Class News!

A HUGE THANKS TO PTA FOR PROVIDING US WITH AN UNEXPECTED APPRECIATION LUNCH FROM CHAPPY’S.  WE LOVE OUR PTA!!

I have a lot of housekeeping to go over so please make sure to read everything carefully!

We have some changes in our day to accommodate our new first grade teacher.  Our specialist is now everyday from 12:30-1:00.  The children are going to Mrs. Brand for computer. 

Tuesday is our library day so your child should be bringing a new library book home.  Also, library books should be brought to school each day as the children are always given multiple times throughout the day to look over it.  I will be sending a note home with information pertaining to Accelerated Reader along with a log the students will keep in their take home notebook so be on the look out for that this week. 

Please make sure your child knows their lunch number.  Numbers were sent home the first week of school.  Please let me know if you do not have one for your child so I can resend it.  Lunch numbers are also used to take Accelerated Reader {AR} tests and Math Facts In A Flash.

Are you wondering what I did with your child’s “All About Me” project.  I have placed them in a notebook that will start going home with each child this week.  Please look over it with your child the night it comes home and return it the very next day.  I hope you enjoy getting to know all your child’s first grade friends!  :)

Thanks for being patient with us as we transition to a smaller class and learn our new reading program.  I will try my best to answer any and all questions pertaining to the new reading program. 

READING ~ Oops!  I forgot to send home the “Family Times” newsletter about this weeks Reading story.  I will REMEMBER to send it home tomorrow, promise!  Reading tests are given every Friday morning during Reading.  These tests cannot be studied at home except for knowing their high frequency words.  Every other skill on the test is taught in class.  

WORD WALL WORDS ~ {are that they have too}  Please make sure your child can recall these words within a minimum of 3 seconds.  They will be assessed on knowing these words at random times throughout the nine weeks as a daily Reading grade.  I will place a “word wall list” for the entire year in your child’s take home notebook on tomorrow.  Please DO NOT REMOVE this.  It will need to stay in their notebook all year as a reference.  The students will simply look at a list of these words and recall them to me.  They will receive a (+) for words read correctly and a (-) for words read incorrectly.  They will only be responsible for knowing the words wall words up to that date.  Hope this makes sense!

AMAZING WORDS ~ Students are introduced to amazing words each day.  Students will not be assessed on these words.  The purpose is for the words to increase oral vocabulary.  By the end of the year your child will have been exposed to… drum roll… 281 amazing words!!!  This weeks words are amusing, neighbor, trouble, porch, introduce, corner, deliver,  and squirrel.

LANGUAGE ~ Students have been introduced to several new language skills so far.  They have learned about nouns {words that name people, places, things, animals} verbs {action words} and ABC order.  This week we will continue to focus on simple sentences {capital letter at the beginning and period or question mark at the end} 

DAILY ORAL LANGUAGE {DOL}  ~ Part of your child’s morning work is copying and editing sentences.  Each day your child is introduced to a “daily fix-it” sentence that they are given the opportunity to fix and write correctly.  This sentence should come home everyday for you to look over and praise or re-visit.  Each Friday, the students will be expected to fix each of the sentences for a daily language grade.  Remember, the sentences should not be unfamiliar to them since we have practiced them together in class.  Here is an example of a  sentence for this week:     Incorrect ~ Dot gat the doll        Correct ~ Dot got the doll.

MATH ~ Ch. 3 continues with Addition Strategies.  We will learn to count on, doubles, and doubles plus one.  Please check their yellow Math Practice page in their take home notebook to know what lesson to reinforce each night at home.  A review sheet will continue to come home the night before the test.  I cannot express to you how important it is for your child to memorize their addition facts.  MPS has provided us with goals per nine weeks that students are encouraged to reach.  For the first nine weeks students will be encouraged to know their addition facts 0 through 5.  We will begin practicing this daily as well as using Math Facts In A Flash {computer based program associated with AR} to help us learn our basic facts.  Please practice these at home on flashcards!  What a difference this will make down the road!!! 

Important Dates:

9/17 ~ Spirit Night at Chappy’s

9/27 ~ Box Top Collection Day

10/2 ~ All $$$ for Discount Cards is due!

10/8 ~ Fall Picture Day

10/14 ~ No School! {teacher professional development day}

10/17 ~ Blount Fall Festival

Enjoy your week and contact me with any questions or concerns.  

~ Amy