Happy Sunday, Families!

We had a great start to our school year last week. I can tell that this is going to be an amazing group and I am very excited about our year. Below, I have listed some important reminders and information that will be helpful to you:

Blog: I post (almost) daily on my blog. You will find information about what is happening in our school and classroom and helpful videos that show what we are learning about in our classroom. The math videos will show the skill that we are practicing and are great for reinforcement for your child.

Open House: I look forward to meeting you on Thursday, September 14 from 6-7:30.

Emergency Cards and Lunch Surveys: These are very important documents that we must have on file in the office. Please turn them in if you haven’t done so already

I will post the letters that you will be receiving tomorrow below regarding Spelling, Homework, Book Bags and Snack:

Hello Families,

Book Bags
We have had a great start to our school year, and I am really enjoying getting to know your child. First grade is a year where children grow so much as readers and writers, therefore much of our day is spent with literacy activities. I will be reading with your child individually and in a small group setting in order to teach him/her strategies that will help him/her progress in reading. A very important part of his/her growth is giving him/her time to practice reading strategies, so each child will have a reading bag filled with leveled books at your child’s reading level. Your child is responsible for bringing this bag to and from school every day. Please ask your child to read these books EVERY night, as this will definitely help him/her become a stronger reader.

Snack:
I allow my students to eat snack as they work, so please send a healthy one (or two) with your child. Fruit, vegetables, cereal or nutrition bars are great choices, however I will not allow them to have cookies, candy, juice or treats during this time.

Homework:
Your child will receive homework Monday-Thursday. The work will reinforce skills or ideas that we are learning about or discussing in class. Children who do not complete and turn in their homework will need to so during the school day (most likely during recess). Completing and submitting homework teaches responsibility, so I ask for your support with this policy.

Thank you so much for your support. Let’s continue to work together this year to help your child learn and grow! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

September 11, 2017
Dear Families,
We will begin spelling this week. Each Friday the students will be tested on 12 spelling words. Ten of the words will be given to them and 2 words will be “mystery” words that follow the pattern they are learning. Your child will practice these words each day in class and it is highly recommended that he/she studies the words at home as well. Your child will receive the spelling list on Mondays. It will also be posted on our blog. Please make that your child is studying the words. Thank you for your support!
The First Grade Team
This week’s spelling words are: ran, can, van, map, tap, cap, the, to, and, you

Here are our plans for the weeK:

Reading: I have begun testing each child to determine his/her reading level. Once I complete this assessment, I will begin instructing them in small groups and individually. They will be reading and writing daily in school and I STRONGLY encourage you to read with them at home (please see note above regarding book bags). This week, we are talking about identifying the character and setting in a story (narrative). Additionally, we are learning to sequence the important events in a story. When you are done reading a book at home, you may want to ask your child to write, draw, or tell you about something that happened at the beginning, middle, and end.

Math: We are working on writing and orally counting by ones, fives, tens, and twos. There are some great songs and activities on youtube to help reinforce this. As we count, we look for patterns. Additionally, we are learning how to create tally and picture graphs (displaying data) and then using that information to answer questions such as “How many more people voted for apples than pears?” Very soon, we will begin Math Workshop in our classroom. This involves children working with a partner or independently with a hands on activity to solve math problems. I will also send some stations home with your child if they need extra practice or if they just love to play the game 🙂 If your child brings a station home, please take great care of it and return it the next day.

Tomorrow, your child will receive homework. I will post a reminder and a video on the blog, so please look for that.

Have a wonderful, restful day!