definitely can't do it without your help :)
• I know December gets hectic.  Please do your best to continue reading with your child every night for 10 minutes (take-home books).  Our next reading test (DIBELS) will be in January when we return from the break.  More is expected from the students on the second portion of the test and reading practice helps--I promise! 

Happy Reading and don't forget Sight Word soldier lists this Wednesday!  We missed last week so it's time to add more beads (more words) to our brains and necklaces.

November 20 - November 21

Just a short one this time on our short pre-Thanksgiving week.

• Thanks so much for your quick responses to help with our Turkey cookies tomorrow.  I had all of the assignments made in about ten minutes after I asked for some help.  I really appreciate it.  Our day tomorrow with be a "normal day" with reading groups etc. until about 2:00.  Then we will make a bracelet that will go along with a Thanksgiving poem, make the Turkey cookies and do some other Thanksgiving type activities as time permits.
• I will also administer the spelling test tomorrow before lunch.  I sent home lists last week, but the list is always on this blog (right sidebar).  If  you look at this blog on your phone scroll down and switch it to "web version" (or something like that) to see all of the information.
• Students will not come home with take-home books tomorrow.  With the days off, it's easy to lose those books.  Have a nice 5 day break!

I told my students (my kids) today how "thankful" I am for each of them.  I truly feel grateful to be their teacher.  There is something so special about this class.

Happy Reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

Newsletter November 13 - November 17

This is our last full-week until our short week before Thanksgiving.  Today we took our second spelling test.  A new list of words will come home tomorrow.  That test will be on Tuesday, November 21 before our Thanksgiving holiday.

Here are this week's happenings and announcements and whatever else I need to say:

• Next week we only have two days of school.  I will still be teaching curriculum those two days, we'll have a spelling test, have reading groups etc., but on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 21 we'll do some Thanksgiving activities.  One of the things we will do is make "turkey cookies" out of Oreos, and create a bead bracelet as we learn about the "first Thanksgiving".  I would love some help with donations for these activities.  I will contact you through e-mail if you signed up to help with Thanksgiving, but could use some more help with donations.  If you can help please send me an e-mail.  I will send you back an assignment.  It will be something like; a box of whoppers, or a container of chocolate frosting.  THANK YOU!
• Please don't pull back on nightly reading with the holidays coming up.  I KNOW how stressful the holiday season can be and I don't expect perfection, but please do your best and keep this healthy habit of nightly reading for 10 minutes with your child.  I am so impressed at the progress I am seeing with my kids in reading--it shows as my students are "moving up levels" with their take-home books!  Keep it up!! It helps!
• Our math test for Chapter 3 will be tomorrow (Tuesday, November 14).  We will then move into our Subtraction strategies unit on Wednesday.
• We have finished our portion on Mesopotamia and just started learning about the Ancient Egyptians.  Today we learned the importance of the Nile river to the Egyptians and how it helped them in farming especially when the spring brought flooding into the area (sometimes flooding can be helpful). 
• In reading we are still learning about vowel teams or combinations.  We have learned the two sounds that the 'oo' spelling makes and we've learned about the sound that the 'ou' spelling makes. We will also learn about 'oi' and 'aw' in this unit.  As well as learning about verbs and reading from our Fables book (these books or readers emphasize through words and stories the things we have been learning about).  Today we read the fable "The Dog and the Mule".  The kids generated the lesson or moral of the story--"to be yourself". Ask your child about that fable and what they learned :)

Don't forget to help your child to remember to return their library books by Wednesday and to practice their sight words.  Please return the blue notes so that Mrs. Harris can pass your child off.

Happy Reading!!

We loved watching A'merrie on our Field Trip to the Paiute Tribal Center.

Blue Eagle awards and sports watches.

White eagle awards

Orange eagle award

Red Eagle awards

Newsletter November 6 - 10

It feels like Halloween was ages ago as we have started to dive into Thanksgiving learning.  Today we used a Scholastic Weekly Reader to learn about a "day in a Pilgrims life" specifically Pilgrim children.  We will use that knowledge in a writing and art activity on Wednesday.

Here are this week's happenings (other than our Pilgrim project):

• Tomorrow we are going to the Paiute Tribal Center for their Native American Month program.  We will be walking there and will leave East Elementary at 1:15 and return at approximately 3:00.  I would really like a helper to walk over there with me and my students.  If you could come with us tomorrow please let me know through e-mail.  
• This week is Drug and Bully Prevention week.  Today we signed a pledge, placed cups in the fence for our "No Drug Zone" sign, and were given red wrist bands to remind us to be drug and alcohol free.  If you child keeps that red wristband on all week they will be given a small prize from the PTA on Friday. Tomorrow we are going to the PTA sponsored presentations on drug and bully prevention from 9:00-9:20.  I sent home a flier last week about the activities and "crazy hair day" associated with the week last week so I won't go into detail about those specific activities.  If you have any questions though please contact me.
• This Thursday in our classroom at 3:00 we will have our PTA reading awards presentations.  Most of my students will be receiving at least the first award as I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I will supplement reading at home with 15 minutes of reading at school.  That way by reading the expected 10 minutes a night plus 15 minutes in class my students can achieve the highest award or "Gold Eagle".  This won't occur though without the reading at home minutes combined with our reading in class.  Please don't get lax on reading each night.  I know this time of year gets busy with the holidays, but continue with the healthy habit of reading each night with your child.  Those students who read every night really progress in reading and it's showing already. 
• I mentioned earlier that we are diving in to Thanksgiving learning. We are also finishing up on our math addition strategies unit.  We are still learning about adding three numbers together.  That will take a few more lessons solidify.  I will test on that chapter early next week.  In reading, we took our first spelling test today.  Watch for results tomorrow or the day after.   A new list of words will come home tomorrow and that test will be next Monday, November 13.  
• Don't forget library on Wednesday and Sight word Soldiers!

Happy Reading!