ANNOUNCEMENTS & SHENANIGANS
It’s hard to believe that we are about halfway through our first grade year together!  The children have worked so hard and have made tremendous academic progress since August! I love each and every one of your children.  They bring such happiness into this classroom and are the reason I love my job!
This week was as busy as it gets. With all the learning we still needed to do, we managed to get a special gift ready for our parents, saw the 3rd graders holiday performance, and even had holiday story time.

 

We started diving into time to the half hour this week. This is a hard concept to grasp since the hour hand sits in between 2 numbers when it is half past the hour. It takes some time to train them about what hour we are in. This is a great thing to practice when looking at an analog clock. We made a clock during our small group time and had lots of discussion about it.

 

This week, Asha was our last superstar of 2018! It was great learning more about her. Our superstar will pick back up when we return in January! Our pineapple friend will be taking a restful winter break too!

Nidheesh’s mom came and read to us on Friday. She read some great nonfiction stories all! The kids loved it. We will not have a parent reader this next week since it is a short week. We look forward to more parent visitors in January!

WINTER PARTY
Our winter holiday party will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 19th from 2:00-2:50 and will be a very exciting time for the first graders.  We encourage you to come and be a part of the fun that day and spend some special time with your child.  Our wonderful room moms, Ricki and Shweta, have put a lot of time into planning this party and making sure that it’s a memorable one for our kids!
Thank you to those parents who have already signed up to help with the party.  Please make sure to complete the necessary district background check before the party.  It takes about 72 hours to process and is requirement before volunteering in the classroom.  It must be completed each school year.
Here is the link for easy access: https://partners.roundrockisd.org/volunteer/

 

HEADPHONES AND NEW SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS:
We would like to have each child in first grade have their own set of headphones. They will be helpful as we continue to use iPads and integrate laptops into our classrooms. Too many noises coming from various computers can pose a problem, so having their own headphones is necessary. You can find inexpensive ones at places like Target or Five Below. Please send a pair of headphones with your child’s name on them in a Ziploc baggie.  The headphones are needed when they return from the Winter Break. In addition to the headphones, we are asking that children bring a new spiral notebook to school after the Winter Break to be used during our Math Workshop time. We have been documenting our learning and have gone through much of our fall spiral notebook already. Thank you for your help with these needed supplies.

 

WINTER BREAK READING:
Over the Winter Break, the first grade teachers are asking that the students read a total of 12 times between the dates of December 17th – January 7th.  We will glue in new reading logs on December 17th and then your child will keep their planners with them until we return in January.  Reading over the break will help ensure that your child is ready to pick up where we left off.  Thank you for continuing this reading routine!

COOLER WEATHER AND JACKETS:
Now that we have enjoyed a few cooler days, we are seeing more jackets and sweaters on our students.  We are also finding these items left in various areas around the school without names on them.  Please label your child’s coats, jackets, and sweaters with their names.  (Also include lunch boxes and water bottles, too!)  This will prevent our lost and found from filling up.  Thank you!

 

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Dec. 19: Winter Party
Dec. 20-Jan 7: Winter Holiday, No School
Jan 8: Students return to school
Jan. 21: MLK Holiday, No School

 

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE…
READING:
– Review elements of a fictional story
– Read & respond in writing to literature
– Share favorite winter activities
MATH:
– Discuss time to the hour and half hour
SCIENCE:
– Observe and record the weather
– Demonstrate that air is all around us and observe that wind is moving air
– Learn about objects in the sky like the sun
HOMEWORK FOR THE WEEK:
  1. Read 10-15 minutes each night.
  2. Record responses on reading logs.
If your family is traveling over the winter break, be safe and enjoy your destination!  I wish you all the best this holiday season…may your break consist of fun, family, friends and some much needed relaxation!
Happy Holidays and I’ll see you in the New Year…2019!!!