Newsletter October 12 - October 19

 Today was the first day of our second quarter of school.  If you want to see how your child is progressing on mastering first grade standards you are welcome to log onto Mastery Connect.  If you have any questions please contact me.

Here are this week's happenings:

• Today I sent home information about the PTA sponsored Virtual Fun Run.  If you just register your child at www.getmovoinfundhub.com they will receive a jump rope.  If our class meets our goal then we will receive a Silly String Party.  The fundraiser runs starting this Friday from October 19 - October 25.  
• Scholastic book orders were also sent home today.  The due date for that order is next Tuesday, October 20.  The best way to order is using the online code on the attached letter.  This is optional of course but this month if you place a $10 order you will receive a free book.  I noticed a great collection of fall books for $11 (that's just a little bit over $1.00 a book).  
• We are still waiting on bus approval but I am going to say that the Robinson Family Pumpkin Patch field trip is a go.  That field trip will be next Tuesday, October 20.  We will leave by bus at 12:30 and return by 2:00.  Each student will come home with a pumpkin that day.  The PTA has generously supported this field trip (that's why they have fundraisers as discussed previously:).  You signed permission for all field trips on your child's registration, but you can always opt out of any field trip.  This year I would imagine we will not attend or go on many field trips, but since this one is outside it was approved.  
• Today some students received the Red Eagle award for the PTA reading program (booksmarks).  I will send a picture through REMIND for you to see.  All awards this year will be virtual like that.  Including our first quarter awards and Lexia awards.  The school awards this year will be just "Catch the Vision" awarded to a boy and girl in our class (think all around awesome student) and a "Most Improved Award" We will not have attendance awards this year as we want to be conscientious and stay home when we are sick. Those awards should happen sometime this week after I receive them.  I will again send a picture home via REMIND. 
• In our learning we have now moved back again to addition concepts.  This time students will add within 20.  We will learn a couple of strategies to help with this.  The one we have learned today is called "Rock and sticks" (it's my name for a counting on strategy).  Here's an example: Let's say students have the problem 9 + 5 = they will first determine the greater number (9) and circle it (rock) and then will draw "sticks" from the rock to count on.  Students then say the number in the "rock" and count on using the sticks (say 9 then 10, 11, 12, 13, 14). The last number they say is the  sum.  We will also learn how to use a number line to do the same thing.  Basically counting on is using the greater addend and learning how to count on from that number.  We again reinforced the commutative property of addition today where the order of the addends does not change the sum.  
• In reading we are learning about long vowels.  We have learned how to spell the /e/ (sound) as 'ee' and the /ae/ (sound) as a_e.  We are are now expanding our knowledge of nouns by learning about proper nouns and are writing sentences using sentence starts (I can ....... or My skeleton......).  We are learning a lot out our bodies and today we learned about the muscular system.  We spent a few days on the skeletal system and even made some great skeletons to go along with our learning.  Maybe ask your child is they remember what the "biggest muscle in their body" is called.  

• Please remember to work on your child's sight word lists--I have a handful of kids that are really cruising through those lists.  That will help with their reading.  If you need another list please let me know and I can send home another one.  Continue reading the leveled take home books too!  A new set came home today.  Those will again be due this Thursday as well as library books.

Don't forget that we have a three-day weekend to look forward to--when we come back on Tuesday we will go to the pumpkin patch that afternoon.  I am so privileged to teach this great group of first graders!  Have a great Monday.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong