Newsletter January 8 - January 15

Yesterday was our spelling test.  I have those graded, but neglected to send them home with your child today.  I will put them in their mailboxes for tomorrow.  A new list of words came home today for our test next week.  The test will be on Tuesday, January 16.  As a reminder studying at home is helpful, but reading is priority :)

Here are this week's happenings:

• The PTA reading awards are actually this Thursday at 3:00 in our classroom. I sent home a notice with your child (it's just a little slip of paper) if they will be receiving an award.  You are welcome to attend.  If you are new I will send home a PTA bookmark with your child.  Just keep track of the minutes that your child reads at home and send the completed bookmark back for another one.  Each bookmark gives the student an award or certificate.  The culminating award for 11 completed bookmarks is the "Gold Eagle". Students will receive a t-shirt!  Today I just received some special bookmarks in my box--they are red and if those are turned in students will receive in addition to the leveled award that they are on a ticket to Fiddlers Theater for a "free movie".  Just one more way to give your child an incentive to read :)
• Next Tuesday, January 16 at 3:00 in the cafeteria we will be having our First Grade attendance and Catch the Vision awards.  I will contact you through e-mail if you child will be receiving an award that day.  Perfect attendance is just that--perfect.  Excellent attendance is just one absence or tardy and Catch the Vision is for a exemplary student both academically and behaviorally.  
• The PTA is having another Box Tops challenge.  If you have Box Tops at home please send them with your child by Friday, January 19.  Please consider reading the PTA newsletter and signing up at Smith's and Lin's for their incentives--every little bit counts!
• We took our math test today rather than yesterday as I stated last week.  I will send those results home by the end of the week.  We will start Unit 6 "Counting and Modeling Numbers" (think place value).  We will start by using a 100's chart and count by ones and tens using that chart.  Students will then be able to determine how many tens and ones are in a given two digit number (23 = 2 tens and 3 ones or 20 + 3). 
• We have switched with learning about the Mayan's to learning about the Aztecs.  We have learned about an Aztec legend, floating gardens (Chinampas), and today we learned about an Aztec Emperor, Moctezuma.  My students were intrigued by the fact that nobody could look the emperor in the face and that they had to take their shoes off in his presence and that they only used their bed sheets once. 
• In reading we are concentrating on past-tense verbs.  We have learned about the "past tense" marker 'ed' and the three different sounds it makes (/t/, /d/, and /ed/ ex. park becomes parked in past tense).  If you notice all of our spelling words this week except the "tricky word" have the past tense marker 'ed'.  We have read about many different animals--yesterday we read about Groundhogs and tomorrow we will read about reptiles.  Ask your child daily about what they are learning and reading about. 

Next Monday is our MLK holiday.  We will not have school that day.  I hope that you all have  wonderful three day weekend.

Happy Reading!