1E- Newsletter for Week of Nov. 16
What's going on in first grade!
Long Newsletter...
This Week
Sunday: World Language, Library
Monday: MSArabic/Explore Time, PE-Swim, Music
Tuesday: Art, Guest Reader- Finn's mom
Wednesday: PE-Swim, World Language, Guidance
Thursday: Pajama Day, Guest Reader- Sophie's grandma, Art, Music
Online Resources for 1E!
Our online Google Drive Folder with everything in it!
As I continue to explore to best way to get information to parents and the way we use technology at ASD, I am trying to organize our online documents and resources to best help us in 1E. The blog didn't work out too well for us especially with the privacy settings. We will stick to using our 1E Class Documents in Google Drive.
Privacy Settings and Access
At the beginning of the year I tried giving all parents access to our online resources. This could have been a problem if you don't have a Google account since all of our platforms are Google (Blogger for our blog, Drive, Docs, etc.). I've decided to use the kids' logins because I know for sure those will work since its a Gmail account.
Student Emails
26(first initial)(last name)@asd.edu.qa
password: 123456 (until your child changes it in a future grade-- do not change them, students will do this at a later time in school)
Class Photos
I will be putting all of the class' photos online in the Google Drive folder. They should be relatively easy to download to your own computer. The beginning year photos were put into one big folder as I didn't have a chance to organize the photos. However, from now on I will put the photos in folders organized by event, which should make them easier to find.
Spelling Word Sorts
I will still put photos of the Word Sort online each week. We will create a folder for the spelling sorts in Drive.
Please let me know if you need help with accessing our Google Drive Folder. I can help you if you bring your device to school (laptop, iPhone, iPad).
Pajama Day- Thursday, November 20
Students are invited to wear their pajamas to school and bring one stuffed animal OR pillow OR blanket. We will bring the special items out during reading time, then keep them in our cubbies the rest of the day. Students may wear slippers, but slippers are very difficult to play in so it's their choice what they want to do. Personally, I wouldn't wear slippers that are too hard to run around :) Students are responsible for all of their belongings.
Pajama Day should be a fun spirit day!
Upper and Lower Elementary Parent and Counselor Coffee Morning
Scholastic Book Orders
**all info sent home on Thursday, Nov. 13
November 2014
Dear Parents,
Purchasing from Scholastic allows our classrooms, library and students to benefit from Scholastic rewards. It also provides ASD parents and students access to an ever-changing selection of books.
Due to increased customs fees, you will be charged a 10% administration fee. This covers the cost of orders entering the country.
There will be an option at check out to choose your child’s grade level order. If you have children in multiple grades, you can make one combined order for all children, or individual orders, one for each child.
How to order online
1 Visit http://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/american-school-of-doha
2 Select the books that you’d like to order and add them to your basket. Search the shop for books not in the catalog, or Quick Search by catalog number.
3 When you checkout, choose your child’s grade level open order and dispatch to school.
4 Enter your child’s name and class and complete payment.
If you have difficulties ordering online, please contact Lauren Elliott at lelliott@asd.edu.qa or Catherine Gellatly mailto:cgellatly@asd.edu.qa
Order will be OPEN until Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014
We hope that you enjoy browsing through the leaflets and the website – it’s a great way to encourage your child to widen their reading experience.
Kind regards,
Lauren Elliott and Catherine Gellatly
Librarians
Movie Night for 1st and 2nd Grade
Movie Night Alert for All First and Second Grade Students!!!
The Compassionate Companions, a student-run club that helps Doha’s stray animals, cordially invite all students to join us on Thursday, November 20 to watch the fabulous, adventure-packed movie Mr. Peabody and Sherman on the big screen.
The price of just 50.00 riyals, includes the movie, pizza, drinks, and a home-made dessert!
For an additional 5.00 riyals, the student’s name will be entered in a raffle to win a stuffed animal. All proceeds go to the purchase of cat food for ASD’s colony of cats and for the healthcare of our rescued stray dogs and cats.
What will happen - Homeroom teachers will drop off students at the elementary cafeteria where high school students will be waiting. We will watch the movie half way, break to eat and hold the raffle, then finish the film.
So come for the ASD Debut of Mr. Peabody and Sherman . . . and have tons of fun enjoying an amazing movie with all your classmates! There’s nothing better than hanging out and relaxing on a Thursday afternoon! Tickets are limited so be sure to respond no later thanMonday, November 17th.
Day/Date: Thursday, November 20th
Time: 3:00 – 5:30
Where: Elementary cafeteria
Visiting Author- Hena Khan
Big News- author visit this week!
All of the students in the Lower Elementary School will be meeting our visiting author, Hena Khan on Monday. Listening to a writer and discovering how she comes up with ideas and translates those on to the page is a great thrill for our students. They are all learning to be writers so seeing a 'real' author can be a true incentive for them in their own writing.
We are selling copies of Hena Khan's books in the library and a book by an author you have met always finds a special place on a child's bookshelf. So if you would like to buy a copy, please complete the attached form and return it after the weekend.
Many thanks,
Catherine Gellatly
LES Librarian
Order forms can be found in our Google Drive Folder.
Writing
- setting the scene
- inside setting
- outside setting
- parts of speech
- Sunday: Introduce sort, cut and sort
- Monday: Written sort
- Tuesday: Spelling activity
- Wednesday: Spelling activity
- Thursday: Sort glue
Reading
- pre-reading strategies (cover, title, picture walk)
- retelling focusing on the characters
- author's message
- transition words for a retell
Math
- Check-in assessment-- to be sent home at the end of the week (please sign and return)
- Making 10 to make other math facts
- Making 10 with the 10 Plus Game
- Reviewing fact strategies and rules
- Tech integration with a math game
Science
- uses of rocks
- making bricks in the Science Lab (check out our Google Drive for the photos)
- sorting rocks based on properties
Parent Letter- Reading Unit 3: Meet the Character in Our Books
Unit Three: Readers Meet the Characters in Our Books
Dear Parents,
This unit aims to focus children’s attentions on thinking about the characters in their books as people by: paying attention to clues in the text and illustrations, the actions of the characters, their thoughts, and what other people think about them. In doing so, the children will be better equipped to identify the characters’ problems, solutions, lessons learned (central message), and make predictions based on how well they understand the characters in their books. They will also improve their retelling skills by talking to their partners about what the characters do across the story.
During this unit, your child will be immersed in minilessons that focus on: how we notice what our characters say and do and look for patterns to help us make predictions, how readers reread their books to sound smooth and expressive like storytellers, and how readers notice change in the character and reflect upon what might have caused that change.
The following standards are being addressed in this unit of study:
- Standard 1 Students will read fluently using the skills and strategies of the reading process.
- Standard 2 Students will comprehend, respond to and analyze a wide variety of literary and informational texts including fiction and non-fiction.
Parent Teaching Tips:
- How are you like the character _____ ? How are you different? Would you choose to have the character ______ as a friend?
- Model identifying the main characters wants and problems. Demonstrate locating evidence from the pictures and the text to support your thinking.
- Use conversation prompts to help retelling with a focus on the main character(s):
- In the beginning _____ was…. but in the end ____ was….because…..
- At first ____ was….but now ____ is….because…..
Sincerely,
Grade 1 Team