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