Friday Update

Happy Friday!

First, I want to thank all of the wonderful families who helped plan and came to support students at our Fall Party on Tuesday! The students had a blast and it was a HUGE success! THANK YOU!

Field Trip:
Our field trip to Claude Moore Park and Heritage Farm Museum is on Wednesday, November 8th. We'll enjoy a nature walk through the park while we observe seasonal changes and learn how animals prepare for winter. We'll attend the apples program at the museum to learn about different types of apples, play some apple games, and press some apple cider. Your child should bring a disposable lunch on the field trip. Please watch the weather to decide what to wear; layers are best as the temperature fluctuates while we move in and out of the sun in the park. Children should wear sneakers; no sandals please.

Turkey of the Year:
Turkey of the Year voting is continuing. Sad to say that I am no longer in the competition after today's voting :( A lot of our students were disappointed. However, please encourage your child to still read so they can continue to vote for the other staff members who are still in the competition!

American Education Week:
Please mark your calendar for American Education Week celebration on Thursday, November 16th. Time TBA. Our celebration event will be in our classroom (Room 3) in the morning. Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.

Pine brook Veteran's Day Program!
Please read the following message from the Pinebrook office regarding our Veteran's Day Program:

Calling All Veterans!

You are invited to participate in Pinebrook's Veteran's Day Celebration

At Pinebrook Elementary, we love to celebrate and honor our families, especially those who have served or are currently active in the military. We would be honored to have you join us and share your stories with two classrooms of students (parents and extended family military members welcome) for our Veteran's Day Celebration to be held on Friday, November 10th from 8:00am-10:15am. 

Schedule of Events:

8:00-8:25 Veteran's Check-in at the front desk and proceed to the library 

8:30-9:10 Program Begins/ Veteran's share their story with two different groups of students

8:30-8:50 Session 1

8:50-9:10 Session 2

9:15-9:30 Photos of Veterans with their students 

9:30-9:45 Pinebrook Veterans Day Parade

9:45-10:15 Juice, Coffee, Bagels for Veterans

Focus Area for the Upcoming Week:

• Reading- Students are continuing to work on our Word Detectives unit to learn how to solve tricky words
• Writing- Students are continuing handwriting practice and letter formation
• Word Study-Students will begin a new word sort on Thursday
• Math-Students will continue their Patterns unit by learning about different types of patterns and creating patterns
• Social Studies-We will learn about Veterans Day and begin preparing for American Education Week

Students will not have Sight Word Homework November 8th-November 10th due to the short week. Students are still expected to read every night. 

I will see some of you on Monday for Parent/Teacher Conferences! Remember Monday and Tuesday are student holidays and students will return on Wednesday, November 8th. 

Enjoy the nice long weekend! :) 

Week of October 24th-27th

Hello Families!

Last week was an exciting week for our first grade class! We had fifth grade visit our classroom on Friday to help our class with pumpkin investigations and on Friday we all decorated our pumpkins! They look awesome!

Field Trip:
Our 1st grade field trip to Claude Moore Park and Heritage Farm Museum will be Wednesday, November 8th. Information letters and permission forms went home in Thursday folders last week. Please kindly return the permission form and payment as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who already has! Please contact me with any questions. Chaperones will be determined this week. 

Fall Party:
Please mark your calendar for our Fall party on Tuesday, October 31st from 12:15-2:00 pm in our classroom. All families are welcome to attend! (NO costumes, please). You received a permission form in Thursday folders a few weeks ago. Some students still have not returned their permission form. They are due tomorrow. Your child must return this permission form to participate and to eat any party food. Our amazing Room Moms and I thank you for your help! 

Check out our 1st Grade Symbaloo Page!

Our Instructional Facilitator of Technology, Mrs. Clark, compiled a Symbaloo page for us! Symbaloo is a visual bookmarking tool that makes it simple and fun to organize multiple websites.  Our 1st Grade Symbaloo has links to a variety of sites that cover multiple disciplines...everything from Mouse Skills (check out "Bees and Honey"), to science, to math, and holidays.  Our Symbaloo sites are a perfect "something more" to supplement your child's weekly homework. You can access the Symbaloo by clicking HERE.  You can access it by going to the Pinebrook Homepage.  Once there, click "First Grade" under the "Classrooms" tab.  Look to the left under the heading "First Grade".  At the bottom of that list, you'll see "First Grade Symbaloo." 

Focus Areas for the Week

• Reading: We will be working on retelling our stories using character names, setting, problem and solution. We will also we working on connections to self and other texts. 
• Writing: We will continue to work on handwriting skills and word study sorts
• Math: We will finish our Number Sense unit and take a short test. Then, we will begin our Patterns unit.
• Science: We will continue learning about pumpkin life cycles and day and night.

Library will be on Thursday this week. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Friday the 13th! :)

Hello Everyone!

It has been a short but very busy week as always!

In honor of Fire Safety Week, a parent from Mrs. Lomardo's class is a firefighter and came to speak to all the first graders about fire safety today. We are so thankful for his willingness to come speak with us! Please ask your child about our visit with Mr. Zumwalt today! :)

Pumpkins:
We will complete an in-class pumpkin investigation on Thursday, October 19th. Each child will need his/her own small pumpkin. I sent a note home about this last week. Please send your child's pumpkin to school by Thursday. Also, please write your child's name on the bottom of the pumpkin.
Fifth grade students from Mrs. Noel's class will be supporting our students in the pumpkin investigation and creating videos on the iPads to upload to our school's Loudoun Creates YouTube channel! SO EXCITING!

Next Week is Spirit Week:
We will have a Spirit Week next week (October 16-20) to raise awareness for bully prevention. Themes each day are:

• Monday- Mismatch Day
• Tuesday- Dress Like a Superhero Day
• Wednesday- Inside Out Day
• Thursday- Wear 2 Different Shoes Day
• Friday- Pinebrook Colors or Spirit Wear Day

Fall Conferences:

Thank you to those of you who have signed up for a Parent/Teacher Conference. If you have not yet signed up, please do so at your earliest convenience.

Fall Party:

Please mark your calendar for our Fall Party on Tuesday, October 31st from 12:15-2:00 p.m. in our classroom (Room 3). All families are welcome to attend! (NO costumes please) A food permission form went home with your child yesterday. Your child must have written permission to eat any party food. Our awesome Room Moms and I thank you for your donations. 

Extra Clothes:

Since first graders are still prone to bathroom accidents and playground slips, please consider tucking an extra set of clothing (including underclothes) into your child's backpack. I will not collect and store the clothes in our classroom. The extra set of clothing will simply sit at the bottom of your child's backpack until it may be needed. Thanks!

Water Bottles:

If you are not already doing so, please begin to send a water bottle to school each day with your child. We do NOT have an in-class water fountain. The kids get tired and thirsty over the course of a long morning and water goes a long way toward helping them stay energetic and attentive.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading- We will talk about making predictions and using what we know from the cover of a book to think about what a story may be about
• Writing- We continuing to work on handwriting, as well as, talk about how to add details to our stories.
• Math- We will be finishing up our first unit (Number Sense) and students will have their first math test the following week. Our next unit will be Patterns.
• Science- We will learn the parts and life cycles of both apples and pumpkins!

Have a SUPER weekend!

Conferences, Fall Party, and Pumpkins...Oh My!

Hello Everyone!

This post is full of important information, so please read through the end!

Please Sign-Up for a Conference!
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held at the end of the first quarter. I am using Sign Up Genius to schedule conferences. You can sign-up for a conference time by clicking HERE. If you are unable to attend a conference on one of the dates/times listed, please send me an email to make alternate arrangements.

Important Information about Homework:
Starting on Monday, October 10th, your child will be coming home with a weekly sight word homework assignment. The assignment will be given at the beginning of each week and will be due each FRIDAY.  Your student will be receiving a list of five sight words that they are to practice writing throughout the week. Sight words for each week will also be listed in your child's agenda book. Several students are also still not completing their nightly reading homework. I cannot stress enough how important it is for your child to be reading at least 15 minutes each night. I also request that you list what was read, number of minutes, and signature each night so I am aware whether or not your child read.

Fall Party:
Our Fall Party will be held on Tuesday, October 31st. All parents are welcome to join in on the fun...but you will probably be put to work :)

If you are able to come, please come in 30 minutes prior to the party start time to help set up.

Pumpkins:
The paper was sent home yesterday about our upcoming Pumpkin Investigation. I am asking that each child bring in one small pumpkin by Thursday, October 19th.  We will be observing, measuring, and decorating our pumpkins!

Focus Area for the Upcoming Week:

• Reading: We will be learning how a reading partner can help us with identifying unknown words and learning skills to decode unknown/difficult words.
• Writing: We will continue to work on our nice neat handwriting and correctly forming our letters. 
• Math: We will work on our number sense unit.
• Social Studies: We will finish up with seasons and discuss fire safety.

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend! :)

Hillary 

Word Study/Homework

One quick reminder...

I have noticed last week that several students are not completing their daily homework. It is an expectation that each child read for 15 minutes each night. This daily reading requirement is to promote your child to be using the reading skills learned in the classroom in real world experiences outside of the classroom. I want them to be practicing these skills and building their reading life, so they know that reading can take place everywhere! :)
Remember to:
Write what your child read
How many minutes read
Signature
(Optional) A quick note about your child's reading

I am so grateful for those who have been adding little comments about their child's reading. This helps me to know what skills to be working on with your child in small groups as we become more in-depth with our learning.

Word Study:
Your child will be coming home with a set of word study words/pictures tonight. Every Monday, students will receive their new set of words/pictures and every Friday will be their assessment. Your child does not have Word Study homework, but I thought it would be helpful if you would like your child to practice at home...doesn't hurt!
Suggestions for Word Study:

• Sort words/pictures in groups
• Spell words
• Play memory/matching game with words

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Classroom Updates Week of September 25-29

Happy Monday!

Hi Everyone!

We've come to the end of a long week.  We had a few challenges this week with ready, responsible, and respectful choices during lunch and during our transition times.  The kids are becoming more comfortable with each other, so it can be easier for them to exhibit off-task behaviors.  I am hopeful that next week will be smooth sailing as we continue to discuss how to be ready, responsible, and respectful 1st graders.  

Important Information About School Pictures:

Fall pictures will be taken this coming Tuesday, September 26th.  I sent home information about pictures in yesterday's folder.  This will be a day for individual pictures only; a whole-class picture will be taken in the Spring.  Following are some guidelines to help facilitate your picture order / purchase:

• If possible, please order your child's pictures online.  It's the fastest, easiest, and most convenient way to order your child's pictures.  If you order online, you do not need to send anything to school with your child on Picture Day!
• If you are not ordering online, please fill out the payment envelope, enclose your payment, and send it to school on picture day.  Your payment envelope must include your child's name, my name, your "look" (or background) selection, your package selection, and your payment.
• Picture purchase is optional.

 Fall Literacy Testing:

Our Fall literacy screenings are underway as I have begun administering both the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) and the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA).  I look forward to discussing the results of your child's assessments at our Fall Conference in November.

RAZ-Kids, Dreambox Learning, and Reflex Math:

RAZ-Kids, and Dreambox Learning are web-based programs that allow your child to practice reading (RAZ-Kids), math skills (Dreambox Learning).  I will send home your child's log-on information for these learning tools as soon as I have them.  Most have an app you can download too.  Please allow your child to explore these fun and valuable learning tools!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about good reader habits. We will talk about retelling stories and making connections when we read.  I will continue administering the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) to determine your child's current independent reading level.
• Writing:  We will begin learning the routines and procedures of Writer's Workshop as we talk about habits of good writers.
• Math:  We will continue learning the routines and procedures of Math Workshop as we explore number sense and counting.  We will talk about different ways to show a number (using digits, dots, a ten-frame, tallies, etc.)
• Science:  We will talk about the 5 senses, 4 seasons, and the relationship between the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
• Social Studies:  We will talk about John Chapman, also known as "Johnny Appleseed", and why we remember him.

Have a wonderful week!

Classroom News

Hello!

I think the kids are settling into the year.  On the whole, I am pleased with how quickly they're picking up on classroom routines and procedures.  Staying focused during the afternoon has been a bit difficult, but I am hopeful that as the kids build stamina for a full school day, they will have an easier time staying on task.

Here's your update for the week:


 Snack Reminder:
Snack time has been going great! We eat snack around 9:30am each day...and surprisingly we are down to about a 12 minute snack time! :) WOO!  Thank you for sending your child with an easy "grab and go" item. Please remember to pack a HEALTHY snack though!

Specials Reminder:
Please remember to send your child with sneakers for P.E. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Library books are due back each Monday. 

Scholastic News Reminder:
Please remember to send your child to school with $6 for our classroom to purchase Scholastic News. I can't stress enough the importance of exposing our children to nonfiction news. Thank you to those who have already supported your child in sending in the scholastic news order. 

Homework Reminder:
Students are to be reading each night for 15 minutes Monday-Thursday (Awesome if you read on the weekend too!) Some students have been coming into school with uncompleted reading logs in their student agenda. Students should write the title of book, number or minutes, and have a parent signature each night. Thank you so much!!

Water Bottle Reminder:
Please remember to send your child to school with an easy open water bottle. We no longer have water fountains in our classroom and I cannot allow students to walk down the hallway by themselves to get a drink of water. I think it would be best if each child had a water bottle at their desk. 

Also, its not too late to order books from Scholastic. Remember to enter our classroom code PB4G4 to have your child's books shipped free to school!

Our first Box Tops for Education collection was today, but your child can continue to send in box tops throughout the year to add to our classroom collection envelope. 

Important Dates:

September:

• Saturday, September 30th:  Fall Festival at 4:00 pm at school

October:

• Monday, October 2nd:  PTA Believe Kids Fundraiser ends

• Tuesday, October 3rd:  WatchDOG Dad kickoff at 6:00 pm at school
• Wednesday, October 4th:  Walk to school day at 7:20 am (meet at the Kirkpatrick Farms clubhouse)
• Monday, October 9th:  No school due to Columbus Day
• Saturday, October 14th:  Fall Festival Rain Date
• Monday, October 16th:  PTA Meeting at 4:00 pm in the library at school
• Monday, October 23rd:  No school for students due to Teacher Work Day

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue Book Shopping, which is the process of choosing just right books for our book bags. We will also work on good reader habits like using a smooth voice and rereading to see more in our books.
• Writing:  We will practice Handwriting, emphasizing proper letter formation, and starting our letters at the top.
• Math:  We will learn how to use our "Rise and Shine" morning work binders to show the month, day, and number of school days in various ways. We will also be working with number recognition to 20 including some graphing to compare numbers.
• Science / Social Studies:  We will talk about what it means to be a scientist, and what scientists do.
• Word Study: Students are completing a practice word study sort to prepare for their word study groups and assessments. Students will be placed into their groups on Monday, September 25th and will have their first word study assessment on Friday, September 29th. Students will also come home with a copy of their word study words each week. Please encourage your child to sort their words at home and practice spelling the words. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys the last bit of summer! :)