Lots of updates this week!
·
This month in room
19 we are working hard to show organization. I believe this skill can be used
at home and at school as we put things back where they belong. I have been
making an effort to model and take the time to be organized with school work
with the class. It makes the day all the
more productive when we are ready to learn with the needed materials in just a
few split seconds. I challenge the
students to be organized this month!
·
As a Franklin
community we are working on practicing honest actions. We read a story about
honesty and made an anchor chart with the actions of honesty we promise to
show. Some ideas the students came up
with are… being reliable, taking responsibility for our actions, playing
fairly, and asking before we borrow. I look forward to seeing honesty at
school.
·
We are already into
the second semester of first grade. WOW! I hold the responsibility of preparing
them for second grade very seriously. My goal is for them to be confident,
prepared with an assortment of problem solving skills, prideful, and fluently
reading as they enter the second grade. In order to do that I hold them to the
highest expectations both academically as well as morally as they go hand in
hand with learning. With the days we have celebrations and reflections, your
child will experience both situations. I ask that you trust in our community to
support the wins and losses of your child.
I love to acknowledge hard work, but with that hold consequences to poor
choices (in both academics and characteristic values). If your child received an acknowledgement for
something positive it was well deserved and helpful to our community. If there was a consequence it is due to lack
of consideration or concern. With life comes lots of learning. As we are conscious
learners and I lead a group if little humans this year, please keep this in
mind, “What if everybody did that?”. What if everybody showed effort to the
task at hand? What if everybody helped a neighbor learn to tie shoes? What if everybody
showed excitement for learning? What if everybody held a growth mindset? What
if everybody spoke discouragingly? What if everybody wasn’t focused? What if
everybody didn’t participate? There is a link below to the story, What if Everybody Did That?. It is the
springboard to our conversation and the New Year, new goals direction. Thank
you for reading this and working with me to make our classroom full of great
people!
·
We are working as a
community to earn 1,000 Class Dojo points! Once we reach this goal we will be
doing something extra special! Check Dojo often to see how your child is
contributing to our goal.
·
Please read the
monthly Franklin Flyers that are sent home with your oldest sibling. They have
the most current and important information on what is happening as a school.
·
BOX TOPS! Send them
in, we can add them to our bucket.
·
Our next class party
is next month, I will be sending out a link in a few weeks for donations and
volunteers. Stay posted!
·
Thank you for signing
the report cards and returning them.
·
This past week we
completed benchmark assessments to be sure we are growing within our reading
and math subjects. We were able to add
quite a few names to the math facts wall as well as our personal facts and
phonogram boards in class. (picture posted to Dojo) Ask your child about his/her
progress. The tests were graded and passed back to the students to review. I
believe it is important for them to see where they started and where they fall
now. LOTS of growth yet there is still more to come. I will be reviewing these
scores with you at parent teacher conferences.
·
There were many
students staying in during recess this week to complete homework. Homework is a
crucial part of the home responsibility. It is also a great way for you to be
in the know with the weekly skills. When doing homework the next day at recess,
not only do they miss out on play but I am required to be in the classroom as
they complete. The brain breaks are needed and deserved by all, let’s do the
homework at home.
·
We have PE every
Tuesday and Thursday, the students need to wear tennis shoes in order to
participate, this means no boots.
·
Be sure your child
is reading aloud to you nightly as well a logging any books read together on
the book log. I am collecting book logs now for the term 4 report card.
·
Thank you for the
constant communication using the homework sheets and/or Dojo. Contact with you
is so important! The happy feedback reminders are my favorite, thank you for
making my day! What we do here in school is powerful and changes the world!
·
Save the Dates:
§ Thursday, January 17th- Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday
§ Monday, January 21st- NO SCHOOL
§ Saturday, January 26th- Franklin Festival
§ Tuesday, January 29th- Progress Reports Home
§ Thursday, February 17th- Poem Day!
§ Friday, February 15th- Class Party
§ Friday, February 15th- Early Release at 1:25
§ Monday, February 18th- NO SCHOOL
§ February 25th- March 1st- Parent Teacher
Conferences
A look at next week…
Spalding
The words are becoming
complex and lengthy. I encourage all students to write neatly and practice word
lists twice. Meaning, complete all 10
words, fold so they cannot be seen, and complete again. We tell our pencils
what to write in class, the same can be done at home. Spelling words will be
introduced as usual Monday- Wednesday with a review day on Thursday. I would like to review the spelling
expectations with you. They will write the nightly words two times each without
markings going down the green homework sheet. Please be sure it is folded and
they are writing along the start of the line and the fold. This allows for neat
and organized habits. Thursday is the
only night when all words are written once without markings. Our weekly
phonograms consist of ones that are in need of review as well as ones found in
our spelling words. Letter formations and neatness count!
Reading
The first semester was
guided much by read aloud stories read by myself. I was able to model fluent
reading, reading with expression, and focused the skill on comprehension.
Second semester will not only include comprehension elements but the skill of
fluent reading by the individual student.
Most stories this semester will be read a louds in which every child has
a copy. We are so lucky here at Franklin to have class sets of stories. This
allows for students to really work on the skill of reading. Next week we will
continue with the adventures of Little Bear. The students have been enjoying
our chapters throughout the week. Any comprehension packets will be sent home
for you to review if you would like.
Math
The skill of subtraction
with regrouping has been an exciting task. I loved watching the students
discover the true meaning of borrowing and using a catchy tune to help
subtract. Next week we will relate addition to subtraction to self-check our
work. This is a great skill/tool for them to use to be sure they are adding and
subtracting independently and accurately.
Science
WE ARE LOVING ANCIENT
EGYPT! What a fascinating civilization. We started our studies down the Nile
River as well as with the mummification process. We mummified an apple in
class, we will unwrap our mummy at the end of the unit to observe the process
of preservation. Next week we will be
reading about pharaohs, specifically King Tut.
What a wonderful first school
week of 2019,
Ms. Reger
