Hopefully this newsletter finds you doing well after all of the power outages from last week.

The Book Fair will extend to Wednesday, March 1st.

Lunch with Grandparents’ has been reschedule to Tuesday, February 28 during our lunch at 11:20.

Core Values Assembly has been reschedule to Wednesday, March 1 at 2:15.

New Dismissal procedure will begin soon. Please watch for communication to come. Your patience and cooperation is appreciated during this transition. Again, please watch for communication to come.

• Monday, February 27 – Pizza Monday

ELA

Writing – We are finishing up our informational writing assessment this week. Informational writing shares facts with a reader. We will start learning how to write an opinion. An opinion states how you feel and gives reasons for feeling that way about a topic.

Reading – We are a bit off on our small group reading instruction due to the “snow” or should I say “ice” days. We will get back small group instruction this week

Spelling – This is a bit of a mess, to be honest. Per communication last week, I was going to push the test to Friday, March 3, but I think I need to change that. The kids were mostly ready last Friday. So this is what we are going to do. We will test on Tuesday the long o words. I will start instruction on the ee and ea words on Tuesday. We will test on Friday the new list. (Pacing is crucial when it comes to our ELA Benchmark series. They must be aligned.)

• street
• greet
• fleet
• feed
• seed
• seat
• meat
• cheat
• all
• where
• people
• draw

MATH – We are learning to measure with centimeter cubes this week. It is important to have a common endpoint and no spaces between cubes when measuring. It stresses the convenience of having a ruler with the unit measurement.

SCIENCE – We are finishing up our Earth and Space Systems unit with learning about a thermometer. A thermometer is a tool that measures the temperature of the air around it. It measures in 2 different units: Fahrenheit and Celsius. We will learn how to read a thermometer and understand what this tool is telling us about the air temperature.

SOCIAL STUDIES – We are continuing our geography unit. We only dabble in this subject because our focus was on Science for the past month. We will shift the focus to Social Studies. Please start practicing your address with your first grader. This is crucial for the foundational understanding of an absolute location. When your child is older they will learn that an absolute location is more the longitudinal and latitudinal location. For us, it is an address.

Thank you for your patience and understanding last week and this week.

Mrs. Korte

I hope you had a lovely weekend. It is much needed unstructured rest. We finally have better temperatures, but please continue sending a WARM coat. It is not warm enough to go without a coat yet.

I would like to be completely transparent with my teaching and the classroom. I will be out of the classroom several times in the next two weeks due to conferences and workshops. If you need to reach me on those days, please email me. I will check periodically. I do expect the best behavior for our students and I will be leaving rigorous lessons for the guest teachers.

• Tuesday, February 21 – We will preview the selections at the Book Fair. A wish list will come home.
• Wednesday – Friday – Send your book fair money. Your child will be allowed to go down and purchase if they have their money.
• Thursday, February 23 – Core Values Assembly 2:15 – First grade will be presenting their representation of citizenship. If you are planning to attend, please check in at the office first.
• Monday, February 27 – New dismissal procedure via the blacktop area.

ELA We are starting Unit 7 this week. The theme is about the past, present, and future.

Writer’s Workshop – We have in the middle of our informational writing assessment. I have model, scaffolded, and practiced 3 informational writing pieces: Jobs, The Sun, and get to know a student at Geer Park. This writing assessment is linked to technology and inventions. It is about how robot/technology help us everyday.

Spelling – This week it is the long o sound with three different patterns.

• low
• bow
• glow
• cold
• hold
• goat
• moat
• float
• found
• your
• know
• always

MATH

We started Module 3 last week. It is all about measurement with standard and nonstandard units of measurement. We are also comparing the length of objects using the words: longer than, shorter than, and the same length as. Teaching your first grader to make sure the endpoints are the same is important. We are not measuring to the 1/2 unit.

SCIENCE

We are finishing up with constellations this week. A constellation is a group of stars that make a picture in the sky. We will then learn about how to read a thermometer. I know… that is kind of odd to throw it in at the end of the unit, but temperatures have been perfect lately. I am looping back around to seasons and weather and reminding the kids that temperature is linked to the seasons, but the weather can trick you. It might be sunny, but the temperature can be really cold. Conversely, it might be cloudy but the temperature is really warm.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will be fully in our social studies Geography unit next week. We already talk about what the Earth looks like from space. Next week we will talk about the landforms, bodies of water, and how humans modify the two.

Again, please read Mrs. Faraj’s letter. I will send a copy home tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your Monday and the rest of the week. Please, also remember I am available to you if you have any questions.

Mrs. Korte

This is a short week. It will be packed with learning, of course. hee hee

SEND In Your VALENTINES

As you can see, we are ready for your child’s Valentine. Please send in your child’s valentines on Monday.

• Monday, February 13 – Pizza Monday 1$
• Tuesday, February 14 – Valentine’s Day – We will open our valentines. Yay! We will also have some games.
• Wednesday, February 15 – LATE START 9:55 is the first bell
• Thursday, February 16 – PTA & Principal Meeting at 9:30
• Friday, February 17 – No School for students (professional development for teachers)
• Monday, February 20 – No School – Presidents Day
• Tuesday, February 21through Friday, February 24 – BOOK FAIR

ELA

We are learning about story elements in Unit 6 of our benchmark. The story elements include the characters, the setting (where they are), the problem, and the solution. Also, we are learning how to retell a story in order. This is a really good thing to start asking your first grader, after they read a book to you. You can apply it to watching a movie. You can even ask about your child’s day the same way.

Reading – Small group reading instruction is taught and levels of difficulty. I do not share this with first graders, because I want them to focus on their success and not their levels. To you, as a parent, I am sharing that the books increase in difficulty by having more words and variations of words. Your child should be at levels 10-11 at this point. Our goal is a level 16 by the end of first grade so that they are reading for second grade. We have some HUGE success stories in our classroom. I have some students that read their group books every night and they have jumped up in their book level.

So…please, please look for the book bag. Just have your first grader read their books to you or a big brother/sister, or grandparent. Any older person, who can help them learn to monitor their reading with accuracy. (Accuracy means that they read the words correctly and fix them when they don’t.)

Writing – We will finish our informational writing about a Geer Park friend. Then we are a writing assessment for informational writing in which your child will apply what they learned.

Spelling has the ay and ai vowel patterns

• stay
• gray
• spray
• pail
• wail
• mail
• grain
• rain
• brown
• work
• year
• live

MATH

We finished our Module 2 assessment on Friday. I did not bring them home to grade because it is going to be a busy weekend and I cannot send them home until the other first grade classes take the assessment. We are going to practice using base ten blocks on Monday and Tuesday. Then we will start Module 3 on Wednesday. It is about measurement and comparing the sizes.

SCIENCE

We are finishing up learning about 4 of the 8 phases of the Moon by completing a project with Oreos. Moon Facts: The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. It takes 27.3 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth. The Moon is the 5th largest moon in our solar system. We only ever see one side of the Moon. We never see the far side. The Moon reflects light from the Sun. The Earth gently spins on its axis because of the gravitational relationship between the Moon and the Earth. If we didn’t have the Moon, the Earth would wobble.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We started learning about land and water, specifically what the Earth looks like from space or even an airplane.

Thank you for your support. Have a great weekend and week to come.

Mrs. Korte

Which Team Do You Want to Win?

The Super Bowl is on Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mrs. Faraj would like your first grader to show their support for they the team that they want to win. So…wear green for the Philadelphia Eagles and wear red for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tomorrow is Popcorn Friday – 1$ for a bag of popcorn

This is a mid-week message.

Tomorrow is Count Day! It is crucial that we have everyone at school tomorrow. It determines the funding for our school by the State of Michigan.

Tomorrow is Pajama Day! Your child is welcome to come in their pajamas, bring a soft stuffed animal, and a blanket. We are going to get comfy while we learn. We will be buddying up with our other first grade friends for an activity at the end of the day.

Tomorrow is the 100th Day of School Celebration! We will have a couple activities, in our classroom, to celebrate 100 Days of Learning together. Geer Park will also have some raffles throughout the day.

Yep..these cold temperatures are taking a toll on our first grade kids. Their bodies REALLY need some unstructured play time outside. I have exercise time in the classroom for brain breaks, but most of the kids are flailing their arms and flopping on the ground. They just really want to move. I promise that I am trying.

A funny moment this week was on Thursday. Thursday, February 2 is the silly tradition of Groundhog Day. If it is cloudy and the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, it will start to warm up early. If it is sunny and the groundhog sees their shadow, then we will have 6 more weeks of cold temperatures. This, of course, is all fictional. The truth is that we had less than .1% of sunshine in January 2023, but on February 2 there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. It was very sunny. So when the kids learned that if the groundhog sees their shadow and we will have 6 more weeks of cold, winter weather. One of the students said, “Oh come on!” I couldn’t help laughing. I had to look down at my lap because that student expressed what we are all feeling.

Hopefully, this does not hold to be true and we can start to get outside. Also, if you can let them run around for a bit too, that will help. Thanks for being my partner during this time.

A letter went home yesterday. We will have just some fun time together on Tuesday, February 14th. The kids really do have a fun time handing out their Valentines and opening them. You can get them at Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Aldi, etc.

When your child is ready to bring their Valentines to school, even if it is this Monday, please send them. I can keep them in a safe spot until we are ready.

Remember this is for friendship. We have 20 students. Your child must do one for each child out of friendship.

• Monday, February 6 – Pizza Monday – 1$
• Tuesday, February 7th – Geer Park will start to sell Friendship grams for 1$ each. They will be delivered to a student that is in another class. Please have their first and last name and their grade so that the PTA can send them to the correct students.
• Wednesday, February 8 – COUNT DAY! Please, please we need all first graders here on this day and they need to be on time. Our funding from the State of Michigan depends on it.
• Friday, February 10 – Popcorn Friday – 1$

ELA

Reading Watch for your child’s book bag. Most of the kids are on target with their reading progress. Please have your child read each day.

Writing We are writing our final “guided” informational piece. This one is about another student in the classroom.

Spelling Please have your child do their spelling homework. I am checking on Friday for all 4. The words for Week 17 are:

• these
• theme
• mute
• flute
• cute
• tube
• cube
• rude
• house
• long
• off
• small

MATH we are finishing up Module 2 this week. We will be using base ten blocks to help us understand place value. Our End of Module 2 assessment will be on Friday. Next week we will begin measurement in Module 3. It is a very short Module

SCIENCE We started learning about the Moon. It is our only natural satellite. There are man-made satellites that orbit the Earth. The moon is made of rock and metals like the Earth. The moon reflects the light from the Sun. Only the stars can make their own light and heat. The Moon seems to change shape as it orbits the Earth. These are called phases of the Moon. We will only learn about 4 of the 8 phases. I will mention that the crescent is important to many cultures though. Cultural awareness is important for everyone.

SOCIAL STUDIES We will differentiate between landforms and bodies of water this week.

Thank you for your constant support. Please send finished valentine’s cards as soon as possible. Have a great weekend and week. Mrs. Korte