September 24-28

I hope you have been able to assist your child in selling cookie dough this week.  All orders and money are due on October 1st.  Thanks to the last couple years, our students are enjoying a rock wall in the gym and safety lights for the crosswalk from the funds raised.  I am excited to see what PTA will be supporting this year for our students. I encourage every family to participate.

Spelling will begin this week.  We will be working on the a sound.  Please take time to practice these words each night.  We only have about 10 minutes a day to review them in class. The words are posted in left column of the blog.

All orders for Mill Creek Spirit shirts or sweatshirts are due in the office by Friday.  Adult sizes are available also.

PTA is a wonderful way to connect with other families in the community and school.  We had an amazing turn out at our first PTA meeting of the year.  I am so excited, and Mill Creek is so blessed, to have such an awesome group of parents.  As teachers, we are so thankful for what they contribute to our school.  I would highly recommend becoming a part of PTA this year.  You can  pick up forms at the office.

I am still setting up schedules for parent volunteers. I am in need of parents to help check in and prepare homework folders, work with small groups and tutor individuals.  Please email me if you would like to come in and help in the classroom. 

Remember to check out Skyward Family Access to check your child’s grades on a regular basis.  Mid terms will not be sent home unless you do not have Internet access.       https://skyweb.msd134.org/

September 17-21

This week we kicked off our school wide fundraiser.  The funds that are generated from this fundraiser helps to offset the costs of field trips, technology, art, playground equipment, assemblies and many other opportunities that your child may not otherwise have.  Please be an active participant in this fundraiser by taking your child to family and friends' home and encouraging those relationships to support your child’s education.  You can also take the order form to work with you and collect orders for your child.  I encourage every family to participate.  If you or others do not want to purchase the product, ask for a small donation.  The class with the highest sales will be rewarded $150.

The spelling list I sent home Monday has been postponed to next week.  However, you can begin practicing them this week.  Spelling words will always be posted on my blog.  All words must be spelled correctly with correct letter formation and proper use of capital/lowercase letters.   Next week’s focus is short a words and recognizing a as a special word.  We also have 4 sight words.  This week we will review both capital and lower case letters.  Remember to use the lines as guides and use proper letter formation.

Please email me soon so that I can create a parent email folder to keep you informed of what is happening in class.  Also, let me know if you check my blog regularly.  You can click the Follow Me button on the right to get emails when I update the blog.  All feedback is helpful in providing the best communication that I can with parents.

Remember to check out Skyward Family Access to check your child’s grades on a regular basis.  Mid terms will not be sent home unless you do not have Internet access.       https://skyweb.msd134.org/

Sept. 10-14

This week we will begin our Patriotic Unit. We will be learning the Pledge of Allegiance, the symbols of our country and the purpose of the Constitution. I welcome any military family members to visit our class to share our patriotism. Tuesday is Patriotic Day...wear your Red, White and Blue!

Our reading intervention is looking a little different this quarter. There will only be a few students moving to other reading teachers. As the skills and fluency increases our intervention may change. If you have any questions or would like to commit to helping in this area, please let me know. I started sending home the bookrings last week. It is very important that your child return these bookrings every day! We review the books during our 15 minute silent reading time and add books regularly. Your child will not be able to bring home any new books unless it is on their ring.

I am excited about our math this year. I have decided to do Math Workshops 4 days a week. During these math workshops students will be spending 10-15 minutes at 4 different stations.
They consist of: fluency practice, direct instruction, seatwork and hands on activities. Two days the class will be mixed groups, two days will be ability groups. I am hoping that this will give me more opportunities to help those who need the extra support and extend the lesson for those who need more challenges.

Sept. 4-7

This week Ms. Yurek will begin assuming teaching responsibilities.  She will begin with our Health curriculum and small math and reading groups.  I am so excited for this transition.  She has made a positive connection with the children the first two weeks of school and the students are responding to her teaching role in the classroom with excitement.

We will have our first "Spelling Test" on Friday.  I use the first few weeks of school to establish proper handwriting skills and expect the children to continue with this throughout the year.  On Friday I will assess all the capital letters.  If a letter is not formed correctly or within the lines, the letter will be marked wrong.  This criteria will continue in ALL of their spelling assessments.

We will begin our "Patriotic Unit" this week.  We will learn the meaning of the pledge, study the Constitution, and discuss the symbols of our nation.  If you or any member of your family is in the military I would love to hear from you.  Please call to schedule a visit to our class or send in their address so we can correspond.

First grade is still collecting and evaluating student data.  We hope to begin our Reading Intervention groups on Thursday.  These reading groups are 40 minutes, four times a week.  They are "fluid" groups, which means that a child can move to different groups throughout the year depending on what skills they are needing help on.

Homework looks different this year.  These skills should be reviewed nightly:  sight words (5-10), reading (bookrings), spelling words and counting.  I will send home suggested activities for you and your child to participate in.  Please don't expect your child to "sit" down to homework for more than 15 minutes.  Be creative in reviewing these skills, i.e. write spelling words in the bathtub with shaving cream, place sticky notes with sight words around the house, read in the car on the way to practice or the store, count out food items or silverware while preparing dinner.  Homework can be fun!!  Finish the night by playing a game with the family and snuggling together for a bedtime story.

Thank you for those parents that have offered to help in the classroom.  If you have not been contacted and would like to help, please call and leave me a message or email me.  I would love to have you in the classroom.