Hi--we are starting our 5th week of school. I am so glad we are still learning in a face to face setting.
Here are this week's happenings:
- I just sent two e-mails--one with a survey for my masters project that I sent home information on last week. It's a super quick, anonymous survey and will just take you a few minutes to fill out. This other is a google doc to sign up for ZOOM SEP's (parent teacher conferences) next week. Even though ZOOM is not the most ideal way to speak with you and your child I do think that connecting and speaking to each other is important so that I can answer any questions you might have and make sure you understand my classroom expectations and I can let you know how your child is doing in school so far this year. School will dismiss next week everyday at 2:30 (even Wednesday) because of these conferences. I am going to send home a little packet of information by the end of the week with items for you to look over before we meet (if possible). Please watch for that in your child's homework folder.
- Take-home books were sent home today. Please read the blue note in the bag and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact me. In a nutshell--please have your child read one book each night 3 times each (M,T, and W). Date, sign and check of # of times read on the white sheet in the bag. Return the bag on Thursday and then next Monday three more new books will come home with return again on the following Thursday.
- I have a few students who are returning their "blue slips" for our sight word soldiers program. Remember to practice these lists and send back the blue note whenever your are confident that you child is ready to pass off the list. I have helpers from SUU here every day to pass those off. Having an automatic storage of sight words is very helpful for beginning readers especially since most sight words cannot be sounded out and are very plentiful in all texts.
- This week in math we are finishing up our unit on addition concepts. We will take our first test tomorrow and have a review/intervention day on Wednesday concerning addition with sums to 10. We will then dive right into subtraction concepts.
- In reading we are reviewing short vowel sounds, double consonants (ff, zz etc.), blending sounds into words, digraphs (sh, ch, th) and reading from our "decodable reader". A decodable reader is a book that only has words that your child should know from our learning. For example words with known digraphs (sh, ch and th), or words with short vowel sounds, or sight words we have reviewed would be highlighted in these books. Right now we are reading a book called Snapshots. We are reading about Beth and her friend Nat that she met at camp. Beth and her mom just made a trip to the UK to visit Nat and we just met his cat, Bud. Right now we are especially concentrating on following print as we read. Something that I would suggest when you read at home with your child is that you have them "track the print" with their finger. That means moving their finger underneath the words as they read them. There is significant research touting the benefits of having beginning readers track the print. We have found that this has been difficult for our students this year so reinforcing it at home would be helpful.
- Actually if you want any tips or pointers on how to help your child read at home I am happy to offer assistance. I can answer those questions during our SEP conference or you can reach out to me at any time and I am happy to offer my advice.
- I still have many of you that have not logged onto power school and signed the computer-use and other forms that NEED to be signed there this year. Students who do not have the computer-use form signed by the first week in October will not be allowed to use the computers in school. Some of you have asked for your child's power school information and that has been sent home to you. For the others who haven't asked and who haven't signed those forms I am sending home power school login information tomorrow (look in your child's homework folder for an envelope with their name on it). Please do this! If you have any problems please let me know and I will figure out the answer :).
I think that's it--sorry I sent so many new things home today. Please take a minute and read the take-home books note, check out my survey, and sign up for an SEP spot.
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Armstrong
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