1. Hip, Hip, Hooray Welcome to First Grade! We would like to thank you and your child for a smooth back-to-school transition. We are off to a great start, and we are confident that we are going to have an excellent school year! We hope you had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day weekend. A recipe for a great school year One cup positive attitude One cup cooperation One cup participation One cup motivation And a pinch of fun and laughter! First Grade Newsletter September 7 th – 11 th 2014 Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Frost MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Wednesday, 9/9 The Brown Bag project is due. Thursday, 9/10 Back to School Night. We are looking forward to seeing you on Thursday evening! Please remember to check our website for upcoming events and school news. Please check your child’s yellow folder every afternoon and make sure it is returned to school each day. Put all notes and paperwork in this folder. If your child’s way home from school changes, please put a note in your child’s homework folder and email myself and the school office. Please return any first-of-the-year paperwork as soon as possible. Happy Birthday to: Jude Schuberth We hope you had a great day! Read with your child everyday! “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents” -Emilie Buchwald Please remember to pack healthy snacks and a water bottle for school each day. Make sure to put your child’s name on their water bottle. Having water available in the classroom helps to decrease the time away from instruction. Our daily lunch time is at 10:55am. Also, due to severe food allergies (especially to all types of nuts) students are NOT allowed to share their snacks or lunches. Please remind your child of this rule. Thank you in advance for your sensitivity. A good night’s sleep, hearty breakfast, and healthy lunch will help fuel the body for learning!

2. Curriculum Notes Math: Our objective this week in math is to identify and correctly write numbers. Please practice reading (digit and word form) and writing numbers at home. We will also review counting patterns and missing numbers within a counting pattern. Reading: We will begin our first story in our reading series called Sam, Come Back. Our focus in phonics will be on short a. Our spelling words are generated from our weekly story. Please see the list of spelling words below. Our read alouds will focus on story elements and specific reading connections. For example, we will be reading the series If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff. Through this series, students will learn about cause and effect relationships and sequencing. Together, as a whole class, we will also read the first two editions of Scholastic News, a nonfiction weekly magazine. Grammar and Writing: For the next few weeks, we will be focusing on sentences. We will discuss types of sentences, the parts of a sentence, word order, and correct punctuation. Religion: Chapter One. This week, we will be learning that God created the world and all the people. We will also discuss that God gives us special gifts and promises to always love us. Handwriting: A large amount of instructional time will be spent on reviewing correct letter and number formation. Social Studies and Science: As a whole class, we will be reading and discussing the first edition of our Scholastic News magazine. This is a nonfiction news magazine centered around current social studies and science events. Spelling Words Please Note: The spelling test is on Friday, September 18 th 1. at 2. can 3. cat 4. back 5. dad 6. am 7. bat 8. mad 9. ran 10. sack Bonus Words: These words will not be graded. Please practice these words if you feel that your child is up for a challenge. 1. plan 2. that 3. glad

3. catbanback hatJanZack satcanJack batmanlack matDanpack fatpantack Patvansack chatfanrack thattantrack flatranblack Short a sight words. Please have your child practice reading these words aloud to you. Thank you!

4. dadSam padyam fadham madPam sadjam badram tadslam gladswam gram Short a sight words