1.1 Classroom News!!!
From Ms. Jordan Week of 10-28-13
Reminders
*The holidays are coming up. However, next week we have a FULL week of school. After that we have one week with 3 days and one week with 4 days. I understand if you are going somewhere but please try to have your child come to school.
*THANK YOU so much for making UN Day SPECTACULAR!
*I have had some students tell me they have brought their IPADs and other expensive electronics to school. This worries me because the school is not responsible for any lost or stolen items. It has not become a problem in my classroom, but the students do leave the electronics in their backpacks because they are not permitted in the classroom and their backpacks are left outside the room. The best rule to follow is if you are worried about something happening to it, then do not send it to school.
*The new lunch system is in place. I ate lunch in the cafeteria with the students on Monday and it seemed like it was going very well! Everyone had a balanced lunch and one of the students turned to me and said "This lunch is delicious!" If you would like to purchase a pre-paid meal plan for the next semester contact the elementary office. They can give you more information!
*I sent an email today with your child's individualized MAP goals based on what they scored on the MAP test and what their weakest area was. I am hoping to have those printed out, laminated, and explained to your kids sometime next week. If you have any questions about the goal feel free to email me.
*Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.
*Homework packets are due on Friday. However, I have had some parents communicate to me that it is difficult for their child to finish it by Friday. Therefore, feel free to turn the homework packet in the FOLLOWING MONDAY if you feel your child needs more time. There is no late penalty for homework. At the end of the day, I just want your child getting the extra practice.
*Please make sure your child brings their library books back to school by Friday of each week or they WILL NOT be able to check out a new library book on Friday.
*Also, make sure students return the books they take home from our classroom library. Some of these books are my library books and I want to make sure they get to back to the right place. Also, some of our class books we have made have been lost! Please remind your child to take very good care of the books they bring home, especially class books. They are priceless because they are YOUR child's work! I cannot simply replace them.
*We do not celebrate Halloween here or have a Halloween party, but on Thursday we are doing some things with pumpkins during work on writing and math! Fun, fun, fun!
*LAST REMINDER! If your child is taking a different bus than usual or you are picking your child up, please contact the elementary office. I CANNOT send your child to a different location without a note from the office. THANK YOU!
Targets for Next Week (Our Goals):
These goals are based on the Common Core Standards, and have been
written in 1st
grade friendly language. The expectation is that each student
will reach the following goals by the end of the unit.
Literacy: Life lessons
Oral Language/Listening Skills
I can understand when to use correct capitalization, spelling, and
punctuation in writing.
Reading
I can explain major differences between books that tell stories and
books that give information (fiction and non-fiction.)
I can read and comprehend good fit books with fluency and accuracy.
Writing
I can write narratives in the correct order.
I can write a sentence with a noun and a verb.
Math: Unit 3
I can count up and back on the calculator.
I can identify a dime and know its value.
Social Studies: Society and Identity
I can distinguish between wants and needs.
I can distinguish between goods and services.
Words, Words, Words Oh My!
Vocabulary:
These are the words your child will be learning in school this week. Any additional
exposure to these words at home will help your child have a better understanding of
their meaning.
Students should be familiar with these words, but they are not for the spelling test.
singular nouns
plural nouns
Math
program
dime
decimal
dollar and cents notation
Literacy
fable
fiction
non-fiction
moral
message
noun
verb
narrative
sequence of events
Social Studies
wants
needs
goods
services
Popcorn Words:
know
little
new
only
over
place
sound
take
work
years
Spelling Words:
None!!! I sent an email earlier this week explaining spelling. As a first grade team we are working on making the spelling program more effective and meaningful for your child. Therefore, we have decided that next week we will give your child the benchmark assessment we gave at the beginning of the year to see where they are spelling-wise. We feel that a test taken on the 2nd or 3rd day of school was not indicative of what your child's abilities. Your child cannot study for this test. Just tell them to do the best they can and to apply the rules of phonics we have learned so far this year. We will not having spelling words sent home this week or next due to the holidays.
Coming Soon!!!
*Spelling City: An online computer account where your child can play games on the computer with their spelling words! This will be spelling homework instead of worksheets
*Personalized goals based on students MAP results introduced to your children and used throughout the school day/year.
*Parent RenWeb where I will put the links to ALL my newsletters in case you want to look at old ones
*More effective way of teaching spelling
Keep looking for the Coming Soon! portion to see what else will be implemented in your child's classroom in the following months!
Home Fun!!
Here are some fun videos you can watch at home about goods, services, saving, and spending money. We will begin working on that next week and it is always fun to have a head start! Also, thank you for being so supportive during UN Day. Your kids are lucky to have you and so am I. We sure have a great group of kids and a wonderful group of parents. As always make sure to contact me if you need anything! My email is jrjordan@isp.edu.pa. Thank you for the support! Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Julie Jordan