Winter Break is almost here!

With the holiday vacation looming in our future, we have lots on our plate this week! We'll be doing a few fun winter/holiday crafts and activities, so look for those to be coming home this week. Also coming home this week will be the last of our assessments for the quarter. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions, and know that I'll have a sign up for conferences outside the classroom after the break!

Be sure to check out the new updates!

Book orders are due Tuesday, be sure to turn in any orders ASAP!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back from your holiday! Hopefully everybody is ready to go because we are going to jump right in with both feet! We have a lot to accomplish before the end of the quarter and we are set to go!

Please be sure to check all of the updates on the pages this week!

Its good to be back!

Thanksgiving in here!

Spelling words are good through next week (the week of the 28th). Students will be tested on that list on Friday, December 2nd. There are book logs due for this week, so keep reading and recording. Turn them in Monday, November 28th after we get back from the break!

Have a nice Thanksgiving vacation!

Spelling Words Are Up!

Spelling list 8 words and sentences are posted on the "Spelling" page. Again, sorry for any inconvenience...

Just wanted to say a special thank you to Colton's mom, Wendy, and Riley's mom, Michelle! Thanks so much for finishing those take home projects! Everything helps and I couldn't make things work without such wonderful parent volunteers!

THANK YOU!

**Just as another aside, this week's spelling words are not yet listed but they will be on Monday. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Be sure to check the Spelling, Announcement, and Calendar pages for updates! And sorry again for the late blogging this week... Be sure to study for the spelling re-test this week! Test on Thursday!

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the last week and a half... We're back up and running though!

Sign Ups

Please be sure to look for sign ups this week for conferences (if you are interested) and how to help out at our booth for Harvest Fest. They will be outside our classroom!

Writing Samples

Going home this week with more tests (phonics, math, and spelling), is a sample of your child's writing and how I graded it. I look for 4 main points (which we go over a great deal in class). I look for: 1. Conventions (do they have capital letters in the right places, finer spaces between words, and punctuation at the end of their sentences). 2. Does the story they are writing make sense (is there a beginning, middle, and end). 3. Did they write the required number of sentences for that assignment (usually between 1-4 at the beginning of the school year). 4. Spelling (when spelling a word they don't know how to spell or can't find in the room, do they write down the beginning, middle, and end sounds when they sound it out.) Look for further explanation with the sample of your child's writing this week!

This Week...

Family Project- Our first family project is due this Wednesday, October 4th. Be sure to finish it up and hand it in. We still have all 28 students to give their presentations!

Assessments- Coming home this week are the phonics tests we have taken so far in class. Hopefully you have been seeing the math and spelling tests already...

On the phonics tests there are spelling sections, matching sections with pictures and letters/blends, coding, and reading comprehension. There are also oral sections on the back where I test each child individually on their letter/blend sounds and reading skills. These sections on the back will probably cause the most confusion. I have tried to clearly mark if a question was wrong, what the student's answer was, and what it should have been. However, it still is in "shorthand", so feel free to ask if you have any questions about the tests!

Field Trip- Our field trip to the Agua Linda Pumpkin Patch is on October 27th. Permission slips and information were sent home last week. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.

Volunteer Opportunities

I have a few more volunteer opportunities if anyone is interested...

There are two take home projects with instructions that I hope to have completed by the beginning of next week and another that doesn't have a particular "due date". If you are interested, please let me know! Be sure to log whatever time you spend in the volunteer book in the front office! It all counts towards your 10 hour commitment!

Thank you

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to those parents who have continually helped out in class or with at home projects. There are also several who continue to ask what they can do to help out as well. I just don't seem to have enough take home projects to go around! Thank you for all of the support. It really adds to the class and helps me out a lot too!

THANK YOU!

Updates

All pages were successfully and correctly updated this week, hopefully no changes should have to be made... I am working on getting some pictures up soon. Just have to figure it out first...

More Changes

I just added a few things to the "Announcements" page, be sure to check out those updates as well!

Changes to the Spelling Page

I left out a few words when I posted them last night... Sorry! Be sure to check the changes to the "Spelling" page so you are studying the correct words this week!

Home

Week of August 29th

Be sure to check each of the pages this week for updates! There will be new announcements, spelling words, and new dates to add to your calendar!

How to use this blog REVISED

So with a little help I was able to figure out how to add a new feature to my blog! I now have different pages to visit other than just the Home page. The other options are Spelling, Calendar, and Announcements. Each week I will give updates in the different categories as information comes along. Hopefully this will allow you to more easily find exactly what you are looking for!

Week of August 22

As promised, our first spelling list of the year... Every week we will have 12 words and a sentence. Later on in the school year there will be two sentences. Please be sure to practice at home. It really makes a difference!

words from the "at" family- Spelling List A:
at, bat, cat, fat, hat, pat, rat, sat, flat, mat, the, and
Sentence: The cat sat.

Calendar items: Tuesday, August 23- Parent Information Night (PIN) from 6-7pm. There will be free babysitting and light refreshments. There will be 4 tables to rotate through with mini-discussions on the school's goals for this year, a place to voice your concerns and give your opinions, and ways to improve the partnership between home and the school. Come and learn more about what's coming up this school year and you can be involved!

Wednesday, August 24- Entertainment Book Fundraiser Starts. One of our school goals is to raise money to update our technology and this fundraiser is HUGE for our school. There are always such great savings in the books. Even if you sell only one book (to yourselves or whomever) it can help our school greatly!

Wednesday, August 31- Open House from 6-8pm. Stop by, check out the classroom, and see your child's work! At 7:00 I will have a meeting going over homework, the Saxon math and language arts programs, the behavior plan, and any other questions or concerns you may have.

How to use this blog...

Hello, thought I'd give a few pointers about what's going on with our blog...

Every week I will post the spelling list as well as give reminders about important dates and events happening both at the school and in our classroom. I also will post pictures of different activities such as dances (I have a few to post from the back to school dance), field trips, and such. Also, sometimes there are important things that come up during the week that can't make it into the newsletter in time. This is where I will pass that information along to you.

Also, I have included some links to some of my favorite educational websites for children as well as some websites that are important to our class. I have a link to the public library system. There are so many resources, classes, fun family activities, and much more available through the public libraries for very little or no cost. Its of course, also a great place to go to help your child develop a love of reading. I also have a link to a retirement community, Fellowship Square, where our class does several community service projects. Its a great place and the residents love interacting with our students. Also, I have a link to World Care, an organization that helps with disaster and other types of relief. Our school and sometimes class often end up doing some type of drive to help people in other parts of the country and the world.

So, please check our blog often! There will be frequent updates on what's going on in our class and in the school!

Welcome New First Graders!

Welcome to first grade and room 14! It has been great getting to know all of your children! It looks like we have a really good group, and I'm excited to get things under way!

We'll start this week with our phonics and math curriculum. The first few weeks are a review of letters, letter sounds, and other concepts taught in kindergarten. We'll also start some social studies lessons about school, friendship, and community. We'll continue to go over classroom rules and procedures as well. Also in these first few weeks I'll do some assessing to see what the children know and where we need to start. After the assessments are over, we'll start centers where students will be able to work on activities more at their own level. We have a lot planned and are ready to get going on it!

Please check your child's folder daily. There are important papers going home almost every day and homework will start this week! Also be sure to fill out and turn in any paperwork sent home.

Important Paper Checklist:
-Emergency information (purple)
-Behavior plan (yellow)
-Bully policies (white)
-Classroom expectations (blue)
-Dentist paper (this may seem silly but even by sending in a paper declining teeth cleaning at school, our school can get extra assistance to those who need it. We just need the papers back saying either yes or no...)

As mentioned before, homework starts this week (nothing to intense, we're just easing into it). Almost every day in class we will be doing the front side of a worksheet in both phonics and math. These worksheets give the students some individual practice on things we have gone over earlier in the lessons. The back sides of these worksheets will be homework. Students may be able to work on them during class if time allows. Otherwise they will be expected to finish the work at home or in after school if they attend that program. Homework does not have to be turned in to me daily. I understand that there is often not time every night to get everything done. ALL HOMEWORK IS DUE EVERY FRIDAY.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via email at b_thies@hotmail.com or leave a message for me at the school. I'm looking forward to a great year!

What to do this summer...

Summer Activities

Reading: Read to your child every day! (15 minutes would be great.) I recommend checking out the public library’s summer reading program. They have great incentives to help children read, plus you can check out all the books you like! If you go to the “reader” shelf of the children’s section, you’ll be able to find books that your child can read on their own. Check out the website at www.library.pima.gov for more information and to find the branch nearest you!

Writing: Two or three times a week have your child write in their journal. This could be in one of the school journals we’re sending home, a notebook, or one made from the journal page included in this packet. Choose a topic for your child to write about or have them choose their own. Help them stretch out the words (write down the sounds they hear in each word) to make a sentence or sentences. Be sure to remind them they need a capital at the beginning, period at the end, and finger spaces between each word! Then they can draw a picture about what they’ve written.

Workbooks: Workbooks for first and second grade can be found at grocery stores, drug stores, Target, Walmart, Costco, just about anywhere really! Look for activities that suit your child’s ability level. (When in doubt, you really can’t go wrong with getting a first grade book that reviews skills we have learned throughout the year).

Websites: There are lots of great educational websites, just do a search for first grade activities and you’ll find a bunch of them! Some of my favorites are: www.kidzone.com, www.pbskids.org/lions, www.starfall.com, and www.brainpopjr.com.

We've had a great year! Thank you for letting me teach your children. We all grew and learned together, and I will miss them. Please stop by next year for a visit!

**As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me via my email address: b_thies@hotmail.com. I will still check it all summer long and would love to help if you have any questions!

Last Spelling List

Spelling list 23 this week: pages, hold, kind, draw, about, over, yellow, foundation, mention, fantastic, *today, *once. Words with an *asterisk are sight words and should be memorized.

Sentences: "I will bring hot dogs and buns," said Pam. Who would like to plan some games to play?

Bonus Sentences: Can we swim in the lake at the park? We should invite Beth to come along.

Week of May 2

Spelling List 22- old, find, taking, fault, saw, plastic, now, shouted, joining, starvation, word*, four*. Words with an asterisk* are sight words and should be memorized.

Sentences: The kind old man told me some tales. The child romped and played in the straw. Bonus sentences: The little lost kitten was both blind and cold. Its sharp claws got me as it jumped on my lap.

Field Trip- Tomorrow (May 3rd) we are headed to Fellowship Square Retirement community to visit our senior reading buddies. We'll be singing a few songs and handing out cards! Be sure to get your permission slips in ASAP!

Research Project- Be sure to work on your project! Its due next Monday, May 9th and the students are presenting on Wednesday, May11th!

Family Project- Research Paper

Our next and final family project is a research paper and a diorama on an animal of your child's choosing. Last week I went over how to do a research project on an animal. I modeled how to take notes from information and then how to turn that into a research paper that made sense. Going home today is more specific information about what animal your child chose and what the guidelines are for this activity.

Both the paper and the diorama are due Monday, May 9th. The written report is mandatory and the diorama is optional for extra credit. Using information about their animal found in books, magazines, online, etc. students will take notes and write a paper on the sheets included in the packet. The research paper should be presented in a folder with the child's name, animal, and picture of the animal on the front.

Parents will more than likely need to assist their children with this project. However, the work should be done by the child (i.e. in the child's own words, handwriting, diorama work, etc.)

If you have questions please ask! Students will also be presenting their projects to the class on Wednesday, May 11th.

What's new this week...

Spelling List 21- how, round, dishes, blue, argue, diver, enjoy, overpay, afternoon, vacation, early*, learn*. Words with an asterisk* are sight words and should be memorized.

Sentences: Braden found four spiders in the corner of the dark barn. The soil there was moist and cool.

Bonus Sentences: His cat wanted to sniff them. He didn't want the spiders to bite his cat on the mouth.

Going home this week will be information about our upcoming field trip next week, as well as the research paper your children will need to complete for this last quarter.

Japan Tsunami Relief - Part 2

All this week we are still collecting supplies to help out the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last month. Any new supplies you want to bring in on any day would be great! Supplies can range from medical, first aid to personal hygiene. For specific ideas please see the World Care website at www.worldcare.org, the Link, or even this blog!

Please help out where you can! Every little bit goes a long way to help these families who have lost so much!

Coming Events...

For next week, give you a bit of an early start on your practicing... Spelling list 21: how, round, dishes, blue, argue, diver, enjoy, overpay, afternoon, vacation, *early, *learn. Words with an asterisk* are sight words and should be memorized.

Sentences: Braden found four spiders in the corner of the dark barn. The soil there was moist and cool. Bonus sentences: His cat wanted to sniff them. He didn't want the spiders to bite his cat on the mouth.

Homework: There will still be homework this week, however the book log and book report form that were sent home will be due next Friday instead of this week.

Family Project: Our next and final family project is a research paper and a diorama on an animal that your child will be assigned at school. Guidelines will go home in a couple of weeks. Start saving a shoe box for this.

Pool Party: The school year is coming to an end. We are planning a swimming party for students who have behaved and turned in all their homework (book reports, book logs, phonics, math, etc.) Permission slips will be sent home as soon as we have the date and authorization from the office.

Final Field Trip: We don't yet have confirmation on this either, but we would like to visit our senior reading buddies at their place of residence to sing a few songs and hand out cards we've made for them. We are hoping to do this the first week of May. We do need parent volunteers to help out. This field trip is free! Permission slips for this will also be sent home as soon as we get confirmation from the office.

Spelling List 20

Spelling list 20 this week...

Words: by, say, for, even, point, nation, portion, sliding, September, carnation, *only, *answer.
Words marked with an *asterisk are sight words and should be memorized because they don't follow the spelling rules.

Sentences: Please eat after you clean your jeans. The meat and beans are getting cool.

Bonus sentences: I hear that your team is on the corner lot. Each team is really eager to play.
Bonus sentences are extra points and will be added to your child's final score.

Field Trip Update!

Due to some serious behavior issues with most of the class the last couple of weeks, children will be required to have either a green or white card (i.e. acceptable/respectful behavior) every day for the rest of this week in order to go on the field trip next Monday, April 11th. If your child has to remain behind, we will find a class for them to stay with while they do extra review work for the day. You will also be refunded your $5 if you have already paid it.

Also, in order to go on the field trip we need more parent volunteers or we will have to cancel. (Volunteers must be fingerprinted in the front office or have a fingerprint clearance card.) Please let me know ASAP if you can attend and help out! Be sure to turn in all forms and money or children cannot attend!

Japan Tsunami Relief

All this week our school will be doing a supplies drive to help the relief effort in Japan from the earthquake and consequent tsunami. We have teamed up with World Care, an organization that helps places after a natural disaster or other tragedy strikes. You can visit their website at www.worldcare.org for more information. Please bring in new items and share what you can!

Monday, April 4th- First aid supplies: gauze squares or wraps, iodine, exam gloves, antibiotic ointment, cotton balls, hand sanitizers, etc.

Tuesday, April 5th- Emergency relief items: flashlights, batteries, work gloves, tents, folding cots, etc.

Wednesday, April 6th- Packing supplies: boxes, packing tape, rubber bands, scotch tape.

Thursday, April 7th- Hygiene supplies: large sturdy hair combs, shampoo, bar soap, individually packaged toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine products, baby wipes/diapers.

Friday, April 8th- Medical supplies: crutches/braces, over the counter pain relievers, band-aids, liquid band aid (new skin), wound care cleansers.

Spelling and Butterflies!

Spelling list 19 this week:

Words- off, boy, hiding, turtle, disturb, survive, acorn, Friday, elbow, hurt, *many, *any.
Words with an *asterisk are sight words and need to be memorized.

Sentences- My cat had five kittens on my birthday. The first ones were girls and the rest boys.
Bonus Sentences- Curt burned his hand on the hot car. The burn hurt and felt like fire.

AND... We have butterflies!
In class over the next few weeks we are going to be studying how caterpillars change into butterflies. Our caterpillars have already grown so much over the weekend. We are going to be making observations and recording them in our journals, as well as learning about the growth patterns of these animals. The class is already soooo excited!

Spelling List 18

Spelling words this week: grow, open, away, started, passing, table, invite, crispy, she'll, wisely, give*, people*. Words with an *asterisk are sight words and need to be memorized.

Sentences: The store will open for the sale at ten. Many people will be there.

Bonus sentences: It will be hard to get inside. I hope I don't spend too much cash.

Practice at home! We need to get our spelling scores higher!

Book Reports

We have started book reports in class and next week they'll be added to the weekly homework! Students will read a book at their level and fill out a report form about the story they read. All book report forms being sent home will have been introduced in class already. Therefore students should be familiar with the report forms. We ask that the work is done by the students but supervised by parents. After school cannot accommodate helping students with this type of homework assignment. Book reports will be in addition to all other weekly homework. Enjoy reading with your child and helping them be sure to understand what they read! Keep on reading!

The Last Quarter!

Well, its the 4th quarter at last! We've come so far, but there's still so much to do...

This week's spelling is list 17: way, try, such, part, glass, stuff, former, show, letter, barnyard, sure*, they*. (Words with an *asterisk are sight words and should be memorized.)

Sentences: Jake left his backpack at school. His spelling list was in it. Kelvin gave him the list of words to learn. Jake thanked Kelvin for being willing to help.

Also this week: Tuesday, March 22 picture day. Be sure to fill out the packet and send money if you are interested.

Tuesday, March 22 is also Skate Country Night from 6-8pm.

Friday, March 25 is the school dance after school for grades K-5. Fliers were sent home today!

Be sure to keep reading with your children and marking it down on your book logs. This is the last month for the Book It! program and the last month for your children to earn pizza coupons for reading!

Spelling List 16

Spelling list 16 this week: far, much, play, gave, after, upon, handy, dribble, spell, shapeless, says*, should* (words with an * are sight words and should be memorized)

Sentences: Six friends came to my slumber party. We stayed up until three. Mom made plum tarts for us. The sweet crust was tender and good.

Also this week, Wednesday, March 2, is dollar dress down day. Bring $1 and wear your play clothes for the day!

This week...

No spelling this week because of the short week! (And only 2 days of homework and a book log!)

Grandparents brunch is Wed, Feb. 23 from 9:00-11:00am. Grandparents are in the classroom doing a show and tell of an item/story from "the old days" starting at 9:00. Brunch is served at 10:00am. Pictures will be taken throughout the morning.

There will be no school Thursday and Friday this week because of rodeo vacation...

However, the school will be hosting a community Ride 'Em Rodeo Carnival from Thursday, Feb. 24th - Sunday, Feb. 27th. Park at the Walgreens at the northwest corner of Golf Links and Kolb. There will be a shuttle available for transport. The pre-sale of armbands in happening now in the front office. Come during the break for food, rides, prizes, and a great time!

Spelling List 15

Spelling this week...

Words: day, fly, trusted, weekly, campfire, blooming, under, myself, inside, problem, thought, where.

Sentences: My sister can subtract numbers well. She has a good grade in math. She can spell well too. Last summer she was in the spelling bee.

Practice makes perfect!

Its Love of Reading Week!

I LOVE "Love of Reading Week"! We have already had some fun special guest readers (and have more planned for the rest of the week). We had a Stop, Drop, and Read activity today as well. When the office called over the intercom to the whole school, we all stopped what we were working on and started reading. I read two of my favorite books to the class!

Wednesday is dress like your favorite story book character. If your child can tell me what book their outfit is from, they can dress up for school! We also plan to have a fun activity later in the week with our reading buddies!

Be sure to promote your love of reading with your child as well!

Spelling List 14

Words this week are: my, tell, soon, her, stringy, shall, made, feelings, packed, number, want, don't.

Sentences: My little dog likes to nap with me. He snores and cuddles on my lap. After he wakes up, he wants to run.

Practice, practice, practice!

Forgot the spelling...

Oops! I forgot to post the spelling words for this week! Its another review week with 20 words and no sentences.

Words: street, thank, jumped, ask, use, twist, brisk, upset, those, drink, stung, swelled, handle, made, many, sniff, where, maple, they, what.

Be sure to study hard!

The Latest...

Book Orders- Book orders are due Feb. 9th. You can order online (follow the directions sent home last week) or with your order form (make checks or money orders to Scholastic Inc).

Timeline Project- Timeline projects are due Feb. 10th. This is required and will be graded and added to the report cards. Please follow the guidelines sent home last week and be sure to ask if you have any questions. Timelines should be in order of events that happened in your child's life.

Valentine's Day Party- A sign up for goodies and a class list will be available later this week. Be sure to bring Valentine's for all 28 students in our class. It should be a fun one! (Party in the afternoon only).

Field Trip- We are going to La Posta Quemada at Colossal Cave on Thursday, February 17th from 9am to 2pm. We need chaperones, but with fingerprints taken or clearance cards. Students should bring a sack lunch and wear a red LPA shirt, jeans, and comfortable walking shoes. Cost is $8 per person (adults too). Money and permission slips should be turned in before the day of the field trip.

Spelling, Book Orders, and Such...

Spelling list 13: me, run, take, she's, thing, looking, title, little, will, shell (not she'll--there was a typo on the newsletter, sorry...), one, two.

Sentences: Frank goes to class at twelve. He'll take a test at one. He needs to make a good grade.

Please study at home as well! Now that there are three sentences, tests will be harder!

Thanks to all of the students who did their 100th day projects! They turned out great! We'll keep them on display for another week or so and then send them home.

Book orders- Book orders were sent home today. Send in a check or money order to Scholastic Inc with your order from the flyer or order online. Deadline for ordering is Feb. 9th.

Spelling and 100th Day

Spelling this week will be another review. The words are: you, of, want, this, that, think, bring, with, what, drink, like, help.

Sentences: I want a drink of milk. Did you bring that with you?

100th Day Projects: Projects are due this Thursday, the 20th. Glue 100 items on a poster and bring it to class. Make a picture, design, or pattern, just have fun with it and be creative! Our celebration will be Monday, the 24th. If your project is turned in, you can wear your pajamas to school that day for our festivities!

What's new this year!

Happy New Year! Just a quick note about some new happenings this week...

Earlier this week re-enrollment papers went home. Please complete the form and turn in to me as soon as possible. The papers are due January 21st.

Art classes started up this semester and with that come all of the messes or possible messes... Please be sure that your children are wearing clothing that its okay to mess up a bit (spilled paint, glue, glitter accidents, etc.) Monday mornings bright and early we have art! During this class students will be talking about famous artists such as Picasso, Michelangelo, Jackson Pollack, and Matisse and learning about the types of art they did. Then they will create their own art in the style of these artists. I am looking forward to seeing their creations!!

Also, this week and in the upcoming weeks our classes with Ms. Phillips (one of the counselors) will be focusing on stranger danger, which adults are okay to trust, and ways of keeping themselves safe. Next week's lesson will focus on students remembering their phone numbers. Please work on this with your child at home if they do not already know it. We will be working on it with them at school too!

Thanks for all of your support and involvement! I look forward to the rest of this school year with your children!