Parent - Teacher Conference Week

This week is parent - teacher conference week, and I am very excited to meet with everyone and talk about how their child's transition to 1st grade is going.  Due to these late night meetings, Learning Lane doing a Veteran's Day project, and also having our Learning Lane harvest celebration we will not being having our spelling test this Friday.  This will help students to have more in and out of class time to work on these words.  The test will be Friday, November 6th, please work on these words over the next couple weeks with your child.

Schools across America will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week next week, Oct. 26 to Oct. 30.  Red Ribbon Week is a reminder to stay drug and alcohol free.  Student Council is asking Songo Locks staff and students  to “Respect Yourself …..and your health…. Stay Drug Free!”  

To represent our commitment to remaining drug and alcohol free, please dress up next week in the following:

MONDAY - Oct. 26 is “TOO BRIGHT for drugs”  Wear your neon and bright colors!!!

TUESDAY - Oct. 27 is “SOCK IT to drugs”  Wear crazy, mismatched socks!

WEDNESDAY - Oct. 28 is “RED-y to say ‘no’ to drugs”  Wear as much red as possible!

THURSDAY - Oct. 29 is “Say 'PEACE OUT' to drugs!  Wear tye-dye!!

FRIDAY - Oct. 30 is “Be a superhero.  Have the power to say “NO” to drugs!  Dress up as your favorite superhero!!!

For more information on Red Ribbon Week, please explore http://redribbon.org/theme/

Integrating science and writing

This past week we have been working through our science unit about seasons.  This unit is all about how the seasons change and continue in a pattern.  Also, we are learning about why the seasons change.  The first thing we did in this unit was list out the different seasons and brainstorm words/activities that got along with these seasons.  After that we drew a picture of what we wear for clothes during these seasons, and we wrote about why we like these different seasons or what we like to do in these different seasons.
  The next activity we did around this unit we ended up sorting pictures that went with each of the seasons.  After we sorted each student picked a word to write about.
   Finally, at the end of the week to wrap up our studies we created leaf people and did a creative writing project.  We were to write about what we would do if we were a leaf.  Everyone had a great time thinking of an idea of what they would do, and creating a leaf person.
   Next week we will start our unit on day and night, and we will continue to learn how our Earth has patterns.

Writing about a topic from a season

Writing about a topic from a season

Writing about a topic from a season

Working on creating our leaves

Putting the pieces together

A leaf person completed

Proud of our work!

Everyone's leaves on display!!

Our Week!

It is amazing that we already have a month of school under our belts, and we are now into the month of the October.  Here is what we did this last week, learning we have ahead, and some things to remember in the upcoming weeks.

Math

   This week we finished our fraction topic in math.  Wednesday we started our new topic, numbers and operations.  We will be working a lot on developing our addition fact fluency and number sense.  One of the goals in first grade is to know facts to 20 and fluently know facts to 10.  To help build this fact fluency we will start to use a computer program called XtraMath.  This site can also be used at home as a way to help your child gain the experience of timed addition practice.  For more information about this site please visit, https://xtramath.org/#/home/index.  Then use the information I sent home last week on XtraMath to sight into your child account.  



Reading

      This week we started our first Learning Lane switch.  Students were placed in reading groups according to their needs as a reading learner.  Then, these groups were assigned to one of the six Learning Lane teachers.  Students will work on reading strategies in small groups every day for approximately 20 minutes.  After they are done working in their reading group with their teacher, they will participate in practicing literacy skills in independent centers.  


Spelling

      Last week we continued to work on the short a and i vowel sounds, along with the /ck/ ending.  This week we will being moving onto our new vowel, short o.  Due to a teacher workshop students will take the test on Thursday.  I will then send home the new list for the long weekend.  

Writing

         In writing we have been working on personal narratives.  The 1st trimester goal for 1st graders is to independently write 2-3 sentences, attempt punctuation and capitals, and apply current spelling knowledge to their writing.  We will continue to work towards this goal as we learn about how to expand our narrative stories.


Science

       This week we will start our science unit on seasonal patterns.  Students will learn about how and why the seasons change.  








October Reminders

          9th - No School - Teacher Workshop
          12th - No School - Columbus Day
          16th - Mid-trimester Reports Go Home
          27th/29th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
          29th - Fire Safety Presentation
          *Please remember student drop off starts at 8:10