12/12 to 12/21

Hello,

Thank you to all the families that made it to family night! Students LOVED reading their compliments!

Last week before winter break! It is a very exciting and busy time of the year. This week we will have

a few fun celebrations. Stay tuned for videos and pictures throughout the week.

Secret Santa! Throughout the week students will be making handmade presents for their
secret santa. They can make some at home if they would like but please do not purchase
anything for it! Handmade cards, bookmarks, origami pieces, etc. And they will have time
to make some at school too so it is not something they need to do!

Gingerbread men: Sometimes this week students can bring their disguised gingerbread man to share at morning meeting. It is cool to see their creative designs!

Here is a snippet of what the end of the week will look like!

Thursday: We will watch a movie on Thursday, I am going to rent Small Foot which is rated PG. Please let me know if you are not comfortable with your child watching a PG movie I can have another activity ready for them. 

Friday: We will have time with our 3rd grade buddies and decorate cookies! We will also have a winter scoot where the students will rotate around rooms for various activities. 

If you would like to bring a treat or snack in for Thursday or Friday please email and I can let you

know what we need. But of course you do not need to.

Lastly, I have some exciting news to share. This last weekend I was proposed to and said yes! It was fun to share the news with the class this morning and I told them they can help me start planning! 

Here is a photo:

Upcoming Events:

12/21: Pajama Day or Red/Green

12/24 to 1/1: Winter Break

1/18: Early Release for Students

Reading: This week we will be surprising our secret santa with bookmarks and books throughout the

week. We will be learning about how it is important to get to know our reading partner to have great

conversations with them. At the end of the week we will be ending our nonfiction unit and will

celebrate by teaching the other first grade class about a topic we learned all about from our reading.

Writing: We are finishing up our all about books this week.  We are adding in introductions and

conclusions. We will have our on demand on Wednesday.

Math: We are working with tens and ones this week.  We will work on reading and writing numerals

and number words.  

Science: This week in science we will be recording videos to teach all we know about the sun,

planets, stars, and moon. If all goes well I will try to post those videos next week!

Questions to ask:

• What video are you recording for science?
• What did you make your secret santa?
• What poster are you going to make in reading?
• What is your topic for your writing On Demand going to be?
• What is a two digit number?
• Are you going to help Miss Wittmann plan her wedding?!

12/3 to 12/7

Hello,

I will be out of the classroom tomorrow and Wednesday because I will be attending the SLATE conference in Wisconsin Dells with a few other teachers from our school.  We will be learning new ways to integrate technology.  I’m excited for this learning opportunity.  I will be checking my email but if you have any urgent news please call Mrs. Mitchell in the office.


Book Order:  Book orders are due today! Please email if you would like to set up a time for me to get the books to you as a secret. You can order online as well at https://clubs.scholastic.com/ Our class code is QJMYM.

Upcoming Events:
12/3: Book Orders Due
12/6: Family Night sheets due
12/11: No School for Students
12/13: Pajama Day and Pizza and Publishing Family Night
12/21: Pajama Day or Red/Green
12/24 to 1/1: Winter Break

Reading:  In reading this week we are learning ways to solve unknown words in nonfiction books. We will add a few new strategies to solve our words. We will goal set and talk about strategies we use all the time and a few strategies we would like to work on.

Writing: In writing we are continuing our work with our All About books. We will be learning how to make our books into chapter books. We will learn how to create a table on contents, chapter titles, and other ways to organize our books.

Math: This week we will be starting a new math unit. This unit is all about place value. We will be learning about making groups of 10’s and 1’s. We will be creating 2 digit numbers and taking them apart. The math homework will be sent home on Thursday this week.

Science: This week we will be continuing our centers.  We will also receive a moon journal to use at home. This is an optional activity to do at home as a family. 

11/26 to 11/30

Hello,

I hope you had a great long weekend. It was great to see you all at the Veterans Event if you were able to make it. The students worked hard on all their songs and it was a lot of fun to watch!

Book Order:  Book orders are coming home today.  They will be due back next Monday, Dec. 3. Books make great gifts! If you want the order to be kept a secret for Christmas gift please just send me an email and I will let you know when the order comes in. Here in the link if you would like to do it online: https://clubs.scholastic.com/ Our class code is QJMYM

Specials Schedule:
Monday: Gym and Music
Tuesday: Gym and Music
Wednesday: Library Check Out and Guidance
Thursday: Library Skills and Gym
Friday: Art

Upcoming Events:
12/3: Book Orders Due
12/11: No School for Students
12/13: Family Night
12/21: Pajama Day or Red/Green
12/24 to 1/1: Winter Break

Reading:  In reading this week we will continue to learn ways to get super smart while reading our nonfiction books. We will learn to chat about a page in the book, either by thinking to ourselves or talking to our partner. Also, we will learn about rereading to make sure we understand, retelling our stories, work on our fluency, and celebrate by sharing all of the things we’ve learned. We will end the week with learning that we have a lot of ways to solve hard words in our books, and readers don’t let anything get in their way of learning a lot about their topic.

Writing: We will continue to write our all about books this week.  We will remind students that writers teach with pictures and words.  The illustrations in our teaching books help teach even more.  We will also encourage them to use the challenging, expert words that help teach about their topic.  Ask your child what they are writing about this week.

Math: We will practice mixed story problems.  We will have to picture the story in our mind to know where to solve in the equations.  Sometimes we will solve for an unknown partner and sometimes a total. We will take a practice test this week and the test on Friday.

Science: This week in science we will be talking about how you can use the stars and constellations to find North, South, East and West. We will also do a close reading, to learn more and more. We will also introduce science exploratory centers at the end of the week. We will have a book center, technology center, art center, planet comparison center, and an exploring constellations and shadows center.

Word Work: This week in word work we will be ending our unit on digraphs. Our snap words of the week are you, an, can, am, and no.

11/19- 11/20

Hello!

I wanted to start off by saying I am so thankful for each and every student in my class. I am so thankful for my career, it really is one of the best jobs! I enjoy coming to school each day and teaching your kiddos and getting to know them as a person. Thank you for all that you do as parents and enjoy this long weekend with family!

Since it is a short week, it is a quick blog post with some reading tips for at home!

Specials Schedule:
Monday: Art
Tuesday: Gym and Music

Upcoming Events:
11/19: Veterans Event: hope to see you there! The concert starts at 6:00, please arrive between 5:40-6:00 so students can take their places on the risers and you get a good spot! The students will be on the right side of the stage, so I suggest finding a seat to the right so you can see them. 
11/19: Yoga
11/19: Yellow Folders Due
11/20: Hanging out with 3rd grade buddies
11/21-23: No School Thanksgiving Break
12/11: No School for Students

Reading Tips:

At this time in the year students are becoming more and more independent with decoding words. We are starting to do a lot of work with comprehending our reading. After they read a book here are a few questions you could ask:

Fiction Books:

• Who was the main character? (who was the book mostly about?)
• Can you do a retell? What happened at the beginning, middle, and end?
• Did the character have a problem in this book?
• How did they solve the problem?
• How was your character feeling in the book? How do you know?
• Can you make any connections to this book? Does it remind you of something that has happened to you? Does it remind you of a different book?

Nonfiction Books:

• Can you predict what you will learn in this book?
• What did you learn in this book?
• Were there any expert words that you read?
• Did the book have a table of contents, glossary, or index?
• Were there any diagrams in your book? (Or pictures that taught you more)

These are just a few questions you can ask! You do not have to ask them for every book, but they are great to keep in the back of your mind for when they finish a book. It's great to remind them that readers do not just read to read, they read to understand more and to enjoy the story!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Miss Wittmann

11/12 to 11/16

Hello,

I really enjoyed meeting with families last week and I look forward to meeting with the rest of you tomorrow.  Remember we encourage the students to attend to give an opportunity to take pride in their work. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Writing folders:  Yellow writing folders will be coming home today to be decorated for our All About unit.  The pictures on this folder should be about things that your child can tell lots about.  Example: favorite animals, games, sports, etc.  Please try to have them back by next Monday, November 19th, the sooner the better!  Thanks!

Our Veterans Day program is coming up on Monday, November 19.  We are looking for volunteers to bring treats for the end of the program.  If you are willing, please click on the link below to sign up to bring something.
http://signup.com/go/NoWVZmT

Specials Schedule:
Monday: Gym and Music
Tuesday: Gym and Music
Wednesday: Gym and Music
Thursday: Library Checkout and STEAM
Friday: Library Skills and Gym

Upcoming Events:
11/12: Last Day of Food Drive
11/13: Fall Conferences
11/15: Order Forms due for Square1 Art merchandise
11/16: Early Release for students
11/19: Veterans Event
11/21-23: No School Thanksgiving Break

Reading: This week in reading we are getting ready to start our non-fiction unit.  We will spend a few days organizing our library and getting ready to book shop for just right non-fiction books.  Later in the week we will begin with sneak peeks of books and studying as much as we can on each page.  We will show students that slowing down in non-fiction books to name what they see before turning the page will help them remember the important information.

Writing: In writing this week we will be starting our new unit of study: Nonfiction Chapter Books. This week we will learn how to get ready to write, how to plan out our information books, thinking about our readers and what questions they might ask, and teaching with pictures as well as with words. Please return decorated yellow folders by November 19th, thanks!

Math: This week in math we will be continuing our work in Unit 3 which is all about solving for the unknown partner. We will be learning this week how subtraction can connect to solving for an unknown partner. We will practice using all the ways we know to solve for the unknown and start talking about which method is the most efficient. We will end the week with learning how to decipher a story problem to see what you need to solve for.

Science: In science this week we are continuing our exploration into space. We will be solving a mystery of why is it sometimes light out when we go to bed in summer but not in winter. We will also use a model to investigate why the stars are visible at night but disappear when the sun comes out during the day. We will finish the week with exploring constellations!

You can support your child’s curiosity at home by watching a read-aloud of the classic children's book Zoo in the Sky by Jacqueline Mitton: http://safeYouTube.net/w/PhCb.

Word Work: This week in word work we will continue working on our digraphs: ch, sh, wh, th, and ck.

Questions to ask:

• What non-fiction books are you reading?
• How did you organize your library?
• What should we put on your yellow folder?
• What experiments have you done this week in science?
• Did you learn how to stop and jot during a read aloud?

Here are a few photos from our writing celebration last week, we learned how to make flipsticks:

11/5 to 11/9

Hello,

This Thursday and next Tuesday we will have our portfolio conferences. I am excited to share what students have been working on! We encourage the students to attend to give an opportunity to take pride in their work. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you to everyone that brought in socks! We surpassed our goal, not once but twice! We will be donating the socks to Homeless Connections.

We also started our district-wide food drive. Each school is collecting food and the last day to bring things in is November 12th. Thanks!

Specials This Week:
Monday: Gym and Music
Tuesday: Gym(last day of biking) and Music
Wednesday: Library Check-Out and STEAM
Thursday: Library Skills and Gym
Friday: Art

Upcoming Events:
11/8: Fall Conferences
11/9: Funset Boulevard wristband sheet due (if you want to attend)
11/12: Last day to bring in food for Kaukauna Food Drive
11/13: Fall Conferences
11/16: Early Release for students
11/19: Veterans Event
11/21-23: No School Thanksgiving Break

Reading: In reading this week we are concluding our word detective unit. We will learn about using word parts they know to read new words, learn about “unusual” words (contractions), and smooth out our reading. On Thursday we will celebrate the end of our unit with a special surprise from our detective agency. Then at the end of the week we will talk about reorganizing our library.

Writing: This week in writing we are finishing up our How-To books.  We are adding introductions and conclusions.  We will be looking mentor texts and noticing author's craft.  At the end of the week we will publish our best piece and add it to our library.

Math: In math this week we are starting Unit 3, which is all about unknown partners. This week we will learn about unknown partners in addition story problems and in addition equations. Math homework will be sent home on Wednesday but again you do not need to return it to school. It is for students to be able to show what we are working on in school!

Science: In our first few lessons we will be learning about the sun, in particular how its place changes in the sky throughout the day.  In our first lesson, your child observed the surprising fact that the shadow of a stationary object moves, even though the object itself is not moving!  This is because of how the sun’s place is changing in the sky. You can encourage your child’s curiosity about the sun by going for a late afternoon walk around your neighborhood, and inviting them to notice where the shadows are. You can bring up interesting questions to ponder, such as: Which direction are the shadows pointing? How can you use a shadow’s direction to know where the sun is (since it’s not safe to look directly at the sun)?  How might these shadows be different in the morning?

Word Work: We have introduced the digraphs, ch, th, sh, wh, and ck. This week we will spell words using them.

Play Workshop: This year we have had some play workshop time or academic free choice time at least once a week. We sometimes have it with our 3rd grade buddies and sometimes on our own! We always start with a social lesson and then have a challenge during that playtime. Here are a few pictures of students at the centers and some posters of what we have learned about so far!

Questions to ask: 

• Did you get any missions this week from the Detective Agency?
• What How-To book are you going to publish?
• Did you get math homework? 
• What are you learning about in science?
• What did you learn about shadows? 
• What do shadows teach you about the sun?

10/29 to 11/2

Happy Monday!

Thank you to all families that participated in our Grand-friends event. It is always a lot of fun to show grandparents around the school! 

Fall conference sign up was sent last week.

On October 31st, we will host a Fall Scoot. The whole school is participating and there will be games, snacks, and crafts for the students. Students can also wear orange and black.

Reminder: Veteran's Day RSVP is due November 1st. Please let us know if you are able to make it! It is also the last chance for third and fourth grade students to enter a piece of writing that they would like to read at the event. Lastly, if you are interested in volunteering your time to help us with our Veteran's Day preparations please contact Sheri Krueger at  kruegers@kaukaunasd.org 

Upcoming Events:

10/30: Yoga: students can wear comfy clothes
10/31: Fall Scoot
10/31: Wear orange and black

11/1: Veteran’s Day RSVP Due

11/1: Picture Retake Day

11/8: Fall Conferences

11/13: Fall Conferences

11/16: Early Release for students

Reading: This week in reading we are continuing our word detective unit. We will be using our knowledge of letters, sounds, and words to read. We will look at beginning of words, watch out for special endings, look at vowel teams, and use word parts we know to read new words.

Writing: This week in writing we are working on teaching our readers how to do something. We will learn how to plan a book with our partners, start using "bossy" language, and work on gaining our readers attention at the beginning of our book! This week we are also writing a How-To Book as a class, to teach the school something new!

Math: The students have been working hard at solving subtraction and addition story problems in many ways and finding the most efficient way to solve it. This week we will relate addition and subtraction, learn about the vertical form, and start preparing for this Unit 2 test. This week in math you will get a homework sheet sent home on Thursday. We will start to send sheets home on Wednesdays for students to work on. You do not need to return it to school, we use this homework as a tool to show families what we are working on in school.

Science: This week in science we are going to start exploring space! We are going to build on what we learned on our field trip and start our unit with a close reading and asking ourselves some questions we have about space.

Word Work: This week in word work we are continuing our work with tapping out CVC words. We are also working on scooping up parts in our stories to sound fluent.

Questions to ask:

• What books are you reading this week?
• What are you teaching in your How-To book in writing?
• Are you writing a book as a class this week? What is the book about?
• Did you get math homework this week? Should we look at it together?
• What are you learning about space this week? What are some things you hope to learn about space?

10/22 to 10/24

Hello,

Field trip this week! You will not need to pack a lunch. We will be leaving after our normal lunch time to head to Barlow Planetarium.

There will be a lot of writing coming home tonight (Monday). We published a small moment story and kept it at school but the remaining stories we sent home today for you to look at! Enjoy!

The sign up for fall conferences will be sent out tomorrow.

Here are a few links if you are able to help out for Fall Conferences:

Fall 2018 Teacher Conference Meals

Fall 2018 Book Fair

Specials:

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Gym and Music

Wednesday: Gym and Music

Upcoming Events:
10/22-10/24: Red Ribbon Week
10/22: Wear Comfy Clothes
10/23: Wear Crazy Socks
10/23: Field Trip
10/23: Family Night: Goodies, Games, and Grandparents
10/24: Wear Red
10/24: Scholastic Orders Due!
10/25-10/26: No School
10/31: Last Day for Socks!
11/1: Veteran’s Day RSVP Due

Reading: In reading this week we will scoop our words to make our reading smooth now that we have spent some time recognizing snap words.  We will learn that word detectives can break words into parts as they read, trying a word in different ways until it makes sense or sounds right.

Writing: This week in writing we are starting a new unit on How-To Books. We will be looking through How-To books and seeing what we notice and start writing our own.

Math: In math this week we are continuing to learn new strategies to solve subtraction problems. We will be learning what is efficient for us to use and try that with equations and story problems.

Science: This week we are starting our space unit! We will be going to the Barlow Planetarium to kick off our learning!

10/15 to 10/19

Hello,

Wow! We have some busy weeks ahead for first grade! Thank you for your organization with paperwork that has come home.

Specials Schedule:
Monday: Gym and Music
Tuesday: Gym and Music
Wednesday: Gym and Music
Thursday: Library Check-Out and STEAM
Friday: Library Skills and Gym

Here are a few links if you are able to volunteer for Fall Conferences:

Fall 2018 Teacher Conference Meals

Fall 2018 Book Fair

Upcoming Events:
10/16: Field Trip Slip Due
10/19: Grandparent Event from 2-3 PM
10/23: Field Trip
10/23: Family Night: Goodies, Games, and Grandparents
10/24: Scholastic Orders Due
10/25-10/26: No School
11/1: Veteran’s Day RSVP Due

Reading: Have you heard?  We have been receiving notes from the Secret Service Detective Agency.  They need our help to become word detectives.  We have received missions each day to help with our word solving strategies. This week we will use snap words to help us in our books. Students will ask themselves, “Does this mystery word remind me of another word I know?” and then think of similar snap word to help figure out the word.

Writing: This week we are finishing up our small moment books.  We are revising and using checklists.  We will make our books ready for the library at the end of the week by adding covers and coloring our pictures.

Word Study: This week in word study we are working on the high frequency words: so, we, it, and, and up. We are also learning how to tap out CVC words and keep building our letter sound knowledge.

Math: Teachers had some wonderful math professional development last week that we can’t wait to incorporate into our rooms. This week in math we will be talking about efficient strategies for solving addition problems, learn a few ways to solve subtraction problems, and find an efficient way to solve those problems.

Social Studies: It is our last week of studying families. This week we will be studying how to interview someone.  We will be practicing and compiling the questions that we will be using during our interviews with family members on Friday.

If you would like your child to share some specific things they are working on in school this week, here are a few questions you could ask!

• What small moment story are you going to publish? Is that the one you are hanging in the hall?
• What missions did you get in reading this week? Did you get your word detective badges yet? (We will get them on Wednesday!)
• What strategy do you use to solve addition/subtraction problems? Can you show me?
• Miss Wittmann said you are learning to tap out words! How do you tap out the word red?
• What interview questions are you going to ask grandma or grandpa on Friday?

Let me know if you find this helpful! And let me know if you have any questions for me.

Thanks,

Miss Wittmann

10/8 to 10/12

We are busy in first grade! This week we are sharing important news!  
We have a busy couple of weeks and want to make sure that you’ve seen
all the notes coming home. Thank you for all of your organization with that!

Field Trip-October 23

We will be going on a field trip on October 23rd to the Barlow Planetarium.  
Forms are coming home today. Please send back by October 16th.

Yoga-October 12

This year our class will be participating in yoga once a month led by Kristin
McEneany a mother of a first grader.  Our first session will be this Friday.
Please send in a beach towel this week to be left in your child's locker to be used during yoga.  

Grandparent Event-October 19

On Friday October 19th we are inviting a grandparent or family member
in to be interviewed by your first grader and to complete a small project.  
If someone in your family is planning to join your student please send back the
pink slip so that we have a count.

Bike Helmets-Starting this week

First graders are beginning their bike unit in gym class.  If they have a helmet
at home they can bring their own to use.  If not, there are helmets at school to use.

Walk to School Day- October 10

We are meeting at the Recyclist starting at 7:15 and walking to school
starting at 7:30.  Join if you can!

Family Night- October 23

Family night will be from 6-7 p.m.  Grandparents and grandfriends are invited to
play games with their New Directions grandchildren. There will be a variety of games
and some snacks served.  RSVP is due back October 16th.

Veterans Day Concert- November 19

Forms were sent home last week for our first Veteran’s Day Event.
RSVP is due back November 1st.

Book Orders- October 24

Book order forms were sent home last week if you are interested!
You can order with the paper copy or online at: https://clubs.scholastic.com/
Our class code is QJMYM

Socktober- October 31
This month we will be collecting socks for those in need! The dealine is October 31st.
Thanks!

Important Dates

10/10: National Walk to School Day

10/11: Roller Skating Fun at Skate City

10/19: Grandparent/Family Interviews 2:00

10/23: Field Trip to Barlow Planetarium

10/23: Family Night: Goodies, Games, and Grandparents
10/24: Book Orders Due

10/25-10/26: No School
11/1: Veteran's Day RSVP Due

10/1 to 10/5

Hello,

Thank you to all the families that were able to make it to our first family night! I hope you
found it to be helpful. This week there will be a survey sent out to give feedback. Thank
you for your time with that!

This October students at New Directions will CREATE Kindness as they collect socks for
Kid President’s Socktober sock drive.  Look for more information to come home with your
child on October 4.  Check out the link below for more information on Socktober!

http://soulpancake.com/socktober/

We look forward to making a difference as a school!

This week is Homecoming week for Kaukauna! Here are the dress up days for the remainder
of the week:

Monday: PJ/Comfy Day
Tuesday: Superhero Day
Wednesday: NDLC Wear Day
Thursday: Sports Team Day
Friday: Kaukauna Spirit Day

Upcoming Events:
10/3: Homecoming Parade
10/10: National Walk to School Day
10/11: Roller Skating Fun at Skate City
10/23: Family Night: Goodies, Games, and Grandparents
10/25-10/26: No School

Reading: In reading this week we are strengthening up our reading partnerships. We will give
book introductions to our partners, help each other solve tough words (but not telling them
what the word is!), doing something at the end of our books with our partner, and celebrate
the end of our first unit by seeing what we can do and setting new goals for ourselves.

Writing: This week in writing we will teach that writers use words they know to spell new
and challenging words.  We will also do some editing to our first stories of the year.  To end
the week we will set new goals and fancy up a piece of writing.

Word Study: In word study we have been going over letter formation and letter sounds. 
We introduce two new letters a day.   This week we will focus on these words in our
reading and writing: the, I, to, a, is. 

Math: In math this week we will begin our fact with minus one.  We will also start a new
unit on addition and subtraction.  We will make sense of equations by drawing pictures
and using tools to help us.  By the end of the week will move towards using circle drawings
to represent equations.  We will also study the = sign this week.  

Social Studies: This week we will continue to learn about families. We will be working in
centers that are focused on families.  They include reading books about families, looking
at pictures from long ago and comparing to today, a technology center, and making a
collage with pictures that represent your family.   

Pajama Day!

9/24 to 9/28

Hello!

Our first family night is tomorrow night.  We look forward to seeing many families there.  Dinner will begin at 5:30, followed by information sessions on how to help. 

Picture Day is this Wednesday! Please return picture day forms to school by Wednesday or have the online form submitted. We will be taking our pictures Wednesday morning.

If you have any old magazines (school appropriate) at home that you are willing donate to our classroom for projects please send them in!  Thank you!

Here is the link to the mystery reader schedule!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wo7iZrEuS_yb3kgHfuYs_dDYabOT_Z1QHXTu5ycdshY/edit?usp=sharing

Tomorrow I will send home a yellow sheet that needs to be returned for background checks, that way we are all set for your mystery reader day!

Upcoming Events:
9/25: Family Night
9/26: Picture Day
10/10: National Walk to School Day
10/11: Roller Skating Fun at Skate City

Reading: In reading we will continue to learn strategies to solve hard words.  We will double check our reading by asking does it look right? Does it sound right? We will encourage students to not give up when the word gets hard. Another strategy that we will introduce is trying it two ways with a vowel.  It is so important for them to realize that vowels make two sounds-long and short.

Writing: This week in writing we are continuing to write our small moment stories. Student’s have created a checklist that we will use to make sure our writing is ready to share. We will also work on bringing our characters to life. We will have them take itsy-bitsy steps and have characters think and feel.

Math: In math this week we will continue to work on our plus one facts.  We will also continue to study the partners of numbers up to ten.  We will have our unit one test at the end of the week. 

Social Studies: This week we will continue to learn about families.  We will introduce the academic vocabulary words describe, compare, and contrast.  We will also introduce the centers that will help us discover more about families. 

9/17 to 9/21

Hello,

Here is the link to the mystery reader schedule!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wo7iZrEuS_yb3kgHfuYs_dDYabOT_Z1QHXTu5ycdshY/edit?usp=sharing

Let me know if I missed you! I was able to get everyone one of their top 3 choices.

The next step will be making sure you have a background check on file. I will ask Mrs. Mitchell what she has on file but if you know you do not have a background check please let me know and I can send a sheet home to get the process started.

We are learning our routines in first grade quickly and it has been fun getting to know everyone with
student show and tell.  If your child hasn’t brought home a paper bag yet, their day will be coming
soon! 

Thank you for checking planners each night! Red family night forms went home last week
and are due back on Wednesday. 

Upcoming Events:
9/19: Family Night Sheets Due
9/17-9/20: Safety Week
9/21: No School
9/25: Family Night
9/26: Picture Day
10/10: National Walk to School Day

Reading: We will think about some of the bad habits we have developed such as mumbling across
hard words, asking an adult to tell us, and skipping words. This week we will focus on developing
good habits to tackle hard words.  Some ways to do this are to use the pictures when taking a sneak
peek and look at all the parts of the words.  

Writing:
This week in writing we are continuing to write our small moment stories. We will focus in and write
a true small moment story, we will story-tell and use partnerships to help us add details, and we will
also start editing our pieces and look to see when we need to fix it up.

Math: We will discuss the plus one strategy this week.  In first grade we work on fluency of facts within
ten.  We will also focus on the partners of numbers 8, 9, and 10.  We will continue to practice these
in many ways throughout the year. 

Social Studies: 
This week we are starting a new social studies unit: Families. In this unit we will be studying our
essential question: How are families the same and different? 

First Blog Post!

Happy Monday!

Hello and welcome to the first blog post! This will be used as a communication tool to keep you updated on what we are doing in the classroom and upcoming events/reminders. Let me know at anytime if you have any questions or concerns!

Here a few reminders: Please be sure to have the decorated blue folder returned because we are starting our writing unit. Also all paperwork that was sent home at open house or the first day of school needs to be returned. If you could return the Mystery Reader sheet by this Friday than I will be able to get a schedule out to everyone over the weekend.

PLANNERS!
Planners are coming home today for the first time!  Each day we will write news, reminders, or homework in them.  I will check them each morning.  You can sign each night so that I know that you saw it.  This is also a great place to write short notes to me, such as pick up changes, doctor appointments, etc. 

Upcoming Events:
9/14: Mystery Reader Sheet Due (if interested!)
9/14: Dot Day: Wear Dots 
9/17-9/20: Safety Week
9/21: No School
9/25: Family Night
9/26: Picture Day

Reading:
Last week we worked on setting up reading routines and expectations.  It was exciting to see how many students are excited for this part of our school day!  This week we will focus on becoming stronger readers by reading more and more, we will set goals for ourselves, and we will work on fluency.  We will be scooping up words and reading with our eyes.  On Tuesday, we will be sending home book bags.  Please find time each night for your child to read their just right books. If you notice that books are too difficult or they do not seem like a good fit please let me know.  

Writing:
This week in writing we are starting our first unit: Small Moments Stories. Students are writing stories about themselves that they want to share! We will learn how to plan out a story using stick puppets and touch and tell, sketch, then write. Thank you for all the work you did with the blue folders! It is a great tool for the students to use to think of ideas.

Math:
This week in math we are starting our first unit. In Unit 1 we will learn about breaking numbers apart and putting them together. Each day we will focus on a new number (1-10) and see how that number works! Here are a few pictures of us in centers in math:

Social Studies: 
Last week and continuing on this week we are talking about our hopes and dreams. We have been busy building a community together and being apart of community is helping each other reach their goals! This week we will create rules to help everyone reach their hopes and dreams.

Let me know if you have any questions!
Miss Wittmann