Weekly Letter April 15th

A Couple of Quick of Reminders:

• On Wednesday, we will be having a special Lenten Prayer Service at 10:30am. All are welcome to join!
• Queens Botanical Garden Please send in your permission slip and $13 A.S.A.P. The trip is on 5/7 
• Easter Break: Begins Thursday, April 18. Classes resume on Monday, April 29th.
• There is no homework to do over break. However, please make sure your child continues to read each day! 
• Lastly, I wish you and your family a happy and blessed Easter!

Weekly Letter April 8th

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. The weather has been perfect! Please read about what class 1-2 will be doing this week…

Reading & Writing:

This week we will continue with our poetry writing. Our next type of poem is called a color poem. Color poems have students use their senses to describe what their color may be. For example,

Red

Red is the stripes I see on the American Flag

Red is the new crayon I see in a box

Red is the apple that I eat

Red tastes like…

Red smells like…

This week we will beginning a mini unit. This unit is about Engineering Design where students will begin to focus on simple machines! We will start the week by watching Brain Pop videos about the 6 simple machines we have. These machines are everywhere! The 6 simple machines are screw, lever, wheel and axle, wedge, pulley, and inclined plane. Over the next couple of days’ students will be looking around our classroom and school for examples of these simple machines.

Phonics & Spelling:

This week the phonics skill will focus on the variant vowelow as in flower. This could be a difficult skill for the students since we already studied the “ow” that makes a long o sound, however they are beginning to incorporate these skills into their writing and it is important to instruct in this area. Please remember to review the spelling words each night! 

Math:

This week we will continue with chapter 9. This chapter was all about measurement! We will be using cubes and paperclips to help us measure various objects around our classroom. This week we started taking a closer look at time. We are practicing telling time to the hour and half hour. Please use this chapter as an opportunity to practice with your child. Maybe you can start by explaining times that events happen in your household. For example, we eat dinner at 6:30 or you have soccer practice at 5:00.

Announcements & Reminders:

• If your child is absent, please send in a written note explaining why they were out. If I do not receive anything I mark the absence illegal.
• Class 1-2 is running low on tissue boxes. If you would like to donate a box of tissues, we would greatly appreciate it!
• There will be a chapter 17 religion test on Wednesday, April 10^th. Please focus on the following topics: What happens at the sacrament of Baptism? What is Grace? What are the symbols of Baptism? What does water, a lighted candle, and a white garment remind us of?
• Pizzeria Uno Trip 4/30- Money and permission slip due ASAP
• Queens Botanical Gardens Trip 5/7- Money and Permission Slip due ASAP
• Scholastic Orders Due April 15^th

Weekly Letter April 1st

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! Please read below to find out all the wonderful things we will be doing this week…

Reading & Writing:

This week students will continue with our study on poetry. Last week we completed acrostic poems with the word SPRING. Children were asked to describe spring using adjectives/phrases. This week we will be looking at what a sensory poem is. Children by the end of the week will be writing their own sensory poem focusing on one of the seasons.

Spelling/Phonics/Grammar:

This week the spelling pattern focuses on suffixes –ly and –ful. This topic can be quite tricky for children to understand so please review each night. There will be a formal assessment on Friday!

Math:

This week we will be starting chapter 9: Measurement! Students will learn what it means to use the words shortest, longest, and estimate. In the beginning of the week students will have to draw pictures to show if an object is shorter or longer than another object. By the middle of the week students will use problem solving skills to measure various objects. This is a new chapter for students and it will take some time to get used to the new vocabulary. Maybe you can have your child measure some objects in your house?

Religion:

This week we will continue to review the Stations of the Cross. Students will also continue to explore their Lenten experience. Students will ask themselves, was I able to show my love for Jesus by doing something for him each day? Students will also continue to share their Baptism photos and talk about the special things that happen during this Sacrament.

Reminders & Announcements:

• Friday is a half day
• Scholastic Book Order: Due April 15^th. You may complete an online order.

Weekly Letter March 25th

I hope you all had a great weekend! Can you believe that we are already approaching the last week of March?! Time is flying by in class 1-2…

Reading & Writing:

This week, students will be putting their map skills to the test! Students will be creating a map of a town after we read the story Mapping Penny’s World. Students are responsible for creating a map key with simple symbols, including a compass rose, and making their maps according to scale. Students will be working in groups to create their maps.

Happy (soon to be) poetry month!!! First grade works with poems all year long, especially in our morning meeting, but this month students will have a chance to create their own poems. Each week of April we will focus on a different type of poem. This week we will be looking at what an acrostic poem is. Children by the end of the week will be writing their own acrostic poem focusing on one of the seasons. Next week we will create our own sensory poem! By the end of the month we will be poets! We have started a little early since, Spring vacation is next month.

Spelling & Phonics:

Students this week are learning about compound words. Compound words are two words that are brought together to make one word. For example: blue + bird= bluebird rain + bow= rainbow. Something that I noticed while students were working today is that they are leaving a space between the two words. If you see this happening on homework please remind them that compound words do not need that space. Thank You!

Math:

Chapter 8: Two Digit Addition and Subtraction. Students will complete a study guide on Friday. Our chapter test will be on Tuesday, April 2^nd 

Religion:

This week we will work on Chapter 17: The Church Welcomes New Members. The students will learn about what is said and done during the celebration of Baptism and that during Baptism, Catholics are joined into the church.

(PAST DUE) *If you have any photos of your child’s baptism please send in no more than 2! You will definitely get them back! 

Announcements & Reminders

• Scholastic Orders Due April 1^st
• Math test on Tuesday, April 2^nd
• Half Day on Friday, April 5^th