Dear Parents and New First Graders,
Hello and welcome to First Grade!
I am so excited to be your teacher in September! I have put together a few items here for your information for our class and for you to keep up with what you have learned in kindergarten.
First we have IXL Summer Program, the link for this is at the google sites classroom that I have linked down below. Your child’s login to IXL is the same as from Kindergarten.
I have included a suggested reading list for over the summer. Please try to read at least 20-30 minutes each day. Most of these great books can be checked out of your local library, or purchase if you choose.
For Math: Practice math facts adding and subtracting sums up to 20. Car rides are a great time to do this as a game. Also show your child coins and introduce their values this will help with math facts.
Practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
First Grade is a big transitional year.
We are much more academic and your child will be expected to write much more and to work more independently. Handwriting is very crucial for brain development and neural connections. Good posture along with holding and using a pencil and scissors correctly are essential to successful writing.
We will have homework Monday through Thursdays. Friday through Sunday will usually be reading and saying a prayer or a decade of Hail Marys for something or someone in particular. We may occasionally have a project that takes a week or so and I will try to give weekend time to work on that. We also do a lot of collaborative work in groups as the year progresses, so that we learn how to interact and collaborate with partners working towards a specific goal. Homework is written in their agendas and will be posted in Renweb under homework notes. Please sign the agenda each night so I know that you know the assignment.
Next is a list of skills your child needs to practice:
Opening the various items in their lunch boxes, ex. Tupperware, juice boxes, containers, thermoses.
Zipping up the various types of zippers and or buttons and buckles they will be wearing.
Turning a jacket or shirt sleeves right side out.
Wearing weather suitable coats, jackets, sweaters and accessories, etc. Our children go outside everyday unless the weather is below 32*.
Please teach them to pack their backpacks immediately after they do their homework, so it’s not such a scramble in the morning.
Most important: please help your child to learn how to tie their shoes over the summer! Try to find the laces that are not slippery and that will make things easier for them. I am also including a suggestion to a YouTube video that has been extremely helpful to children that demonstrates an easy way to manage the laces. The video is by Timothy McConnell/tying shoes. Please help them practice this, it is a lifelong necessary skill.
Also, students may bring an unbreakable water bottle with a liquid capacity of no more than 24 fluid ounces. The container must have a closable spill preventable lid; this will be a screw on lid, push-up straw or a push top. Water bottles with straws that do not push closed are prohibited. The container must contain water and water only. No juice, soda, addables (flavors), or energy drinks. I suggest buying at least 2 so you can switch them out daily, or they forget it at school.
Please check out the Classroom site, https://sites.google.com/olmc-school.org/olmcfirstgrade/home for the links for summer reading and supply list and Summer IXL program.
I will be sending the google classroom information in a separate email at the beginning of the new year.
Both of these sites are a work in progress and changes and updates happen as time permits. The Google login and password will be the same as you used for kindergarten class. This will be your child’s login and password their entire time at OLMC. I will also be sending an email with an invitation to join the Google classroom right before school starts. Under the Classwork tab you will find the supply list for next year and also the summer reading challenge list. I have included both of these lists in this packet but in case it gets lost that’s where you can find them. You can also find them on my class website page at this link.
Together we will make this a great year for your children.
If you ever need to contact me my email is ldegen@olmc-school.org. Over the summer I will only be checking it weekly, but if you need something sooner please call the school office.
Mrs. Lisa Degen