1MC WEEKLY NEWS

 IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, February 17th: School Vacation begins at 2:20. School resumes at 8 am on Monday February, 27th. If you will be away for additional dates before or after vacation, please let us know so we can plan accordingly.

OUR WONDERFUL, WELCOMING CLASS
Thank you for all of your support welcoming our new friend Luka and his family to our class! Stephanie and I have been so impressed by how kind and inviting the students have been. We are so excited that the children are using their wonderful friendship skills to learn about new friends, share about themselves and include others in activities.

WEATHER
We will go outside for recess every afternoon unless it is raining, extremely icy, or below 18 degrees F. Please send your child to school with adequate winter gear. Extra layers, boots, snow pants, mittens, hats, scarves, and gloves make a world of difference on these chilly days. Also, this is the season for chapped lips and dry skin. Feel free to send your child with chapstick or lotion in their backpack to apply during the day.

MORNINGS
School starts promptly at 8am. The classroom doors open at 7:55 to ensure that students are ready to begin work and learning at 8 am. Students arriving after 8:05 will be marked tardy and should report to the main office to sign in

VALENTINE’S DAY
Thank you for your support and enthusiasm with Valentine’s Day and all of the activities leading up to and following the big day. We had a great time “buying” items from the “1MC Decoration Store” to put on our envelopes. We spent Valentine’s Day doing math and literacy activities that focus on friendship and the spirit of the day. 

SCHEDULE
I have included an updated schedule of our week in 1MC. Hopefully, this gives you a better idea about what your children are doing at different times of the day and when to expect specials and other activities.

MATH
We continued to work with the Number Line Hotel and use it as a tool to add and subtract bigger numbers. We looked a lot at the patterns within the chart and made connections to adding and subtracting tens and ones. This can be a tricky tool to get used to using. We will spend lots of time working on these basics. We find that as kids get more and more comfortable with using the hotel, they are able to feel confident with more and more math concepts. Thank you for working with your child on this homework to practice this concept. Please do not worry if using this tool is still a little tricky for your child, it is just the beginning and we will practice, practice, practice.

Also, this week’s homework includes a game to play using the Number Line Hotel. We have played it this week and I have attached directions. Hopefully, your child can teach you the basics of the game. If you do not have a number cube to use for the game, you may use cards from 1-6, or make cards labeled 1-6, and pick the cards randomly on each turn.

SNACK
Please check in with your child about lunch and snack. Maybe it’s a growth spurt, or the weather, but many children are still feeling hungry after they have eaten their entire snack and/ or lunch. We are thrilled that the children are taking time to eat all of their food, rather than talking so much they forget to eat.

FIRST GRADE WISH LIST
We welcome donations of the following items for our classroom:
•    Clorox Wipes, or Cleaning Spray to wash the tables
•    Glue Sticks
•    Thick and thin markers

ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
•    What are some patterns you notice in the Number Line Hotel?
•    What was your favorite Valentine’s Day Center?
•    Who is the special guest we met in Music Class?

Have a lovely and relaxing February Vacation. See you On Monday, February 27th.