January 24, 2020

Dear Parents,

Wow! This week really flew by! We were enthralled with getting to watch Newmarket’s Jumprope Team do a demonstration for our school (grades K-4). At recess we have been making snowballs, snowmen and snowforts as the snow we’ve had recently was perfect for this! We also have spent time working on our family trees and timelines of our lives. It is exciting to see them start to come together as finished projects (they will be on display at Curriculum Night in a few weeks). Our Literacy focus continues to be on glued sounds and making words plural (by adding “s”). We also learned the difference between “to”, “too”, and “two” this week. In Writing we are continuing to learn about how to write non-fiction teaching books. In Math we have shifted gears and are learning about measurement. We still continue to review number concepts though as well.

I was excited to see so many of you at Math night last night. It is wonderful to get to see you and your children connecting with the curriculum and enjoying the learning too! Thank you so much to all of you who attended this fabulous event!

Curriculum Night is tenatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 5 from 5:30-6:30. I will let you know once the date is definite but I just wanted to make sure you had the date reserved on your calendar. Your child will be giving you a tour of the classroom and have the opportunity to show you his/her work as well. I will be available to answer any questions you might have that night too.

A few reminders: Students seems to be forgetting items lately. Please send your child with snowpants, hat/hood, gloves/mittens, boots, sneakers and a coat, along with a reusable bag to help carry the additional items. Please also send in a morning snack and a water bottle for your child on a daily basis. I have a limited number of extra items and, recently, have not been able to accomodate all of the missing items (because so many children are forgetting).

I am excited to let you know that our class will be observing some trout eggs beginning next week. Through NH Fish and Game, I am able to obtain about 100 trout eggs. Our class will watch them develop into small fry and will release them into the Lamprey River around the end of April/beginning of May (the release is dependent upon temperature so I can’t tell you exactly until we get closer to the time).

Finally, we will be having our shoe tying demonstration day next Friday, January 31. If your child can demonstrate proficiency with this important skill I will be giving out certificates and prizes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sarah

January 10, 2020

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! The class came back from vacation eager to learn and excited to share fun experiences from vacation. We have been busy wrapping up our woodland animal unit. Before vacation we spent time brainstorming characteristics that animals have that are geared towards a specific part of their environment (for example, animals that live underground need a way to move underground, but they typically don’t need to see that well). From those characteristics we created some of our own animals that have some of these characteristics. We have displayed them on the bulletin boards in the first grade hallway (these were done as a large group and then kids had the option to create their own as well). In literacy we have added some “glued” sounds to our repertoire, including “ang”, “ing”, “ong” and “ung”. We have been practicing indentifying these sounds and then making words that include these sounds. We are on unit 7, so if you’re working with your child on words at home, feel free to begin to use the unit 7 words (from the list I gave you at conferences). In writing we are working on creating teaching books. This week we began using a planning sheet to assist us with this process. In math, we continue to explore ways to use 10 to help us build larger numbers. We also worked on equivalent equatiopns (5+3=6+2) and we began to work on breaking larger numbers into ones and tens (for example, 14 is 1 group of tens and 4 one/extras). Finally, we began working on the beginning of our unit about communities, starting with creating a basic timeline of our lives. This is what the photos you’ve been sending me are for-thank you!! If you sent an actual photo I’ve made a copy and I’m returning it to you. If you haven’t gotten one to me yet, please do so as soon as possible so that your child can finish his/her timeline.

We have some exciting events coming up in the near future. Curriculum Night, which is an open house for grades K-2 is coming up on Wednesday, February 5. Your child will have the opportunity to give you a tour of our classroom and I will be available to answer any questions you might have. Also, on Thursday, January 23, our school will be hosting a Math Night. Here is the description from the math department (you can also find it in the Bridge). “Please join us for an unforgettable Family Math Night taking place on Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30-7:00 PM in the DCS Gymnasium. This is a FUN evening planned for the WHOLE family to take part in games, challenges, building activities, Math Escape Room, raffles, prizes and more!! We would also like to offer you the option to PRE-ORDER A YANNIS PIZZA DINNER to pick up prior to leaving Math Night. Please look for the flyer attached to the Bridge or in this week’s Friday folder. Please contact Mrs. Martin at emartin@sau53.org if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!!” This is a fun event and a great opportunity to spend time with your child in a playful, yet educational setting.

As we are in the middle of cold and flu season we are trying to keep our room as clean as possible. I am getting low on disinfecting wipes (Lysol, Clorox, etc) and we do use them on a daily basis. I am also getting low on “real” tissues. If you would be willing to send either item in I would welcome any donations of these. Thank you in advance for helping to keep us all healthy.

I am getting very few reading logs back on a regular basis. Many of the ones I’m getting back aren’t filled in for four days. If possible, please try to find four times for your child to read throughout the week and record them on their reading log. Having your student practice consistently is the best way to help them to progress in their reading abilities. Also, please have them swap their books frequently (this is an option every day) so that the reading is interesting and “fresh” for them.

Beginning next week, when your child is the leader of the day for our classroom, he/she can bring in a small share. This can be an item (small enough to fit in your child’s backpack), a photo a digital copy emailed to me or an actual photo), an experience that they would like to tell about, part of a collection (or a whole collection if it is small enough), or a special stuffed animal. If you have questions about what would be appropriate please reach out to me about this. I will be posting the schedule on my website so that you know when your child’s day is happening.

Finally, I’m noticing that some of our class is struggling with shoe tying. I had sent a packet home with some ideas to practice before vacation. If you could work with your child to practice this skill, this will certainly help them to become more independent at school. I will be having a shoe tying demonstration day on Friday, January 31st for our class. Anyone who can demonstrate that they can tie their shoes will earn a prize. If you need another packet with shoe tying tips please don’t hesitate to ask.

Have a wonderful weekend!

December 13, 2019

Dear Families,

I normally only write one memo every two weeks but I had so many tidbits of information to pass on to you about next week that I felt as though I needed to write one this week instead.

This has been a great week at school! We have been working on wrapping up our woodland animal unit (we will officially finish it next week) by demonstrating our knowledge of where animals live on a model. Next week we will be using the characteristics of real animals and combining them to create some new and interesting creatures that exhibit some of the same adaptations. In literacy we have continued to work on adding “s” to make words plural and practicing marking the words to demonstrtate this on our papers. We have continued to pracitce glued sounds as well. Our writing focus has been on writing “teaching” books, where students teach their audience about a topic (usually a non-fiction topic). We will continue to work on writing teaching books for the next several weeks (into February). In math we have been working on finding a group of ten in a subtraction problem to help with solving the problem.

We were able to enjoy some sledding last week due to the significant snowfall. Now that it has rained we can’t sled, but we are hopeful that there will be enough snow in January for us to do so again. The only sleds allowed at school are the roll up type of sleds. I have several for the class to share but you are welcome to send one in if you want. If you do, please label it with your child’s name. We can store the sled here for the winter and return it to you in the spring so your child doesn’t have to carry it back and forth each day.

I’ve been noticing that children aren’t unpacking their bags consistently at night. This means that sometimes hats, mittens, etc are coming in to school the next day and are still wet (and therefore unusable). As a result I have had to loan out lots of mittens and hats (probably about 6 sets on a daily basis). Please assist your child in unpacking his/her bag on a nightly basis and drying wet items so that your child is ready for the next day’s recess.

I’ve included some information in your child’s folder this week about shoe tying. I spend lots of time each day tying shoes and this is something most first graders are capable of doing independently. So, if your child doesn’t know how to tie his/her shoes, please spend some time over the next few weeks practicing this very important skill. If you need further information about how to teach this to your child please don’t hesitate to reach out to me about it.

On Friday, Dec. 20th we will be having our Friendship Party. We will have pasta and sauce (or butter if your child prefers) and other treats for lunch. You do not need to send in a lunch that day for your child (please still send a healthy morning snack though) unless your child won’t want to eat pasta and sauce. You should have recieved an invitation to sign up for an item through Sign Up Genius for this event. If you didn’t please let me know and I will re-send it to you.

I’ve noticed there seems to be some confusion about reading logs. Children should be reading at least 3 times weekly and recording that on the reading log. I am getting many back with one night filled in. While I understand that schedules are busy, I also know that the best way to help your child become a reader is to practice reading. So, please plan the reading into your week so that your child is able to get to three nights most weeks (two of the times could be on weekend days if that works better). I will be sending a reading log home next week but I will not send homework folders next week.

Finally, I just wanted to remind you that next Thursday, Dec. 19th is our winter concert. Students should plan to arrive between 5:30-5:45 and you should bring them to the first grade hallway (I will be waiting there for them). Teachers will keep students in the first grade rooms until the performance begins. We will bring students back to the same rooms after the concert and you can pick your child up there.

Have a happy and healthy holiday! Best wishes for a great new year too!

Sarah

*Everyone got a paper copy of this today just because there was so much information in it. I’m still sending this out because I know some prefer to read it online:)

December 6, 2019

Dear families,

This week has made us think that winter is really here! We were able to go sledding at recess due to the week’s snowfall and our class enjoyed that immensely! Even though we’ve had a few short weeks, we’ve been very busy. In literacy, before Thanksgiving we were working on a writing assignment about being thankful (our Thanksgiving placemats). I hope you enjoyed using them on Thanksgiving. This week our literacy focus has been on some non-fiction writing about science as we begin to wrap up our study of woodland animals. We have also been reviewing our study of “glued” sounds and learning how to make words plural (by adding an “s”). In math we have begin working on multi-step word problems. For example, there are ten ants on a blanket and there are seven ants in the grass. If nine ants the blanket go into the anthill, how many are left? As you can imagine, these problems are tricky and require us to make drawings, use number bonds and then we are able to make a number sentence from there.

Now that the snow has arrived, I just want to remind families that children need to be bringing appropriate outerwear for recess. Each day children need to bring a warm coat, snowpants, boots, hat/hood and mittens/gloves. Children should also bring a spare pair of shoes to wear when inside. If it is helpful to leave a second set of outerwear or shooes at school, please feel free to do so. Also, if possible, please send your child’s outerwear in a reusable bag. I do have spare disposable bags, but I am handing many of them out every day and I would prefer not to be using so many of them for environmental reasons (plus they tend to get holes in them fairly quickly). Finally, please feel free to send in a spare pair of clothes (especially spare socks) to leave in your child’s cubby in case they get wet from playing in the snow at recess.

Progress reports will be emailed out to families on Friday, December 13th. If you want a paper copy you can certainly request one from the office. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about your child’s report.

Finally, we will be having a Friendship Party on the Friday before vacation (Dec. 20). Please look for a sign up genius or email about this, either from our room parent (Mrs. Leighton) or from me over the next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

November 22, 2019

Dear families,

We have finally reached the end of our first five day week in a while and you could tell we were out of practice (and some of us were tired too-teachers included:). However, we had some great accomplishments this week, including attending a whole school meeting on Monday, participating in a publishing celebration with the other first graders and working on some Thanksgiving related projects. In literacy we have begun to learn about sounds that work together (such as “all”) in a word; we call these either glued or welded sounds. I have included a page in your child’s folder with the sounds we’ve learned so far and some words that can be used as cues at home when writing. The class is becoming quite skilled at noticing these sounds. We have also been working on adding “bonus” letters to words (doubling the “f”, “l” or “s” in words with short vowels). We are wrapping up or study of “true” stories in writing and will be moving on to write some non-fiction after Thanksgiving. In math our focus has been on finding a ten in an equation because ten is a friendly number (meaning that it is easier to add to a ten). We are doing this through diagrams, drawings, using number bonds and cubes. Finally, we are continuing our study of woodland animals by making observations of our worm jar and learning about how animals in the forest have special adaptations so that they can live in the woods.

Progress reports will be sent out by mid-December. We use a competency based system. This means that a child might get a 1 or a 2 meaning that they haven’t yet fully mastered a skill, a 3 to demonstrate mastery and a 4 if the child’s skills go above and beyond what is expected. Progress reports will be sent out via email and I will let you know the exact date when they will be sent in my next memo. Please reach out to me if you need further clarification or if you have questions about your child's report.

Finally, I just wanted to remind families that reading logs should be filled in four days each week. I’m getting many back with one day’s worth of reading right now. Please remind your child that (s)he should be trying to read four times over the course of the week.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Thanksgiving too!

November 8, 2019

Dear Families,

It was great to get to talk to many of you about your children on Conference Day this past week. Your children work hard and it was wonderful for you to be able to get a glimpse into their school day. We will be having a second Conference Day on April 7th, but please know that if you have questions you can reach out to me at any point between now and then.

Our week has been busy and fun-filled! In Literacy we have added two more glued sounds (“an” and “am”) to the glued sound we learned last week (“all”). Last week we also learned that when the vowel is short we sometimes add a bonus letter (with “s”, “f” and “l”) and the children have been practicing this skill too. When writing we practiced bringing our characters in our stories to life, by adding motion marks and speech bubbles. In Math we moved into a new module (unit) and are working on addition number sentences with three addends (5+4+6=15 for example). In Science we have been learning about worms through observing our worm jar. We have also been studying Veteran’s Day, both through class work and through the assembly we participated in today.

Next week is the Book Fair that both First and Fifth Grade are hosting. If you have time to volunteer there are still a few slots open on the sign up genius that went out about two weeks ago, so please feel free to sign up. Also, Bedtime Story Hour is Thursday, November 14th from 5:30-7:00. Please bring your child (and siblings are fine too) back to school in their pajamas for some bedtime reading, followed by milk and cookies. Mrs. Withee is reading the final story and it is so much fun to listen to her read!

The food drive continues at school until November 15th. Please feel free to send in non-perishable items up until this date. We currently have collected 45 items. All items collected will be donated to the Deerfield Food Pantry to help community members in need.

The weather is certainly changing. It felt really cold outside today! Please be sure your child brings a coat (or heavy sweatshirt) to school. It is fine to send in hats and mittens as well. Please label all items that come into school so that we can ensure that they are returned to their owner if they are misplaced.

Have a wonderful long weekend and thank you to all of the Veterans for your service to our country!

October 25, 2019

Dear Families,

We have had a great few weeks at school. Our class has been busily learning about woodland animals. We have been studying squirrels, beavers and worms, to name a few animals. Today we also got to design our own beaver dams and then test them to see how they worked! Our literacy focus has included adding “bonus” letters (f,l,s) in words that have short vowels (for example “fill, “hiss”, and “puff” are all words with a bonus letter). We have also introduced a “glued sound” “all”. Children are practicing “gluing this part together and then using it to make other words (“fall”, “call”, etc). Our writing continues to focus on telling true stories about small moments in our lives. We have begun editing our writing too and have started meeting with writing partners for help with editing. In math we have been working on subtraction with numbers under 10. The class is getting really good at this very challenging skill!

You should have received a sign-up genius from me yesterday about Fall Conferences. Please be aware that this is a no school day for students. Also, Mrs. Withee, our principal, is asking teachers to do 20 minute conferences so that we can fit all of our conferences into our contracted day. So, during our conference I will be working hard at keeping to a schedule that honors everyone’s time. Please be sure to bring any questions you might have on that day so that I can answer them for you. I will have my schedule posted on the outside of my door. If I haven’t opened my door by the time your conference is scheduled to start please knock so that I know you are there. Be sure to contact me if you don’t get the invitation to my sign-up.

You will also be getting a second sign-up genius from me that will cover both a “Pumpkin and Bat” Party for October 31st and our First Grade Bedtime Story Hour which is coming up on Thursday, November 14th. Please let me know if you don’t get this sign-up as well. There is additional information about Bedtime Story Hour attached to your child’s memo if they get a paper memo or in your child’s folder if they get the electronic version.

I’m noticing many children bringing toys and stuffed animals from home into school on a daily basis. This is causing a great deal of distraction as children try to sneak over to cubbies to play with the items, show them to their friends, etc. If you could assist me by helping your child to leave these at home I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this.

I wanted to remind you that our trip to Squam Lake Science Center is next week on Tuesday. Please be sure your child is dressed for the weather and has a lunch with a drink and snacks. We will be walking around outside and it can be fairly cool there at this point in the Fall. If you haven’t sent the permission slip and admission cost back please do so as soon as possible. Parents who are meeting us there may plan to arrive by about 9:15. We are planning on arriving between 9:15-9:30. If you are chaperoning you may dismiss your child from the trip when we are finished but please just be sure to sign them out before you leave.

Finally, we are getting low on wipes for cleaning tables. If you are interested in sending some in we would really appreciate it. Thank you so much!

Have a wonderful weekend!

October 10, 2019

Dear Parents,

What a great week we’ve had! Yesterday we had a fun field trip and were able to see a few beaver dams and lodges in Durham. Thank you to all of the chaperones who joined us and helped to make this trip successful. We’ve also finished reading Charlotte’s Web and have watched the movie too. The children have enjoyed seeing this as it is the older version and has some interesting vocabulary and fun songs too. In literacy we have begun our book groups. We have continued reviewing trick words and digraphs. In math we have continued to work with equations that have an unknown number (5+_=8). We also introduced subtraction as a way of solving these problems. In science we have been learning about woodland animals, including squirrels and beavers. We’ll expand our knowledge of other woodland animals over the next few weeks.

We have another field trip coming up at the end of the month to Squam Lakes Science Center. We will be heading there for the entire day on October 29, 2019 (8:00-2:30). A permission slip will come home next week but I just wanted you to have the date as early as possible so that you had the option to join us if you wanted. Parents and siblings are welcome but parents need to drive themselves.

There is a notice in your child’s folder about a school-wide food drive that is happening until November 15. Items can be sent in at any point up until that date and there is a prize for the class that collects the most items.

Also, just a few reminders about our classroom. If your child’s dismisssal is changing from what they normally do please let me know. Please also let the office know by emailing either Kdavitt@sau53.org or kduffy@sau53.org. Friday folders (the orange paper ones) need to be returned to school every Monday (or on the first day of the week) so that I can fill them with your child’s completed work and any other important papers. Even if you don’t send the Friday folder back please look in your child’s backpack on the last day of the week as there will be work/important papers coming home. We have also started sending homework home this week (in the colored plastic envelopes). Homework should be returned on the first day of the next school week and new assignments will always be sent home on Tuesdays. Feel free to send the homework folder (with the homework) back to school early if it is completed.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Sept. 26, 2019

Dear Families,

Our class is definitely feeling some “fair” related excitement and energy this week. We were able to harness some of this energy by working on our fair project (see the paragraph below about it). We began our “literacy jobs” this week. This entails each child moving through a variety of assignments related to literacy, including re-reading poems that we’ve read as a class, tapping out words independently, reading books from our book boxes, and designing our own bookmarks for use in our classroom throughout the year. Our math focus has been on determining the mystery number (such as 5 + _=8). We have also been making “true” number sentences ( 3+5=6+2) and this is still a bit tricky for most of the students in our class. Finally, we released two more butterflies this week, bringing our total up to nine! We are still waiting for one more chrysalis to hatch in the near future.

Just a reminder that your child is bringing home his/her Friday folder today. Please look through the items in it and assist your child in emptying and returning it on the next school day.

Our fair project looks great! I hope that you will have a chance to go to the fair for a day of fun. Be sure to check out our first grade fair project focusing on Eric Carle's book “The Lonely Firefly.” Each student created a firefly along with a writing piece stating why they are not lonely. The students worked very hard and we’re all looking forward to seeing our project displayed in the School Building at the fair.

In your child’s Friday folder you will find a permission slip for our upcoming field trip to Sweet Trail in Durham, NH. We have started our woodland animals study and this is a great trail to observe the beaver dam. Please fill out the permission slip and return it to school with your child as soon as possible. Younger siblings are welcome to come, but be aware that this is not a stroller friendly trail.

Have a great weekend. I’ll see you at the faaa-yah (fair)!

Sarah

September 13, 2019

Dear Families,

We have finished our first full week of school and the class is really starting to do some great work together. Our literacy focus has been on reviewing letters and sounds. We have also worked with “tapping’ out sounds (segmenting words into all sounds such as c/a/t/ for cat). Our writing has focused on telling true stories and also we have done some reflecting about our summer experiences and what makes each of us special or unique. In math we have been working on coming up with all of the combinations of a number (all of the ways to make 9 or 10 for example). We have done this through story problems, using number bonds, making pictures and writing equations (number sentences). Please look for additional information about our math work in your child’s folder this week.

Picture day was a success and all students were able to have their pictures taken early on in the day (we were one of the first groups) before PE. Due to the rainy weather, our school postponed the whole class pictures to the picture re-take day.

Friday folders (the orange folders) do go home on the last day of each week. Please try to take a moment to go through your child’s folder with them over the weekend. Please also help your child to return his/her folder to school on Monday (or on the next school day if Monday isn’t the first day of the school week).

We have had fun watching our monarch caterpillars turn into a chrysalis and then become butterflies. We released four last week and four more this week. We are anxiously awaiting about three more who should all be emerging over the next week or two. I have posted a few pictures on my class site of them.

Your child has decorated an IA (specials schedule) for you and we have laminated it. I put magnets on the back of it and you should be finding it in your child’s folder this week (although I think one or two went home last week). The intention with this is that it would hang on your fridge and could be helpful in preparing for how to dress/what to pack for the day.

As always, if you have any questions or need further information please don’t hesitate to contact me at (603)463-7422, ext 120 or splater@sau53.org.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sarah