We've been trying to settle back into something of a normal routine, but the weather has been making that difficult. We seem to be experiencing weather systems midweek since our return from Christmas Break, and there's another system we're watching for this coming Wednesday and Thursday! I don't know if the children have been practicing their sight words and/or sentences at home, but most of them did not do very well last week when they were assessed on Monday. This week, our assessment day goes back to Friday, but the words and sentences are those they received last Tuesday. I hope, with practice both at school and at home, they perform better on these assessments this week.
This Thursday is our first afternoon for Rugrat Skiing at Sunday River. The first graders will be picked up by bus at CPS around 12:15pm, and will be dropped off behind the Perfect Turns ski school at South Ridge. This first time, the children will meet their instructors, get fitted to equipment, and will actually be out on the mountain practicing skiing (or being introduced to skiing) for about an hour. Two first grade CPS teachers will travel with the students on the bus each of the Thursdays, but we do not ski with the students. We are there, however, if anything should happen and a child needs us. I was NOT going to be going to the mountain this Thursday because I had an IEP meeting on one of my students scheduled for mid-afternoon on Thursday, but I believe that meeting has been postponed. If it has, I will be on the bus with my class. If I am not on the bus, Mrs. Meader and Miss Smith will a list of my students' names, their parents' names and phone numbers, and an idea of who is picking them up after skiing, and where that is happening. You have the choice of picking your child up at the Perfect Turns ski school between 3:30 pm and 4:00pm OR picking your child up at Crescent Park around 4:15pm. The bus leaves Sunday River right at 4:00pm, and any child not picked up by that time will be returned to school. Anyone not picked up by 4:30 pm will be sent to MKA afterschool program, and appropriate costs will apply. Please be sure to let me know each week WHO is picking up your child after skiing, and where he or she will be picked up. Parents, please realize that we are trying to keep track of roughly 45 children. You could be a big help by checking in with your child's teacher (or one of the other teachers if your child's teacher is not there on a given Thursday), so we can check your child off as having been safely delivered to the appropriate person. I've done this program for about 15 years, and I worry every year that a child might be misplaced--it did happen once, but fortunately the child had been picked up by a parent. It was a very nerve-racking 15 minutes until we ascertained that she HAD LEFT with a parent. Please, please, please, take the minute or two to let me know you have your child, whether you are picking them up at the mountain or at CPS. Thank you. Originally, we were told that we would have skiing each Thursday afternoon from January 19th to February vacation (5 Thursdays), but I guess that has changed, and no classes are being held that last week before February Break. So, as far as I know now, our Rugrat dates are 1/19, 1/26, 2/02, and 2/09. If you could write on the weekly bus slip WHO will pick up your child and WHERE he or she will be picked up, that would be most helpful.
Let's see. . . what other news do I have for you? It is almost time for your child to take his or her NWEA (computerized) reading and math tests again. The testing schedule has not been made up yet, but testing will start January 30th, and will end sometime the week of the 14th. When I have more specifics, I will let you know. There is no preparation you can do for these tests, other than to make sure your child gets adequate rest the night before the exam, eats a good breakfast that morning, and KNOWS that you want him or her to try to do their BEST. Our next writing prompt will occur about that time, too, and there is nothing you can do to help your child prep for that test either. We started the pretests in spelling (and will finish the last one on Wednesday of this week). Spelling activities will become part of your child's work program starting next Monday.
Toward the end of January, I will be sending home a class list for Valentine's Day. Your child does not HAVE to give out valentines, but if he or she is going to give valentines to anyone in our class, then I am asking that he or she give to EVERYONE in the class. It's the only way for someone's feelings not to be hurt. The valentines can be homemade, or can be store-bought. I send the list home roughly two weeks before Valentine's Day, so kids have time to MAKE cards, if they so choose. We will have a SMALL party on 2/14 in the afternoon (from 1-1:30pm) so the children can open up their cards and then share a few treats.
We have started working on time and money during math class, as well as learning place value. Right now, it seems as though MOST of the children can read and show time to the hour, and about half of them can read time to the half hour. Before the end of the year, it is hoped that your child will be able to read, show, and draw (the hands on the clock face) for hour and half-hour, and know what is meant by "quarter of" and "quarter past" the hour. We will actually talk about and practice time to the 5-minute interval, though not all first graders will master that concept. We are beginning to work with money, too. Your child could use practice identifying each American coin by its name and its value. When I teach the children to add coins, I have them first arrange the coins from largest value to least value (half dollars, then quarters, then dimes, then nickels, then pennies) as this is the easiest way for them to skip count them. Right now, we are only working with dimes, nickels, and pennies, so we put dimes first, then nickels, and then pennies. It is easier to skip count (10, 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 51, 52, 53) than to do it in another order. Coins are easy to practice at home. Sometime, when you have a few minutes, have your child grab a handful of coins--sort them by like type, name them, sequence by greatest to lesser value, and then attempt to add them. Start with just a few coins, and as they become more capable, add more and then larger value coins. Practicing this a few times a week is an excellent use of a few minutes here or there, and is teaching your child a valuable life skill!
I think that's it for this week. Have a terrific, hopefully ice-free week!
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