“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.” Phyllis Theroux

It is hard to believe that daylight saving time begins on March 11 and spring begins on March 20. Your children are almost second graders! In preparation, I encourage your child to start writing. We have been working on writing in our diaries, writing responses to stories read, and writing expository, descriptive, narrative paragraphs. Write! Write! Write! Write anytime, anywhere, anything. I suggest you give your child a journal which has a section for pictures and he/she can write in it nightly. We have talked about making our diary entries more exciting by using describing words. Talk with your child about describing words they use and perhaps he/she could write a letter to a neighbor or a grandparent every week. I have saved letters from my parents, friends, neighbors from years ago and keep them in a special box. If your child has a special box to keep the journal, markers, crayons, pencils, erasers, pretty stickers, I think it would be motivating to open the box and write.

Writing goes hand and hand with reading and the book, The Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin, is a favorite in our classroom. After reading exciting entries that a worm wrote, your child will want to write even more! Other favorite spring books are Kitty, A Cat’s Diary, Memoirs of a Goldfish,  Ruby’s Wish, and The Empty Pot. Ask your child about these books!

Happy Spring!

I thought you’d enjoy reading  your child’s New Year’s Resolutions….They are posted outside our classroom and are quite charming! Each student wrote two resolutions but I wrote one of them for you to enjoy.

Aashay – I resolve to eat healthy snacks.

Guy – I resolve to clean my room.

Evan – I resolve to clean my basement once a week.

Ben S. – I resolve to feed my cat.

Ben P. – I resolve to read more.

Jack – I resolve to help my mom make dinner one time a week.

Brooke – I resolve to help my mom cook.

Will – I resolve to stop playing ball in the house.

Mikey – I resolve to make my room clean one time a week.

Margo – I resolve to help my mom at washing the dishes.

Daniel – I resolve to read two times a day.

Jun – I resolve to make my bed.

Skylar – I resolve to help my mom fold laundry and do more chores.

Bethany – I resolve to walk the dog.

Catherine – I resolve to stop fighting with my brother.

Halle – I resolve to go on the high dive.

Sophia – I resolve to go to chess without fighting.

Brandon – I resolve to not hit or kick my sister.

Let’s see if these can make it through the month! Keep practicing tying the shoes and learning addresses and phone numbers.

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize that they were the big things.”  Anonymous

I hope you have a wonderful vacation with your families. Thank you for welcoming me back. I’m looking forward to getting to  know your child. My door is always open!

Over vacation, keep encouraging your child to read with expression. Point out ending marks when your child reads. I encourage the students to keep a journal at home and write 1 -2 questions in the evening about something they wonder.  The following night they could write 1 -2 sentences that end with an exclamation mark and the following evening they could write sentences ending in periods.  This is great practice in reading with expression and writing a sentence correctly!

Your child should also have a Friday folder, which is to be returned on Monday and a homework folder and a school folder. Please ask your child if any supplies are needed.  Do they need new crayons?  Many need crayons and pencils and a large eraser.   Thanks for checking.

As always, email or call with concerns.  Stay warm. Keep practicing tying shoes.  By this time of year, they should be able to tie their own shoes.  Students also should be wearing gloves, warm coats, and hats.

Thank you!

Kathy Chapko

Here’s a glimpse into first grade math class!

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What a great first full week of school we had!  It was great to see all of you on Tuesday night.  Our class had fun reading all of the notes left for them on Wednesday morning!

Monday:  On Monday our class wrote, “What I Want to Learn in First Grade”.  We had Spanish class and Science in our classroom. The students made chalkboards for Orientation Night and we celebrated Chase’s Birthday.  We also began our class job chart.

Tuesday:  Our class practiced our morning routine and we wrote about our favorite fall activities.  We had gym and music class and made a birthday graph with all of our birthdays during math class.  We also had a visit from our library friends to discuss the important rules we must follow in the library.  Book check out day is on Tuesday.

Wednesday:  On Wednesday we wrote in our class journals.  Also, our class poem, My Puppy, was introduced.  Each month a poem is introduced to the class and the students are given an opportunity to read it to the class when they feel comfortable.  I will write the words to the poem on this webpage each month so you can have an opportunity to read the poem with your child at home.  We also shared more of our Summer Grab Bags.  What a great way to get to know each other and find out what special things your child did this summer!  We also began Unit 1 in our Investigations Math Book.

Thursday:   Today we made a graph – “How Do You Get To School”.  We worked on our “All About Me” posters and had art class.  The students watched a film about Monet and ended art class dancing the waltz with their friends to Parisian music – totally unplanned, but this can give you a glimpse into our fun spirited class!  We also read a “Welcome To School” book.

Friday:  In celebration of Labor Day our class wrote about what they want to be when they grow up.  I think you will find their answers interesting:

Bethany wants to be an engineer so she can fix things.

Guy would like to be an Army Ranger so he can save people.

Margo is going to be a nurse so she can help people.

Halle wants to be a pop star and people will love her music.

Ben P. wants to be a construction worker even though the job will be hard.

Sophia wants to be a horseback rider because she loves horses.

Daniel wants to design amazing buildings!

Brandon will be a police officer when he grows up!

Skylar will be a pop star, too.  Her music will rock!

Aashay will be a fireman so he can save people from scary fires.

Evan will be a basketball player.  He will be the high scorer.

Brooke will be a horseback rider and she will take good care of her horse.

Catherine can’t wait to be  a nurse so she can help people feel better.

Mikey is going to be a secret spy – look out for him!

Jun can’t wait to be an Army Ranger so he can save people who are in trouble!

Ben S. wants to be a police officer like his Dad!  He’ll have lots of on-hands training!

Will wants to be a high school coach.  He can’t wait to win a championship trophy!

We can’t wait to hear what Chase wants to be when he gets back to school on Tuesday!

Have a great Holiday weekend!  I am looking forward to school on Tuesday.

Hi Parents!

We have been enjoying watching the nest cams of the eagle and her babies from Decorah, Iowa on our Promethean Board.  It has motivated us

to write some interesting entries in our diaries. I am reading the chapter book , The Trumpet of the Swan, after lunch and the main character often

ends many of his journal entries with a question.  We thought this was a good idea so here are some of the closing questions we posed

at the end of our diary entries today after watching the eagles:

Maeve – “What do the babies do when they are alone?”

Mia – “Can the baby eagles breathe under her?”

Nathan – “Will the mama eagle find worms?”

Mitchell – “What are the names of the babies?”

Brennan – “Is the daddy going to come?”

Karly – “Is the dad coming back?”

Maria – “Does she get tired of sitting there?”

Ashley – “When is the dad getting home?”

Chris – “Where is the dad?”

Sona – “Is the nest going to fall?”

William – “Is it really windy?”

Ruhina – “Did you find any predators?”

Nicolette – “Is mama eagle cold?”

Johnny – “Will the mom go away to find food?”

Emily – “Where do the eagles live?”

Eli – “When the babies were born, did they have feathers?”

“Spring came that year like magic and like music and like song.”

-Thomas Wolfe

Here is a five day plan you may enjoy using with your child…

• Monday…Practice math facts from zero to twenty (addition and subtraction) with your child. Please work on speed and rapid recall of facts. Check out our first grade links for fun math games. Each grade level has great links you may wish to check out, as well. Also, students enjoy creating their own math boxes.

• Tuesday… Read, read, read! Choose from a book your child brought home from the library or from class.  Reread and reread for fluency. Share reading together is bonding, as well as beneficial! Ask upper-level questions…a sample of questions were sent home with the March newsletter.

• Wednesday…Write and illustrate a story.  Keep a journal! Have your child write questions in their journal about things they wonder.

• Thursday…Practice jewel words and spelling words, past and present. Can your child write a sentence or question that includes these words? Dictate a sentence and see if they remember capital letters and correct ending marks.

• Friday… Play a Memory game with their jewel words they brought home over winter break. They can pick 10 words and write duplicate words on other index cards. Turn over and play fish to make a match. Play a game that uses math with your family.

On-going activities:

• Work on their calendar activities! Practice their monthly poem!! The link is on our website.

February was a busy and funfilled month!  This final week, this is what everyone had to say about what fills them with joy:

Chris…”when mom plays games with me”

Sona…”my pet bird”

Brennan…”when my dad plays NHL 10 with me”

Maeve…”making stuffed animals”

Mia…”my dog”

Ashley…”going skiing”

Nico…”thinking about Texas”

William…”playing Sorry with my sister”

Maria…”playing basketball with Tommy”

Karly…”my aunt’s baby”

Johnny…”vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles”

Eli…”my new clothes”

Emily…”when my mom takes me to the movies”

Mitchell…”math”

Ruhina…”playing football with my brother in my house”

Nathan…”drawing in my bedroom”

Ms. Chapko…”when you smile at me before school and say, Good Morning!”

We’re feeling joy when we think of…

Chris…”playing Monopoly with my aunt”

Ashley…”breathing the fresh air”

Mitchell…”going to the movies with mom”

Mia…”listening to the birds in the morning”

Maria…”watching tv with mom”

Emily…”thinking of my dog, Max”

Sona…”thinking of mom and dad”

Eli…”school”

Maeve…”my Valentine’s Day monkey gift”

Nico…”Frank”

Karly…”my fish”

Johnny…”my tadpoles”

William…”my speed skating competition”

Ruhina…”my Ipod”

Brennan….”my tae kwon do class”

Nathan…”my dad”

Ms. Chapko…”Giada’s raspberry and chocolate brownies”

This is a special month in first grade. We celebrate Valentine’s Day and two very famous Presidents….Abe Lincoln and George Washington. Thinking about those feelings of love and joy, we would like to share a little something that brings joy to us.  This week here is what brings us joy….

Eli …legos

Mia …my ice rink

Sona ….grandma

Ruhina … thinking about my dad’s birthday

Maria …getting ice cream for Valentine’s Day

Johnny …school

Nathan …my mom

Brennan …my hockey team

Maeve …thinking about my birthday

Nico …my family

Ashley …getting ready for Valentine’s Day

Chris …my family

William …my wii

Emily …my dad’s birthday

Mitchell …playing with my dad

Karly …my family

Ms. Chapko …music from www.livefromdarylshouse.com