Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, we continued to get to know each other and establish our new classroom community.  We played many collaborative and team-building games and learned some new songs too.  Thank you for helping your child be ready for morning outdoor play-time.  They have so much fun playing with the other first grade friends on the fields behind our school. Next week, Mrs. Keating will take our first graders out while I will help our friends who need breakfast in the morning.

• This week, we started our new weekly job chart too.  Every week, the students will rotate through a variety of different jobs to help keep our classroom efficient.  The students are eager to help out and very responsible in their chores!

• This week, we learned about active listening skills in our Second Step lessons.  The students learned that listening skills are important for learning and engagement.  They also learned that the brain grows and gets stronger when learning is happening. Students can show active listening by using their whole body listening skills with eyes watching, ears listening, body still and voices off.  

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s love of helping out by asking your child to help you at home too.  Having simple, developmentally/age-appropriate tasks boost confidence and provide a sense of purpose.  Young children love to help out.  Talk to your child about what specific tasks your child can learn to manage more independently at home.  For example, does your child have a morning routine or a bedtime routine that your child can independently complete?  Does your child help you set the table, or pack the library books?  How about unpacking the backpack on Fridays and emptying the contents of the Home Folder for you to read?

• You can also support active listening skills and the social cues by following the steps presented in this week’s Second Step HomeLink.  This assignment is optional but we encourage families to engage in these conversations at home.  Having the same social language bridges the school and the home and young learners thrive on clear and similar expectations.  If your child wants to hand in the HomeLink for me to check (and to earn a buzzy for our classroom buzzy jar), please return it to the classroom on Monday along with your child’s Home Folder. Thank you.

Reading:

• This week, the students started to apply the skills they are learning in phonics/decoding to reading shorter word lists and texts.  They did a great job.  They learned that readers must be actively involved for skills to develop.  Ask your child to explain how they echo and choral read in our class.

You can:

• You can support your child’s love of reading by reading to your child every day.  Expose your child to different kinds of books and magazines.  Read recipes and lists together too.  Once you start looking, there are things to read together everywhere!  This week, for example, we explored some atlases and postcards from all around the world!

• Please read your child’s library books together too.  Remember that your child chose these books independently and they are important to them. 

Writing:

• This week, the students started writing their Hopes and Dreams for this school year.  The students also created a small art project to go along with the writing.  When everything is done, we will hang our creations on display along with the students in Ms. Crowley’s class by the lockers for all to see. The students are very excited!

You Can:

• Consider creating a space at home for your child to explore writing and drawing.  This space can be at the dinner table, in a hallway nook, or with a clipboard in bed.  (Nothing fancy!)  Involve your child in the decision-making process.  For example, what pens or pencils should be made available?  Crayons? Markers? Lined paper, blank paper or both?  Notebooks or scraps of paper?  Be creative.  Involving your child in the creation of a space for writing at home might also provide a creative corner, or a calming corner for your child.  

Math:

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to count objects and add numbers together.  They learned how to subitize (see larger groups/patterns of objects) to help in solving addition problems and larger numbers.  They did great!

• First grade mathematicians also learned about the importance of having a growth mindset and showing perseverance and resilience when things feel challenging. They also learned that mistakes lead to new learning and grow our brains!

• Math students practiced parts of numbers in many different ways this week.  First grade mathematicians used their math hands, counting gems and dice to show their understanding.

• First grade mathematicians also started to practice proper number writing.

You can:

• You can support your child’s engagement in math by emphasizing the importance of having a growth mindset. In our math community, we help each other overcome those obstacles.  Having a positive attitude and being willing to try new things help us learn together.

• Please celebrate your child’s math work when it comes home in the Home Folder.  Your child will not take home math work every week because many of the learning activities are partner/group games and, thus, not paper-based.  You will notice that your child is currently learning about proper number formation and number writing.  While your child will learn about this at school, you can support this learning at home by reinforcing that all number writing starts from the top!

News and Reminders:

• Our Ice Cream Social is on Monday, 9/9 5:50-6:30pm at WCS.

• Your child’s School Picture Order Form is inside the Home Folder today.  We have school pictures on September 17th.

• Here is a link to the September Lunch Menu.  Please take the time to discuss the options daily with your child. Not knowing what is being served for lunch every day can cause anxiety and many times the choices are unfamiliar as well.  Thank you for helping your child be successful at school.

• ABS Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/1 between 6-7pm. More information will follow shortly.

• Our fabulous parent-run science program 4 Winds is looking for volunteers.  Please view this link and consider volunteering for 4 Winds to provide monthly hands-on scientific learning sessions in first grade.

• Please check in with your child each day about their plan for after school, especially if it varies from day to day. I think I have connected with everyone about daily plans, if not, please let me know.

• We will start the school day outside next week too.  Next week, Mrs. Keating will take the students outside right away and I will help the students with breakfast.

Have a great weekend,

Maria