Dear Families,
Here is our week in review:
Social-Emotional Learning:
This week, we had another Guidance class with Ms. Nancy. The students learned about how they can use their assertive voices when they feel unsafe or distracted by other people. They had the chance to practice different scenarios. They learned how they can use their assertive voices to say no, rather than getting influenced by other students when unexpected things happen and how they can stay focused on the group plan. This is a skill we will continue to work on in the weeks ahead.
The students are making positive relationships in class and play well together. If you are interested in scheduling additional time for your child to play with a peer from our classroom, please use the student contact information list I emailed you and placed inside your child's Home Folder.). The list is based upon permissions granted and information provided in PowerSchool so please let me know if any information needs to be updated or changed. Thank you and have fun playing together outside of school!
This week we started restorative circle time with Ms. Nicole. Ms. Nicole is our SEL Coach and she will join our classroom weekly for the next few weeks. Restorative circles provide opportunities for students to share their thoughts on different topics and everyone has a chance to speak. We always start our circles with a “zone check-in”. A “zone check-in” is a quick check-in about how everyone is feeling. At ABS, we follow the Zones of Regulation approach which teaches our young learners self-regulation and identification of feelings based on a color-coded system. Here is a picture to explain the approach:
You Can:
You can support your child’s social-emotional learning at home too. If you want to, try to introduce the above color-labeled emotions at home too. This is particularly powerful when young children start to feel strong emotions. The zones help the children label and identify their feelings; the first step in accessing self-regulatory practices and techniques that reflect prosocial and productive solutions. Try sharing your own feelings too in different situations. Young children benefit from seeing the adult in their lives model how they self-regulate when they experience strong emotions. For example, share that you feel frustrated (on the yellow) and tell your child why. Share with your child that you will manage this emotion by doing something productive and helpful (so you can get back to feeling calm; on the green). Share with your child that you might choose to take some deep breaths, use positive self-talk, go and get some water, or count back quietly from 10, or any other strategy that works for you. Young children benefit from seeing the adults in their lives model this because many times they do not necessarily know that adults experience the same emotional range as the children.
Reading:
This week, we continued to read multiple books during our read aloud times and in our small groups. A new favorite book is “If you ever want to bring a piano to the beach-don’t” by Elise Parsley. Ask your child to tell you what happened and why it is not a good idea to bring a piano to the beach. Also ask your child to share what other famous book this reminded us of.
You can:
The students read decodable readers too. Some students brought home smaller books/texts for additional practice at home. Please read these at home and keep them in a safe place for future repeated practice.
Thank you for supporting your child’s growth in reading by using Lexia and razkids at home!
Writing:
This week, first grade authors continued to build stamina and independence. They learned new skills for sounding out each phoneme when spelling CVC words. (CVC words are consonant-vowel-consonant words such as map, pit, hat, etc). They created word strings to represent the different sounds heard in spoken language as they represented these sounds by the proper letters. We are so proud of them all!
We reviewed our heart words this week. They are: sure, because, said and you
You Can:
You can support your child’s enthusiasm and joy of writing at home by reading/doing the activities in last week’s Home Folder from Fundations, our spelling program. The parent newsletters from Fundations always include many valuable resources, games and activities for families to have at home.
Math:
We welcome Mrs. Singh to our math classroom. Mrs. Singh will join our math class every day for our explorations and investigations into the world of numbers and patterns! Mrs. Singh is our new math interventionist at ABS. Welcome!
This week, first grade mathematicians continued to build a deeper understanding of the relationships between part-part-whole and the connections between addition and subtraction in this regard. They used number bonds and written equations to show their understanding of parts of numbers to 10, such as 9-2=7 because 7+2=9, etc
This week, our amazing mathematicians had a chance to practice their facts to 10 while playing two new games; “Yogurt” and “Drop the Beans”. Ask your child to explain these two games.
You can:
While solving math problems this week, we learned more about the importance of having a positive attitude and mindset towards math. Having a growth mindset helps all learners manage their emotions while working through increasingly complex problems and situations. They did an outstanding job in class showing a growth mindset and recognizing this in others. Consider recognizing each other at home for having a growth mindset when basic tasks are completed and dealt with. Young children thrive on positive feedback and if they see caring adults in their lives using these strategies too, the connections between school and home become more powerful.
News and Reminders:
I will be out of school next Thursday and Friday (11/9 and 11/10). The students will have a guest teacher for these two days. As a result, I will not send a newsletter next week. Please consider talking to your child about the importance of listening to the guest teacher’s directions too. Consider talking to your child about how he/she can be a role model and show what is expected every day by making safe, kind and responsible choices so everyone can access learning. I am sure the students will have wonderful days with the guest teacher.
Have a great weekend,
Maria
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