1. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 3/13 Daylight Savings Time to “spring” ahead! 3/14 Stations of the Cross project is due 3/16 Leprechaun writing is due. These writing pieces should be detailed and edited by an adult. Students will share their creative story on St. Patrick’s Day. 3/17 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 3/18 Report Cards will be distributed 3/23 No School 3/24 Holy Thursday, No School 3/25 Good Friday, No School 3/28 Easter Monday, No School Always make sure to check our school website for additional news and events. First Grade News March 14 th - 18 th 2016 Remember to make time for additional family prayer and acts of kindness during Lent. Spring into a good book! Reminders 1. Please send in a water bottle each day. Hydration and nutritious snacks are essential to focused learning. 2. Yearbook order forms were sent home. Please return your order form if you wish to purchase a yearbook. 3. Please make sure to log your reading time daily. Reading logs should be returned on Friday, April 1 st. Please let me know if you need additional books to read or any book recommendations. Don’t forget… Tomorrow is Daylight Savings! It’s time to spring forward! Week in Review On Wednesday, we attended Living Stations. Students began sharing their Stations of the Cross projects. Students also created Leprechauns and pots of gold in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day. This week, we are looking forward to getting together with our prayer partners to create Easter crafts.

2. This Week’s Curriculum Notes Reading & Spelling – This week, we will read, Mama’s Birthday Present, from our reading textbook. The comprehension skill we will focus on is drawing conclusions. We will practice short stories and poems in class to build fluency. Remember to keep these readings in a safe place for further practice at home. Our reading goal this month is 15 minutes of reading, 5 days per week. I know everyone can do it! In phonics and spelling, we will focus on long a (ai and ay). We will also focus on possessives. This week’s spelling words are on the next slide. Please print these and begin to review this word list with your child. Math –Chapter Seven, Geometry. This week, we will continue to identify and sort both plane and solid figures based on the way they move. I Spy… look around your house with your child to “ I Spy ” examples of solid figures. For example, look for real life objects that are a cube, sphere, cylinder, rectangular prism, cone, or pyramid. Also search for plane figures and shapes with symmetry. Have fun on your shape hunt! Next week, we will identify shapes that have line(s) of symmetry. Review addition and subtraction math facts. Go outside and practice writing math facts with chalk. Replay some of the math games that have been sent home. Heads up … our next chapter will cover telling time and counting coins. Then, we will dive deeper into addition and subtraction. Grammar & Writing – This week, we will review contractions, learn about possessives, and introduce adjectives. Students will identify adjectives in a sentence. Please review identifying nouns and verbs within a sentence. Continue to encourage your child to explore writing. Creating stories, responding to a prompt, and keeping a journal are all excellent ways to reinforce letter formation and sentence structure. If you notice that your child is forming letters or numbers incorrectly, please find time to practice them. Developing correct letter formation is critical. Practice writing on a white or chalk board or try writing in shaving cream. Religion – We will continue to learn about and discuss Lent. As a family, I encourage you to discuss what sacrifices you can make during Lent to grow closer to Jesus. Stations of the Cross projects are due on or before March 14 th. This week, we will discuss Chapter 21, The Three Days. Social Studies and Science – All About St. Patrick’s Day and Spring!

3. Spelling Words Long a: ai and ay trainmay way rain tailgray playmail day afraid High-Frequency Words: aboutwould Challenge Words: sailboat Saturday edgebridge Words to READ give surprise would enjoy worry about

4. Long a; ai and ay Sight Words Have your child read this week’s list of sight words to you. Add additional long a: ai and ay words to this list to challenge your child. gait rainbow wait saint mailbox trait say paint tail grain afraid stay trail clay pail praise nail way paid quail playground braid may pray

5. Words to Review Practice reading these words trudge budge judge ridge grudge nudge fudge ledge hedge wedge pledge bridge edge badge were turn bird turn shirt swerve stir hurt hair clerk dirt smirk fern - dge /j/ er, ir, ur