Weekly Preview...

This week will be pretty busy with lots of excitement.  We will have Encore switch this week.  This means the class will have Encore in the morning to allow our 3,4,5 graders to have Encore after taking SOL tests.  We will be going to the Health Fair on Thursday morning ( this is in the gym ).  We will have Field Day on Friday morning.  

We will continue with the reading series and continue to read daily.  The class will be writing letters of advice to next years first graders.  

We will learn about the 4th of July Holiday this week.  We will continue to review all Math SOLS taught this year with a variety of lessons. 

Field Day Reminders:
Please send a change of clothes with your child to school as they may get wet.  

Please look in your child's folder tomorrow explaining our end of year party.

Many Thanks,
Mrs. Beltz

This Week...

Well, we are winding down our time together and each time I think about it, I get sad!  Sad to see my babies leave me but soooo PROUD of how far they have come since we got together 2 years ago!

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend and now for another weekly update:

This week we will continue to read, read, read!  I will also be doing more reading assessments as the county is moving towards Fontas & Pinnell for reading levels.  Means nothing to you but for us it will give us a more accurate reading level for each child and also give their second grade teacher a solid place to start with them as soon as the walk through the door in second.  We will continue with the reading series this week and I will be squeezing in reading groups whenever possible.

We will write about how we have "bloomed" from kindergarten to the end of first grade.  It will be interesting to see if they see how much they have changed!  We will continue to use the four square writing model.

In math, we will be reviewing place value and counting of all kinds.  We will do this in many different ways and may even get the chance to show off our knowledge by opening "the wall" and learning with another class on Friday afternoon.

We will continue to learn about economics with the focus on goods and services, consumers and producers.  We are making a flip book that highlights these terms and their definitions.

Upcoming events:
Please continue to send in a snack daily!
No School on Monday- Memorial Day
Tuesday - May 27 First Grade Field Trip

Have a great week!
Mrs. Beltz

This Week

We have already finished PALS testing.  They did an awesome job.  I so proud of all my soon to be second graders!

We will continue to read in whole group and in small reading groups.  This week we will work on story sequencing and words that end with es and ies.  We will be taking the county writing prompt which I will encourage them to use the 4 square model to complete.

In math, we will continue with fractions of a set.  This concept is somewhat harder to grasps than just fractions.  We will continue to learn this with some fun lessons.  We will then move on to reviewing counting mixed coins, measuring and telling time.

We will finish learning about plants in Science.  We will then take our assessment on this SOL and move on to our last SOL of the year, Economics.  We will learn about needs/wants, saving, and producers/consumers.  This unit will take 2 weeks to complete.

Please contact me if you would like to know how your child performed on PALS.

Things to remember:
Please continue to send in a snack daily.
No school on Memorial day
Field Trip is coming up....details to follow

Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Beltz

This week...

Hi Parents,

This week we will continue to Read, Read, Read!  We will learn about the vowel pairs/sounds that ow, ou make at times.  We will continue to focus on writing using the four square model.  This week we will write about what it would be like to be the Easter Bunny.

We will continue to review equality in math and work a little on reviewing patterns.  Please continue to work on fast facts.  Many students are nearing the end of addition and working towards subtraction!  Way to go!

We will finish talking about natural resources and take an assessment on that towards the end of the week.

We will get the chance to see the recorder concert and have a guidance lesson with Mrs. Kopley.  Dr. Slunt, a professor from UMW, will also be in at the end of the week to do a lesson with the class.

TUESDAY is class picture day and individual picture day.  These pictures do need to be paid for in advance.  It is also the last call for early yearbook purchase.  Yearbook will be on sale again at the end of the year just not at the discounted price.

Reminders:

NEXT WEEK IS SPRING BREAK!!!!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Beltz

Weekly Update

Hi Parents!

This weekend has been filled with sports and amazing weather!  I hope you were all able to enjoy some of the beautiful weather.

This week we will continue with the reading series and focus on lots of Non-fiction.  We will talk about classifying and categorizing when reading.  We will also talk about adding s, ed, and ing to words.  We will learn about nouns and verbs.  LOTS to learn.  We will continue with writing using the 4 square method and incorporate our Science theme  using the story The Lorax.

In math this week, we will learn about equality, greater than/less than and balancing equations.  We will do this in many ways.

We just finished our Animals unit and will review and take our test on that unit on Monday.  We will then move on to Natural Resources.  We will talk about what are natural resources, how do we use them, what pollutes them and the 3 R's....Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  This unit will take us right up to Spring Break.

Important Reminders:

Spring Picture day is April 15, this is also class picture day.  ( all money is due on that day )
April 15- money for Yearbooks is also due that day ($14.00 )
April 11- Family Bingo @ WES
Spring Break- April  21-25

Our field trip has been rescheduled for April 29.  We will be sending home a current permission slip this week so be looking for that.  EVERYONE has already paid!

Weekly Preview...

This week...

We will continue to Read, Read, Read.  I have adjusted some reading groups because we are flying through books with great fluency and comprehension.  We will continue with word study and will work on compound words and words with oo.  We will do a fun lesson using Cookie Crisp cereal to do our oo lesson.  We will begin to write Narratives.  We will use the book Duck on a Bike this week as our literature model.

We will continue with math fast facts and begin to work on graphing and magnitude in math.  That means lots of interviewing our classmates.  This way we can work on collecting data, putting into graph form and then answering questions about the data we collected.  We will also work on magnitude which means lots of estimating and counting.

We will continue to work on our Animals unit.  We began last week with learning about the differences between living and nonliving and what a living thing needs to survive.  This week we will talk about habitats and the skin coverings of different animal groups.  We will cover birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians.

We are working through the new schedule changes.  I know the class is tired by the end of the day but they are doing great!  We will continue to work up to the 3:45 bell, so please be aware that if you pull your child out of class, they will be missing educational time, not extra recess.  Thank you all for being understanding as we push on and try to make it to Spring.

Things to remember:

March 28- end of the 3rd nine weeks
March 28- half day ( as of now---THIS MAY CHANGE after the Monday School Board Meeting ) be on the lookout for that outcome!!!

Thanks for all you do and have a great week!
Mrs. Beltz

Weekly Preview

OK....I am in total denial about the yucky precipitation already falling from the sky!  So, I will write this up pretending that we will be in school for the entire 5 days!

This week we will be reading lots and practicing our problem solving skills.  We will also begin the week with new word study sorts.  We will work on the vowel sounds of ow and oa.  Your child may not be working on this level however I am a firm believer in introducing all my students to this concept and then focusing more in it in reading groups if appropriate.

We will finish learning about fact families.  The class really took to this math concept and they ALL have a pretty firm understanding at this time.  We will then work on subtracting.  We will also continue with fast fact tests.  

We will begin our unit on Living and Nonliving things as well as different characteristics of animals.  This entire unit will last about 4 weeks.  

If anyone can send in gummy worms ASAP, that would be great.  We will be using them as a comparison to REAL worms.  Check back later this week for pictures on that!

Also, please send in a rock that fits in your child's palm.  They will need this for Friday or early next week, weather depending. 

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Weather depending we will be making Leprechaun Traps tomorrow! 

This week..

This week we will continue to learn and grow.  We will continue with the reading series and talk about making predictions and noting details.  We will look at words that have ee, ea as vowel pairs.  Your child will continue to practice word study on their level with their word study teacher.  We will also be writing How to pieces.  We will write about how to catch a leprechaun...getting ready for the big day.

In math our focus will be fact families.  We will work on addition and subtraction sentences for a group of numbers.  We will do this by learning about the boss of the house and the workers of the house.  We will also continue with math fast facts.

We will finish learning about Eleanor Roosevelt and learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.  We will then make a timeline and sort our pictures cards to go with each famous American.  We will then take our assessment on this Social Studies SOL.

Things to Remember:

Family Movie Night is Friday March 14.
March 28- is a half day

We are in need of a bag of gummy worms ( we need at least 22 ) for our unit starting next Monday.  If you are able to send this in please email to let me know.

We are working hard and need to continue to Read, Read, Read.  Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions.  Have a great week!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Beltz

Weekly Preview..

This week we will....

Celebrate our 100th day of school.  We finally made it, hopefully!!  We will have that day of fun on Tuesday.  We will have new word study cards in every group.  We will continue our focus on Reading, Reading, and Reading some more.  We have officially covered long a, i, o, and u words.  We have learned about super e... check out this video on youtube of super e.

In math we will practice counting like coins and counting mixed coins.  The mixed coins will pennies, nickels and dimes.  We will also continue to focus on fast facts.  This week we will make a new set of cards that represent your child's level.

This week in Social Studies we will learn about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Carver.  Just a few of our Famous Americans.

Interim reports will be sent home this Thursday.  

Have a great week!
Mrs. Beltz

This Week...

This week we will be celebrating friends and friendship!  We have a great class and we want everyone to know!

In reading we will continue to read everything we can.  We will talk about cause and effect and work on reading, identifying and spelling long i words.  We will also switch for word study again.  

We will write, using the four square model, about things that make our hearts smile.  We will write 2 things we like and 2 things we don't like.  We will continue to focus on spelling common sight words, using correct punctuation and using capital letters correctly.

We will continue to learn about telling time to the hour and half hour and finish this week with measuring.  Most of our measuring will be done using candy hearts this week.

We will celebrate friendships this week and read lots of books about Valentine's day.  On Friday, we will pass out our valentine's to our friends and have a tasty treat.  Please remember that if your child is sending in Valentine's, they must send one in for everyone. Thank you to everyone who sent in cereal boxes.  We have enough for the class and they are wrapped and ready to go.

Things to Remember:
Thursday,  Feb. 13, Awards Assembly- 2 pm ( please remember that not every child will be getting an award this half of the year )
Please notify me if you are not sure if your child is getting an award.
Valentine's day- Friday, Feb. 14, please send in items before this day.
Monday, Feb. 17, is now a regular school day!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Beltz

Weekly Preview...

This week we will attempt to complete all SOL requirements from last week.  We will continue with the reading series.  We will talk about the long a vowel sound, we will talk about sequencing and continue to work on learning about how to use different punctuation marks.  We have started new reading groups and the class seems excited to get back into reading.  We will also starting new word study groups this week.  Word study will start to come home with homework.  We ask that you practice spelling these words with your child as well as looking for their spelling patterns in everyday reading.  The class did their own 4-square writing this past week and rocked it!  I was so impressed with how well they picked a topic, wrote 3 sentences about that topic and wrote a closing sentence.  We will continue with this model.  We will also be composing thank you letters for Dr. Slunt, a professor from UMW, who came and did some science experiments with us this past week.

We will continue to work on place value and then move on to telling time to the hour and half hour.  We will use analog and digital clocks for this.  The class has been doing a great job with their fast facts tests and we are moving ahead!

We will finish talk about experiments and learn about properties of matter.  We will talk about solids, liquids and gases.  We will identify things in our environment that fall under each property of matter.  We had a professor come to visit us twice this past week.  She did some cool science experiments with the entire first grade.  Ask your child about them!

Things to remember:

Please send in an empty cereal box, we are using them for Valentine's day.
I will be sending home a supply list of items needed for Valentine's day, please return if you are able to contribute.
Report Cards will come home Monday, Feb. 3.  Please sign and return them ASAP.
Conference night, Tuesday Feb, 4.
Friday, Feb. 7 is a half day.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a great week!

Mrs. Beltz

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

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

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

This Week...

Now that we are back on track with a full week of school next week, we have a busy schedule!

We will have homework and word study this week.  We will continue with the reading series and do what we had planned for this past week this coming week.  That includes comparing and contrasting and s clusters.  

Our holiday focus will be around the mean Mr. Grinch.  We are going to brainstorm a list of ways to get him to grin and use that for our writing.  We will also compare the Grinch from the beginning of the story to the end of the story.

We will make the Grinch, make our Whoville trees and even do a science experiment and make Grinch Grime!

We will also do some extra special gift making this week!

We will finish off the week with our Grinch party!  If you have signed up to contribute, please send in your item as soon as possible!

Many thanks, stay safe ( more winter weather this weekend??)  and please let me know if I can help you in any way!

Mrs. Beltz

This week...

This week....

PLEASE send your child to school Monday and Tuesday in their black or yellow bottoms.  If they are already at school, they will change when it is time for the show.  They will also change into their shirt.  We will do 2 performances for the school.  Monday @ 1:30 and Tuesday @ 9:30.  Your child should report back to school Tuesday night between 6:30-6:45 for our night performance.  They need to come to school that night in costume!!!!!  

We will continue with reading groups.  This week we will focus on clusters with s, sn, sw, sm, etc..  We will also work on comparing and contrasting.

We will continue to learn about maps.  We will look at maps going from our county, to state, to country, to continent, and then to Earth.  We will also look at the symbols for Washington, D.C. and Richmond.

We will focus on subtraction.  We will do this through playing games and completing subtraction problems.

Reminders:
PLAY on Monday and Tuesday!!!
Interims going out on Thursday.
Items needed for the following week...I will be sending home a sign-up sheet on Monday with your child.  Please sign and return if you can help us.

Many Thanks,
Mrs. Beltz

This week

This week we will begin our Maps Unit.  This social studies SOL will be incorporated into reading, writing and theme time.  

We will begin with learning the basic map facts like what is a compass rose and a map legend.   We will then move into learning about where VA is located in relation to the USA and the rest of the world.  We will also learn important symbols on a map.

We will incorporate this theme with writing by reading the book As the Crow Flies.  This book follows a crow as it flies through different areas and shows a map of each place the crow flies.  The students will use this format as a guideline to make their own map stories using the 4 square model.

We will review addition in math.  We will review different strategies to help us solve addition problems.  We will play some games and work on creating our own addition problems.  

Reminders for this week:

Friday is a half-day!  Students will be dismissed at 12:30.  PLEASE be aware of this.

Please send in snack daily with your child.

Our room is cold, please send in a light sweater/sweatshirt for your child to keep at school for these chilly days.

If you are able to send in some extra snacks for those forget days, we would appreciate that.

I hope you all enjoyed turkey time with your kiddos!  Thank you for your continued support!

Mrs. Beltz

This week...

This week will be another busy one in First Grade!  Lots of learning and fun to be had!

We will continue to do reading groups and word study.  We will read in small groups as well as in whole group ( as always ).

We will integrate our Social Studies SOL in our writing this week.  We will use four square to write about when we were babies, what we can do now and what we want to do when we grow up.

In math, we will review basic patterns and learn about growing patterns.  We will compare the two and make growing patterns in various ways.

We will continue to learn about timelines, past and present in Social Studies.  The class really enjoyed seeing pictures of things we use everyday from the past.  

Things to remember:
We are BEES in the upcoming Holiday Program. Your child will need to wear black pants and a black shirt.  If you do not have black pants, a black shirt will be plenty.  If you have already purchased yellow that is fine too!  We will be putting either yellow or black stripes on your child's shirt here at school. 

Fall break- November 27-29 

December 6 is a half day for all Elementary Students

Have a great rest of the weekend!
Mrs. Beltz

This week...

Wow!  I know it was a "short" week but our superstars worked hard right up until the last minute on Friday!  I am very proud of them and they never once complained!

They also got the chance to celebrate their greatness on Monday with lunch with me in the classroom!

30 dots for a special reward!

Tomorrow is red, white and blue day!  We will read, write and learn all about the meaning of Veteran's day tomorrow.

This week we will continue to read, write and read some more.  We will review how to write a friendly letter and write letters to our Veterans.  In reading we will focus on making predictions, with an emphasis on predictions are not right or wrong they are guesses.  

We will focus on identifying all the coins, their characteristics and how much they are worth.  We will do this through hands-on experiences, looking at money under a magnifying glass and through other computer programs.

This week we will learn/review the terms, past, present and future.  We will work on identifying items, communities, school houses and may other things in the past, present and what we think they might look like in the future.  

A few items we are need of:

Flashlights with batteries-  we will be using these weekly and your child can bring his/her flashlight 

at the end of the year.

White Copy Paper

Many thanks and have a great week!

Mrs. Beltz

      

This Week....

This week...

There is NO SCHOOL for students on Tuesday, November 5!!!!!

This week we will continue to read, read, read.  We will continue our focus on short a and short u words.  We will also begin to learn about plurals and words that end with double final consonants.  Word study has been going well and the students have been scoring well on their assessments.  Now the goal is to have them apply these spelling features to their every day writing.  We will write about our Not-A-Stick this week.  I hope you enjoyed their Not-A-Box stories from last week.

We will continue to learn about measuring and then begin to talk about volume.  We will use different objects to fill a variety of containers and talk about why some containers only needed a small amount to fill and others large amounts.  We will also read a story about 3 bears and a little lost girl to help us with this SOL.

We will continue to talk about Fall weather/seasonal changes.  We will review how animals, plants, and humans are affected by the weather.  We are making a book about this SOL.  When the book comes home, encourage your child to read it to you.

Time is flying by and we are learning so much.  Please remember if you have any concerns contact me.

Reminders:
First 9 weeks report cards will be coming home on Thursday.  Please look it over, sign and return.
Conferences are November 12.  I will contact you if we need to schedule a conference.

Many Thanks,
Mrs. Beltz