Happy 5th week of school! This year has gone really well and most students are following first grade rules very well. Please remind all students of campus wide expectations that are located in the student agenda. This will help to make sure that all students are following expectations in and out of the classroom.

This week:

Education Go Get It Week - We will be wearing college attire every day this week, discussing the leadership skills that professionals use, and attending presentations. I cannot wait to see what we learn.

We will also be having student elections for Student Council representative. Our candidate will serve by sharing out service learning ideas with the Student Council and continue to be our voice throughout the year.
This week we discussed service learning and our class came up with several great ideas and will share our ideas with the leadership council.  Even if it doesn't get chosen by the campus as a whole, we can try to create such a service project within our classroom. What a great idea!

Reading groups are still in the formation stage. All students will read in groups daily, some more than once. Please continue to let us know when you see difficulties at home. Some days  they will be working on more challenging pieces and also give them some weeks when they are working on easier pieces for fluency. They will learn the language as we learn together and they will learn to tell you whether they are working on accuracy, comprehension, or fluency.

Reading: Groups; Characters and Story Maps
Writing: Where do writers get ideas and what type of things do they write; conventions of sentences and writing process as we write and conference
Math: Addition concepts (combining) embedded in problem solving; use of models such as ten frames, unifix cubes and other ones based models, base ten blocks, and a place value chart and 100's chart. Students are also still working on counting to 100 and identifying skip counting by 5's and 10's as practiced in calendar.
Science: Matter - properties - smaller, larger, lighter, heavier, smooth, rough; ordering objects based on properties; using describing words to describe and observe - gummy worms, Popscicles and balloons as they are heated and cooled

Reminders:

• Last minute basket items are due for Fall Fair October 6th!
• Don't forget to buy your wristbands or sign up to work at a booth - check our PTA webpage.
• Check to see if your class is in need of a room mom.
• Thanks to everyone for their help in donating supplies! The kids are loving it!

Thanks for all that you do - I am so blessed and leave school with a smile on my face knowing that I work with your children. We have great leaders and Heroes.

Week Four

As a grade level, we are practicing treating each other kindly with words and actions. We have sent home a bully free contract for each child, and will sign our resolution of respect, pledging to be a No Place for Hate campus. Please feel free to report any instances in which your child feels uncomfortable or when unkind words or actions are used. We want to make sure that everyone feels safe at school.

Reminders:

• Don't forget to buy your Fall Fair tickets! The wristbands are a really good deal :) If you need an order form, please let me know.
• Some first grade classes are still in need of a room parent. This parent is a communicator between PTA and classroom parents for the purposes of teacher appreciation and other PTA sponsored events.
• Don't forget to sign up for a time to help at our Fall Fair booth.

This week:

• Wednesday is an Early Release day. Students will leave at 12:45. Please let us know any changes in departure for this day in advance.
• Curriculum:
• Writing: Writing Process; Quality Writing; How Writers get Ideas
• Reading: Reader Response: Describing Characters and Beginning, Middle, and End. Guided Groups start this week if they haven't already - look for reading folders and books :)
• Math: Place Value using the concept of tens and ones; Problem Solving - comparing and combining numbers
• Science: Matter - How can we describe matter? What are properties of matter?
• Our regular library check out schedule begins this week:
• This week is a counselor week for first grade.
• On early release day, Wednesday, we will have our first Leadership Block (the whole school will be working on leadership on Wednesday Morning). We will be focusing on Service Learning and Student Leadership Council. Remember that students interested in running will need to turn in an application and understand the after school commitment. Our voting will be in the near future and will be democratic in nature. Students who turn in application for the Leadership Council need to understand that there is a possibility that they may not be selected by our class and that will be okay, as there are so many campus wide opportunities of which this is only one :)

Safety: Please continue to talk to students about being aware of their surroundings when outside. With the weather changes, there can be unexpected wildlife in areas where the children play. Please know that our first grade teachers and all Teravista staff have been alerted to this and are checking the playground daily as well.

September 10th-14th

My apologies for the confusing post earlier, this is the accurate First Grade Team Post regarding this coming week:

Our students had a great week in first grade this week. We learned how to write about things that mattered to us, check out books, problem solve, share our expertise with others and be scientists.

This coming week, we will be extending that learning by devoting time discussing story maps, writing conferences and discussions, draftbook expectations, place value, and yes, more science tools and leaders.



Fall Fair!

We are looking forward to the upcoming Fall Fair and their are several items that may be of interest to our families:

• Each classroom will be collecting items for a classroom basket. Contact your homeroom teacher or visit their web page to find out what your class is collecting. 
• Tickets are on sale! Order forms were sent Friday for wristbands and tickets. You may send these in when possible.
• Silent Auction items will be available - please check with your class or with the silent auction tables to see what your teacher may be offering in the silent auction.

 

 

Please continue to talk with students about being accountable for appropriate talk and behavior at school. A few of the ideas that we have discussed with students are using kind and affirming words with each other, making sure that we put first things first by making sure that things that are discussed are appropriate to the school environment, and using manners to show respect (such as timing and tone of voice, using yes m'am and no m'am to address adults when following through with a teacher request) at school.

 

Calendar:

 

September 11yh: Picture Day

September 19th: Early Release Day 12:45

September 24-28th: Education Go Get It Week

September 28th: Cookout Day

 

 

 

 

Happy First Week of School

We sincerely hope that all of our first grade leaders had a great weekend. We had a great week last week, are learning a lot already, and ready to hop into another great year!

Reminders:

• Make sure that your child has an agenda and a blue folder come home every day. These both have important information for you on behavior and academics. Agendas may be spiral bound, or may have been transferred to three prong folders. 
• Be sure that your child brings a healthy snack that is wrapped separately from lunch. This helps them to make sure they are eating the right nutritional balance for this time of morning. Some students are still  hungry, so you may want to visit with your child to see if their snack is providing them energy when needed.
• Please remember that in the morning, students are to sit with their class, back to the wall, reading or browsing a book. We have a lot of students and this helps us to set a good model for the day and to maintain student safety during this time of the day.
• Please also remember that students who are parent pick ups (someone physically gets out of the car to come to the front of the school to get them), need to make their way to the first grade spot (located by the second double set of windows). Please wait for them to be seated, and then when they see you, they may get up to say goodbye. This time of day can be really hectic, and it is in the interest of safety that we would like to see them and say goodbye everyday. Mrs. Santiago and Ms. Heine are at this post, so students may say good bye to them.

This week is B week. We have Day 2 on Tuesday and Thursday. Day One on Wednesday and Friday.

Sept. 4 - Reading Rally starts (Students will be bringing home information on this home this Tuesday). Student rewards are given daily, so the sooner you get them in, the more prize opportunities our leaders have.

Sept. 4 - WatchDOG kickoff rally 6:30 P.M.

Sept. 7 - Grandparents' Lunch - It is beneficial to get here at lunch time ( as there will be parking limitations and possible delays. We can't wait to see you)

Sept. 19 - Early Release day

Curriculum Notes:

Language Arts: 

• Writing process and introduction to Reading and Writing Workshop
• Learning about school and class procedures
• Leadership and the Seven Habits

Math: Place Value and counting/representing to 100

Science: What is Science?

Thanks to all the parents and students who have made the week great!

Great First Day!

Thanks to all of our parents and students for a great first day of school. The students were really excited and we are happy to have them with us this year. A few reminders:

• Please remember that as we are dismissing in the parent pick up area, that students are required to come all the way down to the first grade area windows and sit down before leaving. This is for their protection and so that we can say goodbye to them all, making sure that they are headed home with the correct person.
• Please also remember that all changes in plans for dismissal, but be made in writing, or through the office if close to dismissal time. This helps us to make sure that changes that are made are the wishes of the parent, and not the student.
• Students should have brought home their take home folder, which is blue, and their Agenda. In these communication tools, student behavior is communicated to you. Please be sure to initial the date and follow through with praise for days that students get stickers. 
• Check with your child's teacher to be sure when their PE day is - this will help them make sure that they have appropriate clothing and footwear for that class.

Again, thanks for a great first day, and feel free to contact us at any time with questions about behavior, curriculum, or the progress of your child.

Welcome to the First Grade

Welcome to a new First Grade Year! We are excited to have all of our first graders here and ready for a great year of fun. This is our parent blog, where information and team documents will be posted for your convenience. An easy way to keep up with the current information is to subscribe to either the RSS feed or to enter your email address to the sidebar. When the page is updated, it will send the update directly to you from our team. In addition, each teacher will maintain a teacher website or blog linked on the side panel as well. You can find documents regarding behavior, homework policies, field trips, and our handbook linked on this blog.

The first grade teachers are:
Liz Allen
Lara Heine
Tasha Maggart
Monica Macias
Michelle Riley
Joyce Santiago
Sunny Schlaudt

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. This blog will be updated weekly with newsletter type items, but other reminders may be added as well. If you would like a hard copy of the newsletter, please let your child's teacher know.

Tiger News and Notes - August 27-31

We all hope that everyone is having a nice and relaxing weekend before school. We cannot wait to meet our new first graders on Thursday Night (as well as a little picnic fun) and are excited about the coming school year!

This week, we will be focusing on the following in our classrooms:

Leadership: We are reviewing the 7 habits and beginning to build our classroom of leaders this week. We will also be developing class mission statements and social contracts. 

Language Arts: Procedures for Language Arts

• Why do Writers write? 
• What tools do they use? 
• How can we use the same tools to do our best work in writing workshop?

Math: Procedures and Expectations for Problem Solving and Independent Math Station/Game Time

Science: Setting Up Our Science Notebook and Me as a Scientist

Reminders:
(These may differ from class to class at times, so be sure to check your teacher's web page as well.)

• Students need to make sure and dress comfortably for the heat. Recess is at 9:30, so it shouldn't be too hot, but they should be comfortable going outside.
• Please send a change of clothes which will be kept in your child's backpack. We all know that accidents can happen, and this will allow us to handle this situation more discreetly.
• Students should wear P.E. ready shoes all week the first week, as they are learning their Specials schedule.
• Students may bring a healthy snack for during the school day. Each teacher will let students know when an appropriate time is to consume it. Please remember that colored liquids are not allowed, and snacks should be portable and create as few messes as possible. Students may be working on other activities while snacking and so minimizing snack messiness will be helpful. Remember that student progress and productivity is often directly related to student energy level. Providing a nutritious snack, packaged separately from the student lunch box will help students maintain that mid morning energy!
• Students are allowed to bring a miniature hand sanitizer (provided by their parent) and kept in their backpack to sanitize hands. This will cut down on transmission of germs and colds. Teachers usually have non-alcohol based hand sanitizer provided in the classroom.
• Please return student take-home folder,reading folder, and Agenda daily. It is important that our first grade students learn how to transport these materials and they will be needed every day.

Dates:

August 23rd: Meet the Teacher Night beginning at 6:00; Family Picnic from 6:00 to 9:00
August 27th: First Day of School
Sept. 3rd: No School - Labor Day
Sept. 11th: Patriot Day
September 17th: Constitution Day


Have a great week!