Monday, December 19, 2011

Week of December 19th

This is the last week before our winter break. Many kids are very excited about the upcoming holiday. Any encouragement and reminders for good behavior at school that you can give your child before they leave in the morning would be great. Thank you for your help :)

Reminder that we have no school starting Friday, December 23rd through Monday, January 2nd for our winter break. School starts again on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Due to the short week and wanting to be able to do some fun holiday activities, we will not be doing our regular reading curriculum, therefore there will be no spelling test this week.

Our Winter Celebration Party is on Thursday at 2:45. Parents are welcome to come if you would like. If you do decide to come, please let me know.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework:5.5 on Monday and 5.6 on Tuesday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Tuesday

Monday, December 12, 2011

Week of December 12th

Reminder about sending money to school with students. If a child brings money to school it should be used for the school store, popcorn, book orders, or lunch accounts. Students should not bring money to school for any other reason.

We have been having problems with students buying things for friends or giving their money to other students. We have a rule that any money brought to school needs to stay in student backpacks and lockers and that it is not to be given away for any reason. If you send money to school with your child please make sure that they know exactly what it is to be used for. Also, please remind them that any change or unused money needs to stay in their backpack so it can go home and is not to be given away.

Thank you for your help with reminding students of this rule.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework:5.1 on Tuesday, 5.2 on Wednesday, and 5.3 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Monday and Thursday

Monday, December 5, 2011

Week of December 5th

A note about items bought at the school store. We have many fun items sold at the school store. Novelty pencils, erasers and grippers are the most popular items purchased by first graders. Many of these items are toys that also function as an eraser or pencil sharpener. We have a lot of students in our class who play with these things instead of using them for the intended purposes and I often have to take them away. These items are also being lost or misplaced and students think that they have been stolen. In order to keep the June Box from filling up quickly, and to keep students from getting upset when items are lost, I am going to stop letting students bring items from the school store into the classroom. Anything that is purchased at the school store will need to be put into backpacks and taken home to be used there. The only exception will be when a student truly needs to replace something from their school supplies. I have talked to our class about this new rule. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support as we implement this new rule in our classroom.

Important Dates for this Week:
Early Dismissal on Wednesday
Homework:4.10 on Monday and 4.11 on Wednesday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: No Spanish this week due to the early dismissal

Monday, November 28, 2011

Week of November 28th

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and that your child didn't get too antsy during their week off from school.

Our class has returned 100 take-home books, so we will be having a small celebration for this. It will most likely be an extra recess, read-and-feed or something small. I will send a note home if the celebration requires any items to be brought from home.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework:4.4 on Monday and 4.8 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: No Library this week due to Spanish, we will send kids to check-out each morning
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday

Monday, November 14, 2011

Week of November 14th

I am sorry I didn't send out our newsletter last week, with the field trip on Monday I got out of my routine and never got around to it.

This week we have conferences for most students on Tuesday night, and the rest on Thursday or Friday. Please bring your child with you to the conference as they will be sharing their data binders and other information as part of the conference. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework:4.1 cont. on Tuesday, 4.1 on Thurs (this is a 2 page assignment that I am breaking up, that is why they have the same number)
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Monday and Thursday

Reminder that we have no school next week: November 21st-25th

Monday, October 31, 2011

Week of October 31st

We have a busy week this week.

I will be sending home conference times on Tuesday. Please check to see if this time will work and return the sheet to school as soon as possible.

We have homework every night this week. I realize that this is a lot more than usual, but this particular unit has a lot of homework that provides really good practice for the skills we are learning. Please return homework as soon as you can. I understand that with it being Halloween, homework may not get done tonight. Please do your best and get it done and back to school as soon as you do get it done. A couple of homework assignments this week are more than one page, so please check for that when you sit down to complete it.

I will be sending home brown paper sacks on Friday for those students who have said that they will be bringing a lunch from home for our field trip. You will need to send this to school with your child's lunch in it on Monday. Reminder that students need to bring a drink and to send only things that can be thrown away.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework:3.7 on Monday, 3.8 on Tuesday, 3.9 on Wednesday and 3.10 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: No Library this week due to Spanish, we will send kids to check-out each morning
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday

Monday, October 24, 2011

Week of October 24th

This week we have our Reading Night on Tuesday at 6:00. Our guest author will be here to present to us. In preparation for his visit tomorrow we have decorated our door. If you come tomorrow, please stop by to admire our outdoor scene.

We also ask that you dress in camping, fishing, or hunting attire for his visit during the school day. Of course, we do not want kids to bring any of their equipment, but simply dress in clothes that they would wear if doing outdoor activities.

Important Dates for this Week:
Early Dismissal Wednesday, October 26th at 1:30
Homework:3.5 on Tuesday, and 3.6 on Wednesday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Monday and Thursday

Monday, October 17, 2011

Week of October 17th

Your child will be bringing home a yellow sheet today about our upcoming field trip to the Iowa Children's Museum. The trip is scheduled for Monday, November 7th. We would like these yellow sheets returned to school by Friday, October 21st.

This sheet is where you will indicate whether your child will need a school sack lunch or will be bringing their own lunch from home. If you choose to send a lunch from home then I will give you a paper bag to put their lunch in on the day of the field trip. We also ask that everything included in the bag can be thrown away so we do not have to keep track of silverware, cups, etc.

On this sheet you will also be able to indicate if you are interested in coming along to help with our field trip. Parents that come along are asked to take responsibility for one of the classroom groups (6-7 students) during free play time, and for leading the activities when in the Notion of Motion exhibit. All parents are given instructions for what to do by the museum staff. Parents who come along will also need to bring a lunch if they would like to eat with our class. If you would like me to provide a paper bag for you, please let me know.

I also want to let you know that I will be gone from school this week on Tuesday and Thursday. I will have access to my email, but please understand that I may not get back to you quite as quickly as usual. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework: 3.2 on Wednesday, 3.3 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Wednesday

Monday, October 10, 2011

Week of October 10th

I want to start by apologizing for not sending out the blog last week. Somehow it missed my to-do list.

Our class has had a student teacher since the beginning of the school year. She will be ending her student teaching early and moving to a new school. The students did not get a chance to say goodbye to her. Most of the students seem to be handling it fine, but please let me know if your child is troubled by her sudden absence.

This week we will be working on reviewing our math for unit 2. We are going to spend time working with clocks, money and number models (1+2=3). These are all difficult concepts for our first graders throughout the year. We only have one homework assignment this week. On the other days it would be great to have your child practice these three difficult concepts.


  1. To practice with the clock: You can get out the paepr clock that we made and sent home a few weeks ago. Ask your child to show you times at the hour. You can also show them times to the hour and ask them to identify the time for you.

  2. To practice with money: If you have pennies and nickels at home, you can ask your child to count various combinations. You can also ask them to practice trading 5 pennies for a nickel. I have a top-it game that I will be sending home on Tuesday. It willhelp with counting combinations of pennies and nickels. It won't be homework that needs to be sent back to school, but I would like for students to play at least one game a night. It's a quick fun way to practice counting money.

  3. To practice number models: Make up story problems for your child while you are doing things at home. For example, if you are having chicken nuggets for dinner you could make up the problem: "I have 5 chicken nuggets and (student's name) has 4 chicken nuggets. How many chicken nuggets do we have?" or "(Student's name) has 6 chicken nuggets and he eats 2 of them. How many chicken nuggest does he have now?" Then, ask them to write the number model that goes with the problem. Such as 4+5=9 or 6-2=4. I will have some other ideas and games that you can use to help with number models in the weeks to come. Please let me know if you need or want more ideas before that.

I appreciate all of the help and support that you give your child. Please let me know if you have any questions about the suggestions I made above, or if you would like some more ideas. Any extra practice students can get at home will help with making them successful in school.


Important Dates for this Week:
Early Dismissal Wednesday, October 12th at 1:30.
Homework:2.12 on Monday, Top-It game Tuesday-Friday
Library and Check-Out: We will not have library class this week due to check-out. Please send books to school and I will let students go check-out as they bring books back throughout the week.
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday

Monday, September 26, 2011

Week of September 26th

This week we continue with our Daily 5. I am starting to take small groups while students are working on their Daily 5 activities. They get to choose from Read to Self, Work on Writing or Read to Someone for 20 minutes. We continue to build our stamina for Word Work.

If you would like to help your child with seeing patterns in words for Word Work, you can have them sort their spelling words into alike groups. This week we are doing word endings, so -st, -nk, -nd, -nt and "other" are group headings. You would write the group headings on a piece of paper and have your child write the spelling words under the correct group heading. You can also have students write the spelling words on note cards. You can write the group headings on cards and have your child place their word cards in a row under the correct group heading. You can extend this activity by having your child come up with other words that would fit under each group heading. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any assistance with doing this activity with your child.

Important Dates for This Week:
Early Dismissal on Wednesday, September 28th
Homework: 2.4 on Monday, 2.6 on Tuesday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday afternoon
Spanish: No Spanish this week due to early dismissal

Monday, September 19, 2011

Week of September 19th

This week we will be continuing with our Daily 5. We can now read to self, work on writing, and read to someone for 20 minutes. We have added our 4th component which is word work. Students are able to build words with different manipulatives to practice spelling and changing letters to make new words.

We will not be having library time this week due to our Spanish schedule. If students return books this week I will be sending them to the library before school to check-out. Please watch for books in your child's backpack.

We have started our Balls and Ramps science unit. We will be studying the different materials that balls can be made of and how different balls move. We will be observing different traits that make balls unique or similar to other types. Towards the end of our unit we will also be building ramps.

We continue to use pictures of students for our social studies unit. If you have not yet sent pictures to school, please do so as soon as possible.

Important Dates for This Week:
Homework: 2.1 on Monday, 2.2 on Wednesday and 2.3 on Thursday
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday

Monday, September 12, 2011

Week of September 12th

We have a busy week this week. We are now able to read and write independently for 20 minute chunks of time. We are also in the process of learning the correct way to read with someone. We are learning how to check for understanding and improve reading fluency while reading with a partner.

I would also like to remind you about sending pictures to school. You may send them in a ziploc baggie with your child's name on it or you may email pictures to me. We need these for our history unit this fall. We will start sharing these this week. I will send pictures home once your child has shared them.

Also, I want to remind you of what we do with the paper books. Your child will bring home at least one paper book every week (usually on Monday or Tuesday). Have your child read this book to you. After they have read it please sign the front somewhere. Return signed books to school so your child can get a sticker in their data binder. We will then send the books back home for you to keep in your child's library. Rereading these books throughout the year is a great way to build fluency and reading confidence.

Some of you may have heard about "The June Box" from your child. If a child brings a toy or other distracting item to school I will give them the option of putting it away in their locker and I will let them know that if they play with it anymore I will put it in "The June Box". I have a small box in our room where I keep items that have to be taken away. I put the child's name on the item and place it in the box. They will get the item returned to them on the last day of school. If your child tells you that they had an item placed in "The June Box" and you would like it back before the end of the year, I will give items to parents who come in to pick them up. The best thing is to encourage your child to leave toys and items that may distract them at home. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Important Dates for This Week:
Homework: 1.12 on Tuesday, 1.13 on Thursday
Library Check-out: Tuesday afternoon
Spanish: Monday and Thursday

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Week of August 29th

I hope that all of your children have had a great first week of school.

A reminder that we are having our 1st Grade Parent Information Night on Tuesday from 6-6:30. We will be meeting in room 116 and combining parents from all 3 classrooms. I hope to see you all there.

I've been very impressed with the students as they've begun to learn our Daily 5 routine. We have been working on learning to do "Read to Self". Your child now knows 3 ways to read a book and can sit quietly and independently read for 10 minutes. We will keep practicing until they are reading independently for 20 minutes. This week we will also be introducing the Daily 5's "Work on Writing" over the course of the week.

We've also been working on story problems in math each day. We're working on being able to explain the thought processes used when solving a story problem. We will be doing this all year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. Have a great week!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Welcome to First Grade

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to our classroom blog and to the beginning of a great first grade year.

This blog will serve as my monthly newsletter and main format for getting information to parents. Please look for a message from me with a link to this blog in your email inbox, or a printed copy in your child's blue folder, every Monday.

Never hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns by email or by calling my classroom phone number. I will have my contact information available for you to take at our open house next week.

I am busy preparing our classroom for our school year, and I look forward to meeting everyone at the open house next week.

Mrs. C

Monday, May 23, 2011

Week of May 23rd

This is our last full week of school and our last blog update. This will be the last week for spelling also, so after the test on Thursday there will be no more spelling tests.

Reminder that all library books were due back last Friday. If you have not already returned your child's library books, please do so as soon as possible.

We will not be having any more math homework this year. I know that things are busier with ball games and practices and all of the other summer activities. The only thing I will send this week is paper books.

Reminder that there is no school on Monday, May 30th and that our last day of school is Thursday, June 2nd with an early dismissal at 1:30.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Week of May 16th

This week we will have homework 9.8 on Monday and 10.3 on Thursday.

We will be checking out library books for the last time today. All books are due back to the library by this Friday, May 20th.

Reminder that we have an early dismissal on Wednesday.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Week of May 9th

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend and have some special time with your children on Mother's Day.

We have used up our entire pencil supply for this year. I joke with the kids that they must be eating our pencils since they're disappearing so fast. In reality though, many of the pencils do not sharpen well and sometimes a brand new pencil turns into half a pencil before it has been successfully sharpened for the first time. I am asking you all, if you are able, to send a package of pencils to school with your child. I understand if you are not able to, but any additional pencils you can send to get us through the year would be greatly appreciated.

This week we will be having homework 9.4 on Monday, 9.6 on Tuesday and 9.7 on Thursday.

Due to scheduling we will be checking out new books on Wednesday.

Thank you for all that you do, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Week of May 2nd

I can't believe it's May already. This year has really flown by. We still have lots to learn and do before school is out in June.

This week we will have homework 9.2 on Monday and 9.3 on Tuesday. We will be taking an end of the year district math assessment during our math time Wednesday-Friday so there will be no other homework on those days.

Thank you for all that you do. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Week of April 25th

Thank you so much to everyone who came to one of our woodlands presentations. The kids had a great time and I'm so proud of all of the work they have done on their reports. We need to take some more pictures today so I will send stuffed animals home after school. Their reports will come home on the last day of school in their scrapbooks.

We will be having library check-out on Wednesday instead of today due to a scheduling change.

We will have homework 8.8 Monday, 8.9 Tuesday, and 9.1 on Thursday.

Our music program is this Thursday at 2:50 in the gym.

Thank you for all that you do for your children. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Week of April 18th


  • This is a big week for us in our classroom. We will be presenting our woodlands and our woodland animal reports on Thursday and Friday. We are working hard to get our reports finished and published and ready to go by Thursday night.

  • In order to try to accommodate as many schedules as possible, we are going to present our woodland animal reports twice on Thursday. We will be presenting at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 21st, just after the Kernels reading program meeting. Our 4th grade buddies will be coming for a special presentation the next day, Friday, April 22nd at 1:00pm, just before the early dismissal. If you are unable to attend the Thursday night presentation, you are welcome to come to the Friday presentation with our buddies. Both presentations will be held in our classroom, and all family members are invited to come.

  • As part of finishing up our woodlands we are in need of some woodland animals to add to the landscape we have already created. I will be sending home a list of woodland animals in student blue folders today. If students have any stuffed animals that are on the list they are asked to bring them to school starting tomorrow to add to our woodlands. If possible, please put student names on the stuffed animals. Smaller stuffed animals will be best for our woodlands, our trees are only about as tall as our students, so extra large or oversized stuffed animals will not work.

  • We will have homework 8.3 on Monday, 8.5 on Tuesday and 8.6 on Wednesday.

  • If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Thursday, April 21st, at 6:30pm or on Friday, April 22nd, at 1:00pm.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Week of April 11th

This week we will have homework 8.1 on Monday, 8.1 (cont) on Tuesday, and 8.2 on Wednesday. Also a note to let you know that we won't check out this week until Wednesday morning. We will be painting the trees and bushes that we made last week on Tuesday (tomorrow). Please send your child to school in clothes that can get paint on them, or with a paint shirt that they can wear over their clothing. Reminder that the spring pictures and fundraiser were due today. If you did not already send them back, please do so tomorrow. Thank you, and as always, let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Week of April 4th

This week we will have homework 7.4 on Monday and 8.1 on Tuesday. I also wanted to remind everyone that the newsletter sent home last week has the date and time for our upcoming music program. It is on April 28th at 2:45. (The time is listed as both 2:45 and 2:50 in the newsletter.) I am looking for some volunteers to help us build trees and bushes for our woodlands project. If you are available this week on Thursday the 7th or next week on Tuesday the 12th from 2:15 to 3:30 or so please let me know. The more help we have the better. :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Week of March 28th

This week we will have homework 6.12 on Monday, 7.1 on Wednesday, 7.3 on Friday and another set of fact triangles on Friday. Remember that fact triangles are to be cut out and used to practice at home, they do not need to be returned to school.

We will be having homework more frequently now as we approach the end of the year and are getting prepared for second grade.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Week of March 14th

This week we will have homework 6.9 on Tuesday and 6.10 on Thursday.

A quick reminder that we are having our stuffed animal celebration on Thursday. Students may bring 1 small or reasonable sized stuffed animal to school that day. This is optional and if your child does not want to bring a stuffed animal they do not have to.

I also want to remind you that this Wednesday, March 16th is an early dismissal day and that we have spring break next week, so we will have no school March 21-25.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Week of March 8th

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend with your children, I know I had fun spending an extra couple of days with my little guy.

This week we will have homework 6.5 Tuesday (tonight), 6.6 on Wednesday and 6.7 on Thursday. One of these assignments is another set of fact triangles. Please cut these out and keep them at home for your child to practice with. No need to send any work back to school.

We will be checking out library books on Wednesday morning, since we did not have our regular time yesterday.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Week of February 28th

This week we will have homework 6.3 on Tuesday and 6.4 on Wednesday. The sheet on Wednesday will be the first of many like it. These are fact family triangles and are a type of flashcard. The idea is that you will cut them out and then use them to practice addition and subtraction facts. You do not need to return them or any work to school, but I do ask that you spend 5-10 minutes a night practicing with the triangles. You will see at least 2 more sheets of these triangles as the year goes on to add to your collection for practicing.

This week is a review week for reading. During a review week we do not have new vocabulary words, so there will be no challenge words for spelling this week. We will have them again starting next week.

Reminder that we do not have school on Friday, March 4th or Monday, March 7th.

Thank you, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Week of February 21st

Hello, hope everyone had a good weekend.

I will be sending home report cards with students on Tuesday. Please take a moment to look at them before your child's conference on Thursday, February 24th, or Tuesday, March 1st. If you have any questions about the report card I will be able to answer them at your child's conference.

This week we will have homework 6.1 on Tuesday and 6.2 on Wednesday.

Also, due to the early dismissal today, we will be checking out books on Wednesday instead of Monday. If your child has not already returned their books, they should do so by Wednesday to get to check out new ones.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Week of February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day. All the kids are very excited for our party this afternoon.

We will not be having any homework this week. I have a district math assessment that is going to take a few days to administer, so we will take a break from homework for the week.

I do want to remind you, that February 21st, a week from today, will be a snow make-up day, it will also be an early dismissal of 1:30.

Thank you for all that you do for your child. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Week of February 7th

This Tuesday I will be sending home notes about your conference time. Please check this time with your schedule and return it to school as soon as possible. The sooner I get any notes about needing changes, the easier it will be to get you scheduled for a time that will work. I also want to remind you that conferences are student involved and students should attend with parents when possible. Please let me know if you have any questions about conferences.

This week we will have homework 5.13 on Tuesday. We did not do this homework last week due to the snow day.

I will also be sending home a note tonight about our Valentine's Day/Friendship Party. The note will have our class list on the back. I am asking that if students choose to bring valentine's for their classmates, that they not bring them to school until Friday of this week.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you for all that you do for your child.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Week of January 31st

This week we will have homework 5.12 on Tuesday and 5.13 on Thursday. We've started a new concept this week and it might be tricky. If there is something your child does not understand, do not spend a lot of time with it. Just let me know that they did not understand it and I will be sure to go over the homework with them at school. Thank you for all of the help that you give your child.

Reminder: Wednesday is an early dismissal day.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Week of January 24th

This week we will be having homework 5.7 on Monday and homework 5.9 on Thursday.

I will be sending new paper books with students this week. Please remember to have your child read them to you. Then sign the back and send it to school in blue folders. This is part of our homework each week. Thank you.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Week of January 17th

Probably a good thing we didn't have school planned for Monday. I think it might have been a snow day if it hadn't already been a no school day.

This week we will have homework 5.6 on Wednesday, this will be the only homework for the week. Since it is a shorter week, the spelling test on Thursday may sneak up on us. Please help your child practice spelling words before the test on Thursday.

Due to not having school on Monday, we will be checking out books from the library on Wednesday this week. Please send books back with students prior to Wednesday.

Thank you again for all you do to help your child be successful. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you so much.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Week of January 10th

This week we will have homework 5.4 on Tuesday and 5.5 on Thursday.

I want to remind you that we are continuing to give the spelling test on Thursday.

Also a reminder that tutoring resumes this week with the usual schedule.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Week of January 3rd

Hello everyone. It's been great getting to welcome back all of the students after our holiday break. I hope that you all were able to enjoy any time off that you had with your child.

This week we will have homework 5.1 on Tuesday and 5.3 on Friday.

Reminders:
*There is no tutoring this week
*Wednesday is an early dismissal day