Merry Christmas!

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who were able to come to our Christmas Cheer Day! The students enjoyed having you. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Reminder tomorrow is PJ Day!!!

Blessings,

The Grade 1 Team

Christmas Cheer Day

Just a reminder that today is Christmas Cheer Day! Students are encouraged to wear a Christmas sweater or Christmas colours. Please joins us in our class at 8:45 for songs and crafts. 

The Grade 1 Team

December Update

Season’s Greetings      

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The students had a great time at our annual Christmas Shopping Day today! Thank you so much for your donations to the Barrhaven Food Cupboard.   

Congratulations to the students for meeting their November reading goal! Please note that the reading log and homework calendar for this month are due earlier because of the holidays. The due date for these items is Monday, December 16, 2013.

REMINDER: Our Christmas Cheer Day is scheduled for Tuesday, December 17 from 8:45-9:30am. Parents are invited to come listen to a song performed by the children and make crafts with the class.

Curriculum Highlights

In Religion the students have been learning about the season of Advent and the birth of Christ.

In Language we continue to work on descriptive writing and will begin to look at procedural writing. In reading, we continue to work on visualizing stories and using our fix-up strategies to help us read new words (e.g., sounding out words, looking at pictures).

In Science we continue to work on our seasonal changes inquiry: How do daily and seasonal changes affect living things? The students have been working hard researching their seasons and finding facts about each season.   

In Math we continue to work on telling time to the hour and half-hour. We will also be working on graphing.

In Art the students have been working on creating a mural of a season related to their science inquiry. They have been applying the elements of design taught this term such as, space, texture and line to create their mural.

We look forward to you joining us for our Christmas Cheer Day next week.

The Grade 1 Team 

November Update

Dear Parent/Guardians,

Thank you to all of you who were able to make it to interviews this month.

Head Lice…Please be advised that head lice continues to be present among the primary students. Please be sure to check your child daily for head lice to avoid spreading it further. Should your child have head lice please notify the office so that we can keep other parents informed. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.

Boomerang Lunches

A reminder that our school has started boomerang lunches again. Please do your best to put your child’s lunches in reusable or recyclable containers. Any wrappers or containers that cannot be recycled will be sent home. We are considered an Eco school and are doing our best to produce as little garbage as possible. Thank you for your support.

Snuggle Books

Please remember to read the leveled book that is sent home with your child. Once you have read the book a couple of times and your child is able to read it fluently send it back to exchange it. You can keep it for a few nights if needed. Should your child bring home a book that is not challenging enough you can focus on understanding the story. For example: What was the story about? Who were the characters? Was there a problem in the story? How was the problem solved? Where did the story take place? Is it fiction or non-fiction?

Raz Kids is an online reading program that supports our snuggle book reading program. The students can read books at their level as well as answer comprehension questions. If you have not used the program yet or have misplaced the website and your child’s student login please write a note in your child’s agenda and we can send it home again.

Curriculum Highlights for November

In Religion the students have been working on digital citizenship. Our Board has created an excellent resource called Samaritans on the Digital Road which highlights the importance of being respectful and responsible using technology through a Catholic perspective. 

In Language we have been focusing on descriptive writing. In reading, we continue to review the fix-up strategies to help us read new words (e.g., sounding out words, looking at pictures), we are also working on making connections to what we read and visualizing stories.

In Science we are working on our seasonal changes inquiry: How do daily and seasonal changes affect living things? Each student has selected a season they would like to research and have begun to find answers to their questions on seasons.

In Math we continue to work on telling time to the hour and half-hour. Please help your child with this concept as it is often difficult for them to grasp. Make a point of having them look at the clock during important times of the day (e.g., dinner time, bedtime, wake up time).

Thank you for your continued support in your child’s learning!

The Grade 1 Team J

 

Just a reminder that Homework Books and Reading Logs are due tomorrow Wednesday, October 30th. Please be sure to send the red reading log folder in so that your child can get a sticker for meeting his/her reading goal along with the reading log sheet for October. 

Happy Halloween! The students are encouraged to wear orange and black on Thursday. 

Wishing you all a safe and happy trick-or-treating night on Thursday!

The Grade 1 Team  

Math Update

Math

The boys and girls have been working on showing a number from 1-10 in more than one way. They have been learning to show the number using a numeral, the word, drawing pictures to represent the number, writing a number sentence (e.g. 5+1= 6) and tally marks.

We have been working on using 5 and 10 frames to identify 5 and 10. Quantities up to 10 can be recognized without the routine of counting. This can help children in counting on. We will be working towards identifying number sentences that make up 10.

    
                   

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings to all of you for a Happy Thanksgiving weekend. The students have been thanking God for all the wonderful things they have. We have sent home Thanksgiving poems to read if you wish this weekend.

The Grade 1 Team

Settling Into Grade 1

Hello!

Fall has arrived! The students have settled nicely into Grade 1. They did fantastic job completing their homework calendar. Thanks for all your help! 

Thank you to all the parents who made it out to Program Night. For those parents who were unable to make it please read the handouts that were sent home with your child a couple of weeks ago.

Read on! The students did a great job meeting their reading goals for the month of September. Please remember to send back the snuggle book that was sent home once your child has read it so they can exchange it for a new one. Also, please have your child return his/her red reading log folder to school at the end of each month with the log sheet so that he/she can put a sticker on the back of the folder if they meet their reading goal.

Raz Kids...The Grade 1 students have been signed up for Raz Kids, an online reading program that allows the students to read at their 'just right' reading level and move up once they're ready. Each student received a login card along with a brief note explaining how to use program. Raz Kids is an excellent reading site where students can enjoy reading and listening to books online. This program is to be used as part of their snuggle reading time. Your child may choose to read a book on Raz Kids one night and then the next night read a hard copy book. Please be sure to add these reading minutes to your child's reading log. Please note that many of the books on Raz Kids will also be books sent in the Snuggle Bags so they may read some of the books both online as well as in hard copy.   

Happy Reading! 

The Grade 1 Team

Just a reminder that it's picture day tomorrow!

Welcome to Grade 1!

Welcome to an exciting year in Grade 1! The students are beginning to adjust to their new classes. The Grade 1 team will be using this blog to provide classroom information and updates.

Thank you so much for the all supplies you have sent in they will come in handy. See the Classroom Supplies link on the right if you would like to see the list of needed supplies.

We will be presenting a brief overview of the Grade 1 curriculum and expectations on Program Night on Thursday, September 19. Hope to see you there. 

Word Wall Words

This week your child brought home a letter about our weekly Word Wall Words as well as a copy of this week’s words to practise reading. Please watch for new words that will be sent home each week.

Homework Bags

Students will receive a homework calendar and monthly reading log at the beginning of each month. The students are asked to complete their homework in their Homework Notebook. Reading minutes are to be recorded on the reading log calendar. We will send "Snuggle Books" home with your child each week. When your child is has read their "Snuggle Books" send it back to school to exchange it for a new one. Please return the homework bags at the end of each month.