Embedded Files
December 8th-12th:
Hi Families!
Winter has 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. They got to color a monster and color it the way they were feeling at the time. We also enjoyed our Wild Child outdoor session last week. The kids got to pick a nature name if they liked, and we played 3 engaging games. I think the most fun was had during the activity where they listened to a bird sound, and they had to run to the picture of the bird they thought it was (they had 2 choices to pick from each time).
I took some pictures of the excitement after our first snowfall and the fun the kids had playing outisde at recess. Also, I snapped a couple pictures during our Wild Child outdoor session. Click here to see them.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Tuesday (Book exchange day) & Thursday
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick 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” is always silent at the end of a word, and it sometimes can be magic- it gives all of its power to the other vowel in the word, making that vowel say its name (its long vowel sound).**
**We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
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!
Cool Kids Club: Grade 2 club that is collecting food this week for the food bank’s 40th anniversary. The cool kids will have a prize (Ice Cream Sandwich Party – Last week of school) for the classroom that collects the MOST food bank items! If you can, please send in a non-perishable food item with your child.
Baby/Toddler Picture: Thanks to those who emailed me your child's baby picture for our "Guess the Special Gifts" Bulletin Board outside our classroom. If you haven't done so already, please email me a baby picture of your child. Thank you!
Fundations: This week, we are working in week 2 of Unit 6. In this unit, students 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 bugs.
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books to read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. *If you never returned your books from last week, please do so on Monday. I will give new books once the previous weeks are returned to ensure books are not being misplaced. Thank you for your cooperation in this. Also, I will be sending home the Unit 6, Week 2, Fluency Fundations Sheet, please have your child practice this throughout the week.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade One Christmas Concert (1pm and 6pm)
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 click the attachments below to see activities planned for the last week of school leading up to Christmas Break**
December 1st-5th:
Hi Families!
Thanks for reaching out to the office while I was away from school last Thursday and Friday. I am looking forward to seeing your kids tomorrow. We enjoyed our visit and 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, color 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.
It’s hard to believe we are into the first week of December! December is a busy month with lots of activities planned. 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.
The Guest Teacher sent home a Permission Form on Friday. Please sign and return those tomorrow, Monday, December 1st. Thank you.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Monday and Friday (Book exchange day)
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: who, what, when, why **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Nature Immersion Visit: On Tuesday, December 2nd, from 11:00-12:00 we will have an outdoor lesson led by a member from Wild Child. Permission forms were sent home Friday, please sign and return these on Monday, Dec.1st, as I need your signed permission in order for your child to participate. Thank you!
Presentation: On Tuesday, December 2nd, we will have a presentation by the student well-being team on Emotions/Feelings.
Baby/Toddler Picture: As mentioned in my email last week, if you could please email me a picture of your child as a baby/toddler for our "Guess the Special Gifts" Bulletin Board outside our classroom. I would like to have these in by Thursday, Dec 4th. Thank you!
Fundations: We finished up Unit 5 last week. The kids did really well!
This week, we will begin Unit 6. In this unit, students 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 bugs.
Reading Homework: Your child will have 3 practice books to read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. *If you never returned your books from last week, please do so on Monday. I will give new books once the previous weeks are returned to ensure books are not being misplaced. Thank you for your cooperation in this. Also, I will be sending home the Unit 6, Week 1, Fluency Fundations Sheet, please have your child practice this throughout the week.
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, December 6th - Santa Claus Breakfast at GSP
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade One Christmas Concert (1pm and 6pm)
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**
November 24th-28th:
Hi Families!
It was so nice to meet with you all during parent-teacher interviews last week. What a tremendous turnout!! I always love this time when I can share face-to-face and show all the amazing things your children are doing and learning at school! It is hard to believe how much they have learned since September. Thank you so much for taking the time to come in and meet with me and for being a team in your child's learning. I will be sending their report cards home this Wednesday.
It’s hard to believe we are getting close to the end of November! The weather is getting quite chilly. Please continue to 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 kit bag as well. Thank you so much.
We did Art on Thursday and made lights for our classroom window; click here to see them.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Thursday (Book exhchange day)
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: from, does, have **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
50 days of school on Monday!
Presentation: On Tuesday, November 25th, we will have a presentation by the student well-being team about kindness.
Fundations: We did our final check-in for Unit 4 last week and we began Unit 5 on Friday. The kids did really well with the skills taught in Unit 4! Unit 5 is only one week long.
Unit 5:
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).
2. We will begin Unit 6 at the end of the week.
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 bugs.
Reading Homework: .Your child will have 3 practice books to read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. *If you never returned your books from last week, please do so on Monday. I will give new books once the previous weeks are returned to ensure books are not being misplaced. Thank you for your cooperation in this. Also, please have your child practice the Unit 5 Fundations Fluency Practice Sheet I am sending home on Monday. I am really noticing the kids' fluency starting to increase.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, November 26- Report Cards Go Home
Saturday, December 6th - Santa Claus Breakfast at GSP
Tuesday, December 9th - Grade One Christmas Concert (1pm and 6pm)
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.
Have a great week, everyone!
November 17th-20th:
Hi Families!
It was another short, but busy, week last week. It took a bit of time to adjust back to our classroom routines and expectations, but by Thursday we were back in our groove. We have worked hard to build our classroom family, where everyone feels respected and valued, and they continue to show tremendous support for one another every day. It is heartwarming to see them cheer each other on when they receive the "I caught you note" at the end of the day.
The children were excited to share what they had spent their extended weekend doing and listened well to each other. They then chose one activity from their weekend and wrote about it in their journals (we always do journal writing on Mondays)! They are doing such a great job at choosing one idea, and extending their idea to tell more details with writing at least three plus sentences. We are now furthering their writing skills by doing a unit of study called "Small moments". This is where they choose a real life event that happened to them, and write about it (not just from the weekend previous). It would be great if you could come up with some ideas at home. For example, remember the time you lost your first tooth? Do you remember what you were doing; how it felt, etc. Or, remember the time you scored your first goal? Or, remember the time you learned a skill in swimming/gymnastics, etc. Or, remember the time we took a trip and we did ____ activity and how much fun it was. This would help them generate ideas so they are ready to write their story about it. Thanks for your support in this!
The kids enjoyed their extra recess time on Friday, but we had it indoors since it was a rainy day. Click here to see pictures.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday & Wednesday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Tuesday (Book exhchange day)
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: Review week **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Parent-Teacher Interviews Thursday after school/evening and Friday morning. Thanks to those who signed up. If you haven't done so, please sign up by clicking on the following link to book: https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net/ I am looking forward to sharing and celebrating your child's successes so far this school year!
November Learning goals can be viewed here . I forgot to post them last week; sorry!
Fundations: We will do our final check-in for Unit 4 on Tuesday and begin Unit 5 on Wednesday.
Unit 4:
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
Unit 5:
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 to read throughout the week. Please return these books on Friday. *If you never returned your books from last week, please do so on Monday. I will give new books once the previous weeks are returned to ensure books are not being misplaced. Thank you for your cooperation in this. If you have time, please have your child practice the Week 2 of Unit 4 Fundations practice sheet I am sending home on Monday. Thanks for practicing these! I am really noticing the kids' fluency starting to increase.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, November 19 - School jersey day
Thursday, November 20- Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21- Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26- 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.
Have a great week, everyone!
November 12th-14th:
Hi Families!
We had a short but great week together last week. The children worked hard to showcase their writing skills in their journals. Glen Stewart had our Remembrance Day ceremony on Wednesday, and all of the children showed great respect and focus while listening to the school choir, participating in a moment of silence, and even joining in when the whole school sang a song together that everyone had been practicing in Music class. They earned their last large marble for our marble jar and are now due for another reward! Stay tuned for what gets voted for. Also, last week we created poppy art for our classroom windows and our bulletin board in the hallway. Click here to see it.
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 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Wednesday
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: they, said, one, are **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
It’s a(nother) short week with 3 school days.
Parent Teacher Interview sign-up goes live Monday; click the following link to book: https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net/
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 2 practice books to read throughout this short week. Please return these books on Friday. If you have time, please have your child practice the Week 1 of Unit 4 Fundations practice sheet I sent home last week. The goal of these sheets is that with practice, your child will move away from tapping all of the words and instead will be able to read them more quickly and smoothly.
Dates to Remember:
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 19 - School jersey day
Thursday, November 20- Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21- Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26- Report Cards Go Home
Have a great week, everyone!
November 3rd-5th:
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 a Science experiment with the hypothesis: Will a pumpkin float or sink in water?; and lots of Halloween related activities, with the highlight being Grade 1 Hallway Stations where they got to be mixed with friends in other classes. I took some pictures of all the fun and excitement! Click here to see them. The kids cleaned their folders on Friday, so please take their work out of their homework bag.
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 1, and it’s a pleasure to see all the individual progress each has made.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday & Wednesday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Tuesday (Book Exchange day)
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick 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.
We will be talking about Remembrance Day and will have our school-wide assembly on Wednesday.
Fundations: We completed 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 to read throughout this short week. Please return these books on Wednesday. I will also be sending home the Unit 4 week 1 Fundations sheet for your child to practice. It is great to see so many practicing these sheets! It really helps with building their reading fluency.
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 19 - School jersey day
Thursday, November 20- Parent Teacher Interviews (4-7pm)
Friday, November 21- Parent Teacher Interviews (No classes)
Wednesday, November 26- Report Cards Go Home
Have a great week, everyone!
October 27th-31st:
Hi Families!
We had fun on Friday doing some creative art and using our imaginations! The kids each got a toilet paper roll to turn into a halloween character(s) of their choice. They used a variety of supplies, including paint, construction paper, googly eyes, etc. Also, they enjoyed eating the treats that Ms. Shannon and I brought in as their class reward. We spread it out throughout the day, and they got to take 1 home.
As mentioned in an earlier email, 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, schoolhouse, Blacksmith shop, and farm. The students got to mill their own corn animal feed and feed the animals. They went for a horse and carriage ride that they really enjoyed!
Click here to see pictures of our art from Friday and pictures from our Field Trip.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Monday (Book Exchange day) & Wednesday
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: you, your, there, where **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Halloween: This week, we will be having some Halloween celebrations. On Thursday, students will be doing “Spooktacular” activities during their gym class. On Friday, October 31st, we will celebrate Halloween at Glen Stewart. Students are welcome to dress up in costume! We do ask that you avoid costumes that are very 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. In the morning, 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!
Fundations: We will be finishing Unit 3 of Fundations this week and doing our unit check-in on Tuesday. 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/ **The ck spelling is used at the end of 1 syllable words, immediately after a short vowel sound.**
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: Thank you to those who returned their books back on Friday. If you didn't, can you please send them back on Monday so we can cycle through them. Your child will have 3 books again for homework this week. Please return them on Friday. I appreciate this-thank you! Also, I will send the week 2 of Unit 3 Fundations practice sheet, similar to the one I sent last week, for those of you who can practice with your child.
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 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
Have a great week, everyone!
October 20th-24th:
Thanks to those who were able to send in money for the Jelly Bean Jar- The cool kids club raised a bit over $300! We had a fun day on Friday and did the following art: puzzles out of our faces and leaf friends for our window! The kids from GSP really enjoy seeing our window art as they walk to and from the buses each day. Click here to see them.
I had the kids clean out their folders on Friday. Any finished work was sent home (I saved a couple of things for their Grade 1 Memory Books). Please clean this work out of their homework bags over the weekend.
We are getting closer to filling our marble jar again! I'm really impressed with the kids' reading stamina, and I love how they read a practice book first each day. Also, they are settling into the routine of small group centers while I do small group work.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday & Friday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Tuesday
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: or/for, down, out, want **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Orwell Field Trip: This week, we will be going on our field trip to Orwell Corner! Our class will be going on Wednesday, October 22nd. 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!
Fundations: We are about halfway through Unit 3. 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 consonant digraphs in bold below, and we are practicing decoding words with digraphs to read and spell.
wh - whistle - /w/ ch - chin - /ch/ sh - ship - /sh/
th - thumb - /th/ ck - sock - /ck/ **The ck spelling is used at the end of 1 syllable words, immediately after a short vowel sound.**
Reading Homework: Thank you to those who returned their books back on Friday. If you didn't, can you please send them back on Monday so we can cycle through them. Your child will have 3 books again for homework this week. Please return them on Friday. I appreciate this-thank you!
School Photos: The deadline to order photos with free shipping will be Tuesday, October 21st. Retakes are on Thursday, October 23rd. If you want your child to do retakes, please email me, as I will only send the children up for retakes whose families specifically told me.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, October 21st- Deadline to order school pictures.
Wednesday, October 22nd - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Thursday, October 23rd - Picture Retake Day
Friday, October 31st- Halloween (More details to come)
Have a great week, everyone!
October 14th-17th
We had another wonderful week last week! The kids really enjoyed their toy reward day. We spent time discussing gratitude and sharing the things we are thankful for. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend, spending time with those who are important to you. I have a lot to be grateful for, and one of them is getting to spend my days with your children. I am enjoying getting to know each child, and it is an absolute pleasure to watch them grow both academically and socially. I posted some photos from using the parachute at our field trip to Cotton Park (another colleague had taken them and recently shared them with me). The parachute has many fun activities you can do with it! Click here to see them.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Friday (Book exchange day)
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: as/has, we/me/be/he/she **We will practice reading and writing these words**
Highlights for this week:
Orwell Field Trip next week: Thanks to everyone for sending in their forms and money. I now have everyone's collected. I appreciate this.
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. I am so proud of all the kids' continued hard work! We began Unit 3 of Fundations on Thursday. In class, I am working on consonant digraphs. A consonant digraph is two consonants together that make one sound such as “s” and “h” stick together to 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.
Reading Homework: Thank you to those who returned their books back on Thursday. If you didn't, can you please send them back tomorrow so we can cycle through them. Your child will have 3 books again for homework this week. Please return them on Friday. I appreciate this-thank you!
School Photos: Reminder: 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.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, October 21st- Deadline to order school pictures.
Wednesday, October 22nd - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Thursday, October 23rd - Picture Retake Day
Have a great week, everyone!
October 6th-9th
We had so much fun during our field trip last Friday to Cotton Park. It was a beautiful day and the children had so much fun playing and exploring! I was very pleased to see how well behaved the kids were during our walk there and back. They also were very patient, listened well and were respectful during all of our activities together. They earned our last big marble because of this! We'll decide as a class tomorrow how we will celebrate, and I will let you know via email. I added some photos from Friday. Click here to see them.
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday & Wednesday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Tuesday ( we won't have book exchange until next library day as Tuesday will be the Book Fair)
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick 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. If you would like your child to purchase a book/item, please send your money in a ziploc bag, along 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.
Picture day: Reminder it is on Tuesday!
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.
We completed our second week in Unit 2 of Fundations. We will complete our check-in sometime this week to see if we are ready for Unit 3! 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.
Reading Homework: Thank you to those who returned their books back on Friday. If you didn't, can you please send them back tomorrow so we can cycle through them. Your child will have 3 books again for homework this week. Please return them on Thursday this week, as there is no school on Friday. I appreciate this-thank you!
Reminder: To send in your $2 for Orwell Corner asap. Thank you!
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, October 7th - Picture day for English
Tuesday, October 7th- 1E will go to the Scholastic Book Fair in the Library
Friday, October 10th -PD day (no classes)
Monday, October 13th - Thanksgiving (no classes)
Wednesday, October 22nd - Orwell Corner Field Trip
Have a great week, everyone!
September 29th - October 3rd:
We had another wonderful week together! 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 continue to talk about the importance of never giving up, and keep trying when things are difficult for us.
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 kit bag in case their socks get wet.
Last week I sent home two permission slips for our upcoming field trips in October. Thanks to those who have signed and returned them. There is no cost to our Cotton Park field trip, but our trip to Orwell Corner is $2 to cover the cost of bussing. If you could send $2 in your child’s homework bag that would be great! Thank you.
Lastly, we are very close to filling our classroom marble jar! We are working on lowering our voice levels to a whisper during Literacy Centers and Math Centers, so that it is quiet for small-group instruction with me. Stay tuned for our class reward in the coming days!
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Wednesday
Playground - Back
Sight Words/Trick 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 better on Wednesday or Thursday, we may go one of those days instead. I will email you to confirm our date this week.
On Monday our school will participate in orange shirt day. If your student has an orange shirt they can wear it on Monday. On Tuesday there will be no school in observance of Truth and Reconciliation Day.
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.
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 2 sheets in your child's homework bag as well. These sheets are ideas you can do with your child to share in their reading and sight word practice.
October Learning Goals click here
Scholastic Book Fair flyers were sent home in your child's homework bag last Friday. This book fair is put on by our School Library. Our class will visit the Book Fair and can purchase if they like, on Tuesday, October 7th.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, September 29th - Orange Shirt day *The kids can wear an orange shirt to school to recognize this day*
Tuesday, September 30th - No classes (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
Tuesday, October 7th - Picture day for English
Tuesday, October 7th- 1E will go to the Scholastic Book Fair in the Library
Friday, October 10th -PD day (no classes)
September 22nd - 26th :
Hi Families!
We had a busy, but fun full week together! We talked about having a Growth Mindset this week. It is important to never give up when things get hard. We talked about how it is okay to ask for help and it is okay to make mistakes. We can learn from our mistakes and sometimes something beautiful can come from them. We discussed how our brain is like a muscle and it grows stronger when we push ourselves.
On Friday, the kids took home their “Once there was a squiggle that turned into a __” that they did with their grade 2 learning buddies. They thought of some imaginative/creative ideas!
We also started Literacy and Math centers last week. I posted some pictures, click here to see them
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Monday and Friday
Playground - Front
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: my, is, and, look **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 getting to explore my Google Classroom and playing some games that are linked to our curricular outcomes. We will go on them again this Thursday.
We completed Unit 1 in Fundations. 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.
September Learning Goals click here
Dates to Remember:
Thursday, September 25th - Terry Fox Run
Monday, September 29th - Orange Shirt day *The kids can wear an orange shirt to school to recognize this day*
Tuesday, September 30th - No classes (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
Tuesday, October 7th - Picture day for English
September 15th - 19th :
Hi Families!
We had another great week of learning in 1E. We are beginning to settle into our new routines and expectations, and the kids are beginning to develop some new friendships. The kids really enjoyed celebrating filling our class marble jar on Friday! I was impressed to see how they were able to manage having their stuffy during learning time, and still did what they were expected. We, also, did some painting on Friday and the kids enjoyed using the watercolor paints.
Our school is participating in the Terry Fox Run on September 25th. Tomorrow, Monday September 15, our class will participate in a virtual Google Meet to learn more about Terry Fox through a presentation. If you’d like to make a donation to the Terry Fox Association, please visit this link: https://schools.terryfox.ca/108218
I added some photos from our classroom. Click here to see them 🙂
Here's what's happening in 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Tuesday & Thursday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Thursday
Playground - We're very excited to play on the back playground this week :)
Sight Words/Trick 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 week:
Being responsible, respectful, kind students (Bucker fillers, not dippers)
Growth Mindset (things we 'can' do...things we can't do YET....everyone makes mistakes; 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"
September Learning Goals click here
Meet the Teacher: 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!
Headphones for Chromebooks: We will be going on Chromebooks about once a week this year. I have many links for the kids to explore which involve: listening to reading online, math games, literacy games, etc. If you could purchase a pair of headphones, label them, and send them in with your child that would be appreciated. You can purchase headphones at the dollar store for ~$5. Based on other years, the kids prefer the style that goes over the ears completely (not the earbud style that go right into the earlobes).
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, September 17th - Meet the Teacher (6:20-6:35pm)
Thursday, September 25th - Terry Fox Run
Monday, September 29th - Orange Shirt day *The kids can wear an orange shirt to school to recognize this day*
Tuesday, September 30th - No classes (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
September 8th-12th:
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 1E this week:
Phys. Ed (with Ms. Emily Smith) - Tuesday & Thursday
Music (with Mrs. Elizabeth Maclean) - Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Library (with Mrs. Amy) - Wednesday
Learning Goals: Each month I will outline the curriculum outcomes and learning we will be exploring. Click here, or visit the "monthly learning goals" tab at the top of this website.
Sight Words/Trick Words of the week: I, like, the, a
Photos: I’ll be taking photos of the students engaging and the various activities we do in 1E. I will post these photos under the "Pictures" tab at the top of my website. Please let me know if you do NOT want your child's photo on our class website.
Meet the Teacher: 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!
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
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!
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 and veggie)
Friday: Cheese Pizza (Stratford Pizza Corner)
Homework: We will begin 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 and toast with jam are 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.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, September 17th - Meet the Teacher (6:20-6:35pm)
Tuesday, September 30th - No classes (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
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