Hi Families!

I know it seems silly, but this first week is flying by! I am super impressed with this bunch of kids – they are catching on so quickly and doing a fantastic job! 🙂

Just a few notes for this week:

  1. You will find your student’s first spelling list in their folder today. Normally, I do not send home spelling until Monday, but because we have no school on Monday, I wanted to give the kids some extra time to practice the words.** Spelling tests are given every Friday. Our first spelling test will be on Friday, September 16th.As you look over the spelling list for next week, you will notice the words follow a pattern. The goal is not to have the kids memorize each word. The goal is for them to recognize the pattern and be able to figure out the spelling of the word based on the pattern. This can be done by stretching out their words and hearing every sound. We want the kids to be able to transfer these skills over to their reading and writing practice, not just memorize the words for the week and then forget them the next day.Spelling is practiced daily at school, so there is no need to spend more than a few minutes a week at home working on these words 🙂
  2. I still have a few missing Emergency Cards. If you have not done so already, please review the information, make corrections as needed, sign and return in your child’s folder so I can get those to the office ASAP. Thank you!
  3. You will also find a 0s and 1s addition facts sheet in your child’s folder. This is something we will be working on throughout the year. The students have 100 math problems and 5 minutes to complete as much as they can. Of course I do not expect any of the kids to complete all 100 problems in 5 minutes, but I want to start them in the habit now. The quicker they can build their fluency of math facts, the easier things will be. Timed tests help kids solidify their facts without hesitation. When they are able to get 90-100 facts correct in 5 minutes (0s and 1s) they will move on to their 2s. We go all the way up to 10s. When they pass one level, they move on to the next. Every child is different and works at their own pace. Please do not worry about where your child is on their math facts – we will get them where they need to be, with time. This is a process, which is why we start it in the first week of school 🙂
  4. No School on Monday, September 12 – Enjoy the long weekend!!
  5. Open House is on Thursday, September 15th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. – I can’t wait to see everyone!! 😀

Thanks for your help and support!

Ms. Otto