Hi Families!
Thank you so much for taking the time to come and meet with me at Parent Teacher Interviews this week. It was lovely to see you and chat about all the great things your children have been doing and learning in grade one! Report cards were sent home on Thursday. If you have any questions about your child's report card, please let me know.
We have just one more week of school before March Break! To celebrate, we’ll be having a Spirit Week at Glen Stewart. Students are welcome to dress up for the school wide theme days if they’d like to participate. I’ve included the theme for each day under the “Important Dates” section at the bottom of this email. We will also be doing some special activities in our classroom. We will do some art this week, read with buddies in the hallway, and we will be watching a movie on Friday!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 5
Tuesday - Day 6
Wednesday - Day 1
Thursday - Day 2
Friday - Day 3
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
Library - Monday & Wednesday (book return day)
Playground - Front playground
Yoga - Tuesday at 1:45
Words of the week - any, many, our, about
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We will continue working on Unit 9 this week. In this unit, students will learn the difference between a closed syllable and an open syllable. A closed syllable has only 1 vowel and the vowel is ‘closed’ in by one or more consonants. The vowel sound is short. To mark the vowel sound symbol we draw a breve (⏑) above the vowel. Some examples of closed syllables are: ask, met, clip, flop, punch. We mark these words by putting a line under the whole word, writing c for closed under the line, and draw the breve above the vowel. An open syllable word does not have a consonant after it. Some examples of open syllable words are: go, no, hi. We will also introduce keywords and sounds for vowel teams: ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, oy. We are introducing these vowel teams to help the students read words with them in it. Words with vowel teams are open syllable words because the first vowel is a long vowel sound, not short. The students will learn spelling rules for these vowel teams in Grade 2.
Reading Homework: Thanks to those who sent back their books. Your child will have 3 books again this week along with the Unit 9 Fluency Sheet for practice.
Dates to Remember
Monday March 9th - Blue & Orange Day or wear your school clothing!
Tuesday March 10th - Crazy Hair/Hat day
Wednesday March 11th - Rock your socks (wear mismatched socks) for World Down Syndrome Day
Thursday March 12th - PJ / Cozy day
Friday March 13th - Dress in green for St. Patrick’s Day
March 16th-20th - March Break (No Classes)
Hi Families!
I can’t believe we have been in school for 100 days!! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know your children and 1D has grown into the most beautiful and supportive classroom family. I am so blessed to get to spend my days with your children!
We had a wonderful 100 Day celebration! The children turned the number 100 into a creative picture. They did an amazing job! Make sure to check them out when you come for Parent Teacher Interviews this week! You will also notice some pretty funny pictures of your children as 100 year olds! :) They also wrote about what they think their lives will be like when they are 100 years old. Also, the kids really enjoyed mixing with the other students in the hallway and spending some time in each classroom in the afternoon!
On Friday, I sent home another early closure form. Please complete it so we have the updated plan for your child if we have to dismiss early again before the end of the year. Please fill out and send back ASAP- Thank you! If your child didn't bring their homework bag on Friday, I will send the form home tomorrow.
The Scholastic Book Fair is back at our school! Our class will be going TOMORROW (Monday) in the afternoon. If you want your child to buy anything at the Book Fair, you can send money in that day. It would be helpful to put it in a bag with their name on it if you could!
Parent Teacher Interviews - Parent Teacher Interviews are taking place this week. Please e-mail me if you had trouble signing up. I'm looking forward to celebrating your child's progress with you!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Library - Monday (Book Fair)
Playground - Back playground
Yoga - Tuesday (Only 2 weeks left)
Words of the week - r-controlled vowels and vowel teams (we will use these sounds to practice decoding words that have these sounds)
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We finished up Unit 8 last week and will work through Unit 9 week 1 this week. In this unit, students will learn the difference between a closed syllable and an open syllable. A closed syllable has only 1 vowel and the vowel is ‘closed’ in by one or more consonants. The vowel sound is short. To mark the vowel sound symbol we draw a breve (⏑) above the vowel. Some examples of closed syllables are: ask, met, clip, flop, punch. We mark these words by putting a line under the whole word, writing c for closed under the line, and draw the breve above the vowel. An open syllable word does not have a consonant after it. Some examples of open syllable words are: go, no, hi. We will also introduce keywords and sounds for vowel teams: ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, oy. We are introducing these vowel teams to help the students read words with them in it. Words with vowel teams are open syllable words because the first vowel is a long vowel sound, not short. The students will learn spelling rules for these vowel teams in Grade 2.
Dates to Remember
March 4th - Report Cards go home
March 5th evening - Parent/Teacher Interviews
March 6th- Parent Teacher Interviews (No Classes)
March 16th-20th- March Break (No Classes)
Hi Families!
We had another great week in grade one! The children had fun exchanging valentines and cheering for Team Canada! Also, we went outside sledding for Winter Wellness Day and to end off the week, they really enjoyed the Winter Wellness Olympic stations! Thanks to those who were able to send in money for the Cool Kids Care Club fundraiser for Special Olympics.
Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks! February pictures
This week, we have various exciting activities taking place!
PEI schools will have Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, February 25th. Students are welcome to wear pink on this day to show the importance of spreading kindness.
We’ll be celebrating our 100th day of school on Thursday, February 26th. *If there is a storm day before then, it would move ahead one day to Friday. We’ll be doing a variety of activities with the number 100 on this day. It's always a great time! The children are welcome to wear their PJs to celebrate OR they can dress up like a 100 year old if they wish!
Parent Teacher Interviews - you will be able to book a time for Parent Teacher Interviews starting at 8am this Tuesday. You can do so through this link: https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net . Interviews are Thursday from 4:00-7:00 and Friday from 8:30-12:00. I have opened up some additional times throughout the week as well. Please let me know if you are unable to make it.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library - Wednesday & Friday (book exchange day)
Playground - Front playground
Yoga - Tuesday
Words of the week - say, today, rain, wait (/ay/, /ai/ vowel team sounds. The first vowel says the long vowel sound.)
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: This week, we will finish up Unit 8, learning about blends (we've now learned about consonant blends and digraph consonant blends). Blends can be at the beginning of words and at the end of words. Some consonant blend examples are: step, best, lend, drop, flap, brag. Some digraph consonant blends are: shrug, munch. To find the blend, we find the vowel in the word first, then look before and after the vowel to find the blend. In Unit 8, we will also introduce new vowel combinations - r-controlled vowels. Students will learn the following keywords to help them remember these sounds when reading: ar - car - /ar/, or - horn - /or/, ur - burn - /ur/, er - her - /er/, ir - bird - /er/
Dates to Remember
Tues, Feb. 24th- Online booking system for interviews goes live at 8am
Feb. 25th - Pink Shirt Day
Feb. 26th - 100th Day of School
March 4th - Report Cards go home
March 5th-6th - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Hi Families!
We had another great week in grade one! Mother Nature decided that we should extend the Valentine’s Day excitement, so we will do our exchange of valentines on Tuesday. The children have been enjoying the snow outside at recess. Thank you for sending appropriate outdoor gear each day. They are getting so much quicker at dressing for outside time!
This week, we have various exciting activities taking place! Tuesday will be our classroom Valentine celebration. We will also have STEAM PEI coming to our classroom to do a presentation that day. On Friday, our school will be participating in Winter Wellness Day. The children will take part in Olympic/sports themed stations both inside and outside. They will also get to go sledding. Extra mittens would be recommended for that day if possible!
The “Cool Kids Care Club” are fundraising for the PEI Special Olympics. On Friday (February 20th), students are invited to wear a sports jersey or their favourite team colours. Donations can be sent to school any day next week. Thanks for your support!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Wednesday
Music - Tuesday and Thursday
Library - Tuesday and Thursday (Book return day)
Playground - Back playground
Yoga - Wednesday
Words of the week - each, between, three, sleep (/ee/, /ea/ vowel team sounds. The first vowel says the long vowel sound.)
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We continue to work on Unit 8 and are learning about blends, which are two or more consonants that blend together to make one smooth sound. (Ex: sl, st, br, nd, dr, fl). Blends can be at the beginning of words and at the end of words. Some examples are: step, best, lend, drop, flap, brag.
In Unit 8, we will also introduce new vowel combinations - r-controlled vowels. Students will learn the following keywords to help them remember these sounds when reading: ar - car - /ar/, or - horn - /or/, ur - burn - /ur/.
Homework: Thanks for sending back the homework books last week. If you haven’t already, please do so. This week, your children will have 3 books for the week. They will also have the Fundations Fluency Sheet for Week 2 of Unit 8 sent home.
Dates to Remember
Feb. 16th - Islander Day (no classes)
Feb. 17th - Valentine’s Day Celebration
Feb. 20th - Winter Wellness Day & Jersey Day
Feb. 25th - Pink Shirt Day
Feb. 26th - 100th Day of School (more info to come)
March 4th - Report Cards go home
March 5th-6th - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Hi Families!
Wow! What a week we had in 1D last week! So many exciting activities took place. Field trip to the library, sledding with our learning buddies, making hot chocolate, "6 7 day" and Olympic assembly! I have lots of pictures to share HERE.
The excitement has been building in the school for the Winter Olympics! On Friday, we had a school-wide assembly to celebrate the Olympic opening ceremonies. Some students from our classroom were flag bearers for a country of their choice. They did a great job! The whole sang "O'Canada" together - it brought tears to my eyes. What a powerful sound!
The students had a great time walking to the Stratford Library, listening to story-time and exploring the children’s book section with a scavenger hunt.
This week will be a four day school week as Friday is a PD day. We will celebrate Valentine’s day on Thursday, February 12th. If students plan to bring in Valentine cards for their classmates, I ask that they please bring one for every student in the class. Thank you!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 1
Tuesday - Day 2
Wednesday - Day 3
Thursday - Day 4
Friday - No School
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Library - Monday (Book return day)
Playground - Front playground
Words of the week - her, over, number (/er/ R-controlled vowel sound)
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We completed our unit 7 check-in this week. I was SO PROUD of the students for how well they did with this tricky glued sounds unit! Bravo! We will begin Unit 8 tomorrow and will learn about blends, which are two or more consonants that blend together to make one smooth sound. (Ex: sl, st, br, nd, dr, fl). Blends can be at the beginning of words and at the end of words. Some examples are: step, best, lend, drop, flap, brag.
In Unit 8, we will also introduce new vowel combinations - r-controlled vowels. Students will learn the following keywords to help them remember these sounds when reading: ar - car - /ar/, or - horn - /or/, ur - burn - /ur/).
Yoga: This week, we will have yoga on Tuesday.
Homework: Your child will have 3 books for the week. They will also have the Fundations Fluency Sheet for Week 1 of Unit 8 sent home.
Dates to Remember
Feb. 12 - Valentine’s Day Celebration
Feb. 13 - Provincial Professional Learning Day (no classes for students)
Feb. 16 - Islander Day (no classes)
Feb. 20 - Winter Wellness Day (more details to follow)
Feb. 25 - Pink Shirt Day
March 4 - Report Cards go home
March 5-6 - Parent/Teacher Interviews
February 2nd-6th
Hi Families!
Happy February! We had a snowy, cold week full of indoor recesses to do lots of social learning. The children were so adaptable and handled our Stratford Library visit being delayed very well. We are rescheduled to go on Monday afternoon and will be watching the weather closely. The good news is that it looks like a much WARMER week!
We had a great Family Literacy Week! The children did an amazing job during Grade 1 Book Buddies where they got the chance to partner up with a friend from another class and read together!
We had a wonderful visit from Jay Scotland (meteorologist from CBC) on Friday! The children were respectful listeners and we learned a lot! Thanks to Jay for taking time out of his busy schedule to come visit us! The children took home their weather tracking booklets for January. We will continue to track the weather each day, but have new booklets for February.
The students have been working hard and have earned their next reward day. They voted on having a "6-7 day". I can't believe I agreed to it, but we will be having our "6-7 day" on Wednesday. I have a lot of fun learning activities that we will do and I can't tell them to stop saying "6-7" for the whole day. Wish me luck! :)
On Tuesday afternoon, we will be going sledding with our grade 2 learning buddies!
I shared some pictures from our week - CLICK HERE to see!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 2
Tuesday - Day 3
Wednesday - Day 4
Thursday - Day 5
Friday - Day 6
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
Library - Thursday
Playground - Back playground
Stratford Library Visit - Monday
Sledding - Tuesday
Yoga - Thursday
Words of the week - could, would, should, some
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We will be finishing up Unit 7, Week 3 and doing our unit check-in. We will also begin Unit 8 by learning about blends, which are two or more consonants that blend together to make one smooth sound. (Ex: sl, st, br, nd, dr, fl). Blends can be at the beginning of words and at the end of words. Some examples are: step, best, lend, drop, flap, brag.
In Unit 8, we will also introduce new vowel combinations - r-controlled vowels. Students will learn the following keywords to help them remember these sounds when reading: ar - car - /ar/, or - horn - /or/, ur - burn - /ur/).
Olympic Learning: Our school is full of Olympic excitement and we will be carrying that on as we learn about different sporting events that take place at the Olympics, talk about the meaning behind the Olympic rings and medals, we’ll be participating in a bulletin board decorating contest and preparing flags to wave at our school-wide Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday.
Yoga: This week, we will have yoga on Wednesday.
Homework: Thanks for sending back the homework books last week. If you haven’t already, please do so. This week, your children will have 3 books for the week. They will also have the Fundations Fluency Sheet for Week 3 sent home.
Dates to Remember
Feb. 6 - Olympic Day (Show your country pride by wearing flag colours)
Feb. 13 - Provincial Professional Learning Day (no classes for students)
Feb. 16 - Islander Day (no classes)
Feb. 20 - Winter Wellness Day (more details to follow)
Feb. 25 - Pink Shirt Day
March 4 - Report Cards go home
March 5-6 - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Hi Families!
I hope you enjoyed your very chilly weekend! Brrr!! It looks like Mother Nature is going to give us some snow to go along with the frigid temperatures. Hopefully things will warm up so that we can get outside to play in it!
I posted our January and February learning goals to the classroom website. You can click HERE to view them. If you ever have any questions about what we are learning, please reach out and ask!
This week is Family Literacy Week. Our school has some fun activities planned to celebrate!
On Tuesday, January 27th, we will be walking to the Stratford Public Library for a class visit. We will be going at 1:00pm. Please make sure that your student comes to school in warm winter clothing and snow boots. Thank you for sending back your permission forms!
On Wednesday, January 28th, students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character. I will also have Elephant and Piggie headbands for students at school that they can wear for a costume if they would rather.
On Friday, January 30th, we will be having a schoolwide Pajama Day! We will also be doing hallway book buddies with the other grade one English classes.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 4
Tuesday - Day 5
Wednesday - Day 6
Thursday - Day 1
Friday - Day 2
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music - Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Library - Tuesday & Thursday
Yoga - Wednesday
Playground - Front playground
Words of the week - about, our, now, how
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We will be working through Unit 7, week 3, this week. In Unit 7, students will learn EIGHT new glued sounds! Wow! There will be four new glued sounds ending with “ng” (ang, ing, ong, ung) and four ending with “nk” (ank, ink, onk, unk).
In Week 1, we will learn the “ng” glued sounds.
In Week 2, we will learn the “nk” glued sounds.
In Week 3, we will add the suffix -s to these words.
We will learn the following trick words in this unit: why, by, my, try, put, two, too, very, also, some, come.
Homework: Thanks for sending back the homework books last week. If you haven’t already, please do so. This week, your children will have 3 books for the week. They will also have the Fluency Sheet for Week 3 sent home. I've been challenging the children and giving them some harder books in their book bins. If you're finding that they are too difficult for your child, please let me know! Remember that it's okay for you to help them or read them together as needed.
Dates to Remember
Tues, Jan. 27th - Family Literacy Day (our visit to Stratford Library)
Wed, Jan. 28th - Dress as your favourite book character
Fri, Jan. 30th - Pajama Day
Feb. 13th - School Goals Day (No School for Students)
Feb. 16th - Islander Day (No School)
Feb 25th - Pink Shirt Day
Hi Families!
The children had a good two days with the substitute (Ms. Mitchell). She texted me and said that they were a lovely group and she really enjoyed her time with them. That makes me happy to hear! :)
We had a break from winter weather last week, but the snow is back! Please send snowpants, mitts/gloves, and a hat every day. Hopefully, the snow will stick around for a bit so we can get out on our school sleds sometime before the end of January!
If your child took home a yellow form from the dental clinic, please return it as soon as possible. Thanks!
Family Literacy Week - To celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27th, our school will be doing some literacy based activities that week. Wednesday, January 28th, students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character. On Friday, January 31st, we will be having a schoolwide Pajama Day!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 6
Tuesday - Day 1
Wednesday - Day 2
Thursday - Day 3
Friday - Day 4
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music - Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
Library - Tuesday
Playground - Back playground
Words of the week - too, two, also, put
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We will be working through Unit 7, week 2, this week. In Unit 7, students are learning EIGHT new glued sounds! Wow! There will be four new glued sounds ending with “ng” (ang, ing, ong, ung) and four ending with “nk” (ank, ink, onk, unk).
In Week 1, we learned the “ng” glued sounds.
In Week 2, we will learn the “nk” glued sounds.
In Week 3, we will add the suffix -s to these words.
We will learn the following trick words in this unit: why, by, my, try, put, two, too, very, also, some, come.
Yoga: This week, we will have yoga on Thursday.
Homework: Thanks for sending back the homework books last week. If you haven’t already, please do so. This week, your children will have 3 books for the week. They will also have the Fluency Sheet for Week 2 sent home mid-week.
Dates to Remember
Jan. 28th - Dress as your favourite book character
Jan. 30th - Pajama Day
Feb. 13th - School Goals Day (No School for Students)
Feb. 16th - Islander Day (No School)
Feb 25th - Pink Shirt Day
Hi Families!
We had a wonderful first week back from the holiday break! It was nice to have 5 full days together to get back into routines. There were lots of tired kids (and teachers) by the end of the week! We talked about goal setting and the children set some goals for the new year. We also had our first yoga session and they seemed to really enjoy it.
Here are some photos from last week in our class: Class Photos
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 1
Tuesday - Day 2
Wednesday - Day 3
Thursday - Day 4
Friday - Day 5
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
Library - Monday and Friday
Playground - Front playground
Words of the week - why, by, my, try, very
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Danni. Next week's star will be Bryce.
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We have completed our Unit 6 test and will be starting Unit 7 this week. In Unit 7, students will learn EIGHT new glued sounds! Wow! There will be four new glued sounds ending with “ng” (ang, ing, ong, ung) and four ending with “nk” (ank, ink, onk, unk).
In Week 1, we will learn the “ng” glued sounds.
In Week 2, we will learn the “nk” glued sounds.
In Week 3, we will add the suffix -s to these words.
We will learn the following trick words in this unit: why, by, my, try, put, two, too, very, also, some, come.
Yoga: This week, we will have yoga on Tuesday.
Homework: We will start back to our reading homework this week. The children will have 3 books for the week.
Dates to Remember
Jan. 27th - Family Literacy Day
Feb. 13th - School Goals Day (No School for Students)
Feb. 16th - Islander Day (No School)
Hi Families!
Happy New Year! I hope you and your children had a wonderful break together. I am so excited to see them again. I look forward to seeing their smiles and hearing all their stories about their break. We will be learning so much in grade one in 2026! January is a big month with all 5 day weeks.
It looks like a cold start to the week, but just a reminder that we go outside most days (unless it is colder than -20) for recess. Students should have snowpants to keep their legs warm (even though there is no snow on the ground). Extra mittens are always encouraged!
This week, we will be starting weekly yoga sessions at school! Samantha Sambrooke will be the yoga instructor and will come to our school to do these sessions with the grade one students. This is offered through the Town of Stratford. We are very lucky to have this opportunity, as the children always seem to enjoy it!
I have posted some photos from December on our class website. You can see them here!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 2
Tuesday - Day 3
Wednesday - Day 4
Thursday - Day 5
Friday - Day 6
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Music - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Library - Thursday
Yoga - Wednesday
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - We've had a slight change to our star schedule. Aisha was sick the week before Christmas and did not get to have her turn as the star. She will be the star this week. Next week's star will be Danni.
Words of the week - her, after, other, over
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: This week, we will be doing week 3 of Unit 6 (the final lessons for this unit). We have been learning all about adding a suffix (which is an ending) to a baseword. In this unit, they have learned the sufflx 's'. For example: dog - add the sufflx 's' = dogs. We have learned that to spell a word with a suffix ending, you hear the entire word (e.g., "maps"), but then need to separate the baseword from the suffix (e.g., "map" from the suffix 's' in the word “maps”). Additionally, we have learned that sometimes the suffix's' has the lz/ sound as in the word bug-bugs. .
Homework: The children will not be taking books home this week, so homework will start again next week. Before the break, we cleaned out our book bins to start fresh. This week, we will be choosing new books (we call this "book shopping") for our bins. They will practice their new books at school and will take them home next week for homework. Please send home any school books you still have at home. Thank you so much!
Dates to Remember
Monday, January 5th- First day back to school after the holiday break
Hi Families!
It was so lovely to see the students on stage last week for their Christmas concert. They worked so hard practicing their songs over the past few weeks. They were so excited to share their music with you and their smiles lit up the room! What a joy it was to get to share this special time with them!
Thank you so much for your donations to the Cool Kids Club food drive! The school lobby is full of donations for the food bank - amazing! The whole school did such a great job that Ms. Dunn and Ms. MacKinnon decided that every class should be rewarded with an ice cream party! This will happen sometime this week.
We are now heading into our final week before the holiday break. We have many fun activities planned! We will start off the week on Monday with a Show and Tell day. Students can bring something from home to show the class (no electronics please). I will include a full list of this week's activities at the bottom of this email. It is going to be so much fun!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 3
Tuesday - Day 4
Wednesday - Day 5
Thursday - Day 6
Friday - Day 1
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library - Wednesday & Friday (book exchange day)
Playground - Front playground
Star of the Week - This week's star is Aisha. Our first star when we return in January will be Danni.
Words of the week - trick word review **This week we will review our trick words we have learned so far**
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: This week, we will continue working on Week 2 of Unit 6. In this unit, they will learn a new concept that they will use frequently, that of adding a suffix (which is an ending) to a baseword. In this unit, they will learn the sufflx 's'. For example: dog - add the sufflx 's' = dogs
We will learn that to spell a word with a suffix ending, you hear the entire word (e.g., "maps"), but then need to separate the baseword from the suffix (e.g., "map" from the suffix 's' in the word “maps”).
Additionally, we will learn that sometimes the suffix's' has the lz/ sound as in the word bug-bugs. .
Homework: We will not have homework this week! Please send back any school books you still have at home. Thank you so much!
Activities for the last week of school before the holiday break
Monday, December 15th
Class Activity: Show & Tell Day
students can bring something from home to share (no electronics)
School-Wide Activity: Red & Green Day and “Get up and dance”
Tuesday, December 16th
Class Activity: Art in the Dark
School-Wide Activity: Read Aloud with Admin and “Name that tune”
Wednesday, December 17th
Class Activity: Read-a-thon Day
students can bring a favourite book and/or a blanket/teddy
School-Wide Activity: Festive Attire Day and Teacher Swap
Thursday, December 18th
Class Activity: Hallway Stations in Grade 1 English
School-Wide Activity: Virtual Bingo
Friday, December 19th
Class Activity: Movie Day
School-Wide Activity: PJ Day and School Carol Sing Along
Dates to Remember
Friday, December 19th- Last day for students before the Holiday Break
Monday, December 22nd- Last day for staff before the Holiday Break
Monday, January 5th- First day back in 2026 for everyone
Hi Families!
Winter appears to have made an appearance! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the storm days last week. The children were very excited about the snow. Thank you for sending snowpants, hats, mittens and boots with your child! We have an endless line of wet items on the heater this time of year, so extra mitts/socks are always a good idea.
We enjoyed another visit from the Student Well Being team last week. They spoke to us about our emotions. This was great information for the children and they were very engaged (and excellent listeners). This week, we will have our Wild Child outdoor session on Wednesday and will also have a virtual science presentation from the Canadian Museum of Nature tomorrow (Monday).
It’s CONCERT WEEK at Glen Stewart! The excitement will be high as we prepare to perform on the big stage! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Stay tuned for an e-mail from Ms. Dunn tomorrow with all the information for concerts. We will have an afternoon show at 1pm and an evening show at 6pm. For the evening performance, the doors will open at 5:30pm and students can head down to their classrooms at that time (parents will head to the gym to get seats). You will pick your child up at our classroom when the show is over. Please let me know if your child will not be attending the evening performance. Thanks!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music - Tuesday, Thursday & Friday (as well as concert rehearsal on Monday)
Library - Tuesday & Thursday (book exchange day)
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - This week's star is Loxley. Next week's star will be Aisha.
Words of the week - came, make, five, home **This week’s focus will be on words that follow the “vowel-consonant-e” pattern. This skill is taught later this year in Fundations, but is an important one to introduce the children to, as these words are showing up in many of the books they are reading. We often refer to this as “magic e”. The “e” becomes silent because it gives all of its power to the other vowel in the word, making that vowel say its name.**
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: This week, we will be starting into Week 2 of Unit 6. In this unit, they will learn a new concept that they will use frequently, that of adding a suffix (which is an ending) to a baseword. In this unit, they will learn the sufflx 's'. For example: dog - add the sufflx 's' = dogs
We will learn that to spell a word with a suffix ending, you hear the entire word (e.g., "maps"), but then need to separate the baseword from the suffix (e.g., "map" from the suffix 's' in the word “maps”).
Additionally, we will learn that sometimes the suffix's' has the lz/ sound as in the word bug-bugs.
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. Also, I will be sending home the Unit 6, Week 2 Fluency Fundations sheet.
Here’s a heads up of what’s going on in our classroom next week for the final week before the break:
Activities for the last week of school before the holiday break
Monday, December 15th
Class Activity: Show & Tell Day
students can bring something from home to share (no electronics)
School-Wide Activity: Red & Green Day and “Get up and dance”
Tuesday, December 16th
Class Activity: Art in the Dark
School-Wide Activity: Read Aloud with Admin and “Name that tune”
Wednesday, December 17th
Class Activity: Read-a-thon Day
students can bring a favourite book and/or a blanket/teddy
School-Wide Activity: Festive Attire Day and Teacher Swap
Thursday, December 18th
Class Activity: Hallway Stations in Grade 1 English
School-Wide Activity: Virtual Bingo
Friday, December 19th
Class Activity: Movie Day
School-Wide Activity: PJ Day and School Carol Sing Along
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade 1 Christmas Concert - 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Friday, December 19th- Last day for students before the Holiday Break
Monday, December 22nd- Last day for staff before the Holiday Break
Monday, January 5th- First day back in 2026 for everyone
Hi Families!
We enjoyed our presentation on kindness from the Student Well-Being Team last Tuesday. Two team members presented, and they were delighted to hear how much our students know about what kindness looks like, sounds like, and feels like. As an activity at the end, the kids got to choose a coloring sheet with the theme Kindness, colour it, and give it to someone as an act of kindness. This week, again on Tuesday, we have these members invited back into our Grade 1 English classrooms to do a presentation on Emotions.
The children chose an "Art Day" as their most recent reward for filling their ten frame, so we did that last week. They had so much fun and were also very helpful to clean up the mess. Here are some updated pictures including some of our art day: Click here
We will have our Wild Child outdoor session on Thursday afternoon! This will be a great chance to do some outdoor learning. It looks like we may have snow on the ground by then, so please make sure that your child has snowpants, mittens and a hat that day. They will be outside all afternoon. I would also recommend sending an extra pairs of socks (and mittens, if you have them). Thanks!
It’s hard to believe we are into the first week of December! December is a busy month with lots of activities planned. Concert rehearsals are in full swing! Our class is going to be elves for the concert. They can wear whatever they would like for the concert. We will be making elf headbands at school. Please see at the bottom of this update, the special theme days we have planned as a whole school and as a Grade 1 English wing.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 1
Tuesday - Day 2
Wednesday - Day 3
Thursday - Day 4
Friday - Day 5
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
Library - Monday (Book exchange day) & Friday
Other - Student Well-Being Presentation on Tuesday morning and Wild Child outdoor session on Thursday afternoon
Playground - Front playground
Words of the week - who, what, when, why **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Fundations: We finished up Unit 5 last week. The students did really well with their check-in.
On Friday, we started Unit 6. In this unit, they will learn a new concept that they will use frequently, that of adding a suffix (which is an ending) to a baseword. In this unit, they will learn the sufflx 's'. For example: dog - add the sufflx 's' = dogs
We will learn that to spell a word with a suffix ending, you hear the entire word (e.g., "maps"), but then need to separate the baseword from the suffix (e.g., "map" from the suffix 's' in the word “maps”).
Additionally, we will learn that sometimes the suffix's' has the lz/ sound as in the word bug-bugs.
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. Also, I will be sending home the Unit 6, Week 1 Fluency Fundations sheet. Thank you for reviewing these with your child - I'm noticing an improvement in reading fluency since starting them! :)
Dates to Remember
Saturday, December 6th - Santa Claus Breakfast at GSP
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade 1 Christmas Concert - 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Friday, December 19th- Last day for students before the Holiday Break
Monday, December 22nd- Last day for staff before the Holiday Break
Monday, January 5th- First day back in 2026 for everyone
**Please see below activities planned for the last week of school leading up to Christmas Break**
Grade 1 Hallway theme days in addition to School-Wide Themes
Monday, December 15th - Show & Tell
Tuesday, December 16th - Art in the Dark Day
Wednesday, December 17th - Read-a-Thon Day
Thursday, December 18th - Hallway Stations
Friday, December 19th - Movie Day
School Wide Activities:
Monday, December 15th - Red & Green Day and Get up and Dance
Tuesday, December 16th - Read Aloud with Admin and Name that tune
Wednesday, December 17th - Festive Attire Day and Teacher Swap
Thursday, December 18th - School-Wide BINGO (virtual)
Friday, December 19th - PJ Day and School Carol Sing Along
Hi Families!
It was lovely to meet with you this week and talk about all the amazing things your children are doing and learning at school! Thank you so much for taking the time to come in and chat with me. 🙂 I will be sending their report cards home this Wednesday.
It’s hard to believe we are in our last week of November at school! The weather is getting quite chilly. Please make sure your child is coming to school with a winter jacket for these cold days so they can keep warm at recess. They should also bring a warm hat and mittens. When the snow starts, it is also a good idea to pack an extra pair of socks in their backpack as well. Thank you so much!
Last week. we completed our fourth unit in Fundations and we have now moved onto the fifth unit. We are learning two new glued sounds (“am” and “an”). This new unit is only one week long and I will be sending home their fluency homework on Monday along with their books.
I have posted a few new photos. Click HERE to see 🙂
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 2
Tuesday - Day 3
Wednesday - Day 4
Thursday - Day 5
Friday - Day 6
Phys. Ed - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday (concert rehearsals are in full swing!)
Library - Thursday
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Hussain. Next week's star will be Suzanna.
Words of the week - from, have, does **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
On Tuesday, we will have a presentation by the student well being team about kindness.
Fundations:
We will finish up Unit 5 at the end of the week. In this unit, the students will learn glued sounds /am/ and /an/. When ‘a’ is followed by ‘m’ or ‘n’ it becomes what we call a nasal sound. Just like glued sound /all/, when we tap words with the glued sounds /am/ and /an/ it is 2 fingers glued together. For example, we would tap and sound out the word ‘ran’ ( r-an→ran), and the word ‘bam’ (b-am→bam).
We will begin Unit 6. In this unit they will learn a new concept that they will use frequently, that of adding a suffix (which is an ending) to a baseword. In this unit, they will learn the sufflx 's'. For example: dog - add the sufflx 's' = dogs
We will learn that to spell a word with a suffix ending, you hear the entire word (e.g., "maps"), but then need to separate the baseword from the suffix (e.g., "map" from the suffix 's' in the word “maps”).
Additionally, we will learn that sometimes the suffix's' has the /z/ sound as in the word bug-bugs.
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. I will also be sending home the Unit 5 Fundations sheet for fluency practice.
Dates to Remember
Wednesday, November 26th - Report Cards Go Home
Saturday, December 6th - Santa Claus Breakfast at GSP
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade One Christmas Concert (1pm and 6pm)
Hi Families!
We had another short (but full) week last week. The children were excited to share what they had spent their extended weekend doing and listened well to each other. We then transferred that into writing in their weekly journals. We also completed a "writing sample" where they showed me what they can do independently without any help from me! I can't wait to show them to you at Parent Teacher Interviews!
I frequently hear from other staff members what a sweet class I have. We have worked hard to build our classroom community where everyone feels respected and valued. Your children are amazing at celebrating each other's differences and are so wonderful to help each other.
Parent Teacher Interviews - Thank you for signing up for a conference with me. Everyone is booked in for a time! I look forward to celebrating your child's growth with you! If you need to make any changes to your appointment time, the website for booking is: https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net/.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 4
Tuesday - Day 5
Wednesday - Day 6
Thursday - Day 1
Friday - No School
Phys. Ed - Monday & Wednesday
Music - Tuesday & Thursday
Library - Tuesday & Thursday
Playground - Front playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Brinley. Next week's star will be Hussain.
Words of the week - are, said (I made a mistake on last week's update and posted the wrong words! Sorry about that! Last week we worked on the words: they, one).
Highlights for this week:
It’s a(nother) short week with 4 school days.
Fundations: We will finish up our learning in Unit 4 and do our final check-in on the bonus letter spelling rule (If a one-syllable word ends in f, l, s, and sometimes z, and there is a short vowel sound before it, the consonant gets doubled. Examples: puff, hill, miss, buzz) and the glued sound all. (The sound of ‘a’ changes to the short vowel sound /o/. Examples: ball, tall, fall)
This week we will begin Unit 5. In this unit, the students will learn glued sounds /am/ and /an/. When ‘a’ is followed by ‘m’ or ‘n’ it becomes what we call a nasal sound. Just like glued sound /all/, when we tap words with the glued sounds /am/ and /an/ it is 2 fingers glued together. For example, we would tap and sound out the word ‘ran’ ( r-an→ran), and the word ‘bam’ (b-am→bam).
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books as well as the Fundations practice sheet for week 2 of Unit 4. Please return the books on Thursday. Thanks for your support from home!
Dates to Remember
Wednesday, November 19th - School Jersey Day
Thursday, November 20th - Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21st - Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26th - Report Cards Go Home
Christmas Concerts are just around the corner, see dates below.
More information about tickets will be shared at a later date.
Tuesday December 9th - Kindergarten performances - 11:00 am. and 4:30 pm
Tuesday December 9th - Grade 1 performances - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday December 10th - Grade 2 performances - 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Hi Families!
We had a short, but great week together. The children worked hard to showcase their writing skills in their journals this week. We also had our PJ and Movie Day on Wednesday, which was a big hit! Glen Stewart had our Remembrance Day ceremony on Wednesday and all of the children showed great respect and focus. I was very proud. They listened to the school choir, participated in a moment of silence and even joined in when the whole school sang a song together that everyone had been practicing in music class. We created poppies and discussed the importance of Remembrance Day.
I have added some random pictures that I never got around to posting. You can find them HERE.
Parent Teacher Interviews - this is a great opportunity for us to get together and celebrate all the things your child is learning in grade one! They will take place on Thursday, November 20th and Friday, November 21st. These meetings are scheduled through an online booking system and will be available for booking starting on Monday, November 10th at 8am.
This is the link to book: https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net/.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - no school
Tuesday - no school
Wednesday - Day 1
Thursday - Day 2
Friday - Day 3
Phys. Ed - Thursday
Music - All 3 days (Wed/Thurs/Fri)
Library - Wednesday
Playground - Back playground
Words of the week - one, said, are **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
It’s a(nother) short week with 3 school days.
Fundations: We will continue our learning in Unit 4 and practice the following concepts:
The bonus letter spelling rule. If a one-syllable word ends in f, l, s, and sometimes z, and there is a short vowel sound before it, the consonant gets doubled. Your child will learn to read and spell words with bonus letters. Examples: puff, hill, miss, buzz
Glued sound all. The sound of ‘a’ changes to the short vowel sound /o/. Your child will learn to segment and blend words with all to read and spell. Examples: ball, tall, fall
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. I will also be sending the Fundations practice sheet for the end of Week 1 in Unit 4. Please practice it with your child. The goal is that they will move away from tapping all of the words and be able to read them more quickly and smoothly.
Dates to Remember
Saturday, November 15th - Stratford Schools Christmas Craft Fair
Wednesday, November 19th - School Jersey Day
Thursday, November 20th- Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21st- Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26th- Report Cards Go Home
Hi Families!
We had a busy, fun filled week last week! We did a virtual, live directed drawing with a few Kodable staff (A fun coding Educational website I have on my Google Classroom), we did lots of Halloween related activities and stations, a costume parade, and the highlight was definitely Grade 1 Hallway Stations where they got to be mixed with friends in other classes and circulate through all of the classrooms in the hallway.
Amidst it all, I have been working on assessments (checking in with each student on the learning goals I have taught so far). Your kids have learned SO much so far in grade one and it’s a pleasure to see all of the progress they have made.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 4
Tuesday - Day 5
Wednesday - Day 6
Thursday/Friday - No School
Phys. Ed - Monday & Wednesday
Music - Tuesday
Library - Tuesday
Playground - Front playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Dennis. He will be the star for both short weeks.
Words of the week - do, all **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
It’s a short week with 3 school days for students.
We will be talking about the importance of Remembrance Day and will have our school-wide assembly on Wednesday.
Fundations: We did our final check in for Unit 3 last week. I am so proud of all the kids and their continued hard work in each unit. They impress me every day!
We began Unit 4. In unit 4, we will teach the following concepts:
The bonus letter spelling rule. If a one-syllable word ends in f, l, s, and sometimes z, and there is a short vowel sound before it, the consonant gets doubled. Your child will learn to read and spell words with bonus letters. Examples: puff, hill, miss, buzz
Glued sound all. The sound of ‘a’ changes to the short vowel sound /o/. Your child will learn to segment and blend words with all to read and spell. Examples: ball, tall, fall
Reading Homework: Your child will have 2 practice books that they can read throughout this short week. Please return these books on Wednesday. I will send the Unit 4 practice fluency sheet next Monday once we've finished the first week of this unit.
Dates to Remember
Monday, November 3rd - Home & School Meeting, 6pm
Wednesday, November 5th - Remembrance Day ceremony
Thursday & Friday, November 6th-7th - Annual Convention (No Classes)
Monday, November 10th - Teacher Administrative Day (No Classes)
Tuesday, November 11th - Remembrance Day (No Classes)
Saturday, November 15th - Stratford Schools Christmas Craft Fair
Wednesday, November 19th - School Jersey Day
Thursday, November 20th - Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21st - Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26th - Report Cards Go Home
Hi Families!
We had an amazing trip to Orwell Corner last week. The students had so much fun and learned a lot! We learned about life in rural PEI in the 1890s. We explored the historic general store, church, Blacksmith shop and farm. The students got to mill their own corn to feed the animals. They went for a horse and carriage ride that they really enjoyed! The fall trees around us were so beautiful. They got to visit the historic one room schoolhouse and learn about what school was like 130 years ago.
I took A LOT of pictures! You can find them HERE.
This week, we will be having some Halloween celebrations. We will be doing some activities, stations and art linked to Halloween this week. On Thursday, students will be doing “Spooktacular” activities during their gym class. On Friday, October 31st, we will celebrate Halloween at Glen Stewart. Students can feel free to dress up in costume. We do ask that you avoid costumes that are super scary! Also, masks and weapons are not permitted. Please make sure that the costume allows for movement, as students will still have recess and gym. We will be doing a costume parade where we walk through other classrooms to show off our costumes, and then other classes will come walk through our classroom to show off theirs. We are also going to be doing some fun hallway stations in the grade one hallway in the afternoon. The students will get to participate in fun Halloween activities in each of the grade one classrooms! It should be a very fun day!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 5
Tuesday - Day 6
Wednesday - Day 1
Thursday - Day 2
Friday - Day 3 (Halloween)
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
Library - Monday & Wednesday
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Millie. Next week's star will be Dennis (he will be the star for both short weeks).
Words of the week - you, your, there, where **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
We will be finishing Unit 3 of Fundations this week and doing our unit check in. In class, we have been working on consonant digraphs. A consonant digraph is two consonants together that make one sound such as “s” and “h” together make the sound of /sh/. We will be working on learning the following consonant digraphs:
wh - whistle - /w/ ch - chin - /ch/ sh - ship - /sh/
th - thumb - /th/ ck - sock - /ck/
Midweek, we will begin Unit 4. In unit 4, we will teach the following concepts:
The bonus letter spelling rule. If a one-syllable word ends in f, l, s, and sometimes z, and there is a short vowel sound before it, the consonant gets doubled. Your child will learn to read and spell words with bonus letters. Examples: puff, hill, miss, buzz
Glued sound all. The sound of ‘a’ changes to the short vowel sound /o/. Your child will learn to segment and blend words with all to read and spell. Examples: ball, tall, fall
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Just a reminder to please send the books back at the end of the week. There are a lot of children who have not been bringing their books back and they are needed for other children. I will also be sending home a Fundations Unit 3 practice sheet in your child's homework bag. It would be helpful if they could practice it throughout the week. The goals is for it to become more automatic for them to read the words (instead of having to tap each time). This will help their reading fluency. This is a great way for the children to practice the exact words that we are working on in Fundations. It does not need to be returned - you can keep it at home.
Dates to Remember
Friday, October 31st - Halloween
Monday, November 3rd - Home & School Meeting, 6pm
Wednesday, November 5th - Remembrance Day ceremony
Thursday & Friday, November 6th-7th - Annual Teacher's Convention (No Classes)
Monday, November 10th - Teacher Administrative Day (No Classes)
Tuesday, November 11th - Remembrance Day (No Classes)
Saturday, November 15th - Stratford Schools Christmas Craft Fair
Hi Families!
The students continue to impress me each week! Their reading and writing stamina is growing. We are learning so much in grade one! 😀 This week, we worked hard on establishing our routine for Literacy Centres and small group sessions. The children seem to really enjoy this time of the school day.
This week, we will be going on our field trip to Orwell Corner! Our class will be going on Friday, October 24th. This is always a highlight of the year and lots of memories will be made! Please make sure that you do not order hot lunches for our field trip day. The children will need a lunch that does not require a microwave. Please send a water bottle as well. We will be outside for most of the day, so they will need to dress appropriately for the weather. Layers and comfortable footwear are encouraged! We will be taking our backpacks with us. We typically walk through fields and the farmyard, so keep that in mind. It is important that everyone arrives by 8:30 that morning, as the busses will be leaving at 8:45. It’s going to be a great day!
Reminder: The deadline to order school photos with free shipping will be Tuesday, October 21st.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Monday - Day 6
Tuesday - Day 1
Wednesday - Day 2
Thursday - Day 3
Friday - Day 4 (Field Trip Day)
Phys. Ed - Monday & Wednesday
Music - Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
Library - Tuesday
Playground - Front playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Brendan. Next week's star will be Millie.
Words of the week - or/for, down, want, out **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
We are about halfway through Unit 3 of Fundations. In class, we are working on consonant digraphs. A consonant digraph is two consonants together that make one sound such as “s” and “h” together make the sound of /sh/. We will be working on learning the following consonant digraphs:
wh - whistle - /w/ ch - chin - /ch/ sh - ship - /sh/
th - thumb - /th/ ck - sock - /ck/
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday.
Dates to Remember
Thursday, October 23 - Picture Retake Day
Friday, October 24 - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Friday, October 31 - Halloween (more details to come)
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Families!
We had another wonderful week in grade one! We have been learning so many new things together! We spent time talking about gratitude and sharing the things we feel thankful for. Your children are so incredibly kind and empathetic. I have loved getting to know them, and it is truly heartwarming to see how they interact with each other.
The students had their photos taken on Tuesday. I sent home cards from the photographer (Everest Solutions). You can scan the QR code or enter the online code to view your child’s photos. The deadline to order photos with free shipping will be Tuesday October 21st.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Tuesday - Day 2
Wednesday - Day 3
Thursday - Day 4
Friday - Day 5
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
Library - Friday
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Jesslyn. Next week's star will be Brendan.
Words of the week - as/has, we/he/she/be/me **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
International Walk to School Day: International Walk to School Day is an annual event supported by the Town of Stratford. It is a mass celebration of active transportation and its related issues. To celebrate this day, Glen Stewart will be hosting a walk to school day on Tuesday, Oct.14th. Families who would like to participate in this event are to meet at the Stratford Town Hall by 7:35 a.m. with departure at 7:45 a.m. sharp. We are asking that a family member accompany their child on the walk to school. Families will gather on the trail adjacent to Shakespeare Dr. across from the Stratford Town Hall prior to the walk. There will be volunteers that will be helping students to cross both Shakespeare Dr. and Glen Stewart Dr. Snacks will be provided to all participants in the gym after the walk.
We completed Unit 2 of Fundations and the children did fantastic! We will be starting Unit 3 of Fundations this week. In class, I am working on consonant digraphs. A consonant digraph is two consonants together that make one sound such as “s” and “h” together make the sound of /sh/. We will be working on learning the following consonant digraphs:
wh - whistle - /w/ ch - chin - /ch/ sh - ship - /sh/
th - thumb - /th/ ck - sock - /ck/
In class we will be working on tapping and blending to read and write words containing these consonant digraphs. We will also be working on “qu” which is referred to as the “buddy letter” because “q” always has it’s buddy “u” right beside it in words in the English language.
Dates to Remember
Friday October 10 - PD day (no classes)
Monday, October 13 - Thanksgiving (no classes)
Thursday, October 23 - Picture Retake Day
Friday, October 24 - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Families!
We had so much fun during our field trip on Friday to Cotton Park. It was a beautiful day and the children had so much fun playing and exploring! I was so proud of their behaviour on the walk and at the park. They especially loved the fairy trail walk. I added some photos that I took. Click here to see them 🙂
The children have filled their 10 frame reward chart again! We will be doing a "Toy and Extra Play Day" on Tuesday. Students are welcome to bring a toy from home that they would like to play with.
I've had a couple of people ask for a class list for birthday invitations, etc. Here is a list of the students in our classroom: 1D Class List
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Mon - Day 4
Tues - Day 5
Wed - Day 6
Thurs - Day 1
Fri - No School
Phys. Ed - Monday & Wednesday
Music - Tuesday & Thursday
Book Fair - Tuesday
Library - Thursday
Playground - Front playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Zyle. Next week's star will be Jesslyn.
Words of the week - see, little, play, was **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Book Fair: Our class will visit the book fair on Tuesday morning at 8:30am. If you would like your child to purchase a book/item, please send the money in a ziplock bag with your child’s name, the amount they can spend, and what item(s) they can purchase (if you have a specific request). For those students who are not purchasing, they will be able to participate in exploratory learning at tables in the library. If you wish to come during family night, it is on Thursday from 6:15-7:15.
International Walk to School Day: International Walk to School Day is an annual event supported by the Town of Stratford. It is a mass celebration of active transportation and its related issues. To celebrate this day, Glen Stewart will be hosting a walk to school day on Thursday, Oct. 9th with a rain date of Tuesday, Oct.14th. Families who would like to participate in this event are to meet at the Stratford Town Hall by 7:35 a.m. with departure at 7:45 a.m. sharp. We are asking that a family member accompany their child on the walk to school. Families will gather on the trail adjacent to Shakespeare Dr. across from the Stratford Town Hall prior to the walk. There will be volunteers that will be helping students to cross both Shakespeare Dr. and Glen Stewart Dr. Snacks will be provided to all participants in the gym after the walk.
Picture day: Our class will be having our school pictures done on Tuesday!
We have almost completed our second week in Unit 2 of Fundations (CVC words). We will be doing our check-in on Tuesday or Wednesday to see if we are ready for Unit 3 (digraphs).
Reading Homework: If you have not yet returned the books from last week, please do so ASAP. Just a reminder that the books should be returned in the homework bag on the last day of the week. Thanks! Your child will have 3 new practice books this week that they can read throughout the week.
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, October 7th - Picture day
Tuesday October 7th - 1D will go to the Scholastic Book Fair
Friday October 10th - PD day (no classes)
Monday, October 13th - Thanksgiving (no classes)
Friday, October 24th - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Families!
We had another wonderful week together! The children are really impressing me with their independence and work habits. They learned so much in kindergarten! 🙂 We had a great time running/walking the Terry Fox run together! We learned about Terry Fox and how he never gave up even when things were hard.
We talked a lot last week about the Zones of Regulation (which is linked to our feelings). It's so important that children are able to identify how they're feeling and then learn strategies to help them get back to the "Green Zone" if they're feeling angry/sad/tired, etc. We have a daily "Green Zone Time" after recess. This is a 10 minute period when they come in from outside and then quietly regulate their bodies for learning. We have quiet music playing, lights out, and it's a "no talking" time. They can colour, draw, play with playdoh, rest, etc. Whatever helps them! I've been amazed by how well they're doing with this. It's so quiet in the room and I notice that it really helps them to process emotions from recess and get ready for the afternoon.
We are starting to have some wet/muddy weather out on the playground. We still go outside unless it is actively raining. It is a great idea to send splash pants and boots on wet days. It is also a good idea to pack an extra pair of socks in their backpack in case their socks get wet.
I sent home two permission slips for our upcoming field trips in October. Please sign and return the forms as soon as possible. The cost for our Orwell Corner trip is $2 to cover the cost of bussing. If you returned the permission slip, but didn't send the $2, please send that in when you can. Thanks! I will send an email later in the week with some reminders for our field trip on Friday.
It’s hard to believe it is almost October! I have posted our October learning goals on our class website. Click here to view them!
I also added some photos from the Terry Fox Run and some painting we did. Click here to see them 🙂
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Mon - Day 6
Wed - Day 1
Thurs - Day 2
Fri - Day 3
Phys. Ed - Monday & Thursday
Music - Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
Library - Wednesday (Now that we have two library times, Day 1 will be for book exchange and Day 5 will be for other library activities. Please return books on Day 1 or before - this week, Day 1 falls on Wednesday).
Playground - Back playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Heavlyn. Next week's star will be Zyle.
Words of the week - come, here, his, of **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Our first field trip to Robert Cotton Park will be this week. We are planning to go Friday, October 3rd. However, if the weather will be
On Monday, our school will participate in Orange Shirt Day. If your student has an orange shirt, they can wear it on Monday. We will talk about why we are wearing our orange shirts (in a child friendly way). This is a difficult topic for young children, but is an important one. We will watch a video on CBC Kids and will talk about the fact that "Every Child Matters" and everyone deserves to be celebrated and to be themselves. On Tuesday, there will be no school in observance of National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
We completed our first week in Unit 2 of Fundations. I have been teaching/reviewing how to blend and read three-sound short vowel words, as well as how to segment and spell them. These words are called CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. For example: sat: s-a-t. The students will review how to tap these sounds using their index finger to thumb for the first sound, middle finger to thumb for the second sound, and ring finger to thumb for the third sound. Then dragging the thumb under the 3 fingers to blend the sounds together to read and write the word. I am also encouraging them to read the word without tapping if they are able to (this improves fluency).
Reading Homework will start this week. Your child will have 3 practice books that they can read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. I will send home two sheets in your child's homework bag as well. These sheets are ideas that you can do with your child to share in their reading and sight word practice. There is no obligation to use them, but they are helpful for those who are looking for ideas.
Dates to Remember
Monday, September 29th - Orange Shirt Day
Tuesday, September 30th - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)
Tuesday, October 7th- Picture day for English
Tuesday, October 7th- 1D will go to the Scholastic Book Fair
Friday, October 10th - PD day (no classes)
Monday, October 13th - Thanksgiving (no classes)
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Families!
We had a busy, but fun full week together! The children are doing well to settle into routines. We enjoyed our PJ Day on Friday! We started flexible seating in our classroom (the children have many options of where they would like to do their independent work).
I added some photos from last week to the "Pictures" tab at the top of the website. Enjoy!
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Tuesday & Thursday
Music - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday
Library - Monday & Friday
Playground - Front Playground
Star of the Week - This week's star will be Maddox. Next week's star will be Heavlyn.
Words of the week - my, is, look, and **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
We will have our Terry Fox walk on Thursday, September 25th. Thank you to those who have sent in a cash donation. If you would like to donate, you can send change/cash in with your child, or if you’d like to donate via credit, please visit this link: https://schools.terryfox.ca/108218
We went on Chromebooks for the first time last week. The kids did amazing! They were so patient as I helped them log in with their username and password (which are quite confusing with lowercase and special characters). They enjoyed playing some games that are linked to our curricular outcomes. We will go on them once a week.
We completed Unit 1 in Fundations. We will be doing our check in (test) tomorrow. I was so impressed with how the kids gave their best effort forming their lowercase letters neatly and properly. They did well with their sounds, too! We have a couple of letters that some kids are reversing, and are a little trickier to make, so we will continue to practice those in warm-ups. We are ready for Unit 2 this week! In Unit 2, I will teach/review how to blend and read three-sound short vowel words as well as how to segment and spell them. These words are called CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. For example: sat: s-a-t. The students will review how to tap these sounds using their index finger to thumb for the first sound, middle finger to thumb for the second sound, and ring finger to thumb for the third sound. Then dragging the thumb under the 3 fingers to blend the sounds together to read and write the word.
Dates to Remember
Thursday, September 25 - Terry Fox Run
Monday, September 29 - Orange Shirt Day
Tuesday, September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)
Tuesday, October 7- Picture day for English
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Families!
We had another great week of learning in 1D. We are beginning to settle into our new routines and expectations and I have seen many new friendships developing! We have such a lovely class and I am really excited to spend the year with your children! :)
We had our first fire drill last week and the children did excellent! We will have more practice drills this week.
Our school is participating in the Terry Fox Run on September 25th. If you’d like to make a donation to the Terry Fox Association, please visit this link: https://schools.terryfox.ca/108218
***If you have not yet returned all of the forms that were sent home on the first day of school, please do so ASAP. I'm still waiting on a few.
Here's what's happening in 1D this week:
Phys. Ed - Monday (Day 2), Wednesday (Day 4) & Friday (Day 6)
Music - Monday (Day 2), Tuesday (Day 3) & Thursday (Day 5)
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Thursday (Day 5). Students took home their first library book on Friday. Please return it when you are finished with it. Thanks!
Playground - We're very excited to play on the back playground this week :)
Star of the Week: We have a special "Star student" each week in our classroom! This person has various special privileges throughout the week: Line leader, lunch with friends on Friday, choosing friends for the stools each day, and they get to bring a Show and Tell item one day during their week (You can decide which day works best for your family). They will also get to take home a special book that their classmates will make them at the end of the week. This week's star will be Elsie. Next week's star will be Maddox.
Words of the week - go, to, went, can **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Things we've been working on - and will continue to focus on this month:
Being responsible, respectful students (Bucket fillers, not dippers)
Growth Mindset (things we 'can' do...things we can't do YET....making mistakes can help us learn and grow)
Sharing materials & helping each other
Being an active listener (whole body listening)
Voice control
Knowing when to talk and when to listen
Zones of Regulation (recognizing our emotions/feelings, which zone we are in, and strategies we can use to return to the "Green Zone")
Meet the Staff: You're invited to come into our classroom on Wednesday, September 17th from 6:20-6:35pm. This is a great chance to see our classroom and meet other parents. I'll have a quick slideshow to go over some information about grade 1! Please note: this is a general session for everyone in the class. It is not individual meetings like Parent Teacher Interviews.
Headphones for Chromebooks: Thank you to everyone who was able to send in headphones last week! We will be going on Chromebooks about once a week this year (starting on Tuesday of this week). I have many links for the kids to explore which involve: listening to reading online, math games, literacy games, etc. It is helpful if each child has a pair of headphones to use (wired). Thanks!
Dates to Remember
September 17 - Meet the Staff 6:20-6:35
September 25 - Terry Fox Run
September 29 - Orange Shirt Day
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)
Hi Families!
We had a great first two days of grade one! We are learning lots of new routines, building friendships and getting to know each other. This week we will continue to practice routines and establish expectations. I'm looking forward to our first full week together!
Here's what's happening in 1D:
Phys. Ed (with Mr. Meuse) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Lisa MacDonald) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Ms. Amy) - Wednesday & Friday
Learning Goals: Each month I will outline the curriculum outcomes and learning that we will be exploring. Visit the "monthly learning goals" tab at the top of this website.
Photos: I’ll be taking photos of the students engaging in the various activities we do in 1D. I will post these photos under the "Pictures from the Classroom" tab at the top of my website. I will be sending home a permission slip this week to ensure that you are okay with your child's photo being on our class site.
Meet the Teacher: You're invited to come into our classroom on Wednesday, September 17th (time TBD). This is a great chance to see our classroom and meet other parents. I'll have a quick slideshow to go over some information about grade 1!
Hot Lunches: Our Hot Lunch program will begin tomorrow, Monday, September 8th. To place these orders, you will need to create a new account (even if you had one last year) and place your orders for next week by 9pm tonight (Sunday).
Here is the website to register and order: https://glenstewartprimary.hotlunches.net/admin/?action=register-form
Monday: Cheese Pizza (Domino’s)
Tuesday: Chicken Poppers (5 breaded chicken pieces and a small breadstick - Papa Johns)
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese (Borrowed Kitchen)
Thursday: Subway (ham, turkey or veggie)
Friday: Cheese Pizza (Stratford Pizza Corner)
Microwave: We have a microwave in our classroom to warm up food for lunch. Due to class size and limited time for lunch, each child is limited to 30 seconds for the microwave. Please don't send KD cups or frozen dinners as they take a long time to heat up and then cool down to eat!
Homework: We will begin reading homework routines later this month. Stay tuned for more information!
Breakfast Program: Our breakfast program begins this week and is open for all students! Toast with butter or jam is always available. Additionally, there can be various options such as apples, bananas, cheese or yogurt. Breakfast is available between 8:00 and 8:25 daily.
Star of the Week: We have a special "Star student" each week in our classroom! This person has various special privileges throughout the week: Line leader, lunch with friends on Friday, choosing friends for the stools each day, and they get to bring a Show and Tell item one day during their week (You can decide which day works best for your family). They will also get to take home a special book that their classmates will make them at the end of the week. Our first star this week will be Sloane. Next week's star will be Elsie.
Dates to Remember
September 17th - Meet the Teacher
September 30th - No classes (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)