What a party!!!!

Dear Parents,

            Last week was a great success!  Thank you so much to all of you that came out to help set up for the Halloween carnival.  You worked hard and the gym looked fantastic.  Also a special thanks to Deysi Aleman, Angel Chavez, Charita Duenas, Verna Mendoza, Patricia Molina, Adriana Soto, and Leslie Souttaphohn who helped make monster cupcakes and ghostly milkshakes.  The 1^st graders had a blast.  It was a great party! 

This week I will be sending home an activity the students know as word building.  I will be sending home a note that explains it.  It will be folded and stapled together because it is only for your eyes.  It has all the answers for the words on it.  Please follow the directions on how to build words with your child.  This is a wonderful activity that will help your child with phonics, reading, and writing. Let me know if you have any questions. 

 Also, in regards to the spelling test, the spelling paper that I send home is a resource for you to have the 1^st graders practice on. 

 I will be working to put all the pictures from Halloween on the blog to enjoy. 

 Sincerely,

Ms. Andrade

Dear Parents,

            I am looking forward to seeing the great memory posters that the students put together for their writing.  The 1^st grade has already shown so much growth in their ability to follow direction and in their enthusiasm for learning.  I am excited to see what sort of ideas they will be coming up with to write about.  In addition to having their own memory poster for brainstorming purposes I will be giving them other writing tools like a sound chart, traveling word wall, and a my favorite words book. 

            At the beginning of this year when I gave the 1^st graders a writing assessment to see what they were capable of, many of the students let me know that they could not write.  This idea of not being able to write is something we need to make sure to shake out of them.  :)  At home you can help by encouraging your child to write about something you did recently that he or she enjoyed.  Even drawing a picture about it and then telling you about what he or she drew is being an author and he or she need to know that.  By building his or her confidence up, the transition into real writing becomes more natural and your child will be much more excited about it. I often tell them when they don’t want to spell something out, “Just write down the sounds that you hear and I bet I can read it.”  They usually get excited when I can.  Or you can have them read it with you.  J 

            To add on to the writing, this week I will be sending home the spelling sentences for the week that they will be tested on Friday.  Please read the explanation about why I choose to use sentences instead of just having them spell the words.  Also, we don’t want to have the 1^st graders memorize the words we want them to be able to recognize the patterns in the words and be able to spell the words out.  For example, the word families or patterns for this week are –at, -an, -ad.  So you can also have your child practice spelling hat, dad, or pan etc. We want them to be able to sound out words, so the more words you expose them to the more practice they get using their phonetic skills. If you have any questions please blog or email.  J 

            Have a wonderful week!   

                                                                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                                                                        Ms. Andrade

Technology and Writing Collages

Dear Parents,

The first grade had a great week last week celebrating their good behavior with the pajama day on Wednesday.  They also proved how responsible they are when the class used the whiteboards during math for the very first time on Tuesday.  They all followed directions very well and had lots of fun making up math problems to write on them. 

 This week we have some exciting news in that the school has now purchased enough laptops so that the 1^st grade will be able to have a cart of laptops in our room all day on Monday and Wednesday.  I am really excited about this as I just attended an informational session on technology and will be using many resources from discover education online.  I will be integrating the use of the laptops as often as I can to make learning that much more fun for the first graders.  Discovery Education has a brand new science website that offers all sorts of videos and virtual labs for children to explore.  You will also be able to access what your child is doing by logging into the website with the log in that I give your child. I have already created accounts for them, but it takes some time for the students to be put into the system. 

 The website is http://science.discoveryeducation.com.  Also, there are some great catholic resources on prayers and mass and the sacraments online at www.ctnba.org.  If it stops you from viewing anything you can log in by using the username “superkids” and the password “1^st grade”.  (It is closely connected to discovery education but for discovery education you need a different password. )

 Finally, I will be sending home a piece of white construction paper for writing homework this week.  It will be due no later than Monday, October 13^th. If you finish earlier you may have your child bring it in at any time.    I would like you to help your child make a collage of any important events that have happened in their lives in the last year.  Also, pictures of important people in their lives are important to include as well.  You can use photos of your own or cut out photos from other sources like the newspaper, magazines, or pictures off the internet.  (For example if I were to work on my own I would put pictures of my family, pictures of Spain from my trip, pictures from snowboarding trips.  I might but the USF logo to show I have gone to school there.  Anything that might spark your child to think of a specific story in their lives.)   We will be using this poster as an aid in writing class.  It will give your child something visual to look at while they brainstorm a topic to write about.  In 1^st grade the most valuable writing topics to use are the ones from their own experiences.  We will be using this collage all year long.  Feel free to use both the front and the back of the paper. I will be laminating them so that they will last the whole year.  Good luck and have fun!  J 

 Have a wonderful week!  Don’t forget we have half day on Wednesday and no school on Friday! 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Andrade

Homework and party. (Also how I handled the tragedy with the children)

 

September 29, 2008

Dear Parents,

           

            Last week was an exciting week for the 1^st graders since they finally filled the whole class good behavior jar we started at the beginning of the school year.  As a result, we will be having a pajama/ movie party on Wednesday afternoon, October 1^st.  Your child may wear his or her pajamas to school on Wednesday and bring a small stuffed animal of their choice. 

 

            Last week some of you asked me about how I addressed the tragedy of the Ramos family with the 1^st graders.  On Monday morning when we did our prayer first thing in the morning, I let the children know that that over the weekend one of the eighth graders lost her mom.  I didn’t give them any more details than that regarding the incident.  When they asked what happened I let them know that the most important thing is that we worry about Elizabeth and her family now, because God is taking good care of her mother in heaven.  I also led a discussion about how it feels to lose something and let them share a time that they lost something or someone.  We talked about how they felt when that happened and so we know that Elizabeth and her family are feeling that same way right now.  We did a special prayer where we listened to a song and prayed for strength for Elizabeth and her family. 

 

            The vigil service for Sylvia Ramos is at 7pm at St. Joachim Church and the funeral will be on Tuesday at 10:30 at St. Joachim Church.  If you wish to attend the funeral and would like to bring your 1^st grader please let me know. 

 

            Hopefully we are all set with regards to the homework. (Me included)  J   We will be taking our first chapter test in math today and we will be starting our next chapter on addition tomorrow.  When doing math homework with your child please make sure that there are some objects that they can move around and touch to represent the math problems.  Coins work quite well and would be good practice for being able to recognize the coins.  For example you may have the problem 3 and 2.  You can use 3 nickels and 2 pennies and ask how many coins in all.  It is best if the 1^st graders do the setting out and moving around of the coins.  I will also be sending home something called touch math next week that will be another tool for helping them with their math facts. 

 

            Finally, I have decided that the homework folders will be coming home on Friday.  There will be no homework on Friday, but it will be useful to have something for papers the office or I need to send home on Friday.  Please make sure you empty it out and return it on Monday.  Thanks! 

 

            We have mass on Thursday and all our welcome to attend!  Have a wonderful week! 

                                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                                                                        Ms. Andrade

 

Pajama Day!

Just a quick announcement that we will have a pajama/movie day this coming Wednesday, October 1st to celebrate the fact that the 1st graders were able to fill the whole class good behavior jar up.  

More to come in my newsletter on Monday... :)  

Homework Homework Homework :)

September 22, 2008

Dear Parents,

Now that the 1^st graders are getting into the routines of school and homework, I am going to be adding more to the homework. I know that they are ready for it. J  This week they will have handwriting, math homework, a reading log, short books to read, and I will be sending home sight word flashcards for them to be studying each night.  I would like to take a moment to go over each part, so that you understand the importance, routine, and rational of each new part.  

            Math Homework:  The math pages that I am assigning are located in the math workbook that I will be sending home with your child today.  Please notice the letter/number combo at the top right corner.  (ie H1-9)  This tells you that it’s from the homework book (H), chapter 1 and lesson # 9.   These pages coincide with the math lesson that we learned that day, so it is important that you do the math page on the day it is assigned.  That being said I won’t always require a math page for homework because I like to vary the math lessons and sometimes use supplemental lessons other than the textbook.  So don’t worry if there are some pages in the book that don’t get done.  Also, be prepared for an assignment to be crossed out by your child that day.  If I feel like the students need an extra day on the lesson than I will have them cross out the homework and do it the following day if noted that way. 

            Reading log and short books: The reading log I have sent can be kept at home until it is completely filled out.  When your child has read 10 books they can bring it in and get a sticker on the chart.  The children will be working towards free dress passes, homework passes, etc.  The idea behind the reading log is to get the students excited about reading and show them that they can do it.  If your child is not that confident in their reading, go ahead and put the four short books I am sending home on the reading log.  This will pump them up since they will be almost half way done.  The short books are meant to practice phonics and sight words.  You can chorally read them with your child first if they are having a hard time.  The books are relatively simple but will get more challenging.  The books come right from what they have been working on in their phonics books.  Please have them read each book a number of times until they can pretty much read it perfectly. This also helps to begin building their reading fluency.) 

            Sight words:  I am starting at the very base for sight words so bear with me.  I want to make sure that all the 1^st graders have mastered these sight words.  There are 220 altogether. Your child will be tested for mastery of these sight words throughout the year.  They are very important words for your child to know in order for them to be a successful reader.   Your child must master the first set of 40 words by October 13^th.    The best way to work on flash cards is to start with only 5.  Once they have mastered one, add another one.  Continue this process until you are going through the whole group. If your child masters them early, send the list back with a check on the bottom and your child will be tested early.  If your child has mastered it I will send home the next list. 

            I hope all of that made sense… J  If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to let me know.  You can blog or email me.  J   

                                                                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                                                                        Ms. Andrade

 

Homework and Behavior...

Dear Parents,

The BBQ was great fun. It was great to see so many of you there.  It’s always nice to have a casual socializing time with parents, students, and staff.  I can’t believe we have already been in school for three weeks.  I am happy to report that my dream has come true and I have created a blog for the 1^st grade super kids.  J  I am hoping this will be a good place to post information and get feedback or clarifying questions.  I think it will also help build community if we have a place we can all communicate together.

  I wanted to take the time to review some information about our classroom that may be unclear.  

 

            Homework:  Homework should be brought in everyday.  I will only be checking the papers that are due that day that were supposed to be done the night before according to the homework schedule.  This will help teach the children how to follow the academic schedule of due dates.   Following the academic schedule is a skill that will be needed for the rest of their academic experience.  It is also important that there is a routine that is created for homework.  Doing homework everyday as opposed to one day will help the children learn the homework routine.  I suggest that you create a quiet place for your child that he or she knows is the homework space.  I would also have them do their homework at the same time every night.  Children really benefit from the routine and really like knowing what to expect every day.  Also, please make sure your child completes his or her homework neatly.  If I notice it is not done neatly I will be sending a new sheet home to be redone.   I believe that instant feedback is the best way to hold the 1^st graders accountable, so I would much prefer that the homework be checked for neatness at home right after or while they are completing it. If we don’t hold our 1^st graders accountable now at the beginning of the year, it will be a struggle all year long, instead of the first month of so.  

 

            Behavior:  I will be continuing to communicate with you about your child’s behavior via the reflections that they are doing in class.  For the next few weeks I will be really working with the children about how they treat each other and sharing space with each other (ie pushing and using our hands on each other).  We will be playing lots of games, doing various activities, reading books, and having many discussions about how we treat others.  You can help reinforce cooperation and respect in many ways.  One very powerful tool is talking to your child about yourself.  Share a personal experience that you once had where you had trouble with a friend and how you worked it out.  I even like to share stories that happen as an adult, because it’s a funny idea to kids that adults sometimes have the same problems.  I will be sending home any reflections having to do with putting another student in danger or being unkind.  Make sure to discuss and check back in with your child about the plan that they made on the reflection.  Checking in to see how the plan is going is an important part of trying to change behavior, so please keep the reflection sheet so that you can go back and reference it a few days later.  

           

            Please email or better yet comment on the Blog if you have any questions or concerns.  J Have a wonderful week!  Don’t forget that we have half day on Wednesday.  

Welcome!

Welcome to the First Grade Super Kid Blog.  I will be posting my newsletter and hope to get feedback from you.  Later on I hope to get fancy and put more pictures and maybe even some podcasts of the students up.  I am really excited!  Enjoy!