My name is Mrs. Reefer. Mrs. Miller and I are co-teachers in a first grade classroom. Co-teaching is fun and has many benefits to all students. With two teachers in the classroom, it is easy to provide remediation as well as enrichment. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Miller or me. I am looking forward to a great school year!
Classwork and Homework
Notes and Reminders
October 26 - October 31
I have been teaching elementary school for 31 years. Thirty of those years have been here at Richland. I spent 12 years teaching Intermediate Learning Support with children in grades 4-6. For the past 18 years, I have worked with children at the primary level in grades K-3. Mrs. Miller and I have co-taught first grade for six years. I have also taught Emotional Support and Autistic Support. This year, my primary placement is in the First Grade Co-Teaching classroom. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding my role or your child's performance. My goal is to help all children learn to read, love to read and to become proficient with math skills.
It is easiest to contact me through my email as I move about the building throughout the school day. My email is mreefer@richlandsd.com. I can also be reached by phone through the office at 814-266-5757. It is easiest to contact me in the morning between 8:00 and 8:25 or during my planning period which is 2:45-3:25. Let's work together to ensure your children have a fantastic school year!
Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Reefer's classroom information:
For Your Planning Purposes:
Monday, 10/26 - Pajama Day
Tuesday, 10/27 - Neon Day
Wednesday, 10/28 - Jersey Day
Thursday, 10/29 - Hat/Sunglasses Day
Friday - Costume Day
The Hallowen parade and party is on Friday, October 30. Please be mindful that we have a student with a nut allergy if you choose to send in treats. Thank you to all who have agreed to donate to our party. Details regarding the parade have been sent home.
Richland Trick or Treat night is Thursday, October 29.
Please include both Mrs. Miller and me in all emails. Our emails are mreefer@richlandsd.com and mmiller@richlandsd.com. We can be reached by phone at 814-266-5757 between 8:00-8:25 or 2:50- 3:20 each day.
Your child has his or her Student ID and Login for the Chromebooks inside their folder. Please use to access Reflex Math and Prodigy.
We currently have 22 students in our classroom. We have 14 boys and 8 girls. What a wonderful group of kids!
Our special schedule is as follows:
Monday, 10/26 C Day Library
Tuesday, 10/27 D Day Music
Wednesday, 10/28 E Day Art
Thursday, 10/29 A Day STEAM
Friday, 10/30 Day 5 ART (We may not have due to Halloween parade and party)
Schoolwork
We are working in the Wonders Reading Series. We our currently on Unit 1, Lesson 5. We will finish this story on Tuesday, Oct 27.
On Wednesday, 10/28 we will begin reviewing for our big Unit 1 Test. The students will need to recognize the 5 High Frequency words we have learned this year. There will also be a 20 point Review Spelling Test. None of these words are new. Students must recall from previous five weeks.
We will finish r and s blends in phonics. These blends are seen in so many words like spot, sweet, spill, grab, grip, and friend. The tricky blends are the dr as in dragon as kids sometimes hear a /j/ sound and the tr as in train which kids sometimes hear as a ch.
HFW: jump, move, run, two
Vocab: agree, difficult, exercise, exhausted, physical
Spelling: spill, grin, grab, grass, drop, drip, not, lot, two, move
Grammar: Writing sentences
Unit 1 HFW list:
does, school, not, what, down, out, up, very, be, come, good, pull, fun, make, they, too, jump, move, run, two
Unit 1 Spelling words:
man, can, tap, cat, flip, flag, black, plan, hop, log, hog, hot, spill, grab, grass, drop
Math Info
We will be following the Everyday Math Curriculum for first grade. We will be reviewing our skills with some fun craft like projects. We will also complete the beginning of the year assessments. We will play math games such Knockout and Monster Squeeze.
Our lessons are below:
Monday 10/26: End of Unit Two
Cumulative Math Test
Tuesday 10/27: Begin Unit 3
3-1 Parts and Total Number Stories and Math Quiz (7 points)
Wednesday 10/28: 3-2 Subtraction from Addition
Thursday 10/29: Double Facts, Measurement Explorations
Friday 10/30: No Math
Halloween Parade and Party
HOMEWORK
The Reading Packet is due on Tuesday, October 27. We will have our weekly Reading and Spelling tests on Tuesday, October 27. The Unit Test is Thursday, October 29. The math packet is due on Friday, October 30.
October is National Pizza Month.
Pizza is a $30 billion industry every year.
Individually, Americans eat about 46 slices of pizza every year. That’s about 23 pounds!
Each year, approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold in the United States.
According to Gallup, kids aged 3-11 prefer pizza for lunch or dinner compared to all other foods.
Pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping in the United States.
Americans eat about 251,770,000 pounds of pepperoni every year.
Anchovies are the least favorite pizza topping among Americans.
In India, pickled ginger, minced mutton, and tofu are popular pizza toppings.
In Brazil, they like to top their pizza pies with green peas.
Russians, unlike Americans, love fish on their pizza with popular toppings such as sardines, tuna, mackerel, and salmon.
Did you know?
The first day of fall is September 22, 2026.
It’s finally time to pull those sweaters out of hibernation (unless you live on the equator) and watch the leaves morph into various shades of yellow and orange. Fall can be a gorgeous time of year but do you know the history behind it? Fear not friends, we’ve compiled some fun fall facts to celebrate the day. Enjoy!
Fact #1: Americans typically refer to this time of year as “fall,” while the British use the word “autumn.” Both terms date back to the 16th century but before that it was called “harvest.
Fact #2: Fall was called “harvest” because of the “harvest moon” that occurs when the full moon is closest to the autumn equinox. Before man-made lighting, this moonlight was essential to a prosperous harvest.
Fact #3: Weight gain around this time of year may not only be due to comforting fall foods like pumpkin pie and cider, researchers have found that lack of vitamin D reduces fat breakdown and triggers fat storage.
Fact #4: According to The Weather Channel, pumpkins are the most craved food during the fall. Although, if you’ve left the house anytime recently, this may not come as a surprise to you.
Fact #5: The yellow and orange colors you see actually always exist in leaves but they are overpowered by the abundance of green from chlorophyll. The amount of chlorophyll starts to decrease as the sun weakens and the days grow shorter.
Fact #6: Red and purple leaves are only that color because of the presence of sugars and sap that are trapped within the leaves. These sugars provide plants with the energy they need to survive.
Fact #7: Many birds will prepare for their winter migration during the fall. The distance they can travel is impressive; the Arctic Tern travels 11,000 miles each way for it’s annual migration. That’s no small feat.
Fact #8: Evergreen trees such as pines, cedars, and spruces stay green because their leaves (needles) are covered with thick wax and they contain materials that prevent freezing when it gets cold.
Fact #9: Men and women experience high levels of testosterone during the fall. This makes sense because more babies are conceived during the fall and winter. The cause is unknown but it could be due to lack of sunlight or even go back to ancient mating rituals.
Fact #10: We can’t forget Halloween! Halloween takes place in the fall and comes from ancient Celtic tradition. They believed that ghosts roamed on Halloween and people would wear disguises in order to hide from these spirits.
Some Quotes about Fall:
“"It's the first day of autumn! A time for hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" — Winnie the Pooh
"Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker." — Linus, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." — L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
"In every leaf, there's a whisper of autumn's magic."
"You're never too old to play in the leaves."
Please remind your child to bring back books on Library Day and to wear sneakers on Phys Ed Day.
My name is Melanie Reefer. I have been a teacher for 32 years. I have been at Richland for 31 years. I earned my BS in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with dual certification in Special Education and Elementary Education. I also completed my Masters Program at IUP receiving an MA in Community Counseling. I love teaching young children and have especially enjoyed sharing a co-teaching classroom with Mrs. Miller for the past six years. I live in Johnstown and enjoy spending time with my husband, Greg, and my son, Zane. During our free time, we love going to the beach, cooking, gardening, reading and finding new adventures. I am excited to work with your child this school year!