Weekly Update for the Week of 02-29

·      Spirit day tomorrow!

·      Family Fun Run this Saturday! Mrs. Smith and myself look forward to seeing you all there and ready to run!

·      There is a half day next Friday, March 4^th.

·      I would like to stress how important it is to practice fluency nightly.  Your child needs to be reading their weekly story a loud to you for one minute. They could read again and try to surpass their last word.   Fluency is just one piece of the puzzle, comprehension is also just as important.  When a reader is fluent, strong comprehension often follows.

·      Please take the time to look at your child’s uniform conditions. It is that time of year when they are getting well worn. Uniforms (including stockings, shoes, and dresses) need to be clean of stains and holes.  I will start to send home Uniform Violations if your Scholar’s uniform(s) are not sufficient to pass dress code requirements.  It is also important that if your child has longer hair, it needs to be combed and pulled away from their face. I am seeing lots of playing and brushing, and exchanges of styles during the day. For the girls, braids are great! :]

Math

Fractions were a lot of fun, we are going to be telling time using the hour time, half past, and elapsed time. This can be a difficult skill, but a VERY important one.  I have mini clocks that they will be using to help understand the hands and concept of moving time. Be sure to check math homework nightly. 

Science

Wow, Chemistry! Our students will understand that all matter is made of atoms.  Your child will understand atom components; we will be building a few simple atom structures in class. On Friday, your scholar my make their own atom using anything and everything creative such as cereal, jewels, pom poms, or other supplies! Using the supplies they need to create an atoms with protrons, neutrons, and electrons. They can also come up with an atom name. Make your Own Atom project is due the following Monday, March 7^th.

History

We have had a great time this working actively learning about Conquistadors, playing many games, ask your scholar about them! SO FUN!  Next week scholars will be able to explain the reasons for English exploration to North America.  We will also be reading bout the colony of Jamestown.

Literature

We will be starting My Father’s Dragon! It is a great story that we will be reading throughout the month of March.  Thank you for sending in a copy.  The students will be reading chorally (along with me), it is a complex text.  Comprehension questions, games, character maps, and mini-quizzes will follow daily or after each chapter.  I bought a supplemental packet filled with maps, dragon puppets, character puppets, bookmarks, center work, and a lot more. We will be working on those things as we read and comprehension as well. 

We went outside this morning to scale the Solar System! 

 

Weekly Update for week of 02-22-16

·      Thank you chaperones for your time! We look forward to having you all join! There is no charge for chaperones, the $10 fee covers transportation.

·      Thank you parents for promptly completing the contact information and payment.  If you have not already done so please access the link below, I am looking to have everything turned in and accounted for by Friday afternoon!

·      https://archwayareteclubs.wufoo.com/forms/planetarium-miss-reger-1a/

·      Just a reminder that a completely disposable lunch will need to be packed for our field trip.

·      I cant even begin to explain how rewarding it was to drop off all of the amazing donation items to A New Leaf. The facility is beautiful and the staff was extremely thankful! I appreciate all the generosity, the scholars walked in with huge smiles, so happy to give!

·      We have created the group assignments for the poem of the month. Please be sure your child is confident with their paragraph. They all know which one they are responsible for.

·       Save the Dates

o  Friday, February 26^th Chargers Spirit Wear Day!

o  Saturday, February 27^th Family Fun Run (collect those donations!)

o  Friday, March 4^th Mother & Son Event

Math

The students will be assessed on their ability to equal share and group to divide. We will continue to work on division skills for a few more days before assessing and starting on fractions!

Science

We are wrapping up or solar system travels!  Completing our last few planets, creating a scaled version of the solar system on the field, and taking our field trip!

Please complete the contact information and payment by Friday afternoon.

https://archwayareteclubs.wufoo.com/forms/planetarium-miss-reger-1a/

History

Students will be able to explain how conquistadors came to the new world and claimed land.  We will be specifically reading about Hernandez Cortez and Francisco Pizarro.

Literature

We will be working on a week of short stories and text dependent questions before starting “My Father’s Dragon”.  Thank you families for sending in a copy, it is extremely important that your child has a copy, please send in by Wednesday, 02-24. 

Poetry Teams!

Update for the week of 02-16-16

·      A Great Hearted thank you to all of our amazing 1A scholars and families.  Without your time and donations the day would not have been nearly as special.  It was beyond touching to see the kindness, friendship, and positive culture we have in our class.  It is very unique and I cherish every moment with your sweet little ones!

·      No school on Monday

·      Please send in “My Father’s Dragon” next week.  We will be reading it soon :]

·      We made a trip to A New Leaf today, they were very grateful for all of the donations.  Thank you!

Math

Wrapping up multiplication with one final assessment. Then…onto the concept of division, the understanding of breaking apart using equal sharing. I am so impressed with the participation and have seen lots of “light bulbs” and “AH-HA” moments when working with multiplication!

Science

We will be traveling to the outer planets of our solar system.  The space model is coming together; it is fun to see everyone lend a helping hand as we explore the planets!

History

Students will be reading and will be able to retell the story of Christopher Columbus.

Literature

We will continue to work on building paragraphs. I am excited to share that we will be doing our first Reader’s Theater story and play.  Students will be reading and acting out short stories through out the week!

LOTS of Pictures to share: 

CINCO DE MAYO!

Making pinatas as we learn about Mexican holidays! 

Weekly Update for week of 02-08

·     The students have done a wonderful job working on voice and posture when reciting the poem of the month! Please recite February’s poem nightly, it is the lengthiest one yet!  I would like to assess in small groups, working together in small teams to recite as a group. It is important that scholars know all parts.

·     We will be celebrating our Great Hearts on Thursday, February 11^th. One of our activities requires a picture of your scholar.  If you could send in a 3x5 or 4x6 picture by Wednesday, the 10^th!  We will be cutting them out to create about a 2 inch diameter circle, please be sure their face/ bodies fit in the area!

·     If you can join us for the celebration or can donate, sign up using the link below.  Thank you Toni for your help organizing and informing :]

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

·     I apologize for any misguided update, PICTURE DAY IS THIS TUESDAY, THE 9^TH!

·     No school Friday the 12^th and Monday the 15^th

·     Great Hearts Fun Run is in the books and will be taking donations soon!  Please continue to stay posted and be ready to run!!

GREAT HEARTS WEEK!

Starting Monday, February 8^th

As Great Hearted scholars and families we enjoy showing kindness and generosity to others through our annual service project. This year we will participate by partnering with A New Leaf.  Last year A New Leaf served 21,140 individuals with resources, including homeless and domestic violence shelters with services, affordable housing solutions, behavioral health, foster care, counseling, financial literacy coaching, and basic needs. To lend a helping hand to the families served by A New Leaf, we will be collecting various goods that the organization is in desperate need of.  Each grade level will have a specific goods or supplies to collect; this allows us to cater to many needed items. See below for our grade level’s list of items. Please ensure that all donations are brand new, as gently used items cannot be accepted.

First Grade: bath towels and washcloths

During the week of Great Hearts Day (Feb. 8-11), our students will be asked to bring in items to contribute to our donations list. The drive will conclude on Great Hearts Day (Feb. 11), where total counts of the donated items will be shared and celebrated at the morning assembly. We look forward to seeing the generosity and kindness fill our hearts and rooms with supplies that are greatly appreciated by the families at A New Leaf! If you have any further questions regarding the supply requirements, please do not hesitate to ask!

Math

I am amazed with the rigorous content and the ability of every scholar to try new things while working hard! We have been working on repeated addition, and dabbled with using repeated addition to make multiplication sentences.  We will continue with multiplication sentences and how they are represented using pictures and counters.  Multiplication sentences are read and the factors represent ____ groups of _____, for example 3x4 reads as 3 groups of 4 or 3 fours.   An assessment to check for understanding will take place towards the end of the week.

Science

Onto the order of the planets from the sun and the characteristics of each planet. As a class we will make a solar system mobile, painting and building as we introduce the planets!  Next week we will be learning about Mercury, Venus, and Earth.  On Thursday our science lesson will focus on the love of our planet and how we can be virtuous towards Earth. Complete with a small craft.

History

Continuing with Mexico! We will be reading about different holidays celebrated, reviewing Spanish colors and number words, and finishing the week with individual piñata making!

Literature

We will finish reading “A Bargain for Frances”, focusing and review what it looks, sounds, and feels like to have strong and positive friendships!  I will check for comprehension of the story once we have completed the story.  Our students will also be introduced to Nelson Mandela, conversing and reading bout his important influence to our world while showing change for black history.  Music and art will also participate in some cross-curricular activities to celebrate Nelson Mandela and black history month.