April Showers Bring May Flowers

This week is an important week for the school as our 3-5 grade students will be taking standardized tests.  We will not be testing but we will be supporting the older grades.  Our job is to be very quiet in the school.  Our schedule will be frozen each day until testing is over, which means we will not be allowed to have volunteers or visitors.  Please DO NOT join us for lunch on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week.  Please try your very best to be on time each day so that the testing can begin promptly!  Thank you for supporting our school in having a smooth testing week.

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “x” as in “fox.”  We will also spend this week talking about plants, plant life cycle and all the things that plants need to survive.

Word Wall Words: while, place, under, always, father

In Language, we are still talking about rule 15 ~ Synonyms are words that have similar meanings.

In Math, we are reviewing Place Value.  I will not give a test on this, just daily grades will be given.  If your child’s math workbook has come home you are free to go back and work on pages that were left or you can toss!  Same goes with their workbook that was sent home at the beginning of the year for homework practice. 

Please send in your money for Water Day by Wednesday, May 8.  The cost to help cover this fun day is $15.00  Water Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15 from 11:00-2:00.  We will eat lunch that day before Water Day begins.  Children may still purchase lunch from the lunchroom on that day.  We will need popsicles on that day to help cool us off so please let me know if you are interested in donating some. 

Friday, May 10th will be the last day to check out books from our library.  However, I encourage you to take your child to a public library and continue checking out books as I will continue encouraging the children to take AR tests during the remaining weeks of school.  You may even have books at home that are AR and the children are welcome to bring them to school and test on.  Click on the Accelerated Reader Book Find to see what books can be tested on. 

The lunchroom is no longer accepting checks so please only send cash to replenish accounts.

The last day of school for students will be Thursday, May 23rd.  Report Cards will be handed out at the end of the day {3:10} and no sooner.  If you know that your child will not be there to receive their report card you may send in an envelope already addressed with a stamp and the office will mail them the next day ~ OR ~ you may come by the office during summer hours to pick them up.

5/6 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice $1.00

5/10 ~ Last day to check out books

5/15 ~ Water Day 12:00-2:00

5/16 ~ Signed Papers

5/17 ~ Teacher Luncheon 11:30-12:30

5/20 ~ First Grade Honor’s Day 9-9:30

5/23 ~ Last day of school

Please contact me with any questions of concerns!  Have a great week ~ Kristin :)

 

And the countdown begins…

Field Day was a blast!  Coach Grant did a fabulous job organizing our event.  We had new games, which the children loved and plenty of smiling volunteers.  Thanks parents and specialists for making this day one to remember!!!  Enjoy the pictures. :)

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “j” as in “jaguar.” 

Word Wall Words are:  went, mother, goes, around, though

In Language, we will begin Rule 15 ~ Synonyms are words that have similar meanings.  Some examples include:  big/large/gigantic/huge     small/little/tiny   happy/glad/excited

In Math, we have finished with our GO MATH series.  I will be sending home their consumable workbooks for you to keep or toss!  We will spend the rest of May reviewing addition and subtraction facts, word problems and graphing. 

The Book Fair will continue through Thursday of this week.  Please remember that any money your child brings to school needs to be in an envelope labeled.  Students who bring money may shop the Book Fair from 12:30-1:00 unless accompanied by an adult. 

I will be out of the class on Wednesday, traveling to Tuscaloosa to help pack my sister up for the summer.  Mrs. Allen {Mr. Darby’s intern} will be taking care of the children. 

Important Dates/Reminders:

4/29 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice $1.00

5/2 ~ Signed Papers

5/15 ~ First Grade Water Day {look for a note soon}

5/20 ~ First Grade Honor’s Day {9-9:30}

5/23 ~ Last day for students

 

Doughnuts and Click Clack Moo!

Doughnuts for Dads will be Tuesday for last names A-L and Wednesday for last names M-Z.  It will begin each morning at 7:30 in the lunchroom.  The doughnuts are free compliments of the awesome Blount PTA.  Hope you make plans to attend!

Our field trip to the Davis Theater to see Click Clack Moo is Wednesday.  Please allow your child to wear their “First Grade Rocks” t-shirt on Wednesday.  We will leave school at 9:00 and return approximately around 11:45.  We will eat lunch as soon as we return to school.  I will send an email to the chaperones detailing the procedures for our field trip.  This will be a fun day!!!

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “v” as in “volcano.”  We will also incorporate some fun farm learning to help get us ready for our play.  As we are getting closer to the mid-nine weeks I strongly encourage you to continue reading homework stories as part of their twenty minutes of reading each night.  I hope you have seen the tremendous changes I have in recognition and fluency.

Word Wall Words are right, back, came, away, and our.

In Language, we will continue talking about rule 14 ~ Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. 

In Math, we will finish up with Ch 12 this week and test.  Look for a review sheet to come home the night before the test.

Important Reminders/Events:

4/15 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice $1.00

4/16 and 4/17 ~ Doughnuts for Dads

4/17 ~ Field trip to Davis Theater

4/18 ~ Progress Reports

4/22 ~ Purple Shirt Day in honor of Military Child Day

Please contact me with any questions or concerns! 

Last week, we brainstormed our favorite things to do in the Spring.  Some of our answers included flying a kite, taking a walk, taking our dog for a walk, picking flowers for our mom and sister, eating ice cream, playing golf, playing soccer, playing baseball.  Oh, the answers were endless.  I have such a smart group of first graders!

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “p” as in “pig.”  We will learn all about pigs and how they roll around in the mud to stay cool!  Sounds like something my little one would love to do!  Please remember to read homework stories as well as any additional practice reading passages you have that go along with Read Well.  I know our schedules have us living at the ballpark, but please find time to read to your little one and have them read to you!  :) 

Word Wall Words:  best, never, begin, does, again

In Language, we will focus on a new rule.  Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.  I hope you were able to look over our new DOL that came home each day last week.  Also, on Friday I modeled how the daily grade will look each week and allowed them to take it home to share with you.  This will continue to be the format for the remainder of the year. 

In Math, we are halfway through Ch 12.  In this chapter, we are talking about 2-D shapes and their characteristics (number of sides and vertices).  Be sure to look for a review sheet to come home the night before the test.

Classroom Needs:  paper towels

Upcoming Reminders/Events:

4/8 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice and PTA meeting @ 6:00 pm

4/9 ~ Library with Mrs. Morris

4/16 and 4/17 ~ Doughnuts for Dads at 7:30 am

4/17 ~ Fieldtrip to Davis Theater

4/18 ~ Signed Paper and Progress Reports

4/22 ~ Wear a purple shirt in honor of Military Child Day

Please contact me with any questions or concerns and have a great week!  Kristin

Spring has Sprung!

I hope everyone had a fun-filled Spring Break and I hope my friends are ready to come back and finish out their first grade year!  We still have so much to learn and what a challenge it will be with “Spring Fever” in the air.  :)

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “y” as in “yarn".”  We will begin to talk about Spring and all the fun activities that go along with it like flying kites, riding bikes, playing baseball and softball.  Please make sure you are reading each night for a minimum of twenty minutes.  I know how busy Spring gets but make reading a priority each night!

Word Wall Words for this week are easy, next, soon, often, such

In Language, we will finish up with rule 13 ~ Homonyms are words that sound the same but mean something different.  I know I speak for the kids when I say that we are burned out on DOL sentences so I am going to change up DOL each morning.  We will continue to learn the same skills but it will be in a “mixed review format.”  I will do lots of modeling this week so know that their DOL that comes home daily will look different.  I will still take a daily grade on Friday of all skills learned that week.  I will send home our “practice one” on Friday for you to look over.  This will be a simple change!

In Math, we will begin Ch. 12, Two Dimensional Geometry.  This is a long chapter full of lots of information.  Please make sure you are reinforcing each lesson at home.  This shows your children you care about what they are learning in school and that school is important!

Please remember to send in your child’s money to see the exciting play, Click Clack Moo.  The cost is $12.00.  The play is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17.  Our chaperone tickets have been filled. 

Other Reminders and Upcoming Events:

4/1 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice $1.00

4/2 ~ Library Lesson with Mrs. Morris

4/4 ~ Signed Papers

4/9 ~ PTA Meeting @ 6:00

4/16 & 4/17 ~ Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am

4/17 ~ Fieldtrip to Davis Theater

Please contact me with any questions or concerns!  Have a great week!  ~ Kristin

Goodbye third nine weeks, Hello LAST nine weeks!

I hope you enjoyed a nice weekend outdoors.  I saw lots of crowded baseball fields so I know how busy it is about to get.  The weather was perfect and is getting us ready for some Spring Fever and baseball!

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “u” as in “umbrella.”  We will talk some about the rain forest and all the animals that live in the rain forest.  We will also squeeze in some St. Patrick’s Day fun for all!!!

Word Wall Words:  said, here, three, much, take

In Language, we will continue rule 12 ~ A contraction is a short way to write two words.   We will continue to underline contractions in our DOL sentences each morning.

In Math, we have begun Ch. 11, Three-Dimensional Geometry.   I continue to be blown away with the facts they already know and have remembered from Kindergarten.  The shapes they were introduced to on Friday were sphere, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, and cube.  Be sure to ask them to name a real life object for each one.  They have some really great answers.  Math test will be sometime next week!  A review sheet will come home the night before.

The Math store opens again on Tuesday for all to spend their Blount bucks which are earned through Math Facts In A Flash, test scores and report card scores.  All prizes bought from the Math Store will need to stay at home!!! 

I got a little confused with dates and Brain Awareness Week is this week and our very own QUEST students at Blount have put together a presentation for us.  We will learn some interesting facts about the brain on Thursday afternoon from 2-2:30.

Blount Yearbook Order Forms went home last week.  Deadline for orders is Friday, March 22. 

First grade has planned an exciting Easter Egg Hunt for Wednesday, March 20.  We will send home a more detailed letter this week. 

We are nearing the end of busy, busy school year.  The last nine weeks is full of fun times and long-lasting memories.  Please continue to encourage your children the importance of appropriate behavior and the importance of working hard!  Thanks so much for your continued support for our room.  It is vital for a successful classroom!!!

*We are running low on paper towels so any donations would be greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Reminders/Events;

3/11 ~ Nancy’s Italian Ice

3/12 ~ Math Store/Library lesson with Mrs.  Morris

3/14 ~ Report Cards/QUEST presentation

3/20 ~ Easter Egg Hunt

3/21 ~ Teacher Treat Day

3/25 – 3/29 ~ Spring Break

Have a great week and contact me with any questions or concerns ~ Kristin

Hello March!!!

I have had some computer issues that are almost resolved so I apologize for being behind in the blogging world.  I hope to have all issues resolved by the end of this week and I will get pictures up and running by next weekend.  I have lots of catch up to do!!!

In Reading, we will focus on the letter “f” as in “frog.”  We will talk about frog facts and even learn all about the life cycle of a frog.  Be sure to ask your children to recall some frog facts for you.  They always have interesting facts that I sure didn’t know! :)

Word Wall Words:  called, just, where, more, know {The students will have a word wall test on Friday of this week.  They will need to recall all words for this nine weeks.  Words can be found in their take home folder.

In Language, we will focus on rule 12 ~ A contraction is a short way to write two words.  Some examples are:  he’s = he is, she’s = she is, it’s = it is  We will continue identifying contractions in our DOL sentences by underlining them. 

In Math, we are in the middle of Ch 10, Graphing.  We will test this week so look for a review sheet to come home the night before the test.  We only have two more chapters to go before we finish GO Math, so hang in there parents!  The students have done well with a new curriculum that I have had to adjust to myself.  FYI ~ I will be attending a short meeting tomorrow with other Blount math teachers to observe a demo lesson given by a GO Math Representative.  I should arrive back at the school by 10:00 but a sub has been secured for the short time I will be away.  No worries!

Important Reminders

3/4 ~ Italian Ice $1.00

3/5 ~ Library with Mrs. Morris

3/7 ~ Presentation about the Brain given by QUEST students

3/14 ~ Report Cards

3/21 ~ Teacher Treat Day

3/25 – 3/29 ~ SPRING BREAK ~ WOOHOO!

Please contact me with any questions or concerns ~ Have a GREAT week! Kristin :)