Hello! 

I know it has been two weeks since I have sent home a newsletter. With progress reports to prepare, and having sick kids at home, AND with Halloween and birthday festivities, it has been a busy two weeks! My apologies for not sending anything home. I hope you understand.[Symbol] 

What's Going On? 

We have been learning about weather, fall and fall weather. Next week, we will go more in depth into learning about fall, and the kids will be writing about fall at the end of the week. The kids have had trouble separating seasons from weather. For example, when asked what kind of weather they like, I have gotten responses such as, "I like fall." So, I am trying to help them understand that all kinds of weather happen throughout the year, but some seasons have more prevalent types of weather. For instance, fall has wind and rain, winter has snow and ice, etc. Any support you can provide, mostly through conversations about it, will help. :) 

In Reading, the kids have been reading stories with common themes. This week, they have read Henny Penny, Chicken Little, Interrupting Chicken and Three Hens and a Peacock. They are focusing on details from the beginning, middle and end. In our conversations, we focus on the characters, and what happens in each part of the book. I am working with them on avoiding general terms such as "stuff," (they do stuff), and trying to be more specific. This allows me to know what they truly understand. If I ask what kind of "stuff" the characters did, and they cannot tell me, then I know that attending to specific events is an area to work on. Yes, they are still little, but I am trying to build a solid foundation for comprehension that will benefit them as they progress through school. 

In Math, we have been studying geometry. The kids have learned what a vertex and right angle are. (I know! First grade!?!) Despite the difficulty of the concept, they have done very well. I am very proud of them for trying so hard! They are also learning how to construct new shapes out of existing shapes, and to recognize that shapes are everywhere. After that study is finished, they will be moving into patterns. We will be studying repeating and growing patterns. This is a very creative and artistic group, so I do not anticipate any problems with this. 

Writing is an integrated subject that is used throughout all areas of learning. They are learning how to add ideas to a bubble map, which will help them know what they can write about when it comes time to write. This is the same as brainstorming. The kids are continuing to work on forming their letters and numbers correctly. 

Reading groups are in full swing. I have five reading groups. Three groups meet with me every day, and two groups meet every other day.  

Progress Reports, Conferences and Report Cards 

Progress reports were e-mailed out to students who had a DP in one area. Most of the students had at least one DP, as they are truly developing in at least one area. If you did not receive a progress report, but would like to know how your child is doing (I do send home all graded work), please check Parent Portal. Conferences will be on November 4th. I would like to know who can come in on the 4th, and who would like to meet on another day. I will be able to meet for 15 minutes.