Class Announcements
Mrs. Blair ~ Room 11
Classroom Community
We are impressed with the positive attitude and overall "team" mentality. Students are working together and playing together building La Vista West into the BEST!
We are excited for what this school year is to BRING!
Donations Needed: Clorox wipes, Kleenexes, hand sanitizer
I also want to say THANK YOU to all the parents that sent back the "First Day" paperwork in such a timely fashion. Any paperwork that was in the RED folder, needs to be looked over and sent with your child AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
We haves started the year off with a bang!
Thank you again!
Ms. BlairPLANNERS
We love to see the number of minutes your child is reading at home! Please indicate next to your signature (or initials) the number of minutes your child has read so that we are able to have a monthly total we will apply towards their reading reward!
Stay up to date with homework, tests, projects, and notes from your child's teacher!!
Say "CHEESE"
Please look in your child's backpack tomorrow for information about picture day. We will need that returned promptly for picture day on Tuesday!
TODAY A READER...
This week, we will continue our practice of positive reading habits. We will continue building and practicing our expectations for the classroom, and specifically, what this will look like during our Whole Group, Small Group, and Independent Reading time. Students have practiced how to pick "Good Fit Books" and utilizing the 5 Finger Rule for book selection. We will continue to practice this skill and building our stamina for reading books independently.
Beginning at the end of this week leading into next week, we will have students placed into small reading groups using books at their specific level so that we are able to work on comprehension strategies as well as fluency.
*** What can you do at home? ***
This week please encourage your child to read at home EACH night! We are asking your child to read at least 20 minutes each evening. We ask you to talk with your child briefly about what they have read, sign their planner with your name (or initials) and track their nightly minutes in their planner. This lets us know that your child has read!
We have an exciting reading challenge that will kick off in September, so the more your child practice now, the better their reading habits will be!
Library Media Message From Mrs. Stover
We’ve started book checkout!! Now I need YOUR help! When your child comes home with library books he/she has checked out of our library, please make sure the books are put in a safe place.
What does that mean? A place where . . .
· siblings and pets won’t get to them.
· the books are not around food and drinks.
· your child remembers where the books are so they can be returned on time.
Please help your child be responsible for his/her books so that we can all enjoy the books!
Here is a list of book checkout days according to the 10-day rotational schedule:
Day 1: Blair, Arkfeld, Colpitts, Leonovicz
Day 2: Reed, McLinn, Simodynes
Day 3: Synowiecki, Smits, McElvain, Webber
Day 4: Carter
Day 5: Elsasser
Day 6: Houdesheldt
Day 7: Gentile
Day 8: Anderson
Day 9: Hanke
Day 10: Rasmussen
**CHECK THE DISTRICT APP FOR INFORMATION ON WHICH BOOKS YOUR CHILD HAS CHECKED OUT AND WHEN THEY ARE DUE!
Math
This week we begin our first math unit! This unit focuses on Place Value (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.) "Trading Stickers, Combining Coins" will allow students to engage and explore various strategies to solve addition problems. This week we will review place value, show methods to represent adding and subtracting 10s and 1s, review story problem strategies, and use number lines to figure out how many more until they reach 100.
*** What can you do at home?***
Have your child show you ways to represent 2-digit numbers. For example, 86 can be represented with 8 lines (tens) and 6 dots (ones), as well as the equation: 80 + 6 = 86. You can also give your child random 2-digit numbers and have them practice adding and subtracting 10 from that number.
We have kicked off our Unit Studies with Social Studies! We began by exploring how our past can affect our present. We discussed and discovered understandings about our first people and about the early explorers that came to the United States. This week, we will complete a Timeline activity that will help students organize the information they have learned. We will also pictorially represent the reasons explorers ventured to America!
***What can you do at home?***
Have your child describe what they have learned about America's first people and early explorers (specifically the Spanish, French, and English explorers). How were the explorers different from each other? How did the explores AFFECT the land?
http://www.landofthebrave.info/american-history-of-early-explorers.htm
Writer's Workshop
Last week we launched Writer's Workshop a time for students to learn new writing skills and put them into practice creating their own written piece of work. We will complete our personal narrative (story about their life) as a "benchmark" to see what skills the students already have proficiency with, as well as what areas we need to target to improve. Throughout the rest of the week, students will begin setting up their "Writer's Notebooks" for the year.
This week, we will use many strategies, including looking at various texts and at items around our room to brainstorm ideas and topics we could write about.
*** What can you do at home?***
Have your child describe what ideas and topics they have collected for their Writer's Notebook. How did they come up with that idea? Did they use a book or was it something they saw?
Have your child describe different people or object found in your home. We will work to be descriptive with our writing. Additional practice will build their word bank!
Please encourage your child to write your grocery list!
*** Thanks for completing the letter that came home about Writer's Workshop. It had 4 squares!!