Weekly Newsletter: May 20, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SHENANIGANS

How did it get to be the last week of first grade? I am very proud of each and every one of my students. They have all made tremendous growth this year. The last week/day of school is hard for everyone, and I am sure there will be lots of emotional times this week. Please try to keep things as normal as possible on the home front to help us make a smooth transition into the long-awaited summer break. 

We had a surprise author visit this past week. Joy Saxton read us her new book and then walked us through how to write our own story and then act it out. The kids loved it. 

LIBRARY NEWS:

All library books are due back to the library!  If your child has any outstanding books, please return them as soon as possible to the library.  They are taking inventory and closing down for the year!  If your child has a missing book, it will need to be paid for prior to getting your child’s report card on the last day of school. 

FIELD DAY REMINDERS:

Our annual field day is Tuesday, May 21st.  We are looking forward to a day full of new and exciting activities!  We are asking the students bring a towel, a change of clothes, and wear closed-toed shoes or water shoes (no flip-flops, please). Some of our activities will involve getting wet! Students are allowed to wear swimsuits as long as they wear t-shirts or cover ups that follow our district dress code policy. The new Comets Field Day t-shirt would be a great choice as a cover-up! Please apply all sunscreen at home, as teachers are not responsible for this.  Students should also bring their refillable water bottles to stay hydrated. 

If we have bad weather, Field Day will go on with indoor activities. 

FIELD DAY TRANSPORTATION CHANGE:

On Field Day the playground and field side of the school will be set up with lots of fun Field Day activities.  For morning drop-off and dismissal the kindergarten car line will be rerouted to the first grade side of the building.  Thanks for your assistance with this change. We will be back to our usual traffic pattern on Tuesday, May 21st.

RECYCLE BAGS NEEDED:

Parents, we need your help! If you have not already, please send a reusable grocery store bag to school that we can use to store some of the many things that will be going home on the last day of school. The green HEB bags would be perfect for our needs, but if you have a large department store bag with handles (such as Macy’s), that would also work. Please make sure that your child’s name or your family’s last name is somewhere on the bag. Thank you so much for your assistance!

END OF THE YEAR PARTY:
On the last day of school, Thursday, May 23rd from 8:30-9:45 (brief set-up from 8:00-8:30; clean-up from 9:45-10:00), we will celebrate our amazing year in first grade with a delicious brunch.  We are looking forward to this event and I hope you will be able to join us. Please remember to sign in at the office to pick up your visitors pass before coming to the classroom. As always, thank you for finding child care for your preschoolers. See you then!

REPORT CARDS:
Report cards are coming home on Thursday, the last day of school.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 20: Reptile Guy

May 21: Field Day

May 23: End of the year celebration (8:30-9:45)

May 23: Last day of school

HOMEWORK…

Read for a minimum of 10-15 minutes every evening.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE…

 READING:
-Responding to reading

WRITING: 

-Create a memory book

-Finish our Handwriting book

MATH:

-Review math concepts from this year

SCIENCE: 

-Finish discussing desert animals (tortoise, vulture, roadrunner, prairie dog, kangaroo rat, jackrabbit, Gila monster, rattlesnake, bobcat, coyote) and their special adaptations for living in the desert

Have a wonderful week and an AMAZING summer!  I will miss you all!

Jean Riggins

Weekly Newsletter: May 13, 2019

Wow...what a week! It's hard to believe that this year is quickly coming to a close!   On Tuesday morning, the First Grade Showcase was such a success!  I appreciate you taking the time to come and let your child show off some of their best work and most recent projects.  The contents of their suitcase were also a reflection of things that are considered strengths as well as areas to work on over the summer.  I am so proud of each one of them and know they are looking forward to next year!  We only have 9 more days in first grade! This has been such a fun year with your child and I have felt blessed to not only teach them, but to watch them grow both academically and socially!

“Three of a Kind” was an adorable production!  Thank you for all the support you provided at home helping your child learn their lines and the songs.  Tuesday night’s performance was truly memorable!

On Friday, we had the most wonderful Ocean Day thanks to our room mom, Erin! We created a tranquil, shimmery ocean in a bottle and mingled with octopus, shrimp and crab friends. We sampled delicious seafood, learned a lot about whales, and dove into a sweet blue ocean of jello.  It was an amazing journey - free of itchy sand and sunburns!  

Thank you to all of the volunteers who donated food items, supplies, and/or your time.  It was perfect!

Thank you for making last week a special Teacher Appreciation Week with all the handmade cards, sweet treats, lovely gifts and gift cards!  Your group of children have stolen my heart! I feel so blessed to have had this time with each of them.  I appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity!

LIBRARY BOOKS:

All books are due back to the library!  If you still have a few around your house, please send those in with your child on Monday.  Lost books need to be paid for so your child can receive his/her report card on the last day of school.

END OF YEAR EMOTIONS:

This time of year brings out many different kinds of emotions in children. On the one hand, the students are very excited and are anticipating the upcoming break.  They look forward to having more free time, play dates, sleeping later, and vacations.  However, on the other hand, they are sad to leave first grade and the comforts of our classroom.  Second grade brings about nerves and the knowledge of “starting over.”  These emotions come to the surface in different ways: bugging friends, grumpy behavior, hands on others, overly silly, lots of talking, crying, etc.

To help your child with this upcoming transition, please try to get him/her to bed at a reasonable time at night.  This will help him/her when working through emotions during the school day.  A clear head is helpful when relational issues arise because your child will feel more equipped and able to utilize classroom strategies.  I continue to discuss these things in the classroom and am handling any misunderstandings and/or tears.  Thanks for your continued efforts at home, as well!   They are a precious bunch!

KINDERGARTEN VISIT:

On Wednesday, our incoming kindergarten students had the opportunity to see the campus.  During this visit, we had the opportunity to host the current kinder students in our classrooms.  Your kiddos were the perfect hosts!  They seemed so big mentoring one of the younger kids!

RECYCLE BAGS NEEDED:

Parents, we need your help! By Friday, May 17, we need each student to bring a cloth grocery store bag to school that we can use to store some of the many things that will be going home on the last day of school. The reusable HEB bags would be perfect for our needs, but if you have a large department store bag with handles (such as Macy’s), that would also work. Please make sure that your child’s name is on the bag.  Thank you!!

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS IN FIRST GRADE:

“IN-SCHOOL FIELD TRIP”: Soon we will have a special presenter provide an “in-school field trip” experience to help support our wonderful Science learning this year.  Thank you in advance to PTA for providing the funds necessary to make this possible!

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE:

READING and WRITING:
-Read and respond to text

-Memory book

MATH:
-Understand how to represent and compare whole numbers and the relationship between the numbers

SCIENCE:
-Learn about the desert

-Understand the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals

-Locate various deserts on a map

-Identify desert landforms

-Learn about desert animal adaptations (tortoise, vulture, roadrunner, prairie dog)

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 20: Reptile Guy (in school field trip)

May 21: Field Day (1st grade: 9:40-10:40 am)

              CCE Cookout at our regular lunch time (11:12-11:42)

May 23: Last Day of School & End of Year Brunch Party

Finally, if you know that your child will be leaving school before our last day, Thursday, May 23, please let me know.

Thank you!

Happy Mother’s Day!