First Grade News
January 21 - 25, 2019
Dates to Note
January 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday - No school
January 22 - CEC
January 24 - 1st grade wears red!
"Play It Safe" presentations
January 25 - Talent Show 8:30 am and 6:30 pm
Future Explorations 2:00 - 2:50
January 26 - Dad’s Club Pancake Breakfast
***********Wear Red on Thursday!!!!************
Please have your child wear a red shirt to school on Thursday for a special project.
Thank you!
Spelling Update
Your child brought home a copy of their sort last week. Spending time re-sorting the words and looking for similarities and differences helps children to learn the patterns. Thank you for your diligence with practicing spelling concepts!
Assessments
Spelling assessments will be this Thursday. This "check-up" provides a snapshot of how well students are progressing in mastering the patterns and concepts featured in their sort. As always, the goal for spelling is for students to be proficient spellers in their daily writing across all subjects.
"In a Snap" Words
Please also continue to spend time each week practicing the "In a Snap" words with your child. Since these words do not follow patterns, they must be practiced regularly until they are memorized. The complete list is in your child's Take Home folder.
Valentine's Day Preparations
Valentine's Day will be here before we know it!
Now is the time for your child to start thinking about a plan for decorating a box to serve as their very own Valentine mailbox!
Here are a few things to remember:
*The box needs to be at least the size of a shoebox.
*It should have a wide enough slot that friends will be able to deliver their Valentines without bending them.
*It must be able to be easily opened so your child can get the Valentines out of it.
Valentine boxes may be brought to school the week of Valentine's Day, starting Monday, February 11. Please do not send them before that week.
Thank you!!
iPad Reminders
Charging iPads
Please help your child remember to fully charge their iPad each evening. Recently, there has been an uptick in the number of iPads that are running out of battery power early in the school day.Using iPads Responsibly
Also, please help your child remember to abide by the iPad Trust Card that was signed at the beginning of the year. A few reminders:
*The iPad should not be used to take personal photos and videos.
*Children should not be using their iPad to visit random websites, including YouTube, gaming sites, and entertainment sites.
*Only the safe sites provided by the district should be used to look up information. These can be found under Classlink>Learning Commons Resources. There are several to choose from, including PebbleGo, Britannica (OCT), Brain Pop Jr, National Geographic Kids, and Follett Destiny, among others.
Webville Outlaws
Also, remember to reinforce the "Webville Outlaws" children have been learning about at school. Ask your child what "Wanna Know Wally" means.
Thank you for your help with iPad responsibility and safety!
February 20 Field Trip
We are so very excited about our upcoming field trip to the Crayola Experience!
Field trip permission and emergency forms went home last week. Please complete the forms and return them to school with the payment ASAP.
We need and welcome chaperones! If you are interested in chaperoning:
1. Please make sure your Volunteer Background Check has been completed for this school year. You can access the needed forms here.
2. Instead of sending your chaperone admission payment to school, go to
tickets.crayolaexperience.com/ to purchase your ticket. Enter OCT as the Discount Code.
Tickets will be emailed to you directly.
3. Email your child's teacher to let her know you'd like to chaperone and that you've taken care of the above things!
As we get closer to the week, we will be sending you specific instructions for the big day!
Changes to Dismissal Procedures
Pop Tab Collection for Ronald McDonald House in Ft. Worth
What We're Learning
Math - Place Value to 99; addition/subtraction facts
Humanities - Inferring when reading; compound words
Science - Interdependence
OCT First Grade Team
kimberly.mcnamara@gcisd.net @OCTMcNamara
allison.moore@gcisd.net @OCTMoore
cindy.davis@gcisd.net @OCTCDavis
whitney.arington@gcisd.net @OCTArington
amanda.welch@gcisd.net @OCTWelch