Friday, August 31, 2018

Week Five!

Just like that we have finished the first month of first grade! This month has been filled with learning and creating habits for success at school and it has been so much fun! Thank you for all of your help and support as we have adjusted to the new school year.  As we move forward, please know my door is always open with any questions or concerns you may have.

I hope that you have a wonderful and restful long holiday weekend and I look forward to starting the second month of first grade with your sweet children!


Please enjoy these sweet pictures (and video) of our athletes soaking up every moment of parachute fun in P.E:





Homework for the week of 9/3

Nightly: read for 15 minutes, phonograms to practice e, k, l, v, x, er, ir, ng, oi, oy
Poem: The Pasture by Robert Frost (please practice for 1 minute each night, recitation will be at the end of the month)
Idiom: Golden Rule
Tuesday:  today, look, did, like, six, boy, book, by, have, are and Test B

Wednesday:  had, over, must, make, street, say, come, hand, ring and WB 32-34

Thursday: review all 19 words and WB 35-37

Friday: review phonograms and WB 38-39


Announcements


Math and Reading Groups
Math and reading groups will begin the week of September 10th. We love having parent volunteers in class and it is such an important way to help foster the growth and learning of our scholars! 

Please sign up here for math groups (Wednesday's @ 10am):
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094aaba72eabf94-1amath

And here for reading groups (Thursday's @ 1:50pm)
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f094aaba72eabf94-1areading

Virtue Award
Today we celebrated our virtue of the month award winner, Johnny! Johnny has demonstrated responsibility all month long and we are thankful for him.  Way to go Johnny! We can't wait to learn all about citizenship next month! 


Homework
In an effort to provide a fruitful homework experience for our scholars, we rely on the feedback of our families. Parents, please share your feedback by completing this homework survey at your earliest convenience.

Clubs
The following clubs still have spots available: 
Monday: 1-5 Math Club, 2-5 Sports Club, 2-5 Band, K-1 Art Club
Tuesday: 2-3 Art Club, 3-5 Dance Fitness Club, 4-5 Choir
Thursday: 3-5 Science Club
Please sign up here (archwayarete.configio.com)

Academics

Poem: The Pasture by Robert Frost   Idiom: The Golden Rule
Writing/Grammar: We will continue to grow our writing skills as we read and write about Rumpelstiltskin. We will focus on capital letters and punctuation marks. 

Spalding: Please see below the spelling words for this week. A list of all 19 words will also be sent home on Tuesday to keep for the week. Please practice saying the phonograms each night.

Weekly Phonograms: b, d, g, r, t, ar, ay, ch, oo, ou

Monday: my, up, last, not, us, am, good, time, have, blue

Tuesday: chance, charge, little, are, ago, old, bad, red, of, be

Wednesday: but, this, all, your, you, out, may, into, him

Thursday: all words

Friday: practice phonograms

Math: We will finish our chapter on number stories  with a review day on Tuesday and  taking a test on Wednesday. Next, we will start a new chapter on addition facts this and practice completing various problems using number bonds and pictorial images.

Science: This week we will learn about three more habitats: the prairie, a meadow, and the arctic. We will continue to observe and reflect upon the different types of plants and animals that live and survive in these habitats. 


Literature: We will be exploring Cinderella stories from around the world! We will read the western Cinderella, the Korean Cinderella, and the Egyptian Cinderella.  In a few weeks, we will begin reading Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel.  Please ensure that your child has this book and brings it to school.  Thank you!


History: We will be finishing up geography this week by reviewing what we have learned this month and learning a few new definitions such as, equator, northern and southern hemisphere, and the north and south pole.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Rocket Math

Dear Parents,

Please note that starting this week we will send home one rocket math sheet per week. Last night's should have looked something like this.
 Please practice this page at least once a week at home. There is no need to send it back in unless you would like to. Your child may fill out the answers in pencil and it can also be used for vocal practice. For example, your children may go through all the problems saying "1+4=5, 4+1=5, 1+6=7 etc."We will be using and practicing rocket math daily in a similar manner. 

Thank you for your help with this math practice! 

Monday, August 27, 2018

Week 4-Ready to Explore!

Good Morning, 1A!

We are so excited for the week ahead. It's sure to be a great one as we continue to learn and grow together.
Thank you to all who attended curriculum night last week. As we continue this year together, please know that I am always available to chat and address any of your concerns or questions. Send me an email or let's schedule a time to chat in person or over the phone :)

Please see below some pictures of just a few of the great things we accomplished together last week:

Calendar Time With Mrs. Moore 

Our Special Calendar helper puts in our straw to mark the 15th day of school 

A class reward-10 minutes of lego building!
 


Practicing our Caterpillar Poem


Homework for the week of 8/27

Nightly: read for 15 minutes, phonograms to practice- b, d, g, r, t, ar, ay, ch, oo, ou

Poem: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti   Idiom: Wolf in Sheep’s clothing

Monday: my, up, last, not, us, am, good, time, have, blue and math workbook pg. 25-26

Tuesday: chance, charge, little, are, ago, old, bad, red, of, be and math workbook pg. 27-29

Wednesday: but, this, all, your, you, out, may, into, him and math workbook pg. 30-32

Thursday: read and write all words and Unit 1-2 Test B and practice for poetry recitation

Friday: No homework- R&R weekend


Announcements

Please note that our first monthly SLANT grade will be sent home at the end of this week. SLANT means to:
S-Sit Up
L- Listen
A- Answer & Ask Questions
N- Nod Your Head
T- Track The Speaker 
Every student in the school will be practicing these skills throughout the year. Every month they will receive a grade from their teacher. 

Today I will send home a list of Spalding rules and Spalding handwriting to help aid the completion of homework. Please look out for these papers and let me know if you have any additional questions. 

Academics

Poem: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti: We will take part in poetry recitations on Friday.  

Idiom: Wolf in sheep clothing

Writing/Grammar: This week we will continue our study of nouns. We will learn how to identify and use different types of nouns such as people, places, things, or ideas. Students will learn a noun jingle to help them remember the different types of nouns.

Please click the link below if you would like to sing the noun jingle at home too


Spalding: Please see below the spelling words for this week. A list of all 30 words will also be sent home on Monday to keep for the week. On Monday-Wednesday, please write each word three times. On Thursday please write all words only one time. Please practice saying the phonograms each night.

Weekly Phonograms: b, d, g, r, t, ar, ay, ch, oo, ou

Monday: my, up, last, not, us, am, good, time, have, blue

Tuesday: chance, charge, little, are, ago, old, bad, red, of, be

Wednesday: but, this, all, your, you, out, may, into, him

Thursday: all words

Friday: practice phonograms

*check out this great spalding resource for appropriate phonogram handwriting and pronunciation 



Math: We will assess students growth on number bonds on Monday and we will move into addition stories for the remainder of the week.  On Friday, students will complete a cumulative assessment over units 1 and 2. Test B will be sent home on Thursday for review.

Science: This week we will continue to learn about habitats. We will focus specifically on forests and underground habitats. Students will learn about the types of plants and animals that live underground and in forests and how they survive

Literature: We will continue to enjoy Tom Thumb stories from around the world including “Little Finger and the Watermelon Patch”.  We will discuss the characters and the similarities and differences from the various versions. We will take a short quiz on Friday.


History: This week we will continue to learn about the continents and oceans. We will be focusing on specific facts about each continent. Students will learn about different types of bodies of water and land forms such as, Mountains, Valleys, oceans, lakes etc. 

Monday, August 20, 2018

Week 3! So much growth to see!

Good Morning! 

Week two has proved to be one filled with experiencing the three pillars of our school; truth, beauty and goodness!

 
Our first monthly birthday celebration was so much fun! Student's enjoyed special birthday hats, fruit skewers, birthday pencils, and read alouds from their parents.


Our first "marble jar" reward in class! Students work to earn 20 marbles by working hard as a team to follow instructions and complete their work. Ask your child about one of the many ways that they can earn a marble as a class!



A science activity where we observed apples using our five senses! 

We also enjoyed our first assembly on Friday where Headmaster Gillingham taught us some very important manners and procedures to help us have a successful year!

We are looking forward to seeing you all at curriculum night.  Please see below for additional information.

Have a wonderful week!

Warmly,

Ms. Modisett 

Homework for the week of 8/21

Nightly: read for 15 minutes, phonograms to practice- a, l, y, c, s, sh, th, ee, ed, ow

Poem: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti  Idiom: The Golden Rule 

Monday: me, do, and, go, at, on, a, it, is, she & math number bond worksheet

Tuesday: can, see, run, the, in, so, no, now, man  & math number bond worksheet

Wednesday: ten, tan, tin, ton, bed, top, he, you, will, we, an & math number bond worksheet

Thursday: read and write all words & math number bond worksheet

Friday:   Practice Phonograms & test B

*Please note that we will begin sending home red leveled reader book bags today. A portion of this book should be read each night. The included reading log should also be filled out each evening. Every book bag and reading log needs to be returned on Friday's so that we can send home new book bags every Monday. 

*Additionally, we will begin our first list of Spalding words tonight. The word list will be sent home on Monday's to kept all week. Writing pages will be sent home every night here after. 

Calendar

Wednesday, August 22nd: Curriculum Night from 6:00-7:30

Announcements

Curriculum night is this Wednesday, August 22nd from 6-7:30.  Come on out to learn the ins and outs of your child’s day, all the wonderful curriculum they will be learning this year and how to assist at home.  If our class has 20 or more students whose parent(s) attend, we will earn a popcorn party. Please RSVP by email (bmodisett@archwayarete.org) so we can prepare accordingly.  Please note, this is an adult only event.  Mrs. Hartshorn and I are looking forward to seeing you there!

Curriculum Night Schedule

6:00-6:25     Welcome in Gym (Mr. Gillingham, Mrs. Vaughn, and Specialists)

6:30-7:30    Grade Level Presentations (1st grade will be in the MPR)

15 minutes: Classroom procedures, routines, homework guidelines

40 minutes: Curriculum and Demo Lessons

·         Spalding lesson (phonograms, motions, markings, phonograms)

·         Singapore lesson mental math tips, number bonds, bar models, word problems)

 5 minutes: Q&A


Academics

Poem: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti Idiom: Wolf in sheep clothing

Writing/Grammar: This week we will read and write about "The Adventures of Pinocchio". Students will practice writing in complete sentences with a capital letter and a punctuation mark. 

Spalding: This week we will begin our first week of spelling words. These words will be review from Kindergarten. On Monday-Wednesday, please write each word three times. On Thursday please write all words on one time. Please practice saying the phonograms each night.

Weekly Phonograms: a, l, y, c, s, sh, th, ee, ed, ow

Monday: me, do, and, go, at, on, a, it, is, she

Tuesday: can, see, run, the, in, so, no, now, man 

Wednesday: ten, tan, tin, ton, bed, top, he, you, will, we, an

Thursday: all words

Friday: practice phonograms

*check out this great spalding resource for appropriate phonogram handwriting and pronunciation 


Math: We will continue to study number bonds and  part, part, whole. We will also begin to memorize the partners of 10 (i.e. 7 and 3, 9 and 1).

Science: This week we will begin learning about different habitats, beginning with our very own, the desert! We will write and draw about desert animals and plants. Students will learn about types of food, water, and, shelter that desert plants and animals need to survive. 

Literature: This week will be enjoying several versions of the Tom Thumb story including Tom Thumb, Issun Boshi and Thumbelina. Students will identify the beginning, middle and end of each story and well as compare the similarities and differences of each story.


History: Students will identify, label and name the 7 continents and the 4 oceans of the world.  Students will also compare different bodies of water as well as describe the parts and importance of rivers.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Week 2-Off to a Great Start!

Greetings 1A Families,

It brings me great joy to share that this first week has been one for the books!  Your scholars have started off the year tremendously by working diligently to follow classroom expectations and procedures. Please take a moment to have your child share some of our class procedures with you!  Thank you for your help and grace as we navigate the routine of first grade!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

In pursuit of truth beauty and goodness,
Ms. Modisett 

Homework
Nightly: practice the poem for 1 minute 
Monday: Test B Worksheet and Spalding (writing numbers 0-9)
Tuesday: Math workbook pages 13-15 and Spalding (writing phonograms ow, ou, oo, ch, ar, ck, G, C, O, S)
Wednesday: Math workbook pages 16-18 and Spalding (writing phonograms ay, ai,  oy, oi, oa and A, B, D, E, F, H, I, J, K)
Thursday: Math workbook pages 19-21 and Spalding (writing phonograms er, ir, ur, wor, ear, L, M, N, P, R, T, U, Y
Friday: Math workbook pages 22-24 and Spalding (writing capital letters A-Z and writing own name)

*A Test B worksheet that will be sent home for review before a test for completion instead of the yellow math workbook

Announcements

Snack: Please ensure your child has 2 healthy snacks to enjoy at our designated snack times.

Academics

Poem: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti  
Idiom/Proverb: Sour Grapes

Literature: We will continue our survey of Aesop fables as we read The Maid and the Milk Pail, The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, The Wolf in Sheep’s clothing, and The Fox and the Crane. We will take short quiz on Friday to review our reading.

Grammar: This week in grammar we will begin learning about nouns. We will practice identifying and using both common and proper nouns as well as how to tell the difference between the too. Examples of common nouns are: boy, girl, teacher, mother. Examples of proper nouns are: Joseph, Ms. Modisett, and Sarah. 


Spalding:  
This week we will review and learn about our two letter phonograms. We will also practice writing capital letters A-Z as well as numbers 0-9.
Please say and write each phonogram or letter three times:
Monday: phonograms: sh, ee, th  & numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Tuesday: phonograms: ow, ou, oo, ch, ar, ck & capital letters C, G, O, Q, S
Wednesday: phonograms: ay, ai, oy, oi, oa & capital letters: A, B, D, E, F, H, I, J, K
Thursday: phonograms: er, ir, ur, for, ear & capital letters: L, M, N, P, R, T, U, Y
Friday: all capital letters A-Z and name writing practice 
*check out this great spalding resource for appropriate phonogram handwriting and pronunciation 


Math: We will take our first math test over unit 1. A review sheet will come home for homework on Monday.  We will spend the rest of the week with number stories and number bonds.

Science: This week in science we will be learning all about our five senses ( sight, taste, smell, hearing, touch) and how to use them. One activity that we will complete will include making observations and conclusions about apples-how do they taste? what do they smell? what does it sound like to eat them?


History: Students will identify and use the various map features including a compass rose, and map key.

Friday, August 10, 2018

The Caterpillar by Christina Rossetti

Brown and furry  
Caterpillar in a hurry,  
Take your walk  
To the shady leaf, or stalk,  

May no toad spy you,  
May the little birds pass you by;
Spin and die,  
To live again  
A butterfly.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Arete Birthday Treat Policies

Dear Parents,

Please read below the academy expectations for celebrating birthdays, thanks! 

Celebrating birthdays is a good way to show the students in our school that they are special and loved.  There are many different ways to mark the occasion, but we want to be careful about students eating too many sugary, processed snacks.  If each child were to bring in cake or donuts for his/her birthday, that would mean 30 unhealthy lunchtime desserts every year.  Some parents would rather their child not eat this type of food and the effects of these sugary snacks can disrupt the learning environment.  In fact, we strongly suggest a non-food item if parents wish to mark the occasion. Pencils, books, or other souvenirs can be just as special, don't require clean-up, and won't affect whatever diet parents wish for their children.  Some teachers may allow a healthy snack for their classes as an exception (to be eaten in the lunchroom), but please reach out to the lead teacher for details.  Make note that sugary treats will not be served to students, and will be sent home with the child that brought them in. 
 
The academy suggests non-food items or healthy snacks for birthdays. Please see your child’s teacher for acceptable treat options, as well as alternatives to food items. 
·         Food must be in its original packaging with the ingredients listed.  Fresh fruit is the exception.
·         No peanuts or other nuts
·         No cupcakes, cakes, cookies or other treats with frosting
·         No pop-culture references

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Week 1: Welcome to 1A!


 

Happy Sunday 1A families!  Mrs. Moore and I greatly enjoyed meeting all of you last Thursday and are thrilled to start the school year tomorrow with all of your sweet children!

BLOG Updates:
This blog is our main source for communicating nightly homework, important announcements and classroom happenings including cute pictures and sweet class work!  I will update the blog every Sunday with important information for the coming week. Please be sure to subscribe for e-mail updates by using the box on the right side of the blog.  

Student Info. Sheet and Parent Homework: Please complete and return the student information sheet that you received at Meet the Teacher as well as a letter to me introducing your child (I have attached an extra copy if necessary).  This helps me get to know you child better and is a helpful tool as we start the year off on the right foot! Thank you to those who have e-mailed me their letter.  I greatly enjoy reading them and learning sweet anecdotes about your child!

Supplies: If you have not done so already, please ensure that your child brings their supplies to class at your earliest convenience.   We will be using many of these materials on the first day and we greatly appreciation all of your hard work in ensuring that your child has what they need for a successful school year.

First Day: Please ensure that your child receives plenty of rest tonight and a healthy breakfast. Students in grades 1-5 report to their classrooms upon arriving to school.  There will be teachers outside to assist students with car doors and in the hallway to direct your child to class. 

Contacting me: The best way to contact me is through e-mail (bmodisett@archwayarete.org). I will check periodically throughout the day and will return your message within one school day. If you are requesting a meeting or phone call, please share a brief description of what you would like to discuss. This will help me prepare for a fruitful discussion.  Communication is a key component to a successful school year so please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns! 

First Week in First Grade:

Homework:
Nightly: read for 15 minutes and practice phonograms (provided on Spalding homework), 1 minute  practice poem (will be sent home), 1 minute rocket math practice (will be sent home).
Monday: No Homework! Rest & relax after the first day 
Tuesday: Spalding sheet
Wednesday: Spalding sheet, Math workbook pages 7-8
Thursday: Spalding sheet, Math workbook pages 9-10
Friday: Math workbook pages 11-12

Seeking Truth, Beauty and Goodness...
Poem for August: The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti
Idiom: "Sour Grapes" Meaning: This idiom refers to something a person decides is not worth having only after they find out they cannot have the desired object.

Literature: We will be reading and discussing various Aesop fables this week including The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Dog in the Manger, and The Fox and the Grapes. Your child will be excited to share the characters and the lesson learned from each fable.

Grammar/ Writing: Scholars will be participating in copy work from Little House in the Big Woods and will discover the basic components of a sentence.

Math: Students will sharpen their number sense skills as we explore the numbers 1-10.

History: We will begin our study of history by first diving into geography and exploring maps.

Science: We will learn what science is and dabble a bit with the scientific method.

Spalding: We will be practicing proper letter formation for single letter phonograms.  Spalding homework will begin on Tuesday.


I'm looking forward to starting the school year with your kiddos tomorrow! Here's to a great school year!

Kind Regards,
Miss Modisett 

Week 38! Last Week :'( :')

Happy Monday 1A families, It’s hard to believe that we have made it to the final week of school! Each day, we are going to do something...