1-5-20

Happy New Year!!

Week at a Glance

Monday: F Day (Gym and Art)
Tuesday: A Day (Gym and Library)
Wednesday: B Day (Gym and SEL)
Thursday: C Day (Music)
Friday: D Day (Music)

Academics in January

Math: This month we join the school wide math center program. This consists of a weekly timed test.  As students correctly complete each test they proceed at their own pace through progressively difficult tests.  Our focus this month will be on measurement.  Children will discuss length as a measurable attribute and compare the lengths of objects directly and indirectly.  Children will estimate and measure a variety of objects using non standard units.  We will continue to practice adding and subtracting.  New this month: three addends!

Reading: Our focus will be on making connections and inferencing as we read.  Later this week, ask your Firstie about Alexander and his "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day". Students will be adding on to this classic tale in their own writing.

Phonics: Long vowel sounds take center stage this month, starting with long A.  We will be hunting for various ways to make the sound including sneaky e and vowel teams like: ai, ei, and ay. Words to practice at home: snake, stay, sprain, say, tail, whale, clay, waist, shave, snail, weigh.

Science: All month long we will continue learning about light and sound.  Special sound effects are welcome! Topics include: sound vibrations, transparent, opaque, illumination, communicating over long distances, and our vision in the dark and fog.

Social Studies: Based on our Junior Achievement lessons on entrepreneurship and the concept of the book, "If I Built a Car," students will consider and write an imaginative piece about what they might do in the future.

Volunteering this Week

Wednesday: Math Rotations at 9:30
Thursday: Math Rotations at 9:30
Friday: Tinker Time at 3:00

Take-home Books/Games

Student will be coming home this week with a cloth bag containing a book from our classroom.  The books should be right at their reading level which means they should be able to read them independently.  Please encourage your Firstie to read the book aloud to anyone who will listen! As soon as the bag and book are returned I will send a new book home. Occasionally I may also include various flashcards or games tailored to your child's needs.  Unless otherwise noted, please return all supplies.

Coming up Soon-Just for Fun

January 15: Hat day (in our classroom only)
January 21: Squirrel appreciation day
January 31: Backward day

Upcoming Field Trip

We will visit the Upton Planetarium on Friday, January 31.  Unfortunately this is for students only-no parents.

12-15-19

This is my final blog post of 2019! I know you're busy so I'm keeping this one extra short and sweet.  Have a blessed holiday and a relaxing break!  

Week at a Glance

Monday: A Day (Gym, Library)
Tuesday: B Day (Gym, ice skating day!)
Wednesday: C Day (Music)
Thursday: D Day (Music)
Friday: E Day (Art, holiday party)

Details

• Please return ALL library books on Monday!
• We will be skating on Tuesday from 12:00-12:30.  Parents are welcome to meet us there or walk with us from school.  We will depart at 11:45.
• NO Late Start this week.
• This is a Reader's Theater week. Your child may be working with another teacher on this and may have lines to practice.  Please check in with your Firstie to see what they need to do to prepare.
• NO Tinker time this week.
• Our class party is at 11:00 am on Friday, December 20.
• Silly sounds: we have begun our light and sound unit in Science.  If your Firstie discovers an item making a sound (especially one that sounds like something else- ask them about the rainstorm!) they're welcome to bring it in to show the class.

Thank You

During this season of continued thanksgiving and reflection, I am mindful of what a privilege it is to teach in this great community we have and to be a part of the Lincoln School family.  Thank you for your support of me and for entrusting me with your precious Firsties.  

12-9-19

Week at a Glance

Monday: Gym, SEL
Tuesday: Music
Wednesday: Late Start, Music
Thursday: Art
Friday: Gym, Art

Pancake Breakfast

This Saturday is the annual pancake breakfast from 8:00-12:00. Hope to see you there!

Skating Day

It's almost time for this Lincoln tradition.  Our class will be walking to the ice rink on Tuesday, December 17.  We will leave Lincoln at 11:45, skating from 12:00-12:30, and heading back at 12:45.  Rental fees and hot chocolate are covered.  There will be no concession stand, so no need for children to bring money.

Holiday Party

Our class party will be Friday, December 20 at 11:00am.  If you'd like to volunteer please contact Dawn Riethmeier at stylistdawn01@yahoo.com

SEL

We are talking about being aware of hidden rules and expected behaviors.  We talked about the importance rules-that they keep us safe and help us learn.

Academic Updates

We are finishing our study of three letter blends and will begin a very important unit on Sneaky E.  Sneaky E sneaks up at the end of words and changes short vowel sounds to long vowel sounds.  He may sneak his way into your house! Our focus in reading during the next two weeks is fluency as we spend time on poetry and begin our upcoming work on Reader's Theater. We will explore measurement using non-standard units and various measurement tools.

Work at Home Suggestions

Read read read! Firsties still love being read to. Check out this list of popular chapter books for this age group:
-the Henry and Mudge series
-Mr. Putter and Tabby series
-Poppleton
-Amelia Bedelia
-the Mercy Watson series

The great thing about these books is that the kids are close to being able to read them on their own, especially once they've heard them read aloud.

Flash cards can be boring on their own.  Try taping them up around the house or playing memory with them.

Have your Firstie help you measure using a tape measure or yard stick.

12-1-19

Week at a Glance

Monday: C Day (Music)
Tuesday: D Day (Music)
Wednesday: E Day (Late Start, Junior Achievement, Art)
Thursday: F Day (Junior Achievement, Gym, Art)
Friday: A Day (Gym, Library)

Volunteering this Week

Math rotations: Monday 9:30-10:00, Tuesday 9:00-9:30
Tinker time: Friday 3:00-3:30

Academic Updates

Students will be exploring the concept of fact vs. opinion and writing an opinion piece for display in the hallway.  At this point in the year students should be able to write correctly using digraphs, spaces, punctuation, and capitals. We will continue our study of blends this week using 3 letter blends (thr, spl, spr, str, scr). Students should be able to spot these letter combinations as they're reading. Math rotations during the month of December are colorful and fun, yet provide loads of practice on skills Firsties need to master: determining even or odd, putting large numbers in sequential order, adding and subtracting within 20, and telling greater than/less than.  Additionally, we have a number of challenge centers that focus on time and money.

Class Party

Our holiday party will be Friday, December 20.  If you'd like to help in any way please contact Dawn Riethmeier (Ethan's mom) at stylistdawn01@yahoo.com

11-24-19

Week at a Glance

Monday: F Day (Gym and Art)
Tuesday: A Day (Gym)
Wednesday: B Day (Pajama Day, 1/2 day, SEL and Gym)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reward Day

As a class reward we will be having Pajama Day on Wednesday! Kiddos can wear pajamas all day.

Academic Update

This week will largely be a week of review.  We will have a blend assessment--be on the lookout for that to come home by Wednesday.  Children will create a family turkey, list things they're thankful for, and get creative as they describe how they think a turkey should be prepared. Number lines will be used to illustrate how to add and subtract. Our Social-Emotional learning will focus on making smart guesses and having flexible thinking. 

Homework over the break

If you're looking for something to keep your Firstie busy over the long weekend please consider having them journal in addition to their twenty minutes of daily reading.  Another idea is to use some of our online resources, especially Lexia and IXL.  If you can navigate to our Lincoln School symbaloo your child knows how to login from there!

11-17-19

Week at a Glance

Monday: A Day (Gym and Library)
Tuesday: B Day (Gym and SEL)
Wednesday: C Day (Late Start and Music)
Thursday: D Day (Music)
Friday: E Day (Art and Tinker Time)

Volunteering this Week

Tuesday and Thursday: 9:00-9:30 for Math Rotations
Friday: 3:05-3:30 for Tinker Time

Academic Updates

Reading: Skippy the Frog and Helpful Kangaroo will make an appearance. We will wrap up our unit on sequencing and begin working on analyzing story elements.
Phonics: More time is needed to finish up our weeks-long study of blends.  Final blends will remain our focus throughout the week.
Phonemic Awareness: Each day we spend time segmenting and blending words, determining the number of syllables, identifying beginning and ending sounds.  The idea is that a solid oral and verbal understanding of words will lead to stronger reading abilities.
Social Studies: We will continue our study of families, communities, and basic economics.
Science: All the half days in November have slowed us down.  It's likely we will finish up our Spinning Sky unit this week.

Gear

Please have your Firsties label each piece of their winter gear.  Our Lost and Found is already overflowing! Students are welcome to visit the Lost and Found at the start of any recess, first thing in the morning, and at the end of the day.  Also of note, our classroom lately has been very warm and toasty.  If your Firstie is balking at the idea of warm indoor clothes that may be the reason! That said, Lincoln is an older school and temperature fluctuations from day-to-day are not uncommon. Keeping a sweater or long-sleeved shirt in the backpack is probably a good idea.

11-10-19

Week at a Glance

Monday: B Day (SEL, Gym)
Tuesday: C Day (Music)
Wednesday: D Day (Late Start, Music)
Thursday: E Day (Thanksgiving Luncheon, Art and Tinker Time)
Friday: F Day (Half Day, Junior Achievement, Specials Schedule TBD)

Volunteering this Week

Tuesday: 9:30-10:00 Math Rotations
Wednesday: 10:45-11:15 Math Rotations
Thursday: 3:05-3:30 Tinker Time

Academic Updates

Writing: The kids will write a short narrative about Thanksgiving, so a reminder of your family's plans and traditions for the holiday will help them be prepared.

Math: We'll add to our addition and subtraction strategies.  We will also strengthen our skip counting skills, so keep practicing counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.

Social Studies: Junior Achievement will introduce some basic economic terms.

Reading: I'll ask kids to discuss some of their independent reading using sequencing words to describe the story.  We'll practice as a groups learning about he life cycle of frogs.

Science: We'll finish up our Spinning Sky Unit with learning about how the stars can help us find our way.  We'll also talk about the cardinal directions.

SEL: Our social worker visits on Monday to help us practice "listening with our eyes" to get the most out of our learning time.

Stuff-a-Truck

We are accepting donations all week of non-perishable food items.  All donations will go to local families in need.

Thanksgiving Luncheon

This Thursday is our annual luncheon.  Children are asked to dress nicely as we celebrate this special day as a school family.  Volunteers will serve a turkey dinner.

Ask your Firstie about....

...Lips the Fish
...Why the stars seem to come out at night
...Verbs
...Considering the size of the problem