Newsletter December 16 - December 20

It's our last newsletter before the Christmas break and the last newsletter of 2019.  Today the district administrators stopped by to visit.  I appreciate the support we receive from the superintendent's office.  I told you last week that I needed to show you the DIBELS results, but our reading specialist said we now can just send the results home with our students.  I sent those results home with your child today (it's in their homework folder).  If you have any questions about those results please let me know.  I was VERY pleased with the results.  We looked at all of the results and rearranged reading intervention groups.  Many students in my class will either be changed or not be attending reading intervention groups starting in January.  When we get those finalized I will let you know via e-mail where your child will be during reading group time. 

Here are this week's happenings:

• Tomorrow Tuesday, December 17 at 3:00 in the cafeteria is our First grade awards ceremony.  I sent out e-mails this morning to those that will be receiving an award at this ceremony.  
• This Friday, is our Pajama and Grinch day.  I sent home a note about it on Friday.  Please let me know if you have any concerns about that day.  Students can wear their pajamas all day to school.  If they want to bring a blanket or pillow that would fit into their backpack they are welcome to do that too. We will also have a "special Christmas visitor" on Friday morning.
• Thanks for those that have volunteered to help with Gingerbread houses and for sending supplies.  Remember that we will be constructing those houses on Thursday after lunch at 1:00.  
• We are almost done with our "secret gifts".  Students will bring them home on Wednesday.  Thanks for helping your child "earn" $1.00 for that gift.  I think it's a valuable lesson as they learn to "give".  
• This week we are cramming in our Representing Data unit in math.  Today we read and made picture graphs.  Tomorrow we will do the same with bar graphs.  On Wednesday and Thursday we will read and make tally charts and on Friday morning we will finish off with problem solving using graphs.  Think of things like: "Jake has 4 more trains cars than Ed.  Ed has 3 train cars.  Ben has  2 fewer train cars then Ed.  How many trains cars does Jake have?" Students will make a graph with the data and then figure out the answer using the graph. 
• This week in reading we are continuing to read about animals from the Green Fern Zoo.  We will read Mandrills again, Things With Wings, and Big Cats.  At least that's the plan,  with Christmas activities sometimes things change. We will write about "How to make the Grinch happy" and read more versions of the Gingerbread Man.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday break.  Teaching first grade really is the BEST GIFT!  

Happy Holiday Reading,

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter December 9 - December 11

Sorry this is a day late.  Yesterday I had a physical therapy session right after school.  Today we all took the middle of the year DIBELS assessment.  I was VERY pleased with the results.  I told you last week that I would get your those results as soon as I receive them.  I have received them but the reading specialist told me that by law they need to either be sent or delivered by hand.  She said to hand the results to you all during our next SEP conferences, but that isn't until the first of February.  If you would like to know those results before then please send me an e-mail and I can share them that way.  I am really convinced that the amount of support at home is really helping my students this year especially as they improve in reading.

Here are this week's happenings:

• I sent home a note today about our Gingerbread houses and earning $1.00 for a "secret gift".  We have started working on and will finish that "secret gift" this week.  
• I sent home a notice for the PTA reading awards in your child's folder yesterday if they will be receiving an award.  The awards will be this Thursday, at 3:00 in my classroom.  Your are welcome to attend and you can take your child home afterwards if desired.
• In math we have started and will finish our unit on measurement and time this week.  We have been practicing tell time daily with our math wall so this is a review for most of my students.  We will continue to reinforce telling time to the hour and half hour throughout the year.  Next week we will work on graphs (picture graphs, bar graphs, tally charts and solving problems using graphs).  
• In reading we are continuing to work with r-controlled vowels.  We learned /or/ today.  We have learned  many facts about reindeer this week and will be writing sentences about reindeer at the end of the week.  This is an assessment that will be put on mastery connect.  I have  a lot more information on mastery connect or meaning a lot more data on mastery connect than when I showed it during Fall SEP's so you might want to take a look at it.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.  Also in reading we just finished our third version of Little Red Riding Hood and African tale called Tselane.  Next week, I will continue with this theme and read several versions of the Gingerbread Boy. 

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong

Newsletter December 3 - December 6

I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving Break!  I enjoyed the time at home with all of my kids together which was especially nice.

Here are this week's happenings:

• The November reading calendar is now due.  I told my class that if they turn it in by this Friday, Dec. 5 they will get a treat and pizza coupon.  December calendars were sent home on Monday.
• I got one more December Scholastic book order.  I will send that home tomorrow and it will be a quick turn around.  The orders will be due on Friday.  That way it will be back for Christmas if you want it to be.  
• Next week will be our middle of the year DIBELS assessment.  I will let you know those results as soon as I get them--in the past reading results were sent home by our reading specialist.  I will let you know how to look for those results.  
• In December we have some fun first grade activities.  One is Gingerbread house construction day.  I plan on doing that on Thursday, December 19 from 1:00-2:00.  I will send home a note with suggested items to send with your child.  I will use the money our class received from the fundraiser for things like paper plates, big bags to put over the gingerbread houses when they are done etc., so I'll ask for donations like graham crackers or a bag of candy.  If you see something that you think would work that I didn't include on the list then please feel free to send that too.  Every year I find something new to use for our houses that I didn't think of beforehand. We will also be making a "secret gift".  For this gift, I will talk to my students about helping to earn $1.00 to help with the cost.  It would be nice if they could do a special chore to earn the money to help pay for their "secret gift".  Like I said, I will send home a note about both of these activities to remind you and ask for donations.
• We have started a new unit in reading.  This is the unit where r-controlled vowels will be taught.  This first one read learned it 'er'.  We started a new book called The Green Fern Zoo.  My students are excited about it as it's non-fiction book about a trip through the zoo with Vern. We will be writing multiple complete sentences about reindeer this month after we learn facts and about them.  This will be a precursor to writing descriptive paragraphs after the holiday.  
• In math we have just finished up our unit about three-dimensional shapes and will start our unit on measurement and time this week. In first grade, we learn to tell time to the hour and half-hour.  The test for the three-dimensional shapes chapter will be this Thursday.

We wrote letters to Santa yesterday.  Christmas is such an exciting time for first graders!  I am pretty lucky to be surrounded by such great kids at this time of the year.  They really show me all of the time the best part of the season! Thanks for continuing to read with your kids every night even during this hectic time of year.

Mrs. Armstrong