Room 105 – Notes & News
Sept. 6-9
Notes & Reminders
- School picture forms were sent home this week. Please return the completed form & money (if you aren't ordering online), before Thursday, September 15th. If you are ordering online, you do not need to return the form.
- Snack: We have snack every day. Please remember to pack one or two small snack items (no candy).
A few of students have been concerned about wether or not they can have more that one snack. As long as they are small and can be eaten without distraction in a 5-10 minute period (example: small fruit & a bag of pretzels etc.), I'm okay with it. I just won't be able to monitor each student to make sure they are eating what you want or don't want them to have. If you're able to talk with them about what you are okay with them eating, that'd be appreciated! That way they aren't eating all of their weekly snacks on one day and running out. :)
- Each student will need their own set of headphones for the school year. It's helpful to ask your child if their headphones are working okay. I'll try to make a note next week, but I think there are about 5 students that said their headphones weren't working. I had a set I was able to borrow for this week because of testing, but I'll have to return them next week.
- Please remember to return library books on library days & to wear tennis shoes on P.E. days.
Important Dates
- Tuesday, September 13th: 1st graders will get their hearing and vision screened. Please make sure to send glasses on that day with your child if he/she wears them. Results are documented on a paper for you and usually ready for conferences.
- Sept. 15th: School Pictures!
- Sept. 20th: PTO Meeting 6:30 PM in Discovery’s Library
Reading
- This week we practiced expectations for getting ready to listen to a story.
- We talked about personal connections to stories. One way we can practice listening expectations, while listening to a story, is to silently "tell" we have a connection in a story by using a special hand single.
- A few of the stories we read were: This is the Way We Go to School, I.Q.'s Goes to School, and When I was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth
Vocab Words
See how you can practice using this week's vocab words at home!
memory - something you remember from the past
independent- able to do things on your own
When you are independent, you don’t need to ask for help.
disgusting - nasty, yucky, or very unpleasant.
scrumptious - tasty or delicious
Scrumptious foods taste and smell yummy.
Writing
This week, we read Farmer Duck and then wrote our own sentences starting with “I help when I ____.”
They may like to watch this video. It's an animated version of the book we read.
Math
- In math this week, we did more work with counting.
- They played a game called Build It - they focused on accurately building a number using more than one ten-frame.
- They also played One or Two More where they needed to get 6 in a row. They had to strategically decide if they should add one or two more to the number they drew from a pile of cards.
- We completed the MAP Math test.
Helpful things to do at home
- Give your child a number. Ask if they would need one or two more to get to ___(say a number that is one more two more than the first number you gave them)__.
- Practice counting items. Make sure they say one number for each item they count. (Examples: laundry items, fruit, cereal, stop signs, certain color of car, etc.)
- Practice writing numbers correctly up to 20.
- Give them a "start with" number and a "get to" number. Keep practicing until they can count and write their numbers correctly without having to start over or start from one.
Social Studies
- Sunday, September 11th is Patriot Day. So, we talked about what Patriot Day is and when & why it is celebrated.
- They got to see pictures of what the Twin Towers were & what the Pentagon was. Then they got to see what the memorials looked like.
- We talked about how they may notice different things happening on 9/11: Flags will be lowered to half-staff; if they watch TV or listen to the radio, they may here songs or stories; and if they watch football, there may be a moment of silents to remember those that had died on 9/11/01.
- They got to listen to a story called Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey.
- Some students wanted to know more details of how, why, and if there was video of it happening. I told them they could ask parents for more information. I know it's something that may scare some and may be simply interesting to know the facts for others. So, I wanted to leave that up to you based on what you feel is right for your child.
Compass Coins
We are continuing to practice The Explorer Way in which we take care of ourselves, take care of others, and take care of this place.
We have started earning Compass Coins for acting in The Explorer Way. We collect these coins in a bucket in the classroom. If the whole school meets our monthly goal by September 30! We'll celebrate our success with POSITIVE POPSICLES!
