1. First Grade Newsletter October 26 th -30 th 2015 Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Frost MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Oct. 27 th Field trip to Cherry Crest Farm Oct. 28 th Pink Out Day Oct. 29 th Leaf Collection Projects are due Oct. 29 th Halloween Parade, 1:30pm Oct. 29 th or Nov. 2 nd Book It reading logs are due Nov. 2 nd Winter Uniforms Nov. 4 th H&S Meeting, 7pm Nov. 6-11 Book Fair Please check our school website for additional news and events. HELP OUR SCHOOL Don’t forget to save your Boxtops for education. Science Project Exploring the fall season The Leaf Collection Project is due on or before Oct. 29 th. Be creative and have fun collecting, labeling, and organizing this project. Don’t forget to include the five senses poem! A good night’s sleep, hearty breakfast, and healthy lunch will help fuel the body for learning! into a good book! Fluency practice Rereading poems and short stories helps to build fluency, expression, and confidence. Please practice the poems that are sent home. Read everyday! I hope that everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. Cherry Crest Farm We’re going on our field trip this Tuesday! Please do not forget to pack a disposable bag lunch and water bottle with your child’s name on it. Students should wear their gym uniform. Pink Out Day! Reminder: Students should wear pink on Wednesday. Reminder: There is NO School on Friday, Oct. 30 th. Enjoy your long weekend!

2. Curriculum Notes Math: This week, we will complete Chapter Two, Addition Strategies. Students will have a final assessment on this chapter. We will dive into subtraction next week! Your child will be making math fact flash cards this week in class. Please practice these and keep them in a safe place. Students will have to return these to school in a few weeks. Reading & Spelling: Focus: Short Vowel Review There will not be a spelling test this week. Please review previous weekly spelling words to ensure mastery. Continue to practice your Dolch sight word booklets. We will focus on fall and Halloween poems to improve reading fluency. Please have your child practice reading these poems aloud to you. Grammar and Writing: We will continue to focus on sentences. We will discuss types of sentences, the parts of a sentence, word order, and correct punctuation. Students will have an informal assessment on these skills shortly. We highly encourage you to have your child practice writing complete sentences at home. Keeping a journal at home or writing a letter to a friend or family member are great ways to make writing fun while also practicing handwriting! Religion: We will review Chapter Three, Jesus Grew Up in a Family. We will discuss how God chose Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. We will also discuss that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. Finally, we will discuss how the Holy Family obeyed the Father and prayed to him. Social Studies & Science: Our focus will continue to be on the fall season as we prepare for our upcoming field trip to Cherry Chest Farm. We will continue to learn about the growing cycle of pumpkins and how seeds travel and sprout. With Halloween right around the corner, we will also continue to learn all about bats! EEK! Don’t forget…Leaf Collection Projects are due on or before Oct. 29th. Spelling Words No spelling words this week!

3. Addition Practice Falling For Addition Please practice addition facts with your child. Review related addition facts (flip flop facts) and adding three addends. Thank you. Math Games! Please continue to play the math games that have recently been sent home. These are a great way to reinforce important math skills. Fast Facts with Dominoes – Turn a set of dominoes face down and take turns selecting a domino. Whoever says the sum first, wins the domino. Whoever has the most dominos at the end of the game, wins! Roll it, Say it and Score a Point – Roll two or three dice and add them together. The first person to say the sum aloud, scores a point. The first person to score ten points, wins! Letter and Number Formation Hands on Learning Please practice handwriting at home! Make reinforcing correct letter and number formation at home fun! Drop the pencil and have your child use their finger to practice writing letters and numbers in shaving cream or sand. Construct letters, numbers, and even sight words using play dough, clay, stamps, or magnetic letters. Go outside and practice writing using sidewalk chalk. Thank you for practicing this at home. Have your child practice writing and reciting their telephone number and address. Please find time throughout the week and over your long weekend to work on the skills below. Motor Activities Please have your child practice tying their shoelaces and zipping/buttoning their jackets. Thank you! Read Everyday!!! Let me know if your child needs additional books to read at home.