IMPORTANT DATES
• Friday, March 30th: Last day to order from Book Orders
• Wednesday, April 4th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• Wednesday, April 4th, 5:30-7:30 pm: International Night at Devotion, see fliers throughout school and pto messages for more details.
• Friday, April 6th: No School, Good Friday
• Wednesday, April 12th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• Wednesday, April 12th 6:00-7:30pm: Family Math Nigh, see fliers throughout school and pto messages for more details
• April 16-April 20: April Vacation week. School resumes Monday, April 23rd.
WORD WALL WORDS
car start or people
This week, we learned about Bossy R. When an R follows a vowel, the R bosses the vowel and changes the sound. (Examples: cat – car, sit – sir, spot – sport)
ABSENCES
Please be sure to confirm all absences (planned for travel and unplanned due to sickness) with the office, as well as with me. An email or a note will be fine for the classroom. Please also send a note or an email, or call the main office to let them know of an absence. If they do not hear from you, you will receive a call inquiring about the absence.
END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR/ NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
If you know that you will be moving or leaving Devotion School (either before the last day of school on June 18th, or before the start of next school year), please let the office and the classroom teacher know. This can be done verbally or through writing with me. The office will need more information including your ending date and forwarding address. Please stop into the office to complete this paperwork.
MATH
We are continuing playing games and working in small groups to really strengthen our understanding and automaticity with facts through 12. Children have strategies and tools to solve addition and subtraction problems, both simple facts and bigger numbers. These next few weeks, we will take a deeper look at facts through 12, doubles, doubles plus 1 (if I know 3+3=6, then 3+4=7), and coins (both identifying and counting). We want children to have a really solid understanding of these foundational math facts before we move on to more complicated concepts. Thank you for you support and help reinforcing these skills!
SCIENCE
This week, we are wrapping up our Teeth Unit. In one short month we have learned:
• the names and jobs of the different types of teeth in our mouths
• the importance of primary (baby) teeth and permanent teeth
• the names and purposes of the different parts of a tooth (enamel, dentin, pulp, crown, root)
• how different liquids and foods can affect the tooth enamel, and why brushing and flossing teeth is important
• how a cavity is formed, and filled
• tooth traditions around the world
We are recapping the information we have learned this week and reading and discussing the book, Open Wide, by Laurie Keller. This books has been a huge hit; we’ve already read it twice and loved it!
COMMUNITY
We continued discussing multiple intellegences and our strengths this week. IWith a connection to writing, we were able to use describing words (adjectives) to describe our positive qualities and those of others.
BOOK ORDERS
Book Orders are due this Friday, March 30th, and usually take 1-2 weeks to arrive. This is a great way to purchase books at a discounted price.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Please sign-up for Spring parent-teacher conferences outside the classroom. This will be an opportunity to share the spring conference report and discuss your child’s progress. Please let me know if the times do not work for you and we can find another time to meet.
*If you need to change your conference day or time, please try to do it at least 48 hours in advance. I prepare conference reports and will need enough time to have your child’s report ready for our meeting.
1MC WISH LIST…
We would greatly appreciate any donations of Glue Sticks.
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• What does Bossy R do?
• What was your favorite part of the book Open Wide?
• What are some of your favorite math games that we play?
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Weekly News
IMPORTANT DATES
• Friday, March 30th: Last day to order from Book Orders
• Wednesday, April 4th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• Friday, April 6th: No School, Good Friday
• Wednesday, April 12th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• April 16-April 20: April Vacation week. School resumes Monday, April 23rd.
WORD WALL WORDS
age big because old little
MATH
We are wrapping up chapter 8, which focused on fractions, doubles, and the quarter. We are continuing to reinforce these concepts and practice counting with quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies often. Chapter 9 brings us back to addition and subtraction. We are planning to take this time to really strengthen our understanding and automaticity with facts through 12. At this point, the children have strategies and tools to solve addition and subtraction problems, both simple facts and bigger numbers. These next few weeks, we will take a deeper look at facts through 12, doubles, doubles plus 1 (if I know 3+3=6, then 3+4=7), and coins (both identifying and counting). We want children to have a really solid understanding of these foundational math facts before we move on to more complicated concepts. Thank you for you support and help reinforcing these skills!
SCIENCE
Last week, we conducted two experiments using eggs and apples to represent teeth. In one experiment, we put eggs in 3 different liquids (water, milk and Coca Cola) to study the effects of these liquids on the enamel of teeth. We then brushed the eggs with a toothbrush and toothpaste to observe how brushing can clean teeth. We made conclusions about different liquids’ effects on teeth and the importance of brushing teeth.
Our second experiment involved poking into an apple. We poked through the apple skin into the fruit. We observed the effects of the air on the hole in the apple. Cutting the apple in half on day 2, we observed that the apple turned brown around the poked hole. We can compare the apple to our teeth. Poking through the skin is similar to bacteria eating through the enamel, creating a cavity. We discussed that very small shallow cavities can be treated by the dentist and can be very painless. By looking at a cross section of a tooth, we noticed that the closer the cavity gets to the center of the tooth and nerves, the more of a chance that a person might feel a tingly feeling or tooth ache.
This week, we are focusing on ways to take care of our teeth. We will also learn about tooth traditions in other countries by reading and discussing the book, Throw Your Tooth on the Roof.
COMMUNITY
We started exploring the concepts of multiple intelligences this week. We talked about ourselves as learners; we all have different combinations of strengths and areas we can work on. The 8 areas are:
- Linguistic (Word Smart)
- Visual (Picture Smart)
- Interpersonal (People Smart)
- Intrapersonal (Self Smart)
- Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart)
- Musical (Music Smart)
- Naturalist (Nature Smart)
- Mathematical-Logical (Logic Smart)
The children really started this conversation off quite insightfully, describing their areas of strength, areas they’d like to improve, and naming areas of strength of their peers.
BOOK ORDERS
Book Orders will be placed in mailboxes this week. Orders can be placed online or by form. Orders are due March 30th, and usually take 1-2 weeks to arrive. This is a great way to purchase books at a discounted price.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Sign-up for Spring parent-teacher conferences has been posted outside the classroom. Please sign-up for a time slot that works for you. This will be an opportunity to share the spring conference report and discuss your child’s progress. Please let me know if the times do not work for you and we can find another time to meet.
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• What is one of your kinds of smart?
• What can we learn about our teeth from our egg and apple experiments?
• What are some words that have a soft G sound? (giraffe, giant…) A hard G sound? (green, get…)
• Friday, March 30th: Last day to order from Book Orders
• Wednesday, April 4th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• Friday, April 6th: No School, Good Friday
• Wednesday, April 12th: Early Release, School ends at 12:30pm, Lunch will be served.
• April 16-April 20: April Vacation week. School resumes Monday, April 23rd.
WORD WALL WORDS
age big because old little
MATH
We are wrapping up chapter 8, which focused on fractions, doubles, and the quarter. We are continuing to reinforce these concepts and practice counting with quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies often. Chapter 9 brings us back to addition and subtraction. We are planning to take this time to really strengthen our understanding and automaticity with facts through 12. At this point, the children have strategies and tools to solve addition and subtraction problems, both simple facts and bigger numbers. These next few weeks, we will take a deeper look at facts through 12, doubles, doubles plus 1 (if I know 3+3=6, then 3+4=7), and coins (both identifying and counting). We want children to have a really solid understanding of these foundational math facts before we move on to more complicated concepts. Thank you for you support and help reinforcing these skills!
SCIENCE
Last week, we conducted two experiments using eggs and apples to represent teeth. In one experiment, we put eggs in 3 different liquids (water, milk and Coca Cola) to study the effects of these liquids on the enamel of teeth. We then brushed the eggs with a toothbrush and toothpaste to observe how brushing can clean teeth. We made conclusions about different liquids’ effects on teeth and the importance of brushing teeth.
Our second experiment involved poking into an apple. We poked through the apple skin into the fruit. We observed the effects of the air on the hole in the apple. Cutting the apple in half on day 2, we observed that the apple turned brown around the poked hole. We can compare the apple to our teeth. Poking through the skin is similar to bacteria eating through the enamel, creating a cavity. We discussed that very small shallow cavities can be treated by the dentist and can be very painless. By looking at a cross section of a tooth, we noticed that the closer the cavity gets to the center of the tooth and nerves, the more of a chance that a person might feel a tingly feeling or tooth ache.
This week, we are focusing on ways to take care of our teeth. We will also learn about tooth traditions in other countries by reading and discussing the book, Throw Your Tooth on the Roof.
COMMUNITY
We started exploring the concepts of multiple intelligences this week. We talked about ourselves as learners; we all have different combinations of strengths and areas we can work on. The 8 areas are:
- Linguistic (Word Smart)
- Visual (Picture Smart)
- Interpersonal (People Smart)
- Intrapersonal (Self Smart)
- Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart)
- Musical (Music Smart)
- Naturalist (Nature Smart)
- Mathematical-Logical (Logic Smart)
The children really started this conversation off quite insightfully, describing their areas of strength, areas they’d like to improve, and naming areas of strength of their peers.
BOOK ORDERS
Book Orders will be placed in mailboxes this week. Orders can be placed online or by form. Orders are due March 30th, and usually take 1-2 weeks to arrive. This is a great way to purchase books at a discounted price.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Sign-up for Spring parent-teacher conferences has been posted outside the classroom. Please sign-up for a time slot that works for you. This will be an opportunity to share the spring conference report and discuss your child’s progress. Please let me know if the times do not work for you and we can find another time to meet.
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• What is one of your kinds of smart?
• What can we learn about our teeth from our egg and apple experiments?
• What are some words that have a soft G sound? (giraffe, giant…) A hard G sound? (green, get…)
Friday, March 9, 2012
1MC WEEKLY NEWS ~ March 9th, 2012
WORD WALL WORDS
new good your her him
READING HOMEWORK
In an effort to acknowledge the many activities you already do at home and the rich discussions you are already having, and to change things up a bit, there will be a new format for reading homework, called READ-O, similar to BINGO. You and your child may choose 5 activities in a row to complete throughout the week. Of course you may do more than 5!
*If you and your child are in a great routine of reading 15 minutes a day and would like to stick with that, feel free to record your reading on a piece of paper and turn it in with your homework.
COMMUNITY
We are really practicing how to wait our turn to speak and to avoid interrupting other people. We read a book called My Mouth is a Volcano. The main character in this books really has a hard time keeping his ideas in his head. He gets so excited about his ideas that they bubble up and escape out of his mouth. Through much practice, he discovers a strategy to take a beep breath, let is ideas escape so he can let them wait in the air the until a good time, and then breath them back into to say at the right time. We practiced this strategy as a class and observed our interruptions for a few days. We noticed some days had more interruptions that others, but we will keep practicing. Next week, we will also practice some explicit discussion strategies, including waiting your turn to speak, figuring out a good time to share your idea, making sure your idea is on topic, and figuring out how to talk the right amount of time (not too much, not too little) so everyone gets to share their ideas.
We also discussed the Devotion School Motto this week.
The Devotion School motto is: Work Hard, Be Kind, Help Others.
We talked about what it looks like to follow this motto in school, on the playground and at home.
SCIENCE
We learned more about the parts of teeth this week, and we learned the names and jobs of the different types of teeth. Next week, we will do some experiments to simulate the affects of different liquids on our teeth and to observe what happens when we get a cavitiy.
MATH
Continuing in Chapter 8, we practiced ½ of a number, and doubling numbers. We also learned how to write 1/2 , emphasizing that the bottom number is how may parts it is divided into and the top number shows how many parts are shaded or how many parts you get. We also explored numbers that you can’t cut in half equally (3, 5, etc.) In those cases there are options to have and extra one left over, or to split the extra in half. For example, if we want to split 5 cookies between 2 people, each person could get 2 with one cookie left, or each person could have 2 ½ . In writing these numbers, the big number in front shows how many whole items there are, and the fraction ½ is written to the right of the whole number. It’s a bit confusing to write, but the concept is one that many first graders can relate to and figure out independently.
GREEN, YELLOW, RED
For the past few weeks, we have been using a Green, Yellow, Red system to help the children monitor themselves throughout the day. Everyone starts on Green which means “Ready to Learn.” The children understand the expected behaviors one would demonstrate when they are ready to learn: following directions, listening respectfully, staying on task, helping peers do the right thing, etc. If at any point through out the day, students are not ready to learn, a teacher might move their name to Yellow on the chart. Yellow means “Think About It.” This is in no way a punishment, and its not necessarily a bad thing. Yellow is a chance and a visual reminder (without verbally pointing out a behavior) to think about actions and expected behaviors. Many times, this reminder is all a student needs to get back on track, and within minutes, a teacher might move his or her name back to “Ready to Learn.” If a child remains on yellow for a while, her or she might miss 1-2 minutes of Choice Time or Recess to regroup; but again, many children quickly shift back to expected behavior.
However, if the behavior continues or another incident occurs, a teacher might then move a name from yellow to Red, which means “Teacher’s Choice”. We rarely move names to Red, and in the situations where a name is moved to Red, we will talk about it right away and decide with the child what will help to make the situation better or what a logical consequence might be. We will always let you know of any major incidents in school involving your child.
Please feel free to ask us any questions regarding this system or your child.
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• What was a funny part of the show we saw on Friday Morning?
• How do you write one -half?
• What did you notice when you observed your mouth and your teeth?
new good your her him
READING HOMEWORK
In an effort to acknowledge the many activities you already do at home and the rich discussions you are already having, and to change things up a bit, there will be a new format for reading homework, called READ-O, similar to BINGO. You and your child may choose 5 activities in a row to complete throughout the week. Of course you may do more than 5!
*If you and your child are in a great routine of reading 15 minutes a day and would like to stick with that, feel free to record your reading on a piece of paper and turn it in with your homework.
COMMUNITY
We are really practicing how to wait our turn to speak and to avoid interrupting other people. We read a book called My Mouth is a Volcano. The main character in this books really has a hard time keeping his ideas in his head. He gets so excited about his ideas that they bubble up and escape out of his mouth. Through much practice, he discovers a strategy to take a beep breath, let is ideas escape so he can let them wait in the air the until a good time, and then breath them back into to say at the right time. We practiced this strategy as a class and observed our interruptions for a few days. We noticed some days had more interruptions that others, but we will keep practicing. Next week, we will also practice some explicit discussion strategies, including waiting your turn to speak, figuring out a good time to share your idea, making sure your idea is on topic, and figuring out how to talk the right amount of time (not too much, not too little) so everyone gets to share their ideas.
We also discussed the Devotion School Motto this week.
The Devotion School motto is: Work Hard, Be Kind, Help Others.
We talked about what it looks like to follow this motto in school, on the playground and at home.
SCIENCE
We learned more about the parts of teeth this week, and we learned the names and jobs of the different types of teeth. Next week, we will do some experiments to simulate the affects of different liquids on our teeth and to observe what happens when we get a cavitiy.
MATH
Continuing in Chapter 8, we practiced ½ of a number, and doubling numbers. We also learned how to write 1/2 , emphasizing that the bottom number is how may parts it is divided into and the top number shows how many parts are shaded or how many parts you get. We also explored numbers that you can’t cut in half equally (3, 5, etc.) In those cases there are options to have and extra one left over, or to split the extra in half. For example, if we want to split 5 cookies between 2 people, each person could get 2 with one cookie left, or each person could have 2 ½ . In writing these numbers, the big number in front shows how many whole items there are, and the fraction ½ is written to the right of the whole number. It’s a bit confusing to write, but the concept is one that many first graders can relate to and figure out independently.
GREEN, YELLOW, RED
For the past few weeks, we have been using a Green, Yellow, Red system to help the children monitor themselves throughout the day. Everyone starts on Green which means “Ready to Learn.” The children understand the expected behaviors one would demonstrate when they are ready to learn: following directions, listening respectfully, staying on task, helping peers do the right thing, etc. If at any point through out the day, students are not ready to learn, a teacher might move their name to Yellow on the chart. Yellow means “Think About It.” This is in no way a punishment, and its not necessarily a bad thing. Yellow is a chance and a visual reminder (without verbally pointing out a behavior) to think about actions and expected behaviors. Many times, this reminder is all a student needs to get back on track, and within minutes, a teacher might move his or her name back to “Ready to Learn.” If a child remains on yellow for a while, her or she might miss 1-2 minutes of Choice Time or Recess to regroup; but again, many children quickly shift back to expected behavior.
However, if the behavior continues or another incident occurs, a teacher might then move a name from yellow to Red, which means “Teacher’s Choice”. We rarely move names to Red, and in the situations where a name is moved to Red, we will talk about it right away and decide with the child what will help to make the situation better or what a logical consequence might be. We will always let you know of any major incidents in school involving your child.
Please feel free to ask us any questions regarding this system or your child.
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• What was a funny part of the show we saw on Friday Morning?
• How do you write one -half?
• What did you notice when you observed your mouth and your teeth?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Weekly News
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
WORD WALL WORDS
be go so from they
READING HOMEWORK
In an effort to acknowledge the many activities you already do at home and the rich discussions you are already having, and to change things up a bit, there will be a new format for reading homework, called READ-O, similar to BINGO. On this week’s homework, you will see a 5x5 grid in the place of the reading record sheet. You and your child may choose 5 activities in a row to complete throughout the week. Of course you may do more than 5! You might choose different activities each week or stick to some favorites. I’ve attached a copy of the read-o for you to keep at home as a reference.
*If you and your child are in a great routine of reading 15 minutes a day and would like to stick with that, feel free to record your reading on a piece of paper and turn it in with your homework.
COMMUNITY
We are continuing to focus on friendship and strengthening our community. We have talked about it throughout the year, but these past few weeks we have especially focused on the many meanings of fair. Fair can mean everyone gets the same thing or the same amount of time. Some examples of this definition include: same size piece of birthday cake at a party, rotating through the Leader of the Day job so everyone gets a turn, and everyone getting to learn at school. The more confusing definition of fair is the one where fair means that each person gets what he or she needs, even if it is not the same. Some examples of this definition include: giving extra snack to someone who did not eat breakfast, getting time with a special teacher to learn English, taking a movement break to move your body so that you can do your best listening, using a guide dog to walk if you are cannot see. We were very impressed by the children’s ability to think about and discuss this challenging topic. Like many things, this is easier to talk about, and tougher to understand in the moment. Having these discussions have laid the groundwork for understanding when issues arise and the question of fair comes up. We will continue to discuss this topic and examples of these different type of fair.
SCIENCE
You may have noticed the many facts we already know about teeth posted on our door. We will continue to dive deeper into the topic of teeth. In the coming weeks we will learn about the importance of teeth, the different types of teeth and their jobs, we will do experiments to learn about the enamel of teeth and cavities, and we will learn about how to take care of teeth.
MATH
We began chapter 8 in our math curriculum. This chapter focuses on Symmetry, Doubling, the Quarter and the fractions ½, 1/3, and ¼. We will work to get the doubles addition facts stuck in our brains (1+1. 2+2,… 10+10), so that this will help us in the future to add doubles plus 1 and doubles plus 2 facts. (For example, when you see 6+7, think “I know 6+6=12 so 6+7= 13). We will practice doubling with coins and objects.
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:
• Glue Sticks
• Thick and thin markers
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• Ms. McDonnell read 3 Helen Lester books in Library on Wednesday, which book did you like best?
• What are we reading lots of Dr. Seuss books this week?
• What sport are we learning to play in PE?
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
WORD WALL WORDS
be go so from they
READING HOMEWORK
In an effort to acknowledge the many activities you already do at home and the rich discussions you are already having, and to change things up a bit, there will be a new format for reading homework, called READ-O, similar to BINGO. On this week’s homework, you will see a 5x5 grid in the place of the reading record sheet. You and your child may choose 5 activities in a row to complete throughout the week. Of course you may do more than 5! You might choose different activities each week or stick to some favorites. I’ve attached a copy of the read-o for you to keep at home as a reference.
*If you and your child are in a great routine of reading 15 minutes a day and would like to stick with that, feel free to record your reading on a piece of paper and turn it in with your homework.
COMMUNITY
We are continuing to focus on friendship and strengthening our community. We have talked about it throughout the year, but these past few weeks we have especially focused on the many meanings of fair. Fair can mean everyone gets the same thing or the same amount of time. Some examples of this definition include: same size piece of birthday cake at a party, rotating through the Leader of the Day job so everyone gets a turn, and everyone getting to learn at school. The more confusing definition of fair is the one where fair means that each person gets what he or she needs, even if it is not the same. Some examples of this definition include: giving extra snack to someone who did not eat breakfast, getting time with a special teacher to learn English, taking a movement break to move your body so that you can do your best listening, using a guide dog to walk if you are cannot see. We were very impressed by the children’s ability to think about and discuss this challenging topic. Like many things, this is easier to talk about, and tougher to understand in the moment. Having these discussions have laid the groundwork for understanding when issues arise and the question of fair comes up. We will continue to discuss this topic and examples of these different type of fair.
SCIENCE
You may have noticed the many facts we already know about teeth posted on our door. We will continue to dive deeper into the topic of teeth. In the coming weeks we will learn about the importance of teeth, the different types of teeth and their jobs, we will do experiments to learn about the enamel of teeth and cavities, and we will learn about how to take care of teeth.
MATH
We began chapter 8 in our math curriculum. This chapter focuses on Symmetry, Doubling, the Quarter and the fractions ½, 1/3, and ¼. We will work to get the doubles addition facts stuck in our brains (1+1. 2+2,… 10+10), so that this will help us in the future to add doubles plus 1 and doubles plus 2 facts. (For example, when you see 6+7, think “I know 6+6=12 so 6+7= 13). We will practice doubling with coins and objects.
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:
• Glue Sticks
• Thick and thin markers
ASK YOUR CHILD…
These questions can be conversation starters to discuss the week in school.
• Ms. McDonnell read 3 Helen Lester books in Library on Wednesday, which book did you like best?
• What are we reading lots of Dr. Seuss books this week?
• What sport are we learning to play in PE?
Friday, February 17, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Weekly News-
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, February 14th: Valentine’s Day.
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.
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
HUNDREDTH DAY
Thank you for all of your help and enthusiasm around our 100th day. We had wonderful a day filled with centers, counting, and connections.
COMMUNITY
We are continuing to focus on Friendship and strengthening our classroom community. Valentine’s is a great opportunity to think about our friends and the way we treat each other
A representative (Rachel) from Heifer International came to school on Tuesday to talk with the students involved in making the Devotion Calendar. We presented her with a calendar and check for over $1,000! She was so excited to put that money to use purchasing animals for families in need. She shared with us some of the animals that Heifer provides for families and we learned about the ways those animals benefit the families and communities.
VALENTINE’S DAY
We will have a small celebration and the opportunity to share valentine cards with the class. It is not a requirement to bring Valentines, but if your child would like to share valentines, please be sure there is one for each child in the class so no one is left out.
Here is our class list; we have 21 students.
Ada, Audrey, Benedikt, Benjamin, Ben K., DJ, Dor. Ellery, Eve, Joel, Kate, Lior, Lucas, Maya, Mika, Netta, Omri, Shaanti, Vince, Yonatan, Yuval
Early in February, we will decorate bags to collect our Valentines. We would love any donations of stickers, colored papers, doilies, or any other crafty articles to decorate with.
SCIENCE
We hope you enjoyed guessing the children in our shadow study. We emphasized how shadows take the shape of the object that is blocking the light source. We will continue to discuss shadows and light for the next week. After February Vacation we will begin a science unit on teeth and dental health!
MATH
Please see the attached letter regarding Devotion’s version of a hundreds chart. We will be working with this Number Line Hotel for the remainder of the year, and into second and third grade. Please keep the attached copy at home for reference with homework and number discussion.
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 is the Number Line Hotel and why is it called a hotel??
• How much money did we give to Heifer International? What will they be able to buy for people with that money?
• What was your favorite 100 Days Center?
Tuesday, February 14th: Valentine’s Day.
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.
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
HUNDREDTH DAY
Thank you for all of your help and enthusiasm around our 100th day. We had wonderful a day filled with centers, counting, and connections.
COMMUNITY
We are continuing to focus on Friendship and strengthening our classroom community. Valentine’s is a great opportunity to think about our friends and the way we treat each other
A representative (Rachel) from Heifer International came to school on Tuesday to talk with the students involved in making the Devotion Calendar. We presented her with a calendar and check for over $1,000! She was so excited to put that money to use purchasing animals for families in need. She shared with us some of the animals that Heifer provides for families and we learned about the ways those animals benefit the families and communities.
VALENTINE’S DAY
We will have a small celebration and the opportunity to share valentine cards with the class. It is not a requirement to bring Valentines, but if your child would like to share valentines, please be sure there is one for each child in the class so no one is left out.
Here is our class list; we have 21 students.
Ada, Audrey, Benedikt, Benjamin, Ben K., DJ, Dor. Ellery, Eve, Joel, Kate, Lior, Lucas, Maya, Mika, Netta, Omri, Shaanti, Vince, Yonatan, Yuval
Early in February, we will decorate bags to collect our Valentines. We would love any donations of stickers, colored papers, doilies, or any other crafty articles to decorate with.
SCIENCE
We hope you enjoyed guessing the children in our shadow study. We emphasized how shadows take the shape of the object that is blocking the light source. We will continue to discuss shadows and light for the next week. After February Vacation we will begin a science unit on teeth and dental health!
MATH
Please see the attached letter regarding Devotion’s version of a hundreds chart. We will be working with this Number Line Hotel for the remainder of the year, and into second and third grade. Please keep the attached copy at home for reference with homework and number discussion.
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 is the Number Line Hotel and why is it called a hotel??
• How much money did we give to Heifer International? What will they be able to buy for people with that money?
• What was your favorite 100 Days Center?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A note about 100 days and Valentine’s Day
Dear families,
Two very important and exciting days pf first grade are coming up. I wanted to offer a little more explanation of both.
The 100th Day of School falls on this Thursday, February 9th. We will be celebrating with a day full of centers that focus on the number 100 and all that we’ve accomplished over the past 100 days. Some of our activities will examine collections of 100 items. We will look at these collections as a group, and your child will examine his or her own collection. As mentioned in the homework and newsletter, please help your child count 100 items. These items can be any size, and will be returned if you’d like. In the past children have brought in 100 cheerios, 100 paperclips, 100 small legos, 100 crayons, etc. If you need help collecting or thinking of items, please let me know.
As part of February, Friendship month, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day next Tuesday February 14th. WE will be sharing kind words about each other during this day. One Valentine’s Day tradition is to share Valentines, or small cards with kind messages. Bringing Valentines to share with the class is in no way mandatory. However, I ask that if your child plans to write any, they do so for the whole class. I have included a list of everyone in the class to ensure that no one is left out. Please bring you Valentines to share on Tuesday. We will deliver them to our decorated envelopes and children will be able to bring them home to read and enjoy!
Thank you for all of your support
Two very important and exciting days pf first grade are coming up. I wanted to offer a little more explanation of both.
The 100th Day of School falls on this Thursday, February 9th. We will be celebrating with a day full of centers that focus on the number 100 and all that we’ve accomplished over the past 100 days. Some of our activities will examine collections of 100 items. We will look at these collections as a group, and your child will examine his or her own collection. As mentioned in the homework and newsletter, please help your child count 100 items. These items can be any size, and will be returned if you’d like. In the past children have brought in 100 cheerios, 100 paperclips, 100 small legos, 100 crayons, etc. If you need help collecting or thinking of items, please let me know.
As part of February, Friendship month, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day next Tuesday February 14th. WE will be sharing kind words about each other during this day. One Valentine’s Day tradition is to share Valentines, or small cards with kind messages. Bringing Valentines to share with the class is in no way mandatory. However, I ask that if your child plans to write any, they do so for the whole class. I have included a list of everyone in the class to ensure that no one is left out. Please bring you Valentines to share on Tuesday. We will deliver them to our decorated envelopes and children will be able to bring them home to read and enjoy!
Thank you for all of your support
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)