Newsletter August 28 - September 1

We had a wonderful Monday in first grade!  I truly love this little class already and am so excited about their potential!  I hope that you looked over your child's behavior chart last week.  I told my kiddos today that maybe we need to add a "gold" spot because several are making it up to purple and they still could "clip up".  These behavior charts are an excellent way for students to monitor their OWN behavior. 

Here are this week's happenings:

• We are continuing our math unit on addition concepts.  Today we again solved addition word problems using pictures to model and then completing an addition sentence. This week we will learn some addition rules such as; adding zero to a number, adding in any order (Commutative Property of addition) in addition to "different ways to make ten" (6 + 4 = 10 or 2 + 8 = 10 for example).  
• In reading we will take another placement type assessment with our reading aides.  It's called DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills).  After all first graders have been tested this week we will meet with our Reading Specialist and organize reading groups.  My best guess is we will start those groups the second week in September.  It's wonderful it get started so early in the year!
• I sent home an order form for pictures which will be taken Friday, September 8.  All students will have their picture taken that day regardless of payment.  
• Sight Word Soldier (sight word lists) will be sent home this week.  Please start working on those lists with your child and send them back regularly so students can earn beads for their Sight Word Soldier necklaces.  They will not only come home with a necklace full of beads at the end of the year, but a brain full of sight words.  Automatically reading these common sight words will greatly increase your child's fluency (rate and accuracy when reading).  Reese's mom has volunteered to come and help pass off these lists on Wednesday so keep that day in mind when you send back the pass off sheet.  If I get other volunteers that are consistent I will let you know.  
• If you haven't sent back the Master Signature sheet that was sent home on the first day of school please do so ASAP.  One of the signatures on that sheet was our district's "computer use policy".  Students will not be allowed on school computers if that is not signed.  We go to computers on Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon so your child will be missing out on that computer time.  If you need me to send home another one let me know and I will put the papers in your child's homework folder.
• Students will be bringing home library books this Wednesday.  In first grade, students can check out two books.  Please keep track of these, read them with your child, and return them every Wednesday (can return earlier if you want to) so that new books can come home every week.  Every year we struggle to get all books back to our library and it costs our school $ to replace those or we don't replace popular titles because they've been lost.  
• Tonight from 5:30-8:30 is our PTA sponsored Luau.  Tickets can be purchased to play games and also food can be purchased.  This is a fun activity and makes a little bit of money for our school.  If you come from 5:30-6:30 I might see you there!  

Happy Reading! 

Newsletter August 21 - August 25

Welcome to our blog!  I will post my weekly newsletter here which will include announcements and what's happening in our classroom.  I will also post pictures occasionally.  I will never include your child's last name, but if you would like your child to be excluded from pictures on this blog please let me know and I will not post their picture.

We have been in first grade for about a week now.  I think my wonderful little "firsties" are getting used to a full day.  I haven't heard as many, "when are we going home?" or "when is it lunchtime?" type of questions today.  Thank you to those that have sent in snacks for our morning break--some of you have signed up multiple times. 😀 I think this helps ease the transition from summer break to a full day of school.

I am really excited about this upcoming year.  We only have 15 students so far in our class this year (seriously unheard of).  I know this will be beneficial for your child.  I will be able to more closely monitor each of my students and give them the help that they need. 

We have dived right into our curriculum.  Today we started our first math unit "Addition concepts".  We learned about using pictures to help us solve addition problems.  In reading (CKLA) we are reviewing concepts from kindergarten.  We are reviewing vowel and consonant sounds and how to "spell those sounds"  and  how to correctly form letters.  We have learned that vowel sounds are important because all words have a vowel sound in them and vowel sounds are those in which our mouth is open as we form them and air is able to escape.  Tomorrow we will start learning about nouns. Also in reading we are learning about Fables and Folktales.  We have heard three Fables (short, fictional stories with a moral) 1.  The Boy Who Cried Wolf, 2.  The Milkmaid and the Spilled Milk, and 3.  The Goose and the Golden Eggs.  With these stories we learn about characters, the setting, plot and the value lesson (moral) that each teaches as well as vocabulary study. 

Here are this week's announcements or happenings or reminders (in a more condensed form):👇👇

• Please send your child's homework folder (blue plastic folder) back with them EVERYDAY!  Make it a habit of checking that folder and returning things that need to be returned in that folder. 
• Today our first reading calendar was sent home. In my "Parent Handbook" I have outlined my homework expectations.  Please start reading with your child (hopefully your child doing most of the reading) for ten minutes each school night.  That calendar will be due September 1. 
• PTA reading bookmarks were sent home last Friday.  Please read over their requirements for awards.  Since I only expect 10 minutes of reading each school night and in order to receive the top award (Gold Eagle) students would need to read 25 minutes a night, I will supplement that in class when our reading groups start.  I will supplement with 15 minutes of reading in class so your child will still need to read at home to progress through the levels.
• Starving Student cards were sent home last Friday.  This is a fundraiser for our school.  If you do not want to purchase the card please send it back in the envelope provided.  If you would like to purchase the card please send the money and order form back in that envelope.  Thanks.  They really do have some good promotions and "pay for themselves" if you use them throughout the year. 
• Next Monday, August 28 our PTA is sponsoring a Back to School Luau (information about this has also been sent home).  It is from 5:30 - 8:30.  You can come anytime during those hours.  I'd love to see you there!
• If you haven't sent back the student registration sheet that I sent home in my back to school letter please do so ASAP.  That is how I get e-mail addresses to Mr. Moyle (for school newsletters and information from the principal) and sometimes honestly that information is more up-to-date than the information in Power School.  
• The next couple of weeks all students will be assessed in reading by our competent reading aides.  After the assessments some students may be placed in a reading intervention group.  I will inform you if you child qualifies for this intervention.  
• If you have been saving Box Tops over the summer please send them in with your child by October 20 (winning class receives a root beer float party).  These can be found on many food products (cereal, fruit snacks, Totinos pizza and sometimes school supplies).  Just cut them off and return them to school with your child.  It really can add up. 😊
• We have started our computers and PE schedule.  We have PE/Computers on Tuesday and Thursday.  Please make sure that your child is wearing proper shoes on those days.  
• If you haven't signed up for REMIND please pick up your phone now and sign-up for that free texting service.  It's a great way to get information back and forth without having to exchange personal information.  It's the best way I've found to communicate quickly with parents.  I'll keep "encouraging"  you until you try it. 😀

Thanks for sharing your child with me this year.  As I stated above I am really excited about this year and can visualize really wonderful things happening in classroom #7!  If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.  E-mail is the best for that kind of communication.

Happy Monday and Happy Reading!! 

Newsletter May 22 - May 24

This newsletter will be brief as this is the final week of school.  Every year I feel a bit melancholy as I close the door, but we've had a great year in first grade.  Thank you for your support and help throughout the year.

Today we had our pizza party for those that read 100-books.  My husband came and he helped make it a lot more fun!  My kids said, "why can't he come all of the time".  I submitted a picture of those who read 100 books and it will be in the Iron County Today newspaper on May 31. 

We also walked to the Library in the Park today and played at the Main Street park afterwards.  The librarian reminded us of the summer reading program.  The kick-off party is at the library on June 3 from 2:00-4:00.  You can sign up anytime though for this program.  I used to do that with my little kids and it was a fun weekly activity to go to the library and keep them reading throughout the summer.

Tomorrow we will clean out our desks so backpacks will be full tomorrow :)  We will watch Charlotte's Web in the morning with Mrs. Rieff's class.  We just finished reading the book today. Whew!  that was close. 

Wednesday, May 24 is our final day of school.  We will have a school-wide assembly/slideshow at 9:00 am that morning.  If you child ordered a yearbook, I would assume it would come home that day, though I haven't heard for sure.  I will also send home fourth quarter grades and promotion cards on Wednesday which will have your child's second grade teacher assignment printed on it.

I hope that you all have a wonderful summer vacation.  I have truly enjoyed my time this year and hope that your child's transition into second grade is a smooth one.

Newsletter May 15 - May 19

I just got on here to edit my post from yesterday and realized that I didn't even save it!  Ugh!  Thank goodness it was short and sweet. 

Here I go again with some noteworthy items for this final full-week of school:

• DIBELS scores have been sent home--either in the mail or sent home yesterday.  Please ask your child about those.  I will send home a note with final grades on the last day of school giving you my insights and suggestions for summer reading.  If your child wasn't "green" it is especially important that they continue reading in the summer.
• Today (Tuesday) I will send home a note about some away from the school activities.  You shouldn't be surprised about these as I have been mentioning them for several weeks on this blog.
• All work is due this Friday--INCLUDING THE MAY READING RECORD!  100-book lists are also due then--I won't accept lists after that date.  The pizza party reading picnic for those that reached this goal will be on Monday, May 22 during lunch.
• If your child hasn't returned their library books or paid the replacement fee (both regular and take-home) or owe lunch money please do so ASAP.  Students who do not have these turned in will not be able to watch our first grade movie on Tuesday, May 23.  They will go into the cafeteria with reading aides instead.
• Our last spelling test is Tuesday.  I will give the words in the order that is on this blog (see the right sidebar). We had our last math test yesterday and are wrapping up with both our reading and math units.
• Today I am sending home a packet of math sheets that you child can work on over the summer.  These will be helpful to jump start your child with 2nd grade math concepts.

Happy Reading!

Newsletter May 8 - May 12

Our swimming field trip is tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9 in the afternoon. I sent home a note last week detailing the event as I have given out information for weeks on this blog and sent home another note last month.  Thanks to those that have volunteered to help us that day!

Here are this week's happenings and announcements or reminders:

• Please remember our dress code as the weather is warming up--no short shorts, hats, spaghetti straps or tank tops 
• All library books (both regular and take-home) are due this week.  Library books are due this Thursday, May 11 and take-home books (book in a bag) are due this Friday, May 12.  Please help us get all of our books returned.  I will send out reminders and texts to those that haven't returned their books or paid the fine.
• If you have any Box tops please send them by this Friday, May 12.  The winning class will receive an ice cream party.
• All 4th quarter work will be due by Friday, May 19.  I will send home grade printouts the following Monday.  THE MAY READING CALENDAR WILL BE DUE THAT DAY ALSO (May 19)!
• Some of you will receive DIBELS scores in the mail.  State law requires that we inform parents via mail if their child is below benchmark on this test.  I will still send out those scores along with helpful hints for this summer to all students.  It won't be sent through the mail.  I will let you know when those have been put in your child's folders.
• Mr. Moyle reminded us today to please not bring "toys" to school, lately we've had issues with "fidgit" spinners and always with Pokemon cards.  Please help us by cleaning out your child's backpack and reminding them to leave "toys" at home.
• This week we will finish our math unit on Two-Dimensional Geometry.  Today we learned about halves and on Wednesday we will learn about fourths. We will review on Thursday and take the unit test on Friday.  We will then review "harder" concepts from earlier in the year and work on concepts that will be a jump-start for second grade.  I will send home some worksheets that your child can work on over the summer to also help for second grade.
• Today we learned about the Sonoran Desert habitat.  We will continue this Unit until the end of the year.  We will learn about rain forests, Temperate deciduous habitats, and the African Savanna.  My students will write a final informational paragraph choosing one of these habitats.
• Our spelling test will be tomorrow morning--I will group the words by spellings:  i.e. all 'ai' words together and all 'ay' words together hoping that will help. 

As this year is drawing to a close, I wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your beautiful children.  They will forever be apart of my heart.  Thanks for your support throughout the year.

Happy Reading and Happy Mother's Day!

Newsletter May 1 - May 5

I am late, late with this blog newsletter.  We had such a nice time on our field trip to the St. George Children's Museum.  Thanks to those who volunteered and rode down with us to help chaperone the group.  The weather was beautiful and I think it was a memorable day in first grade.

Here are this week's happenings and announcements:

• Tomorrow is the last day to hand in PTA reading bookmarks for certificates and awards.  Thanks to those that supported this program to read.  We have several "gold eagle" award winners from our classroom.  Yay! to Logan, Khloe, and Owen!  I hope that we have a couple more after May 5.
• We won the first box tops ice cream party.  Wouldn't it be fun to win again?!  If you have any box tops please turn those in by Friday, May 12 to be eligible for the party.
• I sent home Scholastic book orders last week.  I will extend that due date for orders until tomorrow, Friday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo).  This would be nice time to get a few books for summer reading.
• Today was our last day to check out books from our library.  Every year it takes a while to get books all returned so I decided to give us an extra week to help collect all of our books.  Please, please go on a library book hunt tonight and help us get 100% of our books returned this year.  Every year our library loses many books and those do not get replaced unless they are paid for by the borrower.  All those who return their books by May 18 will receive a free book.  I will start sending home reminders as well as the librarian will send home a replacement cost if your child can't find their book(s).  We will still have our library time for the next couple of Thursdays but not check out books.  Mrs. Clark always chooses such entertaining books to share with my class.
• Spelling words were sent home yesterday and the test with be next Tuesday, May 9.  We will have the test in the morning and then swimming in the afternoon.
• May 19 is the last day for our 100-book challenge.  Those that joined the "100 book club" will have pizza for lunch the following Monday, May 22 in my classroom.  Caim was our latest to reach the 100 book milestone--he will join Deni, Jay, Khloe, Mary, Logan, Owen, and Tenley (so far) for pizza. 
• Also on May 19 it's our "Field Day".  For first grade field day, we will walk up to the canyon park (where we had our Easter egg hunt) and then walk the trail and play on the playground before heading back to the school.  Before we go to the park, we will have a sidewalk chalk activity outside on the blacktop and afterwards a water balloon toss.  I will need volunteers to help send in filled up water balloons in order for that activity to work.  Let me know if you would be willing to help us out by sending in water balloons (filled).  I would love sidewalk chalk donations also :)  On field day, the lunchroom does a BBQ for lunch.  The kids get their lunch (BBQ hamburger or hot dog) and then eat it outside.  If your child normally brings a home lunch they may want to join us and have school lunch that day.  Of course, if your child brings a home lunch they will still join us and eat outside with us. 
• On May 22, we will be walking over to the Cedar City Library for a little tour and explanation about their summer reading program.  We will then play at the park adjacent to the library.  We will leave here around 9:40 and return before lunch.  I would love a helper to walk over to the library and back with us.  If you could walk with us please contact me.
• I noticed that Mr. Moyle sent a link about our school calendar.  Please consider filling the survey out and giving your opinion about our current calendar.  If we don't speak up then changes don't happen.
• We took our DIBELS test yesterday.  I will send out those results and recommendations for remediation and work over the summer when our reading specialist prints them out.  For the most part, I am pleased with the progress my class has made this year in reading.  That's one of the best things about teaching first grade.  These kids come in reading a few words, but leave reading, and reading and reading!  It's amazing!
• Last thing.... our swimming field trip is next Tuesday, May 9.  I have three parents that have volunteered to come and help with that.  The more the merrier where swimming is concerned.  If you would like help out that day please contact me by e-mail.  We will leave here about 12:45 and return by 3:00.  I will send home a note tomorrow reminding you about the field trip and what to bring etc. 
• OK I lied :)  this really is the last thing.  Take-home library (book in a bag) books will continue through next Friday, May 12.  Just like the "regular" library we will be asking for those books to be returned or to pay the $5.00 replacement fee.  I sent home (on bright orange paper) last week notices to those whose take-home library books haven't been returned for some time.  Please help us keep that library stocked with books by returning them by May 12. 

Happy Reading!

Newsletter April 24 - April 28

I hope you all had a glorious spring break.  I know I was yawning this afternoon and my kiddos were asking for snacks today.  It's amazing how long that felt (almost like we'd been gone for the summer).  We still have four plus weeks left and will continue to learn and grow up until the end.

Here are this week's happenings:

• This Wednesday, April 26 is our walking field trip to SUU for Bard's Birthday Bash.  We will leave here at 9:00 (so please make sure you child is here on time).  We will walk to the Shakespeare center for activities like Renaissance dancing, jousting, improv, and cake with the queen.  We will return at approximately 11:30 right before lunch. Thanks to those that have volunteered to walk with us to SUU.  
• We have a minor (fun) change to our trip to the St. George Children's Museum next Monday, May 1.  In addition to our trip to the museum and lunch we are able to ride the carousel adjacent to the museum.  That will up the cost just a bit.  Instead of just $1.00 the cost will now be $1.75 ($1.00 for the museum and 75 cents for the carousel).  If you haven't already sent your money please do so by this Friday, April 28.  I have three parents that have committed to coming down with us to the museum.  I still need one more parent that can commit to coming with us that day.  The museum requires 1 adult for every 5 students.  If you can come please let me know ASAP.  You are welcome to ride the bus with us or follow us down or meet us at the museum.  
• Spelling Words were sent home today.  They are a bit tricky and will require some extra study at home for most students. The test will be this Friday.
• This is our last week for reading intervention (special) reading groups.  I will continue to hold small reading groups in my class through the month of May, but the reading aides will be testing students, and taking inventory and closing up shop for the summer.  I so appreciate all of the wonderful assistance we receive at East Elementary especially when it comes to small group reading interventions.  Our final end-of-the-year Dibels test will be next Wednesday, May 3 in the morning.  Please help by ensuring that your child gets a good nights sleep and food in their tummy that morning.  If they are sick or absent they will be tested another day. 
• May 17 is the final day for our 100-book challenge.  I have several that are so close to getting to the 100 book mark!  We will have our Pizza party the following Monday, May 20 and I will submit a picture of all of the kids that read 100 books to the Iron County Today newspaper.  I will let you know the date of that publication after submission.
• We will continue our Sight Word Soldier program for three more weeks.  Thanks to Mary's mom who has faithfully come in every Wednesday to help keep that up.  It really helps!  Some necklaces are overflowing with beads and that means that little brains are overflowing with sight words too. 
• I really will get Scholastic book orders out this week.  They will be due next Wednesday, May 3.  That will be the final order that I will send home this year.  They will be back in time before the summer break. 
• We just started our final unit in reading today and as I noted earlier will be working on that until the end :). Today we learned about other spellings for the /ae/ (sound)--'ai' and 'ay'.  I love it when my students point out those "newly' learned spellings in their reading.  In math, we are working with two-dimensional shapes.  Today we continued with sides and vertices (corners or angles) and added trapezoids and hexagons to the mix. We will continue to learn about the history of the earth and then move into Animal Habitats to finish out the year.
• One last field trip request--I only have two parents that have volunteered to come swimming with us on May 9.  I need two more (but will take as many as want to come).  Please consider coming with us and swimming with the kids.  As a reminder, we will leave the school around 12:40 and return by 3:00 on Tuesday, May 9.  
• Take-home books again were not sent home today as our librarian was out sick today. 

Have a great night!  and Happy Reading!