Sunday update

Sunday Update

It was great meeting with so many parents on Thursday and Friday. Your children are doing well, and you deserve a lot of the credit for helping them and encouraging them in their school work. Studying for spelling came up quite a bit, and I wanted to share with you a really effective way to help your child learn his/her spelling words. Good spellers can visualize how a word looks before they spell it, so this routine is called Look, Say(and spell), Cover, Write, Check, Repeat. Give your child a list of words. He/she looks at the word, says and spells the word aloud, covers the word, and attempts to write it. He/she then checks to see if it is correct. The process is repeated with the same word. Then, move on to the next word in the list. This routine can be done a couple of times during the week, and should result in really good spelling test scores. I am going to demonstrate this with the kids in class this week, and encourage them to use it at home. In other news: I have posted a slide show of the Chicken Little play which Jenna, Ciera, Aaron, Liam and Kyle presented to our class and to Mrs. McNamee's class. They did an awesome job. Noah, Ella, Gloria and Sami presented The Three Billy Goats Gruff to our class and Mrs. Mullin's class. Watch for that show coming soon on the blog. The other children are anxious do do a play also, and that will happen very soon. Holiday news: As I mentioned in my newsletter, we will not be exchanging gifts (including the teacher) but if you would like to purchase a gift for the classroom - puzzles, markers, stencils, clay, games etc. your child can bring a gift in wrapped, and open it at our party. As you know we try to limit sweets, but I will provide a treat or two so it does feel like a party. If you want to send in stickers, pencils, erasers etc. for the whole class, that will be welcome. If you have any questions about this, just let me know.

Chicken Little

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December update

OOPS!  Busy weekend, and I forgot to update the blog.  Show and Tell was today - for those who forgot, tomorrow will be fine.  If you ordered books on line with Scholastic, they should be in next week - certainly well before Christmas.  We will have our spelling test on Thursday this week.  I sent home confirmation of your conference times - let me know if you did not receive your confirmation.  I look forward to seeing all of you on Thursday and Friday, and sharing your child's work.  See you soon!

Thanksgiving Week

Hi,  Everyone!
Due to the short week, we will not have a spelling test.  We will be reviewing our Reading Street skills rather than starting a new lesson.  This week we will also be writing friendly letters - so you may be receiving one from your first grader.  Friday I sent home letters re: parent conferences.  Please send in your preferred times as soon as possible so that I can set up a schedule. If you have not sent in 10 dimes yet for math would you do so this week?  There is nothing like real money to help kids really understand how to count money.  Our turkey walk was lots of fun - though we saw an owl instead of a turkey watching us as we walked.  I did notice that many of the kids chose yogurt over turkey at lunch that day - made me wonder what they would be eating at Thanksgiving dinner.  I had relatives who preferred spaghetti or peanut butter at the feast - not me- I loved (and still do) every bite of the traditional meal.   Happy Thanksgiving!

Update

Hi, everyone.  I hope your first grader enjoyed Halloween in spite of Hurricane Sandy.  I suppose we can't complain about Sandy given what many other states had (and have) to deal with.  This week we will have a sort of normal week, with only Tuesday missing from our schedule.  Watch for spelling words to come home Monday along with math homework and perhaps a reading book.  Re: math homework - it is such a help when you go over the homework with your child.  I know not all the kids are getting the concepts from class instruction, and your reinforcement at home is really important.  There are a lot of different opinions about Everyday Math, but I think it is a wonderful program.  As a grade schooler who suffered through "arithmetic" and never really understood what I was doing, I think teaching kids to appreciate the meaning and patterns in math is invaluable to their eventual success .  Have a great week - and don't forget to vote!

Halloween

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Spelling postponed

Due to the really short week - we will not have a spelling test on Friday.  I will review the words with the kids, but no test.  Next Monday we will have a new list.  Happy Halloween!

Spelling News

Hi, Everyone.  Your first grader may have told you that we got our new Reading Streets books on Friday.  We are in unit one now, and that means we will have spelling every week.  On Monday I will give a pretest of the words (10) and send them home for your child to study.  If he/she gets most of the words correct on Monday, I will substitute with sight words from our word wall.  If even those are not challenging enough, we can go to the amazing words which are -  amazing!
Pumpkin math:  If you can send in a small pumpkin with your child this week, it will really help with our pumpkin math project.  Thank you!
Progress reports go home on Thursday.  I think you will be pleased - the class as a whole is doing very well.
Book Fair:  We will be going to the book fair this week, but I am not sure what day. You can send in money with your child and I will save it for them, or you can wait until they go to the fair and choose a book or two they would like.  I try to discourage spending money on the "stuff" that is available, and encourage the kids to buy books.  If you have any questions about the fair, let me know.
Have a great week!

Weekend Update

Hi Everyone!  Thank you for your help with our name project.  We have almost everyone's info on their names - check out our bulletin board in the hall with pictures and name backgrounds.  Thank you also for your help with our wonder center.  If officially opens tomorrow during center time, and the children will be observing and writing about the cool items we have - including two bird's nests, some moss, leaves, rocks, and a crystal.  We are still accepting items - so if something special turns up on a hike or in your yard, send it in.  
Pumpkin math:  The week of Halloween first graders will be doing some pumpkin math.   We will be weighing, measuring, and finally decorating (not carving) pumpkins.  If you could, it would be wonderful if you could send in a small pumpkin with your child for next Monday, October 22.  I will have a few pumpkins on hand, but not enough for everyone.
Book Fair:  The PTA book fair is the week of October 22nd.  A flyer with available books will probably go home this week.  You can choose books with your child, and send in the money on our day at the Fair - not sure what day yet, but I will let you know.  There is also a chance for you to purchase a book for our classroom at the fair - there will be a list of very reasonable priced books for you to pick from if you would like.

Thanks again for all your help - have a great week.

What's in a name?

Hi, everyone!  Hope your weekend was fun - even with the kind of funky weather.
Last week we read a couple of books about names -and we have been discussing how the children got their names.  We will be writing about how they got their names this week, so be sure to share this information with them.  I did this activity with my class two years ago, and it was really interesting to see the varied inspirations for children's names.
 Just a reminder to help your child find something from nature for our wonder /nature center.  We can return it if you would like - if it is delicate, we will treat it as gently as 6 year olds can.  You may have noticed some stray paint on your child last week - we have been doing apple prints with tempera paint.  Actually, they were very careful - I even escaped with a paint free white blouse.  Some of us are painting again this week, so play clothes are in order.

October Newsletter

Apple Orchard Visit

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Show and tell

Thursday, September 27 will be show and tell day. The children can bring in something special to share - a toy is fine, but they will stay in the cubbies except at show and tell time. Congratulate your first grader on winning the golden sneaker award!

Weekend Update

Hi, Everyone! I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. I think it will be a perfect day for us to visit the apple orchard on Tuesday. I will be sending home reminder information on Monday. Watch for it in the homework folder. A big Thank You to the Bartlett PTA for funding this field trip. They paid for the admission, and the bus! Thank you Thank you Thank you! Part of our math centers this week will be sorting and graphing different kinds of apples. We will also be counting the seeds. Homework has been going well - as you have seen, it really needs to be done with a parent or other adult. We will not have homework on weekends. Several children have finished writing their first story during our writing time. I will send these home, but please send them back to school so we can put them in our classroom library. You will get them back before the end of the year. I will soon be seeing the children in reading groups, and they will be taking books home at night to read with you. Did your first grader tell you we have book buddies? On Friday AM Ms. Garon's third graders join us, and everyone gets to read a book. First and third graders have done a wonderful job with this. Thank you for helping with homework, and sending in those field trip permission slips. As always, contact me with any questions/concerns.

News From Room One

Monday Reminders

Don't forget about the Open House Monday night at 6 PM.  Be sure to bring your first graders, so he/she can show you around the classroom.  A note about schedules :  we have PE on Wednesday afternoon, so the kids should wear sneakers and comfortable clothing. (Not a good day for a beautiful dress.)  Keeping hydrated:  We do not have a bubbler in our classroom, but we do have water.  I have cups for the kids, but if they wish to bring water bottles, that is probably a good idea.  More information tomorrow night!

First Day

Hi, everyone!  I hope your first grader told you all about his/her day.  We had a very successful day - we toured the school, explored our classroom, listened to a story about Creepy Carrots, and got to use math manipulatives.  Ordinarily we would have had gym class on Wednesday afternoon, but today we had an all school meeting instead.  Tomorrow we have art, and Friday we have music.  I hope you got all the info in your child's homework folder. We won't actually have homework for a few weeks, but that folder should come in to school every day, and you can use it to include notes for me or anyone at school.  A note went home today about the baskets which will be raffled off on Monday night at open house.  The theme for our class is breakfast, so if you can send in a breakfast food or drink item for our basket it would be appreciated.  If you have any questions, just give me a call, or send an email.  Have a great evening!

Welcome to First Grade

Hi first grade families!   If you are reading this blog, I am guessing you are as excited as I am to begin the year.  I hope to get a letter out to you this week, with lots of information, but here is a sneak preview.  First - many families ask about supplies, what should their children bring for themselves and perhaps the class.   Our classroom is equipped with the basics your child will need : pencils, paper, crayons, erasers, notebooks, scissors, etc.  This year, the PTA has given each teacher a gift card for $50.00 to use at Wal Mart.  This will go a long way in filling in any gaps we may have.  Our class would benefit from the following items, but do not feel obligated, one package of any item will be fine.
whiteboard markers (black)
tissues
paper towels
gallon size zip-loc bags (for bringing books home)
glue sticks
water-based markers

Suggestion:  The PTA holds a book fair in the fall, and if you want to wait to donate then, I will have a list of reasonably priced paper back books for our class library.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Mrs. Starvish

News From Room One Final Edition

May 20, 2012

Thank you to Sawyer's Mimi for the pictures from the Currier.  It was a great experience, and I recommend you return with your family when you get a chance.  The Currier also offers art lessons for children - and many of our first graders are very creative.  I'm sure you've noticed that math homework has become less frequent - we are nearly finished the math book, and are doing a lot of review work.  Reading Streets, however, will go into our last week.  Animal reports are nearly done - it was quite a process from reading, to note taking, to writing, and now typing.  Mrs. Longval and I are typing, but the kids did get to make their covers using Print Shop.  I hope you are enjoing reading Fantastic Mr. Fox with your family.   Roald Dahl has quite a sense of humor.  At school, we are finishing Charlotte's Web - a classic.

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April Update

I have posted a slide show of grandparents' lunch - with apologies to those grandparents and children that I missed. I thought I had gotten everybody, but I did not. :( Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. The children were very excited!

We have two events coming up - the movie this Friday, and our trip to the Currier Art Museum on May 9th. Be sure to send in permission for your child to come with us if you have not already done so.

This week, Eli, Grace, Ahmed and Tiffany performed a readers' theater rendition of The Bremen Town Musicians for their classmates. They rehearsed and performed on their own, and they did a great job! I was very proud of their self-discipline and problem solving. This class loves to perform, so we will continue with these productions.

All first graders are writing animal research reports this spring. We will begin our research this week - with the finished product completed mid-May.

Enjoy the upcoming weather, and vacation.

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Where Are My Animal Friends?

Below are pictures of our acting troupes who performed the play Where Are My Animal Friends? from Reading Streets Unit 3. They did such a good job in our class that they took their show on the road, performing in Mrs. Mullin's, Mrs. McNamee's, and Ms. Garon's classes. Everyone participated, and they had so much fun we may have to do another play before the end of the year. Speaking of the end of the year, it sure felt like June last week, and while not the end of the year, it is the end of the second trimester. Report cards go home this Friday. This week we begin Unit 4 in Reading Streets. Our poetry unit is done, watch for your child's poetry collection which will go home this week. Everyone revised one poem, and these are hanging outside of our classroom. If you happen to be in the building, be sure to read them. We will continue our exploration of matter this week in science, discovering how matter can be changed. Last week the children explored how liquids behave, and compared water and marbles. Just in time for Easter, we are reading Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Benjamin Bunny, and other Beatrix Potter critter stories. I may challenge the children to write their own story about one of these characters. Easter reminder: We have been asked to contribute to a Breakfast Basket for the Easter Bunny breakfast which will be held at school on 7th. We are collecting items this week and next, so if you can, send in a little something on the breakfast theme. Thanks for your help!

March Newsletter

In science, we are studying matter. In centers this week, the children will be collecting solid objects from the class, and describing the properties of these objects, including size, shape, color, texture, and smell. They will also be comparing the mass of these objects using a pan balance. We have discussed the three states of matter - solids, liquids and gases - and we will be learning more about these different states in upcoming weeks.

Learning about properties of matter goes very well with our math lessons: studying attribute blocks. The kids have had fun making attribute block "trains", adding blocks which change in one attribute, then two attributes. They really have to think about it. This week in math we move on to 3-dimensional shapes.

The children have written several poems - about their activities, and things in nature like the wind, clouds, and horses, to name a few. So far we have learned that poems have shorter lines than stories, and often include poetic language - comparing sheep to clouds for example.

We are reading Tomie de Paola's autobiography 26 Fairmont Avenue. Ask your kids about Tomie's reaction to his viewing of Snow White (in 1938 if you can believe it.) As you may know, Tomie lives in NH and is a wonderful children's author and illustrator.

Updates: We were sad to say good-bye to Jackie and Kaleigh who moved away before vacation. We are keeping in touch, however. This past week everyone wrote letters to the girls which I will send on to their new schools this week.

Thank you to Dylan and Paige for their contributions of new books to our class library from the book fair. Dylan's book is a fantasy about the tooth fairy, and Paige contributed a book with cool facts on amphibians.

A request: We have used up all our boxes of tissues, and are down to a roll of toilet paper. If you can help, tissue donations will be appreciated.

Late winter news

Hi, everyone. Please take a moment to view the slideshow posted below. The kids make the slides on KidPix, and thanks to our St. Anselm intern Katherine Yarnall, and Mrs. McNamee, the slides were converted in iMovie. Then I moved the completed slide show into Smilebox, and now it is on our blog! As you can imagine, the kids are much more proficient on KidPix then I am. This week we finished up our study of magnets - a very popular topic due to all the magnets we had to work with. On Friday we began a poetry unit. The kids will be studying all kinds of poetry including Haiku and acrostics. They will also be writing poems beginning on Monday.

Silly Snowmen

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Super Bowl Sunday

Photos from indoor recess on Friday

Hello, All

As I am not watching the Super Bowl, I have a few minutes to update my blog! Our St. Anselm student intern has been very busy this week typing student stories. We only have three left to type. You will see these stories, but right now they are in our classroom library. Another project Ms. Yarnall has taken on is putting the children's slides from Kid Pix into a movie. The title of the movie is Silly Snowmen. Each child created a silly snowman picture, typed an accompanying sentence, and saved the file to their personal work folder. When the movie is completed, I hope to post it on the blog. Stay tuned! Watch the folders this week for a list of student names for Valentines. We will have a party - cards, stickers, pencils etc. are all welcome, but please, no snacks.

Weekend Update

I hope you all enjoyed this beautiful weekend. It wasn't exactly winter, but the sunshine was welcome. I also noticed that it was quite light at 7 AM, which is a sign of brighter days ahead.
This week will be a testing week in first grade, with a unit 2 benchmark test in Reading Streets, and two math tests : unit 5, and the midyear test. We will break up the testing over several days, so the kids should not feel overwhelmed.
In science, we are finishing up our study of living and non-living things, and moving on to magnets. We have lots of magnets for the kids to experiment with.
Miss Yarnall, our St. Anselm's student, has been very busy. She is "publishing" stories for all of the students, and assisting at the art center where the kids made those cute triceratop models. If you haven't seen yours yet, they will be coming home on Monday.
Wednesday brings February, and that of course means Valentine's Day. We will be exchanging cards - I will send home more information, including student's first names, next week.

Winter Reminder

Hi, everyone. Winter is officially here. How can I tell? One snow day and one delayed opening in one week. Also, many children (and teachers) with the sniffles. Also, snow is on the playground, which is great fun for the kids, but only if they have boots and snow pants. Without boots and snow pants, kids have to stay on the black top, which can be booorrrring! So, if your child has this winter clothing, and hats and mittens, be sure he/she brings them. We have extra hats and gloves, and the nurse has ski pants if your child needs to borrow a pair. Please remember to send in shoes or slippers to wear inside.

On another subject - our class has earned homework passes for good attendance at last week's math night. The homework pass can be used anytime, just staple it to the homework, and your child is excused from doing that assignment. I hope to get the passes out this week - I'm sure the children will remind me if I forget.

Happy New Year