Week of January 5th

I hope you all have a wonderful break with your families!  See you in the new year!

Reading Tip of the Week:
Dig deeper into the story! Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"

Headphones are needed for Media Class starting now. Please make sure your child brings their headphones as soon as possible. I still don't have all of them.  If you are unsure if your child has headphones at school, ask them or email me.  I will be able to let you know.

Thanks to all of you that donated to the food drive.  This is a great help to Pleasantview families!

The Toys for Tots store was a great success.  They raised $2,125 this year-A NEW RECORD!  Thank you for allowing your child to buy something from the store!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 13 will include:

• What changes do the different seasons cause?-We will read "Seasons".
• Cause and Effect
• The digraph sh, wh, ph
• Contractions with 's, and n't
• Word endings -ed, -ing, -s
• Subjects and verbs
• Main idea, topic sentence

Math will include:

• Exploring dimes and pennies
• Grouping pennies into dimes
• Counting groups by 10s
• Changing pennies to dimes and nickels

Week of December 22nd

This is our last week before winter break!  School is in session on Monday and Tuesday the 22nd and 23rd.  We do not come back to school until January 5th.  Hope you have a restful time with family! 

PATH Update:
We have met our goal for PATH tickets as a school, 20,000!! As a thank you for all the hard work from students we are playing Candy Cane BINGO on Tuesday.  There will be some prizes given and tons of fun had!

We will be eating in style on the 22nd.  The middle school band will come and play some mood music while we enjoy our lunches.  Should be wonderful!

WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

• This week will be a review of previous skills.
• We will write about a rainforest.
• We will use order words to write.
• We will review for and take our math test.
• We will also have some holiday fun!

Week of December 15th

Report card time!  Report cards went home on the 8th. If you still have the brown envelope that it came in, please sign and return as soon as possible!

Reading Tip of the Week:
Once is not enough! Encourage your child to re-read their favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately!

Headphones are needed for Media Class starting now. Please make sure your child brings their headphones as soon as possible. (Many of them are already here.)

Last day to donate to the food drive is Monday the 15th!

Annual Food Drive-November 14th-December 15th:
Bring donations to Pleasantview.  We are looking for nonperishable food items and non-food supplies.  Examples are: tuna and canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, mac and cheese, soap, combs, brushes, deodorant, paper towel etc.  If you want to give an item and aren't sure if it is in need, email or ask me. ALL OF THE ITEMS GO DIRECTLY TO PV FAMILIES IN NEED OR THE FOOD SHELF.

We have made our crafts for the Toys for Tots store!  Check out the photo on the Toys for Tots blog post.  We will visit the store on Wednesday the 17th.  If you would like your child to shop please send money on that day.  This money goes to the local Toys for Tots charity.  Items will range from 25 cents to $5 or so.  Last year the store raised $1500 for our local Toys for Tots!!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 12 will include:

• Why is the order of story events important?-We will read "How Leopard Got His Spots".
• Sequence of events
• The digraph ch, tch and the word family -atch
• Possessives
• Homopohones (words that sound the same but have different meanings)
• Proper Nouns
• Writing to inform using order words (first, next, last)

Math will include:

• Adding Tens and ones
• Counting on with 2-digit numbers
• 2 digit addition games
• Quiz on lessons 11-15
• We will review and test on the 22-23

Our Toys for Tots Donation!

We made ornaments to donate to the

Toys for Tots store!

We will get to shop at the store on December 17th!

Week of December 8th

Report card time!  Report cards will go home on the 8th.  Please take a minute to look over them.  I need the brown envelope signed and returned. The papers are yours to keep.

A new pink word list came home on Friday the 5th.  This list will cover the next 5 lessons in our reading units.  We are now working with 8 words instead of 6!

Reading Tip of the Week:
Don't leave home without it!  Bring a book or magazine anytime your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!

Headphones are needed for Media Class starting now. Please make sure your child brings their headphones as soon as possible. (Many of them are already here.)

Please  bring anything you can for the food drive!

Annual Food Drive-November 14th-December 15th:
Bring donations to Pleasantview.  We are looking for nonperishable food items and non-food supplies.  Examples are: tuna and canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, mac and cheese, soap, combs, brushes, deodorant, paper towel etc.  If you want to give an item and aren't sure if it is in need, email or ask me. ALL OF THE ITEMS GO DIRECTLY TO PV FAMILIES IN NEED OR THE FOOD SHELF.

The Toys for Tots store is coming!  We will be making crafts at school on Friday to sell to students during December.  This money goes to the local Toys for Tots charity.  The store is open on Wed the 17th through Fri the 19th from 8-1 by the front office.  Items will range from 25 cents to $5 or so.  If you have any crafts that you would like to donate for the sale, please let me know.  Last year the store raised $1500 for our local Toys for Tots!!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• Why do authors write stories?-We will read "Sea Animals".
• Author's purpose
• The digraph th
• Base words and endings
• Proper nouns (names of people, places, or things)

Math will include:

• Understanding tens and ones
• Writing 2 digit numbers
• Grouping tens and ones
• Adding two digit and one digit numbers
• Solving story problems

Week of December 1st

I can't believe it's already the beginning of December!  We have learned so much in these few short months.  Report cards will be coming home on December 8th.  Be looking for these in your child's backpack.

Headphones are needed for Media Class starting on Tuesday.  Please make sure your child brings their headphones as soon as possible. (Many of them are already here.)

Please  bring anything you can for the food drive!

Annual Food Drive-November 14th-December 15th:
Bring donations to Pleasantview.  We are looking for nonperishable food items and non-food supplies.  Examples are: tuna and canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, mac and cheese, soap, combs, brushes, deodorant, paper towel etc.  If you want to give an item and aren't sure if it is in need, email or ask me. ALL OF THE ITEMS GO DIRECTLY TO PV FAMILIES IN NEED OR THE FOOD SHELF.

The Toys for Tots store is coming!  We will be making crafts at school on Friday to sell to students during December.  This money goes to the local Toys for Tots charity.  The store is open on Wed the 17th through Fri the 19th from 8-1 by the front office.  Items will range from 25 cents to $5 or so.  If you have any crafts that you would like to donate for the sale, please let me know.  Last year the store raised $1500 for our local Toys for Tots!!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• How do the parts of a story work together?-We will read "A Cupcake Party".
• Story structure (character, setting, plot)
• Short u and final clusters (-mp)
• Word family -ump
• Synonyms (similar words)
• Prepositions (words that tell when and where)

Math will include:

• Grouping into 10s
• Teen numbers (10s and 1s)
• Solve problems with teen numbers
• Add with teens

Week of November 24th

If you are viewing this blog from an email update, you are missing the information on the side.  You can only see the words of the week, upcoming dates, and specialist days if you click the link or the blog title in the email to view the blog on-line.

Here are some upcoming and current events

There will be no After School Program on the 24th or 25th.

Annual Food Drive-November 14th-December 15th:
Bring donations to Pleasantview.  We are looking for nonperishable food items and non-food supplies.  Examples are: tuna and canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, mac and cheese, soap, combs, brushes, deodorant, paper towel etc.  If you want to give an item and aren't sure if it is in need, email or ask me. ALL OF THE ITEMS GO DIRECTLY TO PV FAMILIES IN NEED OR THE FOOD SHELF.

The Toys for Tots store is coming!  We will be making crafts at school to sell to students during December.  This money goes to the local Toys for Tots charity.  The store is open on Wed the 17th through Fri the 19th from 8-1 by the front office.  Items will range from 25 cents to $5 or so.  If you have any crafts that you would like to donate for the sale, please let me know.  Last year the store raised $1500 for our local Toys for Tots!!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Monday is our last lesson of Chinese.  :(  It was great to have Ms. Zhang with us!

Language arts will include:

• A review of past skills

Math will include:

• Story problem practice
• The Unit 3 Test

Week of November 17th

Book order went home on Friday the 14th.  It is due back on  Wed the 19th.  This will be the last order before winter break.  If you are getting your child a book for a gift let me know so I can hide it from them!

Pleasantview Storm Apparel:
Order forms went home on the 11th.  They are due back by the 22nd.  There is also a Sport-Wick 1/2-zip pullover for $40.  Information on that option will be coming soon.

Fundraiser:
If you have not picked up your fundraiser items they will be available at the next PTAC meeting. Nov 18th 5:00-6:30.

Annual Food Drive-November 14th-December 15th:
Bring donations to Pleasantview.  We are looking for nonperishable food items and non-food supplies.  Examples are: tuna and canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, mac and cheese, soap, combs, brushes, deodorant, paper towel etc.  If you want to give an item and aren't sure if it is in need, email or ask me. ALL OF THE ITEMS GO DIRECTLY TO PV FAMILIES IN NEED OR THE FOOD SHELF.

Continue to send labels!  Box Tops, Campbell's, Tyson A+, and Coborn's Food Club receipts.

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 9 will include:

• How do words and pictures help tell a story?-We will read "Dr. Seuss".
• Text and Graphic Features
• Short e, clusters with s (i.e. scrap)
• Singular and plural nouns
• Antonyms
• Descriptive writing

Math will include:

• Subtraction strategies
• Subtraction stories
• Subtraction games
• Quiz on Lessons 6-9
• Addition stories with unknown partners (2+?=6)

Week of November 10th

I feel a chill in the air!  Remember to bring warm clothes for recess.  If you need assistance getting some warm clothes for your children please contact the office at 253-0506 or email me at jill.bachand@isd47.org or Ellen Fuller at ellen.fuller@isd47.org.  We would be happy to assist you with this!

There were a variety of things honoring our Veterans at our Veteran's Day program on Friday.  We sang songs, listened to 4th graders read poetry they had written, saw a video, and honored our guests with a certificate and applause.  It was a great way to start our Friday morning!

We have three more days of Chinese left in the next two weeks.  Check out what we learned last week!  Watch the video in the "Learning a Chinese Song" blog post from November 6th.

Unity Day is on Monday.  Wear orange to celebrate kindness and understanding.  This would be a perfect day to wear your orange "end bullying" T-shirt if you had ordered one!

As part of the PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) team, I will be attending a training workshop on the 12th and 13th this week.  I will not be at school at all from Tuesday afternoon until Friday morning.  Please make sure to send notes or call the office with any transportation changes.  Also, I will have quite a backlog of correcting to do when I return.  I apologize, but some of the papers might not make it into take home folders until Monday.

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON THIS WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 8 will include:

• Why is the order of story events important?-We will read "A Musical Day".
• Main idea and details
• Short o, clusters with l (i.e. flip)
• The word family -ock
• Statements
• Sorting words according to meaning

Math will include:

• Solve equations with unknown partners (2+?=6)
• Addition games with unknown partners
• Subtraction strategies
• Subtraction stories

Learning a Chinese Song

We learned a song about two tigers today for our Chinese lesson.  The tigers were running to find food because they were hungry.  One lost his ears and one lost his tail.  The others laughed and said that the tigers were funny.

Week of November 3rd

Welcome to November!  This Friday will be another 2 hour late start. School will start at 9:40, students may arrive as early as 9:15.  

Picture retakes are on the 5th.  Please return the picture packet that you received if your child is retaking their school pictures. They will need it when they go to the camera.

We will have a Veteran's Day program on Friday morning, starting at 9:45.  If you are or know of a Veteran that you would like recognized please return the gold form that was sent home with your child last week or email Ellen Fuller at ellen.fuller@isd47.org. The following information is needed: name of person serving, branch of service, student name, and how many people will attend the program.

We will continue to learn more about China and the Chinese language this week.  It was SO fun last week.  Check out the photo and video in the "Learning All About China!" blog post from October 29th!

From the principal's office: 

Cold Weather: We would like to take a moment and remind you that as fall continues and winter approaches please make sure that your child/children are dressed appropriately for the weather and going outside.  If you are in need of cold weather items such as coats, snow pants, boots, hats, mittens, etc.  please contact the office at 253-0506 or email us at ellen.fuller@isd47.org.  We will be happy to assist you in obtaining these items. 

Lost and Found:Our lost and found is overflowing.  If your child has misplaced an item, please stop in and check it out.  We will be boxing up what we currently have on November 7th.  Thank you for your help!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 7 will include:

• How do animals communicate?-We will read "How Animals Communicate".
• Main idea and details
• Short i, clusters with r (i.e. br) and the word family -ip
• Sentence parts (naming/subject and action/predicate)
• Using a glossary

Math will include:

• Unit 2 review
• Unit 2 test
• Math mountains (The Family Letter will explain this.)
• Unknown partners (2+?=7)
• Solving story problems

The Hugger Tree Me!

What a fun way to start our day!  We learned all about reducing, reusing, and recycling!  The Hugger Tree was so happy that the girl in the play was starting to be kind to the earth! We also learned little tips like, shut off the water while brushing our teeth and turn off the lights when we leave a room.

Learning All About China!

The 1st grade will be learning about China and learning some of the language in the next couple weeks.  Our first day was today!  Here is a photo and video of us learning some of the Chinese voice tones.

Photo of Ms. Zhang teaching us Chinese tones.

Video of our class leaning Chinese tones with movement.

I apologize for the quality of the video when it is full screen.  I am new to putting videos on this blog site.  Hopefully I will find a way to make it better!!

Week of October 27th

Targeted services (for those attending) will start on October 27th.  Days and hours are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:20-3:20.  If your child is attending KidStop after, please inform KidStop about their late arrival.  Students may bring a snack to have right after the program while they are waiting to be picked up.  The school will communicate with KidStop about getting students a snack when they arrive at 3:20 (if they attend KidStop).

Happy Halloween!  We will not be having a formal party in our room, however, we will do some Halloween themed activities and have a Halloween treat.

Climb Theater will be coming on Wednesday to teach us about the environment through theater.  This is always a fun program for students!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts Lesson 6 will include:

• What lessons can you learn from story characters?-We will read "Jack and the Wolf".
• Understanding characters
• Short a, double final consonants (ck) and the word family -ack
• Complete sentences
• Sorting words into categories according to meaning

Pink word lists for the next 5 lessons went home today.

Math will include:

• Subtraction practice
• Writing subtraction equations
• Quiz on Lessons 11-14
• Equations written vertically
• Mixed equation story problems
• Quiz on Lessons 15-16
• Next week we will review and test on Unit 2

Week of October 20th

It was great to see all of you at conferences last week!  If you have any concerns or questions that you have thought of since we met please call or email!

Targeted services (for those attending) will start on October 27th.  Days and hours are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:20-3:20.  If your child is attending KidStop after, please inform KidStop about their late arrival.  Students may bring a snack to have right after the program while they are waiting to be picked up.  The school will communicate with KidStop about getting students a snack when they arrive at 3:20 (if they attend KidStop).

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• How does the setting make a story interesting?-We will read "Gus Takes a Train".
• Story structure (setting, characters, plot)
• Short u and the letters qu,and z
• Adjectives (describes people, places, or things)
• Antonyms (opposites)

Math will include:

• Addition
• Counting on review
• Quiz on lessons 5-10 (addition and money)
• Introduction to subtraction
• Subtraction with drawings
• Subtraction practice

Science Fun!!!

Checking out sand in the vial with a magnifying glass.  We saw lots of sizes, shapes, and colors!

What happens when we add water and shake?  Muddy water!  We drew a picture of the sand and water in the vial with the murky water.  We thought it looked like chocolate milk.  We weren't going to taste it though!

We let the vials of sand and water settle overnight.  Look what we found!  Silt!  We drew another picture of our vial, this time showing the silt.

Now it's time to explore rocks.  We observed a sample of river bed rocks with magnifying glasses.  There were pebbles, gravel and sand.

How do we separate those rocks?  Do we pick them out one at a time?  That will take too long!  We learned how to use different size screens to put the rocks into 4 different sizes.

We had a great time with rocks!

Silly Class Photo :)

Week of October 13th

This coming week is a short week for students.  We will take these two days to work on some review work for language arts.  (The word list on the right is for the week of the 20th.) We will continue to work on "counting on" in math.  This means that when looking at 5+2 we will say, "5, 6, 7" while using our fingers or drawing circles to find the total.  We will also use this time to explore more pebbles, sand, and silt for science!  Should be fun! Check back soon for pictures of our exploration...

Conferences will be held Monday and Tuesday evenings from 3:30-7:30 as well as Wednesday morning from 7-11.  During conferences there will be a book fair open in the media center.  Be sure to check out all the good deals on books!

The Fire Fighter Visit!!

We had a visit from the firefighters on Monday!  We learned all about fire safety and got to see a firefighter put his equipment on.  It was exciting and informative!  There is an open house at the fire hall this Saturday, the 11th from 10-2.  See below.

Fire Department Annual Open House

The Sauk Rapids Fire Department hosts their ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE during Fire Prevention Week. Children can get free pumpkins for Halloween, goodies, educational materials, and spray water hoses! The Fire Department demonstrates an extraction and all of the Fire Trucks are on display!

You Are Invited!

Sauk Rapids Fire Department's Open House

Fun, Treats, and Learning!

Saturday, October 11th, 2014

10:00am-2:00pm at the Sauk Rapids Fire Hall

Week of October 6th

Don't forget about the PV 5K-October 11!  Let me know if you need a new registration form.

Read to Self is going really well.  I am so proud of how well we can focus on reading good fit books while I have the chance to work with small groups of students on reading skills!  We are able to read for 25 minutes without breaking stamina! AMAZING!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• What information do words and pictures give?-We will read "Lucia's Neighborhood".
• Text and graphic features
• The word family _et
• Short e and the letters y, w, k, v, and j
• Adjectives
• Alphabetical Order

Math will include:

• Addition with circle drawings
• Intro to addition equations
• Building Addition Equations
• Quiz on Lessons 1-4
• Exploring methods of solving addition equations
• Addition strategy counting on

Late Start PATH Activity

What a FUN assembly!! Students were drawn from the PATH ticket bucket to participate in different races.  Kindergarten and 1st grade made teams to do the "Under/Over" race with a football.  There was lots of cheering and tons of laughter! What great teamwork!!  Here are some photos of the event:

The "Under/Over" Race

The "Under/Over" Race

Watching the Games!

Watching the Games!

Watching the Games!

Week of September 29th

Friday is our late start! Students should come to school 2 hours later than normal. Class starts at 9:40.

Pictures are on Wed, October 1st!  An order form came home with your child last Wednesday the 24th. Let me know if you need a new one. This form needs to be turned in no later than picture day. Picutres can not be ordered after your child takes their picture.

We had a great surprise last week!  Mrs. Froiland read to our room about including others to make sure no one gets laughed at or feels invisible.  We even made a person to tell how the boy in the story felt.

We also got to see some magicians on Friday!..basketball magicians!  The students took a yellow form home that gives all the information to participate in the basketball magicians program.  If you would like to participate but funds are tight please indicate, on the yellow form, that you would like a scholarship to participate in the program.

Ice cream Social on Thursday at PV from 6-8pm!!

Come and learn more about the WatchDogs (Dads of Great Students)!  WatchDog pizza night is September 30 from 5:30-7:30 at Pleasantview.  You do not need to be a dad to participate, just a male family member or friend.

Don't forget about the PV 5K-October 11!  Let me know if you need a new registration form.

Math Homework: Continue to work hard on that math homework!  Most of you are getting it finished and handed in the next day.

Reading Homework--Decodable Readers: Reading your readers is extremely important!  It will help you become a better reader.  They will become more difficult soon.  If you are able to read the reader smoothly with no mistakes, feel free to practice reading with a different book at home!

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• Why is the order of story events important?-We will read "Curious George at School".
• Sequence of events
• Short o and the letters l, x, and _s
• Action verbs
• Multiple-meaning words

Math will include:

• Review of Unit 1
• Test for Unit 1
• Addition with pictures (Unit 2)

There will be less homework on testing weeks.  The day of review and day of the test do not have homework.

Week of September 22nd

GREAT WEEK THIS WEEK!  We started our reading curriculum and tested on the phonics for this lesson- short a.  We are getting further into looking for addition partners in math.  Our classroom routine has been established and we are starting to remember all of our jobs without asking what to do or being asked!

CLASS DOJO ANNOUNCEMENT: I have restructured the Class Dojo behaviors to match our positive school wide behavior plan, The PATH of the Storm.  I have created a page within this blog (click on label above) of the new behaviors and I have also sent a new copy home on bright green paper.


FUNDRAISER KICKOFF: Pleasantview will learn about our fall fundraiser on September 22nd.  All students will bring the packet home that afternoon.  Please look for it in their backpack.  The orders are due at school on October 7th.

Our class is doing much better, but just as a reminder...

Take home folders: Please help your child remember to empty their take home folder each night and put it back into their back pack.  I am reminding them to put their mail in the folder before they put it in their back pack each day and stressing the importance of checking it each morning to see if you put anything in it for me (notes, book orders, forms etc.).  It is easier for them to see new items if the old items have been removed.  Thanks!

Math Homework: Math homework has begun!  4-5 nights per week a yellow math homework sheet will come home in your child's take home folder.  This work will focus on what we did in class that day and shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to complete.  Homework help is allowed and welcomed.  From time to time a "Family Letter" will be in the take home folder.  This will explain what we are doing in math.  It will also help you understand the homework.  If your child is confused, please write a note on the homework and I will help them the next day.

Reading Homework--Decodable Readers:  There will be a paper book in your child's folder on Monday-Thursday.  Please take some time to read it with them to promote fluency. The first decodable reader had an orange sheet attached to it.  Please save this sheet as a reference for reading activities for those decodable readers. On Friday you will find a blue list of Fluency Sentences.  Your child should be able to read these smoothly.  If they are having difficulty, encourage them to practice the sentences with you.

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• What clues tell you how a character feels?-We will read "The Storm
• Understanding Characters
• Short i and the letters r, h, s, b, and g
• Word family -it
• Nouns
• Context Clues

Math will include:

• Partners for 9 and 10
• Quick Quiz on Lessons 8-14
• Grouping numbers into 5s and 1s
• Doubles, evens and odds
• Quick Quiz on Lessons 15-17

Week of September 15th

We successfully completed week two!  There are a ton of new things that your 1st grader will be experiencing.  As new things come up, I will try to explain them in my blog.  All of the blogs are available in the bottom right corner of this page so you can look back to any one that you want.

Book orders are due on Wednesday!  Remember, you can order online if you want.

Media (Library):  Because our class splits up and joins other classes for specialist, Media will be different for different students.  Your child should know which teacher they join for specialist.  Media is scheduled for the following:  Day 1-Krueger, Day 2-Widman, Day 3-Gustofson.  If this is confusing (I totally understand!), a good way to be certain that students have their library books at school on the right day is to have your child keep their books in their backpack when they are not reading them.  That way, they will always be there when they need them.

Take home folders: Please help your child remember to empty their take home folder each night and put it back into their back pack.  I am reminding them to put their mail in the folder before they put it in their back pack each day and stressing the importance of checking it each morning to see if you put anything in it for me (notes, book orders, forms etc.).  It is easier for them to see new items if the old items have been removed.  Thanks!

Homework: Math homework has begun!  4-5 nights per week a yellow math homework sheet will come home in your child's take home folder.  This work will focus on what we did in class that day and shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to complete.  Homework help is allowed and welcomed.  From time to time a "Family Letter" will be in the take home folder.  This will explain what we are doing in math.  It will also help you understand the homework.  If your child is confused, please write a note on the homework and I will help them the next day.

Pink Word Lists:  A list of words will come home for each reading unit.  This list includes 5 weeks of words.  We will work on one list/week. These are words that can't be sounded out, but are sight words instead.  You will find the current list in the right margin of this blog.

Decodable Readers:  There will be a paper book in your child's folder on Monday-Thursday.  Please take some time to read it with them to promote fluency. The first decodable reader will have an orange sheet attached to it.  Please save this sheet as a reference for reading activities for those decodable readers. On Friday you will find a blue list of Fluency Sentences.  Your child should be able to read these smoothly.  If they are having difficulty, encourage them to practice the sentences.

HERE IS WHAT WE WILL WORK ON NEXT WEEK:

Language arts will include:

• What is important about being a pal?-We will read "What is a Pal?"
• Main idea
• Short a and the letters n, d, p, and f
• Nouns
• Reading stories with short a words

Math will include:

• The concept of one more, one less
• Partners for 6, 7, and 8
• Adding in any order

Week of September 8th

Welcome to our 1st grade blog!  I will be posting this blog on most Fridays after school or the last day of the school week.  You may have gotten an email that said you are subscribed.  If you did not get this email, please subscribe on the right side of the screen.  This way you will be notified when a new entry has been posted.

You can find the blog at: www.bachandsbusybees.blogspot.com

The blog will include what we will work on during the upcoming week.  It will show our words to know on the right.  It will also include the specialist days for the week and any upcoming events.  I will write notifications in the blog as well.  If I have already published the blog and something comes up, I will send a paper copy home.

Wow!  What a busy and fun week!

We heard stories, filled in sentence starters, drew illustrations, and started our math curriculum. We also made a book about our week!

We have been learning A LOT about being on the PATH.  

Personal best, Accountability, Teamwork, Honesty

Next week we will:
Review PATH 
Talk about personal health.

We will also be doing some reading and math assessments in order to create WIN (what I need) groups.  WIN is a time during the day when students are grouped with students of like ability so they all get what they need to be their best!  First grade has WIN time for reading at 11:55-12:30.  This year every one will be participating in the PALS intervention that helps all readers read faster and more smoothly.  We will start training all students on how to use PALS next week.

We will continue exploring math.  Next week will bring:

• Exploration of numbers and shapes for 3 and 4
• Finding partners and totals for the numbers 4 and 5
• A quick quiz on what we have learned so far

Other things to know:

• If I am missing any paperwork from open house I will send another copy on Friday the 5th.
• If you have not signed up for a conference time please look for an email from me next week.
• I will also send emails inviting you to join Class Dojo if you haven't already logged in.
• There is a Pleasantview 5K walk/run coming up on Oct 11th.  It will include a 1K for the kids! Sign-up sheets went home on Sept 4th.  There are more by the office if you need one.

Welcome to 1st Grade!!

I am looking forward to a great year with all of you!!