Thursday, September 3, 2015

Weekly Update September 3rd



We have had a great two days of first grade!  Students have been working very hard and I have enjoyed spending time with everyone.  We have read some great books, worked in our journals, completed a pre-unit math assessment, and have begun learning the many classroom and school procedures.  I am sure many kids will be tired tonight!

Important Dates/Events:
·         Thursday, September 10th  – First School Mass at 10:00
·         Tuesday, September 15-Thursday, September 17th- Scholastic Book Fair
·         Thursday, September 17th- Back to School Night at 7:00

Specials: Tuesday and Friday are gym days.  Library is Tuesday.  Computers will be on Wednesday and Art is Friday.

Homework: Beginning Tuesday students will have nightly homework to support the first grade curriculum.  To start the year there will be a phonics and math sheet for each weeknight.  In the months ahead additional homework will be assigned.  On Mondays you will find a weekly homework assignment sheet in the red folder.  The homework assignments themselves will come home daily in the yellow folder and should be returned in the yellow folder on the following day.  At this early point in the year, homework is meant to be a review of the concepts that students learned in kindergarten.  This homework should be fairly straightforward for your child to complete.  As the year progresses, homework will be directly related to newly taught concepts in the classroom.  Corrected homework will be returned home to you.

Math: Regular math instruction will begin on Tuesday.  Our first unit is Understanding Addition.  We will start with spatial patterns for numbers to 10 and move to making 6, 7, 8, and 9 through the use of addition.  Towards the end of the unit we will move to addition expressions and number sentences.  On Tuesday and at the beginning of every new unit, students will bring home a Home School Connection letter that will include sample problems and problems to do at home.  

Phonics: Regular phonics instruction will begin on Tuesday.  Next week in your child’s red folder, you will find a Wilson FUNdations program overview to help give you a better sense of our new phonics instruction.  You will also receive information about Unit # 1, which is a review unit from kindergarten.  It will cover letter-keyword recognition for consonants and short vowels, letter formation for all lower-case letters, alphabetical order, and sound recognition for consonants and short vowels.  Planned time in this unit is two weeks and we will move to unit 2 by the middle of the month.  

Religion: Religion will begin next week.  Our first unit of study will focus on God as Our Father and his love for all people.  We will also work to foster an understanding of what Jesus taught us about loving God, ourselves, and others.

I hope that you all enjoy a restful and fun weekend. Looking forward to seeing many of you next week!

Alison