Season's Greetings!

During the month of December, first grade will be a bustling with special activities. The students are very excited about the holiday concert on Wednesday, December 5. Also on December 5, we will visit the Holiday Shop, where students can purchase gifts for family members. Hat Day is December 7. Students can wear a hat in school all day by bringing in a canned good or nonperishable item for donation to the local food bank. Our cute canine friends will visit us on December 12. We will make special reindeer cards for them. On December 17, we will travel to the North Pole aboard the Polar Express, while wearing our pajamas and enjoying hot chocolate.  Friday, December 21 is a 1:00 dismissal day. We will return to school on January 2.
Academically, we are on Unit 3 in our Scott Foresman reading series. Look for the anthology to come home on Friday, December 7. You may keep it home for one week, and return it on December 14. Please have your child read a few stories to you each night. Be sure to commend them on their progress in reading! We are on Unit 5 in Everyday Math. This unit focuses on place value for tens and ones and adding two digit numbers. Please be sure to practice adding and subtracting on a regular basis. We have finished our realistic fiction stories in Writing Workshop. They will be coming home soon. During the month of December, we will be working on "how to" books. In Science, we are learning about how animals adapt to their environment and how baby animals learn from their mothers. In Social Studies, we are learning about maps, map keys, and the compass rose. Our author/illustrator this month is Jan Brett. We are really enjoying her fun stories and beautiful illustrations!
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, full of joy and wonder. Be safe and enjoy every minute of this special time.

November News

November started off a bit crazy because of Superstorm Sandy. I hope that all of you are staying safe and warm during this trying time. If there is anything the school can do to make things easier for you, please let us know. We will be having a Hat Day to support the Red Cross on Friday, November 9. Students may wear a hat if they bring in a monetary donation, in any amount, for the Red Cross.

I enjoyed meeting with parents at conferences to discuss your child's progress. Report cards will be sent home on Monday, November 12. Please remember to sign and return the brown report card envelope. We will be learning about Veteran's and working on narrative fiction in writing workshop. We will be counting money and working on improving our addition and subtraction strategies. The ROCK dogs will visit on Wednesday, November 14.

Thanksgiving brings us a shortened week of school. We will have a 12:30 dismissal on Wednesday, November 21 and no school November 22 and 23. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!