Tuesday, January 21, 2014

This week....

Let it SNOW, let it SNOW, let it SNOW!  If it's going to snow, I want enough to build a snowman!  Hopefully, the little ones will get the chance to play in it.  Weather depending, here is the rundown for this week.

We will continue with the reading series whole group.  We will focus on comparing characters while reading.  We will also review the digraphs ch, sh, th, and wh.  We will also begin our focus on exclamation sentences.  We worked on asking sentences last week and they rocked it!  We will incorporate our Social Studies SOL into writing and write about Our dreams for the world.  We will continue to use 4 square while writing.  We have been doing 4 square for months now and next week I will see if our hard work has paid off.  I am going to let them pick their topic, create their 4 square, make a sloppy copy and then create a final writing piece.  We will start up reading groups again.  These groups have been "reorganized" to fit each students reading level at this time.  The class continues to make great progress and we will read on!  We will not have word study outside the classroom this week as we will also be "reorganizing" these groups.  We will do a review of the digraphs during word study time in our classroom.

This week in math we will focus on place value.  We will use base ten blocks to review this concept.  We will be making  and reading lots of numbers to 100.  We will be making flashcards for 2+ fast facts.  The class is doing a great job on these tests.  Please continue to practice them at home.  We will make the flashcards but since this week is shortened as is next week, I will not assess them until the end of next week.

We will take our assessment on Winter Weather the day we return to school.  We will also talk about Martin Luther King, Jr and why he was/is so important in shaping our current society.

Dates and things to Remember:
This Friday, the 24th,  is a half-day.  Students will be dismissed at 12:30.
No school on January 27, Monday.  This is a professional development day for teachers.
January 30, Report cards will be sent home.
January 28, 1st half of the year Awards Assembly---PLEASE NOTE---I sent home slips to the parents of the children receiving awards this semester---the time has been changed to 2:00 from 2:30.
Feb. 4- Conference night-- Please be looking for slips if I feel we need to conference--or drop me a note if you wish to conference with me.
Feb. 7- Half day for students

Valentine's day is around the corner....PLEASE send in an EMPTY cereal box with your child before Feb. 7.

Thanks and Enjoy the SNOW!
Mrs. Beltz

Friday, January 10, 2014

Weekly Update...

This week we will continue PALS testing.  The basic beginning parts are complete.  Now we are onto the reading and comprehension part of the testing.  I am pleased with the overall progress to date.  We will also continue with the reading series.  We will focus on sequencing of events, triple clusters and short u words.  We will not have word study again this week, as we are reworking our word study groups since our recent PALS spelling test.  We will continue with writing.  We will need to complete this past weeks writing assignment, How to get ready for the snow, and then we will move on to how to make a snowman.  We will continue to use the 4 square writing model and will use the words first, next, and last.

We will need to finish/review basic shapes.  We will do this on Monday and Tuesday.  We will then work on graphing/calendar.  This will include filling in a basic January calendar and asking questions about the dates.  We will create graphs as a class and individually and answer questions about the data showed on the graphs.  We will also be going to the computer lab to take our initial assessment for MobyMath.  This is a math website that your can log into from home to practice basic math.  Once we take the first assessment, I will send home a more detailed informational sheet with your child's log-in information.  I am excited to be able to provide a way for your child to practice at home.

We will continue with learning about Winter weather in Spotsylvania.  We will focus on winter affects animals and humans in the winter.  We are working on completing a book highlighting these facts.

Dates to remember:
No School- January 20th
Half-day for students- January 24th ( dismissal time is 12:30 )
No School- January 27th ( this is a professional development day for teachers )
Report Cards will come home- January 30th
Conference night- Feb. 4th ( this will be on a as needed basis, or you would like one with me )
Half-day for students- February 7th ( dismissal time will be 12:30 )

Please continue to practice spelling those sight words sent home on Monday.  We will test on those Friday of this week.
Please continue to send in snack and a sweatshirt for your child as the temperature in our classroom can be unpredictable.

Have a great weekend and I will see my little ones on Monday morning ready to Rock and Roll!
Mrs. Beltz


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Welcome Back....

My how time flies when you are having fun!  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to get back into school mode!

This week we will begin PALS testing again.  This is our mid-year assessment and will last about 2 weeks.  Please be sure that your child is well rested and ready to go each morning.  Please try to have your child to school on time daily as most testing occurs in the morning.  Word study this week will be a review.  Your child's homework includes flashcards for words to spell.  These are words that the county expects your child to spell correctly by the end of first grade.  Please practice spelling these words daily.  They will be assessed on these words.

In an effort to incoporate Science and Social Studies throughout the curriculum, we will read lots of books about winter and use many of the reading comprehension skills we have learned to date, ie...story sequencing, retelling, identifying problems and solutions, comparing and contrasting.  We will also write about how we get ready to play in the snow.  We will learn to use the words, first, next , then and last.

Our Science focus for the next 2 weeks will be how the changing weather affects plants, animals and humans.  We will focus our studies on the weather here in Spotyslvania and it's affects.

This week in math we will review skip counting, number sense, place value and shapes.  We will only review these topics as they have already been taught and most students have a firm grasp on these math SOLS.  We will also begin basic math recall.  At the beginning of each week, we will make flashcards to keep at school to practice.  We will begin with 0+.  We will practice them each day and then on Friday your child will take a one minute timed test on these addition sentences.  If they reach the goal ( 12 correct in one minute ), the following week they will move on to the next level 1+ and so on.  They will do 0+, 1+, 2+, doubles, doubles +/- 1, remaining facts mixed.  This can be stressful on the class but I plan to have them practice as much as possible in school and practicing at home will also be a great help!

A few reminders for this upcoming week:
Please remember to send in snack daily. ( If you can send in extra snack that would be greatly appreciated )
Please look to see when your child has PE and library.
Please send your child to school with a jacket and a light sweatshirt/sweater as it gets cold in our room.


I hope everyone is ready for another great year!  Happy 2014!  See you soon!
Mrs. Beltz