Week of 5/31

Starting on Tuesday our daily schedule will look quite different on account of end of the year activities!  

During math the students have chosen to do some of the math activities they have enjoyed throughout the school year!  These activities will help them to practice their math skills!  

On Tuesday the students have their last physical education class of the year.  Students will also have their final 45 minute writing prompt on Tuesday afternoon.  The students will be asked to write a realistic fiction story.  Firefighter John will also visit on Tuesday afternoon for our Summer Safety Presentation.  He will talk about fire safety, fireworks, bike safety, and more.  Our countdown special activity for Tuesday will be a dance party!  

On Wednesday the students have their final art class.  We switched art to Wednesday on account of our field trip on Friday.  On Wednesday afternoon the kindergartners will visit the first grade classrooms.  Our first graders wrote letters to the kindergartners to teach them all about first grade!  

On Thursday the students have their final music class.  Thursday afternoon we will be outside for field day!  Parents are welcome to join us for field day!  

On Friday we will leave at 8:45 for Mosquito Hill in New London.  Please make sure your child wears comfortable walking shoes.  I would also recommend wearing long pants and dressing in layers.  We will return to school around 1:45.

Upcoming Events...

Monday 5/30:  No School - Happy Memorial Day!

Tuesday 5/31:  Summer Safety Presentation with Firefighter John at 1:00

Wednesday 6/1:  Dental Bus (only for students who are signed up)

Thursday 6/2:  Field Day 12:15-2:35

Friday 6/3:  First Grade Field Trip to Mosquito Hill Nature Center in New London

Wednesday 6/8:  Last Day of School
                          Awards Ceremony at 10:00
                          Talent Show at 12:30

Week of 5/23

It's hard to believe it's already the last full week of the school year!

This week in math we are reviewing the concepts learned throughout the school year.  I am continuing to work with students individually to administer end of year math screeners.  This week I am focusing on structuring screeners, which requires students to identify dot patterns, show finger patterns, and combine numbers.

Last week was the final week for weekly spelling sorts.  This week during phonics we will study vowel sounds, r controlled vowels, and word endings.

This week in writer's workshop we will wrap up our realistic fiction unit of study.  Students will have time Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to complete their best realistic fiction story.  On Thursday we will have our final Author Celebration!

This week in science we will continue to learn about health and safety.

Happening this week...

Tuesday, May 10th
    -Muffins with Moms at 7:15

Wednesday, May 11th
   -Unit 9 Math Assessment
   -Early Release at 12:30

Friday, May 13th
   -Bathke PTO Book Swap!

Saturday, May 14th
   -School Carnival and Kickball Game 11:00-2:00

Week of 5/9

This week in math we will be wrapping up our final unit of the year!  We will further explore fractions and review our addition and subtraction strategies early in the week.  On Wednesday the students will take the end of Unit 9 math assessment.  Beginning on Thursday we will begin our end of year math screeners.  All students will be screened in 2-4 areas of math, beginning with addition and subtraction.  While I am working on these screeners the students will be participating in a variety of math activities and games that they learned throughout the year.

This week in phonics all students will receive a new set of their weekly words.  Please help your child practice these words at home each evening to get ready for their spelling test on Friday.  Also, this week we will be learning about compound words during phonics lessons.

During writer's workshop the students will continue to write their realistic fiction stories.

Last week was the end of social studies in first grade!  This week we will begin our final science unit of the year.  We will be studying health and safety.  This week our focus will be on visiting the doctor and dentist to keep your body healthy.

During reader's workshop the students will continue to work independently or in pairs to practice their reading skills.  I will be meeting with students individually to begin our end of the year reading assessments.

Upcoming Events...

Wednesday, May 11th
   -Early Release at 12:30

Saturday, May 14th
   -School Carnival and Kickball Game 11:00-2:00

Week of 5/2

May is here - hopefully some beautiful spring weather follows!

This week in math we will begin Unit 9.  This week we will focus on place value and solving two-digit addition facts, and adding and subtracting ten.  These are all concepts we have learned about in the past.  This week we will focus on strengthening our skills and sharing our strategies.    Students will also be introduced to number grid puzzles.

On Monday all students will get their new weekly words.  This week during phonics we will also practice word patterns with consonant clusters.  We will also begin to learn about compound words.

During writer's workshop students will continue to work on their realistic fiction stories.

This week in social studies we will wrap up our geography unit.  Students will learn about water and land forms this week.  On Friday we will have our end of unit assessment.  Next week we will begin our last science unit on health and safety.

During reader's workshop we will read stories and practice verbally retelling the stories with details.  This week we will finish our spring PALS (phonological awareness literacy screening).  I will also meet with students for guided reading groups.