January 30-February 3

Next week we will be celebrating our 100th DAY in SCHOOL!! We will be having an all day celebration focusing on the number 100. If you would like to come in and help with some activities, we could sure use the extra hands.
Please have your child count 100 small items that will fit in a sandwich baggie and send to school by Friday.
We will also need one box/bag of any of the following items:

1. chocolate chips


2. M&Ms


3. pretzels


4. small marshmallows


5. peanuts


6. raisins


7. Chex cereal


8. popcorn (popped)


9. gold fish crackers


10. almonds

Our Valentine's Day party will be on Tuesday, February 14th. We will begin activities at 1:30. I will be sending home a class list to begin addressing Valentine's.

Homework: Reading every night!!! Please practice the spelling words, it is evident those who are not practicing at home. Math practice sheets are also being sent home this week. Don't forget to review 3rd quarter sight words 3-4 times a week. Remember to spend 10 minutes reading, and another 10 doing math and spelling. If you are spending more than 20 minutes on homework, it is too much...adapt!

January 22-27

What an exciting week we had with all the different weather conditions! It was perfect for our study of Weather. We will be concluding this unit this week and moving into our Social Studies unit on Maps.

Homework this week:
Read every night! Review the bookrings every night. If your child is struggling with the current books, review some of the previous books that are in their shoebox library. Also encourage them to read books they bring home from the library and those that are in their personal library at home. Help them find their interest so they are enjoying their reading experience.
Math skills: We are continuing with skip counting and using the hundreds chart to find patterns. This will make our formal transition into addition and place value more meaningful. First grade students are required to count to 120, count on from any given number, read, write and recognize numbers to 120.
Spelling test is on Friday! Please practice these words with your child at home. Our spelling rule is the /oo/ sound as in book, sight words and present/past tense words.

This week we will be having many guest "teachers" in our classroom. Officer Warren will be visiting us on Tuesday to teach a health lesson on his role in the community and how to handle emergencies. Mrs. Davis, our school counselor, will visit us on Wednesday to reinforce our monthly virtue of Honor. We will also be joining Ms. Kalafatic's class Tuesday morning for a lesson on dental health.

Please mark your calendar for this Tuesday. PTA will be having a meeting from 7-8:30. This is a great way to get involved with the school, your child's' education, upcoming events and network with other parents. This group of officers and members are amazing!! They have done so much for our school, students, community and staff. I encourage every family to attend at least one meeting each year.

January 17-20

I want to welcome Ms. Yurek as our new BSU intern. I am excited to have her in our classroom and the opportunity to provide her with experience in a great school! She will be here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the first nine weeks of this semester. Please feel free to come by and introduce yourself. She will be assisting with small groups, one-on-one tutoring and some group lessons.

This week we will be kicking off our SWPBIS. The school will be having an assembly on Thursday at 2:00. I invite you to attend to have a better understanding of the changes you will be seeing and hearing about.

Homework:
Reading is the emphasis! Be sure to listen to your child read every night. I want to see them beginning to read books of their choice in addition to their bookrings. This week they will be getting about 8 new books. Take time to review them. We are also starting a new unit, so their current books on their ring will be removed and sent home in their Homework Folders to be put in their shoeboxes.
Math concepts this week is on number patterns.

• Work on counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's and seeing the patterns on a number chart.



• Can they begin skip counting at any given number?



• Identify odd/even numbers?



• Read and write numbers to 100?



• Group objects in sets of 10 to count

We are still developing weather concepts in Science and will be moving into maps next week for Social Studies.
Encourage your child in the virtue of the month: Honor
Let me know what they have done this week to demonstrate honor.

Parent volunteers are always welcome. Please let me know if you would like to come in and help with small groups, individuals or office work. Thank you for the opportunity to train your child.

January 9-13

Happy New Year!
I hope the long vacation has provided rest and plenty of quality time with family. As I approach the New Year I am filled with anticipation! I look forward to the last half of the year, it seems this is the time we see so much growth in the children.

Our class will be seeing a new face this semester. We will be welcoming a student teacher for one of the two quarters. I am anxious to meet her on Monday and will fill you in on her schooling and schedule as I find out more. Please welcome her and discuss with your child the importance of continuing their daily schedule as taught from the beginning of the year and their respect to ALL adults in the building. This will make the transition much easier for her and your child.

I am excited for the decision of the school to participate in a School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support (SWPBIS). It provides positive behavior expectations for students that focus on being safe, responsible, respectful and cooperative. Students will be recognized regularly and for those that continue to exhibit these behaviors on a daily basis could be nominated for other recognition events. We have high expectations for all our students and enjoy being able to reward those that continually strive for excellence. What a great time to make positive changes!

Homework will be sent home on Monday. There will be two activities a night. If time is tight, remember that the most important thing you can do is listen to your child read. New sight words will be sent home for this quarter. In math we will be moving into the concept of 10's. You can reinforce this skill by counting by 10's, putting objects in groups of 10 to count, counting on from 10 and talking about how a number is 10 and some more. Understanding this concept will prepare the children to move into addition. Our science topic this month is weather. When you get ready in the mornings discuss the weather and how to dress appropriately. At the end of the day talk about how the weather changed throughout the day. Remember to practice spelling every night. This week there are only 10 words.

I am looking forward to seeing all the students this week and am excited to get back on a schedule, both at work and with my family. I am sure you are ready as well. I would love to get parents back on schedule with classroom help, too ! I will be contacting many of you to see if we can schedule a time to volunteer in the class that works for you.

Happy New Year!