PJ DAY

I’m extremely happy to inform you all that our class has earned a classroom celebration for awesome behavior! We voted on several activities we would like our reward to be.  The majority of the class chose to wear their pajamas to school. On Thursday, September 7^th, your child is invited to wear their most comfortable pjs and bring a SMALL stuffed animal to school. So, congratulate your child on their awesome behavior and encourage them to keep up the good work.

August 28th - September 1st

What We Are Learning

Reading: 

How does “Work on Writing” during Daily 5 look and sound?

Building stamina during “Read to Self” and “Work on Writing”

Reading is thinking!

Word Work:

Word Wall Words: the, and, to, in, & of

Digraph: “th”

Word Family: _and

Writing:

Writing small moment/true stories

Picking a topic and writing across pages

Math:

Topic 1: Solve Addition and Subtraction Problems to 10

Math facts to 10

Word problems to 10

Theme:

Building a classroom community

Read the book The Jelly Donut Difference

How to “sprinkle” happiness

Donut craft to accompany our writing

Text Reminders

Make sure you sign up to receive text reminders from me. I’ve only had a handful of families sign up so far. Flip this paper over to see how it works!

Word Wall Words

Each week your child will be introduced to new sight words. I call them popcorn words because they “POP UP” a lot when we read.  Willard has moved away from traditional spelling tests.  However, it is VERY important that you review these words with your child each week.  Even though they will not be tested on these words, please have your child practice reading, writing, and spelling them.  How well your child knows these words will be reflected on their grade card each quarter. 

First Quarter Popcorn Words

     the                   it                         fun

     of                     with                     girl

     and                   was                      his

     in                     for                       they

     to                     on                         at

     he                    are                       be

     is                       am                        this

     you                   car                       eat    

     that                

Dates to Remember

September 1st: No School

September 4th: No School

September 14th: Fundraiser ends

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