WEEKLY NEWS

News of the Week for April 29, 2024

It has been another fun learning week in first grade! Thanks for sharing your precious children with me each day!

GOODBYES ARE NEVER EASY…

Thank you for joining us for our Chick Sip ‘N See! Here's a link to the slideshow I shared at sip 'n see in case you missed it!

Today was our last day with the chicks. We are sad to see them go, but are trying our best to understand their needs. We talked on Friday about how quickly they have changed. They are bigger and LOVE to practice flying across the brooder! Our heart wishes they could stay forever, but our mind knows that it is time for them to have more space. Mrs. Knavel, one of our loved Kindergarten teachers, has helped arrange the chicks going to her mother-in-laws farm. All 34 chicks and 3 brooders will have a great new home, with someone who is going to take such good care of them and is excited to have them on the farm! We wish these cuties well on their next adventure!

OCEAN DAY: Ocean Day will take place on Friday, May 3 from 1:00-2:50 Our room moms have sent out information on how you can help with this big event. This will be a memorable day as we celebrate all that we will have learned about the ocean and the animals that live there! Here is the sign up link for volunteering and/or donating items for Ocean Day. We appreciate your help with this and know that it takes many people to make this event special for our kids!

FIRST GRADE SHOWCASE: The first grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Wednesday (new date!) morning, May 15, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our First Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child, it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite first grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!

CCE VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST: The staff of Canyon Creek would like to invite any volunteers who served our campus this school year to an appreciation breakfast. Please join us on Thursday, May 2nd from 7:20 am - 8:00 am. as we celebrate an amazing year together and honor all of you who have given your time to make our school and community such a special place to be!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Recognize characteristics of persuasive texts and state what the author is trying to persuade

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting poems

Math:

- Use addition and subtraction strategies

Science:

- Research their animal's diet

- Research their animal’s parenting style

- Research facts about their animals

Important dates to remember:

May 3: Ocean Day

May 15: First Grade Showcase from 7:20-7:40 a.m.

Have a great weekend!

Lauren

News for the Week of April 22, 2024

Oh my...what an exciting hatching week we've had in First Grade! Out of 42 chicken eggs, we were fortunate to have 34 baby chicks enter the world in our grade level! Our class welcomed 9 of our little cuties on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday and got to watch a few hatch out from start to finish. I hope you were able to catch a little of the Live Streaming set up in our incubators by our fabulous IT, Karen Connair. What an amazing week!

The chicks are growing so quickly! My Live Streaming camera has now moved to the brooder so that you can watch their funny antics! They usually outgrow the little brooders after a couple of weeks, so we have arranged for some farmers to take our babies on Friday, April 26th after we've had the chance to show them off to the school and all our families. We will miss our chicks but are so glad that they will have more space to explore and grow.

Important information for this week:

SAVE THE DATES FROM THE FIRST GRADE TEACHERS:

***PLEASE NOTE: We have a lot of fun activities happening between now and the end of the school year. Now is a great time to fill out the application so that it has time to process and be approved.***

1. APRIL EVENTS:

CHICK “SIP & SEE”:

The students have worked hard in teams to prepare for our upcoming Chick Viewing Party (for the school body) and a "Sip and See" for all of you. We will host this event for you on Thursday, April 25th from 3:00-3:30 in our classroom/First Grade hallway. You must be in attendance for your child to be able to attend. They will come to you like normal at dismissal. At 3:00, we will open the doors for some cute chick viewing and light snacks! Siblings are welcome for this event! Due to space, we are not able to accommodate friends from other grade levels during the “Sip and See”, just families. As mentioned above, they will enjoy viewing the chicks during the school day. Thanks for your understanding.

2. MAY EVENTS:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BA9AD2CA7FE3-49054192-ocean#/

FIRST GRADE SHOWCASE: The first grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Wednesday (new date!) morning, May 15, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our First Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite first grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!

CCE VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST:

The staff of Canyon Creek would like to invite any volunteers who served our campus this school year to an appreciation breakfast. Please join us on Thursday, May 2nd from 7:20am - 8:00am. as we celebrate an amazing year together and honor all of you who have given your time to make our school and community such a special place to be!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Devna on Wednesday, April 24th!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Practice adding inflectional endings -ed & -ing to root words

- Learn how to double the final consonant in words with short vowel sounds when adding inflectional endings

- Fix sentences with missing punctuation by adding periods, exclamation marks, question marks and commas in the appropriate places

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting poems

Math:

- Use math to share about their lives

- Use addition and subtraction strategies with larger numbers (doubles, doubles +1

Science:

- Introduce our ocean animal research unit & choose an animal to study

- Activate our schema about the ocean animal that students will be researching

- Draw a diagram of their research animal with labeled parts

- Research their animal's diet

Important dates to remember:

April 25: Chick Sip 'n See with our families 3:00-3:30

May 3: Ocean Day (more information to come!)

May 15: First Grade Showcase from 7:20-7:40 a.m.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Barnard:-)

News of the Week for April 15th

A huge THANK YOU to Dean, Ajay, Christo, and Jessica for building our chicken brooder today! After teams designed and built 3-D models of their brooders, we as a class came up with the best design possible for our baby chicks (See the “Class Photos” section of the website for brooder building pictures!) These amazing parents helped our idea become a reality, with a little help from some first graders! We also had such an amazing amount of donation support for the grade level brooder materials. We appreciate all of you so much! Now that we have a home built, we patiently wait for the arrival of our baby chicks on Wednesday...fingers crossed!

SAVE THE DATES FROM THE FIRST GRADE TEACHERS:

1. APRIL EVENTS:

CHICK “SIP & SEE”:

The students are working hard in teams to prepare for our upcoming Chick Viewing Party (for the school body) and a "Sip and See" for all of you. We will host this event for you on Thursday, April 25th from 3:00-3:30 in our classroom/First Grade hallway. You must be in attendance for your child to be able to attend. They will come to you like normal at dismissal. At 3:00, we will open the doors for some cute chick viewing and light snacks! Siblings are welcome for this event! Due to space, we are not able to accommodate friends from other grade levels during the “Sip and See”, just families. As mentioned above, they will enjoy viewing the chicks during the school day. Thanks for your understanding.

2. MAY EVENTS:

OCEAN DAY: Ocean Day will take place on Friday, May 3 from 1:00-2:50 Our room moms will soon be in contact detailing how you can help with this big event. This will be a memorable day as we celebrate all that we will have learned about the ocean and the animals that live there!

FIRST GRADE SHOWCASE: The first grade students and teachers are excited to invite you to come by your child's classroom on Wednesday (new date!) morning, May 15, from 7:20 - 7:40 a.m. for our First Grade Showcase. As you drop off your child it is the perfect time to stop by before heading out for your day. Your favorite first grader will be ready to show you some of the great work that he/she has been doing this year! We look forward to seeing you then!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Devna on April 24th!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting poems

Math:

- Use expanded form to see the underlying value of digits

- Solidify the relationship between the numerals up to 120 and the concrete models that they represent

- Compare numbers to determine greater than, less than, and equal to

-Order numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least

Science:

- Work in teams to prepare for our Chick Sip ‘n See

- Introduce our ocean animal research unit

Important Dates to Remember:

April 25: Chick Sip 'n See with our families 3:00-3:30

May 3: Ocean Day (more information to come!)

May 15: First Grade Showcase from 7:20-7:40 a.m.

Have a great weekend!

Lauren Barnard

Week of April 8

What an "egg-citing" week we've had! We've been keeping track of what's been happening inside our chick eggs on our hatching calendar and are about 12 days away from hatching day! This week we spent some time in groups designing and building model brooders in our classroom that would make good homes for our chicks. See our Class Photo section for pictures of our awesome designs!

Important information for this week:

STAAR TESTING:

Our third, fourth, and fifth grade students are taking the STAAR test on Tuesday, April 9th. Please know that our campus will be closed to visitors on this date. If you want to plan ahead, there will also be testing on April 17 and April 24. Visitors will not be allowed on campus on these days as well. We appreciate your help as we work to create the best testing environment for our students.

As first graders, we will not be taking the STAAR test. We will, however, do our best to support others in our school by being quiet in the hallways on these testing dates. If you could remind your students of this on these days, we would greatly appreciate it.

SAVE THE DATE:

Stay tuned for information coming from the first graders on a "Sip and See" on Thursday, April 25th from 3:00-3:30 in our classroom! This will be an opportunity for students to share our chick project with parents. This is an event that you will not want to miss!

BROODER DONATIONS:

We are a week away from building our brooders! Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help with our brooder building and signed up to donate items! We’ll be able to build 3 grade level brooders because of you!

If you would still like to make a donation, there are a few supplies that are still needed. We appreciate your help!

On the morning of April 12th, we will have a cart outside the first grade doors where you may drop your donations. Again, thank you for your donations!

This Week's Curriculum:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Practice making inferences while reading

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Identify heart words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Discuss components of poetry: rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration

- Read a variety of poems

Writing:

- Dictate or compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry

Math:

- Use expanded and standard forms to represent numbers

- Show numbers using models and word form

- Review counting to 120 and putting numbers in order

- Use place value to compare numbers

Science:

- Make an invitation to our Chick Sip 'n See

- Record information about the life cycle of baby chicks

- Work in teams to prepare for our Chick Sip ‘n See

Important Dates to Remember:

April 8: Solar Eclipse Viewing for all students with signed permission slips

April 10: Student Holiday, no school for students

April 25: Chick Sip 'n See with our families 3:00-3:30 (more information to come!)

May 3: Ocean Day (more information to come!)

News of the Week for April 1st

Spring is in the air with this beautiful weather and there is much excitement in the first grade hallway these days!

Thanks always for your partnership as we journey through the final grading period of 1st grade with the nightly reading and helping your child to be prepared each school day!

Important information for this week:

“EGG-CITING” NEWS!

Did you hear? We have 14 chicken eggs in our classroom incubator that we are observing! To coincide with this fun life science unit, we traveled to Callahan’s General Store last Friday to learn all there is to know about caring for our baby chicks once they hatch! Check out all the pictures from our field trip in the "Class Photos" section of our website!

BROODER BUILDERS:

As we prepare for the arrival of our chicks, the students will be hard at work in the coming days designing a comfortable living space for our babies. We will then vote on a class design to build. We are looking for parent volunteers willing to help bring the winning design to life! If you are interested in helping with this project, please email me as soon as possible.

Here are the details:

What: Volunteers will use tools to build a life-size replica of the winning class brooder.

When: Friday, April 12th from 8:00 a.m. until finished (usually about lunchtime)

Where: On the CCE porch outside of the first grade doors (Boulder side)

BROODER DONATIONS:

We have money budgeted for this fun learning unit; however, we need a little help. If you have wood scraps at your house or would be willing to purchase building supplies that could be used in the building of our brooder, please click here and sign up to donate. After purchasing the eggs, chick food, and pine shavings, we are looking for ways to cut building costs on building these brooders. Thanks in advance for any wood donations or building supplies that you can provide!

REPORT CARDS:

In last week's Tuesday folder your child received their report card for the third quarter grading period. You are welcome to keep the contents but please return the outer envelope so I'll have it for the final grading period. Thank you to all those that have already returned it!

BOOK FAIR: GOLD MEDAL READERS

CCE's Book Fair kicks off next Thursday, March 28 at 3:00 PM - 7:30 PM with the K-4th grade art show and 3rd grade performance! Book fair sales will run through Friday, April 5. Click here for more information and to volunteer! Since the Book Fair will be going on these next few weeks, we will not be returning library books for new checkouts until April 9th. Thank you for hanging on to your library books until then.

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week is Jason! We are looking forward to learning more about our special classmate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Devna on Friday, April 24th!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Practice making inferences while reading

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Identify heart words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Discuss components of poetry: rhyme, rhythm, repetition, alliteration

- Read a variety of poems

Writing:

- Dictate or compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry

- Write an acrostic poem about chicks

Math:

- Show numbers using different forms: standard, expanded, model & word form

- Build numbers to 120

Science:

- Record information about the life cycle of baby chicks

- Design an idea for a chick brooder

- Create a 3-D model of a brooder design using popsicle sticks

- Vote on a favorite chick brooder to be built by parent volunteers

Important dates to remember:

April 2: Solar Eclipse Permission Forms due

April 5: Parent Reader (Patil Family)

April 10: Student Holiday, no school for students

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend & Happy Easter!

Mrs. Barnard:-)

News of the Week for March 25th

We are bursting with excitement in First Grade! See below for all of the fun things happening!

“EGG-CITING” NEWS!

To coincide with our fun life science unit, we traveled to Callahan’s General Store! Before we boarded the buses, we brainstormed a list of things that we needed to learn to be great chicken keepers. We learned so much about how to care for our baby chicks once they hatch – everything from providing a living space to meeting their needs.

THANK YOU to Hannah, Erin, Gayathari, Stephanie, Emily, Alexandra, Jessica, and Farah for their outstanding chaperone support during our field trip! They anticipated my every need - corralling students through the store, bathroom relays, picnic preparations, picture taking, and recess monitoring! What a special day for all involved! Thank you, ladies!

BROODER BUILDERS:

As we prepare for the arrival of our chicks next month, the students will be hard at work in the coming days designing a comfortable living space for our babies. We will then vote on a class design to build. We are looking for parent volunteers willing to help bring the winning design to life! If you are interested in helping with this project, please email me as soon as possible.

Here are the details:

What: Volunteers will use tools to build a life-size replica of the winning class brooder.

When: Friday, April 12th from 8:00 a.m. until finished (usually about lunchtime)

Where: On the CCE porch outside of the first grade doors (Boulder side)

BROODER DONATIONS:

We have money budgeted for this fun learning unit; however, we need a little help. If you have wood scraps at your house that could be used in the building of our brooder, please let me know. After purchasing the eggs, chick food, and bedding, we are looking for ways to cut building costs on the three class brooders. Thanks in advance for any wood donations!

REPORT CARDS:

In Tuesday folders this week, you'll receive your child’s report card for the 3rd grading period. All items inside the report card envelope are yours to keep. Thank you for returning the envelope for me to send with the final report card. We have many fun academic units and projects coming up in these final weeks! I so love this group and am proud of their hard work!

Book Fair: Gold Medal Readers!

SPRING ART SHOW

Kinder -4th grade students are spending this week picking their favorite artwork to share at the CCE Art Show. Each child has looked through their portfolios and picked the piece they were most proud of. So many choices! Art will be on display from 3-7pm on Thursday March 28th in the downstairs main hallway on the way to the BOOKFAIR! Your student mounted and hung it so they will show where to go. Any questions, please feel free to contact me.

mary_weir@roundrockisd.org

See you soon!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Due to the short week next week our next star of the week will be on April 1st. Our Star of the Week for that week is Jason! We can’t wait to learn about our special classmate.

HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to Evan on March 28th!

HAPPY UPCOMING APRIL BIRTHDAYS!

Happy birthday to Devna on April 24th!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

READING:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Practice making inferences while reading

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Identify heart words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

WRITING:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting stories of interest

MATH:

- Use concrete and pictorial models to compose numbers

- Practice using place value to identify hundreds, tens and ones in numbers

SCIENCE:

- Review animal groups and their characteristics

- Introduce our Project Based Learning project about life cycles (a.k.a. our Chick Unit!)

Important Dates to Remember:

March 29: No school for students and staff

April 5: Parent Reader (Om’s Family)

April 10: Student Holiday, no school for students

Have a fantastic weekend!

Mrs. Barnard

News of the Week for March 18th

Happy Spring Break!! Everyone has worked so hard and I know we are all ready for a little break! I hope you all have a wonderful time together, and I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s adventures when we return! Please see below for important information when we return from Spring Break.

Important Information:

HOMEWORK FOR SPRING BREAK:

Please read 3 times over the 9 day break! For those first graders that would like to read more, that is wonderful!

CALLAHANS GENERAL STORE:

On Friday, March 22, we will venture away from Canyon Creek to visit Callahan’s General Store. This important learning experience will coincide with our Spring Project Based Learning (PBL) assignment. We look forward to beginning an exciting unit after Spring Break that requires their help in learning about chicks. On this day, students will need to bring a disposable water bottle and a sack lunch. We will need a few picnic blankets and coolers. If you have a blanket or cooler we can use, please let me know. If you are one of our parent volunteers and are able to transport those items from school to trailhead park, please let me know! Thank you!

PARENT HELP NEEDED:

For this upcoming PBL assignment, we are in need of parent help. Once we launch the project, we will get more specific details out to you, but we need a few parents willing to help cut wood and assemble a brooder for our upcoming chick unit. Some of the wood cutting may need to happen before our build day at your house due to heaviness of tools. Please email me if you are available to help out on April 12. Thanks so much!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our next star of the week for the week of March 18th will be Melissa! We can’t wait to learn about our special classmate.

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Review story elements of fiction stories

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting a fictional story (make up pretend characters, give the characters a name, imagine adventures, touch and tell, sketch and write)

- Identify and spell words with the r-controlled vowel /ore/, /oar/, and /or/

Math:

- Use concrete and pictorial models to compose and decompose numbers

- Group quantities into tens and ones

- Practice using place value to identify tens and ones in numbers

Science:

- Review characteristics of amphibians, reptiles, insects and birds

Social Studies:

- Review globes and cardinal directions

- Learn about continents, country, state, city, school and home

- Create classroom map

Important Dates to Remember:

March 11-15: Spring Break, no school for students and staff

March 22: Field Trip to Callahan’s

March 29: School Holiday

HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY:

Happy birthday to Evan on March 28th!

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

News of the Week for March 4th

How can it already be March? I'm not sure where February went but we've had some fun lately learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in honor of their birthdays and Presidents' Day!

We now turn our attention to learning all we can about the different animal groups in preparation for the most anticipated unit of the year!

Important information for this week:

CALLAHAN’S GENERAL STORE: On Friday, March 22, we will venture away from Canyon Creek to visit Callahan’s General Store. This important learning experience will coincide with our Spring Project Based Learning (PBL) assignment. We look forward to beginning an exciting unit after Spring Break that requires their help in learning about chicks. We are all so “egg-cited”!

PARENT HELP NEEDED: For this upcoming PBL assignment, we are in need of parent help. Once we launch the project, we will get more specific details out to you, but we need a few parents willing to help cut wood and assemble a piece of equipment for each class. Our Brooder Build Day will take place on April 12th from about 8:00-1:00ish (or until all the first grade brooders are built). Email me if you are available to help out on this date. Thanks so much!

RECESS:

We know that Texas weather can be ever changing and unpredictable! We go outside unless it’s raining or the temperatures are below freezing. Please check the weather with your child each day to make sure they have what they need to stay warm at recess! Also, be sure to check that your child’s name is in their jackets or vests so they can be easily identified.

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL:

If your holiday schedule will involve travel before or after our spring break (March 11-15), would you please send me an email letting me know? This will allow us to work around your travel schedule and still gather the necessary academic data for this point in the year. Thanks so much for your assistance!

STAR OF THE WEEK: We look forward to Evan being our next Star of the Week! We can't wait to learn more about our special classmate!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Segment words into syllables

- Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales & nursery rhymes

- Identify the sounds of /s/ (including the soft c)

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Draft a fictional story (oral, pictorial, or written form by organizing with structure)

- Draft a fictional story (developing an idea with specific and relevant details)

- Use prepositions, including words that name locations, and adjectives to expand short sentences

Math:

- Use concrete and pictorial models to compose and decompose numbers to 20 as so many tens and so many ones

- Group quantities into tens and ones using cubes to practice unitization

- Work with number patterns on the 120 chart

Science:

- Identify the needs of various animals and review the idea of interdependence

- Identify what a food chain is and how energy is transferred from one animal to another

HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY:

Happy birthday to Brooks on March 7th!

Happy birthday to Evan on March 28th!

Important dates to remember:

March 11-15: Spring Break, no school for students and staff

March 22: Field trip to Callahan’s

March 29: No school for students and staff

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Barnard:-)

News of the Week for February 26th

March begins this week which means that Spring Break is on the horizon (March 11-15) If your family will be traveling before or after these dates and it will impact instructional time, please let me know. This allows me to move lessons and assessments around, if needed. I appreciate your communication!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEK:

MIDDLE OF THE YEAR SCREENERS:

Recently, our intervention department administered a series of screeners that are mandated by the State of Texas.You received a copy of your child’s results in last week’s Tuesday folder. Unless we reach out to you, please know that there is no cause for concern. These assessments were timed and are only a small piece of information. In class, we cover these skills daily with whole group and small group instruction.

The permission slip for this second trip was sent home in Tuesday folders and is due back no later than Friday, March 1st. The transportation fee for each child is $6.00. Just as with the theater field trip we had in the fall, please send in exact cash or a check made out to CCE.

PARENT HELP NEEDED: For this upcoming PBL assignment, we are in need of parent help. Once we launch the project, we will get more specific details out to you, but we need a few parents willing to help cut wood and assemble a piece of equipment for each class. Some of the wood cutting may need to happen before our build day at your house due to heaviness of tools. Email me if you are available to help out on this. Thanks so much!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our star of the week for this week is Brooks! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY:

Happy birthday to Luke on February 28th!

HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY:

Happy birthday to Brooks on March 7th!

Happy birthday to Evan on March 28th!

THIS WEEK'S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Identify story elements in fairy tales and fables

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Begin drafting a fictional story (make up pretend characters, give the characters a name, imagine adventures, touch and tell, sketch and write)

Math:

- Introduce unitizing

- Organize quantities for counting

- Practice unitizing through counting and representing large quantities

Social Studies:

- Finish learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

- Record facts to share learning

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 1: Parent Reader (Petra’s Family)

March 11-15: Spring Break, no school for students and staff

March 22: Field trip to Callahan’s

March 29: No school for students and staff

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lauren

News of the Week for February 19th

We had a great time at our Valentine’s party earlier this week! Thank you to our first grade room parents and all first grade parents for making all of the fun possible. We’ve also had a great week highlighting acts of kindness in the classroom, at recess, and all around the school.

Don’t forget Monday is a student holiday to observe Presidents Day!

Important information for this week:

NIGHTLY READING:

I am in need of a favor from you. Many of the first graders are more consistently forgetting to bring their planners to school to show me their reading or leaving their reading minutes blank. I know we’ve had lots of excitement with our 100th day, dress up days, and Valentine’s Day but would you help reinstate that routine with your child? I really appreciate your help.

We know that, as parents, life is very busy, but your consistency and devotion to this routine will pay dividends in your child’s future. Reading is the access point to all learning and they are working hard to gain proficiency.

RECESS:

We know that Texas weather can be ever changing and unpredictable! We go outside unless it’s raining or the temperatures are below freezing. Please check the weather with your child each day to make sure they have what they need to stay warm (or cool) at recess! Our recess is at 1:10pm. Also, be sure to check that your child’s name is in their jackets or vests so they can be easily identified and returned if misplaced.

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL:

If your holiday schedule will involve travel before our Spring Break begins, would you please send your child’s teacher an email? This will allow us to work around your travel schedule and still gather the necessary academic data for this point in the year. Thanks for your assistance!

STAR OF THE WEEK: We are looking forward to celebrating Amelia as our next Star of the Week! We can't wait to learn more about our special classmate.

CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice visualizing while reading

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting and writing personal narratives

- Identify and spell words within the -ake and -ast family

Math:

- Collect and organize data

- Use tally marks to organize data

- Use data to create picture graphs

- Use data to create bar graphs

Social Studies:

- Learn about President’s Day

- Learn about the life of George Washington

Important Dates to Remember:

Feb. 19: Presidents Day, student holiday

Feb. 23: Parent Reader (Devna's family)

March 1: Parent Reader (Petra's Family)

March 11-15: Spring Break, no school for students and staff

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!

News of the Week for February 12th

What a fun Lunar New Year celebration we had with a parade, headbands, traditional clothing, red envelopes and Korean sweet cakes!

The red and gold envelopes with the chocolate coin, known as Hongbao in Mandarin and laisee in Cantonese, are an example of a Chinese tradition celebrated in China as well as some other Asian countries. Children often get an envelope with money as a New Year gift as a way to send good wishes.

We were given Korean sweet cakes along with an example of a Korean lucky pouch known as a bokjumeoni. Korean children often get a colorful envelope with money or receive money that they then put into their lucky pouch.

May the Year of the Dragon be a lucky one for all!

Important information for this week:

VALENTINES FOR FRIENDS:

Recently, the children made a list of their classmates to help students prepare Valentines and brought these lists home in their Tuesday folder. Your child is also welcome to just write his or her own name on the cards and leave the “to” spot empty for easy distribution. We are asking that completed cards be sent to school by February 13th. We will be making cute Valentine bags that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party on February 14th.

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY:

Here is the link to sign up to volunteer at our class' Valentine's Day party! If you aren't able to volunteer but would like to attend, here is the link to just RSVP. RSVPs will be taken until 12:00pm on Monday, February 12th so Mrs. Kuss has ample time to print "visitor" badges for our party day.

SPRING READING INCENTIVE:

Books Take you to Infinity and Beyond! All students can earn a free ticket to Schlitterbahn Waterpark by reading 10 hours between Dec 14 and Feb 22, 2024. Books, eBooks, audiobooks, and being read to all count! A printed copy of the Waves of Pages reading log was sent home in a previous Tuesday folder.

STAR OF THE WEEK: We are excited to celebrate this week's Star of the Week, Satyajit! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

Upcoming Birthdays:

Happy Birthday to Sasha on February 9th!

Happy Birthday to Jad on February 14th!

Happy Birthday to Luke on February 28th!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
Practice making inferences
Practice making connections when we read
Learn new high-frequency words
Participate in shared reading
Build fluency
Segmenting single-syllable words
Identify initial sounds
Determine the central message and lesson from a story
Distinguish between facts and opinions

Writing:

Respond through writing
Edit drafts using conventions (capitals, punctuation, spacing)

Math:

Review ways to show data using tally tables and graphs
Analyze data on a graph

Science:

Sort and classify living and nonliving things
Understand the importance of interdependence and identify things we need in order to survive
Explain how animals depend on trees
Identify the importance of interdependence between various animals

Important dates to remember:

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day party

Feb. 16: Parent Reader (Brooks' Dad)

Feb. 19: Presidents Day, student holiday

Feb. 23: Parent Reader (Devna's Mom)

Have a lovely week!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for February 5th

We had a wonderful time celebrating 100 days of school this week! We are so proud of all of our first graders and how much they have learned and grown these first 100 days! Thank you to all the parents who sent in items for our 100th day snack, it was enjoyed by all!

CLASS NEWS:

NEWS FROM THE NURSE:

As "cold and flu" numbers rise in Austin and surrounding areas please take a moment to review RRISD's Health Guidelines on when to keep your student home. A sick child who is unable to participate at school in a meaningful way should be kept home to rest and recover until symptoms resolve.

A healthy school community requires parents and schools to partner with each other. To prevent/minimize local outbreaks of contagious disease, parents must keep children who have an illness that can be spread from person to person at home, and Round Rock ISD nurses will exclude students with symptoms of a communicable illness from school attendance.

COVID-19: Refer to the Round Rock ISD COVID-19 Resources for students who are experiencing symptoms, have tested positive, or have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive.
Fever: A child must remain home with fever equal to or > 100.0° F and may only return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin.
Diarrhea: A child with diarrheal illness must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without the use of diarrheal-suppressing medication for 24 hours.

If you take your child to a healthcare provider for an evaluation of illness or injury, please be sure to request a written letter stating when your child may return to school and any accommodations required upon his/her return.

Please see the attached link for further information

https://roundrockisd.org/health-services/health-guidelines-for-school-attendance/#:~:text=A%20sick%20child%20who%20is,spread%20from%20person%20to%20person.

VALENTINE’S DAY INFORMATION:

Nightly Reading:

Thanks for your continued efforts at home in creating a nightly reading routine. We know that, as parents, life is very busy, but your consistency and devotion to this routine will pay dividends in your child’s future. Reading is the access point to all learning, and they are working hard to gain proficiency. We had a much better week with remembering our planners, so thank you for helping with that!

Snack:

Thank you for your help this week to help turn our daily snack time back into a snack time instead of an early lunch. Snacks should not take more than about 5 minutes to eat. We are hoping for a snack that satisfies our students until lunch. I know snack time can be fun, but will you help us monitor what snack is being brought to school? A healthy snack would be best and one that they can eat independently without lots of utensils to do so. Thank you for helping us maximize our learning time!

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Our Star of the Week this week is Jacqui! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

Upcoming Birthdays:

Happy Birthday to Sasha on February 9th!

Happy Birthday to Jad on February 14th!

Happy Birthday to Luke on February 28th!

This Week's Curriculum:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice making inferences

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Learn about Lunar New Year celebrations

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting friendly letters

- Brainstorm ideas for future letters

Math:

- Learn about and label the parts of a clock

- Tell time to the hour with analog and digital clocks

Science:

- Learn about living and nonliving things

Social Studies:

- Discuss goods and services

- Discuss consumers and producers

Important Dates to Remember:

Feb. 9: Parent Reader (Brooks’ Family)

Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day party (details to follow)

Feb. 16: Parent Reader (Brooks’ Family)

Feb. 19: Presidents Day, student holiday

Feb. 23: Parent Reader (Devna’s Family)

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Barnard

Week of January 29, 2024

January sure did fly by and we are ready for all the fun that February will hold! Groundhog’s Day, 100th day, President’s Day and Valentine’s Day! We love learning about and celebrating all of these fun days!

100th Day of School

It is hard to believe that Friday is our one hundredth day of school! On February 2, we will celebrate by participating in many fun activities. The children will have many exciting stories to tell you at the end of the day! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have assigned a special (and fun) homework assignment. On February 2, we are asking that the first graders dress up like they are 100 years old. A letter came home in a recent Tuesday folder to provide fun ideas and help you plan for this special day. This is an optional activity, but we would certainly love for all children to participate. This is a fun and silly way for us to celebrate all the hard work these kids have done so far.

100th Day Snack

Thank you to everyone who signed up to contribute to our fun snack for the 100th day! There are a couple of items still needed. If you can donate something, we would love your help. If you signed up to bring something, please remember that we will need the largest size available. Sign up form can be found here. Please make sure to send in your items by Wednesday, January 31.

Valentine’s Day Information

In this week’s Tuesday folder, you will find a list of your child’s classmates for their Valentine’s cards. You may want to consider getting a head start on preparing their Valentine’s cards. We are asking that completed cards be sent to school by February 13th. We will be making cute Valentine bags that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party on February 14th. If you want to leave the “to” field blank and just sign each card, that is acceptable.

Nightly Reading

Snack

Yearbooks

It’s time to order yearbooks! Find information about ordering yours at this link.

Spring Reading Incentive

Star of the Week

We are excited to celebrate this week's Star of the Week, Jasper! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

This week's curriculum:

Reading:

Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
Practice retelling
Practice making connections when we read
Learn new high-frequency words
Participate in shared reading
Build fluency
Manipulating sounds to form new words
Review author's purpose, recall details and make connections

Writing:

Respond through writing
Learn how to compose a friendly letter

Math:

Practice drawing the hands on a clock
Tell time to the hour
Tell time to the half hour
Identify differences between analog and digital clocks
Use telling time to answer story problems

Social Studies:

Understand wants and needs
Understand goods and services

Important dates to remember:

Feb. 2: 100th Day of School

Feb. 2: Parent Reader (Sasha's Family)

Feb. 9: Parent Reader (Brooks' Family)

News of the Week for January 22nd

We've enjoyed learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and measuring each other & objects around the room with nonstandard units of measurement. Each day of learning together is fun and hopefully the children are sharing their knowledge with you!

Important information for this week:

100th DAY OF SCHOOL:

Can you believe that Friday, February 2nd will be the 100th day of school? We have some fun activities planned. One way we will celebrate 100 days of 1st grade learning is by dressing up like a 100 year old person. No need to buy special costumes or anything. A letter with suggestions will go home in this week's Tuesday folder so that you can begin preparations. This is a fun and silly way for us to celebrate all the hard work these kids have done so far. Be creative!

VALENTINE’S DAY INFORMATION:

This week the children will make a list of their classmates to bring home in the January 30th Tuesday folder. This will help your first grader add classmates' names to the cards, if they would like (homemade or store bought). Your child is also welcome to just write his or her own name on the cards and leave the “to” spot empty for easy distribution. We are asking that completed valentines be sent to school any time between February 1st-9th. We will be making cute Valentine bags that will hold the cards that each child receives so they can easily be transported home after our party.

ABSENCES & ILLNESS:

This is the time of year when we experience many illnesses within the classroom. We appreciate you adhering to the policy of your child being fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. It's hard to always hard to know what it going on with our children and realize that attendance is of importance to many families, however, we want to ensure that we aren't spreading these illnesses within our classroom and on to our own families. Thank you for being mindful of others and if you have questions on whether or not to send your child to school, please reach out to Nurse Weatherbie or visit the district's website that discusses health guidelines.

https://roundrockisd.org/health-services/health-guidelines-for-school-attendance/#:~:text=Fever%3A%20A%20child%20must%20remain,such%20as%20Tylenol%20or%20Motrin

SNACK:

Snack time is starting to turn into an early lunch and we need your help! We originally had a healthy snack in mind that wouldn't take more than about 5 minutes to eat...something just to satisfy them until lunch. What we're noticing is students having 3-4 snacks that is taking sometimes up to 20 minutes to eat (and with lunch soon after they aren't hungry when we get to the cafeteria). I know snack time can be fun but will you help us monitor what snack is being brought to school? A healthy snack would be best and one that they can eat independently without lots of utensils to do so. Thank you for helping us maximize our learning time!

NIGHTLY READING:

Thanks for your continued efforts at home in creating a nightly reading routine. We know that, as parents, life is very busy, but your consistency and devotion to this routine will pay dividends in your child’s future. I appreciate your child writing the title(s) in their best handwriting and your initials that indicates you heard your child or saw them reading. Reading is the access point to all learning and they are working hard to gain proficiency.

YEARBOOKS:

It’s time to order yearbooks! Find information about ordering yours at this link - https://www.balfour.com/texas/austin/canyon-creek-elementary-school

SPRING READING INCENTIVE:

Books Take you to Infinity and Beyond! All students can earn a free ticket to Schlitterbahn Waterpark by reading 10 hours between Dec 14 and Feb 22, 2024 (parents can estimate minutes read over winter break;). Books, eBooks, audiobooks, and being read to all count! A printed copy of the Waves of Pages reading log was sent home in Tuesday folders.

STAR OF THE WEEK: We are excited to celebrate this week's Star of the Week, Shreenidhi! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
Practice retelling
Practice making connections when we read
Learn new high-frequency words
Participate in shared reading
Build fluency
Manipulating sounds to form new words
Review author's purpose, recall details and make connections

Writing:

Respond through writing
Continue drafting an informational story
Learn how to compose a friendly letter

Math:

Name the parts of a clock and describe its role in telling time
Understand the difference between an analog clock vs. a digital clock
Tell time to the hour

Science:

Describe the different particles that are found in soil
Learn why different soil samples feel differently
Understand the importance of soil
Review Earth's natural resources and assess knowledge of rocks, water and soil

Important dates to remember:

Jan. 25: Picture Day

Jan. 25: CCE STEAM Night, 5:00-6:15 p.m.

Jan. 26: Parent Reader (Narayanan Family)

Feb. 2: 100th Day of School

Feb. 2: Parent Reader (du Plessis Family)

Feb. 9: Parent Reader (Vyhanek Family)

Have a great week and stay warm!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for January 15th

I hope that you and your family enjoy a wonderful three-day weekend!

This past Tuesday, the report cards for the 2nd Grading period (mid-Oct. through mid-December) went home in your child's Tuesday folder. The paper copy of the report card is for you to keep. Please sign and return the outer envelope. I will store it here to use for the next report card that is scheduled to come out after Spring Break. Thanks for your help with this!

NIGHTLY READING:

YEARBOOKS:

It’s time to order yearbooks! Find information about ordering yours at this link - https://www.balfour.com/texas/austin/canyon-creek-elementary-school

SPRING READING INCENTIVE:

STAR OF THE WEEK: Due to the 4-day week, our Special Star schedule will resume next Monday, January 22nd. We want to celebrate each student for a full school week and can’t wait to celebrate Shreenidhi that week!

UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Marcus on January 29th!

Important dates to remember:

Jan.15: MLK Holiday, No School

Jan. 18: Barn Hill Animal Preserves Show

Jan. 19: Parent Reader (Merhebi Family)

Jan. 25: CCE STEAM Night, 5:00-6:15 p.m.

Jan. 26: Parent Reader (Narayanan Family)

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice retelling

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Discuss putting words in alphabetical order

- Compare and contrast character traits

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting an informational story

- Brainstorm ideas for future stories

- Spell words with soft c and soft g sounds

- Review and discuss long vowel words with the silent e

Math:

- Use non-standard measuring tools to measure the length of objects

- Put objects in order based on length

Science:

- Identify, sort, and classify living and nonliving things

Have a wonderful 3-day weekend and stay warm!

News of the Week for January 8th

Happy New Year to you and your family! I hope you had a wonderful winter break filled with a nice balance of fun and rest! I have enjoyed hearing all about your child’s winter break adventures.

2024 wouldn’t be a new year without resolutions! We began this week by talking about resolutions, or goals, that we have for the second half of our first grade year. We also reviewed our classroom routines, behavior expectations, and got organized for a new semester!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEK:

THANK YOU:

Thank you to our room parents for working hard to make a fun Winter Party possible for our kids before the break! Everything was so well prepared & organized and the kids had a wonderful time making ornaments, decorating/eating cookies, and playing Bingo!

The class gifts were such a kind and thoughtful surprise! I'm so appreciative of generous & supportive parents to partner with this year! I love your children and enjoy each moment of our journey together!

DONATIONS:

Our class is running low on Clorox wipes and gallon sized ziploc bags. If you could send in either item, we would greatly appreciate your donation!

PARENT READER SCHEDULE:

For parents who expressed an interest in being a Friday Parent Reader, please see the updated schedule on the "Guest Reader" part of my website. We love having this special reading time with you! The schedule is posted on the Guest Reader tab of our website.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

We will resume our Star of the Week next week when we have a full five day week to celebrate our classmate! We look forward to learning more about Tess on January 8th.

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS:

Happy Birthday to Marcus on January 29th!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Reading:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Review classroom expectations & our social contract

- Set goals for the New Year

- Reestablish reading workshop systems

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Brainstorm for future stories using a heart map

- Review 3 letter blends and consonant digraphs

- Spell words with long a (silent -e)

- Review composing sentences

Math:

- Introduce measurement and telling time

- Reestablish math workshop systems

- Practice adding 3 numbers together using a number line

Social Studies:

- Brainstorm what we already know about soil

- Observe soil and identify & record properties (texture, color)

- List new learning about soil and any misconceptions

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Jan. 9: Report cards go home

Jan. 12: Friday Parent Reader times resume for the 2nd Semester

Jan.15: MLK Holiday, No School

Jan. 18: Barn Hill Preserves Campus Visit

Looking forward to a great New Year together as a class family!

News of the Week for December 11th

It's hard to believe that we are about halfway through our first grade year together! The children have worked so hard and have made tremendous academic progress since August! I just love watching their confidence blossom!

1ST GRADE HOLIDAY PARTY:

Our room moms are busy getting ready for our holiday party and we can’t wait to celebrate! If you’d like to volunteer to help at the party please sign up at this link - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BA9AD2CA7FE3-46673573-first#/. If you’re unable to volunteer but would still like to attend our party on December 14th at 2:00, please RSVP here.

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS:

Thank you to everyone who has shared photos and information about the traditions and customs you celebrate at home. I have loved seeing all of the photos and learning more about my students! I am going to put all of the information on a slideshow and will give students a chance to share before the break.

HOUR OF CODE:

This past week, we spent an hour learning computer code under the guidance of our Instructional Technology Specialist, Karen Connair. She gave great insight into the world of computer science and explained the computer language of coding. The students were fully engaged in the process and persevered through some really fun challenges. What smart, tech-savvy students!

WINTER BREAK READING:

Over the Winter Break, the first grade teachers are asking that the students read a total of 5 days between the dates of December 16th and January 3rd. The titles can be recorded on the dates read and do not have to be on consecutive days. Reading over the break will help ensure that your child is ready to pick up where we left off. Just like after a break from exercise, it is much harder to pick it back up if they completely stop reading.

From the Library: Schlitterbahn Waves of Pages Challenge is HERE!

Students who read at least 10 hours between next week and February 22 will receive prizes from the library AND a free ticket to Schlitterbahn in April (read the fine print on the log for valid days)! Reading to your child & audiobooks count! Reading logs should be in Tuesday folders. Digital copies and more information can be found on the CCE Library Website. Happy Reading!!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice retelling

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Continue drafting an informational story

Math:

- Finish money unit and discuss financial literacy (money as income, ways to earn income, spending, and saving)

Social Studies:

- Continue to “travel” around the world!

- Learn about holiday traditions and customs in England, India, France, and Germany

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS:

Happy Birthday to Jason on December 12th!

Happy Birthday to Petra on December 14th!

STAR OF THE WEEK:

We will resume celebrating our spotlight students the week of January 8th!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

December 15: Winter Party

December 16-January 3: Winter Break

Jan 4: Students return to school

January 4- Barn Hill Preserve (permission slip required to attend)

Jan. 15: MLK Holiday, No School

If your family is traveling over the winter break, be safe and enjoy your destination! I wish you all the best this holiday season ... may your break consist of fun, family, friends and much needed relaxation.

Happy Holidays and I'll see you in the New Year ….. 2024!!

Week of December 4, 2023

Winter Break is almost here and although this time of year can be very busy, I thank all of you for your continued support at home with nightly reading minutes for these last few weeks.

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS:

MIDDLE OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENTS:

We are approaching the end of our 2nd grading period and the teachers are finishing academic units and administering district assessments. If your holiday schedule will involve travel before our break begins on December 15th, would you please send an email? This will allow us to work around your travel schedule and still gather the necessary academic data for this point in the year. Thanks for your assistance.

WINTER BREAK READING:

Over the Winter Break, the first grade teachers are asking that the students read a total of 5 days between the dates of December 15th and January 4th. The titles can be recorded on the dates read and do not have to be on consecutive days. Reading over the break will help ensure that your child is ready to pick up where we left off. Just like after a break from exercise, it is much harder to pick it back up if they completely stop reading.

CLASS PARTY:

Thank you so much for your donations to the class party fund earlier in the year.. The room moms are working together to plan a super fun party for our 1st grade classes, and it’s been made possible thanks to your generosity. We will be sending out party information very soon!

SUPERSTAR STUDENT:

We are excited to celebrate our next Star of the Week, Om! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice retelling

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

- Identify purposes for reading

Writing:

- Respond through writing

- Practice sentence structure: capitalization, punctuation, adjectives

- Continue drafting a nonfiction, informational writing piece

- Identify short and long vowel sounds

- Spell words with r-controlled vowels (-er, -ir, and -ar)

Math:

- Identify US coins and describe the values of each coin

- Count a collection of pennies, nickels and dimes

- Learn about money as income and ways to earn income

- Distinguish between spending and saving, and financial literacy

Social Studies:

- Prepare to “travel” around the world!

- Learn about holiday traditions and customs in Mexico, China, Israel

- Learn about the celebration of Kwanzaa

Important Dates to Remember:

December 1: PTA Holiday Fair (TONIGHT at 5pm)

December 14: Winter Party

December 15-January 3: Winter Break

Have a great weekend!

News of the Week for November 27th

It is so hard to believe that we are approaching Thanksgiving and have completed 14 weeks of school! I am so grateful for you and your child and the time we've shared together. I wish you and your family a fantastic Thanksgiving break filled with all of your favorite things!!

A HUGE thank you to all the families that contributed to the recent Friday Feast and pies for the staff! Despite it being a busy time of year, we truly appreciate the generosity of so many and am looking forward to sharing the yummy dessert with my family!

Important information for this week:

HOMEWORK FOR THE THANKSGIVING BREAK:

Please have your child read and record in their planner 3 times over the 9 day break! For those first graders that would like to read more, that is wonderful!

LIBRARY:

Our Scholastic Book Fair is now over and we will be returning to the library on Thursday this week. We haven't had the opportunity to check out new books in a while so please remember to return the books you have and check out some new ones!

STAR OF THE WEEK: We are excited to celebrate this week's Star of the Week, Jad! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Satyajit on November 23rd!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
Practice retelling
Practice making connections when we read
Learn new high-frequency words
Participate in shared reading
Build fluency
Respond through writing
Practice sentence structure: capitalization & punctuation
Compose informational text
Handwriting and letter formation
Listen & spell words with r-controlled vowels /er/ & /ar/
Understand the difference between the sounds /r/ and /er/ in words
Identify characteristics of children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, legends & nursery rhymes to determine the central idea and supporting evidence

Math:

Introduction to money
Identify coins including pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters by value and describe the relationship among them

Social Studies:

Continue learning about weather
Learn how the sun allows us to see things during the day and at night
Notice how shadows change when the sun changes location in the sky
Identify other objects in the sky besides the sun
Learn facts about the moon
Identify different kinds of clouds

Important dates to remember:

November 20-24 - Thanksgiving Break, no school for students and staff

December 1: Parent Reader (Thompson Family)

December 1: PTA Holiday Fair 4:30-7:00

December 15-January 4 - Winter Break

Hope you have a restful Thanksgiving Break full of fun and family!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for November 13th

It definitely feels like fall these days! We have certainly welcomed the cooler weather and want to make sure that our first graders are dressed appropriately. We do go to recess during the fall and winter months, unless it is raining, so please make sure that your child has a jacket on days when it is chilly. Please label your child’s coats, jackets, and sweaters with names. (Also include lunch boxes and water bottles, too!) This will prevent our lost and found from filling up. Thank you!

As we head into the holiday season, please let me know of any travel dates that coincide with school days. Be sure to pass the information on to the office, as well.

THANKSGIVING LUNCH ON WEDNESDAY:

If you are attending the Thanksgiving feast at our regularly scheduled lunch time on Wednesday, November 15th, please factor in a few extra minutes for sign-in. The office will have a table set-up in the front hallway, but most likely there will be a line with the crowds that are expected. Our lunch time starts at 11:00. You are welcome to wait by the cafeteria and we will see you there! :) Our class will be called to line up at the end of lunch at 11:30. This is your signal to give hugs and say goodbye. We look forward to seeing you! If you are unable to attend, your child will enjoy a “Friendsgiving” lunch with classmates and me! Fun will be had by ALL!

BOOK FAIR:

Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way! Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become bolder, prouder, and stronger readers. AND- as always - every book they buy earns rewards for our school. Click here for more information.

Here’s what you need to know about the Fair:

Shopping Days: Monday, Nov 13, 2023- Friday, Nov 17, 2023

Hours: 7:20 AM - 3:30 PM

CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED:

Please help keep our community safe by giving 30 minutes to assist our children, families, and friends in crossing one of the most challenging intersections in Canyon Creek. Click here to view the sign up for 30 minute time slots (7:15-7:45am) on various days. Thank you for keeping our students safe!

STAR OF THE WEEK:

We are excited to celebrate our next Star of the Week, Audrey! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

LOOKING AHEAD…

1. HOMEWORK FOR THE THANKSGIVING BREAK:

Please have your child read and record in their planner 3 times over the 9 day break! For those first graders that would like to read more, that is wonderful!

2. IMPORTANT DATES:

November 10th: No School for students

November 17th: Parent Reader (Vyhanek Family)

November 20-24 - Thanksgiving Break, no school for students and staff

December 15-January 4 - Winter Break

HERE’S A PEEK INTO THE WEEK …

READING:

- Develop reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension

- Practice retelling

- Practice making connections when we read

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Participate in shared reading

- Build fluency

WRITING:

- Respond through writing

- Practice sentence structure: capitalization, punctuation, adjectives

- Plan and draft an informational story

- Handwriting and letter formation

- Spell words with r-controlled vowels /er/ and /ar/

MATH:

- Divide 2D figures into two and four fair shares (equal parts)

- Describe partitioned parts of 2D figures using words

- Identify examples of halves and fourths

- Identify non-example of halves and fourths

SOCIAL STUDIES:

- Writing to learn: research on Thanksgiving and its history

- Writing brief notes about a topic

Have a great week!

Lauren Barnard

News of the Week for November 6th

Happy First Week of November! This time of year, as I am sure you do, I tend to reflect more on all that I am grateful for. Your children are something that I am grateful for every day!

CCE THANKSGIVING FEAST

We hope to see you on Wednesday, November 15th for our Thanksgiving Feast! Students will eat during their regular lunch time (11:00am). If you plan to eat, please be sure to bring cash to pay for your meal. The meal price is $5.00 for adult visitors. Exact dollar amount is greatly appreciated. Also, don’t forget to bring your photo ID to assist in signing in at the office. If you have visited campus prior to this day and RSVP’d on the campus sign up form, we will have your badge pre-printed.

If you did not RSVP for the Feast but want to attend, you are welcome to bring a sack lunch and join us for lunch!

BOOK FAIR:

Here’s what you need to know about the Fair:

Shopping Days: Monday, Nov 13, 2023- Friday, Nov 17, 2023

Hours: 7:20 AM - 3:30 PM

Late Night Hours: Thursday, Nov 9, book fair OPENS at 3:00 PM (Book fair CLOSED during PTA meeting (5:30-6:00) so staff & families can attend. Open again 6:00(ish) - 7:30PM

CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED:

STAR OF THE WEEK:

We are excited to celebrate our next Star of the Week, Audrey, during the week of November 13th! We look forward to learning more about our very special classmate!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

- Blend and spell words with r-blends (fr, tr, cr, gr, dr)

-Blend and spell words with s-blends (sp, sc, sl, sm, sn, st)

- Review words with l-blends

- Build fluency

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Read accountable text

- Participate in shared reading

- Respond through writing

- Make text to self and text to world connections

- Make text to text connections

- Learn about what it means to be charitable

- Handwriting and letter formation

- Understand the components of informational writing

- Generate ideas for a informational story

- Begin drafting informational story

Math:

-Identify 3D solids and describe their attributes using formal geometric language.

Science:

-Identify the four seasons and why they change

Social Studies:

-Learn about US and Texas Symbols

Important dates to remember:

November 5th: Daylight Savings time ends (fall back 1 hour)

November 7th: Picture retake/make-up day

November 9-17th: Library Fall Book Fair

November 10th: Student Holiday

November 17th: Parent Reader (Vyhanek Family)

November 20-24th: Thanksgiving Break; School holiday

Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour this weekend! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

News of the Week for October 30th

What a fun Red Ribbon Week it has been as we celebrate making healthy choices for our bodies! We are definitely looking forward to the annual festivities of Halloween but please remind your first graders to save their costumes for after school as we are not dressing up during school hours. We will still celebrate Halloween in our own fun first grade way!

Important information for this week:

REPORT CARDS:

Thank you for keeping the contents of your child's report card and for signing/returning the envelope in a timely manner. Many families have already done this and it's greatly appreciated so I have those on hand to use at the end of the next nine week grading period.

CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED:

STAR OF THE WEEK: Our Star of the Week for the week of October 30th is Marcus! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Blend and segment single-syllable words up to four phonemes
Manipulate phonemes to create new words
Build fluency
Learn new high-frequency words
Read accountable text
Participate in shared reading
Respond through writing
Continue working on "small moment" stories (drafting personal narratives)
Retell texts in ways that maintain meaning and in the correct order of the story
Reading phrases with /oo/ and /ou/
Answering questions featuring words with /oo/ and /ou/
Handwriting and letter formation

Math:

Distinguish between attributes that define a 2D figure
Classify 2D shapes based on their attributes
Compose 2D shapes by joining two, three, or four figures to produce a target shape in more than one way
Identify 3D solids and describe their attributes using formal geometric language

Social Studies:

Discuss US Symbols like the American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance, motto and national anthem
Learn about the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, Presidents' Day
Discuss Texas Symbols like the Texas Flag, pledge and state song

Important dates to remember:

November 3rd: Parent Reader (Angle Family)

November 7th: Picture retake/make-up day

November 9-17th: Library Fall Book Fair

November 20-24th: Thanksgiving Break; School holiday

Have a "BOO-tiful" weekend!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for October 23rd

Important information for this week:

RED RIBBON WEEK:

Red Ribbon Week is here! Please refer to the red chart from Tuesday folders to organize for each dress-up day! It should be a fun week celebrating a healthy life!

REPORT CARDS:

On Tuesday, the report cards for the first quarter will go home. I want to compliment the first graders on working so hard these first nine weeks! Please remember that this is a 37-week first grade journey, with many bends and winds along the way, your children are doing AMAZING!

There is a place for your signature on the outside of the report card envelope. I thank you in advance for signing and returning the envelope in a timely manner. I will use it to send home each quarterly report card. The contents are yours to keep at home.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Our Star of the Week for the week of October 23rd is SufiAana! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE:

Language Arts:

- Build fluency

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Read accountable text

- Participate in shared reading

- Respond through writing

- Continue working on "small moment" stories (drafting personal narratives)

- Use the nonfiction text features to learn more about pumpkins

- Write information learned about pumpkins

- Practice sentence structure: capitalization, punctuation, noun, verb

- Practice retelling key details of a story

- Handwriting and letter formation

Math:

- Distinguish between attributes that define a 2D figure

- Analyze attributes of 2 dimensional shapes to develop an understanding of their properties

- Use geometric language to describe shapes

- compose two dimensional shapes by joining two, three, or four figures to produce a target shape in more than one way

Social Studies:

- Learn about maps, globes, and cardinal directions

- Learn about continents, country, state, city and home

- Make a classroom map

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

October 24th: 1st Grading Period Report Cards go home

November 9-17th: Library Fall Book Fair

November 20-24th: Thanksgiving Break; School holiday

Have a fantastic weekend!

Lauren Barnard

News of the Week for October 16th

Week of October 16

CLASSROOM HAPPENINGS

What a wonderful week it was in first grade! Fall is here and we can FINALLY feel it in the cool morning air!

THANK YOU!

Parents, we hope your child had as much fun as we did on GLOW day! It would not have been possible without all of your donations, and we appreciate it so much!! Thank you for supporting our classrooms!

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Our Star of the Week for the week of October 16th is Luke! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM

Language Arts:

- Blend and spell words with short vowels

- Build fluency

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Read accountable text

- Participate in shared reading

- Respond through writing

- Make connections while reading

- Continue working on "small moment" stories (drafting personal narratives)

- Use questioning strategy when reading stories

- Record story elements of a fiction story

- Record facts about pumpkins

- Use the nonfiction text features to learn more about owls

- Blend and build words with inflectional ending - s

- Handwriting and letter formation

Math:

- Apply problem solving strategies to subtraction

- Learn about fact families

- Practice fact families

Social Studies:

- Identify historical figures and their inventions

Important Dates to Remember:

October 20th: Parent Reader (Patil Family)

October 24th: 1st Grading Period Report Cards go home

Have a wonderful weekend!

News of the Week for October 9th

Fall is here and we are having so much fun with all of our learning in the classroom!

Thank you to the parents that I've already conferenced with regarding your child's strengths and yearly goals. It feels great to connect with you and partner with you as we journey through this school year together! Monday, October 9th is a student holiday and I will be conferencing with more parents that day. I appreciate this time set aside to visit with each of you!

Important information for this week:

THANK YOU:

Our first field trip was a success! We are so appreciative of Marcus' family who donated picnic blankets for our lunch prior to the show! Fun was had by all and I'm certain they'll sleep good tonight!

FALL CONFERENCES:

Thank you for taking time to sign up for a fall conference. At this meeting, we will discuss your child’s strengths and create goals for the school year. Many of my meetings are back-to-back or are touching instructional time. For this reason, I will need to stick tight to our timeframe. Thanks for your understanding. I look forward to visiting with you soon!

GLOW DAY:

In Science, we have started learning about forms of energy. During this unit, we’ll discuss sources of light, heat, and sound energy. To celebrate the end of the unit and explore all of our learning about light energy we will have a GLOW DAY! Glow day will be on Friday, October 13th. We will experiment and explore the effects of light. To do this, we’re asking for a few donations/things your child can bring to school. On this day, we’re asking your child to wear white or neon colors, they may also bring flashlights, glow sticks, something that glows in the dark, highlighters etc. It will be a very fun day exploring light energy!

STAR OF THE WEEK: Due to the short week, we will resume our Star of the Week celebrations the week of October 16th. We look forward to learning more about our special classmate, Luke, at that time.

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Blend and spell words with short vowels
Build fluency
Learn new high-frequency words
Read accountable text
Participate in shared reading
Respond through writing
Make connections with nonfiction texts
Continue working on "small moment" stories (drafting personal narratives)
Continue learning about the writing process
Manipulate phonemes within a given base word
Write dictated words that contain learned short and long vowel patterns
Discuss what it means to revise a piece of writing
Fall writing activity with acorns

Math:

Connecting addition to subtraction
Review “Friends of 10”
Review doubles facts
Use subtraction to solve doubles facts

Science:

Identify heat, light and sound energy in everyday objects
Describe how items produce some or all of these forms of energy
Assess what students know about forms of energy

Important dates to remember:

October 9th: No School for Students, Parent Conference Day

October 13th: GLOW day!

Have a wonderful three day weekend!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for October 2nd

CLASS NEWS:

We are hoping it will soon begin to feel more like fall outside of our classroom window! Inside our room, procedures and routines are humming along. We feel connected as a classroom family and friendships are blooming. It is a favorite time of year for me as we finally settle in!

FALL CONFERENCES:

Thank you for taking time to sign up for a fall conference. At this meeting, we will discuss your child’s strengths and create goals for the school year. This particular conference is a parent and teacher conversation; however, your child will have the opportunity to provide input before we meet.

Please check the schedule to make sure that you remember our meeting time. Many of my meetings are back-to-back or are touching instructional time. For this reason, I will need to stick tight to our timeframe. Thanks for your understanding. I look forward to visiting with you soon!

FIELD TRIP:

We are so excited about our field trip on October 6th to Zach Scott Theater! On this day, your child will need a sack lunch and disposable water bottle. Please make sure both of these items are labeled with your child’s name. We are also needing 2 coolers for each classroom and 3-4 picnic blankets for each class as well. If you have a cooler or picnic blanket you can donate, please email your child’s teacher. Thank you!

GLOW DAY:

In Science, we have started learning about forms of energy. During this unit, we’ll discuss sources of light, heat, and sound energy. To celebrate the end of the unit and explore all of our learning about light energy we will have a GLOW DAY! Glow day will be on Friday, October 13th. We will experiment and explore the effects of light. To do this, we’re asking for a few donations/things your child can bring to school. On this day, we’re asking your child to wear white or neon colors, they may also bring flashlights, glow sticks, something that glows in the dark,highlighters etc. It will be a very fun day exploring light energy!

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Our Star of the Week for the week of October 2nd is Devna! We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Blend and spell words with short vowels

- Build fluency

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Read accountable text

- Participate in shared reading

- Respond through writing

- Continue working on "small moment" stories (drafting personal narratives)

- Write information learned about spiders

- Use the nonfiction text features to learn more about spiders

Math:

- Use objects and pictorial models to solve subtraction problems

- Learn steps to problem solving strategies

- Discuss and use subtraction strategies

Science:

- Identify sources of light energy

- Identify the importance of light energy to our everyday lives

- Identify sources of sound energy

- Identify the importance of sound energy to our everyday lives

- Identify sources of heat energy

- Identify the importance of heat energy to our everyday lives

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

October 6th: First Grade Field Trip to Zach Scott Theater

October 9th: No School for Students, Parent Conference Day

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lauren Barnard

News of the Week for Sept. 22nd

I am very pleased with the positive start to our nightly reading homework! It is so much fun to see the books the students are choosing to read. Thank you for letting your first graders be responsible for writing their own titles inside of the planners. I also appreciate that you are initialing their planners each night. They have done a wonderful job so far of bringing them back each day. Happy Reading!

FALL CONFERENCES:

Thank you for signing up for a fall conference! This will be a great time to celebrate all progress thus far and learn more about how to help your child with reading, writing, spelling, and math. We will meet both virtually and in person, depending on the preference you indicated on the sign up form. Thank you also for providing your input on the conference form that was sent home in a previous Tuesday folder.

Please remember that all fall conferences are 20 minutes in length. If more time is needed, we can schedule another time to visit.

FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP:

In this week’s Tuesday folder, a field trip permission slip was sent home. If yours has not been returned, please send it back to school as soon as possible. Each child will need to pay $10 via cash or check. Our field trip will be on Friday, October 6th. Parent volunteers are not needed for this field trip due to space constraints. We look forward to having parent chaperones with us on our next field trip.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Devna will be our next Star of the Week on October 2nd because that is our next full week of school. We look forward to learning more about our special classmate!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

In Science next week, we'll need some extra supplies. No need to buy anything but if you have any extra tape, paper cups, paper plates, small boxes, etc please send them in on Tuesday, September 26. Thank you!

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Distinguish between short and long vowel sounds
Identify blends
Build fluency
Learn new high-frequency words
Discuss nonfiction text features
Participate in shared reading
Respond through writing
Identify verbs
Practice good penmanship in handwriting
Continue writing small moment stories
Record facts learned when reading nonfiction text
Practice questioning strategy while reading
Share schema about nonfiction topic
Find the main idea in a nonfiction text

Math:

Practice systems and procedures for Math Workshop
Explore missing addends
Use manipulatives to solve problems with missing addends
Practice skip counting by 2
Develop doubles strategy
Learn strategies for subtraction

Science:

Observe the different patterns and ways that objects move
Create a roller coaster or marble run using what we know about the patterns of movement
Identify sources of light energy
Identify the importance of light energy

HAPPY SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!

Happy Birthday to Jasper on September 26th!

Happy Birthday to Jacqui on September 28th!

Important dates to remember:

September 25: No School for Students

September 27: Coffee Chat for new CCE Families, 7:45am

September 29: PTA Fun Run, 5pm

Have a wonderful long weekend!

News of the Week for Sept. 18th

Thank you so much for joining us at our Parent Information Night this past Thursday! We appreciate you and know that together this year will be a memorable one for your child!

Important information for this week:

1. Planners will start coming home on Monday, September 18th and the children are excited to begin their nightly reading homework! As a class, we talked about the purpose of our planner and what a big responsibility this is. Thank you for reminding your child to write his or her title(s) inside the planner in pencil and initialing that you've seen or heard them reading for that night. The planners will travel back-and-forth to school each school day. Each morning I will be checking their planners to see that they did their reading and as a collective effort, each table group has the opportunity to earn daily stickers when everyone at that table reads. If you know of a busy evening in your household, it is okay to double up or read on a Saturday or Sunday. We ultimately just want them reading for fun...basically, if it's a school day, it's a reading homework night; if it's a school holiday, then enjoy the time off. Happy reading!

2. In last week's Tuesday folder, I sent home a conference form for you to complete. Thank you to all the parents that have already returned theirs; if you have not, please return as soon as possible so that I may prepare for our upcoming meeting in October! Under the “P” section (parent) of “Areas of Strength”, place a check mark by 3 areas that best describe your child. Under the “P” section of “Areas of Improvement”, place a check mark by 3 areas that need strengthening. Thank you for providing your input, and please be looking for an email soon to sign up for a time.

3. This week I plan to add new picture posts on our "Class Photos" section of our website...enjoy seeing your child in action!

4. VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

STAR OF THE WEEK: This week our Star of the Week is Sasha! We are looking forward to learning more about our special classmate!

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Segment and blend sounds
Build fluency
Learn new high-frequency words
Practice ABC order
Participate in shared reading
Respond through writing
Orally plan a story from our life
Draft personal narratives
Review punctuation marks (period, exclamation mark, question mark, quotation marks)
Answer literal and inferential questions about key details in a story
Practice systems and procedures for Reading and Writing Workshop

Math:

Practice systems and procedures for Math Workshop
Explore ways to make 10
Discuss addition strategy: Friends of 10 (two addends that total 10)
Explore missing addends
Use manipulatives to solve problems with missing addends
Practice skip counting by 2

Science:

Test objects to determine if they are magnetic or nonmagnetic
Review things that a magnet can attract
Observe the different patterns and ways that objects move
Create a roller coaster or marble run using what we know about the patterns of movement

Important dates to remember:

September 25: No School for Students

September 29: PTA Fun Run

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Barnard :-)

News of the Week for Sept. 11th

The students are really starting to get into the groove of first grade! Thank you for sharing them with me each day! They are so much fun!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEK:

The first grade teachers will hold a Parent Information Night this Thursday, September 14th from 5:30-6:00 in their classrooms. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a general overview of first grade. I have a lot that I plan to cover during our 30 minutes together. If I do not get time before the 6:00 PTA meeting to answer your questions, please reach out through email and I will get back to you. Thanks for sharing this time with me!

THANK YOU to Erin Vyhanek and Patricia Thompson for offering to be our Co-Room Parents this year! I really appreciate your support! Once we have our grade level room parent meeting with them, they will be in touch with you.

Star of the Week begins next week! Be sure to check the Star of the Week section on this website to see when it's your child's turn!

Each week, we will visit the library for a lesson and book check out. The students may check out a total of 3 books at a time. I have a book return bin in the classroom to store their books if they return them early. The amount of time to keep books checked out from the library is two weeks. Our library day is Thursdays from 8:30-9:00. Checking out new books is fun!

PARENT ACTION ITEM: This week in the Tuesday folder, I am sending home a conference form in preparation for our fall conferences. At this point, I am still administering beginning of the year reading assessments. Once I have finished gathering data for all students, I plan to begin scheduling fall conferences. Be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for a way to sign up. Please fill out the conference form and send it back in your child’s Tuesday folder. I appreciate your input!

Please continue to check your child’s backpack on Tuesdays for work from the previous week or important notes from the office. This is an excellent way to spend quality time with your child, and gain an insight into what she/he is doing at school.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 3 days to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

HAPPY SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!

Happy Birthday to Amelia on September 1st!

Happy Birthday to Sufiaana on September 15th!

Happy Birthday to Jasper on September 26th!

Happy Birthday to Jacqui on September 28th!

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

- Distinguish between short and long vowel sounds

- Build fluency

- Learn new high-frequency words

- Practice ABC order

- Participate in shared reading

- Respond through writing

- Orally plan a story from our life

- Draft personal narratives

- Learn a strategy for increasing our reading stamina

- Discuss the story elements of fiction

- Practice systems and procedures for Reading and Writing Workshop

Math:

- Practice systems and procedures for Math Workshop

- Discuss math vocabulary for addition

- Solve story problems by acting it out

- Discuss the “Plus 1” and “Plus 0” addition strategies

- Discuss the “Count on” addition strategy

Science:

- Discuss objects around us and identify their properties

- Sort objects by texture

- Predict how when magnets push or pull objects

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

September 14: Parent Information Night 5:30-6:00

September 14: Fall Picture Day

September 25: No School for Students

September 29: PTA Fun Run

Have a great weekend!

Lauren Barnard

News of the Week for Sept. 4th

It was another great week in first grade!! Thank you for your continued partnership!

We are still continuing to establish our routines and procedures in first grade! This takes time and is the backbone of our day and we are really getting into a groove. Our “classroom family” friendships are strengthening each day! We are getting to know each other through community building activities. It is fun to see a classroom community come together and see new friendships being made.

Important information for this week:

SNACKS IN THE CAFETERIA: The lunch monitors have let us know they are having a number of students buying snacks and/or ice cream at lunch. They are wanting to make sure children have permission to do so, using the money in their lunch account. We are asking parents to let the cafeteria know if your child has permission to get snacks or ice cream. You may email our cafeteria manager, Barbara Castillo, to let her know your preferences. Her email is CanyonCreek_Cafeteria@roundrockisd.org. She can update your child’s specific cafeteria account with your preferences.

PARENT NIGHT: Our Parent Information Night is coming up on Thursday, September 14th from 5:30-6:00 so you can learn more about first grade in general and ask any questions that you may have.

STUFFED ANIMAL: Your child will need to bring a stuffed animal to school on Wednesday, September 6th for a science activity. Their stuffed animal must be able to fit in their backpack and will come back home that same day.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: If you plan to be a volunteer on campus, go on a field trip, help in the classroom, or work with students, it is required that you first complete this volunteer application AND receive approval. Please go ahead and complete it now. Generally it takes about 72 hours to process, but during busy times it can take up to a week. If you completed an application last year, you will still need to complete a new one for the current school year.

FINE MOTOR SKILLS: As we get back into the swing of things, it is important for students to continue to develop their fine motor skills. Please practice with your child so they can tie their own shoe laces and drawstring pants and shorts. Please practice at home if needed. Also, allow your child to practice opening tight water bottles and food packages like crackers, granola bars, and popcorn.

ROOM PARENT:

Thank you to all of the parents who offered to be a room parent this year! Erin Vyhanek (Brooks' mom) and Patricia Thompson (Amelia’s mom) will lead our class this year. They will be in touch in the coming weeks as we move toward our first event!

This week's curriculum:

Language Arts:

Build reading stamina
Identify beginning and ending sounds
Practice alliteration and review letter sounds
Practice orally blending sounds together
Work on comprehension skills while reading by making text-to-self connections to our stories
Introduce strategies to help with tricky words during reading
Respond to stories
Develop strategies for spelling unknown words
Learn a strategy for refocusing while reading
Build writing stamina
Create lists of ideas for future stories

Math:

Build math workshop routines
Recognize quantities and develop their ability to express strategies
Practice tallying information and surveying classmates
Practice with 10-frames to develop a better understanding of numbers
Share background knowledge about addition and subtraction

Science:

Describe properties of stuffed animals
Observe properties to classify materials

Important dates to remember:

September 4th: Holiday; No School

September 6th: Bring stuffed animal to school

September 14: Picture Day!

September 14th: Parent Information Night 5:30-6:00, PTA Meeting 6:00

Have a great 3 day weekend!

News of the Week for August 28th

We had a great first full week in first grade! We are busy setting up routines and an amazing classroom community. I love seeing old friendships continue while seeing new friendships form. This time of year is so important in our classroom. It is the time that we set up expectations and routines which allows for the remainder of our year to be as productive and successful as possible.

Please know that we are working hard at school; however, most of the work that we’ve been doing is collected as “show what you know” papers, kept in notebooks or spirals at school, or activities discussed as a class. This means that currently there are minimal papers coming home in your child’s Tuesday folder. I realize you might be curious as to what your child is doing all day and I thank you in advance for giving us grace and allowing us to set up our classroom community with routines and procedures in place. At the bottom of this newsletter, I encourage you to check out our learning targets for this week.

I am really enjoying getting to know your kiddos and finding out their interests and personalities as well as their strengths and areas to focus on this year. I can tell that it will be a fun and exciting year with this cute bunch!

This week we visited the library and found out how Mrs. Bamford runs the library. We checked out a handful of books this first week but starting next Thursday, we will get to check out 3 books per person. We will enjoy those books for the week and return them the following Thursday to the library with the excitement of checking out more!

Important information for this week:

Please return the “We Are Authors” assignment that asks for a handful of photographs, stickers, pictures of favorite things, etc. as well as the student interest survey on Tuesday, August 29th. Thank you to the families who have already returned this information!

Our Parent Information Night is coming up on Thursday, September 14th from 5:30-6:00 so you can learn more about first grade in general and ask any questions that you may have.
Your child will need to bring a stuffed animal to school on Wednesday, September 6th for a science activity. Their stuffed animal must be able to fit in their backpack and will come back home that same day.
We are also collecting headphones to be used with our chromebooks. Please send a set of headphones (labeled with your child's name) to school as soon as you can so we can begin using our chromebooks as a class.

This week at a glance:

Language Arts:

Build reading stamina
Review letters & sounds
Practice orally segmenting & blending sounds
Work on comprehension skills while reading by making text-to-self connections to our stories
Respond to stories
Build writing stamina
Create lists of ideas for future stories

Math:

Build math workshop routines
Recognize quantities and develop their ability to express strategies
Practice tallying information and surveying classmates
Practice with 10-frames to develop a better understanding of numbers

Social Studies:

Explore reasons for rules and laws in our communities
Understand the role authority figures and public officials & who enforces the rules and laws
Identify and describe the role of a good citizen
Explain and practice voting as a way of making choices and decisions

Important dates to remember:

September 4th: Holiday; No School

September 6th: Bring stuffed animal to school

September 14th: Parent Information Night 5:30-6:00

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Barnard

News of the Week for August 22nd

Welcome to First Grade!

We appreciate your patience as we begin our new school year. Getting to know our students, making them feel comfortable, and helping them establish new friendships are our top priorities! Building classroom expectations and routines take time and help ensure a smooth, successful year.

Communication is very important. We are committed to keeping you informed about what the students are doing in the classroom. If you need to be in touch with us, you may send a note to school with your child, call, or write an email. However, if you need to change your child’s after school transportation plans for that school day, please contact the main office (428-2800) before 2:00. Teachers may not always have the chance to check email and voicemail before dismissal.

Lauren Barnard 428-2839 lauren_barnard@roundrockisd.org

Karen Ogle 428-2840 karen_ogle@roundrockisd.org

Casey Dobbins 428-2841 casey_dobbins@roundrockisd.org

Each week you will find our newsletter posted on our web pages. In order to make our communication easy to access, all school newsletters can be accessed through the CCE webpage. Please be sure to visit each page on the website as you become familiar with first grade, and then read the newsletter weekly. It is essential that you utilize this valuable resource for important classroom information. If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher. This will be our valuable means of communication with you throughout the year.

Important information for this week:

Please complete these 2 First Grade items located in the weekly folder and return them to school by

Friday, August 25th:

Parent Contact Form
Parent Survey Form

August temperatures are soaring high! Thank you for sending your child to school with a reusable water bottle. Please label it with your child’s name for easy identification.
We are also collecting headphones to be used with our chromebooks. Please send a set of headphones (labeled with your child's name) to school as soon as you can so we can begin using our chromebooks as a class. If your child has a chromebook at home, please send it to school with their charger.

THIS WEEK’S CURRICULUM:

Language Arts:

Write about summer experiences
Read stories about the beginning of school
Respond to stories
Introduce Reading Workshop
Introduce Writer’s Workshop

Math:

Collect, sort, and organize data.
Ask and answer questions involving counting and comparing
Introduce Math Workshop
Learn how to care for math materials

Social Studies:

Meet and learn about our new first grade classmates and friends
Tour the school
Learn classroom procedures, rules and expectations; create a classroom social contract
Learn cafeteria procedures, rules, and expectations
Learn recess rules and expectations
Compare the differences between Kindergarten and First Grade
Learn how to share information with partners
Discuss importance of making good choices

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

September 4: Holiday; No School

We hope you have a wonderful week! We look forward to a fantastic year!