I hope you have made your list and checked it twice! Only 12 more days until Christmas! We had a wonderful weekend enjoying the fire, reading lots of fun Christmas books, and drinking hot chocolate this weekend. I am trying hard to slow down and enjoy the holidays with my family this year.
The H1N1 Flu Clinic will be at Blount in the morning. All children who have returned their forms stating that they want the vaccination will receive the vaccination tomorrow.
We will continue with our regular classroom routine this week with the exception of our class party on Thursday. I have found that children do much better on a consistent and predictable routine. I will take several grades between Monday and Wednesday. A word wall check, two or three daily math and language grades. I plan to have all grades for the second nine weeks in by Wednesday.
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /wh/ as in whale. We will finish up any incomplete Christmas activities this week.
MATH
We will complete Chapter 12 and begin Chapter 13 this week. I will not give a Chapter 12 test. We will just begin on Chapter 13, and then complete it in January.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-11, skipped Rule 12 for now and discussed rule 13 last week. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. Thursday there is usually a worksheet related to the newest rule introduced that is given for a grade. Friday's DOL is 5 sentences taken from Monday-Thursday's DOL for a grade.
Our class did really well on the DIBELS assessment last week. A summary report on the scores will be coming home soon. The DIBELS assessment took all week in the library. The children weren't able to check out books as usual and it seemed that the most of them didn't realize they needed to go until it was too late in the day. Maybe we can catch back up on AR testing this week.
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
The best thing to hold onto in life is each other!
Have a wonderful week!
Hugs!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
December 7-11, 2009
It's the most wonderful time of the year!! I just love the month of December! We are so very busy in Room 123. Reading, writing, working with numbers and makings lots of Christmas crafts! I love seeing the excitement in all of the children during the holidays. Take a look at what we are doing this week!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /ar/ as in star. We will also have several Christmas related activities this week. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
MATH
We are on Chapter 12 in math. This chapter is about skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's. Homework for math will be lessons 12 in the Practice Math Workbook. We will try to test on Thursday or Friday.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-11. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. *Please Note* There is no rule for adjectives on the Grammar Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 and adjectives in the sentences this week. We will also learn about pronouns this week.
~Classroom Needs~
Several of the children are in need of new crayons and markers. Please send these in when you get a chance. If you want to go ahead and pick up a couple of extra packs, the children can keep them in their locker and use them as needed. Everyone colors better with new crayons!:)
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /ar/ as in star. We will also have several Christmas related activities this week. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
MATH
We are on Chapter 12 in math. This chapter is about skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's. Homework for math will be lessons 12 in the Practice Math Workbook. We will try to test on Thursday or Friday.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-11. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. *Please Note* There is no rule for adjectives on the Grammar Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 and adjectives in the sentences this week. We will also learn about pronouns this week.
~Classroom Needs~
Several of the children are in need of new crayons and markers. Please send these in when you get a chance. If you want to go ahead and pick up a couple of extra packs, the children can keep them in their locker and use them as needed. Everyone colors better with new crayons!:)
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
November 16-20, 2009
I can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. This school year is going by so very quickly. We had a great time last week learning about the first Thanksgiving. We will continue our study on Thanksgiving this week as we eat, read, paint, write, and share all the things we are thankful for!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /k/ as in kangaroo. We will also have several Thanksgiving related activities this week. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Most children are comfortable with taking test, they just need to step it up a bit. In January I will require that every child take at least one test a day.
MATH
We are on Chapter 11 in math. This chapter is about greater than and less than and ordering numbers on a number line. Homework for math will be lessons 11 in the Practice Math Workbook. We will try to test before we get out for Thanksgiving.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-11. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. *Please Note* there is no rule for adjectives on the Grammar Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 17 - Class Library Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 7-11 - DIBELS testing by a team of teachers
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
Success doesn't come to you. You go to it!
Have a wonderful week!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /k/ as in kangaroo. We will also have several Thanksgiving related activities this week. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Most children are comfortable with taking test, they just need to step it up a bit. In January I will require that every child take at least one test a day.
MATH
We are on Chapter 11 in math. This chapter is about greater than and less than and ordering numbers on a number line. Homework for math will be lessons 11 in the Practice Math Workbook. We will try to test before we get out for Thanksgiving.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-11. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. *Please Note* there is no rule for adjectives on the Grammar Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 17 - Class Library Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 7-11 - DIBELS testing by a team of teachers
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
Success doesn't come to you. You go to it!
Have a wonderful week!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
November 9-13, 2009
What a wonderful weekend! I could really get used to this amazing weather. Mistletoe was just fabulous and the perfect way to enter the upcoming holiday season!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /sh/ as in sheep. We will also have a Thanksgiving related activity once a week in November. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class. I forgot that /ea/ as in eagle was introduced also last week. As expected some had a bit of trouble in dictation with words with the /ea/ sound. Time, along with practice will help.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Most children are comfortable with taking test, they just need to step it up a bit. In January I will require that every child take at least one test a day.
MATH
We are still on Chapter 10 in math. We will probably test Friday, so look for the review sheet to come home Thursday. Homework for math will be lessons 10 in the Practice Math Workbook.
Don’t forget the two new links I have added to provide math skills practice and math facts practice. At both sites children can choose “First Grade Skills” to practice math facts through interactive games and timed drills. These sites also provide practice for Pre-K to Sixth Grade for siblings that may need extra fun practice.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. I introduced Rule 11: Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing. Monday I will introduce adjectives, words that describe. *Please Note* there is no rule for adjectives on the Grammer Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day
*Signed papers and AR report will also be sent home
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 7-11 - DIBELS testing by a team of teachers
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
-- W. B. Yeats
Have a wonderful week!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /sh/ as in sheep. We will also have a Thanksgiving related activity once a week in November. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class. I forgot that /ea/ as in eagle was introduced also last week. As expected some had a bit of trouble in dictation with words with the /ea/ sound. Time, along with practice will help.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Most children are comfortable with taking test, they just need to step it up a bit. In January I will require that every child take at least one test a day.
MATH
We are still on Chapter 10 in math. We will probably test Friday, so look for the review sheet to come home Thursday. Homework for math will be lessons 10 in the Practice Math Workbook.
Don’t forget the two new links I have added to provide math skills practice and math facts practice. At both sites children can choose “First Grade Skills” to practice math facts through interactive games and timed drills. These sites also provide practice for Pre-K to Sixth Grade for siblings that may need extra fun practice.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. I introduced Rule 11: Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing. Monday I will introduce adjectives, words that describe. *Please Note* there is no rule for adjectives on the Grammer Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day
*Signed papers and AR report will also be sent home
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND
*December 7-11 - DIBELS testing by a team of teachers
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school
Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
-- W. B. Yeats
Have a wonderful week!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
November 2-6, 2009
Welcome November!! It’s hard to believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. The weekend weather seemed more like fall. Hope you enjoyed yours.
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /r/ as in rabbit. We will also have a Thanksgiving related activity once a week in November. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by putting a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on. I sent an AR report in signed papers, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.
MATH
We will finish Chapter 9 on Monday and test on Tuesday.We will begin Chapter 10 on Wednesday, homework for math starting on Wednesday will be lessons 10 in the Practice Math Workbook. The children love going to the computer and there are some really fun games that help reinforce skills while being fun at the same time. I have added two links to provide math skills practice and math facts practice. At both sites children can choose “First Grade Skills” to practice math facts through interactive games and timed drills. These sites also provide practice for Pre-K to Sixth Grade for siblings that may need extra fun practice.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. Monday I will introduce Rule 11: Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
Information & Reminders
*November 3 - PTA Meeting - 6:30
*November 4th-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*November 6 - Mistletoe at ASF - Wear your green first grade t-shirt and jeans.
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day - need a volunteer to watch the class
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
Have a wonderful week!
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak! Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /r/ as in rabbit. We will also have a Thanksgiving related activity once a week in November. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by putting a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on. I sent an AR report in signed papers, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.
MATH
We will finish Chapter 9 on Monday and test on Tuesday.We will begin Chapter 10 on Wednesday, homework for math starting on Wednesday will be lessons 10 in the Practice Math Workbook. The children love going to the computer and there are some really fun games that help reinforce skills while being fun at the same time. I have added two links to provide math skills practice and math facts practice. At both sites children can choose “First Grade Skills” to practice math facts through interactive games and timed drills. These sites also provide practice for Pre-K to Sixth Grade for siblings that may need extra fun practice.
LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. Monday I will introduce Rule 11: Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
Information & Reminders
*November 3 - PTA Meeting - 6:30
*November 4th-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*November 6 - Mistletoe at ASF - Wear your green first grade t-shirt and jeans.
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day - need a volunteer to watch the class
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
Have a wonderful week!
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak! Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
October 26-30, 3009
I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed time with family and friends. It’s hard to believe that it’s the last week of October!
The following message was given to us to pass along to parents:
As you know, this year, our school will be partnering with several local and global organizations. Our children will not only have the opportunity to impact their world, but to be impacted, as they are educated through their community service. Some of the community projects will be simply collecting some everyday items that we have. Instead of donating your items elsewhere, plan on bringing them to the school. The first collection will be Monday, October 26th. Items can be dropped off in morning or afternoon carpool. Here is a list of items that we are looking for:
blankets, towels, coats, pillows, toys, puzzles, school supplies, children’s books, and school uniforms your kids have outgrown. All the items can be gently used and are not expected to be new items.
Questions? Please contact Lisa Hoffman, Community Spirit Coordinator, community_spirit@blountpta.org, or at 782-3409.
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /c/ as in cat. We will also have a Halloween related activity once a week in October. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We are still working on Chapter 9; Calendar Math , Graphs, Sorting, Tally Tables. Homework for this chapter will be lessons in the Practice Workbook beginning with 9. We will probably test on this chapter Thursday. Look for the review sheet to come home the day before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
**WE WILL HAVE A WORD WALL CHECK WEDNESDAY ON THE LAST THREE WEEKS OF WORD WALL WORDS.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
This week is RED RIBBON WEEK! Red Ribbon week is a week where we emphasize the importance of saying NO to drugs. This is a system wide week in Montgomery.
•MONDAY - "We Are Proud To Be Drug Free" students wear red and sign pledge banner in the lunchroom.
•TUESDAY - "Sock It To Drugs and Slip Into Good Character" students wear crazy socks and slippers.
•WEDNESDAY - "No Drugs In My Future" students dress for their future careers.
•THURSDAY - "We Are Too Cool To Do Drugs" students will wear their sunglasses to shade out drugs.
•FRIDAY - "Team Up Against Drugs" students wear their favorite team's jersey.
Just in case you didn’t get the note sent home last week, the Fruit Sale has been cancelled.
*October 26 Library Day (Monday for this week only)-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
*October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
*October 29 - Signed Papers
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 3 - PTA Meeting - 6:30
*November 6 - Mistletoe at ASF - Wear your green first grade t-shirt and jeans.
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day - need a volunteer to watch the class
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
Have a wonderful week!
The following message was given to us to pass along to parents:
As you know, this year, our school will be partnering with several local and global organizations. Our children will not only have the opportunity to impact their world, but to be impacted, as they are educated through their community service. Some of the community projects will be simply collecting some everyday items that we have. Instead of donating your items elsewhere, plan on bringing them to the school. The first collection will be Monday, October 26th. Items can be dropped off in morning or afternoon carpool. Here is a list of items that we are looking for:
blankets, towels, coats, pillows, toys, puzzles, school supplies, children’s books, and school uniforms your kids have outgrown. All the items can be gently used and are not expected to be new items.
Questions? Please contact Lisa Hoffman, Community Spirit Coordinator, community_spirit@blountpta.org, or at 782-3409.
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /c/ as in cat. We will also have a Halloween related activity once a week in October. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We are still working on Chapter 9; Calendar Math , Graphs, Sorting, Tally Tables. Homework for this chapter will be lessons in the Practice Workbook beginning with 9. We will probably test on this chapter Thursday. Look for the review sheet to come home the day before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
**WE WILL HAVE A WORD WALL CHECK WEDNESDAY ON THE LAST THREE WEEKS OF WORD WALL WORDS.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
This week is RED RIBBON WEEK! Red Ribbon week is a week where we emphasize the importance of saying NO to drugs. This is a system wide week in Montgomery.
•MONDAY - "We Are Proud To Be Drug Free" students wear red and sign pledge banner in the lunchroom.
•TUESDAY - "Sock It To Drugs and Slip Into Good Character" students wear crazy socks and slippers.
•WEDNESDAY - "No Drugs In My Future" students dress for their future careers.
•THURSDAY - "We Are Too Cool To Do Drugs" students will wear their sunglasses to shade out drugs.
•FRIDAY - "Team Up Against Drugs" students wear their favorite team's jersey.
Just in case you didn’t get the note sent home last week, the Fruit Sale has been cancelled.
*October 26 Library Day (Monday for this week only)-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
*October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
*October 29 - Signed Papers
UPCOMING EVENTS
*November 3 - PTA Meeting - 6:30
*November 6 - Mistletoe at ASF - Wear your green first grade t-shirt and jeans.
*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day - need a volunteer to watch the class
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
Have a wonderful week!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Field Trip Fun!
Whew! If your children are as exhausted as I am they are probably already asleep! What a wonderful day we had!! The PTA did an outstanding job of organizing a fun day filled with lots of learning! We visited the Fire Station on Ray Thorington Road then went to Thompson Park and rotated to different stations learning about the many different jobs that people in our community do to help us! Everything was just perfect from the weather to the friends to the picnic lunch!! After a fun filled day, Joshua Brantley's mom provided us with a cute fall craft along with a yummy snack. (shh...don't tell!) First grade is such an exciting place to be! Enjoy the rest of your week and I hope to see you at the Fall Festival. I'll be working the concession stand from 7-8, if your there stop by to see me!
Hugs!!
Hugs!!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
October 19-23, 2009
WOW-what a change in the weather!! It seems we skipped fall and went straight to winter.
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /h/ as in hippo. We will also have a Halloween related activity once a week in October. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We tested on Chapter 8 on Friday and will begin Chapter 9 on Monday. I sent home the parent involvement letter Friday. Please work on Chapter 9 in your math practice workbook.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Scholastic Books should arrive this week. Thanks for helping our class earn Bonus Points by ordering books.
*October 20 Library Day - make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
October 20th Fire Station and Picnic lunch at the park.
Children may wear their new First Grade Friends t-shirts, however, since the field trip is in the middle of the week, uniform bottoms must be worn, no jeans please! :) These shirts may also be worn on Friday, with jeans, for Spirit Day.
October 22nd Fall Festival – for those of you who are new to Blount-this is a really fun time for everyone. There will be lots of games, inflatable games, small amusement type rides and concessions. This is a big fundraiser for our school so please come out and enjoy the night with your family. We will be partnering with Wilson Elementary this year. Let’s welcome our old friends back.
UP AND COMING EVENTS
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
October 30th- Fruit Sale- pre-paid orders due
November 6th- Mistletoe Performance - A note explaining this field trip will come home on Monday. This year they are allowing us to take 4 parents per class. It will be first come first serve for our chaperone seats. I wish everyone could go! We will have other field trips this year. The first 4 request will get to go. Please make sure you have child care arrangements for your other children. We are limited to a certain number of seats.
Your children need your presence more than your presents.
Have a great week!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /h/ as in hippo. We will also have a Halloween related activity once a week in October. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We tested on Chapter 8 on Friday and will begin Chapter 9 on Monday. I sent home the parent involvement letter Friday. Please work on Chapter 9 in your math practice workbook.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Scholastic Books should arrive this week. Thanks for helping our class earn Bonus Points by ordering books.
*October 20 Library Day - make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
October 20th Fire Station and Picnic lunch at the park.
Children may wear their new First Grade Friends t-shirts, however, since the field trip is in the middle of the week, uniform bottoms must be worn, no jeans please! :) These shirts may also be worn on Friday, with jeans, for Spirit Day.
October 22nd Fall Festival – for those of you who are new to Blount-this is a really fun time for everyone. There will be lots of games, inflatable games, small amusement type rides and concessions. This is a big fundraiser for our school so please come out and enjoy the night with your family. We will be partnering with Wilson Elementary this year. Let’s welcome our old friends back.
UP AND COMING EVENTS
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
October 30th- Fruit Sale- pre-paid orders due
November 6th- Mistletoe Performance - A note explaining this field trip will come home on Monday. This year they are allowing us to take 4 parents per class. It will be first come first serve for our chaperone seats. I wish everyone could go! We will have other field trips this year. The first 4 request will get to go. Please make sure you have child care arrangements for your other children. We are limited to a certain number of seats.
Your children need your presence more than your presents.
Have a great week!
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 13-16, 2009
It’s really hard to believe we have finished 9 weeks of school! The time is certainly going by fast. Tuesday will be the beginning of the second nine weeks; therefore everyone will start with a 100 for conduct grading. Thank you for your support by encouraging your child to do their best at school. Also, thank you to everyone who sent in thin dry erase markers, the children use them everyday! THANK YOU PARENTS!
FYI - We will also start our three week music rotation with Mr. Darby. I will take the class to the playground in the afternoons.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Our whole group sound for this week is /i/ as in insect. In addition to insects we will also be writing and learning about Christopher Columbus. Each week in October we will have a Halloween related activity. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We will test on Chapter 8 on Thursday so look for a review sheet to come home on Wednesday. Our next Chapter in math will be Chapter 9. I will send home a parent involvement letter on Friday.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-9 and I will introduce grammar rule 10 on Tuesday. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*October 13 Library Day-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one
October 15th Fall Festival – for those of you who are new to Blount-this is a really fun time for everyone. There will be lots of games, inflatable games, small amusement type rides and concessions. This is a big fundraiser for our school so please come out and enjoy the night with your family. We will be partnering with Wilson Elementary this year. Let’s welcome our old friends back.
October 15th-Report Cards
UP AND COMING EVENTS
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
For success attitude is as important as ability!
Have a wonderful week!
FYI - We will also start our three week music rotation with Mr. Darby. I will take the class to the playground in the afternoons.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Our whole group sound for this week is /i/ as in insect. In addition to insects we will also be writing and learning about Christopher Columbus. Each week in October we will have a Halloween related activity. This may be in the form of a writing job or something to display in the class.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We will test on Chapter 8 on Thursday so look for a review sheet to come home on Wednesday. Our next Chapter in math will be Chapter 9. I will send home a parent involvement letter on Friday.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-9 and I will introduce grammar rule 10 on Tuesday. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-10 in the sentences each week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*October 13 Library Day-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one
October 15th Fall Festival – for those of you who are new to Blount-this is a really fun time for everyone. There will be lots of games, inflatable games, small amusement type rides and concessions. This is a big fundraiser for our school so please come out and enjoy the night with your family. We will be partnering with Wilson Elementary this year. Let’s welcome our old friends back.
October 15th-Report Cards
UP AND COMING EVENTS
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
For success attitude is as important as ability!
Have a wonderful week!
Monday, October 5, 2009
October 5 - 9, 2009
What a beautiful weekend. I hope everyone was able to do something outside and enjoy this wonderful fall weather! I am sure everyone enjoyed seeing your child's writing portfolio. All of the children were so excited to bring them home to share. They are doing a great job during literacy stations and I must say their writing is just super!!
I hope you saw your child's first edition of their TIME FOR KIDS weekly magazine. We had a great time with it on Friday and are looking forward to reading our new magazines each week. Thank you parents!
CLASSROOM NEED - We are in need of some THIN EXPO dry erase markers, they write with a fine tip and are easy for the children to use when writing on wipe off items in the classroom. If you would like to donate some to our classroom we would be most appreciative.
This week is the end of the first nine weeks. Friday will be the end of the grading period for the first nine weeks. Tuesday October 13 will begin the second nine weeks period. I can't believe how much the children have learned in just 9 weeks!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /W/ as in wind, we will be talking about different types of weather.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We are still in Chapter 7 in math.We will test on this chapter Wednesday. Look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test. We will begin Chapter 8 on Thursday, look for a Parent Involvement letter to come home.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1 - 6 and today I introduced rules 7, 8, & 9. These rules can be found in you child's take home notebook. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~ look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
First Grade Reminders
*I sent home Scholastic Book Order forms on Friday. You may order online, or you may fill out the order form and send it, along with your check made payable to Scholastic to me. The last day to order Scholastic for this month is Thursday, October 8th. Scholastic orders are voluntary, however our class does receive free books each time you order;).
*October 6 Library Day-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
October 8th-School picture day - no uniforms required
October 8th-School Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
October 9th-End of first nine weeks
Future dates in October to remember:
October 12th-Inservice~holiday for children
October 15th Fall Festival - Don't forget to pre order wristbands for $10, the deadline for that is Friday October 9th. I sent order forms for those and Fall Festival t-shirts home last week.
October 22nd-Report Cards
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
In the final analysis, it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. Ann Landers
I love the above quote from Anne Landers! Have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
I hope you saw your child's first edition of their TIME FOR KIDS weekly magazine. We had a great time with it on Friday and are looking forward to reading our new magazines each week. Thank you parents!
CLASSROOM NEED - We are in need of some THIN EXPO dry erase markers, they write with a fine tip and are easy for the children to use when writing on wipe off items in the classroom. If you would like to donate some to our classroom we would be most appreciative.
This week is the end of the first nine weeks. Friday will be the end of the grading period for the first nine weeks. Tuesday October 13 will begin the second nine weeks period. I can't believe how much the children have learned in just 9 weeks!
READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /W/ as in wind, we will be talking about different types of weather.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test on the AR reading Log or put a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on.
MATH
We are still in Chapter 7 in math.We will test on this chapter Wednesday. Look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test. We will begin Chapter 8 on Thursday, look for a Parent Involvement letter to come home.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1 - 6 and today I introduced rules 7, 8, & 9. These rules can be found in you child's take home notebook. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~ look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
First Grade Reminders
*I sent home Scholastic Book Order forms on Friday. You may order online, or you may fill out the order form and send it, along with your check made payable to Scholastic to me. The last day to order Scholastic for this month is Thursday, October 8th. Scholastic orders are voluntary, however our class does receive free books each time you order;).
*October 6 Library Day-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
October 8th-School picture day - no uniforms required
October 8th-School Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
October 9th-End of first nine weeks
Future dates in October to remember:
October 12th-Inservice~holiday for children
October 15th Fall Festival - Don't forget to pre order wristbands for $10, the deadline for that is Friday October 9th. I sent order forms for those and Fall Festival t-shirts home last week.
October 22nd-Report Cards
October 26th-School Spirit night at Five Guys
October 30-November 4th-Book Fair held in the library
In the final analysis, it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings. Ann Landers
I love the above quote from Anne Landers! Have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Mrs. Itson's Last Day in First Grade :((
As you all know today was Mrs. Iston's last day of her internship in our classroom. She has been a tremendous asset to all of us and boy are we going to miss her! I know she has learned a lot and is ready to have a classroom of her own. Thanks to all of you who sent in items to fill the bucket Mrs. Owens got her. I wish you could have seen it! It was packed full with tons of teacher treasures. She was so surprised and so very thankful. The children made her a book yesterday and each child read his/her page today to Mrs. Itson, and she absolutley LOVED it. I must say some of the things the children wrote and some of the pictures they drew were just adorable! We wish her the very best as she completes the second part of her internship placement in 5th grade here at Blount. At least she won't be too far away from us! I have complete confidence she will be an outstanding teacher who will work hard to meet the many unique and different children who come into her classroom. She has been such a blessing to me and our class, I am sure the Lord has great plans ahead for her. I love you Lauri Ann!!
Monday, September 28, 2009
September 28 - October 2, 2009
Wow! We are coming up on week 8~can’t believe how fast it has gone by.
I’m so pleased with the progress we have made in learning our routines and procedures. Thank you for your support by encouraging your child to do their best at school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Our whole group sound for this week is /T/ as in the word “turkey”.
READING HOMEWORK
Please continue to read every night! Reading and rereading the Read Well homework stories will help build fluency* and accuracy*. This practice each night really helps more than you know, so please make sure you are listening to your child read. Spend a few minutes reading over the word wall words to date also.
*Fluency is the rate at which your child is reading the text.
~not speed reading ~not choppy, robotic reading ~but a smooth even rate, as if you’re speaking to someone.
*Accuracy is how accurately your child is reading the words in the text, making as few errors as possible. The goal for these stories should be 0 errors since it’s familiar text.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. Continue to send in a sticky note when your child is ready to take a test. I would like to see each child take at least 2-3 AR tests a week.
MATH
We are in Chapter 7. I sent the Family Involvement letter home last week. This chapter will focus on subtraction strategies. Homework for math will be Chapter 7 lessons in the math practice workbook. We will test on this chapter probably Thursday or Friday. Look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-6. Rule 7 will be introduced next week. These rules can be found in the take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1 - 6 in the sentences this week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*We will have a word wall check, Wednesday or Thursday, on the last three weeks of words for a daily reading grade.
*I have ordered TIME for Kids for our class. Thanks for sending in you money for your child’s subscription. We’ll incorporate these in our routine once a week.
*September 15th-30th-Innisbrook Fundraiser-Hope you’re selling lots and lots of wrapping paper to help our school.
*Library Day September 29th-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*September 30 - Mrs. Itson's last day with us:(. We will miss her very much! She will spend the next 8 weeks in fifth grade.
*October 1- Signed Papers
Future dates in October to remember:
October 9th-End of first nine weeks
October 12th-Inservice~holiday for children
October 15th Fall Festival~more information to come
October 22nd-Report Cards
Thought for the week:
Expect something great to happen - and it usually will.
Have a wonderful week!!
I’m so pleased with the progress we have made in learning our routines and procedures. Thank you for your support by encouraging your child to do their best at school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Our whole group sound for this week is /T/ as in the word “turkey”.
READING HOMEWORK
Please continue to read every night! Reading and rereading the Read Well homework stories will help build fluency* and accuracy*. This practice each night really helps more than you know, so please make sure you are listening to your child read. Spend a few minutes reading over the word wall words to date also.
*Fluency is the rate at which your child is reading the text.
~not speed reading ~not choppy, robotic reading ~but a smooth even rate, as if you’re speaking to someone.
*Accuracy is how accurately your child is reading the words in the text, making as few errors as possible. The goal for these stories should be 0 errors since it’s familiar text.
ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. Continue to send in a sticky note when your child is ready to take a test. I would like to see each child take at least 2-3 AR tests a week.
MATH
We are in Chapter 7. I sent the Family Involvement letter home last week. This chapter will focus on subtraction strategies. Homework for math will be Chapter 7 lessons in the math practice workbook. We will test on this chapter probably Thursday or Friday. Look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-6. Rule 7 will be introduced next week. These rules can be found in the take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1 - 6 in the sentences this week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*We will have a word wall check, Wednesday or Thursday, on the last three weeks of words for a daily reading grade.
*I have ordered TIME for Kids for our class. Thanks for sending in you money for your child’s subscription. We’ll incorporate these in our routine once a week.
*September 15th-30th-Innisbrook Fundraiser-Hope you’re selling lots and lots of wrapping paper to help our school.
*Library Day September 29th-make sure your child brings their library book to school if they are ready to return it and check out another one.
*September 30 - Mrs. Itson's last day with us:(. We will miss her very much! She will spend the next 8 weeks in fifth grade.
*October 1- Signed Papers
Future dates in October to remember:
October 9th-End of first nine weeks
October 12th-Inservice~holiday for children
October 15th Fall Festival~more information to come
October 22nd-Report Cards
Thought for the week:
Expect something great to happen - and it usually will.
Have a wonderful week!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
September 21-25, 2009
READING AND LITERACY STATIONS
Every week a new unit is introduced in our Whole Group Reading routine. This new unit introduces one new letter sound which serves as the stimulus for all activities that follow. The new letter sound is usually related to an animal and/or science term which gives us our theme that we will be reading and learning about during the week. Our writing jobs also come from the theme we are studying in our whole group reading.
Our whole group sound for this week is /n/ as in the word “nest”. We will be doing activities related to birds.
ACCELERATED READER
I hope you received the note with your child's AR report included. There is no need to return this report, it is simply for your information. Please help your child prepare to take AR tests, ideally 2-3 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by putting a sticky note on their book. Right now I will not let a child test unless they have the note. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their average percent correct up. Thank you for your help with AR.
MATH
We are in Chapter 6-I sent the Family Involvement letter home today. This chapter focuses on Addition Facts Practice. This is where I strongly recommend that you make addition flash cards and begin memorizing addition facts. Homework for math will be Chapter 6 lessons in the math practice workbook. We will test on this chapter probably next week. As always, look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered Grammar rules 1-6. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1 - 6, I will not introduce a new grammar rule this week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come from sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. We will have a test on these rules Thursday. I'll send a review sheet to practice for the test.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*A big thanks to Mrs. Gaeta (Amelie's mom), Mrs. Backus (Sarah's mom), and Mrs. Garrison (Emma's mom) for watching the class while Mrs. Itson and I enjoyed Teacher Treat Day with the other teachers. It was delicious!!
*Mrs. Itson will continue to teach the class this week. Her last day with us will be next Wednesday, September 30th. Please look for a "secret" note to come home with your child tomorrow about a little surprise we are planning for her!:)
*The Montgomery Humane Shelter came today to speak to the children about "Bite Prevention". The children were so well behaved and seemed to really enjoy our guest speaker.
*Library Day Tuesday, September 22nd- make sure your child brings their library book to school.
*September 21 - Blount Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
*Yea Room 123, we have met our PTA goal of 150% membership!! A big thank you to everyone who joined!
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar EVERY night.
I’m still noticing a few calendars without signatures.
Thanks for the trust and support you have in me with your sweet and precious one.
Thought for the week: When time runs short, remember this verse: "You will always find time for the things you put first!"
Every week a new unit is introduced in our Whole Group Reading routine. This new unit introduces one new letter sound which serves as the stimulus for all activities that follow. The new letter sound is usually related to an animal and/or science term which gives us our theme that we will be reading and learning about during the week. Our writing jobs also come from the theme we are studying in our whole group reading.
Our whole group sound for this week is /n/ as in the word “nest”. We will be doing activities related to birds.
ACCELERATED READER
I hope you received the note with your child's AR report included. There is no need to return this report, it is simply for your information. Please help your child prepare to take AR tests, ideally 2-3 tests a week. Also, continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by putting a sticky note on their book. Right now I will not let a child test unless they have the note. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their average percent correct up. Thank you for your help with AR.
MATH
We are in Chapter 6-I sent the Family Involvement letter home today. This chapter focuses on Addition Facts Practice. This is where I strongly recommend that you make addition flash cards and begin memorizing addition facts. Homework for math will be Chapter 6 lessons in the math practice workbook. We will test on this chapter probably next week. As always, look for the Test Review sheet to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered Grammar rules 1-6. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1 - 6, I will not introduce a new grammar rule this week. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come from sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. We will have a test on these rules Thursday. I'll send a review sheet to practice for the test.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*A big thanks to Mrs. Gaeta (Amelie's mom), Mrs. Backus (Sarah's mom), and Mrs. Garrison (Emma's mom) for watching the class while Mrs. Itson and I enjoyed Teacher Treat Day with the other teachers. It was delicious!!
*Mrs. Itson will continue to teach the class this week. Her last day with us will be next Wednesday, September 30th. Please look for a "secret" note to come home with your child tomorrow about a little surprise we are planning for her!:)
*The Montgomery Humane Shelter came today to speak to the children about "Bite Prevention". The children were so well behaved and seemed to really enjoy our guest speaker.
*Library Day Tuesday, September 22nd- make sure your child brings their library book to school.
*September 21 - Blount Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
*Yea Room 123, we have met our PTA goal of 150% membership!! A big thank you to everyone who joined!
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar EVERY night.
I’m still noticing a few calendars without signatures.
Thanks for the trust and support you have in me with your sweet and precious one.
Thought for the week: When time runs short, remember this verse: "You will always find time for the things you put first!"
Sunday, September 13, 2009
September 14-18, 2009
Another nice fall football weekend, hope your team won!
Mrs. Itson, our fabulous intern will begin her full time teaching responsibilities this week. She will be teaching the class all day for the next two weeks. She has been with us since the first day of school and is more than familiar with our procedures and routines, as well as the academic content that we are learning every day. I will be in and out of the classroom and I will also be working with some of the children one on one in areas that they may be a little weak. Everything in our day and your child's academic work will remain the same. I know Mrs. Itson will do a fabulous job and I am more than sure the children will be so sweet for her, as they are for me. Mrs. Itson's last day with us will be Wednesday, September 30th. I would like to do something special for her. I will be in contact with you closer to that time. As always, if you have ANY questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to contact me.
We had a good week last week overall-still a few areas we need to work on, like times of transition from one activity to another and lunch time, talking quietly! It all comes down to listening and following directions.
Children receive tickets as a consequence for not following directions and/or rules that we have been learning and discussing since the first week of school. I appreciate the time you take to encourage your child to do their best at school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Reading groups went very well last week. I had to give several warnings for not being engaged with their task but the children worked really quiet in work stations. We need to keep that up!
Every week a new unit is introduced in our Whole Group Reading routine. This new unit introduces one new letter sound which serves as the stimulus for all activities that follow. The new letter sound is related to an animal character which gives us our theme that we will be reading and learning about during the week and writing about in the writing center.
Our whole group sound for this week is /th/ as in the word “the”. We will be doing activities not exactly related to “th” or an animal but related to our names.
ACCELERATED READER
Please continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by placing a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on. Right now I won’t let a child test unless they have the note indicating you’ve listened to them read. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their Average Percent Correct up. Children can’t exchange books from the library until they have tested on it. Of course, if the book is on their level, but is too hard they may exchange it. I have encouraged the children to look inside the books before they check them out to see if they are a "good fit" book. Books can be kept up to a week without an overdue notice being given. So when your child continues to bring the same book home each night, it’s because they haven’t tested on it or they haven’t asked me to go to the library. Each child now has a library card that they can take to the library with to help them choose a book on their level. These levels will be adjusted throughout the year. Library books should come home every night AND come back to school EVERY day. There is time during our day that they can read, I also think this helps establish some responsibility for the children.
MATH
We completed Chapter 4 and have started Chapter 5. Please complete the practice workbook pages for Chapter 5 for homework this week. Also, remember to look for the Extra Practice and Review page to come home the night before a chapter test. I am thinking our Chapter 5 test will be toward the end of this week, it just depends on how the children do with this chapter.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-3 and 5 & 6. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. The class did really well capitalizing the names of their friends and pets for Rule 6. I will introduce Rule 4 this week, a sentence that asks something needs a question mark at the end. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come from sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Please remember to send in a check made payable to Time For Kids in the amount of $5.00. I am ready to order our magazines for the year. Thanks!
*A BIG thank you to everyone who ordered books from Scholastic. We receive free books for every book that you order. Also, for every parent that orders online our class receives a $4.00 credit for free books. This is a great way to increase our classroom library and for you to increase your home library. Scholastic always has fabulous prices. If you didn't get a chance to order this time, don't worry I will send home Scholastic forms at the beginning of each month. As ALWAYS, Scholastic orders are simply voluntary, there is absolutely NO obligation to order.
*September 15th-30th-Innisbrook Fundraiser - you will receive a packet tomorrow.
*Library Day September 15th- make sure your child brings library book to school.
*September 17 – Teacher Treat Day - This is when teachers are treated to lunch that is provided by another grade level’s parents. Parent volunteers come and take our class to lunch while I get to enjoy lunch with the other teachers, provided by our fabulous parents.
*September 17 - this year our Teacher Treat Days are centered around a theme. Thursday's theme is "Team Day" so we want everyone to wear their favorite team shirt. They may also wear jeans. (War Eagle:))
*September 21 - Blount Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar and reading log EVERY night.
Thanks for the trust and support you have in me with your sweet and precious one. Have a great week!
Hugs!!
Mrs. Itson, our fabulous intern will begin her full time teaching responsibilities this week. She will be teaching the class all day for the next two weeks. She has been with us since the first day of school and is more than familiar with our procedures and routines, as well as the academic content that we are learning every day. I will be in and out of the classroom and I will also be working with some of the children one on one in areas that they may be a little weak. Everything in our day and your child's academic work will remain the same. I know Mrs. Itson will do a fabulous job and I am more than sure the children will be so sweet for her, as they are for me. Mrs. Itson's last day with us will be Wednesday, September 30th. I would like to do something special for her. I will be in contact with you closer to that time. As always, if you have ANY questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to contact me.
We had a good week last week overall-still a few areas we need to work on, like times of transition from one activity to another and lunch time, talking quietly! It all comes down to listening and following directions.
Children receive tickets as a consequence for not following directions and/or rules that we have been learning and discussing since the first week of school. I appreciate the time you take to encourage your child to do their best at school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
Reading groups went very well last week. I had to give several warnings for not being engaged with their task but the children worked really quiet in work stations. We need to keep that up!
Every week a new unit is introduced in our Whole Group Reading routine. This new unit introduces one new letter sound which serves as the stimulus for all activities that follow. The new letter sound is related to an animal character which gives us our theme that we will be reading and learning about during the week and writing about in the writing center.
Our whole group sound for this week is /th/ as in the word “the”. We will be doing activities not exactly related to “th” or an animal but related to our names.
ACCELERATED READER
Please continue to indicate when your child is ready to test by placing a sticky note on the book they are ready to test on. Right now I won’t let a child test unless they have the note indicating you’ve listened to them read. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their Average Percent Correct up. Children can’t exchange books from the library until they have tested on it. Of course, if the book is on their level, but is too hard they may exchange it. I have encouraged the children to look inside the books before they check them out to see if they are a "good fit" book. Books can be kept up to a week without an overdue notice being given. So when your child continues to bring the same book home each night, it’s because they haven’t tested on it or they haven’t asked me to go to the library. Each child now has a library card that they can take to the library with to help them choose a book on their level. These levels will be adjusted throughout the year. Library books should come home every night AND come back to school EVERY day. There is time during our day that they can read, I also think this helps establish some responsibility for the children.
MATH
We completed Chapter 4 and have started Chapter 5. Please complete the practice workbook pages for Chapter 5 for homework this week. Also, remember to look for the Extra Practice and Review page to come home the night before a chapter test. I am thinking our Chapter 5 test will be toward the end of this week, it just depends on how the children do with this chapter.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-3 and 5 & 6. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. The class did really well capitalizing the names of their friends and pets for Rule 6. I will introduce Rule 4 this week, a sentence that asks something needs a question mark at the end. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade. Sentences for Friday come from sentences practiced Monday-Thursday.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Please remember to send in a check made payable to Time For Kids in the amount of $5.00. I am ready to order our magazines for the year. Thanks!
*A BIG thank you to everyone who ordered books from Scholastic. We receive free books for every book that you order. Also, for every parent that orders online our class receives a $4.00 credit for free books. This is a great way to increase our classroom library and for you to increase your home library. Scholastic always has fabulous prices. If you didn't get a chance to order this time, don't worry I will send home Scholastic forms at the beginning of each month. As ALWAYS, Scholastic orders are simply voluntary, there is absolutely NO obligation to order.
*September 15th-30th-Innisbrook Fundraiser - you will receive a packet tomorrow.
*Library Day September 15th- make sure your child brings library book to school.
*September 17 – Teacher Treat Day - This is when teachers are treated to lunch that is provided by another grade level’s parents. Parent volunteers come and take our class to lunch while I get to enjoy lunch with the other teachers, provided by our fabulous parents.
*September 17 - this year our Teacher Treat Days are centered around a theme. Thursday's theme is "Team Day" so we want everyone to wear their favorite team shirt. They may also wear jeans. (War Eagle:))
*September 21 - Blount Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar and reading log EVERY night.
Thanks for the trust and support you have in me with your sweet and precious one. Have a great week!
Hugs!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
September 8-11, 2009
WOW and THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I have never felt so loved and special as I did this past birthday. All of the gifts, flowers, cards, and candy were so sweet, just like everyone in our class! Thank you so much for remembering me!
I hope everyone enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend. Hopefully everyone is ready to come back to school, well rested and ready to learn!
We are still practicing our rules, routines and procedures. By the end of the nine weeks children should be well established in how our classroom runs. We will continue to work on all of these over the coming weeks. I don’t think I can say it enough, it's EXTREMELY important that these rules, routines and procedures become second nature to the children because this will help create a calm, predictable and organized environment where lots of learning can take place, and some fun along the way.
*Please keep this in mind, first graders receive real grades for conduct, not G’s and S’s as they may have in Kindergarten. Children receive tickets as a consequence for not following directions and/or rules that we have been learning and discussing since the first week of school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
I assuming that everyone received the letter I sent with details of our reading program and homework information. I didn’t have any questions or requests for clarification.
We had a full week of small group reading and work station rotation last week, except for Friday. As I expected, the class caught on quickly to the rotation, just need to work on staying on task for the 25-30 minute period, and working quietly if they are working with a partner. Warnings and reminders are given once, before a ticket is given.
Our whole group sound for this week is /d/ as in dinosaur. We will be doing activities related to that topic.
ACCELERATED READER
I have had several children asking me to take an AR test, however if I didn’t get a sticky note from you saying that you have read to or with your child I don't allow them to test. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their Average Percent Correct up. So, right now, I’m not letting anyone take a test without a parent note. Also, children can’t exchange books from the library until they have tested on it. Unless they have by mistake gotten a book that is not on their level. The children now have library cards that tell them exactly what level books they should be getting right now. Of course, as they become better readers, I will increase the level book they can get. Books can be kept up to a week without an overdue notice being given. So when your child continues to bring the same book home each night, it’s because they haven’t tested on it or they haven’t asked me to go to the library. Library books should be brought home and back to school every day!
MATH
We will continue working on Chapter 4 this week. Children can be working on chapter 4 in their Math Practice Workbook. Look for lessons 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 etc. We will test on this chapter at the end of the week, so look for the Test Review workbook page to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-3 and 5 so far.(Skipping #4 for now) These rules can be found in the take home notebook. The class did really well capitalizing the names of friends and pets for Rule 6. We will continue rule 6 along with rules 1-3 and 5. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Library Day September 8th- make sure your child brings library book to school.
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar EVERY night. I've noticed several notebooks with no initials. There is a page in the folder that explains how to use the folder.
*Make sure your child has enough money in their lunch account to cover Gatorade and/or Fruit Roll-Ups. You might want to make a plan with your child as to how many days a week they can purchase or pick the day or days they can purchase.
*If you haven't joined PTA, please do so as soon as possible. Due to
proration, teachers will not receive their usually $500 state allocation for classroom supplies so the PTA had graciously agreed to give each teacher $300 to help out. This money is coming directly from PTA memberships so get your grandparents, aunts, uncles and family pets to join so we can reach our classroom goal of 150%. Our class is currently at 133%, so we only need 3 more memberships to reach our goal of 150%.
Thought for the week:
Forget your mistakes, but never forget what they teach you!
Have a super week!
Hugs!!
I hope everyone enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend. Hopefully everyone is ready to come back to school, well rested and ready to learn!
We are still practicing our rules, routines and procedures. By the end of the nine weeks children should be well established in how our classroom runs. We will continue to work on all of these over the coming weeks. I don’t think I can say it enough, it's EXTREMELY important that these rules, routines and procedures become second nature to the children because this will help create a calm, predictable and organized environment where lots of learning can take place, and some fun along the way.
*Please keep this in mind, first graders receive real grades for conduct, not G’s and S’s as they may have in Kindergarten. Children receive tickets as a consequence for not following directions and/or rules that we have been learning and discussing since the first week of school.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
I assuming that everyone received the letter I sent with details of our reading program and homework information. I didn’t have any questions or requests for clarification.
We had a full week of small group reading and work station rotation last week, except for Friday. As I expected, the class caught on quickly to the rotation, just need to work on staying on task for the 25-30 minute period, and working quietly if they are working with a partner. Warnings and reminders are given once, before a ticket is given.
Our whole group sound for this week is /d/ as in dinosaur. We will be doing activities related to that topic.
ACCELERATED READER
I have had several children asking me to take an AR test, however if I didn’t get a sticky note from you saying that you have read to or with your child I don't allow them to test. If children take a test unprepared and make below a 60, it’s very hard to get their Average Percent Correct up. So, right now, I’m not letting anyone take a test without a parent note. Also, children can’t exchange books from the library until they have tested on it. Unless they have by mistake gotten a book that is not on their level. The children now have library cards that tell them exactly what level books they should be getting right now. Of course, as they become better readers, I will increase the level book they can get. Books can be kept up to a week without an overdue notice being given. So when your child continues to bring the same book home each night, it’s because they haven’t tested on it or they haven’t asked me to go to the library. Library books should be brought home and back to school every day!
MATH
We will continue working on Chapter 4 this week. Children can be working on chapter 4 in their Math Practice Workbook. Look for lessons 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 etc. We will test on this chapter at the end of the week, so look for the Test Review workbook page to come home the night before the test.
LANGUAGE -(DOL)
We have covered rules 1-3 and 5 so far.(Skipping #4 for now) These rules can be found in the take home notebook. The class did really well capitalizing the names of friends and pets for Rule 6. We will continue rule 6 along with rules 1-3 and 5. Be sure to look in the Keep at Home side each day for DOL papers ~look over them Thursday night to prepare for Friday's daily DOL grade.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION AND REMINDERS
*Library Day September 8th- make sure your child brings library book to school.
*Please be sure to initial daily conduct calendar EVERY night. I've noticed several notebooks with no initials. There is a page in the folder that explains how to use the folder.
*Make sure your child has enough money in their lunch account to cover Gatorade and/or Fruit Roll-Ups. You might want to make a plan with your child as to how many days a week they can purchase or pick the day or days they can purchase.
*If you haven't joined PTA, please do so as soon as possible. Due to
proration, teachers will not receive their usually $500 state allocation for classroom supplies so the PTA had graciously agreed to give each teacher $300 to help out. This money is coming directly from PTA memberships so get your grandparents, aunts, uncles and family pets to join so we can reach our classroom goal of 150%. Our class is currently at 133%, so we only need 3 more memberships to reach our goal of 150%.
Thought for the week:
Forget your mistakes, but never forget what they teach you!
Have a super week!
Hugs!!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
August 31 - September 4, 2009
We have already been in first grade for three weeks! We are continuing to practice our rules, routines, and procedures. The children are doing a great job of learning the awesome responsibility of becoming a First Grader! It is EXTREMELY important that our rules, routines, and procedures become second nature to the children, this will help create a calm, predictable and organized environment where lots of learning and fun can take place.
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
We began our small groups in reading today. The class did really well moving to different work stations. Two of the four work stations allow the children several choices so every child is expected to be "on task" during this time. I sent home a detailed letter explaining our rotations today.
READING HOMEWORK
The only reading homework your child will have this year is to read to/with or independently for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and to also read the Read Well Homework Stories that were given to you at open house. (in the blue notebook) These stories will be familiar text since we have read them in class, so reading and rereading these stories will help build fluency and accuracy.
ACCELERATED READER
Some children began taking AR tests last week. Please remember if your child is ready to take an AR test, send a sticky note on the book saying they are ready to test. Also, if you are new to AR and have questions I will be glad to answer them. Also don't forget to refer to the Parent's Guide To Accelerated Reader sent home on the first day of school.
MATH
We will test tomorrow on Chapter 3 and begin Chapter 4. Look for the Parent Involvement Letter to come home tomorrow giving you an overview of Chapter 4. I think that the chart for Math homework in their take home notebooks is going to be a little to much, so therefore I am taking it out. I am going to simply let you know the chapter we are studying by sending home the Parent Involovement Letter. At the top of every page in the yellow practice workbook is a number that corresponds with the daily lessons from the chapter. For example, 1.1 means Chapter 1 Lesson 1, 2.3 means Chapter 2 Lesson 3, etc. So, simply work on the chapter we are working on during the week. Tonight you may want to go back and review the pages from Chapter 3since our test is tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow you will want to do the pages from Chapter 4. If you are not clear on this do not hesitate to ask me any questions.
LANGUAGE
We have covered Grammar Rules 1,2,3,5, and 6. (Skipping 4 for now.) These rules can be located in your child's take home notebook. This week we are introducing Rule 6, the names of people and pets begin with capital letters.
A FEW NOTES AND REMINDERS.........
~ Math Test on Chapter 3 tomorrow
~ LIBRARY DAY tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, 2009
~ PTA Meeting Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - 6:30 in the cafeteria
~ Word Wall Test - This will be on the first three weeks of words. Refer to the words located in your child's take home binder.
~ Friday, September 4th last day to order SCHOLASTIC books
~ Monday, September 7th LABOR DAY, NO SCHOOL:)!
~ If you haven't joined PTA, please do so!! We want our class to reach the 150% goal, only 8 more members and we are there! Remember that aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends are welcome to join!
~ There are still a few children who haven't paid for their First Grade T-Shirt, please send in the order form and money to me as soon as possible.
Thought for the day~
Even the smallest stars shine brightly!
Have a super week!
SMALL GROUP READING AND WORK STATIONS
We began our small groups in reading today. The class did really well moving to different work stations. Two of the four work stations allow the children several choices so every child is expected to be "on task" during this time. I sent home a detailed letter explaining our rotations today.
READING HOMEWORK
The only reading homework your child will have this year is to read to/with or independently for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and to also read the Read Well Homework Stories that were given to you at open house. (in the blue notebook) These stories will be familiar text since we have read them in class, so reading and rereading these stories will help build fluency and accuracy.
ACCELERATED READER
Some children began taking AR tests last week. Please remember if your child is ready to take an AR test, send a sticky note on the book saying they are ready to test. Also, if you are new to AR and have questions I will be glad to answer them. Also don't forget to refer to the Parent's Guide To Accelerated Reader sent home on the first day of school.
MATH
We will test tomorrow on Chapter 3 and begin Chapter 4. Look for the Parent Involvement Letter to come home tomorrow giving you an overview of Chapter 4. I think that the chart for Math homework in their take home notebooks is going to be a little to much, so therefore I am taking it out. I am going to simply let you know the chapter we are studying by sending home the Parent Involovement Letter. At the top of every page in the yellow practice workbook is a number that corresponds with the daily lessons from the chapter. For example, 1.1 means Chapter 1 Lesson 1, 2.3 means Chapter 2 Lesson 3, etc. So, simply work on the chapter we are working on during the week. Tonight you may want to go back and review the pages from Chapter 3since our test is tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow you will want to do the pages from Chapter 4. If you are not clear on this do not hesitate to ask me any questions.
LANGUAGE
We have covered Grammar Rules 1,2,3,5, and 6. (Skipping 4 for now.) These rules can be located in your child's take home notebook. This week we are introducing Rule 6, the names of people and pets begin with capital letters.
A FEW NOTES AND REMINDERS.........
~ Math Test on Chapter 3 tomorrow
~ LIBRARY DAY tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, 2009
~ PTA Meeting Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - 6:30 in the cafeteria
~ Word Wall Test - This will be on the first three weeks of words. Refer to the words located in your child's take home binder.
~ Friday, September 4th last day to order SCHOLASTIC books
~ Monday, September 7th LABOR DAY, NO SCHOOL:)!
~ If you haven't joined PTA, please do so!! We want our class to reach the 150% goal, only 8 more members and we are there! Remember that aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends are welcome to join!
~ There are still a few children who haven't paid for their First Grade T-Shirt, please send in the order form and money to me as soon as possible.
Thought for the day~
Even the smallest stars shine brightly!
Have a super week!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
August 24 - 28, 2009
What a wonderful group of children. We have had a super week and are really beginning to get into a daily routine. The children have done an exceptional job adjusting to first grade. We will continue to go over classroom and school expectations as far as behavior goes. If your first grader is coming home with some tickets please take some time and discuss this with them. If you have questions do not hesitate to contact me. Keep in mind that their conduct grade is cumulative as far as tickets go for a nine week period.
OPEN HOUSE - Monday, August 24 beginning at 5:45. Everyone will meet in the cafeteria and then we will dismiss to the classrooms. Please make every effort to attend this event. I will be discussing in detail the first grade academic calendar, our reading program, and grading. I hope to see you there.
We will begin our small groups in reading this week. Your child will bring home a blue reading notebook that is to remain in a safe place at home. It will have all of the homework stories for the entire year. There is a chart in the take home binder that will indicate what unit you should be practicing for the week. The only reading homework your child will have this year is to read to/with or independently for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and then to read the homework stories from the blue notebook each night. You will only read the homework stories for 1 unit each week.
We are finishing Chapter 2 this week in Math and will have a test on Tuesday. You will see a review sheet that will come home Monday night for homework. This is to complete at home. Just for your information any time a review sheet comes home that is an indication that we will be having a test the following day. Also, each time we begin a new chapter in math I will send a family involvement letter home. The children will be bringing home yellow practice math workbooks. These workbooks will contain their homework for the entire year. As with the reading notebooks, these should be kept at home in a safe place. You will see a chart in your child's take home binder that will indicate to you what pages to use as homework for review. Keep in mind that the children will not have math homework every night and we may skip some pages in the math practice workbook. If we skip some pages that you would like to practice with your child anyway, by all means please do so.
We will continue to practice Grammar Rules 1, 2, and 3 this week. Also the children will begin to EDIT sentences for their Daily Oral Language in the mornings. This means the sentences will be written incorrectly on the overhead, (missing capital letters and periods this week) and the children are to print the sentences correctly on their paper. We go over these daily together after the children have completed them. On Friday the children will correct the sentences and turn them in for a grade.
The lunchroom is now selling fruit roll ups for .50 and Gatorade for $1.00. This money can be taken out of their lunch account. Please talk with your child about this, I do not want children to deplete their lunch account because they wanted to get fruit roll ups and Gatorade each day.
I am reminding everyone to WASH their hands very frequently! I want our class to remain as healthy as possible. Please remind them at home to WASH, WASH, WASH!
I hope everyone enjoyed this WONDERFUL weekend! Wasn't the weather amazing?! Have a super week.
OPEN HOUSE - Monday, August 24 beginning at 5:45. Everyone will meet in the cafeteria and then we will dismiss to the classrooms. Please make every effort to attend this event. I will be discussing in detail the first grade academic calendar, our reading program, and grading. I hope to see you there.
We will begin our small groups in reading this week. Your child will bring home a blue reading notebook that is to remain in a safe place at home. It will have all of the homework stories for the entire year. There is a chart in the take home binder that will indicate what unit you should be practicing for the week. The only reading homework your child will have this year is to read to/with or independently for a minimum of 20 minutes each night and then to read the homework stories from the blue notebook each night. You will only read the homework stories for 1 unit each week.
We are finishing Chapter 2 this week in Math and will have a test on Tuesday. You will see a review sheet that will come home Monday night for homework. This is to complete at home. Just for your information any time a review sheet comes home that is an indication that we will be having a test the following day. Also, each time we begin a new chapter in math I will send a family involvement letter home. The children will be bringing home yellow practice math workbooks. These workbooks will contain their homework for the entire year. As with the reading notebooks, these should be kept at home in a safe place. You will see a chart in your child's take home binder that will indicate to you what pages to use as homework for review. Keep in mind that the children will not have math homework every night and we may skip some pages in the math practice workbook. If we skip some pages that you would like to practice with your child anyway, by all means please do so.
We will continue to practice Grammar Rules 1, 2, and 3 this week. Also the children will begin to EDIT sentences for their Daily Oral Language in the mornings. This means the sentences will be written incorrectly on the overhead, (missing capital letters and periods this week) and the children are to print the sentences correctly on their paper. We go over these daily together after the children have completed them. On Friday the children will correct the sentences and turn them in for a grade.
The lunchroom is now selling fruit roll ups for .50 and Gatorade for $1.00. This money can be taken out of their lunch account. Please talk with your child about this, I do not want children to deplete their lunch account because they wanted to get fruit roll ups and Gatorade each day.
I am reminding everyone to WASH their hands very frequently! I want our class to remain as healthy as possible. Please remind them at home to WASH, WASH, WASH!
I hope everyone enjoyed this WONDERFUL weekend! Wasn't the weather amazing?! Have a super week.
Monday, August 17, 2009
What a wonderful first week of First Grade!!
We had a really good first week. We spent a lot of time learning and practicing our rules, routines and procedures and the children did an excellent job! We will continue to work on all of these over the coming weeks. It's EXTREMELY important that these rules, routines and procedures become second nature to the children because this help will create a calm, predictable and organized environment where lots of learning can take place, and also some fun!
We are scheduled to go to the library every Tuesday and are very excited about our first visit this week. Your child we be allowed to check out 2 books so please be sure to ask your child to share with you the "good fit" book(s) they choose. Tuesdays will be our scheduled library time, however as the children become more independent readers they will be allowed to go on their own as needed. We haven't started Accelerated Reader yet, if the computers are set we will most likely begin next week.
Reading - Students have been placed appropriately in their reading groups and we have talked about centers and our expected behavior in centers. We will begin this routine shortly ~ the children are extremely anxious to start centers.
Language- Tomorrow you will see a list of grammar rules in your childs take home folder. We are working on rules 1, 2, and 3. Right now they are only having to copy my sentences. Soon they will have to start editing my sentences. If you see that your child is not finishing their work in time please start practicing copying sentences at home. I will start taking this as a grade starting this Friday. They must be finished in 30 minutes.
Math - We have been doing chapter 1 since last week. We have a test tomorrow. I sent home 2 pages of homework for them to do tonight as practice. Please send it back to school completed tomorrow. I will read the problems to and they must know how to work them. You will soon receive a yellow math practice workbook that will be kept at home. I will post what pages are to be completed for homework on our blog. The math homework from the workbook does not need to be returned, it is for practice and reinforcement. We will begin chapter 2 Wednesday.
I am looking forward to another fabulous week in first grade. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
We are scheduled to go to the library every Tuesday and are very excited about our first visit this week. Your child we be allowed to check out 2 books so please be sure to ask your child to share with you the "good fit" book(s) they choose. Tuesdays will be our scheduled library time, however as the children become more independent readers they will be allowed to go on their own as needed. We haven't started Accelerated Reader yet, if the computers are set we will most likely begin next week.
Reading - Students have been placed appropriately in their reading groups and we have talked about centers and our expected behavior in centers. We will begin this routine shortly ~ the children are extremely anxious to start centers.
Language- Tomorrow you will see a list of grammar rules in your childs take home folder. We are working on rules 1, 2, and 3. Right now they are only having to copy my sentences. Soon they will have to start editing my sentences. If you see that your child is not finishing their work in time please start practicing copying sentences at home. I will start taking this as a grade starting this Friday. They must be finished in 30 minutes.
Math - We have been doing chapter 1 since last week. We have a test tomorrow. I sent home 2 pages of homework for them to do tonight as practice. Please send it back to school completed tomorrow. I will read the problems to and they must know how to work them. You will soon receive a yellow math practice workbook that will be kept at home. I will post what pages are to be completed for homework on our blog. The math homework from the workbook does not need to be returned, it is for practice and reinforcement. We will begin chapter 2 Wednesday.
I am looking forward to another fabulous week in first grade. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Welcome to 1st Grade!
I enjoyed meeting many of you on Tuesday. We are going to have a wonderful year full of learning, making new friends and having lots of fun!
A few reminders for the first day of school:
~ Give a quick hug and goodbye at the door.
~ Tell me how your child is going to get home on the first day.
~ Take the brown envelope on your child's desk. This is full of important information that needs to be read carefully, signed and returned to school. Please return all information to me in the brown envelope. If you don't receive your envelope Monday morning I will send it home with your child that afternoon.
Inside your child's white take home binder you will find the daily discipline calendar. The children will color the circle in green if they have had a day full of good choices. If they have not made the best of choices and have been reminded then they will receive a ticket and that will be noted on the calendar. There is a detailed Behavior Management Plan in the brown envelope that explains our ticket system in First Grade. Please keep in mind that first graders receive letter grades for subjects as well as conduct. You will initial the calendar each night. Please encourage your child to make good choices every day.
The lunch choices for Monday is pizza or chicken salad. The cost for lunch is $1.50.
Your child will be given a lunch number that needs to be memorized. Your child will tell the cashier their lunch number as they purchase lunch each day. Please help your child memorize their number.
We will have a quick snack time each afternoon. Your child may purchase juice and snack from the school or bring a small juice and HEALTHY snack from home. If your child chooses to buy snack from school you must buy for the entire week. Juice and snack are not sold on a daily basis. Also, you may only buy juice and snack on Mondays unless you are absent. Juice is $2.50 for the week and snack is $2.50 for the week. The only juice offered is orange juice and I am not sure of exactly what snacks will be offered this year. I will let you know as soon as I find out.
Thank you so much for sharing your precious child with me. Have a great Monday!
A few reminders for the first day of school:
~ Give a quick hug and goodbye at the door.
~ Tell me how your child is going to get home on the first day.
~ Take the brown envelope on your child's desk. This is full of important information that needs to be read carefully, signed and returned to school. Please return all information to me in the brown envelope. If you don't receive your envelope Monday morning I will send it home with your child that afternoon.
Inside your child's white take home binder you will find the daily discipline calendar. The children will color the circle in green if they have had a day full of good choices. If they have not made the best of choices and have been reminded then they will receive a ticket and that will be noted on the calendar. There is a detailed Behavior Management Plan in the brown envelope that explains our ticket system in First Grade. Please keep in mind that first graders receive letter grades for subjects as well as conduct. You will initial the calendar each night. Please encourage your child to make good choices every day.
The lunch choices for Monday is pizza or chicken salad. The cost for lunch is $1.50.
Your child will be given a lunch number that needs to be memorized. Your child will tell the cashier their lunch number as they purchase lunch each day. Please help your child memorize their number.
We will have a quick snack time each afternoon. Your child may purchase juice and snack from the school or bring a small juice and HEALTHY snack from home. If your child chooses to buy snack from school you must buy for the entire week. Juice and snack are not sold on a daily basis. Also, you may only buy juice and snack on Mondays unless you are absent. Juice is $2.50 for the week and snack is $2.50 for the week. The only juice offered is orange juice and I am not sure of exactly what snacks will be offered this year. I will let you know as soon as I find out.
Thank you so much for sharing your precious child with me. Have a great Monday!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
THANK YOU!
Just one last note to say "THANK YOU" for letting me be a part of your child's life this past school year. I feel we had a successful year and can't tell you the joy it has brought to me as I have watched your precious children learn and grow. The gift certificate to Davie's was just perfect! I promise to put it to good use and I absolutely love the thumbprint picture! I can't wait to hang it in my classroom. What a wonderful reminder of a wonderful class!! Enjoy your summer and please keep in touch.
Love,
Love,
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Quick Reminder & THANK YOU!!
WOW!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful class and wonderful parents. This past week I was completely overwhelmed with your kindness and generosity. Each flower, note, sweet treat and gift was very much appreciated! I can't thank each of you enough for making me feel so special. I also want to thank the PTA who served the faculty lunch on Thursday and to Missy Breedlove who came and kept the children while I went to the luncheon. You all are the BEST! Thank you so much!!
Just a quick reminder that Honor's Day is tomorrow at 8:15. The children may wear their first grade field trip t-shirts with uniform bottoms. I will update tomorrow (hopefully) :) and post new pictures.
Just a quick reminder that Honor's Day is tomorrow at 8:15. The children may wear their first grade field trip t-shirts with uniform bottoms. I will update tomorrow (hopefully) :) and post new pictures.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 11-15, 2009
Wow, 13 days left!!! We've really worked hard this year and I believe that a good foundation has been laid to be built upon in the coming years. We will be continuing to review all skills for the next 10 days. This is going to be such a busy and fast month, but my hope is for the children to hang in there together as we finish up a long year of learning. I anticipate everyone to be exhausted and eager to see the summer, but I still expect everyone to do their very best AND listen and obey!!!!!
Just a reminder!!!!
Although we are winding down and we are all ready for summer, we are still in school and learning is still taking place in Room 119! PLEASE encourage your child to remember the rules, listen and follow directions and do what they know is right. It will be easy for conduct grades to drop a during these last few weeks of school.
Library Books
Beginning this week children will only be able to check out one book. ALL BOOKS WILL BE DUE BACK ON FRIDAY, MAY 15TH. Search under the bed and in the car for any books that need to be returned by Friday. Mrs. Willingham will begin to inventory the books. Lost or damaged books will need to be paid for.
STAR TEST and DIBELS
I administered the STAR test in the classroom. Every child made gains and increased their ZPD. This test will be a good indicator of their reading level so that you can help your child choose books from the library for summer reading. Look for reports to be sent home this week. Our class did a GREAT job on DIBELS. You will be as proud as I am of their hard work. These reports will be sent home with report cards.
LANGUAGE AND MATH
We have just about covered all the language rules listed in your child's notebook.
We will still continue to review all previous rules we have covered this year.
We are back to addition and subtraction strategies and will concentrate on math fact drills with flashcards and timed math facts drills. Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction is coming up.
SPELLING
Students will be given a list of words to copy and take home for the next two Mondays and the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Students will be expected to practice these words each night in preparation for the assessment given on each Friday. They will have an activity to complete in class each day leading up to Friday!
Monday - Copy words and "rainbow write" words
Tuesday - Put words in ABC Order and choose at least five to use in a sentence.
Wednesday - Copy sentences choosing the best word to fill in the blank
Thursday - Choose and copy a sentence that best matches a given picture
Friday - Spelling test
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 13 - Guest Zoo Speaker
Monday May 18 - Honors Day @ 8:15 in the lunchroom
Monday May 25 - Memorial Day/No school
Thursday May 28 - last day of school for students
As always, let me know of any questions or concerns. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Amy
One, two, whatever you do, start it well and carry it through!
Just a reminder!!!!
Although we are winding down and we are all ready for summer, we are still in school and learning is still taking place in Room 119! PLEASE encourage your child to remember the rules, listen and follow directions and do what they know is right. It will be easy for conduct grades to drop a during these last few weeks of school.
Library Books
Beginning this week children will only be able to check out one book. ALL BOOKS WILL BE DUE BACK ON FRIDAY, MAY 15TH. Search under the bed and in the car for any books that need to be returned by Friday. Mrs. Willingham will begin to inventory the books. Lost or damaged books will need to be paid for.
STAR TEST and DIBELS
I administered the STAR test in the classroom. Every child made gains and increased their ZPD. This test will be a good indicator of their reading level so that you can help your child choose books from the library for summer reading. Look for reports to be sent home this week. Our class did a GREAT job on DIBELS. You will be as proud as I am of their hard work. These reports will be sent home with report cards.
LANGUAGE AND MATH
We have just about covered all the language rules listed in your child's notebook.
We will still continue to review all previous rules we have covered this year.
We are back to addition and subtraction strategies and will concentrate on math fact drills with flashcards and timed math facts drills. Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction is coming up.
SPELLING
Students will be given a list of words to copy and take home for the next two Mondays and the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Students will be expected to practice these words each night in preparation for the assessment given on each Friday. They will have an activity to complete in class each day leading up to Friday!
Monday - Copy words and "rainbow write" words
Tuesday - Put words in ABC Order and choose at least five to use in a sentence.
Wednesday - Copy sentences choosing the best word to fill in the blank
Thursday - Choose and copy a sentence that best matches a given picture
Friday - Spelling test
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 13 - Guest Zoo Speaker
Monday May 18 - Honors Day @ 8:15 in the lunchroom
Monday May 25 - Memorial Day/No school
Thursday May 28 - last day of school for students
As always, let me know of any questions or concerns. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Amy
One, two, whatever you do, start it well and carry it through!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
April 27 - May 1
I want to begin by saying a big thank you to everyone who sent in items and money for our silent auction basket! A huge thank you to Missy Breedlove who put it together! It was absolutely precious! The Silent Auction was once again a big success and a fun night! What a wonderful PTA we have!!
The school year may be coming to an end, but we are as busy as ever in room 123. We are continuing to work hard in our small groups in reading. Please continue to read the Read Well stories in the back of your child's notebook. Accelerated Reader is still in full so be sure you are listening to your child read each night so they are ready to take a test the next day. We are continuing to practice addition and will be completing Chapter 18 at the end of this week. Look for the chapter review to come home at the end of the week or the beginning of next week. PLEASE remember to continue to practice math flashcards......second grade starts off giving timed tests on addition facts! We will begin our end of the year ocean theme next week...."Splashing Into Second Grade" so be on the lookout for some great learning and art activities to come home!
Due to our large enrollment at Blount this year the administration has decided to hold a "Blount Spirit Day" instead of our usual Field Day. On Friday we will have Spirit Day! We will go outside and enjoy the morning showing our school spirit, singing some songs, and doing some cheers lead by the BTW cheerleaders. We will do this from 8:45 until around 10:15, then we will have a picnic lunch outside! Please send extra juice and/or water for your child, a beach towel to sit on and sunglasses. I want everyone to have fun and stay hydrated!! Also, if your child will need sunscreen please apply it at home before they leave for school. We are looking forward to an exciting and fun day!
The school year may be coming to an end, but we are as busy as ever in room 123. We are continuing to work hard in our small groups in reading. Please continue to read the Read Well stories in the back of your child's notebook. Accelerated Reader is still in full so be sure you are listening to your child read each night so they are ready to take a test the next day. We are continuing to practice addition and will be completing Chapter 18 at the end of this week. Look for the chapter review to come home at the end of the week or the beginning of next week. PLEASE remember to continue to practice math flashcards......second grade starts off giving timed tests on addition facts! We will begin our end of the year ocean theme next week...."Splashing Into Second Grade" so be on the lookout for some great learning and art activities to come home!
Due to our large enrollment at Blount this year the administration has decided to hold a "Blount Spirit Day" instead of our usual Field Day. On Friday we will have Spirit Day! We will go outside and enjoy the morning showing our school spirit, singing some songs, and doing some cheers lead by the BTW cheerleaders. We will do this from 8:45 until around 10:15, then we will have a picnic lunch outside! Please send extra juice and/or water for your child, a beach towel to sit on and sunglasses. I want everyone to have fun and stay hydrated!! Also, if your child will need sunscreen please apply it at home before they leave for school. We are looking forward to an exciting and fun day!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Easter Egg Hunt this Tuesday!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We have been busy little bees in room 123. We will have our Easter Egg Hunt on Tuesday at the park across the street from the school. We will hunt eggs and have cupcakes and juice. If you could help hide the eggs that would be great! Lee Feurst, Allison's mom is going to come and get the eggs from our classroom. If some other moms would meet her at the park around 11:15 that would be great. We have divided the park/ballpark into different areas so the classes won't get mixed up since the children will be looking for numbered eggs. I will explain to Lee where our area is. Please drop me an e-mail or a note if you can help....I want to make sure we have enough to help hide the eggs. Thanks have a "Hoppy Monday!"
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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