Dear Families,
How cool was that lunar eclipse? It sounded like a lot of the students got to stay up and see it. I thought it was really neat that it happened while we were reading and writing about why the moon seems to change in our Expeditionary learning Science block. I let students write about the lunar eclipse today in our Sun, Moon and Stars packet. We were going to write about a different moon phase. Reese’s dad got a really good picture of the moon, and we were able to use it to copy, color and write about our own lunar eclipse experiences. How neat is it that we were able to make a real-world connection with what we were learning about in school?
In math this week we’re continuing to utilize a number line to help us add and subtract. We’ve been working on moving in multiples of 5’s and 10’s on the number line. Students are beginning to see that 3 jumps going by 10 means you land on 30 (if you start on 0), but it takes 6 jumps if you’re going by 5’s. I showed them that they are essentially doing multiplication when they’re jumping by the same number every time. I think that was fun for students who need a push in math to get to visualize and try to figure out. You could really see the wheels in their brains working.
We had a nice start to our week today. Because it was snowing outside, I let the kids take their shoes off this morning and read in their socks. I put a fireplace I found on youtube up and we had some cozy reading time. It’s been really fun to be able to enjoy them more and more. We’re all getting into the swing of first grade.
Please continue to reach out and let me know if you need anything. I really appreciate all your communication. If there’s more you need from me, I want to know that. It’s been a good first part of the year and I’m thankful I get to be your child’s first grade teacher.
Reminders
VOLUNTEER: If you’re available to help out, I would love to have parents help out during my literacy time. I can also ALWAYS use help with clerical type stuff. Follow this link to sign up to help out in the month of January 9. (e-mail [email protected]
SUMMER BIRTHDAY: If your child has a summer birthday, we are going to start celebrating those in the classroom. I like to give each child their own birthday celebration day! If students don’t bring in treats, then we do extra play stations or extra recess. Please e-mail me before and let me know if you plan to send a nut free treat to school with your child. Here is a list of when I plan to celebrate each child’s summer birthday:
February 4: Caleb
February 11: Harper
February 25: Josie
April 1: Luna
April 8: Anethzi
April 15: Nikolas
April 23: Hudson
May 6: Charlie
READING LOGS: Please make sure you are filling out your child’s reading log. Or you can have your child fill it out. Included behind the reading log is a monthly poem, Nonsense words to practice reading, and a monthly activity calendar. By this time of the year, your child should be able to fluently read the monthly nonsense words (words like zim, zut, ceb) without sounding them out. If you have your child practice those words, and you notice they are sounding them out, encourage your child to try sounding them out in their brains and then read the whole word out loud.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE: First grade will have their music performance on February 22 at 2:00 pm. I wanted to let families know so you had time to plan accordingly! This is a performance that our music teacher, Mrs. Phillips has been working with the students on.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Upcoming dates
1/14-2/15 Access (K-3)
1/15-2/15 Choice Window Opens
Monday, 1/21 No School; Martin Luther King Day
Friday, 1/25 @ 8:00 AM Inspiring Students Celebration
Thursday, 1/31 No School; Professional Development
Friday, 2/1 No School- Non student contact day
Monday, 2/4 @ 4 PM Collaborative School Committee (CSC) Meeting
Friday, 2/8 Spirit Day; Backwards Day
Saturday, 2/9 @ 6pm Movie Night at Inspire (Incredibles)
Wednesday, 2/13 @ 8:30 AM School Tour
Thursday, 2/14 @ 2:00 PM Friendship Celebration
Friday, 2/15 Choice Window Closes
Thanks for sharing your child with me!
Warmly,
Mrs. Cranfill
Mssandberg.weebly.com