Our FUN Friday!

Based on feedback from last week I am going to continue with the Monday newsletter. I am going to use our blog page to post pictures from our classroom each week.
I have taken a ton of pictures so some may be from earlier activities! These are just a few of the pictures from this Friday. :)

Making subtraction BINGO cards

Fingerprinting fun

Making subtraction BINGO cards

~ Spooky math center ~

The AR competition is on!

September 29, 2014

We had a great time Friday dying carnations and making cell models. This week we will learn all about germs and how to prevent the spread of illness. Be on the lookout for some “germ monsters” Friday!

* Picture Day is tomorrow!

* If you have not returned your child’s field trip permission slip yet, please do so ASAP!  Remember that 1st graders will be going to William Carey Wednesday. We should be back by 10:00 so don’t forget to still send a snack that day. 

Library books / Accelerated Reader (AR)

The AR competition is on! Two students filled up their first row of stickers last week (five 100s!) and got Treasure Box! After filling up all four rows students will get a 32 Degrees gift card.

Keep reading at home, but please remember to send your child’s AR book back to school in his / her backpack each day.

Spelling

We are beginning new spelling sounds this week (beginning and ending blends). Tomorrow you will receive your child’s spelling test from last week along with a list of the phonetic rules that were tested. All of these rules came from Level 1 so if your child missed any of the words last week please continue to work on those rules at home.  

> If your child does not have the Magnetic ABC app (most had it in kindergarten) please download it. We use it during spelling to practice new sounds and words.

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Reading / Language Arts:

Throughout this entire unit we will be reading the book Nate the Great and discussing how detectives use forensic science to solve cases. We will spend each Friday doing a hands-on experiment to explore how microscopic science really works.

In Language we will be using unfamiliar terms from our book to create synonyms and antonyms that will help us better understand the new words. We will also be writing complete sentences with our new vocabulary and spelling words.

Math:

Subtraction last week was fantastic! We finished lessons 1-5 in by Wednesday and even took a daily grade / check on Thursday! 

We will do a mid-point check on Monday and work on Lessons 6-8 the rest of the week. 

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I can always be reached by email at lisaainsworth@benedictdayschool.com any time that you have a question or concern! :)

September 21, 2014

Library books / Accelerated Reader (AR)

We had 3 students score 100% on an AR test last week and several more to get 80 or 90%! Great job! Thank you Teejay Shemper for donating the 32 Degrees gift cards for students who fill up their AR sticker chart! 

Remember that you may help your child read their AR book at home, but they should take the test at school. We will go to the library in the morning to get new books and spend some time reading during our centers tomorrow. 

Sight Words

I will reassess sight words 2-3 times per nine weeks and send home a new list each time. The goal is to continue progressing to harder words (ie. higher lists) throughout the year. We will practice sight words during independent reading centers, but this is not something to stress about. I will occasionally send home a fun app or cute idea that I find, but your child will learn sight words better if they enjoy what they are doing. 

Spelling

We are continuing to review Level 1 spelling rules this week, and I will most likely give a quiz at the end of the week on some of the phrases and sentences that we have been practicing in class. 

I will say a simple sentence [ex: The cat is on the step.] and have the students repeat it out loud then write it.

> If your child does not have the Magnetic ABC app (most had it in kindergarten) please download it. We use it during spelling to practice new sounds and words.

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Reading / Language Arts (yellow folder):

Throughout this entire unit we will be reading the book Nate the Great and discussing how detectives use forensic science to solve cases. We will spend each Friday doing a hands-on experiment to explore how microscopic science really works.

In Language we will be using unfamiliar terms from our book to create synonyms and antonyms that will help us better understand the new words. We will also be writing complete sentences with our new vocabulary and spelling words.

Math (blue folder):

We are beginning Chapter 2 in math this week. We will learn how to subtract with and without counters, how to solve subtraction word (story) problems, and how addition and subtraction are related. This is another very long chapter and should take us about 4 weeks to finish.

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I can always be reached by email at lisaainsworth@benedictdayschool.com any time that you have a question or concern! :)

I was so proud of our class Friday! Everyone did an amazing job memorizing their lines and showing off their animal adaptations!

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Library books / Accelerated Reader (AR)

I have AR reading levels (which you will get with Tuesday papers) for each student so we will begin reading and assessing on library books this week. 

Our library times will be Monday from 8:10 - 8:25 and Wednesday from 11:40 - 12:00. Here is the plan… Each student will check out a new book tomorrow on his or her correct reading level. They should read the book AT LEAST 3 times before testing on it (unless its a chapter book). I recommend that they read it out loud at least one time. We will practice taking AR tests together on books that we have read as a class, but each child will be able to test on his or her own library book using the AR app during school hours. They may get a new AR book after they have tested on their current one, and I will send home AR reports with your child’s test scores each week. I would like for them to have at least one test each week, but they may have more since we have books in the classroom. 

> You will need to download the free Accelerated Reader app (orange icon with white leaf design) to your child’s iPad sometime this week, but they may also use our classroom iPad to test. 

Sight Words

I will reassess sight words 2-3 times per nine weeks and send home a new list each time. The goal is to continue progressing to harder words (ie. higher lists) throughout the year. We will practice sight words during independent reading centers, but this is not something to stress about. I will occasionally send home a fun app or cute idea that I find, but your child will learn sight words better if they enjoy what they are doing. 

Spelling

We are ready to start spelling this week! I am using the same program (All About Spelling) that Mrs. Jenny used in kindergarten so the students should be familiar with the procedures. We will work on the spelling patterns and rules during small-group reading, and I will give weekly spelling tests on the words that we practiced in class. Just like in kindergarten, I will not be sending home a list of words each week to memorize. The goal is to have students learn and apply the rules of spelling, not memorize a list of words then forget them next week. Please feel free however to help your child practice any words that he or she missed on the weekly test. :) 

Gradelink

We were not able to get Gradelink to work with the kindergarten and first grade academic and behavioral checklists. I will send home a progress report (very similar to kindergarten) every nine weeks. The first progress report will be October 14th. It will list the standards that we have been practicing in reading, language, writing, and math, as well as overall behavior and participation in activity classes. Students will be given a letter grade to indicate their level of progress so far.

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Reading / Language Arts (yellow folder):

Throughout this entire unit we will be reading the book Nate the Great and discussing how detectives use forensic science to solve cases. Will spent each Friday doing a hands-on experiment to explore how forensic science really works.

In Language we will be using unfamiliar terms from our book to create synonyms and antonyms that will help us better understand the new words. We will also be writing complete sentences with our new vocabulary and spelling words.

Math (blue folder):

We will finally be finishing Ch. 1 in the “My Math” textbooks this week. This has been a very long chapter, but we have thoroughly explored the concept of addition. 

We have also been working with our hundreds chart to count to 120 starting from any number, fill in missing numbers, and understand the pattern of the hundreds chart (1 more, 1 less, 10 more, 10 less). This will be a year-long skill. 

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I can always be reached by email at lisaainsworth@benedictdayschool.com any time that you have a question or concern! :)

September 1, 2014

Thank you to everyone that contributed last week! We had so much going on, and it wouldn’t have been successful without you!

I am disappointed to announce that we will not be able to grow our caterpillars / butterflies as planned. The company that ships the larva are located in California, and they have placed a hold on all live insect shipments due to extreme heat conditions. I placed our order almost two weeks ago, and they have still not been able to ship them yet. 

I am not sure yet if they are going to refund me the amount of our kit, or give us a “store credit” to use for a later unit. I am currently working on a project for our next unit [Microscopic World], but if you would like for me to refund your $5.00 I would be happy to do that.

Hopefully we will have a chance to try the insects again later in the year. 

iPads:

Several students are having trouble getting Moby Max to load on their iPads. We use this site every week because it offers very valuable practice with a variety of skills, as well as progress monitoring. Ms. Samantha checked the “Usage” on some of the students’ iPads last week and found that they were nearly full! 

Please check the amount of available storage on your child’s iPad, and go through the games / apps that are downloaded. Occasionally deleting old games will help it run quicker and more smoothly at school. 

Reading / Language Arts (yellow folder):

We will be reading What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? [along with other books by Steve Jenkins] and discussing animal adaptations specific to their habitat.  

Students will be creating their own animal and describing its unique adaptations, as well as researching animals from the book. 

In Language, we are still using our Writer’s Checklist to form complete sentences in response to our text. We will also be creating questions, and responding to them in complete sentences. 

Math (blue folder):

We will be finishing Ch. 1 in the “My Math” textbooks this week. We have been practicing adding numbers with and without pictures, and discussing the concept of addition and equal. 

I can always be reached by email at lisaainsworth@benedictdayschool.com any time that you have a question or concern! :) 

August 25, 2014

Here are a few items that we will need in class. If you are able to send any of these to school by THURSDAY please let me know!

• colored icing (2-3 jars should be plenty)
• sprinkles
• lizard or fish-shaped cookie cutters
• glitter glue (not sprinkle glitter) 
• nature-inspired decorations (feathers, natural colored beads, pom-poms, etc)

We also need donations for our class treasure box! Think small, inexpensive toys, books, and goodies. The dollar section at Target is always a great place to find treasure box items. 

 *I give Treasure Box at random times when I notice a small group of students exhibiting a behavior that I would like for others to mimic. If your child doesn’t get a prize from the Treasure Box on a day that someone else did, ask them what they noticed their friend doing [or not doing] that they weren’t. I try to be very specific with my expectations and praises so that my students have a clear goal to work towards. 

REMINDERS:

> Signed papers will go home every TUESDAY in your child’s red folder. However, I will also use the red folder to send home make-up work, notes from school, and homework on most occasions. Please check this folder any time that it’s in your child’s backpack!

> These are the websites that need an icon (shortcut) on your child’s iPad:

1. Rosetta Stone (also need the app)

2. Moby Max

3. Discovery Education

> Don't forget to pack your child a healthy snack and drink on the days that they order lunch. 

GRADELINK / PROGRESS REPORTS:

I will hopefully be posting conduct/ participation comments on Gradelink tomorrow. Please remember to check that on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. 

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Reading / Language Arts (yellow folder):

We are still reading A Color of His Own by Leo Leoni this week. We are focusing on story elements (character, setting, problem, & solution) during reading groups.

In Language, we are using our Writer’s Checklist to form complete sentences in response to our text. 

Math (blue folder):

Chapter 1 of “My Math” uses various methods to demonstrate the concept of addition. We are working towards number sentences that require adding without the use of pictures. 

Social Science:

We are finishing our Rainbow Fish activities, and continuing the learn about being a good friend using the concept of “pay it forward” or being a bucket-filler. 

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I can always be reached by email at lisaainsworth@benedictdayschool.com any time that you have a question or concern! :) 

Hi Fabulous First Grade parents!! 

I have spent this past week getting to know your sweet children, and we have been doing some fun back-to-school activities. I have to say, we may have the best class at BDS! I have never enjoyed the beginning of school as much I as did this week. I hope that your children had just as much fun as their teachers did! ;) 

REMINDERS:
*PE is on Monday. Don't forget to dress your child in tennis shoes and athletic wear. 

*If you have not sent your child’s $5.00 to purchase our butterfly kit, please try to send it on Monday.

*Please check the list of apps to make sure that your child has them all. We will be using these during small group instructional time. 

*Don't forget to pack your child a healthy snack and drink on the days that they order lunch. 

TROUBLESHOOTING:
1. The Splash Math app requires a parent to sign in before your child can begin playing. The app tracks your child's progress on each level / skill and emails the reports to you! Please sign in (on your child's iPad) with your email address so that we can begin using this app next week.

2.  Rosetta Stone -

Parents,

Please download the free Rosetta Stone app. titled Rosetta Course.  Because the iPad doesn’t have Adobe Flash, the program won’t work properly.  However, the website links to the app and allows the program to load and work properly.  You simply need to download the app; please do not try to log on through the app.  I will go in through the website and log your child on.  If you open the app, it will show a screen asking for your email.  I will not need any of that information.  I will work with your child next week to log them in. 

Thank you for your patience.

Jennifer Bertram

GRADELINK / PROGRESS REPORTS:
First grade [and kindergarten] will have a different format on Gradelink than other grades because the students are still being monitored for their progress rather than given a numerical grade. I will send home progress reports every six weeks summarizing your child's academic and conduct performance during that term.
Gradelink will show you attendance each day as well as your child's overall conduct and participation at school. I will post comments on Tuesday [when signed papers go home] and Friday afternoons [to summarize the week]. You will also be able to see comments from your child’s activity teachers (PE, art, music, Spanish) and Mrs. Lisa (conceptual). 
We are still in the process of getting Gradelink set up for K and 1st so please be patient. I will let you know as soon as we are up and running. As always, I will contact you directly if we have any issues that need to be resolved immediately. 

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Looking ahead:
Miss Samantha and I will spend next week going through some reading, spelling, writing, and math assessments with each child as we begin small group / center instruction time. This data will be used to help plan our curriculum so that we may customize our lessons to meet each child's needs and keep them engaged and challenged. 

Reading / Language Arts (yellow folder):
We will begin sight words next week during reading. When I determine the list that your child needs to begin working on I will send that list home, and you may reset your child's Sight Words Pro app to quiz them on the word list they need to practice.

Next week we will be reading A Color of His Own by Leo Leoni. We will be doing some fun crafts and activities with the book, and also using it to discuss what makes each person unique and why it's good to be different! 

Math (blue folder):
We will start using our "My Math" textbooks next week, although I may not always follow the pacing of the book. If I add anything important for that week it will be in your child's blue math folder. Miss Samantha and I will change out the study sheets in that folder depending on what skills we are practicing. 

Social Science:
Our class quote this year is one of my favorites, by Ralph Waldo Emerson: 
Do not follow where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. 
Our reading book this week will be a great introduction to our Social Science unit.

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Finally, I want to say THANK YOU to each and every parent who has welcomed me to BDS. I feel so blessed that my family and I get to be part of such an amazing group of people who are driven to provide the best educational experience possible for our children.

I hope that everyone has a fun and restful weekend! 

:)

Mrs. Lisa