Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• We continued our focus on problem-solving steps this week.  The students practiced building independence and confidence relying on their own abilities to solve small problems.  This week, for example, they showed growth in their ability to avoid conflict when getting materials ready for learning.  Ask your child to explain how they practiced waiting when getting math materials ready for class. I am so proud of their efforts and positive attitudes.

• This week, the students also learned about the importance of working together as a team.  Sometimes, we refer to our class as “Team McCormack”. Teams not only collaborate and communicate.  Teams also share ideas and show tolerance and forgiveness to all of their members.  This week, as the students completed different projects for our “Celebration of Learning” next week, the students all worked together to support and help  each other in our efforts to create collaborative art projects.  

You Can: 

• You can support your child at home by encouraging your child to contribute to your family’s tasks and weekly/daily chores.  Young children thrive when they are fully included and valued.  These first grade learners can do anything if they get the chance!  Trust me.  I see it every day.

Reading:

• Thank you parents for helping your child return library books to our school.  All library books were due today.  If your child forgot to return his/her books this week, please return the books next week!  Thank you.

• This week, the students practiced reading decodable and authentic texts while sharing their understanding of the plot with teachers and friends.

• The Bookmobile visited ABS this week.  Please see the informational sheet inside your child’s Home Folder about their amazing summer reading program.  Please consider joining and continue reading every day!

You can:

• Daily reading is important.  Consider making a family plan for how your family can support daily reading even over the summer.  Your child has worked hard this school year but reading skills can easily be lost without repetition and practice.  Be on the lookout for local summer library programs and consider creating daily reading expectations for your child. Let me know how I can help.

Writing:

• First grade authors continued writing poetry this week.  They wrote poems about spring and used sound words as a way to add details and personal voice.  The students will share their poems during our Celebration on Learning.

Math:

• First grade mathematicians learned about measurement this week.  They learned about how we can use standard and non-standard units of measurement to measure objects and compare sizes.  This week, the students used counting sticks, popsicle sticks and unifix cubes.  They also learned that precise measurements do not have any gaps.

You can:

• You can support your child’s growing interest in measurements by including specific math vocabulary into your daily conversations at home.  Have you considered asking your child to think about the difference between a particular object’s height, length or width?  These concepts can be very challenging for young learners.  Ask your child to think about how long a specific object is with different tools of measurement.  What is the difference between how many popsicle sticks long something is compared to inches or any other object?  In first grade, mathematicians are encouraged to develop a conceptual understanding of units so they are ready for standard measurements later on.  Have fun measuring and comparing!  Remember, math is everywhere and a social activity!

News and Reminders:

• Harmony House will host an end-of-the-year Celebration of Learning on Thursday, June 6th between 7:35-8:35am.  Families are invited to visit our classroom to celebrate their child’s outstanding work in reading, writing, and math.  We look forward to seeing you then. This is an informal event so please feel free to drop by anytime that morning between 7:35-8:35 am.  Your child will show you around the classroom and parents will take home special pictures and writing pieces.  Thank you.

• Step Up Day will be on June 12th in the morning.  This is a time when the students get to meet their new teacher and friends for next year.

• Report cards go out on the last day of school, June 14.  June 14 is a half day with dismissal at 11:35.  Please let me know if your child needs a bagged lunch for that day. The choices are ham, turkey or sunbutter/jelly sandwiches.  Thank you. 

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, the students explored problem-solving steps and how to navigate different conflicting emotions and solutions.  The students learned about the importance of clearly understanding the situation and exploring the different consequences for each solution.  They practiced keeping small problems small while picking solutions that make sense for them and the situation.  We played a game called “In the river, on the bank” too to act out the importance of self-control and flexibility while listening actively.

• We also discussed the importance of having safe bodies at school and showing a growth mindset.  We have noticed that many of our young learners are in a “summer mindset” already.  Many students run in the hallways and common areas and easily give up during academic learning times.  Please talk to your child about the importance of persevering through the last few weeks of school.  Thank you.

 

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s problem-solving steps at home too.  Encourage your child to follow the steps at home too.  Here is a visual from the Second Step curriculum that summarizes our approach to problem-solving at home.  Young learners respond well to clearly stated structures.  These steps help your child build confidence and independence as a problem-solver.  These steps also help your child match reactions to the problem. Small problems have small reactions.  Big problems have bigger reactions. 

Reading:

• This week, first grade readers continued to read a variety of books and decodable texts.  We listened to some stories online too because the students filled the classroom buzzy jar.  

• We started our poetry unit.  This week, the students listened to a variety of poetry and created a classroom anchor chart with observations about this type of writing.  Ask your child to explain.

• I continued to administer end-of-the-year reading assessments.  We check for fluency, decoding, phonics and sight word automaticity.  

You can:

• Daily reading is important.  Consider making a family plan for how your family can support daily reading even over the summer.  Your child has worked hard this school year but reading skills can easily be lost without repetition and practice.  Be on the lookout for local summer library programs and consider creating daily reading expectations for your child.  In my family, for example, we did daily reading together as a family when my children were young.  During this time, I would read too. I would read my own “just right” books.  It is important for young readers to see the adults in their lives read and enjoy literature too.  Let me know how I can help.

Writing:

• First grade authors wrote poetry this week.  They created acrostic poems reflecting describing words for themselves.  They will share these poems, along with many more, at our “Celebration of Learning.”

Math:

• First grade mathematicians participated in the high-leverage math assessments this week.  This is an end-of-the-year math assessment given to all first graders in our district.  This math assessment reflects some of the more important number sense concepts learned throughout the year, such as adding and subtracting and using place value.  The students also showed their thinking in math story-problems.

News and Reminders:

• There is no school on Monday, May 27th (Memorial Day)

• I will continue my literacy assessments on Tuesday, May 28th so the students will have a guest teacher.  Please talk to your child about the importance of following the group plan and showing respect to all adults at ABS. It can sometimes be tricky with a new teacher in the room, especially when coming back from a long weekend. Thank you.

• Harmony House will host an end-of-the-year Celebration of Learning on Thursday, June 6th between 7:35-8:35.  Families are invited to visit our classroom to celebrate their child’s outstanding work in reading, writing, and math.  We look forward to seeing you then. This is an informal event so please feel free to drop by anytime that morning between 7:35-8:35 am.  Your child will show you around the classroom and parents will take home special pictures and writing pieces.  Thank you.

Have a great long weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week we continued to focus on ways in which we can show a growth mindset at school.  The students practiced using “the power of yet” to turn statements such as “I can’t do it” into more positive statements such as “I can’t do it yet”.  They practiced how they can “train their brains” into approaching challenges with patience, resilience and a positive attitude.   They learned that effort and a positive attitude can go a long way.

• We had another restorative circle with Ms. Nicole this week too.  This time, the students learned more different problem-solving skills and the difference between big problems and small problems. We read the book “I don’t care” by Julie Fogliano to learn more about things that matter in a friendship and things that do not.  Ask your child to explain more.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s growth mindset at home too.  Some of the skills we worked on in the last couple of weeks were:

1. Training your brain to try different things

2. Mistakes lead to new learning

3. I can’t do it yet, but with effort I can!

Consider encouraging your child to use strategies to self-regulate when things get hard and/or boring.  For example, if your child cleans up his/her room, encourage your child to choose a strategy before you step in and co-regulate.  Ask your child to count down from ten and then try again, or how about encouraging your child to do some belly breathing before resuming the task.  It is crucial for young learners to experience moments of small frustrations in order to grow into confident and resilient students.

Reading:

• I started end-of-the-year reading assessments this week.  The students are showing growth in all areas of reading and they take great pride in their hard work and efforts.  I am so proud of them all.

You can:

• Daily reading is important.  Consider making a family plan for how your family can support daily reading even over the summer.  Your child has worked hard this school year but reading skills can easily be lost without repetition and practice.  Be on the lookout for local summer library programs and consider creating daily reading expectations for your child.  In my family, for example, we did daily reading together as a family when my children were young.  During this time, I would read too. I would read my own “just right” books.  It is important for young readers to see the adults in their lives read and enjoy literature too.  Let me know how I can help.

Writing:

• This week, first grade authors finished up their opinion writing.  They also helped organize old (and new) writing in their scrapbooks. They are excited to share their pieces with you at our Celebration of Learning.

• Next week, first grade authors will start writing poetry.  Stay tuned!  Our poetry unit is usually engaging and popular.

Math:

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to practice  perseverance and resilience in small groups, whole class work and during independent working time.

• First grade mathematicians explored fractions and geometric shapes through games and activities.  They also had opportunities to add and subtract numbers together in groups of tens.  Ask your child to explain how they used the rekenrek to add/subtract numbers.

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to build their understanding of 2-and 3-dimensional shapes and their corresponding attributes.  They also learned to use that understanding while exploring fractions.  In first grade, mathematicians learn about equal parts of a whole.  They folded various paper shapes into halves and fourths (quarters) to manipulate equal parts of a starting whole.  They did great.  The students look forward to sharing their fraction booklets with you at our Celebration of Learning on June 6th.

• Next week, first grade mathematicians will participate in end-of-the-year assessments and they will continue to build a deeper understanding of geometric shapes.. 

News and Reminders:

• There is no school on Monday, May 27th (Memorial Day)

• Harmony House will host an end-of-the-year Celebration of Learning on Thursday, June 6th between 7:35-8:35.  Families are invited to visit our classroom to celebrate their child’s outstanding work in reading, writing, and math.  We look forward to seeing you then. This is an informal event so please feel free to drop by anytime that morning between 7:35-8:35 am.  Your child will show you around the classroom and parents will take home special pictures and writing pieces.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

 Dear Families,

We had a great week together at ABS.  A highlight this week was visiting the Book Fair!  Thank you parents for talking to your children at home about our ABS expectations.  It was a huge success! 

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week we focused on ways in which we can show a growth mindset at school.  The students reviewed how they can use “the power of yet” to turn statements such as “I can’t do it” into more positive statements such as “I can’t do it yet”.  They practiced how they can “train their brains” into approaching challenges with patience, resilience and a positive attitude.  They also practiced how it is okay to make mistakes because mistakes lead to new learning. In math, for example, the students also celebrated with each other when they practiced having a growth mindset.  They learned that effort and a positive attitude can go a long way.

• The students filled the classroom buzzy jar for being safe, kind, and responsible. This time, they celebrated with extra choice/play time.

• We had another restorative circle with Ms. Nicole this week too.  This time, the students learned more about the importance of being tolerant and kind when other people share a different opinion and perspectives on a particular topic/issue.  To practice our unique differences, the students drew pictures of an unfinished piece to show their creativity and imagination.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s growth mindset at home too.  Some of the skills we worked on this week were:

1. Training your brain to try different things

2. Mistakes lead to new learning

3. I can’t do it yet, but with effort I can!

Consider encouraging your child to use strategies to self-regulate when things get hard and/or boring.  For example, if your child cleans up his/her room, encourage your child to choose a strategy before you step in and co-regulate.  Ask your child to count down from ten and then try again, or how about encouraging your child to do some belly breathing before resuming the task.  It is crucial for young learners to experience moments of small frustrations in order to grow into confident and resilient students.

Reading:

• This week, first grade readers participated in groups and whole class reading activities.  They practiced trick words too, going on word hunts and using various sensory materials to write and read targeted trick words.  

• This week, first grade readers also participated in a series of new read alouds.  We have collected brand new early reader chapter books for our classroom library and the students are encouraged to challenge themselves to read more complicated, connected texts.  

You can:

• Thank you for supporting your child’s emerging reading skills at home too.  Consider using Lexia daily, or a few times a week along with the decodable texts from school.  Don’t forget to read your child’s library books and/or books from the Book Fair!

Writing:

• This week, first grade authors continued to build an understanding of how to effectively and persuasively write opinion pieces.  They shared their thinking about several different topics and wrote three different reasons to back up their thinking.

• This week, first grade authors also wrote stories on several different topics proposed by the Williston Observer.  All students in our class submitted at least one piece for its special Spring edition, coming out soon.  Fingers crossed that some of our pieces will be published.  Regardless of the outcome, all writing pieces will be published in our own classroom!  We will host a special End of the Year Celebration of Learning Event on June 6th between 7:35-8:35 am. Family members are invited to join us for a classroom celebration of writing, reading, and math.

Math:

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to build their understanding of 2-and 3-dimensional shapes and their corresponding attributes.  They also learned to use that understanding while exploring fractions.  In first grade, mathematicians learn about equal parts of a whole.  They folded various paper shapes into halves and fourths (quarters) to manipulate equal parts of a starting whole.  They did great.  The students look forward to sharing their fraction booklets with you at our Celebration of Learning on June 6th.

You can:

• Math is everywhere!  Consider having conversations about the math learning we’re doing at school at home too.  Math should be a social activity and organically flow and build as we share our understanding, ideas and wonderings with the people around us!  Consider doing a shape scavenger hunt at home.  How many cubes can you find?  How about rectangular prisms?  What is the difference between a circle and a sphere?  Want a challenge?  How about asking your child how many faces are on a rectangular prism and how many bases?  Or, how about asking your child what the difference is between a triangular pyramid and a square pyramid? 

• Consider using math vocabulary related to fractions at home too.  Help your child understand the importance of equal parts by adhering to proper vocabulary.  Young children have a tendency to say “the bigger or smaller half”, for example, when talking about food.  Now they are learning that you can have bigger or smaller parts.  Halves and fourths are mathematically always equal to each other in relation to the whole.

News and Reminders:

• The Art Show will be on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:30-7 PM. All students are included. Please see the information provided in your child’s Home Folder for more information.

• There is no school on Monday, May 27th (Memorial Day)

• Harmony House will host an end-of-the-year Celebration of Learning on Thursday, June 6th between 7:35-8:35.  Families are invited to visit our classroom to celebrate their child’s outstanding work in reading, writing, and math.  We look forward to seeing you then. This is an informal event so please feel free to drop by anytime that morning between 7:35-8:35 am.  Your child will show you around the classroom and parents will take home special pictures and writing pieces.  Thank you.

Have a great weekend,

Maria

Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

It is great to be back after our April vacation.  We’re in the home stretch now.  It doesn’t feel like it with this dark and cold weather but hopefully that will change soon too.  The weather certainly looks terrific right now, with warmer temperatures and sunshine.

 

Here is our week in review:

Social-Emotional Learning:

• This week, we reviewed our schoolwide expectations and what it looks like and sounds like to be safe, kind, and responsible at school. As I have mentioned before, it can be very challenging for our young learners to come back to school after a long week off.  This is very normal and age-appropriate.  A week off is a long time for a 6 or 7 year old.  A week off with different expectations, routines and rules also impact the experience coming back.  A week off with fun activities, family-get-togethers and perhaps even trips to other places, while wonderfully enriching, can also make the return to school a little bit more challenging.  Therefore, we spent the majority of our time reviewing and practicing safe, kind and responsible choices at school.

• We also continued our work around friendships and friendship boundaries.  We continued to read some mentor texts to teach us more about what it means to be a good friend and how it is okay to say “no” and assert your voice when things feel uncomfortable or too complicated.  The students acted out various scenarios using our Second Step puppets, Snail and Puppy to show their understanding and build their confidence using their own assertive voices to advocate for their own needs.  The puppet Owl (from Fundations) even joined our skits.  The students did an outstanding job! Ask your child to explain how Puppy, Snail, and Owl helped us build resilience, problem-solving-skills and confidence in tricky situations on the playground, in the cafeteria and in the classroom.

You Can: 

• You can support your child’s emerging skills in relationship-building and friendships by supporting playdates.  Consider reaching out to the fabulous families in our current class and find time to socialize outside of school.  The class-list was linked in my email version of this newsletter.

Reading:

• This week, the students listened to read alouds, engaged in independent reading and met in small groups.  I will start to administer the end-of-the-year literacy assessment soon.  Thank you for supporting your child’s reading at home too.  If your child still has a “Lucky Reader” log at home, please feel free to send it in any time.  

• As the school year draws to a close, we hope that our first grade readers start to show more confidence and stamina in reading.  In school, we encourage the students to navigate different reading stations.  This week, for example, first grade readers engaged in trick word activities, for example.  They were encouraged to read and spell these irregular words since they do not follow the traditional “sounding out” patterns of more familiar words.  

You can:

• Please consider asking your child to practice the books/texts at home last week (or weeks prior).  If your child did not complete the “Lucky Listener” log, please consider doing that.  Reading every day is key!  At this point in the school year, we hope your child shows enthusiasm and a willingness to share his/her reading at home with you.

Writing:

• This week, first grade authors participated in various opinion writing topics.  They learned to write a clear opening statement, followed by supporting details and a conclusion.  They did an amazing job showing their preferences for breakfast or dinner, for example!  Ask your child to share his/her opinion with you at home.  Don’t forget to ask them to back up their opinions with three reasons!

Math:

• This week, first grade mathematicians continued to explore shapes in our geometry unit.  They learned more about 2-dimensional shapes while also exploring 3-dimensional shapes.  We used play-dough and pattern blocks to build our understanding of the different attributes.

You can:

• Math is everywhere!  Consider having conversations about the math learning we’re doing at school at home too.  Math should be a social activity and organically flow and build as we share our understanding, ideas and wonderings with the people around us!  Consider doing a shape scavenger hunt at home.  How many cubes can you find?  How about rectangular prisms?  What is the difference between a circle and a sphere?  Want a challenge?  How about asking your child how many faces are on a rectangular prism and how many bases?  Or, how about asking your child what the difference is between a triangular pyramid and a square pyramid? 

News and Reminders:

• We will go to the Book Fair at ABS next week. We are signed up to go in the afternoon of Tuesday, 5/7.  This year, ABS is doing the Book Fair with Phoenix Bookstore.  There will be no e-wallet this year so if your child wishes to purchase books with us at school, please send in no more than $10-15 in a clearly marked envelope or ziplock bag.  We are only purchasing books while at school (no toys, accessories, pens and or posters).  The Book Fair has after-school hours as well so if your child wishes to purchase those items, please consider visiting then.  Your child has an informational packet inside his/her Home Folder today for more information. 

• Last day of school is Friday, June 14th.  This will be a half day with dismissal at 11:35.  If your child would like a packed lunch that day, please let me know.  The choices for the last day of school will be turkey, ham or sunbutter/jelly sandwiches.

Have a great weekend,

Maria