1. First Grade Weekly News! What’s new?! This week we will be working on story structure, learning all about text features, asking and answering questions in non fiction and fiction texts, writing informational pieces on topics we know a lot about, decoding silent e words, discussing maps and directions, learning all about the first Thanksgiving, working with missing addends, and addition & subtraction facts to 10. November 23, 2015 Important Dates -NO READING GROUPS THIS WEEK due to the Holiday -Tuesday  Regular dismissal at 3:05 AND Twin Day! -Minimum Day 11/25  (1:35 dismissal) -No School 11/26-27 (Thanksgiving) Homework Dreambox: 15 min Monday and Wednesday nights Math Facts in a Flash: Practicing math facts EACH night for 5 minutes Lexia: Tuesdays and Thursdays for 15 minutes EACH sitting. *Be sure to correctly log out to save your work! Reading: Reading for 15 minutes Monday through Thursday night (students can also use Starfall) **ALL accounts are working here at school, please let me know if you are experiencing issues. Homework Dreambox: 15 min Monday and Wednesday nights Math Facts in a Flash: Practicing math facts EACH night for 5 minutes Lexia: Tuesdays and Thursdays for 15 minutes EACH sitting. *Be sure to correctly log out to save your work! Reading: Reading for 15 minutes Monday through Thursday night (students can also use Starfall) **ALL accounts are working here at school, please let me know if you are experiencing issues. Notes from First Grade Teachers Bell schedule – School starts promptly at 8:55 and ends at 3:05. Remember that Tuesdays are “early out” days, and students are dismissed at 1:40. Please refer to the Simonds Daily Schedule for recess and lunch times. Please be sure to take your student to the restroom BEFORE school starts at 8:55am. Reading Groups Thank you to our volunteers for being so flexible with the October/November schedule. This is a busy time of the year, so we really appreciate all of your help and cooperation! We will NOT have reading groups this week due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. ( over ) In the upcoming weeks, you can review the details of our weekly classroom activities on page 2 of this weekly newsletter.

2. I hope you all had a great weekend with your families! Please feel free to see me before the morning bell or after school. However, it is best to send an email to set up an appointment… just in case! Thank you and have a wonderful week! Sincerely, Miss Rebecca Tucker rtucker@sjusd.org  Classroom Webpage  Remember, you can access my webpage through the Simonds Home Page online. This is also the best way to access the adaptive learning sites through “Student Links!” With the district driving us all toward equipping the students with 21 st century skills, we are implementing a new homework program this year in first grade. Your child will be using District Computer Applications in their weekly homework activities. Soon we will be adding a web- based program, Ticket To Read, funded by the PTA. These problem solving activities are a perfect way to address Common Core Standards and will prepare your children for the new wave of learning and testing they will face in their academic careers. Please remember that online homework is mandatory. District administrators, Mrs. Howell, as well as myself check these adaptive learning sites weekly for student progress. Thank you for your support and cooperation with this! Sight Word Testing : I will be testing students on the 100 sight words for first grade in the coming weeks after the Thanksgiving Holiday. Students will be asked to read and write the words. A copy of this list is attached for at home review/ practice. I am so impressed with the progress we have made so far this year! Star Student: We will not have a Star Student this week because it is a 3 day week. We will have a new Star Student next Monday. I will send home the poster with this student on Wednesday.