As I sit and think about November being half over already, I am reminded of all of the things I have to be thankful for. One of those being such a wonderful group of first graders this year. As the year progresses, I feel like I really begin to get to know each of your children; and I love what I learn and see each day. Thank you for allowing me to be with your child this year.
I do want to tell you about a few happenings in our class lately (I realize it has been a long while since I updated the blog). We had a unit of fire safety. This is a unit which is near and dear to my heart because of a personal connection with house fires. I hope your child came home a few weeks ago and talked with you about what they would need to do to stay safe if they were ever in a burning building. I also hope they had you check your smoke alarms for working batteries. I can tell you, smoke alarms do save lives!!
We are now in a unit of study discussing the first Thanksgiving, map skills, and how things are the same and different from long ago and today. We will continue this unit through Thanksgiving.
In math, we are working on our second chapter of addition and subtraction skills. In this unit we are thinking of and practicing strategies to help us be able to add and subtract quickly and accurately. You can work on this at home just by giving your child oral addition or subtraction problems and let them solve them.
Thanks again for raising such great children and Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Handwriting Work
Happy fall, everyone! Time just goes way to fast. I wanted to give you a quick update on the happenings in our classroom:
We have been working hard on handwriting lately. Have you noticed? We have been practicing the correct way to write letters and numbers. We have also talked about where those letters and numbers go on the lines on our paper. And finally, we have talked about how important it is to slow down a little when we are writing so we can write neatly so others can read what we write. Please stress these points at home when your child is writing.
We have also been working hard on listening to the sounds in a word, counting those sounds, and then putting a letter with the sound and writing the letter. This is the first step in spelling words. Listening to the sounds!
Speaking of spelling; we are starting our first spelling list today. Most Monday's, your child will bring home what we call our "word preview" paper. This is the list of this week's spelling words for your to practice at home. Our spelling words for the year are not necessarily hard words, but they are frequently used words, and words that we can use to learn other words. We will be working alot with word families and unusual letter combination for new sounds with our spelling words this year. So, just because the list doesn't "look" hard, don't worry, we will be doing plenty with the words all week long.
Finally, please check the home page to the 1st grade blog. We have added links to this page. Some of these links are for the parents, some are for the teachers, and some are for the children. We will be using the sites this year. I will be going to the blog to pull these websites up to use, so don't be surprised if your child ask you to go to the 1st grade blog to find a game to play or a book to read.
Remember, if you subscribe to the 1st grade blog and to my individual class page, you will get an email anytime something is changed, added, or updated. It makes it easy to watch for new information.
We have been working hard on handwriting lately. Have you noticed? We have been practicing the correct way to write letters and numbers. We have also talked about where those letters and numbers go on the lines on our paper. And finally, we have talked about how important it is to slow down a little when we are writing so we can write neatly so others can read what we write. Please stress these points at home when your child is writing.
We have also been working hard on listening to the sounds in a word, counting those sounds, and then putting a letter with the sound and writing the letter. This is the first step in spelling words. Listening to the sounds!
Speaking of spelling; we are starting our first spelling list today. Most Monday's, your child will bring home what we call our "word preview" paper. This is the list of this week's spelling words for your to practice at home. Our spelling words for the year are not necessarily hard words, but they are frequently used words, and words that we can use to learn other words. We will be working alot with word families and unusual letter combination for new sounds with our spelling words this year. So, just because the list doesn't "look" hard, don't worry, we will be doing plenty with the words all week long.
Finally, please check the home page to the 1st grade blog. We have added links to this page. Some of these links are for the parents, some are for the teachers, and some are for the children. We will be using the sites this year. I will be going to the blog to pull these websites up to use, so don't be surprised if your child ask you to go to the 1st grade blog to find a game to play or a book to read.
Remember, if you subscribe to the 1st grade blog and to my individual class page, you will get an email anytime something is changed, added, or updated. It makes it easy to watch for new information.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Welcome to the 2010-2011 School Year
Dear Parents,
I want to welcome you to a new school year. I am excited to be working with your children this year. Thank you to all of you that took time out of your busy schedule to attend our Meet the Teacher Night. This is such an important night for your children. Thank you also to the many people who have sent in items off of the Giving Tree wish list. I really appreciate all of your generosity.
The children are off to a great start! I have a classroom of sweet, kind, and hard working children. It is going to be a great year.
I will use this blog and email as two of my sources for communication this year. If you would subscribe to my blog page as well as the main 1st grade page, you will get an email anytime there is anything new added to the blog. This service is free to you.
Please stay tuned to our WOHE 1st grade blog and to my own blog page as we are in the process of adding links and other information.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns; and thank you for sharing your child with me this year.
Your Partner in Education,
Debbie Newman
dnewman@willard.k12.mo.us
I want to welcome you to a new school year. I am excited to be working with your children this year. Thank you to all of you that took time out of your busy schedule to attend our Meet the Teacher Night. This is such an important night for your children. Thank you also to the many people who have sent in items off of the Giving Tree wish list. I really appreciate all of your generosity.
The children are off to a great start! I have a classroom of sweet, kind, and hard working children. It is going to be a great year.
I will use this blog and email as two of my sources for communication this year. If you would subscribe to my blog page as well as the main 1st grade page, you will get an email anytime there is anything new added to the blog. This service is free to you.
Please stay tuned to our WOHE 1st grade blog and to my own blog page as we are in the process of adding links and other information.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns; and thank you for sharing your child with me this year.
Your Partner in Education,
Debbie Newman
dnewman@willard.k12.mo.us
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The End is Near, and Things are Getting Busy
Important News and Dates to Know About:
*Don’t forget about the 1st grade field trip on May 5th. If I have not received a permission note/money for your child, I have attached another form.
*School Book Fair April 26-29.
*Applebee’s Pancake breakfast, Sat. April 17th 8:00-10:00 (I will be there from 8:00-9:00)
*WOHE Family Dinner and Talent Show, Tuesday May 11th. This will be a fun evening of eating, playing and watching great talent. More details to come.
*Last Tiger Pride Assembly for this year, May 19th at 2:30.
*Field Day Activities, May 20th in the morning for 1st grade.
*Last Day of School, May 21st.
*Screening dates for new Kindergarten students, April 29th. Call the office for an appointment.
*Deadline for summer school enrollment, April 16th.
*Don’t forget about the 1st grade field trip on May 5th. If I have not received a permission note/money for your child, I have attached another form.
*School Book Fair April 26-29.
*Applebee’s Pancake breakfast, Sat. April 17th 8:00-10:00 (I will be there from 8:00-9:00)
*WOHE Family Dinner and Talent Show, Tuesday May 11th. This will be a fun evening of eating, playing and watching great talent. More details to come.
*Last Tiger Pride Assembly for this year, May 19th at 2:30.
*Field Day Activities, May 20th in the morning for 1st grade.
*Last Day of School, May 21st.
*Screening dates for new Kindergarten students, April 29th. Call the office for an appointment.
*Deadline for summer school enrollment, April 16th.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Welcome
I would like to welcome 3 new students to our class; Malachi, T.J., and Jeremy. All 3 boys have joined our class in the last few weeks. Welcome boys, and we are glad you are at WOHE!
We have been working hard over the month of February. Here are a few of the items we are working on: reading fluently at our levels, decoding and self checking our selves as we read, writing stories with a beginning, middle, and an end instead of just "list-type" stories, peer editing after we write, counting money, and adding and subtracting quickly and accurately.
Don't forget next Wednesday, March 3rd is the monthly Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30. All parents are welcome to come attend our assemblies. I will hopefully send out the Apple Award notes the day before so you would know ahead of time if your child will get to stand for recognition.
Last month's the Apple Awards went to these students:
Green/Team work Apples-Hailey and Lucas
Red/Academic Apples-Taylor and Oscar
Yellow/Improvement Apples-Dominic and Mari
Orange/Character Apples-Anjelo and Brennen
Congratulations to all and great job on all of your hard work!
Thank you to Evan and R.J.'s parents for sending in glue bottles for the classroom. We could still use a few more bottles if you are able to send one. We could also use some ziplock type storage bags in all sizes. We are running very low. Thanks!
We have started a new system in our class for behavior. This time of year seems to be a hard time to keep using our self control, so I have tried to help the students with this. We have a clipboard with a list of names on it. If a student is having trouble following a rule, so therefore having trouble learning and possibly interrupting others learning, then that student goes to visit the clipboard. He/she puts an X by their name. The first X is the warning. This allows the student to realize that they have made a mistake, but they have time to fix that problem without any consequences. However, if a student has to visit the clipboard again in that day, then they must write a note home to you explaining what their problem was. The students do the writing, so hopefully they are thinking about their choices as they write and also as they show the note to you. Please talk to your child about their note, sign in and then send it back the next day.
Finally, I am long overdue in sending a Thank You on the blog to Mr. Higgins. Mr. Higgins is Kaylee's dad. He is working on security over in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor, and he was nice enough to come talk to the class when he was home for a couple of weeks over the holidays. He came in, brought many gifts for the students, and answered many questions. The children loved the visit! Thank you, Mr. Higgins.
We have been working hard over the month of February. Here are a few of the items we are working on: reading fluently at our levels, decoding and self checking our selves as we read, writing stories with a beginning, middle, and an end instead of just "list-type" stories, peer editing after we write, counting money, and adding and subtracting quickly and accurately.
Don't forget next Wednesday, March 3rd is the monthly Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30. All parents are welcome to come attend our assemblies. I will hopefully send out the Apple Award notes the day before so you would know ahead of time if your child will get to stand for recognition.
Last month's the Apple Awards went to these students:
Green/Team work Apples-Hailey and Lucas
Red/Academic Apples-Taylor and Oscar
Yellow/Improvement Apples-Dominic and Mari
Orange/Character Apples-Anjelo and Brennen
Congratulations to all and great job on all of your hard work!
Thank you to Evan and R.J.'s parents for sending in glue bottles for the classroom. We could still use a few more bottles if you are able to send one. We could also use some ziplock type storage bags in all sizes. We are running very low. Thanks!
We have started a new system in our class for behavior. This time of year seems to be a hard time to keep using our self control, so I have tried to help the students with this. We have a clipboard with a list of names on it. If a student is having trouble following a rule, so therefore having trouble learning and possibly interrupting others learning, then that student goes to visit the clipboard. He/she puts an X by their name. The first X is the warning. This allows the student to realize that they have made a mistake, but they have time to fix that problem without any consequences. However, if a student has to visit the clipboard again in that day, then they must write a note home to you explaining what their problem was. The students do the writing, so hopefully they are thinking about their choices as they write and also as they show the note to you. Please talk to your child about their note, sign in and then send it back the next day.
Finally, I am long overdue in sending a Thank You on the blog to Mr. Higgins. Mr. Higgins is Kaylee's dad. He is working on security over in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor, and he was nice enough to come talk to the class when he was home for a couple of weeks over the holidays. He came in, brought many gifts for the students, and answered many questions. The children loved the visit! Thank you, Mr. Higgins.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A New Year!
I can not believe that it is half way through the school year already. Time really does go by quickly! I wanted to talk with you a little bit about the mid-year report cards that went home last week. Remember, our 1st grade report cards are more of a progression throughout the year. The ultimate goal would be for the children to have all "3's" by the end of the school year. Here are a few examples of that:
Reading: In reading the students are working their way through the reading levels; trying to get to a level I-K by the end of the year. Typically, a student will move 2 levels each quarter. Therefore, if a student began the year on a level C or D, then he would more than likely be at a level I-J at the end of the year. At each level, the reader is needing to be more independent and confident in his reading. He is also needing to be more fluent. At this point in the year, the students know "how" to figure out the words, now we are working on doing that on their own (without needing prompts from me), doing some self-checking as they read (noticing when something doesn't sound or look right, or make sense), and becoming more fluent so they can understand what they are reading. A way to help your child at home with reading, is to just allow them to read, and also talk to them about what they are reading. You can also work with your child on comprehension (understanding what they read), by talking to them about T.V. shows, movies, etc. Anything to get them thinking about a story.
Writing: In writing, we began the year just working on the love of writing. Then we added thinking about some of the writing conventions. Now, we are focusing on the editing process along with working on writing stories with a beginning, middle, and an end. As story writing evolves, we will focus on adding exciting details to our writing. A way you can work on writing at home, is to have your child tell you stories about what is happening in their life. Focus on having them tell you the story in order and with details.
Math: We began the year focusing on number sense skills. Now we are to the point that we are using what we know about numbers to use add and subtract along with other skills. You may have noticed a 1 or 2 grade in these areas. This is because we have not had enough time or practice to become fluent and/or accurate with our adding and subtracting. You can work on this at home by just giving your child opportunities to add and subtract. Play games, use flash cards, play games on the computer. Our school computer website has many game choices that work on adding and subtracting. Check it out.
I hope this information helps you to understand your child's learning so far this year. As always, if you have questions, please contact me.
Star Students:
The following students were awarded Character Apples at the December Tiger Pride Assembly:
Academic Apples: Dominic, and Hailey
Team Work Apples: Lucas and R.J.
Great Character Apples: Angelica and Taylor
Improvement Apples: Ashlin and Quentin
Congratulations and Great Job!!
Needed Items:
We are in need of new glue bottles. If each child could bring in a glue bottle, I think we should be set for the rest of the year. Thanks so much.
The 3rd and 4th grade classes are collecting Pringles cans. If you eat Pringles potato chips and would like to help, just send your empty cans in with your child. Thanks.
Snow Make-Up Days:
Here are the dates for our snow days so far:
Monday, January 18
Monday, February 15
Monday, April 5
Upcoming event:
WOHE is having their first PTO meeting! This meeting will be held January 25th at 6:00. We would love to have everyone come.
Reading: In reading the students are working their way through the reading levels; trying to get to a level I-K by the end of the year. Typically, a student will move 2 levels each quarter. Therefore, if a student began the year on a level C or D, then he would more than likely be at a level I-J at the end of the year. At each level, the reader is needing to be more independent and confident in his reading. He is also needing to be more fluent. At this point in the year, the students know "how" to figure out the words, now we are working on doing that on their own (without needing prompts from me), doing some self-checking as they read (noticing when something doesn't sound or look right, or make sense), and becoming more fluent so they can understand what they are reading. A way to help your child at home with reading, is to just allow them to read, and also talk to them about what they are reading. You can also work with your child on comprehension (understanding what they read), by talking to them about T.V. shows, movies, etc. Anything to get them thinking about a story.
Writing: In writing, we began the year just working on the love of writing. Then we added thinking about some of the writing conventions. Now, we are focusing on the editing process along with working on writing stories with a beginning, middle, and an end. As story writing evolves, we will focus on adding exciting details to our writing. A way you can work on writing at home, is to have your child tell you stories about what is happening in their life. Focus on having them tell you the story in order and with details.
Math: We began the year focusing on number sense skills. Now we are to the point that we are using what we know about numbers to use add and subtract along with other skills. You may have noticed a 1 or 2 grade in these areas. This is because we have not had enough time or practice to become fluent and/or accurate with our adding and subtracting. You can work on this at home by just giving your child opportunities to add and subtract. Play games, use flash cards, play games on the computer. Our school computer website has many game choices that work on adding and subtracting. Check it out.
I hope this information helps you to understand your child's learning so far this year. As always, if you have questions, please contact me.
Star Students:
The following students were awarded Character Apples at the December Tiger Pride Assembly:
Academic Apples: Dominic, and Hailey
Team Work Apples: Lucas and R.J.
Great Character Apples: Angelica and Taylor
Improvement Apples: Ashlin and Quentin
Congratulations and Great Job!!
Needed Items:
We are in need of new glue bottles. If each child could bring in a glue bottle, I think we should be set for the rest of the year. Thanks so much.
The 3rd and 4th grade classes are collecting Pringles cans. If you eat Pringles potato chips and would like to help, just send your empty cans in with your child. Thanks.
Snow Make-Up Days:
Here are the dates for our snow days so far:
Monday, January 18
Monday, February 15
Monday, April 5
Upcoming event:
WOHE is having their first PTO meeting! This meeting will be held January 25th at 6:00. We would love to have everyone come.
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