May 4, 2012
Dear Families,
We have had a very busy and productive week back from vacation.
Here are some of the things we have been working on:
*Farms- We have spent A LOT of time this week learning about and creating our farms. It has
consumed a significant portion of each day and we have loved every minute of
it! At the beginning of the week we added a road, barn, silo, tractor and house.
Everything we put on our farms costs money so we have been busy counting money
and recording how much we pay for things. We have also learned about our first
farm animal, goats, and have added them to our farms as well. Ask your child
what interesting characteristics a goat has!
*Coins- we have been playing math games to work on counting mixed groups of coins. We are
getting better at this task but it’s something fun and easy you can work on at
home with your child.
*Shelburne Farms- Next Friday, May 11, we will be going to Shelburne Farms. Please make sure your
child is dressed appropriately to spend the day outside. They will also need a
lunch from home and a drink for this trip. Shelburne Farms WILL NOT take any garbage left over from
lunches. The more Tupperware or reusable items you can pack in your child’s
lunch the better. Parents are invited to join us if you would like.
We will be leaving Orchard at 9:00 and returning by 2:00. PLEASE
LET YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER KNOW IF YOU WILL BE COMING BY WEDNESDAY AT THE LATEST.
This will help us in planning our groups for the
day!
*SLIMY Tag Sale- The ever popular tag sale is up and running
this weekend. Stop by and see if there’s anything you need while supporting a
great cause!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
We have had a very busy and productive week back from vacation.
Here are some of the things we have been working on:
*Farms- We have spent A LOT of time this week learning about and creating our farms. It has
consumed a significant portion of each day and we have loved every minute of
it! At the beginning of the week we added a road, barn, silo, tractor and house.
Everything we put on our farms costs money so we have been busy counting money
and recording how much we pay for things. We have also learned about our first
farm animal, goats, and have added them to our farms as well. Ask your child
what interesting characteristics a goat has!
*Coins- we have been playing math games to work on counting mixed groups of coins. We are
getting better at this task but it’s something fun and easy you can work on at
home with your child.
*Shelburne Farms- Next Friday, May 11, we will be going to Shelburne Farms. Please make sure your
child is dressed appropriately to spend the day outside. They will also need a
lunch from home and a drink for this trip. Shelburne Farms WILL NOT take any garbage left over from
lunches. The more Tupperware or reusable items you can pack in your child’s
lunch the better. Parents are invited to join us if you would like.
We will be leaving Orchard at 9:00 and returning by 2:00. PLEASE
LET YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER KNOW IF YOU WILL BE COMING BY WEDNESDAY AT THE LATEST.
This will help us in planning our groups for the
day!
*SLIMY Tag Sale- The ever popular tag sale is up and running
this weekend. Stop by and see if there’s anything you need while supporting a
great cause!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
March 9, 2012
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Welcome back! –We hope everyone had a great
vacation. We’ve heard many stories this week that lead us to believe everyone
had a great break from school!
*Penguins – This week we did a lot of work with
penguins’ heights and weights. We graphed how tall they were in comparison to us
and built numerous number sentences to show how much they weigh. We now have
many penguin experts in our classrooms!
*Elements of Nonfiction- Yesterday, we spent a
lot of time immersed in nonfiction books. We made a huge list of all the various
elements we could find in these books that we might not see in fiction. For
example some ideas we came up with were: diagrams, headings, bold words,
glossary, index and fun facts. We will continue to explore nonfiction and
eventually write our own!
*Mrs. Walcott’s Big News – Today Mrs. Walcott
shared with both classes that she is indeed pregnant and due to have a baby this
summer. The kids had many great questions and some were sure they knew she was
pregnant because they noticed “you have been eating a lot lately!”
*Big Change Round Up – Thank you to everyone who
donated to the Big Change Round Up and the terrific cause it benefits. With all
of the last minute donations we exceeded our goal of $100 and the kids were
thrilled!
*Skate Night Baskets – Please don’t forget the
PTO is doing their annual Skate Night at the end of the month. Mrs. Walcott’s
themed basket is “Backyard BBQ” and Miss McCray’s is “What’s the Scoop”
(pertaining to ice cream).
*Our next round of Parent/Teacher Conferences are
around the corner, the first week of April. We are sending home sign-up sheets
now so you can find a date and time that work well for your family. Please see
the sign-up sheet in this week’s folder.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie, Margo, Sarah and Leanne
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Welcome back! –We hope everyone had a great
vacation. We’ve heard many stories this week that lead us to believe everyone
had a great break from school!
*Penguins – This week we did a lot of work with
penguins’ heights and weights. We graphed how tall they were in comparison to us
and built numerous number sentences to show how much they weigh. We now have
many penguin experts in our classrooms!
*Elements of Nonfiction- Yesterday, we spent a
lot of time immersed in nonfiction books. We made a huge list of all the various
elements we could find in these books that we might not see in fiction. For
example some ideas we came up with were: diagrams, headings, bold words,
glossary, index and fun facts. We will continue to explore nonfiction and
eventually write our own!
*Mrs. Walcott’s Big News – Today Mrs. Walcott
shared with both classes that she is indeed pregnant and due to have a baby this
summer. The kids had many great questions and some were sure they knew she was
pregnant because they noticed “you have been eating a lot lately!”
*Big Change Round Up – Thank you to everyone who
donated to the Big Change Round Up and the terrific cause it benefits. With all
of the last minute donations we exceeded our goal of $100 and the kids were
thrilled!
*Skate Night Baskets – Please don’t forget the
PTO is doing their annual Skate Night at the end of the month. Mrs. Walcott’s
themed basket is “Backyard BBQ” and Miss McCray’s is “What’s the Scoop”
(pertaining to ice cream).
*Our next round of Parent/Teacher Conferences are
around the corner, the first week of April. We are sending home sign-up sheets
now so you can find a date and time that work well for your family. Please see
the sign-up sheet in this week’s folder.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie, Margo, Sarah and Leanne
February 17, 2012
Dear Families,
Valentine’s Day- We had a great Valentine’s Day! The children decorated Valentine’s bags and then
delivered their valentines to each other. We enjoyed reading and eating our
valentine treats as a class. Thank you for helping your children create such
wonderful valentine’s day gifts.
Penguins- Everyone is loving learning about penguins! This week we learned about the
Gentoo and the Chinstrap. We learned about where they live, their height, weight
and physical appearance! Ask your child what they learned and what is special
about each one.
Daily 5- The children have been asking recently if they could read to someone, therefore,
this week we learned about Read to Someone as part of our Daily 5. The children
did a fabulous job with reading, listening and helping their partner! We learned
a special way to sit, so that both kids can see the book, EEKK. EEKK stands for
elbow to elbow and knee to knee. We are sure the children would be happy to
teach you how to sit EEKK and what it means to Read to Someone.
Bopper ‘e’ with suffixes- Last week we learned about the bopper ‘e.’ This week we expanded that lesson and
showed the children how sometimes that bopper ‘e’ is hidden in a suffix,
whether that suffix be ‘d’ or ‘s.’ Suffixes can make a word seem more difficult
or unfamiliar but now that we know to look for the hidden bopper ‘e,’ we
realize we how many more words we do know!
Roland
Groeneveld-
Lily’s dad so kindly came into our classroom this morning to teach us about the
inside of a computer. We got to help him take a computer apart and check out the
different parts. We really enjoyed watching the robot hand and were amazed at
how it could pick up a ball and drop it in a bucket! The children had so many
wonderful comments and questions. Thank you again, Roland! The children loved
your visit!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie, Margo, Sarah and Leanne
Dear Families,
Valentine’s Day- We had a great Valentine’s Day! The children decorated Valentine’s bags and then
delivered their valentines to each other. We enjoyed reading and eating our
valentine treats as a class. Thank you for helping your children create such
wonderful valentine’s day gifts.
Penguins- Everyone is loving learning about penguins! This week we learned about the
Gentoo and the Chinstrap. We learned about where they live, their height, weight
and physical appearance! Ask your child what they learned and what is special
about each one.
Daily 5- The children have been asking recently if they could read to someone, therefore,
this week we learned about Read to Someone as part of our Daily 5. The children
did a fabulous job with reading, listening and helping their partner! We learned
a special way to sit, so that both kids can see the book, EEKK. EEKK stands for
elbow to elbow and knee to knee. We are sure the children would be happy to
teach you how to sit EEKK and what it means to Read to Someone.
Bopper ‘e’ with suffixes- Last week we learned about the bopper ‘e.’ This week we expanded that lesson and
showed the children how sometimes that bopper ‘e’ is hidden in a suffix,
whether that suffix be ‘d’ or ‘s.’ Suffixes can make a word seem more difficult
or unfamiliar but now that we know to look for the hidden bopper ‘e,’ we
realize we how many more words we do know!
Roland
Groeneveld-
Lily’s dad so kindly came into our classroom this morning to teach us about the
inside of a computer. We got to help him take a computer apart and check out the
different parts. We really enjoyed watching the robot hand and were amazed at
how it could pick up a ball and drop it in a bucket! The children had so many
wonderful comments and questions. Thank you again, Roland! The children loved
your visit!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie, Margo, Sarah and Leanne
February 3, 2012
Dear Families,
*Penguins- This week we started our Penguin unit. We began the week preparing for our pretend
trip to Antarctica. After much discussion, we think everyone understands that
this is an imaginary trip we will be taking to study penguins. Our penguin this week was the
Rockhopper.
*100th Day- We will be celebrating the 100th day on Wednesday, February
8th. Everyone is invited to wear their “comfy clothes” along with
sunglasses for our parade if they would like. Thank you to families that donated
supplies for our 100th day snack!
*Fiction vs. Non-Fiction- We looked through many penguin books and sorted them into two groups. The kids
know that non-fiction is real information and fiction is a story and is not real.
Next Week:
*On Monday and Tuesday Miss McCray and Mrs. Walcott will be out
of the classroom at a two-day workshop. Miss Lapierre and Miss Hill will be
teaching these days.
*Valentine’s day is just around the corner. If you plan on doing
anything for the friends in our class please make sure you include everyone. Let
us know if you need another list, we sent one home last
week!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
*Penguins- This week we started our Penguin unit. We began the week preparing for our pretend
trip to Antarctica. After much discussion, we think everyone understands that
this is an imaginary trip we will be taking to study penguins. Our penguin this week was the
Rockhopper.
*100th Day- We will be celebrating the 100th day on Wednesday, February
8th. Everyone is invited to wear their “comfy clothes” along with
sunglasses for our parade if they would like. Thank you to families that donated
supplies for our 100th day snack!
*Fiction vs. Non-Fiction- We looked through many penguin books and sorted them into two groups. The kids
know that non-fiction is real information and fiction is a story and is not real.
Next Week:
*On Monday and Tuesday Miss McCray and Mrs. Walcott will be out
of the classroom at a two-day workshop. Miss Lapierre and Miss Hill will be
teaching these days.
*Valentine’s day is just around the corner. If you plan on doing
anything for the friends in our class please make sure you include everyone. Let
us know if you need another list, we sent one home last
week!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
January 27, 2011
Dear Families,
*Needs for the Classroom: We are in need of wipes
to clean tables and tissuesfor the
classrooms! With so many colds and
germs, we are running out of wipes and tissues!
*Vincent Van Gogh: Today we learned about a new artist, Vincent Van Gogh. We learned how he loved
to use bright colors in paintings and also liked to use A LOT of paint. We
looked at a print of The Starry
Night and then made our own beautiful renditions of this
piece.
*Glued Sounds: Our new glued sounds this week were: -ink, -onk, -unk and –ank. We have
brainstormed words where these sounds are found and we have also practiced
writing them. You may even see some of these sounds on this week’s spelling
lists.
*Read to Self: Every day we spend a significant amount of time reading. We have watched our
stamina grow and are now able to read for a long period of time independently.
Our book boxes are filled with “just right books” and our reading has improved
tremendously! Thank you for reading at home with your child every week as
well!!! We are expanding our
reading strategies and this week we talked about skipping an unknown word and
coming back to it. Sometimes
reading the rest of the sentence can help us figure out a tricky
word!
Coming Up:
*Half-Day: On Wednesday, February 1st we will have a day of school. Dismissal
will be at 11:30!!! We will have snack in the morning but lunch will not be
served!
*100th Day: As long as we don’t have any snow days, our 100th day is scheduled
for February 8th. Kids are welcome to wear their “comfy clothes” to
school if they would like. We have also asked room parents to gather some
donations for our 100th Day snack we will be making.
*Valentine’s Day: This week you will find a Valentine’s list/note in your Friday Folder in case
you would like to get a head start!
*Report Cards: Your child’s report card is coming home in today’s Friday
Folder.
Have a great weekend,
Kaitie& Margo
Dear Families,
*Needs for the Classroom: We are in need of wipes
to clean tables and tissuesfor the
classrooms! With so many colds and
germs, we are running out of wipes and tissues!
*Vincent Van Gogh: Today we learned about a new artist, Vincent Van Gogh. We learned how he loved
to use bright colors in paintings and also liked to use A LOT of paint. We
looked at a print of The Starry
Night and then made our own beautiful renditions of this
piece.
*Glued Sounds: Our new glued sounds this week were: -ink, -onk, -unk and –ank. We have
brainstormed words where these sounds are found and we have also practiced
writing them. You may even see some of these sounds on this week’s spelling
lists.
*Read to Self: Every day we spend a significant amount of time reading. We have watched our
stamina grow and are now able to read for a long period of time independently.
Our book boxes are filled with “just right books” and our reading has improved
tremendously! Thank you for reading at home with your child every week as
well!!! We are expanding our
reading strategies and this week we talked about skipping an unknown word and
coming back to it. Sometimes
reading the rest of the sentence can help us figure out a tricky
word!
Coming Up:
*Half-Day: On Wednesday, February 1st we will have a day of school. Dismissal
will be at 11:30!!! We will have snack in the morning but lunch will not be
served!
*100th Day: As long as we don’t have any snow days, our 100th day is scheduled
for February 8th. Kids are welcome to wear their “comfy clothes” to
school if they would like. We have also asked room parents to gather some
donations for our 100th Day snack we will be making.
*Valentine’s Day: This week you will find a Valentine’s list/note in your Friday Folder in case
you would like to get a head start!
*Report Cards: Your child’s report card is coming home in today’s Friday
Folder.
Have a great weekend,
Kaitie& Margo
January 13, 2011
Dear Families,
Word Problems- This week
we have worked really hard solving many different word problems. We always make
sure our word problems have: a key, diagram, number sentence and an answer. Our
practice has paid off and we are great problem solvers!
Poetry- We have finished writing our poetry, now it’s time to illustrate and begin to put our books together. We are very
excited to see the final product!
Capital Letters- This week we have been talking about and working on when to use capital letters in our
writing. We know we use them 1. at the beginning of sentences 2. for people’s
names 3. for special places 4. for days of the week and months, and 5. the word
‘I’ when it’s by itself.
Martin Luther King, Jr.- We have been reading books and having many conversations about who Martin Luther
King, Jr. was and all of the important things that he stood for. On Friday
morning we went to a presentation by Ms. Garner about Mr. King. Your child will
be coming home with a necklace highlighting the message from this
presentation.
Matter: Solids and Liquids- With our first grade buddies we began our Matter unit in science.
This week we learned what matter was and what makes something a solid. We
also saw how the molecules in a solid are very close together and how they move
very slowly.
Bonus Letters- We learned a new spelling rule this week. When
an f, l, or s follows a short vowel it gets doubled or becomes a bonus
letter. Some examples of this are miss, puff, and hill. We will be
practicing it more in our writing and noticing it in our reading over the next
few weeks.
Next Week:
Annie-Next week, Thursday the 19th, we will be seeing the school musical, Annie.
New Student-
Mrs.Walcott’s class will be getting a new student on Wednesday. John
Quinn and his family are joining
us from Pennsylvania and we are really looking forward to having him in our
class!
Miss Hill Starts- On
Tuesday Miss Hill will begin her student teaching. We are excited to have
another teacher in our classroom!
Enjoy your long weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
Word Problems- This week
we have worked really hard solving many different word problems. We always make
sure our word problems have: a key, diagram, number sentence and an answer. Our
practice has paid off and we are great problem solvers!
Poetry- We have finished writing our poetry, now it’s time to illustrate and begin to put our books together. We are very
excited to see the final product!
Capital Letters- This week we have been talking about and working on when to use capital letters in our
writing. We know we use them 1. at the beginning of sentences 2. for people’s
names 3. for special places 4. for days of the week and months, and 5. the word
‘I’ when it’s by itself.
Martin Luther King, Jr.- We have been reading books and having many conversations about who Martin Luther
King, Jr. was and all of the important things that he stood for. On Friday
morning we went to a presentation by Ms. Garner about Mr. King. Your child will
be coming home with a necklace highlighting the message from this
presentation.
Matter: Solids and Liquids- With our first grade buddies we began our Matter unit in science.
This week we learned what matter was and what makes something a solid. We
also saw how the molecules in a solid are very close together and how they move
very slowly.
Bonus Letters- We learned a new spelling rule this week. When
an f, l, or s follows a short vowel it gets doubled or becomes a bonus
letter. Some examples of this are miss, puff, and hill. We will be
practicing it more in our writing and noticing it in our reading over the next
few weeks.
Next Week:
Annie-Next week, Thursday the 19th, we will be seeing the school musical, Annie.
New Student-
Mrs.Walcott’s class will be getting a new student on Wednesday. John
Quinn and his family are joining
us from Pennsylvania and we are really looking forward to having him in our
class!
Miss Hill Starts- On
Tuesday Miss Hill will begin her student teaching. We are excited to have
another teacher in our classroom!
Enjoy your long weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
January 6, 2012
Dear Families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We have had a very productive week in
first grade! The kids came back
rested and ready to learn!
*Comprehension Strategy-
We added a new comprehension strategy to our CAFÉ menu.
Back up and reread is a strategy that good readers use to make
sure they understand what they are reading.
*Free Verse Poetry-
This week we read some examples of free verse poetry and then everyone got to
write their own poem using that style.
*Math Word Problems-
We have been practicing solving word problems. When we solve them, there are 4 parts
we need to include. They are a
key, a diagram, a number sentence and the answer.
We will continue to work on this next week as well.
*Japan folders-
Our Japan folders are finally complete!
They are coming home today in the Friday folder along with a quiz that
the kids made for you! Use the
folder to answer the questions on the quiz with your child.
If there seem to be parts missing, your child may have been absent on the
day we did certain pieces. Have
fun taking the quiz!
*States
of Matter-
We are beginning a new science unit with all three first grades.
We will be learning about the states of matter, focusing on solids and
liquids and their properties.
*Spelling Words-
Your child has new spelling words for next week and our next test will be on
Friday, January 13.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We have had a very productive week in
first grade! The kids came back
rested and ready to learn!
*Comprehension Strategy-
We added a new comprehension strategy to our CAFÉ menu.
Back up and reread is a strategy that good readers use to make
sure they understand what they are reading.
*Free Verse Poetry-
This week we read some examples of free verse poetry and then everyone got to
write their own poem using that style.
*Math Word Problems-
We have been practicing solving word problems. When we solve them, there are 4 parts
we need to include. They are a
key, a diagram, a number sentence and the answer.
We will continue to work on this next week as well.
*Japan folders-
Our Japan folders are finally complete!
They are coming home today in the Friday folder along with a quiz that
the kids made for you! Use the
folder to answer the questions on the quiz with your child.
If there seem to be parts missing, your child may have been absent on the
day we did certain pieces. Have
fun taking the quiz!
*States
of Matter-
We are beginning a new science unit with all three first grades.
We will be learning about the states of matter, focusing on solids and
liquids and their properties.
*Spelling Words-
Your child has new spelling words for next week and our next test will be on
Friday, January 13.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
December 22, 2011
Dear Families,
We have been busy this week working on our Giving Bags, writing
poems and learning more about Japan. Your child brought home their Giving Bag
today with many of the crafts and gifts they have created for others this week.
We hope you enjoy them!
We will be back in school on Tuesday, January 3rd!
Have a wonderful winter break and happy
holidays!
Margo & Kaitie
Dear Families,
We have been busy this week working on our Giving Bags, writing
poems and learning more about Japan. Your child brought home their Giving Bag
today with many of the crafts and gifts they have created for others this week.
We hope you enjoy them!
We will be back in school on Tuesday, January 3rd!
Have a wonderful winter break and happy
holidays!
Margo & Kaitie
December 16, 2011
Dear Families,
Gingerbread
Houses – THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
We greatly appreciate all of the donations and volunteers who helped to
make this project happen!!!!
Without you we would not have been able to have fun building such
beautiful houses!!!! They all
looked great!!!
Japan –
We learned about Japanese numbers and counting this week.
We also learned some Japanese symbols and words for things in
nature. On Tuesday afternoon, we
had some high school students from a Japanese class at SBHS come and teach us
some more about Japan.
Poetry -
This week we wrote Diamante poems. The
first line has a noun. The second
line is two verbs. The third line
is three adjectives. Then, the
last two lines have two more verbs and another noun.
We reviewed what a noun, verb and adjective are so we could use the
different types of words in our poems.
Spelling–
We had our last spelling test today until the week of January
9th. Our next test will
be that Friday, January 13th.
Giving Bags – Throughout
the next few days, we will be making gifts for special people in our lives. We will bring all of our creations home
on Thursday in our “Giving Bags” to deliver to our
families.
Winter Vacation – Winter
vacation begins with no school on Friday, December 23 and we return to school on
Tuesday, January 3.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Kaitie and Margo
Dear Families,
Gingerbread
Houses – THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
We greatly appreciate all of the donations and volunteers who helped to
make this project happen!!!!
Without you we would not have been able to have fun building such
beautiful houses!!!! They all
looked great!!!
Japan –
We learned about Japanese numbers and counting this week.
We also learned some Japanese symbols and words for things in
nature. On Tuesday afternoon, we
had some high school students from a Japanese class at SBHS come and teach us
some more about Japan.
Poetry -
This week we wrote Diamante poems. The
first line has a noun. The second
line is two verbs. The third line
is three adjectives. Then, the
last two lines have two more verbs and another noun.
We reviewed what a noun, verb and adjective are so we could use the
different types of words in our poems.
Spelling–
We had our last spelling test today until the week of January
9th. Our next test will
be that Friday, January 13th.
Giving Bags – Throughout
the next few days, we will be making gifts for special people in our lives. We will bring all of our creations home
on Thursday in our “Giving Bags” to deliver to our
families.
Winter Vacation – Winter
vacation begins with no school on Friday, December 23 and we return to school on
Tuesday, January 3.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Kaitie and Margo
November 18, 2011
Dear
Families,
This Week:
*CAFÉ Menu ––We completed our CAFÉ Menu options this week with
Fluency and Extending vocabulary.
Fluency is using all of our reading skills to make our reading flow and
Expanding vocabulary helps us to learn new words.
We want to be voracious readers and read as much as we can to become
great readers!
*Sea Star Quilt – This week we made a Sea Star Quilt. It helped us practice counting by
5’s. We noticed many patterns and
created number sentences based on what we saw.
*Puppet Show – On Tuesday afternoon, we saw a puppet show about
keeping our bodies safe and what safe touches are.
We had a follow up discussion with our classes afterward and everyone
seemed to understand that our bodies are for us to take care of and there are
parts of our bodies that are private (which are covered up when you wear a
bathing suit). Please let us know
if you have any questions or if your child mentions anything at
home.
*Japan Introduction – On Thursday we introduced our next big
unit, Japan. Mrs. Adams has been
to Japan and she shared pictures of her trip with us!
When we get back from vacation we will be learning many things about
Japan. We will be studying Japan
with all three first grade classes.
*Refrigerator Books – Many book bags came back to school
today. We are sending books home
for vacation, but we did not have a chance to read them at school today. Thanks for reading, reading ,reading at
home!!!
*Turkey Centerpieces – For our cooking project today, we created
Turkey Centerpieces out of fruits and vegetables.
The kids had a great time making a turkey for you to enjoy at
home!
*Good-bye, Clarisse! – Today was Clarisse’s last day at Orchard
School. Clarisse is a friend in
Mrs. Walcott’s class and she is moving to Shelburne.
We will miss you, Clarisse and wish you and your family the
best!
Have a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful break!
Margo & Kaitie
November 11, 2011
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Work on Writing –
This week we have continued to write in our journals and build our writing
stamina. We have been using our heart maps to get many great ideas for our
writing. We try and share at the end of our writing block each day and we have
heard some GREAT stories so far!
*Growing Patterns–
In math we have been learning about growing patterns. We looked at patterns made
from pattern blocks and how they grow and change. We also made crabs this week
which we will use next week to create our own growing pattern. We have also been
working on creating and solving subtraction number sentences. We heard many word
problems about bugs at Mrs.Walcott’s house and we took that information and
turned it into a number sentence. We have some very good mathematicians in our
classes!!
*CAFÉ Menu–
Comprehension and Accuracy – As a part of our Daily 5, we will be using a CAFÉ
Menu. CAFÉ is an acronym which stands for: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and
Expanding vocabulary. This week we learned about comprehension and accuracy. We
also have a strategy for both of these concepts to help us practice our skills
each day while we read. For
comprehension, we check our understanding of what we read by asking ourselves
“who”and “what” we just read about.
For accuracy, we tap, stretch or sound out words we don’t
know.
*Vegetable
Soup –
For our cooking project this week we made vegetable soup. There were so many
vegetables that we didn’t get to try with our Eat the Rainbow that we thought it
would be great to put them altogether in a soup. Our soup included: tomatoes,
potatoes, noodles, celery, squash, green peppers and carrots. It was very
yummy!
*Reminder- There
is NO SCHOOL the week of November 21st! Have a wonderful
break!
Have a great weekend! Kaitie &
Margo
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Work on Writing –
This week we have continued to write in our journals and build our writing
stamina. We have been using our heart maps to get many great ideas for our
writing. We try and share at the end of our writing block each day and we have
heard some GREAT stories so far!
*Growing Patterns–
In math we have been learning about growing patterns. We looked at patterns made
from pattern blocks and how they grow and change. We also made crabs this week
which we will use next week to create our own growing pattern. We have also been
working on creating and solving subtraction number sentences. We heard many word
problems about bugs at Mrs.Walcott’s house and we took that information and
turned it into a number sentence. We have some very good mathematicians in our
classes!!
*CAFÉ Menu–
Comprehension and Accuracy – As a part of our Daily 5, we will be using a CAFÉ
Menu. CAFÉ is an acronym which stands for: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and
Expanding vocabulary. This week we learned about comprehension and accuracy. We
also have a strategy for both of these concepts to help us practice our skills
each day while we read. For
comprehension, we check our understanding of what we read by asking ourselves
“who”and “what” we just read about.
For accuracy, we tap, stretch or sound out words we don’t
know.
*Vegetable
Soup –
For our cooking project this week we made vegetable soup. There were so many
vegetables that we didn’t get to try with our Eat the Rainbow that we thought it
would be great to put them altogether in a soup. Our soup included: tomatoes,
potatoes, noodles, celery, squash, green peppers and carrots. It was very
yummy!
*Reminder- There
is NO SCHOOL the week of November 21st! Have a wonderful
break!
Have a great weekend! Kaitie &
Margo
November 4, 2011
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Read to Self –Our book boxes are slowly filling
up and we have been practicing read to self each day. We are working on building
our reading stamina so we will be able to read for longer periods of time each
day. This week we got up to two eight minute blocks of reading. We
will keep adding minutes each time we
practice!
*Work on Writing –We have started talking about
another component of our Daily 5.
We discussed what our jobs are during writing time and we learned about
the “magic line” that will help us to be independent writers and to keep us from
getting stuck. When we come to a
word that we are not sure about, we sound it out the best we can and then we
underline it. The line will be a
reminder that we wanted to ask a teacher about that word when it is our turn to
conference with the teacher. The
magic line will help us to keep going with our writing and to keep doing our
best!
*Heart Maps- To go along with our Work on
Writing, we have been brainstorming ideas of things we could write about. We created a “heart map” of ideas that
each of us can use if we can’t think of something to write about.
It is a reminder of things we like/love and things that we have done or
enjoy. We will keep it with our
Work on Writing tools to help us get ideas to write
about.
*Odd and Even Pieces – This week we have been
exploring with odd and even pieces. We noticed how they look alike and
different. We also used them to create number sentences.
*Eat the Rainbow-We finished our taste testing
with blue and purple today. We
tried plums, blueberries, purple grapes and beets.
Ask your child what they enjoyed!
*Conferences –Thank you to parents who have
returned your Parent/Teacher conference sign-up sheet. If you have not had a
chance to do so we would really appreciate them back by Wednesday, November 9th.This way we can send home your time in next
week’s Friday letter. If we do not have a paper from you we stuck an extra in
your child’s folder.
Have a great
weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Read to Self –Our book boxes are slowly filling
up and we have been practicing read to self each day. We are working on building
our reading stamina so we will be able to read for longer periods of time each
day. This week we got up to two eight minute blocks of reading. We
will keep adding minutes each time we
practice!
*Work on Writing –We have started talking about
another component of our Daily 5.
We discussed what our jobs are during writing time and we learned about
the “magic line” that will help us to be independent writers and to keep us from
getting stuck. When we come to a
word that we are not sure about, we sound it out the best we can and then we
underline it. The line will be a
reminder that we wanted to ask a teacher about that word when it is our turn to
conference with the teacher. The
magic line will help us to keep going with our writing and to keep doing our
best!
*Heart Maps- To go along with our Work on
Writing, we have been brainstorming ideas of things we could write about. We created a “heart map” of ideas that
each of us can use if we can’t think of something to write about.
It is a reminder of things we like/love and things that we have done or
enjoy. We will keep it with our
Work on Writing tools to help us get ideas to write
about.
*Odd and Even Pieces – This week we have been
exploring with odd and even pieces. We noticed how they look alike and
different. We also used them to create number sentences.
*Eat the Rainbow-We finished our taste testing
with blue and purple today. We
tried plums, blueberries, purple grapes and beets.
Ask your child what they enjoyed!
*Conferences –Thank you to parents who have
returned your Parent/Teacher conference sign-up sheet. If you have not had a
chance to do so we would really appreciate them back by Wednesday, November 9th.This way we can send home your time in next
week’s Friday letter. If we do not have a paper from you we stuck an extra in
your child’s folder.
Have a great
weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
October 28, 2011
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Good Fit Books – This week we learned about
“Good Fit Books.” We talked about
how books need to fit each person in order to help us become better
readers. Just like shoes, if a
book doesn’t fit us it won’t work very well. We don’t want books to be too hard or
too easy, we want them to be just right for each of us.
We want the books we read to be a little challenging to help us get
better at reading, but not too hard.
The books that are just right for me, may not be the books that are just
right for you! Next week we will be
filling our book boxes with “good fit” or “just right” books for each of
us!
*Glued Sounds – We learned about three glued
sounds this week: am, an, all. A glued sound is made up of sounds that
stay close together like a team, as if they are glued to one another. We have been thinking of many words
that have these glued sounds in them.
*Ten and More Ten Frames – We have been working
on our math facts. This week we
talked about putting two ten frames together and creating a number sentence to
represent the picture.
*Hike Day – We had a wonderful walk from Overlook
Park back to Orchard School. The
weather was great and it was nice to get out of the classroom to get some fresh
air!
*Parent/Teacher Conferences – In this week’s
Friday Folder, you will find a sign up sheet for our November conferences. Please pick your top three choices and
return the sheet to us as soon as you can.
Thanks!
*Science Groups – On Thursday afternoon we
started 1st grade science
groups. We are learning about the
human body, the 5 senses, germs, and the similarities and differences between
people. Your
child will get a chance to work with all of the 1st grade
teachers.
*Artist of the Month – Paul Cezzane was our
artist for October. We learned
about how he painted still lifes of fruits, flowers, people and landscapes. We talked about how each person has a
different perspective depending on how they are looking at something. We drew our own still lifes of
pumpkins, lemons and a candle. We
drew what we saw depending on where we were sitting and our own perspective of
the objects.
*Eat the Rainbow - We
taste tested green foods this week.
We enjoyed broccoli, kiwi, cucumbers, zucchini and
pickles.
*Flynn- On Monday, we will be going to the Flynn
in the morning to see Henry and Mudge. We will be back at school in time for
lunch so children will be able to buy lunch on
Monday.
Have a great
weekend!
Kaitie &
Margo
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Good Fit Books – This week we learned about
“Good Fit Books.” We talked about
how books need to fit each person in order to help us become better
readers. Just like shoes, if a
book doesn’t fit us it won’t work very well. We don’t want books to be too hard or
too easy, we want them to be just right for each of us.
We want the books we read to be a little challenging to help us get
better at reading, but not too hard.
The books that are just right for me, may not be the books that are just
right for you! Next week we will be
filling our book boxes with “good fit” or “just right” books for each of
us!
*Glued Sounds – We learned about three glued
sounds this week: am, an, all. A glued sound is made up of sounds that
stay close together like a team, as if they are glued to one another. We have been thinking of many words
that have these glued sounds in them.
*Ten and More Ten Frames – We have been working
on our math facts. This week we
talked about putting two ten frames together and creating a number sentence to
represent the picture.
*Hike Day – We had a wonderful walk from Overlook
Park back to Orchard School. The
weather was great and it was nice to get out of the classroom to get some fresh
air!
*Parent/Teacher Conferences – In this week’s
Friday Folder, you will find a sign up sheet for our November conferences. Please pick your top three choices and
return the sheet to us as soon as you can.
Thanks!
*Science Groups – On Thursday afternoon we
started 1st grade science
groups. We are learning about the
human body, the 5 senses, germs, and the similarities and differences between
people. Your
child will get a chance to work with all of the 1st grade
teachers.
*Artist of the Month – Paul Cezzane was our
artist for October. We learned
about how he painted still lifes of fruits, flowers, people and landscapes. We talked about how each person has a
different perspective depending on how they are looking at something. We drew our own still lifes of
pumpkins, lemons and a candle. We
drew what we saw depending on where we were sitting and our own perspective of
the objects.
*Eat the Rainbow - We
taste tested green foods this week.
We enjoyed broccoli, kiwi, cucumbers, zucchini and
pickles.
*Flynn- On Monday, we will be going to the Flynn
in the morning to see Henry and Mudge. We will be back at school in time for
lunch so children will be able to buy lunch on
Monday.
Have a great
weekend!
Kaitie &
Margo
October 14, 2011
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Tooth Journals - We learned about more tooth
traditions around the world this week and finished writing and illustrating our
tooth journals. We will share them with the class next week and then send them
home for your child to share with you!
*Sewing – Thank you to our parent volunteers that
came in Thursday morning to help with our sewing project. The tooth pillows look
fantastic! The kids are very
excited to use them!
*Doubles and Neighbors – In math we have been
talking a lot about ‘doubles’ and ‘neighbors’.Doubles are math sentences such as
3+3=6 or 5+5=10, sentences where we are adding the same number together.
Neighbors are sentences where you are adding one more than the other number, for
example, 3+4=7 or 4+5=9. We will keep working on these math facts next
week!
*Math Home Connections – In this week’s folder
you will find two math games from our Bridges program. We haven’t played these
specific games in the classroom but we’ve played games with the same concept,
they just looked slightly different. It’s not required that you play these
games, but it’s helpful to continue reiterating the skills we have been working
on in the classroom at home.
Coming Up:
*Flynn Trip – On Monday we are going to the Flynn
to see Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble. Everyone will need a
COLD LUNCH AND DRINK ON MONDAY!
There is also another reminder in this week’s Friday
Folder.
*3-Day Week – We have NO SCHOOL next Thursday and
Friday, the 20th and
21st. Enjoy your long
weekend!
*Fire Safety –Next week is Fire Safety week at
Orchard School. On Wednesday afternoon we will be meeting with some local
firefighters to go over our fire safety
skills.
*Spelling – We will not be having a spelling test
next week because of the short, 3-day week! Your next list will be sent home on
Wednesday the 19th.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie &
Margo
Dear Families,
This Week:
*Tooth Journals - We learned about more tooth
traditions around the world this week and finished writing and illustrating our
tooth journals. We will share them with the class next week and then send them
home for your child to share with you!
*Sewing – Thank you to our parent volunteers that
came in Thursday morning to help with our sewing project. The tooth pillows look
fantastic! The kids are very
excited to use them!
*Doubles and Neighbors – In math we have been
talking a lot about ‘doubles’ and ‘neighbors’.Doubles are math sentences such as
3+3=6 or 5+5=10, sentences where we are adding the same number together.
Neighbors are sentences where you are adding one more than the other number, for
example, 3+4=7 or 4+5=9. We will keep working on these math facts next
week!
*Math Home Connections – In this week’s folder
you will find two math games from our Bridges program. We haven’t played these
specific games in the classroom but we’ve played games with the same concept,
they just looked slightly different. It’s not required that you play these
games, but it’s helpful to continue reiterating the skills we have been working
on in the classroom at home.
Coming Up:
*Flynn Trip – On Monday we are going to the Flynn
to see Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble. Everyone will need a
COLD LUNCH AND DRINK ON MONDAY!
There is also another reminder in this week’s Friday
Folder.
*3-Day Week – We have NO SCHOOL next Thursday and
Friday, the 20th and
21st. Enjoy your long
weekend!
*Fire Safety –Next week is Fire Safety week at
Orchard School. On Wednesday afternoon we will be meeting with some local
firefighters to go over our fire safety
skills.
*Spelling – We will not be having a spelling test
next week because of the short, 3-day week! Your next list will be sent home on
Wednesday the 19th.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie &
Margo
October 7, 2011
Dear Families,
What a wonderful week we have had! We have been learning about many new and exciting things!
This week:
*Tooth Traditions: We have been learning about what kids around the world do when they lose teeth. Ask your child what they do in Africa, Turkey and other traditions they have learned about! We have been looking at maps, writing about tooth traditions and sharing what our own tooth traditions are. It has been very exciting for everyone since so many kids have either lost some teeth or are looking forward to loosing one!!!
*Digraphs: In literacy this week we have been learning about digraphs. A digraph is two letters that come together to make a new sound. The digraphs we have been working with this week are: th, sh, ch, wh, and ck. We have asked the kids to be “digraph detectives” and to see if they can find digraphs in the world around them! We talked about looking in books, newspapers, magazines, signs, notes, etc. so you may have a digraph detective with his/her spy eyes working hard to find those digraphs!
*Eating the Rainbow: We started our cooking last week by making applesauce. This week we did a taste test of “red” foods to start our Eating the Rainbow! Every child tried a raspberry, red pepper, cherry tomoto, radish and pomegranate. They filled out a taste test chart to record if they loved it, liked it or didn’t care for it.
*Spelling: The kids worked hard on their spelling lists this week and it really showed in their tests today! There is a new list in this week’s Friday Folder for our test next Friday! If you have any questions, please let us know.
Coming Up:
*Volunteer Opportunity: Next Thursday, October 13th from 9:30-10:45 we will be doing a sewing project. If you would like to help, we would love to have you!!!! Please let your child’s teacher know by Tuesday if you plan to help, so we can plan accordingly.
Have a great weekend!
Margo & Kaitie
Dear Families,
What a wonderful week we have had! We have been learning about many new and exciting things!
This week:
*Tooth Traditions: We have been learning about what kids around the world do when they lose teeth. Ask your child what they do in Africa, Turkey and other traditions they have learned about! We have been looking at maps, writing about tooth traditions and sharing what our own tooth traditions are. It has been very exciting for everyone since so many kids have either lost some teeth or are looking forward to loosing one!!!
*Digraphs: In literacy this week we have been learning about digraphs. A digraph is two letters that come together to make a new sound. The digraphs we have been working with this week are: th, sh, ch, wh, and ck. We have asked the kids to be “digraph detectives” and to see if they can find digraphs in the world around them! We talked about looking in books, newspapers, magazines, signs, notes, etc. so you may have a digraph detective with his/her spy eyes working hard to find those digraphs!
*Eating the Rainbow: We started our cooking last week by making applesauce. This week we did a taste test of “red” foods to start our Eating the Rainbow! Every child tried a raspberry, red pepper, cherry tomoto, radish and pomegranate. They filled out a taste test chart to record if they loved it, liked it or didn’t care for it.
*Spelling: The kids worked hard on their spelling lists this week and it really showed in their tests today! There is a new list in this week’s Friday Folder for our test next Friday! If you have any questions, please let us know.
Coming Up:
*Volunteer Opportunity: Next Thursday, October 13th from 9:30-10:45 we will be doing a sewing project. If you would like to help, we would love to have you!!!! Please let your child’s teacher know by Tuesday if you plan to help, so we can plan accordingly.
Have a great weekend!
Margo & Kaitie
September 30, 2011
Dear Families,
Where did September go? It is hard to believe that we are already a full month into First Grade!! We have had another busy week!
This Week:
*CARES- We completed our word, CARES, this week by learning about Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control. We have been talking about what each word means and what it looks like when we use it. Responsibility is doing your job and taking care of yourself, your friends and your things. It is also doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Empathy is thinking about other people’s feelings. Self-Control is having a calm, safe body. It is also listening and thinking before you say or do things. We will be referring to CARES (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control) frequently throughout the year!
*Word Problems- In math, we created our own word problems using ladybugs. After we created them, we practiced solving each other’s problems. They really enjoyed seeing each other’s problems and sharing their thinking about how to solve them.
*Butterfly Releases-We have had 3 Monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalis this week. We are waiting for the 4th one, which will probably be ready to release on Monday. We have enjoyed watching them and now we have let them go so they can start their migration to Mexico.
*Spelling- Our spelling groups will start next week. There is another letter in this Friday Folder specifically about spelling groups. Our first test will be next Friday. We have also included some ideas of ways to practice reading and spelling sight words at home.
*Henri Matisse- We will be studying an artist each month. In September, we learned about Henri Matisse and his paper cutting collage technique. He was originally a painter, but when he got sick he was forced to cut paper to create art pieces. We have used his technique to create 2 different collage pieces ourselves.
*Vowels- This week we talked about vowels. We know which letters are vowels, that they are in every word and that they have 2 sounds (a long and a short sound). We made a class graph of all of our names. Each child found how many vowels are in his/her own name and highlighted them.
*Apples-We cooked applesauce this week and did many different apple activities. We made tissue paper apples with our book buddies and shared our applesauce with them!
*Refrigerator Books- As soon as you are finished reading a book, please send it back to get another one. The date that we write on the page is a suggested date to return it by, but you may be ready for a new book sooner, which is great! Please let us know if you have any questions about your refrigerator book or the program.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
Where did September go? It is hard to believe that we are already a full month into First Grade!! We have had another busy week!
This Week:
*CARES- We completed our word, CARES, this week by learning about Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control. We have been talking about what each word means and what it looks like when we use it. Responsibility is doing your job and taking care of yourself, your friends and your things. It is also doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Empathy is thinking about other people’s feelings. Self-Control is having a calm, safe body. It is also listening and thinking before you say or do things. We will be referring to CARES (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control) frequently throughout the year!
*Word Problems- In math, we created our own word problems using ladybugs. After we created them, we practiced solving each other’s problems. They really enjoyed seeing each other’s problems and sharing their thinking about how to solve them.
*Butterfly Releases-We have had 3 Monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalis this week. We are waiting for the 4th one, which will probably be ready to release on Monday. We have enjoyed watching them and now we have let them go so they can start their migration to Mexico.
*Spelling- Our spelling groups will start next week. There is another letter in this Friday Folder specifically about spelling groups. Our first test will be next Friday. We have also included some ideas of ways to practice reading and spelling sight words at home.
*Henri Matisse- We will be studying an artist each month. In September, we learned about Henri Matisse and his paper cutting collage technique. He was originally a painter, but when he got sick he was forced to cut paper to create art pieces. We have used his technique to create 2 different collage pieces ourselves.
*Vowels- This week we talked about vowels. We know which letters are vowels, that they are in every word and that they have 2 sounds (a long and a short sound). We made a class graph of all of our names. Each child found how many vowels are in his/her own name and highlighted them.
*Apples-We cooked applesauce this week and did many different apple activities. We made tissue paper apples with our book buddies and shared our applesauce with them!
*Refrigerator Books- As soon as you are finished reading a book, please send it back to get another one. The date that we write on the page is a suggested date to return it by, but you may be ready for a new book sooner, which is great! Please let us know if you have any questions about your refrigerator book or the program.
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
September 23, 2011
Dear Families,
We have had a very busy and productive week in 1st grade! We have been learning how to cooperate and be assertive. We have also been problem solvers and great spellers!
This week:
Hackett’s- We had a great time on our field trip to Hackett’s Apple Orchard! The kids enjoyed picking apples, touring the washing and sorting station and taking a tractor ride through the orchards. We lucked out with the weather and it didn’t start to rain until it was time for us to leave! Thank you to everyone who came. It was great to see you!
Eating the Rainbow- We are going to begin our cooking activities with something we call “Eating the Rainbow.” We will be talking about healthy, colorful foods (mostly fruits and vegetables). We will then be adventurous eaters and try these things! Usually the kids discover that they like foods that they never knew they would!
CARES- We have begun talking about the acronym C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control). This week we learned what it means to use cooperation and assertion. Cooperation is working together, helping each other and taking turns. We have seen a lot of cooperation in our classes! Each class created a huge rainbow project together, using cooperation. The project was too big for anyone to do on their own and together we can do great things. Assertion is using kind words to tell other people how you are feeling and what you need. Being assertive is something we are all working on, as well as listening to our friends when they are using their words. We will continue learning about the rest of CARES next week.
Word Work- We began the first part of our Daily 5 literacy work this week. Word Work is a time during our day when each child independently practices spelling words. They are doing very well with this and we will keep practicing next week.
Spelling Lists-Next Friday your child will bring home a spelling list of words to practice at home for the week. We will also be practicing at school during Word Work time. Your child will practice the same list of words for the whole week and the following Friday we will have a spelling test. All three first grade classes will be working together on spelling.
Word Problems- In Math this week we solved some word problems. We learned that there are many different ways to think about and solve the same problem. Next week the 1st graders will get to create their own word problem for everyone else to solve!
Classroom Webpage- Please check out our classroom webpage this weekend for pictures from our field trip to Hackett’s! Many thanks to Tim and Christine (Gillian and Michael’s parents) for taking some fantastic pictures!!!
Refrigerator Books- You will find a notice in this week’s folder explaining our take-home books. You will begin to see these bags arriving home early next week. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Family Pictures- We are still missing a few family pictures! If you haven’t brought in a family photo, we would love to have one!
Coming Up:
Apples- Next week we will be exploring, talking about and doing projects with apples. Now that we have seen where they grow and how they get from the tree to the store, we are ready to do more with apples!!!
Butterflies- Our caterpillars are all in their chrysalises and we are waiting patiently for butterflies to emerge! Keep asking your child if we have any butterflies yet!
School Pictures- Don’t forget! School pictures are on Monday, September 26th! Please send in your envelope with your child on Monday morning if you would like to purchase any pictures.
Have a great weekend!!!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
We have had a very busy and productive week in 1st grade! We have been learning how to cooperate and be assertive. We have also been problem solvers and great spellers!
This week:
Hackett’s- We had a great time on our field trip to Hackett’s Apple Orchard! The kids enjoyed picking apples, touring the washing and sorting station and taking a tractor ride through the orchards. We lucked out with the weather and it didn’t start to rain until it was time for us to leave! Thank you to everyone who came. It was great to see you!
Eating the Rainbow- We are going to begin our cooking activities with something we call “Eating the Rainbow.” We will be talking about healthy, colorful foods (mostly fruits and vegetables). We will then be adventurous eaters and try these things! Usually the kids discover that they like foods that they never knew they would!
CARES- We have begun talking about the acronym C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control). This week we learned what it means to use cooperation and assertion. Cooperation is working together, helping each other and taking turns. We have seen a lot of cooperation in our classes! Each class created a huge rainbow project together, using cooperation. The project was too big for anyone to do on their own and together we can do great things. Assertion is using kind words to tell other people how you are feeling and what you need. Being assertive is something we are all working on, as well as listening to our friends when they are using their words. We will continue learning about the rest of CARES next week.
Word Work- We began the first part of our Daily 5 literacy work this week. Word Work is a time during our day when each child independently practices spelling words. They are doing very well with this and we will keep practicing next week.
Spelling Lists-Next Friday your child will bring home a spelling list of words to practice at home for the week. We will also be practicing at school during Word Work time. Your child will practice the same list of words for the whole week and the following Friday we will have a spelling test. All three first grade classes will be working together on spelling.
Word Problems- In Math this week we solved some word problems. We learned that there are many different ways to think about and solve the same problem. Next week the 1st graders will get to create their own word problem for everyone else to solve!
Classroom Webpage- Please check out our classroom webpage this weekend for pictures from our field trip to Hackett’s! Many thanks to Tim and Christine (Gillian and Michael’s parents) for taking some fantastic pictures!!!
Refrigerator Books- You will find a notice in this week’s folder explaining our take-home books. You will begin to see these bags arriving home early next week. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Family Pictures- We are still missing a few family pictures! If you haven’t brought in a family photo, we would love to have one!
Coming Up:
Apples- Next week we will be exploring, talking about and doing projects with apples. Now that we have seen where they grow and how they get from the tree to the store, we are ready to do more with apples!!!
Butterflies- Our caterpillars are all in their chrysalises and we are waiting patiently for butterflies to emerge! Keep asking your child if we have any butterflies yet!
School Pictures- Don’t forget! School pictures are on Monday, September 26th! Please send in your envelope with your child on Monday morning if you would like to purchase any pictures.
Have a great weekend!!!
Kaitie & Margo
September 16, 2011
Dear Families,
This Week:
*We have spent a significant amount of time assessing your children this week. This is the information we need to get our literacy program, The Daily 5, up and running.
*In math, we have been playing Bugs on a Board. This game teaches us about coordinates and how to locate them. We have also opened math workplaces to help us practice the math skills we have been working on and explore other math tools.
*We are beginning to get out many choices in our classroom. We have been practicing using our tools, cleaning up when we’re done and cooperating with our friends.
*Miss McCray was lucky enough to find 5 monarch caterpillars this week. We have them in our classroom and have been learning all about their life cycle. We are working on a book that shows this life cycle through text and collage. We will keep working on them next week until they are done!
*Friday afternoon we finally got to meet our book buddies! We will be working with Mrs.Vachereau’s fourth grade class this year. The kids were really excited and we are hoping to do some fun things together this year.
Coming Up:
*On Thursday, September 22, we will be going to Hackett’s Apple Orchard in South Hero. Everyone will need to bring a cold lunch and drink!! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately, it may be muddy! If you would like to join us, please meet us at Hackett’s or follow the bus from school. We will be leaving Orchard School at 8:45am and our tour begins at 9:30am.
*Picture Day will be Monday, September 26th !
* Occasionally the PTO sells popcorn during lunches on Friday. In our first grade classrooms, we collect quarters that go toward our ‘Popcorn Fridays’. Everyone in the class will get popcorn, and we (Kaitie & Margo) buy it each week for everyone. We use the quarters we have collected in our donation bin, so if you would like to donate any money towards Popcorn Fridays we would be very excited!
*Kids have been very eager to share things from home. We have designated our Monday morning sharing time as a time they could share something from home. They DO NOT have to have something from home, they can also share about their weekend or other news they might have. Please remind your child that if they would like to share something this will be the only time to do so! Thanks!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
This Week:
*We have spent a significant amount of time assessing your children this week. This is the information we need to get our literacy program, The Daily 5, up and running.
*In math, we have been playing Bugs on a Board. This game teaches us about coordinates and how to locate them. We have also opened math workplaces to help us practice the math skills we have been working on and explore other math tools.
*We are beginning to get out many choices in our classroom. We have been practicing using our tools, cleaning up when we’re done and cooperating with our friends.
*Miss McCray was lucky enough to find 5 monarch caterpillars this week. We have them in our classroom and have been learning all about their life cycle. We are working on a book that shows this life cycle through text and collage. We will keep working on them next week until they are done!
*Friday afternoon we finally got to meet our book buddies! We will be working with Mrs.Vachereau’s fourth grade class this year. The kids were really excited and we are hoping to do some fun things together this year.
Coming Up:
*On Thursday, September 22, we will be going to Hackett’s Apple Orchard in South Hero. Everyone will need to bring a cold lunch and drink!! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately, it may be muddy! If you would like to join us, please meet us at Hackett’s or follow the bus from school. We will be leaving Orchard School at 8:45am and our tour begins at 9:30am.
*Picture Day will be Monday, September 26th !
* Occasionally the PTO sells popcorn during lunches on Friday. In our first grade classrooms, we collect quarters that go toward our ‘Popcorn Fridays’. Everyone in the class will get popcorn, and we (Kaitie & Margo) buy it each week for everyone. We use the quarters we have collected in our donation bin, so if you would like to donate any money towards Popcorn Fridays we would be very excited!
*Kids have been very eager to share things from home. We have designated our Monday morning sharing time as a time they could share something from home. They DO NOT have to have something from home, they can also share about their weekend or other news they might have. Please remind your child that if they would like to share something this will be the only time to do so! Thanks!
Have a great weekend!
Kaitie & Margo
September 9, 2011
Dear Families,
We have had a great week! We’ve accomplished a lot and are growing together as a class.
*Curriculum Night – Thank you to all of the families who were able to make it to Curriculum Night. If you could not make it, don’t worry, we have included the papers we handed out in this week’s Friday Folder.
*Self Portraits – We have been hard at work this week creating beautiful self-portraits, complete with a shiny macaroni frame! They are being displayed in the classroom so we hope you have a chance to take a look! We also wrote some information about ourselves to get to know each other.
*Sunflowers – The K/1 wing is working together to fill our hallway with sunflowers, one for each student. We spent Thursday afternoon making our paper flowers and hope to have them up in the hallway soon!
*Classroom Website – We have a new classroom website up on the Orchard School page to provide you with important information and reminders. We are learning how to use the site as we go, so we appreciate your patience! Let us know if there’s anything we can add to our site that would be helpful for you.
*Paperwork & Family Picture – We are still missing paper work from some families. If you need another copy just let us know! It would also be great if every child could have a family picture in the classroom as well!
* Hopes and Dreams- We generated a long list of things that everyone would like to learn about this year in 1st grade! Each child then drew a picture and wrote what he/she would like to learn. We have so many things that we want to accomplish!!
*Meeting Rules- As a class, we created Meeting Rules to help us be successful learners while we are together at circle. We have been practicing and working hard at listening with quiet, calm bodies. We raise our hands if we have something we would like to say and wait for our turn to speak. We show respect by looking at the speaker.
*Next week is our first 5 day week!!! Please make sure that your 1st grader gets plenty of rest to make it through the week!
Have a great weekend!! Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you!
Kaitie & Margo
Dear Families,
We have had a great week! We’ve accomplished a lot and are growing together as a class.
*Curriculum Night – Thank you to all of the families who were able to make it to Curriculum Night. If you could not make it, don’t worry, we have included the papers we handed out in this week’s Friday Folder.
*Self Portraits – We have been hard at work this week creating beautiful self-portraits, complete with a shiny macaroni frame! They are being displayed in the classroom so we hope you have a chance to take a look! We also wrote some information about ourselves to get to know each other.
*Sunflowers – The K/1 wing is working together to fill our hallway with sunflowers, one for each student. We spent Thursday afternoon making our paper flowers and hope to have them up in the hallway soon!
*Classroom Website – We have a new classroom website up on the Orchard School page to provide you with important information and reminders. We are learning how to use the site as we go, so we appreciate your patience! Let us know if there’s anything we can add to our site that would be helpful for you.
*Paperwork & Family Picture – We are still missing paper work from some families. If you need another copy just let us know! It would also be great if every child could have a family picture in the classroom as well!
* Hopes and Dreams- We generated a long list of things that everyone would like to learn about this year in 1st grade! Each child then drew a picture and wrote what he/she would like to learn. We have so many things that we want to accomplish!!
*Meeting Rules- As a class, we created Meeting Rules to help us be successful learners while we are together at circle. We have been practicing and working hard at listening with quiet, calm bodies. We raise our hands if we have something we would like to say and wait for our turn to speak. We show respect by looking at the speaker.
*Next week is our first 5 day week!!! Please make sure that your 1st grader gets plenty of rest to make it through the week!
Have a great weekend!! Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Thank you!
Kaitie & Margo
September 2, 2011
Dear Families,
We have just completed our third day of first grade, woo hoo! We’ve been busy learning about our new classroom and friends this week.
This Week:
*We have spent a lot of time working on our birthday wall. We each made an Earth to go around the sun and a birthday person to show our birthday.
*Thank you to families that have returned paperwork. If you haven’t had a chance to complete the paperwork that was sent out at Open House please try and do so this week! Thanks!
*We also have many empty picture frames on our shelves! We would love for every child to have a family picture in the classroom this year. We will also be using them to do some writing jobs in the next few weeks.
*We do have two snacks each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please make sure you child knows what they have for snack and lunch.
*Many of you have asked us what you can help provide for our classrooms. Anytime you would like to donate tissues, wipes or extra nut-free snacks that would be greatly appreciated!
*We do have some peanut/tree nut allergies in the classrooms this year, therefore THERE IS NO PEANUT BUTTER OR LOSE NUTS ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM!!!! These things are ok for the lunch room, but cannot be eaten during snack. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!
*There has been a change this year in the time students are allowed down the hallway and when they will be marked tardy. Students are allowed to go to their classrooms at 7:55am and will be marked tardy if they are not in their room by 8:10am.
*We are hoping to send home a class list with addresses and phone numbers next week. If you do not want your family’s information on this list, please let us know by early next week.
*Our first field trip is on September 22nd. We will be going to Hackett’s Apple Orchard in South Hero. Parents and siblings are welcome although you will have to meet us there or follow the bus. We do not have any extra room on the bus.
Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. We are always available! Enjoy your long weekend and we will see you on Tuesday.
Margo & Kaitie
Dear Families,
We have just completed our third day of first grade, woo hoo! We’ve been busy learning about our new classroom and friends this week.
This Week:
*We have spent a lot of time working on our birthday wall. We each made an Earth to go around the sun and a birthday person to show our birthday.
*Thank you to families that have returned paperwork. If you haven’t had a chance to complete the paperwork that was sent out at Open House please try and do so this week! Thanks!
*We also have many empty picture frames on our shelves! We would love for every child to have a family picture in the classroom this year. We will also be using them to do some writing jobs in the next few weeks.
*We do have two snacks each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please make sure you child knows what they have for snack and lunch.
*Many of you have asked us what you can help provide for our classrooms. Anytime you would like to donate tissues, wipes or extra nut-free snacks that would be greatly appreciated!
*We do have some peanut/tree nut allergies in the classrooms this year, therefore THERE IS NO PEANUT BUTTER OR LOSE NUTS ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM!!!! These things are ok for the lunch room, but cannot be eaten during snack. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!
*There has been a change this year in the time students are allowed down the hallway and when they will be marked tardy. Students are allowed to go to their classrooms at 7:55am and will be marked tardy if they are not in their room by 8:10am.
*We are hoping to send home a class list with addresses and phone numbers next week. If you do not want your family’s information on this list, please let us know by early next week.
*Our first field trip is on September 22nd. We will be going to Hackett’s Apple Orchard in South Hero. Parents and siblings are welcome although you will have to meet us there or follow the bus. We do not have any extra room on the bus.
Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. We are always available! Enjoy your long weekend and we will see you on Tuesday.
Margo & Kaitie