August 21st - August 25th

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

How does Daily 5 look and sound?

Building stamina during Read to Self

Three ways to read a book (read the pictures, read the words, & retell a familiar story)

Writing:

How does Writer’s Workshop look and sound?

District Narrative Writing Prompt

Math:

What does Math Workshop look and sound like?

Introduced the following math vocabulary: add, sum, plus, equal, & equation

Theme:

Building a classroom community

Before you speak, think and be smart. It’s hard to fix a wrinkled heart.

Special Thanks

I want to send out a special thanks to all who donated items from our classroom wish list!  We greatly appreciate your generosity.  These items will help us have a productive year! Feel free to frequently view our classroom website where I will post items throughout the year as we need them.   

Math Homework

First of all, I am not a big supporter of having homework every night.  I am a firm believer that your child has worked hard all day at school, and they need a break at home.  Also, as a mother, I know how important family time is.  Because of this, I will not be making homework mandatory.  It will be sent home but you have the option of completing it with your child.  My hope is that you can use this as a resource to help your child and to understand what we are learning in the classroom. If you complete the homework with your child, that is FANTASTIC! Simply place it back in your kiddo’s folder, and I will celebrate them for continuing to learn at home.

Text Reminders

Make sure you sign up to receive text reminders from me. It will only take a minute to set up!

Dates to Remember

September 1st: No School

September 4th: No School

Welcome First Grade Families!

Hello First Grade Families! Can you believe that summer break is coming to an end and a new school year is about to begin? I am excited about the upcoming school year and wanted to update you on some important information.  Meet the Teacher Night will take place on Tuesday, August 15^th, from 6-7:30 pm. On that night, you may visit the classroom, drop off school supplies, and fill out important paperwork.  Bringing your child’s school supplies that night will help get our first day off to a great start. 

Mrs. Happel’s School Supply List

1 pair of scissors

1 small school box

2 packages of black dry erase markers

2 boxes of 24 count crayons

1 package of yellow 24 count #2 pencils

1 inch 3 ring binder (new or used)

4 glue sticks

1 spiral notebook

1 small flashlight

Wish List Items

Washable markers

Extra black dry erase markers

post-it/sticky notes

****We do NOT need tissues! J****

You might notice that the list is slightly different from the district supply list.  I only included items that we will actually use in hopes of saving you a little money.

Our first day of school will be on Thursday, August 17th.  The first bell rings at 8:20 and school officially starts at 8:40 each day.

I look forward to meeting you all at Meet the Teacher Night!

Mrs. Happel :0)

Hello First Grade Families! Here are some things to remember:

Summer School

Summer school information is coming home in your kiddo’s folder today.  I always encourage all first graders to attend.  Summer school is a great way to ensure your child does not regress over the long summer months. If this is something you want your child to participate in, you have to register them online: https://docs.google.com/a/willardschools.net/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5UH608gGTEXuVusy6JSNeaN3kVJu6bjFcVIOFa6q-6yUmtw/viewform?c=0&w=1

Make-Up Snow Day

***We HAVE school April 17^th.***  The district decided this will be our make-up snow day. We do NOT have school this Friday (April 14^th).

Field Trip to the Nature Center

Don’t forget our field trip to the Nature Center is April 20^th.  Additional information will be sent home next week.  

March 20th - March 24th

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

Fluency

Good readers pay attention to punctuation and change their voice accordingly

Good readers scoop words into phrases

Word Work:

Popcorn Words: ready, might, suddenly, special, & beautiful

Word Chunk: “oo” (book) and “oo” (moon)

Word Family: “_ing”

Writing:

Writing Realistic Fiction Stories

Writing stories that have characters, a problem, and a solution

Writing an interesting beginning to our stories

Math:

Subtracting tens from any number between 10-100

Using a number line to subtract

Topic 11 assessment

Theme:

St. Patrick’s Day

I am lucky because…

Four leaf clover craft

Wonder Table

Now that spring has finally arrived, I would love to update our wonder table.  Keep an eye out for spring time items that we can observe. Your child is invited to bring in budding flowers, interesting plants, and yes…even insects (no spiders please)! All I am asking is that you make sure all insects are in a secure container.  We will observe them and then release them outside.  Keep your eyes open for signs of spring!

Spring Conferences

This year Spring Conferences will be March  28th and 30th. These conferences will be different from fall conferences in that they are not student-led but more conversation focused and a chance to look at data about your child’s growth this year. I am asking that your child does not attend.

Dates to Remember

March 28th & 30th: Spring Conferences

March 31st: No School

April 17th: Make Up Snow Day

April 20th: Field Trip to the Nature Center

May 19th: Last Day of School

February 27th - March 3rd

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

End of the quarter reading assessments

Dr. Seuss author study

Word Work:

Popcorn Words: together, begin, goes, each, again

Word Chunk: “ow” (bow) and “ow” (cow)

Word Family: “_eep”

Writing:

Opinion Writing

Third quarter opinion writing prompt (this piece will be scored using a rubric and will be reflected on your child’s grade card)

Math:

Multiple strategies for adding two-digit numbers by tens and ones

Topic 10 assessment

Begin topic 11

Using addition knowledge to make sense of subtraction

Theme:

American Symbols

Researching the American Flag, the Liberty Bell, and the Bald Eagle

First Grade Musical

Hello First Grade Families! The First Grade Musical will be Thursday, March 9th at 7:00. Your kiddo has been very busy rehearsing, and I have heard it is going to be quite the performance. Here are some details about that night you might want to be aware of:

* I will be in the room around 6:30.  You can drop your child off there and then find a place to sit to enjoy the show.

* If your child does not have a costume to wear, they should wear their WOHE shirt.

*When the program is over, you can pick up your child directly from the commons area. 

Come and enjoy the show! See you all on Thursday night!

Spring Conferences

This year Spring Conferences will be March 28th and 30th. These conferences will be different from fall conferences in that they are not student-led but more conversation focused and a chance to look at data about your child’s growth this year. I am asking that your child does not attend. Information was sent home on Friday. 

Dates to Remember

March 9th: First Grade Music Program 2:30 & 7:00

March 10th: Dismiss at 12:30

March 13th- 17th: Spring Break

March 28th & 30th: Spring Conferences

April 20th: Field Trip to the Nature Center

February 13th - February 17th

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

Good readers go back in the book they are reading to find answers to questions

Word Work:

Popcorn Words: out, quit, teacher, rain, favorite

Word Chunk: “ay” and “ai”

Word Family: “_ick”

Writing:

Opinion Writing

Brainstormed topics that we can write opinions about

Adding more details to our opinion writing

Math:

Topic 9 assessment

Counting 10s to add two digit numbers

Adding 10 to any number mentally

Theme:

Who was George Washington?

Who was Abraham Lincoln?

President silhouette project

McTeacher Night

On February 28th from 4-8pm come and support Orchard Hills at the McDonalds on Chestnut Expressway and West Bypass.  WOHE gets a portion of the sales. The best part is that the faculty from Orchard Hills will be taking orders, selling cookies, and having fun!  I will be there from 4-5pm. Come, have dinner, and help support our school!

Spring Conferences

This year Spring Conferences will be March  28th and 30th. These conferences will be different from fall conferences in that they are not student-led but more conversation focused and a chance to look at data about your child’s growth this year. I am asking that your child doesn’t attend. More information will go home about this when time gets closer. 

Dates to Remember

February 20th: Make Up Snow Day

February 23rd: 120th Day of School 

February 28th: McTeacher Night

March 9th: First Grade Music Program 2:30 & 7:00

March 10th: Dismiss at 12:30

March 28th & 30th: Spring Conferences

April 20th: Field Trip to the Nature Center

March 13th - 17th: Spring Break

January 30th- February 3

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

Expanding vocabulary: tuning into interesting words when we read books

Collecting words from the books we read to use them in our writing

Word Work:

Popcorn Words: school, children, boy, animal, & night

Word Chunk: “ie” and “igh”

Word Family: “_ake”

Writing:

Opinion Writing

Brainstormed topics we can write opinions about

Adding more details to our opinion writing

Math:

Topic 8 assessment

Introduction to topic 9

Comparing 2 digit numbers

Theme:

Types of matter

How can matter change?

Conducted a matter experiment

Valentine’s Party

Our Valentine’s Day party will be on Friday, February 10th.  For this day, your child is invited to bring valentines to pass out, as well as a box or bag to keep their valentines safe. Your child can make a Valentine Box (or bag) at home.  They can be as simple as a decorated brown paper bag or as complicated as papier-mâché. It’s up to you!  Just make sure there is an opening for first graders to easily place their valentines into. Your child needs to bring a valentine for each child in our class. These can be store bought or homemade! A list of student names went home earlier this week.

Coin Drive

Starting February 6th, WOHE will be doing our annual coin drive to benefit Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation. Our challenge will be to use our little bit of loose change to make a BIG difference! Here is how the competition will work:

1) Each teacher will have their own jar to collect coins.

2)Only pennies should be placed in our classroom jar

3)All silver coins and dollars should be placed in other teacher’s jars. Silver coins decrease the total for our classroom.

4)The class with the highest overall total wins a PARTY!

Dates to Remember

February 6th-10th: Coin Drive

February 10th: Valentine’s Day Party

February 10th: Dismiss at 12:30

February 20th: Make Up Snow Day

February 28th: McTeacher Night

March 9th: First Grade Music Program 2:30 & 7:00

March 10th: Dismiss at 12:30

April 20th: Field Trip to the Nature Cent