Week of January 28, 2013

Dear Parents:

Tomorrow is a special Spirit Day! The administration has asked that the children wear green, gold, or white spirit clothes. We will be gathering for a whole school photo and pep rally at 1:45. Friday will also be Spirit Day.

Grandparents/Special Friends Day was a huge success! It was so nice to meet and chat with them and extra nice to see some again from years past. The children were so proud to show them our classroom, their work, and to tell them about their school day. Being a grandparent now, I look forward to one day visiting my grandchild's classroom! Be sure to go to our class Shutterfly site (link on the right). There are a ton of new pictures! I posted three new albums including one of Grandparents/Special Friends Day. If you have pictures to share, please either add them to existing albums or make a new album! At the end of the year, you will have a treasure of pictures that you can use to create an album of your child's year in first grade!

Relay for Life will take place on Friday, April 5.  The children and I will be walking the track that morning in support of Relay for Life. I will be sending home "Why I relay" cards. You might want to talk with your child about the meaning of Relay for Life and together decide on "who" they will relay for, whether in memory of someone or in honor of a survivor. You may have your child write the name of that person on the card and return it to school. The cards will be displayed during Relay week. 
  
It's going to be another busy week in first grade! Please take a look at some of the things we will be doing in 1-4:

Word Work: Our phonics focus this week is on the long vowel sound /i/ spelled igh or y. May I ask for your help on something with homework? When your child is writing sentences for homework, please challenge them to create stronger sentences by using describing words and including more information. Ask your child if they answer these questions in their sentence... "who, what, where, when, why, and how". Our rule of thumb is if you are 6 years old, you should try to have at least 6 words in your sentence and if you are 7, you should try to write a sentence with at least 7 words.

Reading Workshop: As non-fiction readers, we accumulate information by reading different books on a topic and keep track of new information by jotting what we learn on post-it notes. Then we share what we learn with our reading partners.

I have also completed reading assessments with all of the children and look forward to sharing their reading progress at our upcoming conference.

Writing Workshop: We are working on our "All About" books as we begin writing the chapters this week.

Math: We will be celebrating the 100th day of school soon! Can you believe it? Wow! Time flies! I will be sending a note home soon asking your child to bring in 100 pieces of a particular ingredient for our 100th Day Snack Mix. Please be sure to have these in by next Tuesday. A reminder note will come on next week's homework calendar, but I wanted to give you a heads-up in case you are shopping this week. Last week, I introduced the Addition/Subtraction Fact Table as another tool for finding the sum of two numbers. We'll work more with it this week. We'll also be working with equivalent names for numbers using name collection boxes. We'll learn about fact families. Fact families consist of 4 math facts - 2 addition facts and 2 subtraction facts. An example of a fact family is 4+3=7, 3+4=7, 7-4=3, 7-3=4. Then we'll begin working with fact triangles. Fact triangles are a great tool for showing the relationship between addition and subtraction within fact families.

Ryan plays Addition Top-it on the computer.

We love playing the Function Machine game!

Sydney and Kate work on dice addition.

Science: The children are working hard on their planet research. We've been using many different resources, i.e. books, charts, and websites. The children have worked with their partners to research together and have especially enjoyed using the ipads in their research! This week the partnerships will decide on the points they want to teach about their planet and what "visual" they want to create to help teach about their planet. Then they will design their project and decide what materials they will need to complete it.

Other important reminders: 

Field trip to the Science Center/Planetarium will be next Tuesday, February 5. We will eat lunch at school at 11:00 before we go. Parents are welcome to join us by following the bus or meeting us at the Science Center. We will leave school at 11:30. Our tour begins at 12:00 and we will leave to return to school at 2:00.

Spring Conference Day will be Thursday, February 7. There will be no school for the children that day. I look forward to sharing your child's progress with you!

Friday, February 15, will be a Professional Development Day for teachers. There will be no school for students that day.

School is closed on Monday, February 18, for Presidents' Day.

Class Picture Day will be on Wednesday, February 26. 

The Relay for Life Cookout will be on Thursday, February 28. Hotdogs and tofu dogs will be served. A letter will come home soon with more information. Please plan to have lunch with your child on this day if you can. All proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life.

Reading Week will be the week of March 18 - 22. The Oldie Goldie Book Sale is on Friday, March 22. The entire week will be dedicated to Mrs. Weinman. 

On March 25, we will also dedicate the new playground to Mrs. Weinman. The memorial will be at 8:05a.m. Parents are welcome to join us. 

Volunteers this week: 

• Wednesday - Library Checkout - 2:10 – Kim Gross and Mary Hind
• Thursday - Math Game - 10:30 – David Richardson
• Friday - Art - 9:15 - Lorraine Thorpe
• Friday - Parent Reader - 2:15 - Twila Davis 

Until next time - 
Susan

PARENT LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES

The Successful Shorecrest Student:

Raising an Engaged Learner

Presented by: Eric Graffeo, OTR

Monday, January 28^th

Time: 12:00-1:30 PM

Place: The Children’s Studio-Lower Division

Targeted Audience: K-3^rd grade

Do you feel like your child arrives to school each day “excited and ready to learn?”  Do you wonder what you could be doing to help make your child’s learning experience at Shorecrest even better? Eric Graffeo, will explore different avenues that allow parents to make a real difference in how their child approaches their educational experience.

Eric Graffeo, occupational therapist and owner of I.T.S. For Kids, has been a part of the Shorecrest community for the past six years and has inspired countless students across grade levels.  His talk will center on promoting development of key foundational skills for learning.  Eric will also give parents ideas on how to support your child’s learning readiness at home and at school.

Week of January 22, 2013

Dear Parents: 

Although we have a very short week, we have a lot going on! Grandparent/Special Friend's Day is Friday! Our grandparents/special friends will begin in the Student Center at 8:30 with a continental breakfast. From 9:00 - 9:45, there will be a program in the Janet Root Theater for grandparents and special friends only. From 10:00 - 11:00, they will visit the classrooms and tour the school with the children. Those children who do not have grandparents or special friends attending will not be left out. They will be paired up with another child and their guests to tour the school. Dismissal is at noon. If your child will be leaving before noon with their grandparents/special friends, please be sure to let me or the office know. They will need to sign them out with me. If you have not sent in the photograph of your child's grandparents or special friend, please do so now! We are making special cards for them and need the pictures. If you do not have a photograph, you may have your child draw a detailed picture of them with their grandparent or special friend. 

There will not be a spelling assessment this week. However, please be sure to practice reading and spelling the high frequency words that came home on the word ring.

In Reading Workshop we continue reading non-fiction books and learning to use the particular features of the genre to help us find information and learn about the topic. Our partners for the planet projects are now our reading partners. The children are reading independently and then together to find information on their planet. This week they are using post-it notes to to mark those spots that make them say "wow, I didn't know that!" Then they are sharing that information during partner share time. They will use all of these post-it notes during science/project time as well. The children are keeping all of their research and books together in a special project baggie. The children will continue to research the planets both in books and on the internet. In the days to come, they'll decide what they want to teach others about their planet and begin to plan how they will visually present their projects. Then, the real fun begins! They will construct their projects and present them to the class - as they become the teachers!

Reader's Theater on Neal Armstrong's landing on the moon

Astronaut Carson!

Astronaut Kate!

In Writing Workshop, the children shared their "How-To" books. Their classmates had to follow the steps as they pretended to "do" whatever the instructions said. It was quite hysterical and enlightening! We also learned that non-fiction writers don't only write about how to do something but also write books that teach all about something. We created topic lists of things we know a lot about... first grade, soccer, tennis, dogs, my family, me... you get the picture!  Tomorrow, the children will learn to "try on" their topics by thinking about what they really know about the topic and choosing a topic that they know a lot about. We'll create title pages and tables of contents, adding the page numbers later after writing our chapters. 

In math, we began unit 6 today. You should have received the Unit 6 Family Letter on Friday along with the Unit 5 assessment. The Family Letter gives you a great preview of what is to come in this very meaty unit! Today, we were introduced to another tool for computing math facts... the Addition/Subtraction Table. This tool is pretty cool but a little tricky, too. We'll continue practicing addition facts using dice addition, the function machine, and our fact power cards. Fact Power cards will come home tomorrow (Wednesday) and MUST be returned on Friday. We'll also start to talk about equivalent names for numbers as we learn about "Name Collection Boxes".

So, as you can see, the week may be short, but it is packed full! Please make sure your child is on time to school as we get started right away!

Other important reminders: 

Field trip to the Science Center/Planetarium will be Tuesday, February 5. We will eat lunch at school at 11:00 before we go. Parents are welcome to join us by following the bus or meeting us at the Science Center. We will leave school at 11:30. Our tour begins at 12:00 and we will leave to return to school at 2:00.

Spring Conference Day will be Thursday, February 7. There will be no school for the children that day. I look forward to sharing your child's progress with you!

Friday, February 15, will be a Professional Development Day for teachers. There will be no school for students that day.

School is closed on Monday, February 18, for Presidents' Day.

Class Picture Day will be on Wednesday, February 26.

Volunteers this week: 

• Wednesday - Library Checkout - 2:10 – David Nguyen and Lorraine Thorpe
• Thursday - Math Game - 10:30 – Donna Main  

Until next time - 
Susan

Week of January 14, 2013

Dear Parents:

A special day is coming soon! Friday, January 25, will be “Grandparents and Special Friends Day” at Shorecrest! In preparation, please send in a photograph of your child’s grandparents or special friend(s). If your child is in the photo with them, all the better! We will be doing a special writing activity to show our grandparents and friends just how special they are! Please send the photographs in no later than this Thursday. If you do not have a photograph, please have your child draw a detailed picture of them with their grandparent or special friend.  Please send one in even if your child will not be having grandparents or a special friend attend on Grandparents Day. Those children that do not have grandparents/special friends attending will not be left out. They will be paired up with another child and their guests to tour the school.

Reading Scores!

The Paws of Reading contest through Scholastic is over and... the DOGS logged in the most minutes read! Throughout the nation, the Dogs logged in 95, 836,823 minutes read! Wow! The Cats throughout the nation logged in 65,528,596 minutes! That is amazing! EVERYONE is a winner because that means 1 million books were donated to kids in need! How great is that? In our class, the Dog team logged in 3, 848 minutes which donated 192 books to children in need! The Cat team logged in 2, 772 minutes read which donated 138 books to children in need! I am SO PROUD of our children! Aren't you? 

Our reading continues!

In Reading Workshop, we are enjoying being non-fiction readers. We choose books on topics that are of interest to us or help us learn information about a topic.  We’re learning that readers of non-fiction do not always have to read the book from cover to cover. We’re practicing using features such as the Table of Contents and Index to begin at places in the book that help us find the information we are looking for. We’re also learning to use features that help us understand what we read, such as a glossary, headings, diagrams, and captioned pictures.

Ben enjoys reading about snakes!

Kaja finds and marks the glossary in her book.

Word Study: I must compliment the entire class! Last week’s spelling test was a true testament of their success with application of the phonics rules. I am so proud! Our phonics focus this week will be on words with long vowel /e/ spelled e, ee, and ea. We continue to work on contractions, homophones, and compound words. I love the way the children are constantly coming to me with more homophones they are discovering! Don’t forget that the high frequency words on the word ring are not only for practicing reading but spelling them correctly as well. Please remember to return the ring on Thursday!

 Matthew uses the iPad in word work practice.

Matthew, Carson, and Ryan work on the iPads with Mrs. Rauman.

Sydney and Matthew have fun constructing compound words and using them to complete sentences. 

Phoebe and Leni practice giving each other a spelling quiz.

Writing Workshop:  The children are having a ball writing their “how-to” books! They get so excited! Last week, we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and then wrote step-by-step how to make them. They loved it! Today, I modeled writing a book on How To Do a Somersault. Then the children tried to follow the steps I wrote. Uh oh! We discovered what happens when steps are missing or are confusing! We realized how important it is to be very specific in our step-by-step directions. We decided that the most helpful step in writing a How-To book is re-reading your book with a partner to see if someone else can follow your directions. Ask your child to tell you how to do a somersault and follow their directions explicitly! Prepare to laugh! Therefore, revising will be a focus this week as we prepare for publishing a “how-to” book. 

Kate follows the directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Math: The children were introduced to the “What’s My Rule?” routine today. We'll have lots of practice this week finding input and output numbers for given rules as well as using input and output numbers to figure out the missing rule. We’ll finish up unit 5 this week. Look for the unit check-in-progress assessment to come home either Friday or next Tuesday.

Cyrus, Daven, and Sydney practice addition facts by playing Dice Sums.

Kate and Natalie practiced comparing weights with a balance scale.

Kaja, Leni, Avery, and Ben play "Beat the Calculator" with Avery's dad. 

Science: Our Solar System unit continues as we learn about gravity, astronauts, and the planets of the solar system. The children are becoming research scientists! Today each child chose a planet to research. Tomorrow they will be working in partnerships and will begin researching the planet in the computer lab. Our research will then continue in the classroom and then each partnership will create a visual project for their planet/research. Then each partnership will present their project to the class and teach us about the planet. Once the partnerships come up with the list of materials they need for the project they decide upon, your child may be asking to bring some needed materials in. Their work will be done in class. When the projects are complete, you will be invited to come hear their presentations! This will be a lot of fun! 

Natalie, Keith, Cyrus, and Phoebe enjoy painting the cover of their solar system pocket books where they will keep their work in progress during our unit.

Last week, we were invited to go view and listen to presentations by sixth graders of their science projects. What a great opportunity to get a peek at what project work looks like and sounds like!

Other important reminders: 

After school clubs begin this week.

School is closed on Monday, January 21, for Martin Luther King Day.

Grandparents/Special Friends Day is Friday, January 25. Noon dismissal that day!

Field trip to the Science Center/Planetarium will be Tuesday, February 5. We will eat lunch at school at 11:00 before we go. Parents are welcome to join us by following the bus or meeting us at the Science Center. We will leave school at 11:30. Our tour begins at 12:00 and we will leave to return to school at 2:00.

Spring Conference Day will be Thursday, February 7. There will be no school for the children that day. A sign-up sheet came home Friday. Please indicate your 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd choices and return it tomorrow if you have not already done so. If you need a date/time other than those offered, please email me and we will work it out. I will get a finalized schedule to you as soon as possible. I look forward to sharing your child's progress with you!

Friday, February 15, will be a Professional Development Day for teachers. There will be no school for students that day.

School is closed on Monday, February 18, for Presidents' Day.

Volunteers this week: 

• Wednesday - Library Checkout - 2:10 – Sharon Cannella and Heidi Joswig or David Richardson
• Thursday - Math Game - 10:30 – Kim Gross
• Friday - Art - 9:15 – Mary Hind
• Friday - Parent Reader - 2:15 – Charlene Hosseini

That's all for now! Have a great week!

Susan

Week of January 7, 2013

Dear Parents:

Happy New Year! I enjoyed hearing last week about the fun adventures some of the children had over the break. I hope you all enjoyed some special time together with each other. I certainly enjoyed time with my family.  Our house was full and busy with all three of our children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, two precious grandsons, and two crazy granddogs here! We had a ball! Then, unfortunately, three days after Christmas, we got a call that my mother-in-law had had a heart attack. So, my husband, son, and I drove to Georgia and spent the next four days at a hospital in Brunswick with her. It turns out that she did not have a heart attack, but a stroke of the arm. She had a blood clot removed and a pacemaker put in. She is doing much better, but is still in the hospital, waiting on a bed to become available at a rehabilitation center near her home. Luckily, there are a number of family members that live near her and that gives us a lot of comfort being so far away. So, as always, hold your family close to you!

Well! Buster certainly went out with a bang! Just look at the mess we walked into that last day!

Thank you, parents, for your bravery in coming to school in your pajamas for our come-as-you-are pajama party! We had so much fun! Thank you, too, for staying for the writing celebration and for making the children feel so good about their writing!  Last but not least, thank you so very much to everyone for your very generous and kind gifts to me. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness. Because of the ordeal with my mother-in-law, I did not get the thank you notes in the mail, so I sent them home with your children last Thursday. I hope the notes made it home!

I have updated our shutterfly site with lots of pictures from November and December. Be sure to check them out! I have included just a few on this blog.

At school, we are working on getting back into our routines. In Reading Workshop, we have started a unit on the genre of nonfiction. We began last week by comparing fiction and non-fiction books. We learned that non-fiction books are filled with true facts and information that teach us about something.  Over the next several weeks, we will spend a lot of time reading non-fiction books. We'll learn that as good readers, we use non-fiction books to pursue an interest and learn all we can about a topic. We'll learn to warm up our minds before reading by thinking about what we already know about the topic and what we want to learn. We'll learn that smart readers accumulate information by reading different books on a topic and we'll learn how to keep track of new information by jotting what we learn on sticky notes. All of this will help us in our upcoming project work on the solar system. More information will come about this later.

In Writing Workshop, we'll also focus on non-fiction. During the next two weeks, we will focus on writing "how-to" books that teach how to do something. Today, we spent some time in interactive writing about how to brush our teeth and the children compiled individual lists of how-to topics they feel confident enough about to write how-to books on. They will choose topics from their lists and begin writing books to teach others how to do these things! We'll have some other fun activities to help us engage in writing how-to books, such as making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and then writing about "how to" make them!

In Math, we're working on solving number stories and learning about turn-around facts. If you know that 3+4=7, then you know that  4+3=7. We'll have lots more math fact practice with dice sums and domino math. We'll also play a new game called "Beat the Calculator" in which we pit our brains against the calculator in solving math facts!

In Science, we continue in our solar system study. Our main focus this week will be the moon.

Other important reminders: 

School is closed on Monday, January 21, for Martin Luther King Day.

Grandparents/Special Friends Day is Friday, January 25. Noon dismissal that day!

Field trip to the Science Center/Planetarium will be Tuesday, February 5. We will eat lunch at school at 11:00 before we go. Parents are welcome to join us by following the bus or meeting us at the Science Center. We will leave school at 11:30. Our tour begins at 12:00 and we will leave to return to school at 2:00.

Spring Conference Day will be Thursday, February 7. There will be no school for the children that day. A schedule will be coming home soon. If you need a specific time, please email me now!

Friday, February 15, will be a Professional Development Day for teachers. There will be no school for students that day.

School is closed on Monday, February 18, for Presidents' Day.

Volunteers this week: 

• Wednesday - Library Checkout - 2:10 - Kristen Danielson and Amber Ferrol
• Thursday - Math Game - 10:30 - David Richardson
• Friday - Art - 9:15 - Kim Gross
• Friday - Parent Reader - 2:15 - Sharon Cannella

That's all for now! Have a great week!

Susan