Newsletter April 29 - May 3

Our year is nearing an end, but we are still working hard.

Here are this week's happenings:

• Our DIBELS testing day has been changed from tomorrow, April 30 to THURSDAY, MAY 2.  It will still be in the morning and it still applies that if your child is sick that day it's better to keep them home and have them tested another day.  Please help by getting your child to bed on time and providing them with a healthy breakfast.
• This will be our LAST WEEK to check out LIBRARY BOOKS.  The last day to turn them in for a "free book" incentive will be next Friday, May 10.  We go to library though on Thursday so if you need to find a book by then I would suggest getting it turned in by May 9th.  If you need to pay for a book please do so before that date also and your child will be eligible for a free book. Please help keep our library stocked by finding lost books for paying for the replacement.  Every year we lose so many books and for a first grade teacher that makes me sad to see all of those great titles that can't be replaced.  
• In addition to library books, that last day for Take-home books will be May 9.  So new take-home books will not come home after that date.  Since that's the case, I will just expect that May reading calendar through May 10.  Of course, you can read other books after May 9 but I will make the May reading calendars due on May 10.  Those calendars will come home on Thursday and the April calendars for a certificate, free pizza coupon and little treat will be this Friday May 3. 
• The last time students can turn in a PTA bookmark is THIS FRIDAY MAY 3!!! I sent home notes and extra bookmarks to those students who read nightly and are close to getting their Gold Eagle.  The last awards ceremony for that will be Thursday, May 9 at 2:45 in our classroom.  Notes will come home after Friday informing of you of the award your child will be receiving.  Another incentive of getting the "Gold Eagle" is those students who wear their Gold Eagle t-shirts on field day (May 17) will get a free ice cream sandwich.  If you have questions about how close your child is to receiving their Gold Eagle please e-mail me.
• The 100-book challenge is winding down and we have students that are really close!  The last day to turn in lists of books for that challenge is May 15.  We will have our Pizza "picnic" the very next day on May 16 for those that have reached that challenge.  I will also take and submit their picture for the newspaper that day.  I will let you know when that picture will be published after I submit it. 
• Our next spelling test will be this Wednesday, with a new list coming home on Thursday.  That next list will be our last spelling list of the year!
• We are still learning even though we are winding down.  We are learning in math how to add two digit numbers (43 +5 or 61 + 30) at the end of the week we will concentrate on subtracting two digit numbers.  Our test on this unit will be next Friday, May 10. We are also learning about time to the hour and half hour and will be learning graphs and representing data in the following weeks before we dismiss.  When you are out and about have your children help you tell the time (remember though that we've only learned time to the hour and half hour).  
• In reading and writing we are learning about how to make our sentences better by using conjunctions (and, but, or) and learning how to use commas in a series of words within a sentence.  We are reading about Kay and Martez and their adventures.  I have also starting reading Charlotte's Web to my students.  We will watch the movie at the end of the year to "celebrate" finishing this book.  
• Remember I told you about several field trips in May--I will send home a note about those trips by the end of this week.  I just need to finalize a couple of details before I send those home.  Included with that note will be a note that will need to be returned specifying what your child wants to do for lunch (either school sack lunch or bring one from home).  Please watch for those and return the lunch note ASAP so we can let the lunchroom know a count. 
• We were just informed that on the last day of school, May 22 that dismissal time will be at noon rather than 1:30.  Students will still have lunch that day it will just be earlier.  Buses will still run that day also, your child will just be home earlier than our regular 1:30 dismissal time. 

Whew!! That was a lot of information.  Please contact me if you have any questions!

Happy Reading!!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 22 - April 26

Welcome back after Spring Break!! We had a great time at our Easter Egg Hunt today--thank goodness the rain stayed away.  Thanks to those that helped by donating eggs and thanks to Oliver's grandma for taking the eggs to the park and helping to hide them for our arrival.

Here are this week's happenings:

• If you would like to order Scholastic books please do so by today--this will be the last time this year that I send home Scholastic order forms.  
• This week's spelling test will be on Wednesday (words are on this blog and lists were sent home before spring break). A new list of words will be sent home on Thursday.   We will also have Sight Word soldiers on Wednesday.  The last day for Sight Word soldiers will be Wednesday, May 15. 
• Our EOY DIBELS test will be next Tuesday, April 30 in the morning.  Please help your child by getting them to bed in time the night before and providing a healthy breakfast.  If your child doesn't feel well that day they will be tested on another day.  It's better to keep them home if they are sick and have them test on another day :)
• Tomorrow we are walking to SUU for Bard's Birthday Bash.  Thanks to Joey's mom for volunteering to walk with us tomorrow.  In May, we will be having a few more field trips.  I will send home a note about those field trips next week.  We will be going to St. George to the Children's museum, to the Aquatic Center and have Field Day and a possible trip to the library and park.  I will need some volunteers for those field trips so please consider helping out if possible.
• In math we are continuing to double up a bit in math.  We are learning about adding and subtracting tens and ones as well as learning about telling time to the hour and half hour.  This week we will use a hundred chart to help us add (23 + 5 = and 23 + 30 = for example).  Students will either count on by rows or count on by columns depending on if they are adding ones or tens to a number.  
• In reading and writing this week we will be reviewing nouns and verbs (common vs. proper nouns, singular vs. plural nouns and noun/verb agreement).  We will also be reading more from our new book "Kay and Martez".  In writing, we will write a narrative about our Easter Egg Hunt.  Students will learn how to use the words first, next, then, and finally to show sequence in their writing.  
• In our American Independence unit we will read about the Boston Tea Party, learn about the "Shot Heard Round the World" and "Declaring Independence".  
• Take-home books were sent home today!  Keep reading those.  We only have 4 1/2 weeks left of school and I bet for half of that books won't be sent home.  I haven't heard the official date of when those books will stop coming home, but will let you know when I do.

Have a nice Monday and Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 8 - April 12

I'm making this quick because it's nearly 6:00 and...... (needs no excuse).

Here are this week's happenings:

• Easter Egg Hunt is this Friday, April 12, at the Canyon Park from 1:00-2:00.  Please help supply plastic filled eggs for this activity (I already sent a note home about this).  I need some parents to help take the eggs and hide them at the park.  Please let me know if you could help with this.  I would need your help at 12:30.  There really isn't another way to do this since I can't leave my class to hide the eggs :)
• This Thursday is our PTA reading awards.  Notes were sent home on Friday if you child will be receiving an award.
• When we get back from Spring break we will have a Field Trip to SUU for BARD's birthday bash.  We will walk to SUU arriving around 1:00 and returning by 3:00.  I NEED a volunteer to walk over to SUU with us and back.  Please let me know if you could help.  I will send home a formal note about this field trip.  
• Our math test for Chapter 7 will be tomorrow.  We are doubling up a bit on math from now until the end of the year.  We will be starting our new unit on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers but I'll be doubling up with telling time to the hour and half hour and measurement this month.
• We just finished our Fairy Tales unit and will be starting an American history unit.  We'll learning about The Boston Tea Party, The Legend of Betsy Ross, and about American symbols among other points in our early history. 
• We will start our final unit in reading this week also.  We will be learning new ways to spell long vowels (ai, ay, oa) and reading out of a new book called Kay and Martez.  Our final reading test (DIBELS) will be on April 30--keep working at home--we can do this!!  
• Today I sent home two grade print outs.  One is for the 3rd quarter (final grades) and one is for the 4th quarter up until now.  If you have any questions about these please either send me an e-mail or send back the printout with your questions on them.  These are yours to keep.
• I hope that you all have a nice Spring break.  Remember that we are off of school all next week.  School will resume on Monday, April 22.  Watch the weather this week please as it's been super warm today, but it's supposed to cool off considerably by Wednesday again so send your child with jackets if necessary.  That reminds me the lost and found items have been placed on the stairs in the lunchroom.  If your child is missing a coat, jacket, gloves etc. please have them look for them this week as all items left will be donated.  You wouldn't believe the amount of coats/jackets etc. that get left here at the school.  

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter April 1 - April 5

Happy April--here are this week's happenings:

• We had our spelling test today.  We will not have new spelling words this week as we are approaching the end of a unit.  We will have Sight Word Soldiers though tomorrow (Wednesday) like always.
• On April 12, we are having a First grade Easter Egg hunt with Mrs. Carter's class.  We need your help with this by sending 1 dozen plastic candy filled eggs by Thursday, April 11.  I will send home a note tomorrow with more details about this activity before Spring break.
• I neglected to send home April reading calendars today.  I will send those home tomorrow.  March calendars are now due.  I will give students until Friday, April 5 to turn those in for a certificate, pizza coupon and little treat.
• In math we are starting to double up a bit on lessons as we are a bit "behind".  Today we worked on comparing numbers with word problems and then we also hit on order lengths (shortest to longest and longest to shortest).  We will continue to do "double math" twice a week until the end of the school year.  This week in math for interventions we will be working on using symbols to compare numbers (>, <, = ).  We will finish this chapter on Friday with ten more and ten less (ex. for 33 ten more is 43 and ten less is 23).  We will review on Monday and test on Tuesday.  We will then move to Chapter 8 where students will start adding and subtracting with two digit numbers without regrouping (93 - 50 = or 43 + 40 = ).
• In reading as I mentioned above we are wrapping up this unit next week also.  We are now reviewing past, present and future tense verbs, reviewing when to double the consonant of a root word when adding an ending (run = running or jump = jumping).  We are reading a story daily from Grace and tomorrow we will finish our paragraphs about animal habitats.  
• In our fairy tales unit we just finished reading Jack and the Beanstalk which is our final fairy tale of the unit.  Students will now work on poster presentations with partners using one of the fairy tales we have read.  We will then move to our "American Independence"unit.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong