Newsletter volume 14

In writing, we started working on persuasive letter writing. We first shared our schema, which is what we already know. Which we found out, wasn’t a whole lot. Then we read the book “I Wanna New Room” by Karen Kaufman Orloff.  In the book, Alex, the little boy, was trying to convince his parents that he needed a new room by writing persuasive letters to them. Have your child tell you what Alex finally got and how he felt. Then we started brainstorming ideas that we could change for the school, community, and your family.

     In reading, we really focused on making a connection to our lives after we have read a book.  For example, we read the book “Bear Feels Sick.” I made the connection to my life, when I had the chicken pox, my brother took care of me.  Then when I was feeling better, my brother then got the chicken pox, just like in the book when Bear was sick and all of his friends took care of him.  Then when he was better, all of his friends were then sick. It’s also a great idea for students to make a connection to another story.

     In math, we are continuing to work with place value with 10’s and 1’s, but now we are incorporating it into dimes and pennies. We know that if we have the number 37, we can show that by drawing 3 circles and writing 10 in the middle for 3 dimes and then draw 7 circles and put a 1 in the middle to represent 7 pennies. So we would count 10, 20, 30 cents, then 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and finally 37 cents.

 In Wilson Fundations, we learned two more glued sounds, /an/ and /am/. We tap these 2 letters together to make one sound. For example, if we have the word, “ham”, we would tap out the beginning sound /h/ with our thumb and pointer finger and /am/ would be tapped together with our middle and ring finger to make a wolfpack symbol. It is 3 letters, but we only tap out 2 sounds. Have your child show you how to tap out with word.

Important Information:

-        Fall Festival- Thank you everyone who donated items for our pet baskets. I might be biased, but I think we had the best 2 baskets out of all of them! We haven’t heard the total amount how much was raised for our “Spoiled Dog and Spoiled Cat” baskets, but I know it’s going to be a lot for the grade level! Thank you again so much! We had a great turn out with 13 students and their families coming out and having a great time at the Fall Festival!

-        Scholastic Book Order- This Thursday the November and December Scholastic magazines will be coming home. There are so many great books and deals. I have the due date coming up quickly so we can make sure the items come in before we track out on the 30^th. Remember if you order on-line, you get a coupon for a free $5.00 book. Our online code is: G229M. Orders will be due on Thursday, November 15^th.

Homework for the week of October 29th

Math	Complete attached Math Expressions pages: 4-10 (Homework- front and Remembering - back) 5-2 (Homework- front and Remembering - back)
Spelling	Sight Words this Week:                                                                                              shell      lick      thick      fuss     fall *As the year progresses, we will be creating a list of sight word activities that your child can choose from each week. Your child needs to choose 2 of the 6 activities listed.  In addition, they should also read the sight words to a parent each night. Pick 2 of the choices below: *Write each sight word 3x each. *Use each sight word in a sentence. *Rainbow write your words in 2 colors for each word. *Write your sight words in ABC order. *Write each word neatly. Trace over all the vowels in each word with a blue crayon. *Write a story and use each of your sight words. Underline each word as you use it in the story.
Reading	Read your “Book in a Bag” to Mom or Dad and parents complete the Parent Participation Sheet.  Take time to really work through the questions with your child.  Eventually they will be able to answer most of the questions without much prompting.  Your child should continue to read their “Book in a Bag” several times throughout the week. Please make sure the “Parent Participation sheet” is filled out and returned on Friday, with the book.
Wilson Fundations	Complete the Wilson Fundations sheet.  This sheet is a review of digraphs. *Please make sure this sheet is turned in on Friday with all of the other homework.

Newsletter for October 22nd

   In writing, we finished up the unit on Small Moments.  We will next be entering into persuasive letter writing!

  In math, we are continuing to work on grouping numbers into 10’s and then left over ones.  In class, we have dry erase boards that have a number path of 1 to 100 going around the outside of the board. We have worked with this number path, making 10 sticks and doing dots for left over 1’s.  For example, with the number 52, we could make a 10 stick through 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, and a final one through 41-50.  Then we would do 2 extra dots for 51 and 52.  We could then write a number sentence 50+2=52.  This is just another cool way we have been working on showing groups of 10.

    In Wilson Fundations, we continued working with the double bonus letters: f, l, s, and sometimes z. These letters are found at the end of the quadrant, which helps us to remember that we need to double it up. We do not sound out of tap out the double bonus letter. We assessed this unit today and will start a new unit tomorrow.

Important Information:

- JDRF Walk- Our school goal was to raise $5,000.00. From just tracks 1 and 3 we raised $6,364.00!!!! That is amazing!!!! Way to go!!!

- Box Tops- Our class is in the lead for the contest!!!!! Keep on cutting out the little rectangles and turn them in! I think the contest runs through the end of the month. Every Box Top turned in is 10 cents for our school.

- Items for the Pet Basket- Thank you so much for all if the items that were donated for the track 1 pet basket. Mrs. Rodgers and I put all of our stuff together this morning, and we have enough for 2 baskets! We have some really awesome things in there! Make sure you find our baskets are the Fall Festival and purchase tickets to try to win it. A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Axman for putting the baskets together!!!

Homework for the week of October 22nd

Math	Complete attached Math Expressions pages: 4-4 (Homework- front and Remembering - back) 4-7 (Homework- front and Targeted Practice - back)
Spelling	Sight Words this Week:                                                                                              from      or       have      eat     got *As the year progresses, we will be creating a list of sight word activities that your child can choose from each week. Your child needs to choose 2 of the 6 activities listed.  In addition, they should also read the sight words to a parent each night. Pick 2 of the choices below: *Write each sight word 3x each. *Use each sight word in a sentence. *Rainbow write your words in 2 colors for each word. *Write your sight words in ABC order. *Write each word neatly. Trace over all the vowels in each word with a blue crayon. *Write a story and use each of your sight words. Underline each word as you use it in the story.
Reading	Read your “Book in a Bag” to Mom or Dad and parents complete the Parent Participation Sheet.  Take time to really work through the questions with your child.  Eventually they will be able to answer most of the questions without much prompting.  Your child should continue to read their “Book in a Bag” several times throughout the week. Please make sure the “Parent Participation sheet” is filled out and returned on Friday, with the book.
Wilson Fundations	Complete the Wilson Fundations sheet.  We have been working with “Double Bonus Letters.” They are f, l, s, and sometimes z. Read the directions and complete the sheet. *Please make sure this sheet is turned in on Friday with all of the other homework.

Newsletter for October 15th

In Reading, we focused on the reading “non-fiction or informational” text. This type of text is real information and the purpose of the book is so we can learn more information about that topic. We read a lot of informational text about Christopher Columbus and about Fire Safety. We worked on filling out KWL charts. The K stands for what we already know or our “schema”. The W stands for what do we want to know. And the L gets filled in after we have completed our research and stands for things that we learned.

   In math, we started a new unit working the counting by 10’s and adding on the extra ones.  We have been working on making 10 sticks, which is doing a straight line for each ten and then drawing circles for the ones place.  For example if we had the number 37, we would do 3 ten sticks (straight lines) and then do 5 circles on top and 2 underneath it.  We do 5 and 2, so we can quickly add 5+2 to give us 7.  Doing the ten stick saves a lot of time, so we don’t have to count up 10 each time, but instead can count by ten.

    In Wilson Fundations, we have been working on double bonus letters and the glued sound /all/. With the double bonus letters, these are letters that we double and these letters come at the end of each quadrant. They are f, l, s, and sometimes z. We do not tap out this sound, but we do have to double it up when a short vowel comes before that letter. For example, if we had the word mess, we would only tap out /m/, /e/, and the first /s/. For the glued sounds, these are sounds that we tap out together. For example, if we had the word fall, it would only have two sounds to tap out /f/ and then /all/. So when we tap out a glued sound, it looks like a wolf pack with the middle and ring finger together to tap out.

    Fire Safety- Last week we talked a lot about Fire Safety, since it was Fire Safety week.  We read several books about Fire Fighters and how Fire Fighters and safety requirements have changed from hundreds of years ago to now.  Have your child share some of the things they learned last week.

Important Information:

-          JDRF Walk- We will walk tomorrow, the 16^th, from 9:20 to 9:50. All money collected will be due tomorrow. Thanks!

-          Scholastic Book Order- If you are interested, check and order form will be due to me by Friday, October 19^th. If you would like to order online, our class activation code is: G229M.  You can access that at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs.

-          Items for the Pet Basket- All items that are being collected for the Pet Basket for the Fall Festival are due this Friday, the 19^th. It can be any item for any animal.

Homework for the week of October 15th

Math	Complete attached Math Expressions pages: 4-2 (Homework- front and Remembering - back) 4-3 (Homework- front and Targeted Practice - back)
Spelling	Sight Words this Week:                                                                                              they      one     said      did     dog *As the year progresses, we will be creating a list of sight word activities that your child can choose from each week. Your child needs to choose 2 of the 6 activities listed.  In addition, they should also read the sight words to a parent each night. Pick 2 of the choices below: *Write each sight word 3x each. *Use each sight word in a sentence. *Rainbow write your words in 2 colors for each word. *Write your sight words in ABC order. *Write each word neatly. Trace over all the vowels in each word with a blue crayon. *Write a story and use each of your sight words. Underline each word as you use it in the story.
Reading	Read your “Book in a Bag” to Mom or Dad and parents complete the Parent Participation Sheet.  Take time to really work through the questions with your child.  Eventually they will be able to answer most of the questions without much prompting.  Your child should continue to read their “Book in a Bag” several times throughout the week. Please make sure the “Parent Participation sheet” is filled out and returned on Friday, with the book.
Wilson Fundations	Complete the Wilson Fundations sheet.  (If you have been keeping the cut apart letters, add the diagraphs, the double bonus letters (f,l,s), and the glued sound “all” to your letters.) *Please make sure this sheet is turned in on Friday with all of the other homework.

Items for the "Pet Basket" for the Fall Festival

The Fall Festival is right around the corner!  We are excited to be able to contribute to the first grade field trip fund by submitting a class “Theme Basket” to raffle at the festival.  However, we NEED your support to make this happen! 

Our Track One, First Grade theme is “Pet Basket”!

 We would GREATLY appreciate either a monetary donation or items to be included in the basket. 

Suggested Items to Donate:

Treats                                             Toys

Canned Food                                Pet Bed

Brushes                                         Pet Stain Cleaner

Shampoo                                      Tennis Balls

Bowls                                            Rawhides

Leashes/Collars                           Pet Picture Frames

Nail Clippers                                Or anything else related to our Pet Theme

Please send in your donation no later than Friday, October 19th and THANK YOU!!!

Newsletter for October 8th

     In Reading, we focused on the CAFÉ strategies “Ask questions before, during, and after reading” for C, which is comprehension and “Recognize words at sight” for A which is accuracy. We read both informational “non-fiction” and literary “fiction” books to practice these two skills. When you child is reading to you at home, see if they use two strategies while reading.

     In Math, we worked on math centers that were concentrating with place value. We worked on counting out different amounts and placing them in groups of 10’s and left over ones. For example, if we had 47 square tiles, we would have 4 groups of 10’s and 7 left over. Have your child show you how to show 47 with ten sticks and ones. We also worked on comparing two numbers using the more than (>), less than (<), or equal symbol (=).

      In writing, we wrote about a Small Moment Story that happened to each student during Track out. We made sure to include lots of great details, like specifically when the Small Moment happened, who was there with them, where it took place, what they were doing, and how it made them feel. Have your child tell you what my “Small Moment Story” was that took place in Atlanta.

      In Wilson Fundations, we finished up unit 3, which was working with our digraphs, “ch, sh, th, wh, and ck.” We also worked on the trick words for, as, has, and his. These words have been added to our word wall, so students should be able to spell the words correctly and read them quickly.

Important Information:

-  Do you buy items that have Boxtops on them?  If so, our school could earn 10 cents for each one you cut off and turn in.  Once you have a nice collection going, all you have to do is put them in a bag that came home in last week’s Friday Folders with “C. Bethel” on a label.  We get money for the school and you didn’t have to spend any money!

-  Reflections Contest- The Banks Road PTA is excited to announce that we will be participating in the national Reflections Art Contest this year. This is a national program designed to encourage students to explore their talents and express themselves through artistic endeavors.  The theme for the 2012-2013 contest is “The Magic of a Moment.” Every moment of every day is unique. Good or bad – no moment is the same. We all have that one moment that we can look back on and say, “I wish I could live that day over and over again.” Students may submit work related to this theme in the categories of Dance Choreography, Music Composition, Visual Arts, Literature, Photography, and Film Production. Students in preschool through 5^th grade are encouraged to flex their creative muscles and submit an entry. All artwork must be original, created specifically for this contest, and comply with the contest rules. You can find all the contest rules and the student entry form on the Banks Road website.  All artwork must be accompanied by an entry form and received in the school office by November 2 to be eligible for the contest. School winners in each category will advance to the county level of the contest. State and national winners are announced each spring. If you have any questions about the Reflections program, the contest rules, or the student entry form please contact Megan McCool, Media Coordinator.  Let’s blaze creative trails and explore the Magic of a Moment!

Homework for the week of October 8th

Math	Complete attached Math Expressions pages: 3-10 (Homework- front and Remembering - back) 311 (Homework- front and Targeted Practice- back)
Spelling	Sight Words this Week:                                                                                              you        we       I       back      came *As the year progresses, we will be creating a list of sight word activities that your child can choose from each week. Your child needs to choose 2 of the 6 activities listed.  In addition, they should also read the sight words to a parent each night. Pick 2 of the choices below: *Write each sight word 3x each. *Use each sight word in a sentence. *Rainbow write your words in 2 colors for each word. *Write your sight words in ABC order. *Write each word neatly. Trace over all the vowels in each word with a blue crayon. *Write a story and use each of your sight words. Underline each word as you use it in the story.
Reading	Read your “Book in a Bag” to Mom or Dad and parents complete the Parent Participation Sheet.  Take time to really work through the questions with your child.  Eventually they will be able to answer most of the questions without much prompting.  Your child should continue to read their “Book in a Bag” several times throughout the week. *Please make sure the “Parent Participation sheet” is filled out and returned on Friday, with the book.
Wilson Fundations	Complete the Wilson Fundations sheet.  (If you have been keeping the cut apart letters, add the diagraphs to your letters.) *Please make sure this sheet is turned in on Friday with all of the other homework.

Reminder:  Please return your assignments completed, including name on all of the homework, in your Homework Folder on Friday morning!  J