A New Nine Weeks!

The third nine weeks will begin on tomorrow! Your child will bring home a new behavioral log as well as a new reading log ~ that means everyone starts off with a 100 for conduct ~ woohoo!!!

DIBELS testing will also start tomorrow, which means the library will be closed for most of the day. When it opens each afternoon, I will do my best to send each student that is ready for new library books. Do not be alarmed if your child brings home the same library book or no library book! The first grade classes will DIBEL on tomorrow and will be assessed in Oral Reading Fluency (ORF). They will be given one minute to read three unfamiliar passages. The total number of words read correctly will give them their score. (the highest and lowest scores are tossed and the middle score will determine their ORF) First grade benchmark is 40 words per minute. The results for this will be sent home in their Report Cards this Thursday, Jan. 26th.

On Wednesday, I will be pulled from my class as I am on the DIBELS team so your child will be put into another first grade class through lunch. This is a familiar routine for them and they will go to the same class as before so NO WORRIES!!!

Do not forget to send in your Scholastic Book Order if you did not order online. I will be submitting the order no later than this Tuesday.

READING

The letter for this week is "e" as in "engine" and "Ed."

Word Wall Words are: make, when, red, do, take, into, ten, went, to

LANGUAGE

We will continue as always reviewing rules 1-13, while introducing rule 14 ~ Some words tell what is happening or already happened. (verbs or action words)

MATH

Are you using Math Facts In A Flash at home? This is a great way to help your child memorize their math facts, which makes their math later on so much easier when they do not have to stop and count on their fingers or draw tally marks.

We will continue through Ch. 11, Comparing and Ordering Numbers. Remember, look for the review sheet to come home the night before the test. Also, please make sure you are reinforcing the lessons being taught by referring to their yellow Math Homework Chart.

OTHER REMINDERS:

Monday, Jan. 23 ~ Scholastic Book Orders Due, Class DIBELS,

Nancy's Italian Ice 1.00

Thursday, Jan. 26 ~ Report Cards

Friday, Jan. 27 ~ Box Tops Due

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!

The second nine weeks and first semester will end this Friday, January 20th.

Where has the time gone? We have had such a GREAT first semester and I look forward to an even better second semester.

I am sending signed papers home on tomorrow, which are the last set of grades that will be coming home before report cards. Please make sure you are keeping track of your child's grades through STI. You can get your login information from the office if you have not already done so.

This Friday I will be sending home your child's Writing Portfolio, which consists of all their writing jobs from the first semester. These writing jobs are completed independently during reading centers. Please keep them in a safe place so when you get the next one you will be able to see the growth and difference. You will be AMAZED!!!

READING

Read Well Unit 18, "wh" as in "whale." We will spend this week talking and learning about whales and dolphins. We will continue reading nonfiction books as they make the connection that nonfiction books teach us new things that are real. The word wall words for the week are what and we.

LANGUAGE

We will continue talking about adjectives. I have some fun activities that I think will help the students understand that adjectives are describing words; which are different from nouns and verbs.

MATH

We will begin Ch. 11, Comparing and Ordering Numbers. The students will be introduced to the terms and symbols for: less than, greater than, and equal to. Remember to look for a review sheet to come home the night before the test.

OTHER REMINDERS

Class Library Time: Tuesday, January 17

Nancy's Italian Ice: Monday, January 23

Scholastic Book Orders Due: Monday, January 23

CLASS DIBELS: Monday, January 23

Report Cards: Thursday, January 26

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed their nice, long break. The Thomas house stayed very busy. After Christmas, we celebrated Connor's first birthday!!! We spent several days sleeping in and staying in our pj's...only a glimpse of what our summer will be like. :) I was so excited to see everyone on Wednesday and get back into somewhat of a routine. Hopefully this full week will get us right where we need to be!

READING

We will focus on the letter blend "ar" as in "shark" and star." This will be a favorite among my class. Our word wall words this week will be are and ask.

LANGUAGE

Last week I introduced rule 13 ~ Some words describe. (adjectives) We will spend another full week talking about this because it seems to be a very difficult concept to grasp.

MATH

We have started Ch 10, Identifying Tens and Ones. Look for a review sheet to come home the night before the test.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND IMPORTANT DATES

Monday, Jan. 9 ~ Nancy's Italian Ice for $1.00

Tuesday, Jan. 10 ~ Library Day

Monday, Jan. 16 ~ MLK Holiday ~ No School!

Thursday, Jan. 26 ~ Report Cards