Half-way point!

Sorry about the delay in updated posts, it will not happen again! What a thrilling month of December! Everyone worked hard and we got a lot accomplished. I sent home some homework that isn't due back until January 5th. This will give every child plenty of time to be prepared for when they return to school. Please keep track of any extra minutes you read on the back of the regular time keeping (newsletter) sheet. The vocabulary words for this week are: grow, light, long, more, other, right, room, and these. The spelling words for this week are: she, chin, fish, shell, much, chop, shoe, and chair. The spelling words are focusing on the sh and ch sounds, please practice as much as possible. I hope each one of you has a great holiday and an even brighter New Year! See ya next year!

Conference time

This coming week will be half-days (except Monday), so parents and teachers can meet for Fall conferences. The students will be getting out of school at 11:30, but lunch will be served. Please check your child's folder for your conference time reminder, if any issues arise please contact me quickly. This weeks spelling words deal with the short o sound, they are: on, not, got, box, hot, top, pond, and doll. This weeks vocabulary words are: children, come, family, father, love, mother, people, picture, and your. Please try to make your child's appointment time, I would love to talk to you about your child's progress.

November!

What a great start to the month of November! We have been working hard in Room 14 and will continue to do so! This weeks spelling words deal with R-controlled words, they are: trip, crab, drip, grin, grab, trap, crack, and brown. These are the hardest words yet and they will need to practice every night! The vocabulary words this week are: also, blue, brown, color, funny, green like, many, and some. Be sure to hit the 120 minutes read mark every week. Enjoy the new photos!

The end of a great month!

Wow! What a great month of October! The class got so much accomplished this month, it was amazing. I hope to get much more done this month, though it will be tough with conference week and several holiday breaks. This weeks spelling words deal with the short i sound, they are: big, did, him, in, it, sit, dish, and milk. The vocabulary words this week are: all, call, eat, every, first, never, paper, shall, and why. Please practice every night to help with your child's success at reading and spelling these words. Check back soon because I will have pictures up from the Halloween party this coming week! Keep working hard at home every night!

Back on!

Sorry about the technical difficulties that have occurred and kept me from updating the site. You may have noticed this week that your child's folder has a new page of homework. We are introducing spelling to the first grade children and their first list deals with the short a sound. The words they need to learn how to spell by Friday are: an, man, had, can, at, cat, catch, and add. Practicing everyday will help your child be successful on their first spelling test. The vocabulary list this week includes: animal, fall, full, bird, flower, see, cold, look, and of. Please practice every night to help your child become a successful reader. I am planning on having a Halloween party on Monday (Halloween day), if you would like to volunteer or bring in treats please contact me as soon as possible. I hope everyone is having a great month!

October!

Welcome to another exciting month! This past month has been great to share with the students and I hope we can continue to improve this month. I hope you had to time to read my letter about care packages for troops stationed in high risk areas overseas. I included a list of needed items in this weeks homework folder. This weeks homework words are: once, upon, two, three, four, five, what, and in. Please practice everyday and remember to read 20 minutes a day as well. This month we will have some fun with October themed activities such as, pumpkins, Halloween, fall, and more!

Mid-way through September

Wow! What a start to the school year, we are settling into a nice routine as first graders. With the larger class size it is important for students to follow directions and get on task quickly, so we can accomplish as much as we can this school year. This weeks words to work on are: and, here, jump, not, too, we, like, and play. Please have your child read these words everyday and remember to shoot for 120 minutes of reading a week!

Welcome to a new year!

Hello and welcome to Room 14's classroom blog! I will be keeping this updated weekly and I will be posting pictures of fun activities that our class is participating in. Along with pictures I will also use the blog to display homework items (like key words and spelling), as well as reminders of upcoming events. Our weekly schedule of events is as follows: Monday and Wednesday are music, Tuesday and Friday are P.E., and Thursday is Library. On a side note, the classrooms Run-4-Fun day is Wednesday. This week is the first week of homework. Everything needs to be returned each Thursday, which will typically include a reading minutes page, math sheet, vocabulary words, and in the near future spelling words. This weeks words include: and, have, is, my, go, on, the, and see. Please practice these words daily and remember to read with your child at least 20 minutes a day for a goal of at least 120 minutes a week. Any questions please feel free to contact me.

The end of May!

What a wet and windy week, but we had a lot of fun in class. We have continued to work on our ocean unit and the class researched whales, sharks, and dolphins! The coming week will bring about an end to our ocean unit, but the diorama is not due until June 10th. This coming Friday is our class field trip and I will be calling all chaperones prior to leaving to make sure we are all set for the adventure! Any questions on the end of the year activities and events please feel free to call me.

Its finally hot in May!

We have finally reached some significant milestones, that all of the children are excited about. And that is the end of weekly reading and spelling tests. We have plenty of engaging activities that the students will be involved with to end the year, but this news brought lots of smiles to everyone's face. In this weeks homework folder I included some information about an at home project that I would like each student to participate in. The project is an Ocean Diorama! We have went over some examples in class and I even added some to our home page for reference points. The class has been learning about the ocean (including whales, sharks, dolphins, and starfish) and this is a great project to take some of that learning home to share with you. The project is optional, but it would be great if everyone was involved. The due date will be June 10th and I want to put them on display in the library. Any questions please contact me!

May continues...

This week we come to a close for the weekly testing! We will still send home a variety of homework till the end of the year, but the end result will be for either review or a few other classroom activities we have planned. This coming Friday is also the Jog-A-Thon and if you would like to volunteer, please contact Mr. Thummel quickly. The permission slip for Tolmie State Park field trip went home in this weeks homework folder. Please have it signed and returned by May 20th. If you would like to be a chaperone (I need at least 5), please contact me soon so we can set the trip up! This weeks vocabulary words are: able, eye, present, and thoughts. This weeks spelling words are: deepest, newer, faster, richer, highest, warmest, kindest, and smaller. We are working on adding endings to words and extra practice at home will definitely be needed. Keep working hard till the end of the school year!

May!

What a fun start to the month of May. The building was treated by the para-professionals as they helped bring "Teacher Appreciation Week" to Parkside. They themed the building around NASCAR and the the students got to see myself, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Thummel race around the gym. We truly have a great and caring staff here at Parkside, this past week was awesome! Be prepared for the Jog-A-Thon! It will be on Friday, May 20th. This is Parksides only fundraiser of the year and we count on it to help with all the wonderful extra things we try to provide our students. This weeks homework words are against, already, begin, caught, minute, and above. These words may look familiar because they were accidently added to last weeks list. This weeks spelling is still based on the r-controlled concept and this week it is the ar sound. The words this week: arm, far, car, start, dark, yard, large, and jar. Make sure to practice hard every night!

The ending of April

April has come and gone! It was a truly great month for room 14. We had a student finish every level in Math Facts in a Flash (this includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)! There are 41 levels in all and this is a huge accomplishment for a first grader. As a class, they passed 20 levels this week and many have now met their first grade goal by getting into subtraction. This weeks spelling words focus on the r-controlled sound of or. The words are: store, corn, for, more, or, morning, afford, and before. The students will need lots of practice to be successful on this weeks words. The vocabulary list for this week is begin, minute, already, above, against, and caught. I sent home five different book orders in this weeks homework, I did this to help you with your child's summer reading plan. No matter how good of a reader your child is, they cannot afford to take the summer off from reading. Start to put together now a list of books for your child to read over the summer, so they can start next year off on the right foot. If you need any help with this please contact me soon.

Rainy April

With the school year running out, it is absolutely paramount that each student finishes strong. We have to have each child ready for their next step and keeping a strong work ethic is key to maintaining that. This weeks spelling words are tough, so extra practice may be necessary for your child to be successful. The words this week are: dishes, dresses, boxes, beaches, wishes, kisses, classes, and brushes. The vocabulary list is: after, before, buy, pretty, school, done, off, and wash. Be sure to go the extra mile for your child! Upcoming events include Jump Rope for Heart (Wednesday the 20th) and B.E.A.R. week ( April 25th through the 29th).

April

I hope Spring Break is going well for everyone! Just a reminder to keep reading with your child as well as putting some time aside for homework. The vocabulary words this week are else, dance, around, open, ocean, talk, and though. This weeks spelling is easier than most because all words end with a Y, they are: by, my, fly, try, cry, why, and multiply. I will see everyone back at school on Monday, April 11th! Remember the homework is due on the 14th!

Ending March

This week is conference week! Be sure to be here on time for your child's conference and ask any and all questions you can think of. We have a fun week planned for the students! They have just finished up sneaker science and we have begun doing some spring activities (With the weather we have it's quiet funny). Over Spring Break, please remember to maintain your child's reading schedule. You might be surprised how much a child can lose when they are not at school for a week. I will be sending home homework over the break, it will be due on April 14th. The reason being so every child will be ready for the vocabulary and spelling words that they will be faced with when they return.

Marching on...

What a hectic month! We have so much to do and time seems to be flying away too quick. This week will be both busy and at the same time allow the students to take a breath. There will be no vocabulary or spelling words this week. We will not be testing due to the concert, Junior Programs, and the practice time we need for the concert as well. I have sent home a fluency practice sheet and a extra math sheet for money practice. We have started coins and some students are having a hard transition and need extra practice at home. A great way to do this is to dump out coins and have them count with you! New pictures to be posted soon!

Marching into March!

The hectic week is finally over! The class did a great job of making up worked missed due to the snow storm and we are officially caught up. This next week will be different than most due to practicing for our big first grade concert. We will have three one hour practice sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to help prep for the performance. Remember the show starts at 7:00 Wednesday night! Please have your child there by 6:45, so we can get them set-up and ready to go. This week will not include a reading test, but we will be doing spelling. The words this week are all commonly used words in writing and all have been introduced to the students prior to this week. They are: the, of, and, to, you, that, he, for, was, are, as, with, his, they, be, this, from, I, have, like, saw, said, want, because, and favorite. They will need to study hard to get a passing score! In this weeks homework please do not forget to sign up for a conference time!

What a wacky week!

Well last week did not go as planned to say the least! We are now in full make-up mode and the students will be very busy this week. The homework went home on Monday the 28th and will be due back on Thursday the 3rd. This means less time to study than usual and hopefully they will receive plenty of help from home! This weeks words are: about, because, draw, happy, teacher, part, and tiny. This weeks spelling words are: cup, cups, frog, frogs, tree, trees, gloves, and birds. We are working on more than one in class and that is the reasoning behind having some of the words repeat.
We will now be accepting donations for a our classes fundraiser basket. The theme of the basket will be family fun night. Items might include movies, board games, snack food, or any other ideas that helps your family have a great night together. Any questions on this please contact me quickly. In closing...hope for no more snow!

Another week

The month of February is almost finished and some students are really showing some great gains! I am excited to see how the rest of the year goes. The first trip to the Olympia Junior Programs was a great success and everyone is looking forward to the next performance in March. This weeks words are tough so be sure to practice daily. The vocabulary words are: build, old, piece, shoe, start, under, very, and wear. This weeks spelling words are: zoo, food, too, moon, soon, room, moose, and balloon. Practice makes perfect, so be sure to make time for your children and help them daily to become a better student.

February is moving along!

What a great month so far! Besides a lot of children being out sick, the class has preformed beyond expectations. This is really exciting because now the whole class is taking A.R. tests and the class average for the month is a 80% passing rate! The vocabulary words this week are:afraid, any, bear, follow, most, tall, water, and idea. This weeks spelling words are:look, book, took, good, foot, cook, hoof, and crook. Be sure to practice daily to help your child preform at his or her's best. If they're is any questions or concerns about the report cards please feel free to contact me and if you would like to set up an earlier meeting then the ones that occur at the end of March, I am open for that as well. Look for some new photos of the 100th day celebration coming soon!

In comes February...with the flu!

It has been a rough start to the month of February. I have had many students out the last week or so with the flu. It has been tough trying to catch everyone up, so make sure you are taking the proper steps at home to keep your child as healthy as possible! We have been scrubbing our desks daily and washing hands after recess and before lunch. This weeks vocabulary words are: again, both, gone, or, want, turn, and hard. This weeks spelling words are stilling following the vowel team pattern, but there is an exception this week with ow combinations ( they will make the long O sound). The words are: boat, slow, coat, grow, show, toad, coast, and know. These words are very tough so be sure to practice daily! Please continue to read at least 120 minutes a week! Every child can use the extra practice, you can never be a good enough reader, practice is needed at any age.

January is coming to a close

What a great month for our students! Everyone in the class as completed at least one A.R. test and everyone has passed at least one as well! We will continue the push in February and hope to improve upon those results. This weeks spelling words are increasing in difficulty, so be sure to practice extra hard. The words are: day, say, play, may, way, stay, away, and holiday. This weeks vocabulary words are: goes, forest, soon, evening, hungry, far, soon, and been. Keep working on the "Read Across America" sheets and fill in the 5 books your child reads to you and make sure they bring it in. In the years past, students who completed these sheets have been eligible for great prizes! Coming down to the wire on Olympia Junior Program permission slips, if you need a new please let me know.

January continues on...

This week was a great and challenging week for the student's of room 14! Our class participated in the book exchange and some students were surprised to find out that if they brought in 10 books for exchange, one of the books they got to pick out was brand new! Be sure to check through your child's homework folder, there is some information about the upcoming "Read Across America" event. I would like the entire class to participate in this event because it is so much fun! More information about this next week. This weeks vocabulary words are: cow, table, now, door, there, through, horse, and wall. This weeks spelling words focus on the long E sound, they are: me, see, mean, feet, eat, he, maybe, and sheep. Be sure to practice with your child daily and read at least 20 minutes. This is so important as we enter mid-year testing, that your child be reading daily. Remember the weekly goal is 120 minutes!

Another week finished!

This past week allowed the class to return to form with another full week to get back into a routine. Hopefully the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will not throw them off too much! The spelling words this week follow the same theme from the past two (long A and long I) and the students will learn about long O. It will be different in the sense that some of the words they'll learn will not have a silent e attached to them. The words this week are: go, home, nose, so, bone, no, also, and woke. The vocabulary words this week are: morning, found, shout, by, out, show, and climb. Be sure to practice as much as possible with your child and help them with this weeks work. Anything extra that is added at home makes their life in the classroom much easier. Be sure to turn in any book exchange books by Thursday the 20th! And any permission slips to the Olympia Junior Programs prior to February 16th.

Great start!

It was a great week back at school! I was very happy to see many of the students ready to come back to school this week. This coming week will be challenging for the class because we have some midyear testing to finish and it will require maximum focus for the class to show their best results. This weeks vocabulary words are: give, good, her, little, try, was, fly, and our. This weeks spelling list continues on with silent E words: like, five, ride, nine, time, kite, prize, and smile. Make sure to practice daily with your child, so they can achieve the best results possible. Up coming events that were in the recent homework folder are Junior Programs and the book exchange. Please read the papers that were sent home to find out more!

Happy New Year!

Sorry for my absence over the holidays! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are ready for the challenges that face many of us in the new year. I hope everyone's had the time to practice the vocabulary and spelling words with their child. Each student, by the time the tests will take place, will of had three weeks to practice. Just a reminder, the vocabulary words are: could, house, how, over, own, so, and world. The spelling words are: make, came, take, name, gave, game, place, and skate. Be sure to remind your child that every spelling word has a silent e and a long a in each word. We will also be working on end sounds nd, nk, and ng this week. Add on top of that pile sentences that end with question marks! Let's make this new year a great one!