Weekly update

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the late post. I wasn't feeling well late Friday/ this weekend I had to take some much needed R & R to recoup before the busy holiday weekend.

 Many thanks to those of you able to attend our ABC's of Thanksgiving last week. The kids love having you visit the classroom, and I appreciate the time you take from your busy schedule to validate their efforts by attending our programs.  
Report Card Signature Slips and Envelopes:If you haven't done so, please return your child's report card envelope.  Please also return the signed report card acknowledgement.  This is the slip at the bottom of the last page of the report card.  I  only need the small slip at the bottom; you should keep the rest of the report card.

Read-a-Thon Update:
Please be sure to log your child's at-home reading on his/her Read-a-Thon page! The Read-a-Thon ends Tuesday, and we are looking forward to a big finish as we raise money to purchase materials for our Guided Reading Library!

Thanksgiving Travel:
If your child will be absent tomorrow, and / or leaving early, please kindly notify both the office and me in advance.  For absences, you may use the online absence excuse found on the Pinebrook homepage.  For early dismissal, you may use the early dismissal form found on the Pinebrook homepage.

No Written Homework Next Week:
There will be no written homework next week due to our short week.  PLEASE READ!  Remember...reading isn't homework...reading is LIFE.  :)
Timeline Project:I sent home your child's "Look At Me Now" Timeline Projectlast week.  Please review the information in the letter and let me know if you have any questions.  Timeline projects are due no later than Friday, December 9th. If your child has his/her Timeline project completed before that date, feel free to send it in early. One kiddo has already turned it in! WOW! I have yet to start on my son's...yikes!

Focus Areas for the Coming Short Week (11/21-11/22) AND the Week of 11/28 - 12/2:

• Reading:  We will summarize stories using the summary frame known as "Somebody-Wanted-But-So".  You can use this summary frame with your child at home too!  After your child reads a book, ask:  "Who is the Somebody in the story?"  (it's usually the main character);  "What did he/she want?";  "But what happened?" (this is the problem);  "So what did he/she do?"  (this is the solution).  We will also talk about the Author's Message in stories we read...what life lesson does the author want us to learn from this story?
• Math:  We will review our addition strategies as we finish our addition unit. We will begin our subtraction unit, in which we explore subtraction as the reverse of addition, and learn strategies for quickly solving subtraction facts.
• Social Studies:  We will finish our Long Ago and Today unit.
• Science:  We will begin talking about how people, plants, and animals prepare for winter, and how they adapt to winter.

As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback!

Kristen

Veteran's Day and Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

We celebrated Veteran's Day at school today.  Please ask your child about it! Veterans came to speak with us about their time in the service, and we celebrated them with our own Pinebrook Veteran's Day parade.  My parents and in-laws, all retired from the Air Force.  As a teacher and a daughter of veterans, I am so thankful to our Pinebrook community for honoring our veterans.  Please take a moment today to be thankful for the veterans who keep our country the Land of the Free.  
Report Cards:
Quarter 1 report cards will go home next Wednesday, November 16th.  I will put your child's report card in the front clear pocket of his/her homework folder.  After you review your child's report card, please sign the bottom of the last page, detach the signature slip, and return it in the original envelope.  You keep the report card; I keep the signature slip and envelope. I do reuse your child's report card envelope all year, so please be sure to return it.
American Education Week:
I hope you will join us in our classroom next Tuesday, November 15th from 9:45 - 10:40 am to celebrate American Education Week.  Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.  Our lunch is immediately following the ABC's of Thanksgiving, and you may stay to have lunch with your child.  Our lunch is from 10:40 - 11:10.  If you're staying for lunch, please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period.  Our regular instructional day will resume right after lunch.  I sent home specific information about American Education Week, including a copy of your child's speaking part(s), on Tuesday.  Please review this information.  Please send back the form to let me know if you're staying for lunch, and please help your child practice reading his/her speaking part with a clear, confident voice.
Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about visualizing.  When good readers read and/or listen to stories, they must sometimes visualize.  When we visualize, we make a picture in our brains to accompany the words in the story.
• Writing:  We will respond to writing prompts and self-chosen topics as we continue to practice capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and letter formation. We will complete a Thanksgiving writing project.
• Math:  We will begin to close our addition unit.  We will finish learning strategies for quickly solving addition facts.
• Social Studies:  We will continue our Long Ago and Today unit as we make our final preparations for American Education Week, and the ABC's of Thanksgiving.

Our first quarter is in the books!  Thank you for all you've done to help your child adjust to 1st grade.  I am blessed by their sweet presence each day.  Please remember...your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.  

Enjoy the weekend!  I'm going to start our family's Thanksgiving preparations!  I should probably start with a 10 mile run, and by ensuring all my elastic waist pants are ready to go!  *gobble*

Weekly Update

Happy Friday Everyone!
Yay! We have made it through the first quarter. I cannot believe how fast that went. I am looking forward to all the fun and exciting things we have planned in the second quarter. I am hopeful that the next quarter will be as fun as this first one was.

I wanted to quickly say thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped out at our Fall Party on Monday. The kids had such a fun time. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Norman who planned and prepped the entire party. I know what a huge that task was. It was the most organized party anyone has ever planned for my class. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your hard work!

Conferences:
Thank you for attending your parent teacher conference!  I enjoy visiting with you during this time to discuss your child's progress and behavior, and I learn so much about your student through your eyes. 

Pinebrook Read-a-Thon:
Monday, November 7th will mark the start of our Pinebrook Read-a-Thon.  All money raised will be used to purchase materials for our new Guided Reading Library.  This is the library we teachers access for resources and materials when we plan our reading instruction. Please refer to the flyer I sent home in last week's Thursday folder for more information.  

Family Reading Night:
Our Family Reading Night will be Thursday, November 10th at 6:30 at school. Isabelle, Darius and I will be there, and we hope to see you too!

American Education Week:
Please mark your calendar for our American Education Week celebration on Tuesday, November 15th from 9:45 - 10:30 am in our classroom.  Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.  Our lunch is immediately following the ABC's of Thanksgiving, and you may stay to have lunch with your child after our event.  For your planning purposes, our lunch is from 10:40 - 11:10.  If you're staying for lunch, please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period.  Our regular instructional day will resume right after lunch.  Please watch next week's Thursday folder for the specific details you'll need about this event.

Next Week's Sight Words:
Due to our short week next week, we will not have new sight words.  We will review previously learned sight words.




Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about the reasons authors write books:  to persuade, to inform, and to entertain.  This is called the "author's purpose".  
• Writing:  We will respond to writing prompts and self-chosen topics as we continue to practice capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and letter formation.
• Math:  We will continue our addition unit.  We will learn strategies for quickly solving addition facts.
• Social Studies:  We will finish learning about Veteran's Day.  We will begin our Long Ago and Today unit, in which we compare and contrast life long ago and today.

Don't forget...the kids don't have school Monday or Tuesday due to  Teacher Work Days. Enjoy the long weekend!