February 2 2010

Hi Moms and Dads

Well, we were busy today celebrating Groundhog Day. We made cupcakes that looked like groundhogs and read some books that discussed Groundhog Phil and his shadow. We were going to make puppets but ran out of time. We will make the puppets in the morning. The children explored magnets and made a little book about magnets. They enjoyed that and I let them take their time.

Thank you for the glue sticks and dry erase markers!! They are very much appreciated and the children are putting them to good use.

We are discussing time to the hour and half hour this week. We will also touch on objects in the sky. Children will learn about the sun, moon, and stars. This will be basic information in order to prepare them for a more in depth study in their future years. :)

We continue to really push reading. Please be sure to read with your child every night. At the same time, children will be doing more writing. They are using words in sentences and working up to writing stories. Whenever your child is writing require that they use a pencil. Also have them check for: spacing of words, an uppercase letter at the beginning of the sentence and end punctuation.

Thank you for being involved in your child's education!!!

January 18, 2009

In honor of studying "long a silent e", we baked a cake in class on Friday. I hope the children enjoyed and I hope all of them never forget how to spell cake. :)

This week we will be discussing: penguins, force, push, pull and friction. We will also continue identifying shapes and naming attributes.

*Things to practice: sight word list, simple addition and subtraction (students are taking timed tests at least once a week), reading

*Classroom needs: glue sticks, dry erase markers

Thank you for your time. I hope we all have a great week!

December 6 2009

Please remember to send in the items for decorating Gingerbread Houses no later than Wednesday, December 9th. That will give me time to pick up items that we still need.

Dates to Remember:

*December 11: Grandparents come decorate Gingerbread Houses

*December 15: Evening Holiday Program

*December 18: Pajama Day

Consider giving gifts for the classroom instead of a teacher gift. Our classroom is in need of glue sticks, crayons, scissors, dry erase markers. Any of those donations would be greatly appreciated!

I appreciate all of you. Thank you for helping your children with homework and supporting them in their academics.

November 30, 2009

Dear Parents

I cannot believe that we are already entering the month of December! Time is flying and I hope your children have been having fun. :)

For December we will be studying Italy. We will compare Christmas traditions of the United States with Italian Christmas traditions. I believe some of you have Italian backgrounds and I welcome any insight that you are able to share.

Needed items:

* glue sticks

* liquid glue

* dry erase markers

* yellow folders

Any items you can donate would be greatly appreciated.

November 23, 2009

Hi Parents

The First Grade teachers are not sending home behavior logs these two days. Also, the children do not have homework. However, any extra reading that you do is wonderful and greatly appreciated.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

November 11, 2009

Just a quick update ...

I have been absent due to family health issues. I hope the children are having good days at school. I will be back as soon as I can.

November 6, 2009

I will be absent today. My children have been sick all week.

Things to practice:

* identifying numbers 0-100

*writing numbers 0-100

*greater than/less than/equal to

*simple addition facts

*simple subtraction facts

Continue to read each night.

I hope today is a good day in the classroom. Have a great weekend.

Skills To Practice (October 29, 2009)

** Counting by ones to 100

** Counting by twos to 30 (children should eventually recognize a pattern and keep going)

** Counting by fives to 100

** Counting by tens past 100

** Counting backwards

These are pretty easy to practice when riding in the car. Chanting or singing the numbers will help them remember. Or, you could say a number and have them tell you the number that comes next.

We continue to practice addition and subtraction. Again, any extra practice you do with them at home is beneficial. Simple addition and subtraction problems should come to them quickly. In the near future I will be testing quick recall of these. (ie. 2+4=6, adding/subtracting numbers 10 and below)

Our class is in need of crayons, and folders. If you are able and would like to donate any of these items to the class we would appreciate your generosity.

Happy Birthday Eric, Jacob S, and Sean!!!!!

October 18, 2009

Our trip to Evan's Orchard has been rescheduled for this Friday. We are hoping for nice weather.

We had five children absent from class on Friday. If your child is not feeling well, now is the time to err on the side of caution. We will wash our hands often and use the water fountain very little.

Some skills that you can review at home:

*counting by 2s, 5s and 10s

*counting backwards

*simple addition

*simple subtraction

*identifying and writing numbers (through 1oo+ by the end of the year)

***Remember to read every chance you get.***

Donations:

*magazines (for cutting/projects)

*boxes

*maps

Thank you for supporting your child's education. I hope by working together we build a strong foundation for each child.

September 30, 2009

Picture Day is tomorrow. We also have gym tomorrow. Please remember that your child will need tennis shoes for gym. I still do not have anyone who ordered pictures. If you are wanting school pictures, please send in your order form (with money) in the morning.

Please practice spelling words. We will have our first Spelling Test on Friday. This week we are spelling short "i" words.

*in, it, him, big, sit, did and September, fall, for and like are our Super Spellers

Some activities you can do at home with your child are:

*review color words

*have them copy sentences (talk about uppercase letters, periods and spacing)

*make simple addition flashcards

*encourage them to practice writing their name

*Always spend 15-20 minutes a night reading with your child

September 28, 2009

Hello Parents

Please remember that picture day is October 1. At this time, I do not have any orders. If you would like to order pictures, please send in your orders.

Donations our class can use:

*magazines

*egg cartons

*boxes (like shoe boxes)

*maps

We are exploring 'Fact Families' in math. Children are learning about living things, bees and butterflies. We are growing our reading and writing skills each day.

September 22, 2009

Hi Moms and Dads,

This week we have been reviewing short vowel sounds, practicing addition and subtraction. We are also discussing living and non-living things. Your student should be able to tell you three kinds of living things (plants, animals and people). We are learning about bees and what that they do for us. We are preparing for the visit from our Grandparents. We will recite a couple of poems, sing a song, and have them complete some activities together.

Please continue to read with your children each evening. Also, a regular bedtime is beneficial. Children will perform better when they have a regular and reasonable bedtime. I suggest getting children to bed by 8:00, earlier when possible.

September 16, 2009

*Please remember to sign the permission slip for Friday's trip downtown.

*Please send in shoe boxes. We will be decorating them for a future project.

Today we assessed the children on vocabulary (rural, urban, community, locate), community events and community helpers. We practiced simple addition and wrote addition sentences. We always practice reading. We reviewed sight words, discussed sentences and sounded out consonant vowel consonant words (CVC words). Some of the children are beyond these skills and are working in groups that meet their needs. Even the students reading on a high level are working on writing sentences, and comprehension.

We had two birthdays this week. Happy Birthday to Trevor and Kirstynn!!

September 10, 2009

Today we identified sight words and ending sounds. We discussed sentences and periods. The children shared things that they like to do and then wrote a sentence and drew a picture about them. We wrote sentences during Early Literacy and my group discussed compound words. We practiced handwriting and focused on spacing. The children did some simple addition and developed their number sense through number line work.

We will have "Treasure Chest" on Friday. This is positive reinforcement for the children who stayed on green all week. I have some toys, candy, stickers, etc. in a box and the children who did not pull a card all week get to choose one at the end of the day. Remember that green means your child did not pull a card, they had a great day. Orange means that your child pulled their card one time. Purple means that your child pulled their card twice. Red means that your child pulled 3 cards and you will get a note or phone call from me. Know that I give many chances before I pull a card. I redirect, give warnings and create many opportunities for your child to be successful.

Please be sure to read with your children every night. Also, playing games like Simon Says with your little one is a fun way to practice following directions.

September 9, 2009

On our second day together, we discussed tens and ones. The children used manipulatives to show numbers (for example: 23 = 2 groups of ten and 3 ones). We will continue to practice this skill and build on it throughout the year. The children read in their Early Literacy groups. This allows them to benefit from small group reading instruction. Children identified rhyming words and sight words. We are talking about being good citizens and we tried to watch Obama via the computer (that has not worked for us yet).

We did spend time reviewing rules today. Please talk with your children about being good listeners. If your child pulls a card every now and then, that is not a reason for concern. However, I am concerned when a student is on purple or red. I give lots of redirection and warnings before I ever pull a card. Therefore, being on purple or red indicates that instruction time has been lost. A suggestion that I have is setting up a positive reinforcement strategy. If your child comes home on green or orange, reward them. Ideas for rewards are: a story with mom/dad, mom/dad colors with them or plays a game with them ... something extra that your little one will enjoy

I am enjoying my time with your children. I have two first graders of my own. My desire is that I help your children feel secure, successful and cared for ~ just as I hope for my children.

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