As another month comes to an end...

A few short reminders…

·      Keep in mind that Nov. 2^nd marks our shift to the winter uniform for students, i.e., no shorts.  Check out the handbook for a full uniform description.  As the weather cools, also please keep in mind that only uniform sweaters can be worn indoors.  Jackets may be worn to school for warmth but must be free of logos and messages. 

·      We will need toilet paper rolls next week for our Egypt party on Friday.  Just the rolls, no toilet paper :]

·      We will be celebrating Ancient Egypt next Friday afternoon! Be looking for ancient goodies coming home on Friday.

·      THANK YOU!!!! To all of our parent helpers that take their time in and out of the classroom. You are VERY MUCH appreciated by myself, Mrs. Smith, and our scholars!

·      Next Monday your child will bring home an Egypt study guide.  Please read over with your child, we are testing on Tuesday.

·      Next Friday for homework, your child will be completing a short comprehension assignment, instead of their reading log. I will be looking over for correct work and completion.

Next week…

Math

Students will continue to work on counting, comparing, adding, and subtracting within 20.  The students have been using various manipulatives to help them solve.  We are also counting up and counting back with our fingers to help with mental math skills.  The students will be assessed mid-week.  Then we are onto our 2D and 3D shapes! Please check the nightly math homework assignments carefully.

Literature

Students will continue to read from “Frog and Toad Are Friends” with chapter 3 an 4 next week.  We are having a fun time reading about the adventures of Frog and Toad.  It is extremely important that each child has their own book, we will be using post it notes next week to work on parts of speech and comprehension. 

Science

Onto….THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM!! We will be learning about the pathway of food as it passes through our body!

History

The students will review our Ancient Egypt studies on Monday, their review will be sent home to look over.  Assessment will take place on Tuesday.  Onto our religions unit! Starting world religions with Judaism.  If your family practices Judaism and would like to come in for a “show and tell” piece, please contact me! I would like to showcase some traditions, photos, and special tools used to practice.

Here are a few photos from the week!

Moving in Math

Lots of updates!!!

Read-A-Thon Information

The read-a-thon will be taking place on October 30^th from 12-2:30.  Here is the scoop: As we will be reading during the afternoon after lunch, for about 2 hours. We are looking for 4 “centers” to be organized and run by a parent volunteers. Also, a parent to make book bags. Parents are welcomed to pop in at any point during the read-a-thon.

We will need a signup genius created or the following areas

(4 volunteers for centers)

(1 volunteer to create book bags before event)

(Open 20 min slots for parents to sign up for pop-ins if they want to come to be sure we have enough room)

Please read more in detail and sign up using the link below:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4ca9ab2ea2f94-annual

Thank you!

A great thank you to the Trahan family for our mats for the hallway! The mats allow for a little cushion and a guided work space while working in groups in the hall. The donation was very much appreciated! :]

Winter Concert Information

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSuyHM9YtLNUFFRMk13bHpYNDg/view

Looking for:

·      Toilet paper rolls

·      X-Rays (if you have one send it to school with your child, attach a short story and explanation)

·      Box of Teddy Grahams

Math

Next week the students will be introduced to numbers through 20.  We will be counting, comparing, and working on number order within 20.  I am excited for us to advance onto a few new concepts and skills! Our first grade scholars will be assessed on these skills at the end of the week. I will be sending home center work that has been taken for a grade. I will be imputing the worksheet as a participation grade to be sure students are working independently as well as implementing concepts correctly. Weekly tests will also be sent home after grading and is entered as a test grade.

Science

We will continue on with our human body unit! The students will be ready to continue on with a new system, the muscular system.  We will spend extra time focusing on the heart and large muscles.

History

Egypt has been a blast! We have completed our studies on the pyramids.  We will be observing the mummification process as we mummify an apple! The process will take a little over a week, the students will have a better understanding of mummification while watching the process. 

Literature

**Important note** Please send in Frog and Toad! We will be reading our collection starting next week.  First graders will be using their books to look for evidence, use context clues through illustrations, and will be referring back to find specific answers.  I am looking forward to starting these books, they are always a favorite with first graders!

Spalding

Continue with the nightly homework assignments, the support at home is extremely helpful.  Please remind your scholar to clearly participate during our oral phonogram review!  If your child needs extra practice on his or her handwriting additional practice will need to be completed throughout the week. We are paying close attention to letter sizing.

This week in math...naming position and direction!

Happy Thursday!

It has been so nice to have the opportunity to talk and review with families this week! Our scholars have shown a great amount of growth within only our 8 weeks of first grade!  Mrs. Smith and myself look forward to the rest of the year.

Save The Dates

-Monday, October 19^th- No School

-Friday, October 30^th- Read-A-Thon (times to be sent out shortly)

-Friday, November 6^th- Egypt Party (times to be sent out shortly)

-Tuesday, November 10^th- Picture Retakes

-Wednesday, November 11^th- No School, Veterans’ Day

Looking for:

-Candy Corn

-Any small individually wrapped candies (no peanuts)

-A box of Teddy Grahams

-6 floor rugs about 2’x2’ each for centers in the hall, any bright colors or shapes!

-Tissues

Sight Words

I talked with a few families about the importance with becoming fluent with high frequency words (sight words).  When students memorize common words they quickly become fluent readers.  Fluent reading improves comprehension.  Here is a link to a list of sight words.  http://dolchsightwords.org/dolch_word_list_1st_grade.php  You can print and have your child read a few of them aloud to you when time permits, make flashcards, and/or create games. There are also a few great sight word apps out there, I encourage you to download any of them that interest your child. Learning and technology all in one!

Spalding Rules:

I have attached a link to a list of the Spalding rules for you to have on hand at your convenience.

http://jensclassonline.com/index_files/Spalding.pdf

Math

Next week we will be working with ordinal numbers and positional directions.  Please review your child’s homework to see specific examples.  The students will be assessed on these skills on Friday!

Science

Our Scholars LOVE learning about the human body! We started the month long unit with an introduction and activities about the skeletal system.  We will continue with the skeletal system next week, we have a few things we didn’t get to with such a short week. The students are receiving participation grades for completing their activities in class. A study guide and unit assessment will take place after all body systems including the muscular, nervous, and digestive system have been introduced..

Social Studies

Ancient Egpyt has been fascinating! Thus far we have learned about hieroglyphics, pharaohs, the Nile, and mummification.  Next week we will continue with studies of the pyramids!  An assessment will take place at the end of the unit!

Literature

“Owl at Home” was a great book filled with many short stories about Owl! The students have been working closely with their books, going back to find answers and referring to the text for comprehension. This I LOVE to see! Next week we will be reading “The Tales of Uncle Remus”, short stories about the adventures of Brer Rabbit. This will be read aloud to the students; there is no book to be sent in.  As we read we will specifically focus on sequencing and character traits! The students will be assessed on these elements at the end of the week!

Spalding

Continue with the nightly homework assignments, the support at home is extremely helpful.  Please remind your scholar to clearly participate during our oral phonogram review!  If your child needs extra practice on his or her handwriting additional practice will need to be completed throughout the week. We are paying close attention to letter sizing.

Thank you in advance for all of your help, patience, continued support, and involvement! There will be many events and activities taking place here shortly, please check the blog frequently.  If you have any comments or concerns email me at any time!

Wonder-fall break

I hope all of our families are enjoying their time together! Keeley and myself spent the past weekend up near the Woods Canyon lake area with friends, family, and some cool weather!