Newsletter January 28 - February 1

Today I sent home SEP notices.  Please look at those and send the bottom portion of the sheet back stating whether you can attend the day and time I scheduled for you.  I used the same schedule as our Fall conferences.  If you can't make the time please write a better day and time and I will try and accomodate you. You can also e-mail me and we can arrange another day and/or time. 

Remember that school will dismiss everyday at 2:30 next week including Wednesday!

Here are this week's happenings:

• New spelling words will come home tomorrow.  The test will be next Tuesday, February 5. 
• I will give you information about the 100-book challenge at your SEP conference.  I haven't been able to get the information together yet.  
• Remember the red PTA bookmark for a free movie ticket is due on February 8 for the awards on Valentine's Day.
• Speaking of Valentine's Day we will have a little "party" in our classroom that day.  We will decorate cookies and hand out Valentine cards.  I like to decorate Valentine's Day bags in class (a place for students to keep their cards).  I buy them for $1.00 (ask for you to help cover the cost) and then we all help by donating items to decorate them.  I will send home a note about this and a list of those in our classroom for cards next Monday.
• We are moving right along in our learning.  Tomorrow we will start a new unit in reading where we will learn about alternate spellings for many consonant sounds (ex. /j/ can be spelling 'j', 'g', and 'ge').  We will also learn about adding endings to words (ex. stop becomes stopping).  We will start a new book that will highlight these "new spellings" called Kate's Book.  It follows a girl named Kate who has various adventures during her summer vacation and eventually writes a book about them.
• In math, we are hitting hard related facts.  I think most of my students understand and can see the pattern for related facts (2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 2 = 5, 5 - 2 = 3 and 5 - 3 = 2), but not all really understand that relationship so we are using a lot of visual aides and manipulatives (hands on stuff)  so students can "see" this.  This week we will have interventions on Wednesday and students will either have enrichment activities with related facts or reteaching activities with related facts based on a recent assessment of this concept. 
• If you haven't signed up for the REMIND app please do so by the end of the month.  Some of you may not be able to receive texts without signing up for the app.  It's still free but messages will go through the app rather than directly to your text messages. 

Don't forget to look for your child's SEP notice and sign it.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

January 22 - January 25

I hope that you all had a nice "snowy" MLK holiday!  We had a little discussion today about Martin Luther King Jr. and his adage that "you are as good as somebody else".  I am so glad that my students don't understand the conditions that our country was in during the civil rights movement.  They literally don't understand that kind of division.

Here are this week's happenings:

• Tomorrow is Wednesday--that means send in your sight word or Fry phrase lists for Sight Word Soldiers!
• The "red" PTA bookmark is due on Friday, February 8 for a free movie ticket.  Those can be turned in with a "normal" bookmark also.  
• Most of you have Remind.  That is going to change a little bit and some of you may not be able to receive text messages.  To remedy that simply sign up for the remind app (it's free) and turn on the notifications and the messages will be sent through that app.  If you have any questions please let me know.  This is still the best way to get in touch with you quickly and I will still use it weekly for messages.
• Since we returned in January our behavior has been a bit of a challenge, meaning I have had to remind my students of proper first grade behavior.  That's where the weekly Behavior charts are really helpful.  They are a lifeline to what's happening in our class.  Will you please check these on Friday and talk with your child about their behavior in class.  I have talked to them many times about what it looks like "to learn" and how misbehavior can affect those around them and their ability to learn. If your child tells you that they don't have one please let me know.  I check these in their mailboxes every Friday before they are dismissed to clean up so they should have one in their backpack. 
• We are starting Chapter 5 in math.  This will concentrate on addition and subtraction relationships.  Today we learned how to problem solve "using addition to subtract".  We will focus on related facts (4 + 3 = 7, 3 + 4 = 7, 7 - 4 = 3, and 7 - 3 = 4) in this chapter.  I love to see the light bulb go off as my students "see" that relationship work.
• In reading we are about finished with unit 4.  We will have a little test of knowledge this week or early next week.  Students will be asked to read and write words with /ar/, /or/, and /er/, as well as two-syllable words such as: "sunset", or verbs in the past-tense such as "sounded".  We are also still working on paragraph writing.  Tomorrow students with much assistance will write a descriptive paragraph about marshmallows.  We have started to study the groundhog in depth so that next week before Groundhogs Day we can write a descriptive paragraph about groundhogs. 
• February 4 - 8 is SEP week (parent/teacher conferences).  I will send home appointment times next Monday.  I will keep the same time and day that you attended for our Fall conferences.  If you have a specific day and time that will work best for you let me know via e-mail and we can figure out the best time and day.  I look forward to visiting with all of you during that week.  School will dismiss at 2:30 EVERYDAY that week, including Wednesday. 
• If you want to order Scholastic books (January and February orders were sent home last week) please place that order by tomorrow!  I noticed the Stripes is $1.00 (great book) and if you order one book you can receive a "free" book up to a $5.00 value.  

Happy Reading! (especially take-home books)

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter January 14 - January 18

Sorry for the delay this week, we've been having issues with our computer "server" or whatever it's called and I just got that resolved today.

Here are this week's happenings:

• Thursday, January 17 is the 100th day!!! I sent home a note about this and a homework assignment that will be due that day.  This assignment is optional, but students that don't participate usually feel badly.  I'm not trying to force it, but just let you know what's happened in the past.  Students are welcome to dress up as 100 year olds for that day also.  It's amazing what we have learned in 100 days! Look for a 100-book challenge coming in the next few days.
• Students received a red PTA reading bookmark last week during the awards ceremony.  These bookmarks are due February 9 for a free movie ticket.  If you want to transfer what you have onto that bookmark please do so.  They can turn that one in even if they have received the Gold Eagle.  Kash just received his Gold Eagle last week!  Congratulations for tons of reading!
• I hope that you all saw the DIBELS results and the suggestion to continue reading the take-home books every night more than once.  Some students are not doing this--I am just asking again to make this a habit and have your child read this every night!  
• Scholastic book orders will come home on Thursday.  They will be due the following Wednesday, January 23.  I will send home both the January and February order forms.  If you want to order please do it online--it's much easier that way!
• Remember that we don't have school on Monday, January 21 to commemorate MLK day.
• This week we are finishing our unit on subtraction strategies.  We will take the test for that unit on Friday.  We are continuing our math interventions on Wednesdays.  This is going very well.  This week we will concentrate on fact families.
• Don't forget that every Wednesday we have Sight Word Soldiers pass off day!  

My son is continuing to call me to pick him up for CHS.  I think I've covered the important stuff.

Have a nice three day weekend!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter January 7 - January 11

Today I sent home DIBELS scores for middle-of-the-year.  Please look over these and note the suggestions I made for helping at home.  The NUMBER ONE suggestion I made was to continue to have your child read their take home book 3 times every school night or be more diligent if you haven't been doing that nightly.  The New Year is a good time to set new goals if that hasn't been a consistent practice in your home.  I just barely finished and printed of the second quarter Power School grades.  Those print outs will be sent home tomorrow.  Please send back your child's homework folder DAILY so that important papers like the two I just mentioned do not get lost or unnoticed.

Here are this week's happenigs:

• Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 8 at 3:00 in the cafeteria we will be having our first grade awards.  I sent home e-mails to those students that will be receiving an award that day.  These are limited to attendance awards and Most Improved or Catch the Vision.  I haven't heard yet if we will be awarding certificates for our Lexia computer program.  If I hear tonight that we will be doing that I will send a group e-mail to those students who will be receiving a Lexia award.
• The notes I sent home today about awards are NOT for tomorrow--those notes are for the PTA reading awards that will be this Thursday at 2:45 in our classroom.  You are welcome to attend either one of these awards ceremonies. 
• Look for a note and a small "homework" project for our 100th day of school by Wednesday.  The 100th day of school is Thursday, January 17th!
• I have maybe half of the December reading calendars turned in.  Those were due on January 2.  Please turn those in.  January reading calendars were sent home last week.
• Today we started a new Listening and Learning unit on Astronomy.  Today we talked about the earth's atmosphere and outer space and the difference between those.  We learned that the sun is a star and is a giant ball of hot gas that is a million times larger than the earth and that it would take 3 months on the fastest rocket ship to make it to the sun.  In the next few days we will continue to learn more about the sun and the earth as well as stars, and the moon. 
• New spelling words will come home tomorrow.  These words all have the "past tense" marker (ed) that we have been learning about as verbs change form from present to past tense.  We have learned that 'ed' can make three different sounds, /ed/, /d/, and /t/, but it is always spelled 'ed'.  That might help as you help your child study these words.  We are continuing to learn about different kinds of animals in the Green Fern Zoo.  We will use this knowledge to start writing informational paragraphs. We have learned how to write complete sentences and now we will use that knowledge to start to formulate paragraphs.  We will especially in the next few weeks learn about Groundhogs since we just read about them today and Groundhogs day is in early February.  Our first informational paragraph will be about Groundhogs. We will also write about Martin Luther King and other animals from our book The Green Fern Zoo.

If you have any questions about your child's DIBELS scores or their second quarter grades please feel free to contact me.  Please also look at your child's behavior chart on Friday and ask them how they did in school (what color they were on at the end of the day). 

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

January 2 - January 4

Welcome back to first grade in 2019 and to a short week!  I think it was nice starting back on a Wednesday after a long break because my students were wondering "when is it lunch" or saying, "I'm hungry" a lot this morning.  I hope that you all had a nice Christmas break. Thanks for the kind gifts and sweet notes.  Today we got right back to work!

Here are this week's happenings:

• DIBELS results are back and I will get those to you by Monday--I want to give you some notes and pointers on what you can do to help so it will take me a couple of days to get that together.  I will send e-mails to those students who will be continuing on in reading intervention groups or who will be attending those now after I publish this blog.  If you do not get an e-mail assume that your child is not in a reading intervention group, but rather in a small group in my classroom or Mrs. Carter's classroom. 
• This was the first day of the third quarter.  I will also get Power School grades printed off and returned by Monday (if we're lucky the  DIBELS report will come home Friday).  Please watch for both of these in your child's homework folder.
• The December Reading Calendar is now due. I sent home January reading calendars in your child's folder today.
• We have two awards programs next week.  On Tuesday, January 8 at 3:00 in the cafeteria Mr. Moyle will be handing out our First Grade Awards.  These awards are for Perfect and Excellent Attendance, Most Improved and our Catch the Vision winners. Awards for passing off levels on Lexia will also be given out.  Not all students will receive an award.  I will send e-mails to those that will receive an award that day.  You are welcome to attend this ceremony, but please be on time as the presentations are brief and I wouldn't want you to miss it. The second is on Thursday, January 10 at 2:45 in our classroom.  This award ceremony is the PTA reading awards and the PTA will send home notices to those students that will be receiving award at this ceremony.  As above, you are welcome to attend this ceremony in our room.
•  Thursday, January 17 is the 100th day of school.  In first grade, we make a big deal out of that day.  Your child is welcome to dress up like they are 100 years old (I will send home a note about that).  I will also send home a little homework assignment that will be due that day.  This assignment is optional, but most kids really like to do it.  I will give you ample time and it shouldn't take you very long to help your child complete it.
• We will not have school on Monday, January 21 to commemorate MLK Day.
• Now for our learning--I have been so pleased with the writing that is coming from this class.  Before we left for the break, I had my students write about "the best part of Christmas"--there writing was amazing!  So sweet, but also full of correct punctuation and beautiful handwriting.  We also wrote sentences about reindeer after learning many facts about them.  Those sentences were amazing also! 
• In math we just started our unit on Subtraction strategies.  Today we just reviewed what subtraction is since we have been so focused on addition for a long time.  Tomorrow and Friday we will learn the "counting back" strategy to help us subtract.  Our intervention next week will focus on that strategy.  
• Today I sent home a new list of spelling words.  As you can see from that list our spelling words are getting harder.  A little bit of study at home can help with those that need it.  We go over that words daily, but some may need a bit of extra practice to feel confident for the test.  The test for that list will be on Monday, January 7.  
• We still haven't finished our unit on Early American Civilizations.  I will remind my students about the first two civilizations, Aztecs and Mayas, and then return to the study of the Incas.  We will specifically learn about the Inca Runners who delivered messages over hundreds of miles of roads.  Some of those roads  are still present today in modern Peru and the surrounding area. 
• In reading, we are still focusing on nouns and verbs especially past and present tense verbs.  We are learning about contractions and two-syllable words and how to break those words apart by first reading a part and then putting the two parts together (I say "chunk, chunk put it together").  We are  still learning about R-controlled vowels (er, ar, and or).  The book "The Green Fern Zoo" is full of words with those spellings.  Today we learned about Puffins and Finches in our story "Things with Wings".  When you see these spellings in your child's reading remind them about the "sounds" they make and point them out as they read not only books but in the world around them. 

Have a nice night and stay warm!
Happy Reading!