From Mrs. v.C.
10/4/10
It is hard to believe that the first month of school is over! I hope that you’ve been enjoying their writing that has been coming home. Look back and you should find that their writing is really improving. For some, they are just beginning to sound out words while others are learning to use proper punctuation and to give further details in a logical order. I love watching their progress and I am proud of each one of them.
You may have heard that today we all worked on listening and following directions. I encouraged (OK – bribed) them with a silly band today if they followed directions. As they are becoming more and more familiar with one another, the talking during work or directions has increased a bit. I was finding myself repeating directions more than usual so thought we would spend this week really focused on following directions. Not surprisingly, they had a great day today! We would gladly accept donations of silly bands for our prize box. I do tell the students however that they are allowed at school only if they are not distracting. For the most part, they’ve done pretty well with not playing with them during teaching.
Today students brought home their September Daily Oral Language (D.O.L). Each morning, our opening activity is to copy the daily information such as day, date, days of school and weather. I also write a sentence with mistakes and they are to fix them. If your child has not been finishing their daily page it may be that they are taking to long to begin their work. Students that unpack quickly and begin right away usually have no trouble finishing.
Thanks for your many offers to type the BOB books. I have several volunteers and I will getting you that information to you in the next day or two. I was amazed and touched at your willingness to help.
Just a reminder that the Walk-a-Thon is only 10 days away. Please return those envelopes, even if you are able to give a quarter. Students get prizes for returned envelopes as well.
Check out the bloggers of the day – Jessica L, Tanner, Hannah, David, Celeste, Mason, Luis.
Thanks for everything!
Sue
9/20/10 Thank you SO much for a great turn out on Curriculum Night. I really look forward to working with each family and getting to know you a bit more. On Friday, our class was given a Seahawks shirt to give away to the reader with the most cumulative minutes. Congratulations to Nathan for having the most minutes. He should be very proud of himself.
Tomorrow, students will begin spelling rotations. Students will work at their level and may be in either Mrs. Heinz, Hunt, Beck or v.C.’s class for twenty minutes of spelling using the curriculum, Signs for Sounds.
Please note that book orders came home today and are due by Friday. Please order online if possible.
9/13/10 This morning I watched the kids come into the classroom and was so impressed with how well they have their routine down! They look like they’ve been in school for months, rather than weeks. What a great group of kids! Check out The Daily Buzz for comments from Mason, Shivani and Venella.
A reminder that this Thursday is curriculum night. I hope to see you all!
A few notes about the grades that you see coming home on papers. They are the same as on the report card.
4 – exceeds standards
3- meeting standards
2 – working towards standards
1 – below standards
The majority of work coming home should be a 3. I will give 4′s if a student is consistently showing me above grade level work. I often tell students, “For a 4, show me more!” In other words, a 4 is not just that you got every answer correct. I will often tell my students what they need to do to make their paper a 4. For instance on their spelling dictation sentences, not only would the spelling need to be correct but the punctuation as well. At this point in the year, I do not write 2′s on papers. Instead of a “2″ I will often write, “Please review.” I try really hard to get papers home to you by the next day. Please do review any papers marked as such. Many times students need to hear things a second time 1:1. Your getting to these papers each night really helps the kids be ready for the next lesson.
That being said, please remember that this is first grade! If homework or reviews become a negative, please let me know. Nightly homework should not need to take more than 10-15 minutes a night in addition to the goal of 100 minutes of reading per week. If you are finding that you need to take more time reviewing errors, try reviewing in the morning and homework at night.
Have a good night!
9/9/10 Just a reminder that reading logs and posters are due tomorrow! We have really been enjoying getting to know each other better through the posters.
9/7/10 It is hard to believe that it was only a week ago that these kids began school. They have learned so much about their routine and had a very productive day. This morning we began with writing in our Weekend News Journals. Following each weekend, your child will write about their weekend. Not only do these journals serve as a great memory book for your family, but also a great way to celebrate their progress in writing. You will be amazed at what your child will learn in one year.
Today we took topic 1 pre test in math. At the beginning of each topic, children are given a pre test. These tests will go home to you so that you are aware of what we will be studying and also areas that your child may need extra practice. Please note, the pre test is BEFORE teaching has taken place and children do not need to know the material at the pre-test level. At the end of each topic, they will be given a post test and then, students should understand the material. Pre tests do not count towards your child’s grade unless they pass it all and then, they get a 4 since they have demonstrated that they know the material. I give extra credit opportunities daily and for those that need an additional challenge.
Today the children were introduced to Buzzy the Bee. Buzzy goes home each night with a different student and is to be returned the following day. Please help your child write in the journal telling of their adventures. Your child will be given a chance to share about their adventures the next day. LOTS of fun!
Have a great evening! Sue
9/3/10 This has been one of my best first weeks ever. You would be really quite proud of the kids in how much they’ve already learned about being a first grader! For the kid’s recall of the day, check out The Daily Buzz! Also check out the classroom and volunteer calendar sections. Thank you, Jill! We have made exceptional progress with only four days of school. We are ready next week to dive into parent volunteers, some testing and begin our math and social studies curriculum. All students now have take home reading books and they are motivated to read.
Sent home today was their first homework. Please refer to the homework section for a recent letter and our classroom reading log. These documents were sent home today as well as their posters to be completed this week. Homework always goes home on Friday and is returned the following Friday.
Have a great long weekend. Each Monday, students write about their weekend in their “Weekend News” so please help them discuss their weekend and think ahead to what they wish to write about on …Tuesday.
Take Care!
Sue
