Dear Families,

Our next field trip is fast approaching! On Wednesday, May 2nd, we will be going to the Chicago Botanic Gardens to learn more about plants. This field trip is a great hands-on experience that will allow our students to learn more about what we have recently studied in class.

Please send your child to school that day with a sack lunch and drink for the trip because we will be eating lunch at the Gardens. Also, please plan on dressing your child for the weather, we will be going rain or shine!

Thank you,

Mrs. Hargadon

Dear Families,

We have started our fairy tale unit! We will be doing many activities related to different fairy tales throughout this unit.

Please mark your calendars for Fairy Tale Night which is Thursday, May 17. More information will be sent home soon!

Dear Families,

I enjoyed discussing your child’s growth and progress with you during conferences. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We enjoyed celebrating our 100th day of school last Friday! I hope your child told you about the exciting activities we completed.

We also enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day on Tuesday! Thanks to all of the parent volunteers who sent in snacks and drinks. The students had a great time passing out their valentine cards and enjoyed opening them.

Important Dates to Remember:

Friday, February 17th – No School, Teacher Institute Day

Monday, February 20th – No School, President’s Day

Enjoy the time off!

First grade is SNOW much fun because…..
we get to learn. Emmitt
my teacher is nice. Mick
there are arts and crafts. Sadie-Grace
I have the best teacher and math is so much fun. Tyler
you get to learn how to read. Graham
we get to learn about space. Danielle
I get to play games. Matthew
of all the fun projects. Brady
of the star tickets. Karitsa
I like to make snowforts. Kai
I am learning to write. Lindsay
our teacher is the best. Ned
of gym class. Alex
you can read. Caden
you get to learn a lot. Athan
you teach me about the solar system. Marianna
you teach me. Hannah
I get to play with my friends. Blair
you learn. Will

It’ s getting colder!

Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.

Don’t forget to send them with hats, gloves/mittens, boots,

snow pants (when it snows), scarves, and warm coats!

Students go outside everyday for recess unless it is raining

or the wind chill is below 10 degrees.

Thank you!

We brainstormed words that made us think of November and came up with this awesome November alphabet!

November Alphabet

A… autumn

B… birds fly away

C… cool

D… dinner

E… eat turkey

F… family and friends

G… gets darker

H… hibernate

I… indian corn

J… jump in leaf piles

K… keep traditions

L… leaves

M… migrate

N… nuts

O… overhead, birds fly south

P… pumpkin and pecan pie

Q… quite a wonderful month!

R… rake leaves

S… squash

T… thanksgiving

U… underground burrows prepared

V… vegetables

W… work together

X… e”x”tra special season

Y… yummy

Z… zesty dishes to eat

Enjoy this wonderful month!

The Halloween Tradition continues at Avoca West!
 Here is some specific information regarding the First Grade Halloween parade and party!

The annual Halloween Costume Parade will take place at 1:15 p.m. Monday, October 31st.
 All parents are invited to watch our parade. It will be held outdoors, weather permitting – otherwise it will be indoors. Our party will begin right after the parade is over.

We will continue with our normal school day schedule on Halloween. Your child should come to school on Halloween with their costume in a bag labeled with their name. At 1:00 p.m. we will begin to change into our costumes. If you need to help your child get dressed, please come to your child’s classroom at 1:00 p.m.

Please remember that students should not bring toy weapons or dangerous props of any kind with their costumes.
 Masks should not be worn on the bus or while coming to or from school. All students should remember to stay with their class and in line during the parade.

Thank you for your help by reinforcing these guidelines with your child. We are looking forward to an enjoyable and safe Halloween celebration at school!

The First Grade Team

Here’s a snapshot of all the fun we are having in first grade!

New School Year 2011-2012-Medium

September 2, 2011

Dear Families,

First grade homework calendars and nightly reading calendars were sent home yesterday!  This year I will be sending homework calendars home at the beginning of each month. Please have your child complete the activities of his/her choice. The calendars should be signed and returned at the end of each month. The most important homework you can do with your child is to READ, READ, READ! Please make sure your child is reading at least twenty minutes per night. This can include reading to your child, your child reading to you, or shared reading. Please record and initial how long your child is reading on the reading calendar and send it back at the end of the month. New calendars will be sent home at the beginning of each month. Don’t forget to create a special place for your child to keep the math and reading materials and games that will be coming home. These are items that should be saved and played throughout the year!

I enjoyed meeting you at Orientation Night. Please let me know if you have any questions about what was explained or about anything included in your information packet.

Thank you for helping to make this a great year in first grade!

Mrs. Hargadon

August 25, 2011

Dear Families,

We have been learning more about one another these past few days. We completed our favorite things papers and then buddied up to interview one another.

Here is what we learned!

Graham, Brady, and Caden really like football.

Danielle’s favorite sport is tennis.

Matthew’s favorite TV show is Phineas and Ferb.

Hannah, Athan, Ned, and Will like soccer.

Tyler and Blair both chose summer as their favorite season.

Karitsa’s favorite sport is swimming.

Alex likes karate.

Emmitt and Sadie-Grace love dogs.

Lindsay’s favorite color is blue.

Mairanna’s favorite thing to read about are princesses.

Mick loves to play hockey.

Kai loves to eat hot dogs.

What a great bunch of students in our class!

Have a great weekend!