There is no spelling this week! We will be completing some wonderful holiday activities that go along with some of my favorite books. Ask your child each day about the special book we read and project that went along with the book.

Today, Monday, we read The Mitten by Jan Brett. Your child is coming home with their very own mitten filled with the animals from the story. Have your child retell the story and put all their animals into the mitten in the correct order. We really enjoyed this wonderful winter story!

Reminder: Send buckets for Gingerbread Houses by Wednesday! Also, our ornament exchange is on Wednesday. Try to have ornaments here and wrapped by Tuesday! This will allow me to make sure everyone has an ornament.

Tuesday, we will be reading the Polar Express. We will also be doing many fun activities with this book. Ask your child about them!

Wednesday: To finish up the Polar Express, we ask your child come to school in their pajamas on Wednesday. We will be boarding a "train" and enjoying the movie. Each child will be getting a golden ticket to board the train and they will also have a special treat here for them. This is always an exciting day. We can't wait!

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday! I will see you all in 2012!
School resumes on Thursday, January 5th!

December 12-16

Spelling Words: shop, shot, shut, rush, wish, fish, for, more, from, very
Challenge Words: shadow, sunshine, English, publish, shoelace

Sight Words: came, could, gold, happy, made, night, saw, were

This week we will be focusing on the "sh" sound. We are learning to listen for "sh" in the beginning, middle and end of words.

On Wednesday, December 21st, we will be watching The Polar Express in our jammies. Kids are welcome to wear their pajamas to school that day. Pajamas must be school and winter weather appropriate.

Reminder:
* Send buckets for Gingerbread Houses!
* Also, our ornament exchange is on next Wednesday. Have ornaments here and wrapped by Tuesday, December 20! Thanks!

NO School from December 22 - January 4. We return to school on January 5th. Happy Holidays!

Spelling Words: or, for, form, more, store, sort, long, bring, your, head
Challenge Words: orbit, tornado, evaporate, important, enormous

Sight Words: animals, cold, fish, from, their, under, very

**Gingerbread houses will be ready for home delivery the week of December 19th. We have found that the homes travel well in an "Ice Cream Pail." As soon as you have finished off your ice cream and washed out the bucket, please send it in to school. I ask that your child's name is somewhere on the bucket! As always, if you have any extras, we would gladly accept them! Thank you in advance.

If you would like to pick your child up from school and take his/her house with you, feel free to do so. Houses can be retrieved Monday, December 19th - Wednesday, December 21st.


Reminder -- Book orders are due this Tuesday, December 6th!

Math: This week in math we are working on sorting, classifying, and graphing data. This is a very hard unit for First Graders. Please use the Family Sheet (sent home on Tuesday) to help your child better understand the concepts covered in this chapter.

Reading: Our sound with is week is "or". We are working on building and reading words that have "or" and "ore" in them. Please practice building words incorporating this phonetic element.

Spelling Words: long, song, sing, ring, bring, thing, us, must, does, food
Challenge Words: tagalong, earring, something, swingset, everything

Sight Words: arms, every, feet, head, school, use, way, you

Come One, Come All...

Please join us in celebrating Gingerbread Day! All parents are welcome to help us celebrate by decorating our very own gingerbread house. We will start decorating at 1:45 on Friday, December 2nd. Decorating usually takes a good hour. Our homes will join the "Parade of Homes" outside the library. All homes will return to their proud owners, the week before Winter Break.

*Please save an ice cream pail to take your house home in!

Thank you to everyone that sent in materials. A huge thank you goes out to Kristie Harmer, and Cathi Dioszeghy for assembling all of our wonderful houses. A special thank you also goes out to Tiffany McNatt and Cathi Dioszeghy for making the "glue. " This day would not be possible without the wonderful volunteers that dedicate their time to our classroom! Our gingerbread houses will be the envy of Shirley Hills!

Just a reminder that the gingerbread houses are strictly for decoration. The glue we are using is not safe to consume. Thank you and I can't wait to see all the stunning masterpieces created tomorrow!

-ng ending This week we are working on words that end in "-ng." Word families that we will be focusing on are: -ing, -ung, -ong, -ang

There are no new spelling words or sight words this week. Please practice the past sight words and read, read, read!

Reminder: There is no school on Thursday and Friday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Poetry Binders: The poetry binders are coming home this week. Please help your child get autographs for reading the poems. Some of the poems are very difficult and will require help from you. This is a great way to spark interest in a different genre. Please return your child's poetry binder on Monday, November 28th. Happy reading!

Mrs. Hagen's Class wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

As a class we made this wonderful turkey full of all the things we are thankful for. The kids did a fantastic job! Some of the things we are thankful for include:

Mikayla- I am thankful for my family.
Roo - I am thankful for Moe.
Vaughn - I am thankful for God.
Adeline - I am thankful for my sisters.
Leyton Lee - I am thankful for my mom.
Haley - I am thankful for my dogs.
Avery - I am thankful for my Grandma, Grandpa, Papa and Nonee.
Brekken - I am thankful for my bunny.
Katie - I am thankful for my Dad.
Trish - I am thankful for my Mom.
Micah - I am thankful for my family.
Andy - I am thankful for my dog.
Luke - I am thankful for God.
Naresh - I am thankful for my Dad.
Michael - I am thankful for my cat.
Vivienne - I am thankful for God.
Mac - I am thankful for my family.
Sam - I am thankful for my family.
Dylan - I am thankful for my toys.
Brenden - I am thankful for my family.
Savannah - I am thankful for my family.
Gretchen - I am thankful for my dog.
Taylor - I am thankful for my Dad.
Daniel - I am thankful for my Dad.
Mrs. Hagen - I am thankful for such a wonderful class full of amazing students.

Check out this link! It is an awesome song that helps teach the kids about nouns. Be careful, it's very catchy! Have fun with this one - we sure did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZcka8Zg-uc

Monday, November 14

Spelling Words: us, bus, must, cut, cub, club, with, then, don't, says
Challenge Words: umbrella, hungry, puppet, opossum, coconut

Sight Words: be, does, food, grow, live, many

Math

In math this week, we are starting to focus on subtraction. In this week's lessons, we are using a number line to help us subtract. Please practice this strategy at home. Using our fingers is still okay, but at sometime we will not have enough fingers. A number line can be drawn on a piece of paper, printed off the internet or a ruler is a fine substitute.

Short /u/ : This week we are focusing on the sound that short /u/ makes. We point up to the sky while saying, "u,u up." This is a great technique to help your child remember his/her short vowel sounds.

Monday, November 7

Spelling Words: then, them, this, that, path, with, ten, get, said, was
Challenge Words: thermometer, thousand, thunder, anthem, width

Sight Words: don't her, line, Mr., new, says, water


Math: There will be math homework on Tuesday night. Please have your child complete the assignment and return it to school on Wednesday. The purpose of this homework is to reinforce the math concepts prior to the test on Wednesday. Thank you for you support!

"TH"

This weeks phonetic sound is the "th" sound. We give a thumbs up to help us remember the sound "th" makes. Help your child think of words that both start and end with the "th" sound. Many of our spelling words also have this sound in common.

Thank you to all the Grandfriends that came to our concert on Friday. It was a huge success. The kids enjoyed sharing the I-Pods with their Grandfriends. I loved meeting all the very special friends. Thank you again for coming and supporting our class. We hope you enjoyed your special day!

REMINDER: Conferences are on-
Monday, November 7th 4:00 - 8:00
Thursday, November 10th 4:00 - 8:00
Friday, November 11th 8:00 - 4:00 (No School)

I am looking forward to meeting with you and sharing all the wonderful accomplishments your children have made!

Spelling Words: set, sent, ten, tell, let, get, all, call, make, of
Challenge Words: compliment, farewell, gentle, penguin, magnetic

Sight Words: day, said, eat, first, time, was

Short /e/

This week we are working on the sound that "short e" makes. Like all the other short vowel sounds, we have created a little hand signal that helps us remember the sound. Ask your child to show you how to do the "e, e, elephant." Please help your child build "short e" words at home. We will be continuing that practice at school throughout the week.

Math

In math this week, we are starting to focus on subtraction. In this week's lessons, we are using a number line to help us subtract. Please practice this strategy at home. Using our fingers is still okay, but at sometime we will not have enough fingers. A number line can be drawn on a piece of paper, printed off the internet or a ruler is a fine substitute.

A big thank you to all the parents that planned and helped out at our wonderful Halloween party. It was a fabulous day! The kids looked awesome in their costumes! Thank you again for a party we will never forget!

Grandfriend's Day - Just a reminder that Grandfriend's Day is this Friday. If you have not already, please send in your RSVP.

Family Fun Night
Where: Shirley Hills Library
When: TONIGHT (Nov. 1st)
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Monday, October 24th

Spelling Words: all, call, fall, wall, ball, tall, not, top, much, thank Challenge Words: basketball, snowfall, install, gallbladder, waterfall
Sight Words: some, make, of, how

MATH

In math we are learning how to count on using a number line. Please practice using a number line instead of using our fingers to add. If you don't have a number line at home, a great resource is a ruler. Have your child use the inch side of the ruler to count forward. Have fun practicing your math facts!

We had a lot of fun practicing our math and reading skills on the I-Pods! Next, we will be trying our skills on the I-Pads! We can't wait!

REMINDER: Picture retakes are tomorrow (10/25)!

In your child's homework folder, you will find a conference reminder. If you are unable to attend the scheduled conference time, please let me know as soon as possible. A few families did not sign up for a time. I assigned those families a time. Due to a large class, and not enough time slots, I had to add a couple on to fit everyone. Please let me know as soon as possible if any changes are desired. I will try my best to accommodate your requests. Please remember that those signed up to conference on November 8th, your date was changed to Monday, November 7th. Thank you again for your patience and flexibility. I look forward to meeting with you!

There is no spelling this week!

MEA VACATION

NO SCHOOL WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY OR FRIDAY

First Grade Poetry Binders:
You child will be bringing home their poetry binders on Tuesday. Please take some time to read through these and enjoy the different poems we have been reading. On each poem you will notice some highlighting. Have your child help you recall why we highlighted the words we did. Some will be rhyming and some will be a phonetic focus. Have fun and enjoy the fun poems! Please send your child's poetry binder back with them on Monday, October 24th.
As you and your child read a poem, please remember to autograph that poem. Autograph it for each time read.

**Picture Retake Day is Tuesday, October 25th**

Family Literacy Night

When: 11-01-11

Where: Shirley Hill's Library

When: 5 - 7 pm

Special Guest:

I want to give a big thank you to Mr. Mather for coming and sharing his special adventure with us. Mr. Mather climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. We are truly lucky to have had the chance to see and experience such an amazing adventure. I won't be surprised to hear about these kids taking this challenge in the future. They were in awe! Ask your child to share some of the interesting facts they learned today!

Marvelous Monday

Spelling Words: top, hop, hot, not, dot, lot, back, pick, oh, yes
Challenge Words: mascot, raindrop, tropical, patriotic, optical

Sight Words: find, much, thank

MATH

In math we are learning how to count on using a number line. Please practice using a number line instead of using our fingers to add. If you don't have a number line at home, a great resource is a ruler. Have your child use the inch side of the ruler to count forward. Have fun practicing your math facts!

"Short O Sound"

We are working on the "short O" sound in first grade. To help us remember what sound "short O" makes, we have a special hand signal. We make the "OK" sign with our fingers and put it in front of our mouths. While waving our three standing fingers, we say "O, O, Octopus." Have your child demonstrate for you. It is a cute one!

Fall Colors Book

Your child will be bringing home a book about fall colors. Please help them read it. It is something we have been working on in class and they are very proud of their books. With reading, it is also fun to focus on the rhyming words in the story. Enjoy!

Terrific Tuesday

Keep practicing your spelling words! Yellow tic-tac-toe sheet is not to be turned in until Friday:)

Math:
This week in math we have started Chapter 3. In this chapter we we will be focusing on subtraction. It is very important that we remember a subtraction sentence MUST start with the largest number. We are also learning about all the parts of a subtraction sentence. It must have numbers, a minus sign, an equal sign and a difference. It is important to refer to the answer of a subtraction sentence as the "difference." Having the same vocabulary at home and school will lead to better understanding.

We have created 3 "I Can..." statements for this chapter. By the end of chapter 3 each child will be able to state these statements with certainty and confidence!

1. I can write a subtraction number sentence.
2. I can find the difference.
3. I can show subtraction stories.

**Please remember to check the blue parent letter for each math chapter. A new one was sent home in your child's homework folder last night. The activity on the back will better prepare your child for the week ahead. These sheets do not get turned back in to me. Please keep at home and refer to as you see necessary.

Marvelous Monday

Spelling Words: pick, pack, tack, back, sack, sick, big, in, hold, so
Challenge Words: backpack, quarterback, racetrack, toothpick, chicken

Sight Words: late, oh, yes

We had the most wonderful field trip on Friday. The weather was picture perfect and we learned a ton about insects. We were able to explore the woods and trails of Lowry Nature Center looking for insect species. We found more than we could count. There were also a few other surprises (like a snake). YeAh! Thank you to all the parents that helped with the trip. You did a great job assuring that our class was listening and learning. Thank you again! Below are a few pictures from our trip. Please enjoy! Ask you child about the four stages of life that we talked about.

1. eggs

2. Larva

3. Pupa

4. Adult

Captain "ck"
This week we are learning about Captain "CK". We have learned that words ending in -ck are visited by captain "CK". He visits that words that have a vowel before the -ck sound. His purpose is to serve and protect the vowels. Our spelling words are great examples of this!

Shirley Hill's First Grade Team ROCKS!

Just a reminder that the spelling test will be tomorrow (Thursday). You can turn homework in Thursday or Friday this week.

Don't forget to pack a lunch for Friday's Field Trip!

SCIENCE:

Today we had an introduction to insects. We learned that most insects have;

*6 legs
*3 body parts - Head, Abdomen and Thorax
*1 or 2 sets of wings
*1 set of antennae

We also learned about he life cycle of a butterfly:
1. Eggs
2. Larva
3. Pupa
4. Adult


MATH:
You will have math homework tonight. The homework is due on Thursday. We will be having a math test on Chapter 2 on Thursday. Thank you for your continued support!

Marvelous Monday

Spelling Words: in, pig, pin, big, dig, did, had, sat, too, no
Challenge Words: pyramid, violin, snakeskin, giggle, hidden

Sight Words: get, hold, home, so, soon

ATTENTION: Due to the field trip on Friday, our spelling test will be held on Thursday morning. Please send homework back Thursday or Friday. Thank you!

Picture Day is TOMORROW!
Please send your child's picture form in!

"Short /i/Sound"

We are working on the "short i" sound in first grade. To help us remember what sound "short i" makes, we have a special hand signal. We itch our nose with our pointer finger. While itching the top of our nose, we say "i, i, itch." Have your child demonstrate for you. It is a cute one!

Thoughtful Thursday

Spelling
Remember that spelling tic-tac-toe sheets are due on Friday (tomorrow). I want each child to practice their spelling words every night. Please do not turn the yellow sheets back in to me until Friday morning. It is very important that you mark which activities your child completes. I have been very impressed with the progress seen from Monday to Friday. Keep up the good work!

Homework Folders
Homework folders will go home each night (even if there is no homework). Please help your child get into the habit of packing their backpack with their folder before they go to bed. This is a great way to instill a sense of independence and responsibility in your little one.

School Pictures
Just a reminder that school pictures are on September 27th. Please send your child's order form back to school on or before the 27th. Thank you in advance for your support! We will be taking our pictures at 10:15. This way we have no worries of lunch messes on our nice clothes or neat faces!

Math:
In math we have started chapter 2 - Using Addition
Our "I can..." statements for this chapter are:
1. I can name all the ways to make 7, 8, 9 & 10!
2. I can write vertical addition sentences!
3. I can add numbers in any order! (2 + 3 = 5 / 3 + 2 = 5)

Spelling Words: hat, had, sad, sat, bat, bag, at, can, help, now Challenge Words: static, advice, answer, baggage, habitat

Sight Words: in, no, too

Math:

On Monday night, your child will have their first math homework. It will always be on blue paper and is due the very next day. Math homework symbolizes the end of a chapter. The homework is to help your child review the night before the test. This week our math test on chapter 1 will be on Tuesday. Please make sure you work with your child on the homework and return it to school no later than Tuesday. Thank you!

Reading:
This week we continue to practice the short /a/ sound. We will be participating in our first week of literacy centers. The centers this week will be:

1. Word Work - Students will follow the directions to create an apple tree. On each apple they will have to write a short /a/ word. If they finish early, they have the opportunity to read through non-fiction books focused on apples.

2. Students will work to take scrambled sentences from their weekly story and arrange them in the correct order. They will then write the sentences out to recreate the story. If time permits, each child will illustrate their sentences.

3. Reading - Students will be reading a simple story called, "Surprise Party!" After reading the story a minimum of three times, they will be making the main character a birthday card. The focus will be on writing a greeting, a body and a closing. Students will have stickers, markers and other craft materials to create their card. Imagination is a must!

4. Listening Center - Students listen to a short /a/ phonetics lesson on CD. They have directions to follow, fun music to listen to and activities to complete. This is always a fan favorite!

5. ABC - Students will use letter cards to build short /a/ words. After building them, they will required to write them down. Lastly, students will illustrate pictures to match the words they built from scratch.

Schedule:
Monday - Art
Tuesday - Gym & Music
Wednesday - Art
Thursday - Gym
Friday - Media

Thanks for another great week!

Please remember to send your child's Friday Folder back to school on Monday. In the folder you will find the Innisbrook fundraiser. This is a very important fundraiser that makes our Wolf Ridge Trip possible.

Thank you for sending your child's spelling homework back to school. The kids were so excited to tell me about all the activities they did throughout the week. The practice really showed! The entire class did amazingly well on their first spelling test. Keep up the good work!

I really appreciate everyone getting the field trip chaperone form back to me as soon as possible. I am looking forward to our trip to Lowry Nature Center on the 30th. I will get in touch with you next week if your help is needed on the field trip. Thank you again for your continued support!

Wonderful Wednesday

Math:

In math we have 3 I Can... statements that we are working towards in our first chapter.
They are:
1. I can show addition stories.
2. I can find the sum.
3. I can write an addition number sentence.
Please talk to your children about these goals. It is important that we all meet our daily academic objectives.

*Please remember to keep your blue family activity sheet at home. The purpose is to inform and help guide parents in the math concepts we are currently working on.

This week in math we have been working on addition. It is important that every student understands what an addition number sentence looks like. Please review with your child that an addition number sentence looks like this:

______ + ______ =SUM

"Short A"

All week we have been focusing on the "short a" sound. I use the visual cue of eating an apple, to spark recall. While doing the visual cue, we also recite, "a, a, apple." Have your child demonstrate for you.

A great idea for practicing "short a" is to build short a words. In class we build one word and just change a single letter to create a totally different word. This also leads into great discussions and teaching opportunities revolving around rhyming.

SPELLING:

Remember to continue to practice your spelling words all week. On Friday, return the tic-tac-toe sheet with a parent signature. I would also like you to mark off all the activities completed by your child. Don't feel as though you have to stop at 3 activities. Do as many as time allows. The more practice the better. If your child has CHALLENGE WORDS taped on the bottom of their pretest, please practice those words. It is important that children are challenged!

Today we had gym with Mr. Halvarson. I noticed the kids were having a great time skipping and moving around the gym.

Marvelous Monday

Spelling Words: am, at, cat, can, ran, man, map, tap, a, the Challenge Words: catnip, program, antelope, happy, platypus
*Students scoring 8 out of 10 or better on their pretest, will receive challenge words to practice.
Sight Words: help, now, let's
The yellow spelling Tic-Tac-Toe sheet will come home tonight in your child's homework folder. Please complete throughout the week. The Tic-Tac-Toe is due on Friday.

Math:In math we are beginning our first unit of addition. In your child's homework folder you will find a blue family involvement activity sheet. This should be kept at home and reviewed throughout the week. Please do not send this sheet back to school. It serves the purpose of informing parents and guiding additional practice/support at home. On the back of the paper is a game that you can make with your child.
The important concepts addressed in this unit are:
*addition sentences
*sum
*plus
*equals

We had an awesome assembly today. All the teachers did cheers and the the High School Cheerleaders came to help us celebrate. We learned about all the different hopes and dreams of each grade. The four that first graders came up were:
1. Become a better reader
2. Meet new friends
3. Have fun
4. Try our best
We are all ready for a super year!

Tomorrow Mrs. Hagen will be testing us on the 37 sight words we learned in Kindergarten. While Mrs. Hagen is testing, we will have a substitute teacher. Mrs. Hagen knows that we will be helpful and respectful to our guest teacher.

Day 4

Fantastic Friday!


Today was our first time in art class. We were very excited to find out the kinds of fun projects we would be working on in first grade. Mrs. Olaussen is the best!

Our color book today focused on the color ORANGE! We learned a new "orange" song, read a story called "Spookley The Square Pumpkin," and made our very own Spookley's! We had a blast!

I hope everyone had a chance to make it to the Back-to-School BBQ! Have a wonderful weekend! Please remember to check your child's backpack for their Friday Folder. Friday Folders should be emptied and returned to school the following Monday. Homework Folders will not be sent home on Fridays!

Thanks for a great first week! I am looking forward to a wonderful future with fabulous first graders.

Day 3

We had a very "Thoughtful Thursday!"

In morning meeting we gave high fives, shared our favorite sports, played a game called ZOOM and learned a new song for tomorrow. Ask your child to share the song and movements with you.
"Hello neighbor, what do you say?
It's going to be a wonderful day!
Clap your hands and boogie on down,
Give a little bump and turn around!"

I can't wait to see if we remember it for tomorrow!


The color BLACK is the second color in our color book. Today we listed all kinds of different things that are BLACK. We also read The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle. To finish off our color page, we made a spider web and added thumb print spiders to it. It was a blast! Sorry Moms and Dads for the dirty thumb:)

"A Tee-Riffic Summer"
We made t-shirts with our favorite summer memory! Please stop up and look at our memories displayed on the fronts of our lockers. We worked very hard at making our t-shirts pop with color and details.

Mrs. Hagen had us working hard today! She had us write our numbers from 1-20. She also mixed up the alphabet and had us write each letter that she said. Because it was so hot in our room, we went out and sat in the shade with clipboards to do our work. It was a little cooler but we felt like grownups doing very important work.
** It would be great to have everyone practice writing their numbers at home. In first grade we are going to work on forming our numbers and letters correctly and making sure they are facing the appropriate direction.

Have a fabulous night! See you tomorrow for bus safety!

Day 2

Thank you First Graders for a successful second day! Today we stayed very busy with creating classroom rules, discussing our hopes and dreams for the year and making the first page of our color book.

The class worked together to come up with 4 GREAT rules our class should follow to keep order, learn a lot a stay safe. The rules are:
1. Respect others
2. Take care of yourself
3. Keep our classroom clean
4. Have fun learning new things!


RED is the first color in our color book. We did many things to help us learn how to spell, read and write the color "RED."
1. We read the story The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
2. We made a complete list of all things "red."
3. We learned a new song about the color red.
4. We learned how to write red with capital and lower case letters.
5. We made our very own Grouchy Ladybug.


In morning meeting we continued to greet others with a handshake. We shared our favorite animals today and we played a game of telephone. It sure was funny to see how Mrs. Hagen's message changed from - "First Grade is the best grade." To "I like bears and things and things." Not too sure if we fully understood the concept, but we sure had fun playing:)

Look in your child's backpack for their homework folder tonight. There is a letter telling you all about the folder. Please make sure the folder is brought back to school tomorrow morning. We will be practicing the routines of bringing it into the classroom and packing it for home. Please remember to check your child's backpack each and every night for homework or special information. Thank you in advance for your support and enthusiasm.

First Day of School!

Welcome First Graders!

We had a fabulous day today. Our day started out with a morning meeting. We will be having a morning meeting each day. This is will help our class build a positive community and creates a climate of trust. Each morning meeting has 4 parts...
1. Greeting - Today we learned how to properly shake our neighbors hand and greet them by name.
2. Sharing - Today we did a "rocket share." Mrs. Hagen asked us what our favorite color was. We went around and shared. It was fun to notice how many other friends liked the same color.
3. Activity - Today we played "POP UP." It is a fun number game. Ask your child how the game was played.
4. News and Announcements - We end each meeting with an overview of the day. Here is where we do the calendar and talk about what to expect that day.

We were lucky enough to have gym today with Mr. Halvarson. To top all things off, we played on the new playground. All students know the safe way to play on the playground, and they know the boundaries of our outside area. Mrs. Hagen's class is ready for a Fantastic year!

*Please remember to send back any information sheets from open house. Thank you for all of your support!

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Spelling Words: boy, mild, most, cold, new, find, building, soon, mind, fold
Challenge Words: childlike, threshold, scold, blindfold, goalpost

Sight Words: any, front, nothing, ready, sorry
*Believe it or not, this is our last week of spelling and reading. Wow!

Math: We continue to get ready for second grade. This last week will be a quick intro into adding and subtracting double digit numbers.

Reading: Our story this week is Frog and Toad Are Friends. This is a very popular series for kids. If you are looking for some great "Summer Reading" ideas, the Frog and Toad series is a wonderful pick!

Report cards can be viewed on Friday, June 3rd! Please send in a bag with your child. This bag can be paper or reusable. We will begin to take some things home over the next week and a half.

Supplies: I ask students to donate their gently used supplies to the first graders of 2012. If you would like your child to bring home all of their supplies, please send me a note or an email. Thank you in advance for donating!


*First Grade Fun Day! On the last day of school, first grade will celebrate with a circus themed fun day. Look in your child's homework folder for a notice about this exciting day! We are looking for parent volunteers. If you can help, please let us know as soon as possible. Volunteers will be responsible for supervising and running a certain station/activity. It is a great way to "ZOOM" out of first grade!

Thank you everyone for a superb year. The kids have grown so much over the past 9 months. I hope you all enjoy your summer! A special thanks goes out to all the parents that helped out this year. Your continued support and endless availability does not go unnoticed! I appreciate everyone that has contributed to our classroom through supplies, time and dedication! I could not have done it without you!
See you in the Fall!

Monday, May 23rd

Spelling Words: None for this week!

*Due to the field trip and Super Team Day there will be no spelling this week.

Sight Words: boy, building, tomorrow, toward, welcoming

End Of Year Alphabet:

Monday - Oldies Day (Pioneer Park Field Trip)

Tuesday - Popcorn Day (We'll pop and snack on some popcorn)

Wednesday - Quiet Day (We'll do some quiet activities)

Thursday - Rock and Roll Day (We'll jam out to some rock and roll songs)

Friday - Sports Day (Super Team Day!)

Reading:

We will be reading a story called "Sand Castle." This week focuses on the /oo/ sound.

Math:

*estimate and measure capacity using nonstandard units

*estimate and measure capacity using cups, pints, quarts and liters

Super Team Day... (Friday, May 27th)

**Look for "Notes From The Office."

*Pack a lunch, snack and water for the day.

*Wear sunscreen and your Spirit Wear!

*Parents are welcome!

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Spelling Words: funny, happy, story, stories, hurry, hurried, how, out, baby, done
Challenge Words: worry, worried, many, really, penny

Sight Words: able, almost blue, great, poured, took, traveled

End of Year Alphabet: Monday - "J" Joke Day - Bring a joke to share Tuesday - "K" Kick Off Your Shoes Day - You must have socks on Wednesday - "L" Lunch w/ Your Friends - You can sit by friends in any classroom for lunch Thursday - "M" - Movie Day - We will watch a movie Friday - "N" - Note Day - We will write friendly notes to our friends

Reading: We are reading, At The Crayon Factory. This is a nonfiction story that details the process of how crayons are made. Throughout the story we are focusing on the long/e/ sound. Long /e/ can be spelled... e, ee, ea, y or ie!

Grammar: We are learning how to drop the "y" and add "-ies" or "-ied"...
worry worries worried
hurry hurries hurried

Math: In chapter 27 we will be focusing on using a balance to estimate, compare and order objects. We use pounds and kilograms to estimate, compare and order objects.

**REMINDER-- Field trip to Pioneer Park (Monday, May 23rd). Please make sure your child has a lunch and snack, packed in a disposable bag. We will be leaving right at 9:00. Please be on time to school this day. Mrs. Erdahl, Mrs. McCue and Mrs. Henderson will be joining us on this field trip. Thank you very much for volunteering to accompany us on this fabulous day!

Parents and Poetry 2011

Monday, May 9, 2011

Spelling Words: how, cow, down, out, found, round, try, light, earth, table

Challenge Words: allowance, however, browse, announce, account

Sight Words: answered, baby, done, heard, pools, pushed, together

END OF YEAR ALPHABET:

Monday - F=Friendship (We'll make friendship bracelets)

Tuesday - G= Game Day (Bring a non-electronic game to play)

Wednesday - H= Hat Day (Wear a hat to school)

Thursday - I =Ice cream (We'll have an ice cream treat)

Friday - NO SCHOOL

READING: We will be working on the /ow/ and /ou/ sound.

Our story this week is "Ebb and Flo and the Baby Seal. We will be using this story to reassess story elements. Talk to your child about the characters, setting, beginning, middle, end , problem and solution in our story.

Math: This week we are finishing measurement. We have learned how to use a ruler and measure objects with both inches and centimeters. There will be a math test on Thursday!

Look for the math homework on Wednesday night!

**REMINDER - NO SCHOOL FRIDAY (Teacher Workshop)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Spelling Words: my, try, tried, ties, light, might, use, rule, color, hair

Challenge Words: July, spied, cries, lightning, twilight

Sight Words: climbed, earth, fooling, table, thought

Reading:

We are studying the long /i/ sound again this week. Long /i/ can be spelled many different ways. The 5 ways we study are; i, -y, -igh, -ie, i-e. Please help your child build and read long /i/ words.

We are reading a story called "Blast Off!" Students will be doing a small research project on a planet of their choice. Ask your child to share with you the interesting facts they learned about their planet.

Math:

There will be math homework on Monday night. A test on telling time will follow on Tuesday.

Our new chapter will focus on measurement. In this chapter we will be able to:

*put objects in order according to their length

*estimate and measure length using nonstandard units(paper clips)

*estimate and measure length using an inch ruler

*select inches or feet as the appropriate unit

*estimate and measure length to the nearest centimeter, using a centimeter ruler

Thank you to everyone that came to our "Parents and Poetry Party"!

It was great to see everyone and have so much support for our young poets. I hope you all enjoyed yourself. I will be getting a copy of the readings to everyone before the end of the year. Thank you again!

End of Year Alphabet...

Monday - Animal Day (bring a stuffed animal)

Tuesday - Bingo Day (we will play bingo)

Wednesday - Comfy Clothes Day (wear comfy clothes)

Thursday - Drink Day (bring your favorite drink from home to enjoy)

Friday - Exhibition Day (bring something special for show and tell)

Monday, April 25th

Spelling Words: use, cute, cube, tube, tune, rule, nice, large, hear, talk

Challenge Words: argument, confused, usually, unicorn, pollute

Sight Words: clear, color, good-bye, hair, kinds, only, toes

Reading: This week we will be reading a story called, "Amazing Animals." This story is a nonfiction story. It will be teaching us many new facts about a variety of different animals.

In media we are starting our very own nonfiction animal research. Ask your child about the animal he/she has been researching.

We are also learning all about verbs. Verbs are action words...

Such as: read, dream, play, catch, run, skate

A super fun way to practice verbs is by playing an exciting game of charades.

Math: In math we are staring to learn to tell time. An important part of telling time is actually being able to identify the parts of a clock (minute had, hour hand and second hand).

In first grade we focus on telling time to the hour (9:00) and telling time to the half hour (9:30). Children will become familiar with telling time on both analog and digital clocks.

**Please remember to send in money or picture packets (if not paying for) for Spring Pictures. Pictures must be paid for if you are keeping them.

**Boxtop collections have started! Please send in your boxtops! Classrooms are having a competition to see who brings in the most. Our classroom will receive a gift card for the amount we collect.

Tuesday, April 19th

Reminder: Spelling Test is Tomorrow! (Wednesday, April 20th) Please remember to turn in you spelling homework too!

NWEA is finished! The kids did a fabulous job. I will let everyone know when they can expect to get their child's scores in the mail. Congratulations First Graders!

Parents and Poetry R.S.V.P -- Due April 26th. Please remember to send in your sheet. The kids are extremely excited to share their wonderful poems with you! They have worked very hard on them! I can promise that you will be VERY IMPRESSED! They are poets and didn't know it:)

Spelling Words: ice, nice, race, page, edge, large, home, those, love, hello

Challenge Words: garbage, necklace, dodgeball, didgeridoo, bridge

**Spelling test will be on Wednesday, April 20th.

Sight Words: become, busy, eyes, high, listen, remembered, talk, visitor

READING: We will be stretching this reading unit over two weeks. There will be no new spelling words or sight words for the week of April 18th. We are doing this because of the testing that first graders will be participating in over the next two weeks. It is Spring and therefore it is time for the NWEA test again. This is the skills assessment the students take on the computers (in both reading and math).

Our scheduled time for reading is Wednesday, April 13th.

Our scheduled time for math is Tuesday, April 19th.

Scores for the assessments will be mailed home later in the year. This assessment allows us to see if each student is making adequate progress and it shows where he/she is performing compared to peers.

We are working on consonants /s/c, /j/g, and -dge.

(s, -ss, ce, ci-, j, -ge, gi-, -dge)

We will continue to write and read poems for National Poetry Month.

MATH: In math we are learning about money. The next two chapters focus on identifying pennies, nickels and dimes. We will be learning the value of pennies, nickels and dimes, counting groups of money to find a value and using different coin combinations to equal same amounts.

I hope to see everyone at the carnival on Saturday, April 16th!

Monday, April 4th

Spelling Words: home, hope, rope, rode, rose, those, like, nine, right, walk

Challenge Words: telephone, envelope, explode, moment, closed

Sight Words: brown, city, hello, loudly, love, pulled

Reading:

This week we will be focusing on the long /o/ sound. We recognize long /o/ as: oa, ow, 0_e, o.

We are also looking at -er and -est endings. For example; big, bigger and biggest.

Math:

We will continue to focus on fractions. We will be dividing into 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4. Ask students about the fraction pizzas they created. They are fabulous!

READING ROCKS:

Please think about donating any items associated with reading to our carnival basket. We are in desperate need of donations. Cash donations are also greatly appreciated. Some ideas for our basket include; books, reading light, comfy chair, bookmark, snacks, cuddly reading buddy, etc... Thank you in advance for your donations!

Wednesday, March 30

Happy Birthday Katie!

Sorry for the delay in blogging this week. Between an all day meeting and sick kids, I have not been able to update.

In math we will be starting to work on Fractions. Please look for the parent/family letter on Thursday.

READING ROCKS BASKET...

We are in desperate need of donated items for our basket. Please send in anything associated with read, OR a money donation would also be appreciated. We thank you very much for your support!

Spelling Words: came, gate, game, late, lake, take, day, play, four, place

Challenge Words: whale, motivate, escape, hesitate, hibernate

Sight Words: around, found, gone, hears, might, near, open, tired

Reading: This week we are reading a play titled, "Flake the Missing Hamster." Each student has a part in our play. At the end of the week, we will be tested on the story elements of our play. The story elements include; characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, problem and solution.

Math:

There will be math homework on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, we will be tested on chapter 16. Wednesday we will start chapter 17. This chapter will focus on patterns.

March 25th is Spring Picture Day! Please send in your child's picture form ASAP.

Monday, March 7

Spelling Words: day, say, play, plain, rain, wait, feet, me, door, told

Challenge Words: rainbow, Wednesday, hairspray, holiday, hooray

Sight Words: cool, dry, four, holes, move, place, warm

Reading: We are working with the long /a/ sound this week. The different ways we see recognize long /a/ are: ai_, a_e, _ay

Math: We will be finishing up with solid figures and shapes this week. You will see math homework on Monday night. We will be testing on Tuesday.

Wednesday will be the start of Chapter 16. In this chapter we will be looking at "Spatial Sense." Please talk with your child about directions such as: above, below, over and under.

REMINDER: First Grade Music Concert is on Thursday, March 10th at 6:30p.m. I hope to see you all there!

Spring Break is Monday, March 14 through Friday, March 18th. Have a safe and fun break! See you on Monday, March 21st.

Thank you so much for the wonderful conferences. I loved meeting with everyone to share and celebrate all the successes we are seeing! Look for report cards in your child's Friday Folders on March 25th. As always, please feel free to call or email me with any questions or concerns you may have.