newsletters
I will post a monthly newsletter here with important information for the coming month. I will also post the highlights on the parents page and send emails about anything urgent!
March Newsletter
Book Fair
Shop 7:30am-3:30pm on February 29th-March 4th in the Media Center, with extended hours after school until 6:30pm on Wednesday, March 2nd. Want to volunteer at the fair? Follow this link to sign up.
Spring Break
Just a reminder that Spring Break will be 3/28 to 4/1!
Fun Friday
Friday, March 18th will be Favorite Sports Team Day.
Schedule Changes Due to Snow
Our next (and last) Delayed Opening is Thursday, March 17th. Doors open for students at 9:25. March 25th is now a regular school day.
Critical Thinking
Mrs. Eveleigh has been working with first graders to do lessons on critical thinking! Please be sure to ask your first grader about what they learn during these lessons.
Reading
Students will be practicing reading fluently or ‘reading with confidence’. Fluent readers pause or stop for punctuation and read phrases as chunks, rather than as words separated by pauses. After readers slow down or stop to figure out unfamiliar words, they should then reread the sentence more smoothly. Daily practice is key to improving reading skills. We are also working on comprehension skills, phonics, and continuing to work on reading with whole group and small group lessons.
Thank you for giving your child time and a quiet place to practice reading each day. Reading books more than once is recommended because it gives opportunity for more fluent reading.
Something you can do at home (if you have a computer with microphone access) is have your child record themselves reading a book, and then go back to listen to it. Having the child listen to their recorded voice can give them a view of their fluency or word-solving skills. Students can record their reading on the raz-kids.com site. They should listen to the book a few times first, then record themselves reading it. This is a valuable tool for students.
Writing
We are continuing work with book reviews, practicing spelling words, working on solidifying writing conventions, such as capitalization and punctuation, and also informational writing about our science work! At home, it’s great to encourage your child to make grocery lists, write a letter to a friend, or keep a journal about fun things that happen!
Math
Students will work on extending strategies for solving and explaining addition and subtraction problems. They will use their understanding of place value to solve addition and subtraction problems with two digit numbers.
Science
We are continuing to learn about Rocks and Soils. After this unit, we will learn about the human body while reinforcing reading skills and informational writing skills.
Grit, Growth Mindset, Creativity, and Innovation Grit- When students set goals and challenge themselves by persevering to meet their goals, even if the task is difficult or not personally engaging.
Growth Mindset- When students learn from their mistakes and seek to challenge themselves.
Creativity and Innovation- When students come up with unique solutions or different ways to do or solve something.
Save the Dates!
It is hard to believe that we have started the second half of the school year! The first grade classrooms continue to experience very full days with an emphasis on every child learning every day.
We will celebrate the 100th Day of School around February 9th and Valentine’s Day on February 12th. Your child’s teacher will be sending details regarding both of these events shortly.
Dates to Remember
Feb. 3rd-9th First Grade Canned food drive
Feb. 5th- Family Fun Night
Feb. 8th - PTA meeting, 6:30 pm. All parents welcome!
Feb. 15th- Now a school day!
Feb. 15th - SIT Meeting, 6:00 p.m. - Parents welcome for public comment at beginning of meeting
Feb. 18th - Delayed Opening
Feb. 29th - Estes Hills Book Fair
First Grade Learning
Reading– Every day, students read books at their appropriate reading level. Children also write about the books they read and work on spelling activities. Students also meet in small groups for reading instruction. We will work on reading with confidence and fluency, emphasizing reading in phrases rather than word by word, paying attention to punctuation, and reading smoothly, but not too rapidly.
Writing – We will be writing book reviews. Students should begin to be more accurate with capitalization and punctuation, and properly spelled first grade words.
Math – We will be working on measurement - using nonstandard units of measure to find the length of different objects, as well as comparing the lengths of different objects, and exploring results from measuring with different tools.This will be followed with more work on problem solving.
Science – Our unit of study is “Earth Materials”. Students will be learning about the physical properties of rocks, minerals, soils and water, and how people use Earth materials. Students will work collaboratively in hands-on lessons.
Social Studies - We will continue to talk about treating others with kindness and respect.
100th Day of School: Canned food collection
The first grade classes are working together to see if we can collect 100 cans of food by the 100th Day of School - Feb. 9th. Children can begin bringing cans of food to their classroom on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd. The cans of food will be donated to the Carrboro Food Pantry. Thank you for supporting our service project and making the 100th Day of School a special event for our students and the community.
Family Fun Night: The PTA sponsored Family Fun Night on Feb. 5th is a great opportunity for children and parents to enjoy crafts, music/dancing, Bingo, and a movie. Pizza will be available for sale. Come join in the fun with your entire family!!
Valentine’s Day This is a special holiday for First Graders. Students will celebrate by exchanging Valentine cards in class. These may be homemade cards or small cards that can be purchased in a box. Please do not go to the expense of buying large individual greeting cards. Your child’s teachers will send home a list of classmates’ names for this purpose. First grade classes will not be having “parties” with cakes, candies, chocolate, etc. The school policy is no candy treats as part of valentine card exchange.
Staying Healthy Especially during the winter season we are taking actions at school to keep our first graders healthy. We are washing hands, tables and supplies frequently. We go outside for fresh air whenever the ground is dry enough and the temperature is above 30 degrees. Thank you for helping us decrease the spread of illness by keeping children at home when they are sick. Students may only return to school after they have no fever or episodes of vomiting for at least 24 hours without medication.
Thank You!
Thank you for checking to make sure your child is reading each night.
Thank you for helping your child take care of library books and return them on time.
Thank you for sending in a small healthy snack for your child each day.
January Newsletter
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Dates to Remember
Monday, Jan. 11th - PTA meeting at 7:45 am in the cafeteria. All parents are welcome!
Friday, Jan. 15th – End of second quarter.
Monday, Jan. 18th – MLK Jr. Holiday – no school.
Tuesday, Jan. 19th - Teacher workday - no school for students.
Monday, Jan. 25th - School Improvement Team (SIT) meeting 6:00 pm in school library. All parents are welcome. Open for general parent comments at the beginning of the meeting.
Thursday, Jan. 28th - Delayed Opening - school opens at 9:25
Monday, Feb. 8th - PTA meeting at 7:45 am in the cafeteria. All parents are welcome!
First Grade Learning
Reading - Students continue to read independently, read with a partner, and/or read with a teacher daily. Each student has his/her own “book box” that contains “just right” or independent level books for reading on their own. Students may also bring in a book from home for reading time. We are working on decoding skills, retelling stories, comprehension, and fluency. Students are answering questions about what they are reading and are being asked to think deeply. They should be able to talk about what the characters are doing and saying, and also what characters could be thinking or feeling. Students will need to tell how they know, by referring back to the book for pertinent details and supporting evidence. We will be looking carefully at characters this month, too. (examining what we can learn about a character by looking at what they say and do, and comparing characters to one another)
Writing - Students will continue to practice writing short stories about things that are familiar to them. (parties, trips, fun with friends, pets, games, etc.) Students will be expected to check their work to see if it makes sense, sounds right, and has proper capitalization and punctuation.
Math - We will be working with place value: two and three digit numbers. Students will build these understandings:
Social Studies/Health - We will continue to reinforce the social skills that were taught and practiced in the Fall regarding being a good friend, being a helpful person, recognizing feelings in ourselves and others, how to respond to feelings of anger or disappointment, and how to react when others are angry or disappointed.
Science - End of January or beginning of February - we will begin a study of rocks and soil.
Things to ask or do with your child:
--“Can you tell me what is happening in this part of the story? How do you know?” (Child should refer back to a place in the book to support what they say)
--“How many tens are in this number?” (Give a two digit number)
--Play the game “I’m thinking of a number.” For example, tell that you are thinking of a number that has 7 tens and 3 ones and try to get them to guess that your number is 73.
Computers - Sites to use at home:
abcya.com offers a variety of language, math, and creative games. First Grade: practice spelling words with “fun with magnets,” get comfortable with the hundred chart with “100 Number Grid,” and practice skills with repeating patterns with “Moon Rock Patterns.” Look for Math Bingo in Third Grade to practice addition or subtraction facts.
spellingcity.com allows you to put in your own list of words. Then games are created using those words. This is helpful in practicing the first grade word list. If those are mastered, then the child can choose their own list of words.
raz-kids.com offers books to read or hear. Student can take a quiz to show level of understanding, and should try recording themselves reading a story after they have listened to it.
Thank You
Thank you for supporting us in the education of your child. We appreciate your help in our classrooms and your help at home in encouraging your child’s behavior as a responsible learner and hard-working student.
Thank you for continuing to allow your child have experiences with books at home. Each child should continue to read or be read to each night, and record the number of minutes on the homework calendar in the green folder.
Thank you for helping your child take care of library books and return them on time.
Thank you for sending in a healthy snack for your child each day. This has proven to give the energy boost necessary for good work habits throughout the morning.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions!
Thank you!
December Newsletter
READING
Fluency:
Re‐reading: Students benefit from reading favorite stories over and over. The Dr. Seuss books are great for this, though any favorite book, or words to a song or poem will do. Try reading using different voices for the characters, or in silly voices.
Comprehension:
Visualizing: Mental pictures are the ‘cinema unfolding in your mind‘ that make reading three-dimensional. Visualization helps readers engage with text in ways that make it personal and memorable. Readers adapt their images as they continue to read.
As you read aloud to your child, have them stop and make a mental picture of an aspect of the story. They can share what they visualize.
Ask your child what they imagine as you read. Try to incorporate the five senses: What do you hear? See? Smell? Taste? Feel?
Writing
Encourage your child to record their adventures and stories in a journal or scrapbook. Using a special journal or scrapbook can help motivate writing personal stories. Journals can include photos, mementos, and drawings. Winter holidays can be a good time to begin the journal.
Set aside a time at home to work on writing as a family. If you have paperwork to do, or other children have homework, use this time for quiet writing. Allow for time to read the journal or scrapbook together.
SPELLING
Numbers: Card Game
Ask for the cards you need to make the most 10's (similar to "Go Fish").
Players: 2–3
Deck: number cards only
Deal five cards to each player. Pile the rest face down. If you have two cards that make 10, put them down. Draw another card.
WEBSITES
Literacy-
Math-
Science-
November Newsletter
Dates to Remember
Nov. 3rd Teacher Workday: Parent-Teacher Conferences; No School for Students
Report cards will be distributed at the Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Nov 6th Payment for Field Trips is due. (Pay in full $10, or pay $5, then $5 by Dec. 4th.)
Nov. 9th PTA Meeting 6:30pm in the Media Center.. All parents welcome
Nov. 11th Veterans’ Day-No School
Nov. 16th SIT Meeting 6:00p.m. in school library
Nov. 25th Teacher Workday
Nov. 26th and 27th Fall Break- No school
Dec. 3rd Delayed Opening. School opens 2 hours late.
First Grade Learning
Literacy- Children continue to read independently and respond to their reading through discussions and writing. Students are using their “tools” to figure out tricky words. Some of the tools are: study the picture to get a sense of the story, look at the first letters of the word and say a word that matches the story and the letter sounds, look ‘through’ the whole word and “hunks & chunks” and smaller words. A very important skill is listening as you read and stopping if something doesn’t sound right or doesn’t make sense. Always ‘go back’ and try again if it doesn’t sound right or make sense. Students are also participating in discussions about their books. They are taught and encouraged to think about each page, think of questions about what they are reading and be able to contribute to discussions about the meaning of the text.
Writing- Children will continue to add to their collection of personal stories. Students are working on improving accuracy in spelling high frequency words, and writing sentences that sound right and make sense. We will be working on improving punctuation and capitalization throughout the year.
Math- We will be exploring subtraction, and using what we know about addition to help solve subtraction questions. Math problems can involve:
does he have now? and
Sol collected 10 rocks, then he lost some. Now he has 4. How
many did he lose?
Which boy lost more rocks?
Field Trips- Information about the field trips planned for this school year was sent home in October. Parents can send in funds to support these trips in one payment or in two payments. The first payment is needed by November 6th in order to pay for our field trip at the end of this month. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have questions or concerns. Jordan Lake Educational Forest: Students will learn about predators and prey, and will examine live organisms from the pond. We will eat lunch in the park pavilion.
Burk and Bunzey: Nov. 19 Sternowski and Fuller: Nov. 20
Science- Thank you to all those who came out to our first grade science night last month. The children were very excited to demonstrate what they learned about foundations of physics. During the next few weeks we will be studying animals and their habitats. Students will be exploring physical characteristics of animals and similarities and differences among North Carolina and world habitats. They will be working with a partner to complete their research and display projects about habitats. Parents will be invited to see the student work near the end of November.
Social Studies/Health- We will continue to teach the children about feelings, how to empathize with others, and how to solve problems or disagreements thoughtfully. Our Second Step lessons support these concepts. Discussions about nutrition {how important it is to eat your whole lunch/snack} and exercise {moving during recess and brain breaks} are held regularly.
Student Behavior- Students are held to high expectations for showing safe, respectful behavior at school. We appreciate all that you do to support us with this when you encourage your child and reinforce the importance of being respectful at home and at school. Teaching and learning is much more successful when students are following our class rules. We have been talking about not giving up (showing grit) and working hard and participating with good effort during the entire school day.
Reminders
Since the weather is getting colder, please send in a set of extra clothes that are more weather appropriate (ex: long sleeved shirts, pants, socks, etc.) When we get the new set, we will send home the shorts and summer shirts that were sent in earlier in the year.
The first quarter has come to a close and we are looking forward to meeting with each of you for parent teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress. Report cards will be given to you at your conference. If you have not signed up for a conference time, or need more information please contact your child’s teacher right away. Please let the teacher know if your plans have changed and you will not be able to meet at your scheduled time.
As cold and flu season gets into full swing, we are trying hard to keep germs at bay. We wash hands often, use Lysol products on tables, keyboards, etc. and encourage proper techniques for sneezing and coughing (into the elbow!) When children are sick, they need to remain out of school until they are free of fever (without medication) or vomiting for a full 24 hours. This is a strict policy that is enforced to stop the spread of very contagious viruses etc.
Thank You!
Thank you for signing up to meet with your child’s teacher during conference time! Please let the teacher know if you will not be able to meet at your scheduled time for any reason.
Thank you for sending a healthy snack with your child each day.
Thank you for checking your child’s folder each night for school information. This is a good way for you to stay informed about first grade activities and school events. Please remind your child to bring their folder back every day.
Thank you for helping your child take responsibility for school library books by storing them in a safe place and returning them on time.
Thank you for continuing to read daily with your child. Students may read or be read to; Reading online counts, too. (raz-kids.com for example)
October Newsletter
Hello Families!
We have had a great first month of school together! Thank you so much for reading with your children at night. It makes an incredible difference in the classroom! I am so proud of all the progress we are making together already.
I wanted to let you know about some dates coming up in the next month.
October 10th: Walk for Education... Information here
October 12th: SAVE THE DATE for First Grade Science Night! Please plan to join us at the school from 5:30-6:30 as we explore first grade science! We will talk about forces and motion. Your students will have a chance to show you the tools they have been using and everything they have learned about so far!
October 15th: Delayed Opening (school starts at 9:50am and dismisses at the regular time)
October 23rd: End of first quarter
October 30th: FUN FRIDAY— Mismatched Clothes Day
This is a description of the material we have been covering and will continue to work on in the coming weeks.
Math
Exploring math manipulatives and learning to use them independently
Learning to play several different math games with a partner/independently
Subitizing (commonly with a tens frame or dice: recognizing a representation of a number quickly and without having to count them)
Learning the different numbers that add up to ten as a way to introduce the meaning of the equal sign and basic addition skills
Showing how we know the answer to a math problem (picture, word, number)
Assessing (whole group and 1-on-1) to further determine student needs
Reading
Reading to self for longer periods of time. This takes a long time to get used to and we are getting better every day.
Taking care of books (how to pick them out, turn the pages, put them away, etc.)
Taking turns with reading/listening to a partner (Read to Someone)
Using the pictures and other words in the story to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
Visualizing a story even when the pictures aren't shown (Mr. Brian)
Assessing (whole group and 1-on-1) to further determine student needs
Science
Learning about balancing objects, force, and motion using many different tools
Explaining our thinking to the class when observing (what is happening now) and wondering (what might/could happen)
Technology
Learning rules and procedures for student laptops and iPads
Writing core words with our fingers to build finger strength for improved handwriting
**Ask your student about the things we are learning in class. Talking about it at home will only help them at school!
Parent Volunteers
I would love to have classroom volunteers this year. Since it is my first year teaching I am still figuring out the different ways it is possible to have parents and other family members involved in the class. That being said, I have some Volunteer opportunities that will start whenever we have volunteers ready
Library Helper - This would be someone coming in the afternoon for about an hour and helping small groups of students (about 5 at a time) go to the library to check out books.
Morning Reading Helper: This would only be for 15-20 minutes in the morning right after students are dropped off. I would assign you a student and ask you to read a book with that student. After they finished reading you would check off on a list whether or not that student read the book proficiently or not. You would be with the same student(s) for multiple weeks and would help me monitor their progress.
Seasonal Door Decorator- We are having a fall door decorating contest for the months of September and October. The class really loves having our door decorated and I would love some parents who are interested in arts and crafts to help me keep the door decorated year round
Testing helper: I love to progress monitor and keep data so that each student can be learn on their exact level. This requires a lot of data acquisition which takes instructional time. Right now I am looking for a few volunteers to come in and ask students to spell words off of the First Grade Core Words list to determine how many words they have left to learn. This will help me plan my reading and writing small group instruction. I would only do this for about an hour at a time.
**Times with these are flexible, especially in the afternoons, so please let me know if you are available and willing to help.
Thank you so much for your wonderful children. I love being their teacher! Have a great October!
Book Fair
Shop 7:30am-3:30pm on February 29th-March 4th in the Media Center, with extended hours after school until 6:30pm on Wednesday, March 2nd. Want to volunteer at the fair? Follow this link to sign up.
Spring Break
Just a reminder that Spring Break will be 3/28 to 4/1!
Fun Friday
Friday, March 18th will be Favorite Sports Team Day.
Schedule Changes Due to Snow
Our next (and last) Delayed Opening is Thursday, March 17th. Doors open for students at 9:25. March 25th is now a regular school day.
Critical Thinking
Mrs. Eveleigh has been working with first graders to do lessons on critical thinking! Please be sure to ask your first grader about what they learn during these lessons.
Reading
Students will be practicing reading fluently or ‘reading with confidence’. Fluent readers pause or stop for punctuation and read phrases as chunks, rather than as words separated by pauses. After readers slow down or stop to figure out unfamiliar words, they should then reread the sentence more smoothly. Daily practice is key to improving reading skills. We are also working on comprehension skills, phonics, and continuing to work on reading with whole group and small group lessons.
Thank you for giving your child time and a quiet place to practice reading each day. Reading books more than once is recommended because it gives opportunity for more fluent reading.
Something you can do at home (if you have a computer with microphone access) is have your child record themselves reading a book, and then go back to listen to it. Having the child listen to their recorded voice can give them a view of their fluency or word-solving skills. Students can record their reading on the raz-kids.com site. They should listen to the book a few times first, then record themselves reading it. This is a valuable tool for students.
Writing
We are continuing work with book reviews, practicing spelling words, working on solidifying writing conventions, such as capitalization and punctuation, and also informational writing about our science work! At home, it’s great to encourage your child to make grocery lists, write a letter to a friend, or keep a journal about fun things that happen!
Math
Students will work on extending strategies for solving and explaining addition and subtraction problems. They will use their understanding of place value to solve addition and subtraction problems with two digit numbers.
Science
We are continuing to learn about Rocks and Soils. After this unit, we will learn about the human body while reinforcing reading skills and informational writing skills.
Grit, Growth Mindset, Creativity, and Innovation Grit- When students set goals and challenge themselves by persevering to meet their goals, even if the task is difficult or not personally engaging.
Growth Mindset- When students learn from their mistakes and seek to challenge themselves.
Creativity and Innovation- When students come up with unique solutions or different ways to do or solve something.
Save the Dates!
- February 29th - March 4th- Book Fair in the Media Center
- March 14th- PTA Meeting at 6:30 in the Media Center
- March 17th- Delayed Opening
- March 19th- Public School Foundation’s 5k for Fitness
- March 21st- School Improvement Team Meeting at 6:00 in the Media Center
- March 22- Planetarium staff will teach about animals.
- March 25th- Now a regular school day
- March 28th - April 1st- Spring Break
- April 4th- School Resumes (now a regular school day)
It is hard to believe that we have started the second half of the school year! The first grade classrooms continue to experience very full days with an emphasis on every child learning every day.
We will celebrate the 100th Day of School around February 9th and Valentine’s Day on February 12th. Your child’s teacher will be sending details regarding both of these events shortly.
Dates to Remember
Feb. 3rd-9th First Grade Canned food drive
Feb. 5th- Family Fun Night
Feb. 8th - PTA meeting, 6:30 pm. All parents welcome!
Feb. 15th- Now a school day!
Feb. 15th - SIT Meeting, 6:00 p.m. - Parents welcome for public comment at beginning of meeting
Feb. 18th - Delayed Opening
Feb. 29th - Estes Hills Book Fair
First Grade Learning
Reading– Every day, students read books at their appropriate reading level. Children also write about the books they read and work on spelling activities. Students also meet in small groups for reading instruction. We will work on reading with confidence and fluency, emphasizing reading in phrases rather than word by word, paying attention to punctuation, and reading smoothly, but not too rapidly.
Writing – We will be writing book reviews. Students should begin to be more accurate with capitalization and punctuation, and properly spelled first grade words.
Math – We will be working on measurement - using nonstandard units of measure to find the length of different objects, as well as comparing the lengths of different objects, and exploring results from measuring with different tools.This will be followed with more work on problem solving.
Science – Our unit of study is “Earth Materials”. Students will be learning about the physical properties of rocks, minerals, soils and water, and how people use Earth materials. Students will work collaboratively in hands-on lessons.
Social Studies - We will continue to talk about treating others with kindness and respect.
100th Day of School: Canned food collection
The first grade classes are working together to see if we can collect 100 cans of food by the 100th Day of School - Feb. 9th. Children can begin bringing cans of food to their classroom on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd. The cans of food will be donated to the Carrboro Food Pantry. Thank you for supporting our service project and making the 100th Day of School a special event for our students and the community.
Family Fun Night: The PTA sponsored Family Fun Night on Feb. 5th is a great opportunity for children and parents to enjoy crafts, music/dancing, Bingo, and a movie. Pizza will be available for sale. Come join in the fun with your entire family!!
Valentine’s Day This is a special holiday for First Graders. Students will celebrate by exchanging Valentine cards in class. These may be homemade cards or small cards that can be purchased in a box. Please do not go to the expense of buying large individual greeting cards. Your child’s teachers will send home a list of classmates’ names for this purpose. First grade classes will not be having “parties” with cakes, candies, chocolate, etc. The school policy is no candy treats as part of valentine card exchange.
Staying Healthy Especially during the winter season we are taking actions at school to keep our first graders healthy. We are washing hands, tables and supplies frequently. We go outside for fresh air whenever the ground is dry enough and the temperature is above 30 degrees. Thank you for helping us decrease the spread of illness by keeping children at home when they are sick. Students may only return to school after they have no fever or episodes of vomiting for at least 24 hours without medication.
Thank You!
Thank you for checking to make sure your child is reading each night.
Thank you for helping your child take care of library books and return them on time.
Thank you for sending in a small healthy snack for your child each day.
January Newsletter
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Dates to Remember
Monday, Jan. 11th - PTA meeting at 7:45 am in the cafeteria. All parents are welcome!
Friday, Jan. 15th – End of second quarter.
Monday, Jan. 18th – MLK Jr. Holiday – no school.
Tuesday, Jan. 19th - Teacher workday - no school for students.
Monday, Jan. 25th - School Improvement Team (SIT) meeting 6:00 pm in school library. All parents are welcome. Open for general parent comments at the beginning of the meeting.
Thursday, Jan. 28th - Delayed Opening - school opens at 9:25
Monday, Feb. 8th - PTA meeting at 7:45 am in the cafeteria. All parents are welcome!
First Grade Learning
Reading - Students continue to read independently, read with a partner, and/or read with a teacher daily. Each student has his/her own “book box” that contains “just right” or independent level books for reading on their own. Students may also bring in a book from home for reading time. We are working on decoding skills, retelling stories, comprehension, and fluency. Students are answering questions about what they are reading and are being asked to think deeply. They should be able to talk about what the characters are doing and saying, and also what characters could be thinking or feeling. Students will need to tell how they know, by referring back to the book for pertinent details and supporting evidence. We will be looking carefully at characters this month, too. (examining what we can learn about a character by looking at what they say and do, and comparing characters to one another)
Writing - Students will continue to practice writing short stories about things that are familiar to them. (parties, trips, fun with friends, pets, games, etc.) Students will be expected to check their work to see if it makes sense, sounds right, and has proper capitalization and punctuation.
Math - We will be working with place value: two and three digit numbers. Students will build these understandings:
- these amounts are made up of groups of tens with some ones
- ten ones is the same amount as one ten. (This seems natural to adults, but it is a big concept for first graders to master.)
- 40+3=43 means that 4 tens and 3 ones = 43. (example)
- compare two numbers using < and > correctly
Social Studies/Health - We will continue to reinforce the social skills that were taught and practiced in the Fall regarding being a good friend, being a helpful person, recognizing feelings in ourselves and others, how to respond to feelings of anger or disappointment, and how to react when others are angry or disappointed.
Science - End of January or beginning of February - we will begin a study of rocks and soil.
Things to ask or do with your child:
--“Can you tell me what is happening in this part of the story? How do you know?” (Child should refer back to a place in the book to support what they say)
--“How many tens are in this number?” (Give a two digit number)
--Play the game “I’m thinking of a number.” For example, tell that you are thinking of a number that has 7 tens and 3 ones and try to get them to guess that your number is 73.
Computers - Sites to use at home:
abcya.com offers a variety of language, math, and creative games. First Grade: practice spelling words with “fun with magnets,” get comfortable with the hundred chart with “100 Number Grid,” and practice skills with repeating patterns with “Moon Rock Patterns.” Look for Math Bingo in Third Grade to practice addition or subtraction facts.
spellingcity.com allows you to put in your own list of words. Then games are created using those words. This is helpful in practicing the first grade word list. If those are mastered, then the child can choose their own list of words.
raz-kids.com offers books to read or hear. Student can take a quiz to show level of understanding, and should try recording themselves reading a story after they have listened to it.
Thank You
Thank you for supporting us in the education of your child. We appreciate your help in our classrooms and your help at home in encouraging your child’s behavior as a responsible learner and hard-working student.
Thank you for continuing to allow your child have experiences with books at home. Each child should continue to read or be read to each night, and record the number of minutes on the homework calendar in the green folder.
Thank you for helping your child take care of library books and return them on time.
Thank you for sending in a healthy snack for your child each day. This has proven to give the energy boost necessary for good work habits throughout the morning.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions!
Thank you!
December Newsletter
READING
Fluency:
Re‐reading: Students benefit from reading favorite stories over and over. The Dr. Seuss books are great for this, though any favorite book, or words to a song or poem will do. Try reading using different voices for the characters, or in silly voices.
Comprehension:
Visualizing: Mental pictures are the ‘cinema unfolding in your mind‘ that make reading three-dimensional. Visualization helps readers engage with text in ways that make it personal and memorable. Readers adapt their images as they continue to read.
As you read aloud to your child, have them stop and make a mental picture of an aspect of the story. They can share what they visualize.
Ask your child what they imagine as you read. Try to incorporate the five senses: What do you hear? See? Smell? Taste? Feel?
Writing
Encourage your child to record their adventures and stories in a journal or scrapbook. Using a special journal or scrapbook can help motivate writing personal stories. Journals can include photos, mementos, and drawings. Winter holidays can be a good time to begin the journal.
Set aside a time at home to work on writing as a family. If you have paperwork to do, or other children have homework, use this time for quiet writing. Allow for time to read the journal or scrapbook together.
SPELLING
- Use any board game… Keep a list of high frequency words on hand. After each dice roll or turn, give your child a word to spell. If they spell it right,
- Mix the letters to spell the word. Child needs to unscramble the word.
- Practice spelling words using colored pencils, pens, or markers.
- Website: spellingcity.com lets you enter any list of words and then makes games using your word list.
Numbers: Card Game
Ask for the cards you need to make the most 10's (similar to "Go Fish").
Players: 2–3
Deck: number cards only
Deal five cards to each player. Pile the rest face down. If you have two cards that make 10, put them down. Draw another card.
- Take turns. On your turn:
- » Ask a player for a card that goes with a card in your hand to make 10.
- » If you get what you ask for, put down the pair.
- Draw a card. If you have a pair that makes 10, put it down. If you use up your cards, draw a card.
- Play until the deck is used up. The player with the most pairs wins.
- Easier version: Use cards 0–5. Make pairs that total 5.
- Make a food-wreath for birds. Use a grapevine wreath, pine cone, or plastic lid as a base. Cover with peanut butter or suet and add whole sunflowers, popcorn, bird seed, and dried flowers to attract birds. Hang on a tree outside.
WEBSITES
Literacy-
- http://www.raz-kids.com/ (Your child can listen to stories, read stories, record stories, take quizes after stories)
- http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/auto_login.asp?U=esteshills&P=books (Your child can listen to a story on the computer)
- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/wordfamily/ (Your child can sort words by the word family chunk)
- http://www.starfall.com/ (basic spelling)
Math-
- Illuminations (check ‘interactive’ if needed for a list of many math activities)
- nrichmaths Explore here for math challenges that family members can work on together.
Science-
November Newsletter
Dates to Remember
Nov. 3rd Teacher Workday: Parent-Teacher Conferences; No School for Students
Report cards will be distributed at the Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Nov 6th Payment for Field Trips is due. (Pay in full $10, or pay $5, then $5 by Dec. 4th.)
Nov. 9th PTA Meeting 6:30pm in the Media Center.. All parents welcome
Nov. 11th Veterans’ Day-No School
Nov. 16th SIT Meeting 6:00p.m. in school library
Nov. 25th Teacher Workday
Nov. 26th and 27th Fall Break- No school
Dec. 3rd Delayed Opening. School opens 2 hours late.
First Grade Learning
Literacy- Children continue to read independently and respond to their reading through discussions and writing. Students are using their “tools” to figure out tricky words. Some of the tools are: study the picture to get a sense of the story, look at the first letters of the word and say a word that matches the story and the letter sounds, look ‘through’ the whole word and “hunks & chunks” and smaller words. A very important skill is listening as you read and stopping if something doesn’t sound right or doesn’t make sense. Always ‘go back’ and try again if it doesn’t sound right or make sense. Students are also participating in discussions about their books. They are taught and encouraged to think about each page, think of questions about what they are reading and be able to contribute to discussions about the meaning of the text.
Writing- Children will continue to add to their collection of personal stories. Students are working on improving accuracy in spelling high frequency words, and writing sentences that sound right and make sense. We will be working on improving punctuation and capitalization throughout the year.
Math- We will be exploring subtraction, and using what we know about addition to help solve subtraction questions. Math problems can involve:
- taking a small group away from a larger group, and finding the difference, such as 8 - 5 = 3
- figuring out how much was taken from the larger group in problems such as 10 - ? = 2
- knowing how to understand what is happening in questions such as
does he have now? and
Sol collected 10 rocks, then he lost some. Now he has 4. How
many did he lose?
- Then students may be asked to compare the information to answer:
Which boy lost more rocks?
- Students will be working on explaining their thinking verbally and in writing.
Field Trips- Information about the field trips planned for this school year was sent home in October. Parents can send in funds to support these trips in one payment or in two payments. The first payment is needed by November 6th in order to pay for our field trip at the end of this month. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have questions or concerns. Jordan Lake Educational Forest: Students will learn about predators and prey, and will examine live organisms from the pond. We will eat lunch in the park pavilion.
Burk and Bunzey: Nov. 19 Sternowski and Fuller: Nov. 20
Science- Thank you to all those who came out to our first grade science night last month. The children were very excited to demonstrate what they learned about foundations of physics. During the next few weeks we will be studying animals and their habitats. Students will be exploring physical characteristics of animals and similarities and differences among North Carolina and world habitats. They will be working with a partner to complete their research and display projects about habitats. Parents will be invited to see the student work near the end of November.
Social Studies/Health- We will continue to teach the children about feelings, how to empathize with others, and how to solve problems or disagreements thoughtfully. Our Second Step lessons support these concepts. Discussions about nutrition {how important it is to eat your whole lunch/snack} and exercise {moving during recess and brain breaks} are held regularly.
Student Behavior- Students are held to high expectations for showing safe, respectful behavior at school. We appreciate all that you do to support us with this when you encourage your child and reinforce the importance of being respectful at home and at school. Teaching and learning is much more successful when students are following our class rules. We have been talking about not giving up (showing grit) and working hard and participating with good effort during the entire school day.
Reminders
Since the weather is getting colder, please send in a set of extra clothes that are more weather appropriate (ex: long sleeved shirts, pants, socks, etc.) When we get the new set, we will send home the shorts and summer shirts that were sent in earlier in the year.
The first quarter has come to a close and we are looking forward to meeting with each of you for parent teacher conferences to discuss your child’s progress. Report cards will be given to you at your conference. If you have not signed up for a conference time, or need more information please contact your child’s teacher right away. Please let the teacher know if your plans have changed and you will not be able to meet at your scheduled time.
As cold and flu season gets into full swing, we are trying hard to keep germs at bay. We wash hands often, use Lysol products on tables, keyboards, etc. and encourage proper techniques for sneezing and coughing (into the elbow!) When children are sick, they need to remain out of school until they are free of fever (without medication) or vomiting for a full 24 hours. This is a strict policy that is enforced to stop the spread of very contagious viruses etc.
Thank You!
Thank you for signing up to meet with your child’s teacher during conference time! Please let the teacher know if you will not be able to meet at your scheduled time for any reason.
Thank you for sending a healthy snack with your child each day.
Thank you for checking your child’s folder each night for school information. This is a good way for you to stay informed about first grade activities and school events. Please remind your child to bring their folder back every day.
Thank you for helping your child take responsibility for school library books by storing them in a safe place and returning them on time.
Thank you for continuing to read daily with your child. Students may read or be read to; Reading online counts, too. (raz-kids.com for example)
October Newsletter
Hello Families!
We have had a great first month of school together! Thank you so much for reading with your children at night. It makes an incredible difference in the classroom! I am so proud of all the progress we are making together already.
I wanted to let you know about some dates coming up in the next month.
October 10th: Walk for Education... Information here
October 12th: SAVE THE DATE for First Grade Science Night! Please plan to join us at the school from 5:30-6:30 as we explore first grade science! We will talk about forces and motion. Your students will have a chance to show you the tools they have been using and everything they have learned about so far!
October 15th: Delayed Opening (school starts at 9:50am and dismisses at the regular time)
October 23rd: End of first quarter
October 30th: FUN FRIDAY— Mismatched Clothes Day
This is a description of the material we have been covering and will continue to work on in the coming weeks.
Math
Exploring math manipulatives and learning to use them independently
Learning to play several different math games with a partner/independently
Subitizing (commonly with a tens frame or dice: recognizing a representation of a number quickly and without having to count them)
Learning the different numbers that add up to ten as a way to introduce the meaning of the equal sign and basic addition skills
Showing how we know the answer to a math problem (picture, word, number)
Assessing (whole group and 1-on-1) to further determine student needs
Reading
Reading to self for longer periods of time. This takes a long time to get used to and we are getting better every day.
Taking care of books (how to pick them out, turn the pages, put them away, etc.)
Taking turns with reading/listening to a partner (Read to Someone)
Using the pictures and other words in the story to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
Visualizing a story even when the pictures aren't shown (Mr. Brian)
Assessing (whole group and 1-on-1) to further determine student needs
Science
Learning about balancing objects, force, and motion using many different tools
Explaining our thinking to the class when observing (what is happening now) and wondering (what might/could happen)
Technology
Learning rules and procedures for student laptops and iPads
Writing core words with our fingers to build finger strength for improved handwriting
**Ask your student about the things we are learning in class. Talking about it at home will only help them at school!
Parent Volunteers
I would love to have classroom volunteers this year. Since it is my first year teaching I am still figuring out the different ways it is possible to have parents and other family members involved in the class. That being said, I have some Volunteer opportunities that will start whenever we have volunteers ready
Library Helper - This would be someone coming in the afternoon for about an hour and helping small groups of students (about 5 at a time) go to the library to check out books.
Morning Reading Helper: This would only be for 15-20 minutes in the morning right after students are dropped off. I would assign you a student and ask you to read a book with that student. After they finished reading you would check off on a list whether or not that student read the book proficiently or not. You would be with the same student(s) for multiple weeks and would help me monitor their progress.
Seasonal Door Decorator- We are having a fall door decorating contest for the months of September and October. The class really loves having our door decorated and I would love some parents who are interested in arts and crafts to help me keep the door decorated year round
Testing helper: I love to progress monitor and keep data so that each student can be learn on their exact level. This requires a lot of data acquisition which takes instructional time. Right now I am looking for a few volunteers to come in and ask students to spell words off of the First Grade Core Words list to determine how many words they have left to learn. This will help me plan my reading and writing small group instruction. I would only do this for about an hour at a time.
**Times with these are flexible, especially in the afternoons, so please let me know if you are available and willing to help.
Thank you so much for your wonderful children. I love being their teacher! Have a great October!
September Newsletter
Hello Families!
We have had an amazing first week of first grade. Mrs. Anbar and I are loving getting to know all our new students and their sweet personalities. I am a brand new teacher, both in the teaching profession and at Estes Hills, and I am so impressed with this wonderful school already. I graduated in May from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Behavioral Studies and a minor in Spanish. I also got married in the beginning of August! I want you all to know that because I am in the process of changing my name. That is why my email address still has my maiden name, Mitterling, in it. I cannot get a new email until my name change is official. So all the students know me as Mrs. Bunzey, but my email will be [email protected] until my name change processes fully.
I welcome any questions so please email me if any at all come up. You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Let’s work together to make this their best year yet!
I want to give you all an idea of what has been going on in the classroom and what our year will look like together. Our daily schedule is as follows:
Morning Meeting 8:00-8:20
9.9 Intervention Time 8:20-8:50
Math 8:50-9:50
Snack 9:50-10:00
Specials 10:00-11:00
Recess 11:00-11:30
Lunch 11:30-12:00
Daily 5/Literacy Block 12:10-1:45
Writing/Social Studies/Science 1:45-2:15
At the beginning of the year things might be a little different as we work on getting to know one another and get to know the school better.
I would also like to know your preferred method of communication with me. Please write your name and check next to one of the following:
Name___________________________
___Email [email address_________________] ___Phone [phone # ___________________]
___Paper in folders
As I said, I welcome any questions you may have! I look forward to meeting you all at Open House on September 9th. Let’s have an awesome school year!
Mrs. Bunzey
Hello Families!
We have had an amazing first week of first grade. Mrs. Anbar and I are loving getting to know all our new students and their sweet personalities. I am a brand new teacher, both in the teaching profession and at Estes Hills, and I am so impressed with this wonderful school already. I graduated in May from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Behavioral Studies and a minor in Spanish. I also got married in the beginning of August! I want you all to know that because I am in the process of changing my name. That is why my email address still has my maiden name, Mitterling, in it. I cannot get a new email until my name change is official. So all the students know me as Mrs. Bunzey, but my email will be [email protected] until my name change processes fully.
I welcome any questions so please email me if any at all come up. You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Let’s work together to make this their best year yet!
I want to give you all an idea of what has been going on in the classroom and what our year will look like together. Our daily schedule is as follows:
Morning Meeting 8:00-8:20
9.9 Intervention Time 8:20-8:50
Math 8:50-9:50
Snack 9:50-10:00
Specials 10:00-11:00
Recess 11:00-11:30
Lunch 11:30-12:00
Daily 5/Literacy Block 12:10-1:45
Writing/Social Studies/Science 1:45-2:15
At the beginning of the year things might be a little different as we work on getting to know one another and get to know the school better.
I would also like to know your preferred method of communication with me. Please write your name and check next to one of the following:
Name___________________________
___Email [email address_________________] ___Phone [phone # ___________________]
___Paper in folders
As I said, I welcome any questions you may have! I look forward to meeting you all at Open House on September 9th. Let’s have an awesome school year!
Mrs. Bunzey