Week of February 9

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Please have students wear RED on Tuesday for our Lunar New Year Parade! On Tuesday, February 17th, students will participate in a Lunar New Year parade around the school building at 1:30 PM. We are encouraging all students to wear red that day, as it is traditionally believed to bring a sunny and bright future and is commonly worn during Lunar New Year celebrations. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to a joyful parade!

Family Reading Morning is February 27th from 8-8:30

Monday we...

• ... started a new class reward system where we earn gems for following the rules, being kind and being helpful. What is the class working toward? What do you hope we will win?

• ... played a silly game with a "bee" flying around the classroom to practice prepositions. Fly the bee under the table, by the shelf, on the stool, with two other bee friends, etc. Then we listened to our focus book, What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? for all the prepositions - they were everywhere!  Students also completed a silly worksheet activity about a dog to solidify our understanding.

• ... learned three new trick words: number, her, over

• ... read a book about Mae Jemison, first Black woman in space. How is she a change maker?

• ... spied more words with blends in our new Geodes book, Stick With Us. How do animals stick together to avoid predators?

• ... completed page one of our Unit 3 review in math independently, then went over the answers together in crayon. We are all working on showing our thinking - what is happening in our brains when we solve a problem? Show us!

• ... found more light sources in our book, Can You See in the Dark? and talked about cause and effect. Try this sentence: Light comes from the __________ so the ____________ looks bright.

Tuesday we...

... worked on listening skills because I am battling laryngitis, again. Ms. Olivia was originally going to teach with me today, but had to fill in for our other para educator who was out sick today. Tis the season. I will be out tomorrow to rest my voice - it's so frustrating to teach without my voice! 

... completed a check list for our writing about an animal feature. What did your writing have?  All the informative paragraphs come together to make one awesome class book!

... brainstormed a bunch of things we've learned from What To Do With A Tail With This? - so many cool animals facts! And nonfiction text features like headings and back matter. 

... played a "What Am I?" game with prepositions. You could play this at home. Just find an object and describe where it is, then your child will guess what it is.  For example, I'm thinking of something that is beside the door...  (other prepositions include: on, over, beside, behind, in front of, over, by, around, above, up, to, with, beneath, below, under, etc...)

... we reviewed more for Unit 3 of math in preparation for our end of unit assessment, and corrected the work with a crayon all together. 

... watched a few Storyline Online videos instead of read alouds (to save my voice) - what a great resource. All available on their website, storylineonline.org. 

... drew an "inside weather" chart - another way to help identify how we feel. 

Wednesday we... 

• had a guest teacher, Ms. Gordon, so Mrs. J could rest her voice. 

• played charades with our 4th grade buddies

• enjoyed the whole school assembly

• wrote a birthday book for Hannah

• went to PE

• played in the sunshine with our buddies at lunch, and then ate with them at recess.

• saw Mrs. J for a few minutes right at the end of the day - yay! 

Thursday we...

• celebrated the 100th day of first grade! 

• read a silly 100-word poem

• wrote our own silly book answering questions like, "I would never eat 100 _____"

• took hilarious pictures showing what we will look like when we're 100

• wrote our names ____ times in 100 seconds on a whiteboard

• practiced adding with a Spin to 100 game. How many spins did it take you?

• sent Mrs. J home to rest her voice (again) and Mr. Michael was our guest teacher for the afternoon

• took an online version of our Unit 3 math assessment

• added the number 100 to our number of days in school number line. Only 72 more days of first grade to go! 

• made predictions about what our lollipops would look like after 100 licks. Thanks to Sasha's family for donating the lollipops - much appreciated!

Friday we... 

• made impossibly adorable penguin-themed Valentines bags

• passed out all the Valentines, then enjoyed reading them and thanking the person who gave it. So many fun things! Thanks for doing this project with your child. 

• wrote as many little words as we could using the letters in the words Valentine's Day - a fun challenge! Which student's name did we discover hiding in it?

• went to Music and found our fav guest teacher, Mr. Michael, again!

• played a few Valentine's Day themed dice games for math rotations

• enjoyed Fun Friday with our special items from home

Week of February 2

Reminders

CLASS LIST FOR VALENTINES (link)

We’ll be handing out Valentines to each other on Valentine’s Day to celebrate friendship and our awesome class!  We have 20 students participating.  No candy, please (unless you've already purchased).  Small items are okay (pencils, stickers, etc). I have extra Valentines if you need them, just let me know. Please send prepared Valentines to school on Friday the 13th. Thank you!  – Mrs. J

Early dismissal Wednesday Feb 11 so I can attend ongoing professional development about the Science of Reading - it's SO important! Thank you for being flexible so teachers can have this valuable training. 

Breakfast is available at 7:45 in the cafeteria. 

Family Reading Morning is February 27th from 8-8:25. 

Terrific Tuesday!

• Who was our secret student today? What did you learn about them?

• Which feature did you choose to focus on? (ears, mouth, tail, eyes, feet, nose) Which two animals did you add to your illustration? 

• What is a magnet board? How do you use it to build words? 

• How can cube trains show if two different equations are true or false?

• What light sources did you spy on our investigation walk through the hallways? Which ones did you add to your science notebook?

Wonderful Wednesday!

• We added two new nonfiction text features to our long list: headings (the words at the top of a section of writing that tell what it will be about) and "back matter" (the extra information at the back of the book). Then students wrote a topic sentence about their chosen  animal feature. Did you use the Easy One, the Sweetie Pie, or the Ask A Question? (types of topic sentences)

• Whiteboards, markers, and erasers - oh my! Lots of dictation practice for phonics today, writing words with blends (and sometimes digraphs and bonus letters), lots of trick words, and even a sentence or two. 

• We met a new fascinating sea creature today in Geodes: a carrier crab. What does it carry on its back to protect itself from hungry predators?  We also spied a whole bunch of words with blends (like cr in crab) in this cool story.

• Today we used a number bond to help solve true and false equations. 

• Rumor has it there was a rope swing in PE today! 

• Students chose one light source from their notebooks from yesterday and wrote a little more about it. Where did the light come from? What did it make bright? 

Thinking Thursday

• We finished up our informative paragraph about a unique animal feature! Woohoo!

• We learned about a "digraph blend" like lunch and  shrub and learned more about Bossy R. I just adore this silly video about the Bossy R song, made by a class of first graders. We watched it twice!

• More practice with our Geodes book = fluent readers!

• More practice making equations true. Today we used a number path as well as number bonds to help find the missing number. 

• I retaught the rules and boundaries of the break space today. We talked about the importance of following the group plan during whole group instruction time, and advocating for a break if you need it in appropriate ways. Set the timer, try a tool or two, then return to the whole group. 

Fantastic Friday

• Happy birthday to Clara over the weekend! We wrote her a birthday book, our special first grade tradition. Don't worry, summer birthday friends, we will write you one before the end of the year!

• We read some Black Joy books for Black History Month throughout the week - many more on the way.  If you have a favorite to share, I'd love to borrow it! 

• A little belatedly, we read the Scholastic News article about Groundhog Day. Students would love the chance to do the digital activities at home -- just go to sn1.scholastic.com, click student, and enter the password CH2425. Please only read the articles we've already done. 

• We finished up the last lesson of our Math Unit 3 this week. Time for some review followed by the end of unit assessment next week! 

• Fun Friday is always a fun way to end the week!  

Week of January 28 - a short week

Report cards are now posted on ParentVue. If you prefer a paper copy, please let me know. Some students are bringing home extra practice today, as noted in their report card comments. Please reach out if you have questions or concerns. 

CLASS LIST FOR VALENTINES (link)

We’ll be handing out Valentines to each other on Valentine’s Day to celebrate friendship and our awesome class!  We have 20 students participating.  No candy, please (unless you've already purchased).  Small items are okay (pencils, stickers, etc). I have extra Valentines if you need them, just let me know. Please send prepared Valentines to school on Friday the 13th. Thank you!  – Mrs. J

The next Family Reading Morning is February 27th. 

On Friday we... 

• loved Family Reading Morning - thank you for coming! 

• wrapped up our learning about sea horses in a final very large art project: students water colored their own unique sea horse, then added it to a large habitat poster, also made by us, of course. Students made sure to include rocks, sand, coral, seashells, seaweed, bubbles, and labels. Ms. Casey's class also added their sea horses! 

• learned about "Bossy R" in phonics (aka r-controlled vowels). This very letter bossed the vowels around and made them change their sound! Who in our class has a Bossy R in their name? (NORA! Clara does, too, but her name doesn't follow the typical sound made by /ar/, which usually makes you sound like a pirate.)

• spotted Dillon Pickle of the Portland Pickles baseball team in our school on our way back from music with Mr. James. He was here visiting the 5th grade classes as part of a special partnership/reading program. 

• enjoyed Fun Friday free choice time! 

Week of January 20

Another great week! Your children are so wonderful, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be their first grade teacher. Thanks for all the snacks - we are set for a while.  No school on Monday and Tuesday. I will be here in the classroom working hard on Quarter 2 report cards and planning our learning adventures for Quarter 3.  Friday January 30 is our Family Reading Morning from 8-8:25. Please join us if you can! These readers are making so much progress!

Please note the change in breakfast routine starting Wednesday, as noted in the school news from the principal:

We’re making a small adjustment to our morning breakfast routine beginning Wednesday, 1/28. The cafeteria will now open at 7:45 a.m. for students who would like to eat breakfast before the bell. Following guidance from Facilities to help keep food in designated eating spaces and support clean, shared learning environments, this change helps reduce food being eaten outside of the cafeteria while continuing to ensure strong access to breakfast.

What’s changing

• The cafeteria doors by the parking lot (north of the main entrance) will open at 7:45 a.m. for students eating breakfast.

• Students eating breakfast before the bell will go directly to the cafeteria and remain there until the bell rings.

• When the bell rings, students will move to their classrooms.

• Our Head Custodian, Rick Waligorski, will supervise students in the cafeteria during this time—thank you, Rick!
  
  

What’s not changing

• Students who arrive after the bell may continue taking breakfast to class, as they currently do.

• Snacks will continue to be eaten outside during recess.
  
  

We ask families to please remind students that they need to remain with an adult in the cafeteria until the bell rings. This helps us ensure consistent, reliable supervision and allows us to best support students by keeping them in spaces where staff are assigned to be with them. We’re excited to welcome students who want to enjoy breakfast a bit earlier and begin their day in a calm, cozy, and connected space—creating a gentle, unrushed start that helps them feel supported and ready for learning. We’ll observe how this routine works over the next few weeks and make adjustments as needed. Thank you for your flexibility and partnership as we support a strong start to each school day.

DAILY BLURBS - Check out all our learning!

Monday  Tuesday 🙃 

• New partners for morning meeting! Who is your new partner and what did you learn about them today? 

• This week's Secret Student was Josie! What did you learn about her?

• We learned about text features in our focus book, Sea Horse: Shyest Fish in the Sea. We found features including text size, labels, bold text, a text box, text shape, and an index. Can you point any of these text features out in another nonfiction book at home? Which text feature did your group discover?

• WIN (What I Need) time was spent in reading intervention groups, small reading groups with Mrs. J/Ms. Olivia, and/or doing some digital practice on the computer. What do you usually do for WIN?

• The word of the day in phonics was fangs. Can you use it in a sentence? What does the word have? (glued sound, suffix -s)

• What is a bee waggle? How does the bee communicate the location of nectar to the rest of the hive? This geodes book continues our theme of animal communication.

• In math we are taking, organizing, and analyzing data. Today was all about picture graphs. 

• For Social Studies we are learning about maps. What is a physical characteristic of a map? What is a human characteristic of a map? 

• What's your end of the day classroom job this week?

Wednesday we...

• played a new game with our morning meeting partner - making matches for 10. How did you help your partner if they got stuck?

• reviewed the purpose of an index, sketched sea horses based on their description in the book (head like a horse, pouch like a kangaroo, spines like a dragon), and began our culminating informational paragraph about one unique feature of a sea horse: eyes, tail, or pouch.

• learned three new trick words today: also, too, and very

• chose three response questions/activities to do with a partner based on our Geodes book about bees

• collected data using tally marks, compared the data by asking "how many fewer ___ than ____?" or "how many more ___ than ___?"

• attempted to draw a map of either our school or our classroom, complete with a key - a challenging project!

• heard a few classmates' thorns and roses, then sang our goodbye song!

Thursday

• We continued our writing project about sea horses today. What feature of a sea horse did I write about?

• The word of the day was thinks. Use it in a sentence. What does this word have? (digraph, glued sound, suffix -s) We also played a card game with many of the previous words of the day. What does "hand up, pair up, share" mean?

• Our new Geodes book today was called Elephant Talks. How does an elephant communicate with its herd? Check out this Geodes book coming home today and have your child read all the stories to you! 

• In math we analyzed more data into picture graphs and with tally marks, and then compared the answers by finding the difference.

• Check out the winter reading challenge we brought home today from library. Return it signed to be entered into a prize drawing!

• Lastly students gave input about the upcoming seating change which will happen next week. Who are two students you would like to sit by? Name two students you do not want to sit by.  Of course I cannot guarantee everybody's request will be honored but it gives me valuable insight into the classroom dynamics and often students are very reasonable in their requests.

Friday!

• We drew a "calm palm" to add yet another strategy in our toolbox of tools to stay emotionally regulated. Have your first grader explain it to you, and try it out yourself.

• Students participated in a Socratic Seminar discussion (like college students do!) about our focus book about sea horses. 

• Each student completed the Unit 7 end of unit assessment for our phonics curriculum. Glued sounds, suffix -s, and trick words put, two, also, my, by, try, why, too.

• I assigned a mystery collection of books on Epic (great resource for e-Books), and had students come up with a name for it: Change Makers. We brainstormed all our observations about what these people had in common, including standing up for what was right, solving problems peacefully, ending bad things, being brave, being a leader, and wanting to make the world a better place.  We will continue to add to this list throughout the year. The next big question: how can YOU be a change maker?

• Students completed a "comprehension check" for the end of this week's math lesson about data.

• Music with Mr. James got pretty loud - and fun!

• We ended the day with Fun Friday free choice time. What did your first grader enjoy today?

Have a great weekend! 

Mrs. J

Week of January 12

These first two weeks of 2026 have been good - and fast! We're especially enjoying the sunshine-filled recesses. Below you'll find all the daily blurbs for the week. Hope you found them helpful. I'll continue doing a blurb each day so stay tuned!

Be sure to appreciate your child's agamagraph art coming home today - hope it doesn't get too smushed in transition. It was a challenging project and they really worked hard on it! 

Monday included:

• a new "10-1" game played with this week's morning meeting partner. How did listening to your partner help you play the game? 

• a new focus story called Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea. What is something unique about sea horses?

• four new glued sounds to read and write: -ank, -onk, -unk, -ink. Which student in our class has one of those in his name?

• a new Geodes collection, and a new story about Vervet monkies. How do they stay safe from predators?

• review of a math skill about comparing numbers in a problem. For example, if there were 9 soccer balls and 5 footballs, how many fewer footballs were there than soccer balls? It can be a bit tricky to wrap our brains around this. More practice!

• a new social studies unit that asked how can a person be a responsible member of the classroom, community, and world? Can you name a few ways to be responsible for each?

On Tuesday we:

• practiced being flexible because Mrs. J was out at professional development day (in the building) and Ms. Olivia and Ms. Hamilton were our teachers. 

• revealed this week's "Secret Student." Who was it? What did you learn about them? 

• learned more about sea horses. We also learned how to figure out the main topic of sections of text, and how important it is to have all the pieces of an informational paragraph: the topic statement, details & facts, and a conclusion. 

• added two new "tricky words" to our word wall. Ask me how to spell put and two. 

• read the Geodes book Vervet Monkey Alarm with a partner. 

• rotated through three math activities: MyPath, Learning Games, and Math With Mrs. J (or in today's case, Ms. Olivia).

• watched Kid President's video about changing the world as part of our social studies lesson. 

Wednesday was...

• a little wild, wacky, and weird as we navigated a different schedule due to the early dismissal. 

• crafty! We made Valentines for seniors that Postive Charge PDX will distribute to those who participate in Meals on Wheels. First graders worked with their 4th grade buddies to create beautiful Valentines that will surely brighten someone's day. 

• full of school community. Our assembly recognized two students in each grade who make responsible decisions. It was tough for me to choose because we have so many responsible decision makers in this class. Congratulations to Harriet and Q! Our focus for next month is Relationship Skills. 

• active, both in PE and then at recess with our buddies. 

• joyful because we got to eat lunch with our buddies, too! 

On Thursday we:

• played a game with a morning meeting partner called How Many Cubes Are Left? and reflected on how to be a responsible partner. 

• sorted facts about sea horse by unique feature: tails, eyes, and pouch. We also determined the MAIN TOPIC of the book Sea Horse: Shyest Fish in the Sea: Sea horses use their unique features to survive and reproduce. 

• learned about determiners and how to use the words this/that correctly when referring to a single noun. (This frog - close to you, That frog - far away)

• practiced our phonemic awareness skills (playing around with sounds in words - we do this as a daily routine).

• added the word of the day -- link -- to our student notebooks. Ask me to use it in a sentence. What silly activity did our entire class do to demonstrate one meaning of the word?

• read a Scholastic News Magazine article about Dr. King and learned how he was a change maker. 

• practiced comparing numbers in a story problems. There are 6 more flowers than bees. If there are 4 bees, how many flowers are there? Or this one: There are 7 fewer forks than plates. If there are 12 plates, how many forks are there? 

• learned a little about maps in our Social Studies lesson. The initial question: "How do maps talk to us?" Do you have any maps at your house? It would be fun to explore a map at home. Can you find the key and the compass?

Fantastic Friday included:

• a Home Sharing Activity where students wrote about something they do with their 4th grade buddies

• interviewing our friend Easton and writing him a kind and thoughtful birthday book 

• building words with glued sounds with our magnet boards

• a new Geodes book called Smell Tells. What creature was it about? How did a scent tell them something?

• a new song or two in Music with Mr. James (plus a bonus short recess afterward)

• a comprehension check assessment in math

• Fun Friday free choice time. What did I choose? 

Reminders: 

At home, please continue to work on tying shoes so we can add kids to the "Shoe Crew" of helpers. Thanks!

From the PTA: Capitol Hill Directory of Locally Owned Businesses

The Capitol Hill PTA is creating a directory of local businesses owned by members of our Capitol Hill community. Our goal is to support our neighbors and strengthen our shared community. 

Own a local business? Please fill out this form.

Want access to the directory of parent/staff owned businesses? View the directory here.

I'm sure there are other things to remind you of, but that's all I can think of right now. No school on Monday in observance of Dr. King Day. Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for reading!

Mrs. J 

Week of December 8

Thank you again for meeting with me for our yearly parent teacher conference, and I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.  I am always willing to set up a meeting to chat as questions or concerns come up. Open communication is key! Just reach out via ParentSquare or email. 

Thought I'd share these wonderful pieces of writing here on the website since they didn't get a lot of time to be appreciated in the hallway - aren't they great? We practiced writing an informative paragraph about ourselves with a topic sentences, details, and a conclusion. The accompanying art project prompted some deep thinking about identity. What is identity? What makes you you?

Current Learning

Math - We've just wrapped up Unit 2 with a final assessment, and now we're off and rolling into Unit 3. This week's focus is story problems with facts to 20. We may or may not be doing some 6-7 themed activities for Wednesday's 67th day of school ... (They are begging me, how could I say no?)

Language Arts - We read a new book, Seven Blind Mice, as part of our Creature Features Module 2. It is a fable of sorts, teaching an important lesson - ask your first grader what it is. They got to practice their informative writing skills with a paragraph about the lesson. Ms. Olivia introduced the next book, Me... Jane, about young Jane Goodall, today and they'll continue to write informative paragraphs this week. 

Phonics - We're on Unit 6, which is all about suffix -s making words plural. We've also learned trick words who, what, when, were, are, where, there, do, does, have. 

Health - We're working on boundaries, healthy friendships, being a good friend, and asking others to play. 

Kindness Challenge - Students have started a kindness challenge this month and if they complete all 9 challenges, they will earn a special celebration. (Please look at the sign ups on ParentSquare for celebration items to donate.)

Below you'll see examples of how students start their day with a "morning bin" at each table (and one or two from Fun Friday free choice time). The open-ended materials prompt teamwork, encourage creativity, and foster problem solving! A nice way to start the morning.

This year is flying by so quickly; I can't believe we're almost to winter break! Please let me know if you will be leaving for the break early. We'll keep our regular routines in place in the classroom -- but I do have a few special activities up my sleeve. 

Thanks for reading! 

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net

Week of November 10

Report Cards

Please visit ParentVue to see the report card from Quarter One. (Let the office know if you need support logging in.) If you would prefer a paper copy, please let me know, and I'll send one home with your child.  A note about reading the report cards: if you see a blank spot, it just means that that topic wasn't covered in Quarter One. Twos and threes are normal and expected.  Ones are concerning and usually mean your child is already receiving extra support in that area. The benchmark will go up as we progress through the year, so it is normal to have a three marked for all four quarters -- it doesn't mean your child isn't making progress. We will talk more about the report card during our Parent Teacher Conferences, so please bring your questions. 

I just have to share a few more Bat Week/Halloween projects here - aren't they fun? Students wrote two facts and one opinion about bats after all our learning about them. And, check out this slightly silly (I mean scary!) project that mimics the famous painting, The Scream.  It's a first grade tradition I've done for years. They always make me giggle!

Field Trip

A few more photos of our field trip - what a great time we had at The Judy seeing Mo Phillip's Impossible Musical! Thanks again to the PTA and the entire Capitol Hill Community for providing the funds for off campus adventures like this one. 

Reading: We have just begun a new Module called Creature Features. The overarching question is what can we discover about animals' unique features? and it lines up nicely with our learning about animals in science. So far we've read two fables: The Tortoise and the Hare and the Ant and the Grasshoppers. We are also learning about the structure of an informative paragraph: topic sentences, details, conclusion. Today we read Seven Blind Mice -- as your child to retell the story. What was the lesson?

Foundational Skills: We've learned about bonus letters like -ll, -ss, -ff to end a word after a short vowel. We are also learning about "glued sounds" like -am, -an, and -all.  Today a Geodes book is coming home - please practice together! Your child has learned the phonics skills to decode 80% of the book independently. It is great practice!  Also check out the Home Support Letters for Units 3, 4, and 5 for more practice opportunities and information.  Students who are already reading benefit from this instruction and practice as well as it will support them in writing and spelling. 

Math: Our focus is making a 10 to add or subtract. Students are using number paths, 10 frames, and counters to show their thinking through this strategy. It's a bit tricky, and not how many students think about numbers, but it's good practice. 

Science: How to animal parents protect their young? How do offspring protect themselves? Can you give an example of an animal that can survive on its own without its parent? 

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

• What is a fable? What are the lessons of The Ant and the Grasshopper and The Tortoise and the Hare?

• What did we notice about Russell's name? (bonus letters galore!)

• What are some similarities between Ms. Olivia and Mrs. J? Differences?

• What is a rose and a thorn? What is a bud?

• What hatched in our classroom today? What do you think the class should name it?

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net

Week of October 27th

It's BAT WEEK! This week is all about the incredible creatures of the night. Did you know that bats wings have the same bones as human hands? They have thumbs! Students are learning lots of fun facts through read alouds, videos, a collection of bat e-books on Epic, and more. Today we sorted batty sentences into two categories: fact and opinion, and started a bat art project. Stay tuned for more batty fun!

Thanks for coming to VIP Day!  I didn't get everyone's picture, but here's some of them. I hope the VIPs had a fun time with the interview, art project, and other classroom choices. It's always special for a first grader to share their world with a family member. 

Science

Students made models to show how an animal might use a shell as a defense. There were a few spikes and spikes in there as well. They had to protect the clay "animal" from the comb "teeth" of a predator. A fun challenge! 

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

Who is Kelso? What are some of the choices? When do you try them? (Hopefully you saw the cute frog come home last week - maybe it will come in handy to solve small problems on play dates or between siblings.)

Who is your morning circle partner? How will you be a good partner? What do you wish your partner would do more of?

What is a fun bat fact you learned? Does your family have a funny/spooky story about bats? 

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net or Parent Square

Week of October 13th

What are we learning about?

We are continuing to focus on animal survival in science, which we incorporated into this fun fall fox portrait. I just love them - don't they look like each student drew a picture of themselves as a fox? Can you spy all the things animals need to survive in each picture? (air, water, food, to not get eaten)

Math 

We have just begun Unit 2, which will introduce teen numbers, adding three numbers, finding a ten to add and subtract, and how to use doubles/near doubles to solve equations. The Lesson 6 parent letter went home today. 

Reading & Writing

Our overarching question is, "How do books change lives around the world?" and we've met many characters whose lives were changed by books. This week we'll think about this question: how do books change my life?  We read a familiar book this morning, Green Eggs and Ham, and students completed a story map to help them remember the characters, setting, problem, and resolution of the book. More work and reflections on the big question/theme to come! 

Foundational Skills (Phonics)

This is so important even if your first grader is already a reader - because it will help them become a better writer and speller.  We are wrapping up the third unit which introduced the digraphs sh, ch, wh, th, and ck. We're also learning trick words (words that can't be sounded out) and have added quite a few to our classroom word wall recently, including for, or, we, she, as, has, is, of, into. 

Geodes

Students are practicing their new phonics skills in books from a collection called Geodes. You'll see in a week or so when they bring their copies home. They are decodable books that are engaging and fun! They even go with our theme from our reading and writing curriculum. We've met Anansi the Spider, heard the Story in the Cave, and read a magical stack of books so far. 

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

• Who is your morning circle partner this week? How did you find each other this morning?

• What is a teen number? (A group of ten and some ones!)

• Retell the story about Cal called That Book Woman. How did books change Cal's life?

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net or Parent Square

Week of October 7th

How is it already into October? My family went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend so we have fully embraced fall and the wonderful chaos that comes with it! My son is turning 5 this coming weekend, so we're busy busy busy at my house. We've been busy in the classroom, too!

What are we learning about?

Social Emotional Learning: The Zones of Regulation

Over the last few weeks we have been learning all about the Zones of Regulation, a way students can identify and describe how they are feeling. Please have your child teach you all about them! Last week we wrapped up a "Green Zone Toolbox" project where students selected tools or strategies to get them back into the Green Zone, AKA Ready to Learn. The goal is that they will use this toolbox at home! We have a big one here in the classroom in our break space.  

Math: We are wrapping up Unit 1 and today we worked on a review of all the skills introduced. Students will take the assessment over two days (digitally through the iReady platform) and I'm excited to see them show all they know!  So, you won't see a weekly parent sheet this week, and you won't see daily work come home. Next week, we're on to Unit 2!

FYI: Student Teacher Miss Olivia will be in the classroom with us every Tuesday starting tomorrow! Woohoo! 

Book Fair Info 

This year the Book Fair will not be open before or after school. Our class's one shopping time is Monday, Oct. 13 from 2:00 - 2:25. We will visit the Book Fair as a class, and students are able to shop for books then with an eWallet (see below). If you are able to come with us, that would be AMAZING! It makes the most sense to me to have parents shop with their students. If you have set up an eWallet with your child, please send me a message so I know they are able to buy books. Please make a plan with your child so they know how much money they have to spend or how many books they can purchase. (I'm trying to avoid confusion and disappointed kids.) You could also choose to attend the Book Fair with your child at one of the following events:

 Special Events

 Champions Hour – Wednesday, Oct. 15, 3–4 pm
We’re partnering with the Champions afters chool program so participating students can shop the Book Fair with their group during this time.

 Evening Shopping + PTA Costume Exchange – Wednesday, Oct. 15, 6–7 pm
Bring the whole family for a fun evening! Browse the Book Fair while checking out the PTA Costume Exchange — it’s a great chance to trade costumes and get ready for Halloween.

 VIP Hours – Friday, Oct. 17, 7:52–11 am
Students can bring their Very Important Person — a parent, grandparent, or special adult — to visit the Book Fair together after their classroom shopping time.

 Set Up a Student eWallet

Make shopping easy and cash-free!
Families can create a Student eWallet for a safe, convenient way to pay.
Create an eWallet here
(Perfect for grandparents or friends who want to contribute, too!)

 Donate to Our Book Fair

We believe every student should be able to go home with a new book!
Support our “Capitol Hill – Donation” eWallet — all funds go directly toward helping students in need across all grade levels.
Donate to the Book Fair

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

• Who came to visit the first grade classes today? 

• What animal did you draw getting air, food, water, and not getting eaten? 

• What is one way to be a good partner during morning circle time?

• What or who made you giggle at school recently?

• What do you wish you had more of at school? Less of?

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net or ParentSquare

Math: This is the last lesson (week) in Unit 1. We have been learning about adding to subtract, counting on, and number partners for 10. So many strategies and tools for students to keep in their math tool belt! Students are now familiar with ten frames, number paths, and number bonds. This week we'll sum it all up (get it?) with a week of solving story problems. We use white boards almost every day for our math talks at the beginning of the lesson to warm up our brains and our voices as we explain our thinking to each other - one of the most important things about being a mathematician. Three rotations for math time include Math With Mrs. J, where we do our small group games and daily workbook page, and iReady MyPath and Learning Games on the computers. 

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) We've been adding to our Green Zone Toolbox -- tools that help us get back to the Green Zone (calm and ready to learn). Ask your first grader which one(s) they like to try.

Phonics:  Trick words is, his, of, and, the, a. Tapping out words with a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern. Have your first grader demonstrate how to use their fingers to tap these words: mat, pig, men, box, sun

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

• What is your end of the day job this week? What job are you looking forward to doing that haven't done yet?

• Who is your morning circle partner this week? What did you learn about them this morning?

• What makes you laugh in Room 105?

• Name one tortoise structure and what it helps the tortoise do. (beaky mouth = eat leaves, long neck = reach for leaves, big shell = protection/defense from predators, etc)

Thanks for reading. Until next time! 

Please reach out with any questions or concerns via Jjendrzejek@pps.net or ParentSquare.

Mrs. J

Buddies:  We met our 4th grade buddies this week! For our first meet up, students traded letters about themselves and chatted to get to know each other. Each early release day we'll get together to do various activities and build meaningful cross-grade relationships. It's one of the best things we'll do all year!

Apple Art Project: One student asked me, "Mrs. J, why don't we do any more fun art projects like we did the first week of school?"  So here you go. (How could I say no?) We explored a new art tool: the paint stick. Like an oil pastel but without the mess, they feel like drawing with butter. The colors are so smooth and vibrant! Students were tasked with making four quadrants on their apple, each with a different pattern using 2-3 colors. Love how they turned out!

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

• What is Mix and Munch? Who did you sit by last Friday?

• What did the book Don't Hug Dug teach you?

• What was your end of the day classroom job last week? What job are you looking forward to doing?

• What or who makes you smile in Room 105? 

• Who was your morning circle parter last week? This week? What do they do to show they are listening to you? 

• What is something kind or nice you did recently at school? 

Thank you for supporting your first grader in this first month of school. It's a big transition from summer back into the school routine with a new grade and teacher and class. Whew! We did it!

Thanks for reading. Until next time! Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns via ParentSquare message or email (jjendrzejek@pps.net). 

Mrs. J

Week of September 15th

Thanks so much for coming to Back to School Night. I enjoyed seeing you all and loved to see how much the students have ownership over their classroom already. They were so excited to show you around!  

Here is the information from the back of the scavenger hunt and I've added extra notes in italics. 

Here is some information about the classroom and year ahead, in no particular order.

Homework:

In first grade, the only required homework is to read 20 minutes nightly. This includes reading to self, reading with someone, or listening to a story. The goal is to foster a love of reading! Occasionally, your child may bring home class work to be finished. I will make a note on the paper, or communicate with you directly if that is the case.  Weekly math family letters have some practice problems on the back, and they are optional. 

Field Trips and Residencies:

Ms. Casey and I are in the process of planning our field trips for the year. Tentatively, we will see a play downtown and go to OMSI.  In previous years we have also enjoyed residencies here at school with SCRAP, a theater company, and a glass artist.  If you’d like to chaperone a future field trip or help with a residency, please be sure you have passed the PPS Volunteer Background Check.

Family Reading Mornings:

Once a month, usually the last Friday of the month, you are invited to join your first grader in the classroom for 25 minutes of reading together. Younger siblings are welcome! If you are unable to attend, you can send someone else in your place (friend, family member, neighbor), and I also invite other special guests from our school staff to join. You do not need a background check for this event. Please sign in at the office as a visitor before coming down to the classroom. Come to any or all of the events!

8:00 - 8:25 on the following Fridays: September 26, October 24, November 21, December 19, January 30, February 27, March 20, April 24, May 29. 

Classroom Volunteers:

I am still determining our needs for the year. Stay tuned! If you are interested in volunteering, please be sure your PPS Volunteer Background Check is up to date. 

Ways to Help:

• Please help your child learn to tie shoes.

• Please make sure your child can put on and take off their winter coat independently. 

• Thank you for checking your child’s home-school envelope each day and keeping any papers at home. 

Here's the photos from the "photo booth" on Thursday. I'll also send a copy directly to you this week. 

Week of September 8th

We're happily off and running in Room 105! It's been a wonderful first two weeks of school (minus the heat). Thank you for supporting your student as they enter the world of first grade!

Upcoming Events and Action Items

• Back to School Night is this Thursday, 9/11, from 5:30 - 6:30. Your child will show you around the classroom and you'll get to complete a fun scavenger hunt together. See you then!

Update 

Presenting the 2025 - 2026 class of First Graders in Room 105! Here's their first day of first grade pictures.

We're starting to settle into this year's routine. Here's a quick overview, aka A Day in the Life of a First Grader in Room 105:

8:00 Morning Bins (toys/activities that rotate biweekly or so) are a great soft start to each day and give opportunities for social interaction, creativity, and teamwork with table mates. Last week Jenga was a big hit. 

8:10 Morning Circle - we greet each student, review the schedule, thank yesterday's Helping Hands and choose two new ones, and do a quick activity. It's a great time for learning social skills like taking turns in conversations, how to disagree politely, and getting to know each other.

8:30 "Adventures in Reading and Writing" - This is our language arts time to focus on reading comprehension, grammar, and writing. Our first module is called "A World of Books" and we'll answer the overarching question, how can books change our lives? Tomas and the Library Lady is our first focus book. 

9:15 Recess!

9:30 WIN Time (What I Need) - this is a focused intervention time. Our Reading Interventionist pulls students to give extra reading instruction, and I also work with small groups of students in both reading and math. (This will start in the coming weeks as I get more information from fall benchmark assessments.) Students use the Chromebooks during this time, using a variety of digital tools such as RazKids, Epic, Scholastic News, and the FUNhub (phonics).

10:00 Foundational reading skills - phonemic awareness and phonics. We'll play with words, learn new sound spellings, do dictation on whiteboards, build words with magnet boards, and more. The last few weeks we've been reviewing the alphabet and the correct way to write each letter using the sky line, plane line, grass line, and worm line.

10:40 - 11:20 Recess then lunch

11:25 More foundational reading skills time. Stay tuned for how this time evolves in the coming weeks. Read to Self is off to a good start for now!

11:45 Math mini lesson -- we gather together on the rug and turn on our mathematical brains to do a warm up followed by a mini lesson on the week's focus skill. We often use whiteboards to show our thinking, and sometimes have a "gallery walk" to look at others' thinking. This time is all about sharing our thinking or how we solved a problem. 

12:05 PE, Art, Library, or Music

12:50 A quick snack so we're ready to tackle math. 

1:00 Math rotations - We have three rounds of math rotations that include an activity with Mrs. J, and time on iReady MyPath and iReady Learning Games (both on the chromebook). More on this later, but it's going so smoothly right now! 

1:45 Science or Health (alternating units) or Fun Friday!

2:15 Pack up then Closing Circle - students get to reflect on their day and say goodbye to each other. 

2:30 Dismissal - whew! Another great day!

Questions to Ask Your First Grader

How does the goodbye song go? ("First grade is over, now it's time to go. We'll put on our backpacks and stand in a row. I wave at you, you wave at me. We give a little clap. We'll see you all tomorrow when we all come back!")

Who was your partner for morning circle last week? How do you "turn and talk" to your partner?

What is Fun Friday? Did you have any fun?

What makes you smile in Room 105? 

Thank you for reading. If you missed my introduction page with information about me and the classroom, you can find it here. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out via email or ParentSquare message. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday evening for Back to School Night! 

Mrs. J

jjendrzejek@pps.net or ParentSquare