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October 2008 Newsletter
Dear Parents, These past few weeks have been very tiring as the students transition from Kindergarten to First Grade. It is a huge jump! The children are settling in and becoming familiar with our classroom routines. They have a very positive attitude toward school and learning. They are making progress in keeping focused, listening, following more than one set of directions at a time during school and being able to last the long first grade day – a real milestone! They are a very nice group of students and interact well with each other. Communication: It is very important to keep the lines of communication between school and home open. If you feel a need to talk or meet with me or if I feel a need to meet with you before conferences, which will be November 10th and 12th , please contact me. Report Cards will go home in late November and will not be discussed at conference time. Thank you for reading the “Weekly News” and other school communication. It really makes my job easier when parents respond quickly to my reminders on the “Weekly News” or on informational papers that are sent home. Soon everyone will be receiving the Weekly News on line. If you do not receive it please let me know. Reading: I have been giving various reading assessments as well as reading daily with the students. This information provides me with a clear picture into the areas where I need to focus for each child. One area that I will soon address is sight words. Most of the students will be bringing home five to ten sight words that they need to master weekly. The goal is to be able to read one hundred of the most familiar site words in first grade. Please review these words often until they are mastered. Many of the students will recognize all of the site words, therefore, they will not be bringing the site words home Math: If you have read the “Weekly News” you know we are practicing many basic skills in a variety of engaging ways. In addition to completing some worksheets, we are finding patterns using the number grid 1-100, working with some mental math addition and subtraction facts, plus playing math games to develop these basic skills. We are also working on telling time to the hour, exploring the value of coins, exchanging coins, and counting coins. Many of these concepts are taught and reviewed daily through the use of the math calendar. In addition three times a week we are practicing computational skills through a math program called Excel. Finally in October we will begin to work with problem solving skills weekly. Science: The students are completing various projects about the life cycle of the butterfly. They are learning about metamorphosis and the stages of the life cycle of the butterfly. They are truly excited as they observe daily their caterpillar larva and the changes that are quickly happening. We will continue this month learning about insects and spiders and comparing them both. This unit will culminate with a Spider Frolic on October 31st. Writing: The students are keeping a weekly writing journal about “What they do over the week end”. Parents you can help with this activity by talking to your child about your week end highlights. This will help them to be prepared for our Monday Journal Writing. In addition we will complete our second class book. They truly have wonderful ideas and thoughts about what they want to write. They are very excited and eager to share what they have written and illustrated with others. Counselor: In October, Ms. Nancy Massar, our school counselor, will visit the first grade classrooms to promote playground safety, friendship skills, and encourage making good choices. These are just some of the highlights of September. Hopefully your children are sharing their days at school with you. Also be sure to go over their weekly papers and check their folders and homework daily. I will be working with the Room Parents to create a Volunteer Calendar. Watch for this calendar soon! I can only offer extra programs when I have parent helpers. There are still opportunities to volunteer for classroom help on a weekly basis. Remember to send daily snacks with your child even if they buy the school lunch. Our lunch time is 12:20. Thank you for all of your support, help, and caring. Sincerely,
Mrs. Costa
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