Welcome to April!

Welcome to April! In Phonics, we are working on the letter y making the /e/ sound and the /i/ sound. We are also learning about how the spelling of words can change when we add the endings -es or -ies. In Writing, we are working on what it takes to make our work look really neat. We are also learning how to give constructive criticism so that we learn from each other! In Math, we are woking on measurement. We are learning how to measure in inches and centimeters. We will learn about weight in pounds and kilograms. We'll also learn about cups, pints, and quarts. In integrated Studies, we are in our Health unit. We are learning about body care. We'll learn about how sleep affects the body, how to prevent the spread of germs, the benefits of exercise, and how to clean our bodies and our teeth. The school nurse gave us a presentation on how to care for our teeth! Our next unit in Science will teach us about soil! What fun!

February

Welcome to February! In Phonics, we are working on long vowel sounds and spellings, like "ai" in "train", and "ee" in "jeep". In Writing, we are working on descriptive writing. We are focusing on how to describe people. We have learned how to describe people on the outside and on the inside! In Math, we are working on ordering numbers. We are also learning how to tell time to the hour and half hour. This can be tricky, so please practice this skill at home. Coming up in math, we will start learning how to count money. Practicing counting out coin combinations is vital, so this would also be a great skill to practice with your first grader. In Integrated Studies, we are learning about nutrition. We enjoyed a presentation by the University of Nebraska on nutrition and hand washing! What fun!

January

Welcome to 2009! We are happy to be back at school working hard. In Phonics, we are working on vowel consonant e words, like cake, to learn our long vowel sounds. In Writing we are working on descriptive writing. We are focusing on how to describe people. In Math, we are working on place value, and counting tens and ones. This can be hard for some students so please practice at home. Coming up in third quarter we will start learning how to tell time to the hour and half hour, and then how to count money. These important skills can be tricky, so practicing these at home will be vital. In Integrated Studies, we are in our social studies unit, exploring our community. We are learning about neighborhoods and jobs. We are having a blast!

First Grade Field Trip To Roca Berry Farm

We are so excited for our field trip on Friday October 3rd! Please remember to dress appropriately for the chilly weather and lots of walking that we will be doing that day. Also, please don't forget (if your child is bringing a sack lunch from home) that everything needs to be able to be thrown away at the end of lunch. We are so grateful to our volunteers who are coming with us on our trip. Thank you to all of the parents who graciously donated money so we could enjoy the pumpkin patch! Be looking for photographs of the field trip posted on our blog next week!

First Week of School

We are so pleased with how well the first week of first grade turned out! We learned and practiced lots of routines, reviewed Riley school rules, and even spent some time learning new Centers. Many of the first graders brought back their Share Sacks and we enjoyed getting to know each other better. We are both looking forward to a great year with this wonderful bunch of students!

Please comment on how the first week of school went for you! We would also love to hear back from the parents about some things that their students enjoyed about the first week of school.

Jump Start Meetings

We enjoyed visiting with all of the first grade families that attended the jump start to first grade meetings. It was special to us to meet the parents and the families of the students that will be in our classes this year. Thank you to everyone who joined us and a special thanks to Mrs. Wylie for all of her help!

Please leave a comment about something helpful or interesting that you learned at the meeting you attended.

First Day of First Grade!

The first day of first grade is just around the corner. We are looking forward to meeting all of the students (and their families) that will be in our classrooms. A great way to prepare for the first day of school is to get lots of sleep, eat a well balanced breakfast, and plan ahead! Review some of the kindergarten skills that your child learned last school year. See you soon!

Please feel free to post any helpful tips that you use to get your child ready for the first week of school!