Happy New School Year!

Happy New School Year!

We are having a great beginning to first grade! I am so enjoying getting to know your children. What a sweet, sweet class! No doubt they have told you how busy we are in first grade! The children are already "thinking" and "acting" like first graders. I am so proud of them!

This week in our classroom:

We have launched both our Writing and Reading Workshops and are working on establishing the rules and routines. We have also started a study of one of my favorite authors, Kevin Henkes, and many of his books are being used during these times.

Also in language arts, we are focusing on short vowel /a/ words and writing complete sentences. The children will be taking a "practice" spelling test this Friday. Next Friday will be for real! I will explain more about this at Back to School Night. During the next couple of weeks, I will be working on individual reading assessments with the children so that each child will have "just right" books to read.

We have also begun our handwriting program. Ask your child about "Frog Jump Capitals".

We began Unit 1 in Math which also focuses on establishing routines such as calendar and small group work. We'll be playing math games such as "Penny Dice", "Bunny Hop" and "Top-it". You will be receiving Math Family Letters at the beginning of each unit that will provide directions for many of the math games that we play so you can play them at home with your child! The children have received their math tool kit bags and began working with their first math tool, the pattern block template.

Things to remember:

Back to school night is this Thursday, August 25th! We will all meet in the Janet Root Theater at 7:00 before heading to our classroom. I will talk about curriculum and the other particulars for our class. Don't forget to bring your calendar to record important dates and to help you when signing up for parties and other class activities.

This year every Friday is Spirit Day. Students may wear any shirt with a Shorecrest logo,
Shorecrest Spirit Wear or uniform shirts. They may wear Spirit Wear, uniform, or denim
bottoms.

Picture Day is Tuesday, September 13th in the Student Center.

Please return the following as soon as possible:
handbook form, classroom volunteer forms, photo album sheet, and your child's cover for their
Writing Workshop notebook

Please remember that the children bring their own snack in first grade. If they are buying a school lunch, they still need to bring a snack to eat. They get hungry!

The children are allowed to bring a water bottle to keep at their desks. Please be sure that the
bottle will not sweat or leak!

Please also be sure that containers they bring for lunch can be easily opened by your child.

Word rings will come home each Monday, should be practiced each day (reading and spelling the words), and need to be returned on Thursday.

I am looking forward to a great year! See you all on Thursday night!

Susan Owen