September 23 Newsletter

Mrs. Bali’s First Grade News

September 23, 2016

Review of our Week:

         In math we have been working on taking apart, taking from and subtraction in story problems. In our reading program, we have started reading stories.  We have finished all of our interviews. I will have the pages your child wrote put together in a book at SEPs.  I am very impressed with the writing abilities of each of the students.  In Social Studies we are learning about our community.

Homework:

         It is very important that your child is doing their reading for 20 minutes every night. I really need you taking the time to listen to your child read.  I have several who have already moved up a level and several who will be ready to move up a level with in the next couple of weeks.  I can tell they are reading at home.  As I start reading with each child next week, I will be able to see who else is ready to move.

         I just wanted to let you know, you don’t have to turn your child’s math packet in.  I am not grading it for homework.  You can turn them in, but you don’t have to.  I just wanted to send them home as some extra practice, if you wanted to have your child do it.  It has helped review and pre-teach some of these math concepts. I will do this with each chapter.

FYI’s:

* I just wanted to thank you all for sending the snacks when your    child was the leader. Please make sure your child is getting a good breakfast.  If they would like to bring a snack for themselves they can do that.

         * Now that it is starting to get cold outside, please make sure      your child is bringing a coat or a jacket everyday.

Upcoming Events:

·      Thursday, September 29 – Celebrate Logan’s Birthday

·      Friday, September 30 – Health Screenings

·      October 3-7 – SEP Week (School gets out at 2:30)

·      Friday, October 14 – End of 1^st Quarter

·      Friday, October 14 – Family Fun Day

·      Friday, October 21 – Picture Retakes

·      Monday, October 24 – No School (Fall Break)

·      Monday, October 31 – Halloween Party

Reading Volunteers

Reading Volunteers

8:40-9:10 or 11:15-11:45

Monday –   

Tuesday –  

Wednesday –

Thursday – Darcelle Bromley

                  Katie Murray

Friday –      Betsy Carlile/Gramdma Carlile              (Will switch books every other Friday)

September 16 Newsletter

Mrs. Bali’s First Grade News

September 16, 2016

Review of our week:

         In math we started on Chapter 2, Subtraction Concepts. I had each child fix the problems, which he or she missed in Chapter 1 and sent the test home today.  I was very happy with the scores from the math test.

SEP’s:

         I am sending home a paper on Tuesday that tells you when your SEP is.  I need you to sign it and mark if you can make your appointment or not.  If you can’t make it please let me know as soon as possible, so I can reschedule it.  We coordinated with other teachers, so please try to make your appointment.  Remember school gets out everyday at 2:30, even on Wednesday.

Office Things:

         I just wanted to remind you or make you aware if you didn’t know already about a few things.  Whenever you come to the school to read or anything else you need to check in at the office and get a visitors pass.  The other thing is if your child is gone, we need you to call the office and excuse them.  Mrs. Griffith has to call the parents of every child who is absent and see why they are not at school.  If they are going to be gone it is good to let me know, but will you please let Mrs. Griffith know also.  I don’t always have time to tell her.

Reading Parents:

         I only have 3 moms signed up to come in and read.  If you can or a grandparent would like to come in and read, we would love to have you.  Let me know if you are able to.

Sight Words:

         I have gone through the sight word lists I have and placed your child on a list they need to work on.  They may only have 1 or 2 they need to work on.  When they have practiced and can read them with mastery, which is being able to read each word in a second (see it, say it) please sign the paper I have attached and return it.  I will have them pass the list off and get the new list.  We will also be working on stories in a little while.

        

Homework:

         I have some really fun prizes for those students who reach the reading goal.  The reading goal is at least 5 nights every week.  Even if every apple is not filled in please have your child turn in what they have read (when it is due). Please make sure you sign your child’s reading record.  It is very important your child is doing their reading homework.

Family Fun Day:

         I attached a copy of the paper on Family Fun Day to my email last week.  Usually they will be on Fridays, but if that does not work let me know and we can set up another day. I have dates listed in the upcoming events.  If there is one of those dates you would like, let me know.  If you have any questions please let me know.

Reading Parents:

         We will start reading this next week.  When you come in I will have you listen to a child read 1-2 stories out of their Readers and then practice their sight words.  Soon, they will have books I am reading in Guided Reading Groups with them.  After awhile I will have you do fluency readings with them.

Next Week’s Leaders:

         * September 19 – Taeya

         * September 20 - Tiely

         * September 21 – Emma S.

We will finish off the extra snacks we have and then we won’t be doing snacks after that. If your child would like to bring their own healthy snack to eat at first recess, they can.

Upcoming Events:

·      Friday, September 23 – Family Fun Day

·      Friday, September 23 – Fall Pictures

·      Thursday, September 29 – Celebrate Logan’s Birthday

·      Friday, September 30 – Health Screenings

·      October 3-7 – SEP Week (School gets out at 2:30)

·      Friday, October 14 – End of 1^st Quarter

·      Friday, October 14 – Family Fun Day

·      Friday, October 21 – Picture Retakes

·      Monday, October 24 – No School (Fall Break)

·      Monday, October 31 – Halloween Party

September 9 Newsletter

Mrs. Bali’s First Grade News

September 9, 2016

Review of our week:

         We are almost finished with our unit on fables and fairy tales.  We will start a unit on the human body next week.  Each day we interview the leader and I am really seeing some improvement in our writing.  We have also been working on sentence structure. We did the chapter review yesterday, and took our math test on Monday. 

        

Homework:

         You and your child need to be reading for 20 minutes every night. We will start the Take Home Library next week.  These books are on your child’s independent reading level, they should be reading them to you.  They may seem easy and that is because they are or they should be.  They are one level lower than where I have them instructionally.   I would like your child to read the book a couple of times.  After they have read the book have them tell you what happened in the book and ask them some questions about the book for comprehension.  I did the assessments over the last couple of weeks to find their reading level.  By the time we start in our guided reading groups, some of them will be ready to move up.  Please, be patient with their take home book level until we start guided reading groups.  If your child is on a higher reading level, they won’t move through the levels as fast.

         I am going to send home the extra practice sheets all together.  You can have your child do these for extra practice, or you don’t have to.  There are some who could really use the extra practice, but I want their reading to be the priority.

Reading Parents:

         I would like to start having parents come in and read with the class in 2 weeks. They can be moms, dads or grandparents.   I will send a list of the parents who signed up next week with my newsletter.  If you can and would like to come in and read with us, we would love to have you.  Let me know if there is a day that would work for you.  

         At Back To School Night I had said we would do reading from 8:40-9:10.  If that time works for you, you can still come at that time.  I have looked at my schedule and decided that I can also have parents come from 11:15-11:45.  I will be pulling small groups at this time.  If this time works better, please let me know.

Reminders & FYI:

* Please make sure your child is here on time.  We cover a          lot of very important math concepts in our opening.  We are also doing bell work or finishing up from the day before.  I would really appreciate it if you had your child here on time.

     

* Remember Library books on Tuesday. I have asked my     class to keep their backpacks in their backpacks, so they are here every week.  Thanks

* Don’t forget to link your Smith’s Card to our school.  Ask grandparents and neighbors to do it also.  The school really makes a lot of money with this. 

* Please have your child wear their favorite T-Shirt on Monday.

Leaders for next week:

September 12 – Karter

September 13 – Lenox

September 14 – Logan

September 15 –Payton

September 16 – Russell

September 19 – Taeya

September 20 - Tiely

*Please send a snack if you can.  Remember nothing with nuts of any kind.  Thanks!!

Upcoming Events:

·      Monday, September 12 – South PTA Movie Night

·      Thursday, September 15 – Celebrate Payton’s Birthday

·      Friday, September 16 – Family Fun Day

·      Friday, September 23 – Family Fun Day

·      Friday, September 23 – Fall Pictures

·      Thursday, September 29 – Celebrate Logan’s Birthday

·      Friday, September 30 – Health Screenings

·      October 3-7 – SEP Week (School gets out at 2:30)

·      Friday, October 14 – End of 1^st Quarter

·      Friday, October 14 – Family Fun Day