Make sure you view the NEW SLIDE SHOW under this post!!

We're entering our last week of school for the year 2007. Best wishes for a great winter break and please have your student's stay involved with learning during this time.

Whether in the kitchen cooking, setting the table, helping with the dishes, or completing some of the work on the homework links, set aside time for them to learn, write, read and do.

I will be sending home appropriately leveled books for their reading pleasure and they still need to be 'listened' to, 'read' to and write, draw and tell about what they've read. Listening for fluency and phrasing is a helpful activity and re-reading the next day to show how they can fix-up the tricky parts is also VERY important.

Thank you for a great year and I am looking forward to seeing all the students back in January.

By the way, Happy New Year, when it arrives! I'll be off in Maryland visiting our new grandson!

Mrs. Petty

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

CHECK FOR NEW HOMEWORKS LINKS !!!

Well, we did it. We decorated our Graham Cracker Houses and boy do they look wintery and beautiful. Of course, they all wanted to take them home the same day, but..... we haven't written a rough draft, edited it ourselves and with a peer, and of course, had Mrs. Petty done the final run-through to publish. We hope to complete this task within the next three days, so look for your child's house to additionally adorn your table and/or a holiday decoration spot around the house. Thanks, once again, to the Matallana girls' and baby brother for bagging all the trimmings, ... it just worked out so well. BTW, I am discouraging any munching of the house and its outer-limits. You can look, but please don't eat after they're sent home.

We also completed 24 holiday cards with personal letters to 24 different schools around the United States. We look forward to receiving 24 different ones from friends in the U.S. We'll also find the location of their school on Google Earth. What a way to see and virtually 'travel' to another place in the U.S. from here in Italy. I'm learning right along with all the students.

This week we'll also be working on our Family Holiday Gift and hope to wrap and send them home next week. It's a labor of love and a little keepsake for years to come. Hope you like them, when they're finished. :-)

We're comparing two different versions of the Gingerbread Man/Boy stories this week, also. Out first version was a Phonics Reader version of the Pancake Man. This will be sent home on Monday evening, so listen for great phrasing and fluency. It should be a familiar read by now, so enjoy and encourage expression during reading.

Our math addition and subtraction fact families are coming right along. Teaching and working on strategies seems to help with mental computation, so encourage the thinking part when mentally computing. We are also very good at quickly duplicating a model of 10s and 1s using manipulatives with numbers from 1-100. This helps in being able to visualize regrouping with double digit addition. We'll save double-digit subtraction for much later in the year, until they are confident and flexible with their addition.



If you have a family photo(s), please send in. We've got a few together-families, and other collage-family featuring individuals within the family. We'd love to have everyone's picture(s) up to display. You are still welcome to get your students registered to use the Dodds.net secure e-mail at school, to encourage learing about the web-e-mail system. We've got 5 of our students up and running. Send in a note, and I'm happy to send the forms necessary to get them on before Winter Break.

Mrs. Petty

Check out the December Posts and the new slide show!! See below:-)

Check out my Slide Show!

The month of December has arrived and your child began the month by creating a countdown to Christmas on Friday. Hopefully they're keeping up with the fun and strengthening their counting backwards thinking. We have been working on missing addends in math and, as you know it helps them to understand the operation of subtraction in and addition problem. The inverse thinking also shows the relationship between fact families such as 3,4 and 7. So...... 4+3=7, 3+4=7; 7-3=4, 7-4=3; 3+_-7 & _+4=7. We're working on flexibility and the comprehension part of recognizing whether to add or subtract on each problem to be solved.

This skill also transfers to multiplication (repeated addition) and division as they take on more ability to recognize other operations.



I have discovered a new on-line math opportunity that is free. You can register as a parent for your child and then have the opportunity to have extra practice on numerous skills throughout the basic math curriculum that meets them where they are, scores their progress and continues to challenge them all at the same time. Please refer to this web-address and proceed with registration, at which time you will be given a confirmation password to use each time your child logs in to the site. I highly recommend this, as it is paperless, keeps the data as to where your child is progressing and moves them through the 'next steps'. Register for Brainish here: http://www.brainish.com/Registration/tabid/53/Default.aspx Good luck and of course, you can have your child participate if you choose to :-).



We are participating in a worldwide Holiday Card Exchange for the next three weeks. We will be receiving 24 holiday cards from different schools all over the United States. We took pictures for the cards on Friday, and hope to be creating, finalizing and sending our cards to their destinations on Wednesday. It should be exciting to receive these and each time we do, we'll virtually 'visit' the school from where it was sent through using Google Earth on the SMARTboard. How exciting, so you'll be hearing about this throughout the next three weeks. If you have a family member deployed, please encourage them to send a card to the class as well. Our small bulletin board will hold the evidence of all the cards received and the more we get, the more we'll post. Thanks for letting your kids hear from their deployed parent through this holiday card project.



We will be preparing another Reader's Theatre for the month of December and they're very excited about it, once again. I was so pleased with their efforts on the Thanksgiving Reader's Theatre performance. We travelled to all the other first grade classrooms, and Mrs. Avermann's speech classroom to perform and practice our presentation skills. Many students had their parts memorized. They never cease to amaze me in what they're able to do.



We'll be decorating our gingerbread (graham cracker) houses this week. They always turn out so adorable, so we'll wait to see how their writing project turns out. We will be working on organizing our writing, before writing this month, which includes sequencing, main idea, and supporting details, with a closing statement. Written language is closely associated with spoken language and experiences provided to them to produce interesting samples. Their handwriting, spelling, mechanics and grammar are improving in their authentic writing. We will be editing and publishing these outside our classroom. It should be fun and worthwhile.



Once again, thank you so much for your continued support and work with your child.
Enjoy the new slide show posted below!

Happy December,

Mrs. Petty

Welcome back! We had a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving week and 'filmed' our first whole group Reader's Theatre on the ABC's of Thanksgiving. Thanks to Mrs. Matallana for the help with the camera. We also enjoyed our Grade Level Thanksgiving program with our Italian students and teachers, hosted by our Italian Immersion teacher, Mrs. Flaherty. Thanks for your support and participation. We had an amazing audience, support from our VES administration, and the military community as well.

We have four full weeks of instruction remaining before Winter Break occurs. We'll press forward in all areas of the curriculum and encourage homework participation, especially in the home-reading partnership and use of the reading log that is found in your child's reading bag. Once again, thank you for your support and involvement.

Mrs. Petty

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Hope you enjoy the slide show!!
Welcome to Thanksgiving Week! Best wishes for a memorable holiday. As I contemplate this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, I am overwhelmed with how fortunate we are to be Americans. Have a wonderful week and I hope you're able to make it to our Thanksgiving Program at 2 p.m. in the small gym at VES. Please be seated prior to 1:50. Our class will be the first class to enter the gym, so sit near the secondary entrance (OTHER than the MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR)and we'll be right in front of you!

We will not have a spelling list this week, we just don't have enough time. We will extend our work on the same list as last week, so the links will reflect that. We will take a spelling 'test' on Wednesday.

We are currently working on addition strategies, especially counting up and on to add. When practicing this skill at home, your child should be finding the greater number, then count on and up with the other addend. Some of us use a number line to help, others of us are transitioning into a bit of mental computation by using fingers, or thinking about counting on and up. We will begin Addition Facts Drills in December and it will help us improve quick recall of addition facts. If you have addition flashcards to use at home, that would really help, so encourage working on these at home. I've been meeting individually with your child for the past week and listening to their oral reading. Many of them are beginning to orchestrate the use of 'cues' (another word for information)in their reading. They can use the meaning, structure, visual and phonics information to confirm whether their prediction (on an unknown word) is correct. When they get 'stuck' on a word, they need to use their finger to monitor their predictions, so then confirm that it matches, sounds right and makes sense. They are improving and I look forward to more growth during the month of December. Please continue monitoring their home reading by signing the reading log daily. We will continue this over the holiday and throughout the month of December.
Can't wait to see you at the program. The students have worked hard and do a great job. Homework links will change throughout the week, so keep up with it daily. If you're travelling for Thanksgiving, be safe and once again, have a great break.
Mrs. Petty

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Our Thanksgiving Program is scheduled for Tuesday, November 20, at 2 p.m. in the small gym closest to the main office of VES. Please come and enjoy the students' efforts to show what they've learned about this American holiday. We will host Italian students and a few of their teachers on this occasion. Please bring your cameras, and be seated before 1:50 if you're able to do so!
November 12-18, 2007 This is the poem that we recite immediately after our National Anthem and the Pledge each morning. Have your student recite it for you on Veteran's Day (observed) on Monday. A huge "Thank you for serving!" to all our veterans and active duty family members. We are so proud of your sacrifice, service, and your commitment to freedom and democracy around the world.


Even though last week was an interestingly scheduled week, we all came together and accomplished some of the most important work of your child's 1st grade year; a conference in which we discussed their progress, and work toward the goal of preparing to be life-long learners. I was impressed with your insights and desires for each of your children, and hope to make certain it continues to be a productive year. Thank you so much for meeting with me, and remember that you're invited to come back anytime. We look forward to a lot of learning and continued improvement over the time ahead prior to winter break in December.


Please send in a family picture for our FAMILY Bulletin Board. We just finished our "My Family" writings using the creative software/mind-mapping tool Kidspiration. They look amazing and many were able to record their descriptive sentences independently. I'll add a slide show later in the week, so that you can see their work.

We are preparing for our annual Thanksgiving Program, which includes the songs and poems from the slide show posted on this blog last week. Please assist your child in re-visiting the slide show located below in the November posts, as much as you can. The students are doing a great job of preparing and rehearsing, so thank you for all your efforts with them on this endeavor. We're working on our costumes and expect a visit by some Italian students and teachers this year. You will receive a formal invitation this week. Bring your cameras to the event.

HOMEWORK NOTE: There are many links on the left of this post. Don't miss the links as you scroll down. I am adding these links and changing them weekly, so that there is a lot of choice and variation in their activities related to the classroom activities. Please add these links to your computer's favorites bookmarks, if you find them especially helpful. Making your own list of favorites in a folder for use later, is a helpful tool in strengthening academic performance, and most are paperless and can be repeated for fluency, whether in math or reading. Some of you have been returning the homework to school. This is fine, but your 'star' or sticker at the top of the page is also providing feedback to them from home. Post their work at home in a special place and enjoy their pride in a job well done.

Looking forward to growing our collection of family photos. If you want this photo returned to you, please include a note with that request. We'll post them at school for the remainder of the year. Thank you and have a wonderful week.
Mrs. Petty

Check out my Slide Show!

Weekly Schedule:

Monday: Host Nation Computer Lab 2 p.m.
Tuesday: Host Nation Computer Lab 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday: No School for Students: Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday: No School for Students: Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday: Art & Back to School (Please bring in an old, larger T-shirt for painting projects. Place in a zip-loc bag w/your child's name on the outside.)

No Spelling Test this Week: Review lists from Week 1-9 and we'll play/participate in Word Wall games and writing simple sentences with all the review words. When viewing the Complete Spelling List, you can choose one of the many red rhyming words, and let your child write another word with a different beginning sound or blend. Use your mini-office alphabet to make as many as you can. Then, have them write a sentence using some of the words they made. They should be using the onset (beginning sound or blend), and then rime (end rhyming chunk of the word) to spell many words, and visualize how it looks, then confirm or correct. You can also copy off a small word wall list to hang up where they do their homework to help them refer and remember. They are using this method of write and check in the classroom with our own rhyming and regular word walls in the classroom.
We will begin our November seasonal activities, including a health unit on nutrition and making good food choices. The first grade classes will be preparing, then performing our annual Thanksgiving performance which will include poems and songs. More information about that will be coming a little later.

Now on to the news of the week. When you scroll over the link to the school calendar, one can see how November is full of days-off ! It always ends up that way, since we have conferences, Veteran's Day, and Thanksgiving Break all scheduled during the month. We will return to reading 1-2 books each night and place a new reading log to record their efforts.
Thank you for all your continued efforts with your child.
Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule:
Monday: Host Nation
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: Music-Be Safe if You're Trick or Treating :-0
Thursday: P.E.--End of 1st quarter
Friday: No School for Students/Teacher Work Day

Welcome to another new week, and a special welcome home to a few of our student's dads who've come home for R & R. What a great time of year to re-join the Vicenza community. We're so proud of you and appreciate your service to our country.
Our ticker just seems to pass the days so quickly... It's our last in October of this year, and will include another day off on Friday, Teacher Work Day. It's hard to believe that we'll be in the month of November before we know it, and with Parent Teacher Conferences for 2 of those days and Thanksgiving break near the end of the month, it will seem short. We'll work harder than ever, accomplish more than ever and continue on our quest to be readers, writers, problem solvers and above all, thinkers, GREAT ones that is!

Among all the activities of last week were our first Readers' Theatre experience. We had 4 groups of 4 and we each had a part in the play: Jack and the Black Beans. We worked on reading our rhyming words from the _ack family on our spelling list and improved our fluency and phrasing. After we practiced our lines, we acted out the play. It was fun and we'll try it again. We also rehearsed our Oscar Safety Owl song for trick-or-treating. I hope they've been practicing this at home. If you haven't heard it yet, ask them about it.... they have it memorized. We'll travel to other classrooms and share our production on Wednesday. :-O

Many thanks to all those who contributed to our Pumpkin Tasting party. We enjoyed such treats such as pumpkin bars, mini pumpkin pies, fresh roasted pumpkin seeds, apple juice, pumpkin dip w/Nilla wafers, pumpkin pie wedges, seasonal treat bags, pictures from a pumpkin patch in the U.S., stationery to write our own pumpkin patch stories and fancy seasonal plates and napkins. Our table was adorned with seasonal, decorative gourds and we really got in the spirit of the season. Wow, the students were hungry and really had their own form of dining out because of indoor recess. You'll receive one of the recipes in an e-mail attachment this week.

We'll be finishing our My Family writing from Kidspiration. It's a creative software/writing program, where your child virtually illustrates, then writes about their picture(s). They have learned how to use the Goodies menu, which allows them to record their name on the paper, spell check, and import background colors, if they like. It's exciting to have them recognize the word that 'looks right' from the menu of possible correct spellings. Oh, who would have thought they'd learn to use a spell check! You can download a free 30-day trial version and watch a movie about the software. Just google Kidspiration and wa-lah!!

We are working on fact families to 10 and they're becoming quite flexible. This basically uses two addends and their sum in four different number sentences such as: 2+4=6, 4+2=6, 6-2=4, and 6-4=2. This teaches quick recognition and mental computation (instant recall) of facts to 10 and begins to demonstrate the association between addition and subtraction through patterns. Your child should be able to write 4 fact-family number sentences; 2 addition and 2 subtraction from a set of 3 numbers. This will help develop a more fluent ability to show addition & subtraction quickly, and compose number sentences that accompany word problems + and - to 10. This eventually builds to the same skill with + and - facts to 20.

Our new display outside the classroom is a Pumpkin Poem. We drew and colored all different kinds of pumpkins! It goes like this....

Pumpkins large
Pumpkins small
Pumpkins short
Pumpkins tall
Pumpkins yellow
Pumpkins green,
All are ready
For Thanksgiving!

Read those books, as we'll try to get everyone aboard for Reading Counts this week. The books will be from our classroom library and they are at their instructional/independent level of reading. They are learning to monitor their own reading, answer 10 questions about the story and try to score no less than 70% on the test. We're coming right along!

22-26 October 2007
It's pumpkin week!
This week is Pumpkin Week. We'll read books galore on this amazing fruit and we're planning a tasting party. If you have any time, you're welcome to send in a favorite pumpkin treat of your choice. Cookies, cake, bars, pie, soup, mousse, fried, sauteed, roasted and - well....you understand, just about anything will do. There's only one guideline: make everything you share in mini-size, 'cause we'll use toothpicks to taste. Label your dish and you're welcome to send in the recipe that your child dictates to you. I'll compile a class pumpkin recipe book and send you a copy. If you're not able to find the time, you can send in pictures from magazines, tiny pumpkin toys, even pictures cut out that are designed by your child at home, or copied clip-art from the web. Make it easy and simple, but involve your child as much as possible. Anything goes as long as its all about pumpkins. Thanks to Vivian for sharing her book on pumpkins already. We LOVE that book!

We will integrate science, health, math, writing, art, and reading into one fun unit throughout the week, so listen up for all the fun we're sure to have. Most of the homework sites this week will deal with fall and other seasonal activities, including Halloween. If you object to any of these based on personal preferences, that's just fine.

We've just finished making our portfolio pockets and plan on 'stuffing' them full of wonderful work samples throughout the coming months. Your child will select artifacts from their various work samples during the weeks ahead and you'll get to see the beginnings of these at conferences. This particular philosophy encourages pride, self-improvement, and presentation skills including speaking, writing, reading and planning ahead. They did such a great job painting, I think we'll try it again very soon. I know some students made it home with a bit of paint on their clothing. Please send in an OLD, worn, oversized T-shirt for future painting projects. Place in a zip-loc bag for storage and if you want, put their name on the label. Thanks so much.

We're moving into the 2nd Level of Sight Words with Samson this week, List 8-Level 2. By the end of the week, I would like them to 'clean up' all their work on Lists 1-7. If you check their progress, you can see which list and activity number they need to repeat. Each box should get a green check. Please help and guide your student to 'clean-up' all the red squares that indicate extra practice is needed. Thank you, because we're moving on.

Remember, these sight words play a huge part in your child's ability to sound like and become a fluent and phrased reader and writer. As their 'bank' of sight words increases, their reading is more automatic and their sight words are easily visualized correctly when writing. Fluency in writing and reading are indicators of improved comprehension also. Thanks for your efforts on this homework.

Please return the school internet/e-mail permission slips if you would like your child to participate. It's another way of teaching functional writing and composition through communication. They have just learned to use the spell check and publish modes on a program called Kidspiration. Their keyboarding skills are also improving.

I look forward to meeting with you for Parent Teacher Conferences next week. We were all surprised to see that conferences were on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks for responding so quickly with your confirmation.

Well, that's another week. Enjoy the links this week and we'll look forward to our Pumpkin Tasting Party on Friday morning at 9:45, right before and during recess. Please have your mini-donations to the classroom by 9 a.m., Friday morning on the 26th. Why the change, Mrs. Dawson reminded us that it's an early dismissal day! Thanks for informing us. Remember, we only have 14 students in our class at this time. Oh, don't forget me, also!!

Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule:

Monday: Art (Computer Lab at 2 p.m to dismissal)
Tuesday: Music (Computer Lab at 10:30-11:15)
Wednesday: P.E. & Library
Thursday: Host Nation
Friday: Host Nation & Pumpkin Tasting Party (early dismissal day)

Remember, you can always click on the ARCHIVED past posts below !

...and your bunny will read to you!

Week of: 15-19 October 2007

This week we'll begin using a Health unit on the 5 senses to learn how to write, skip count, add more than 2 numbers together and other activities. We've got 3 weeks remaining in the 1st quarter of this year, so we're moving along in all our subject areas.

Please explore all the links on the right side of this column. [scroll all the way down!]

This past week, we had a C.O.W. in our room! Really, ...the 1st Grade Computer on Wheels arrived and each of the students experience using wireless laptop w/touchpad in the classroom for the first time. They all did an amazing job and will improve over the year in performing creative software projects for their electronic portfolio, keyboarding skills, academic tasks, and extra practice in all curricular areas because of this opportunity. Our technology plan's goals from the NETS will be more easily achieved through this opportunity.

Basically, we have 8 laptops on a wireless-hubbed cart in our room every 5th day of school. This, along with the other 4 computers in our room allows classrooms to integrate different subject areas in the curriculum and individualize assignments for students using technology. Stay tuned for more information and news regarding our guest COW!

Parents, you are instrumental in meeting the NETS goals by providing an opportunity for your child to complete their homework listed at the right of this post. You will be amazed at what they are able to do independently as they become more proficient in the academic and technology areas. Thank you for your support!

Let's have a wonderful week! Please read with your child each night. 20 minutes a day will do! The saying goes... Read to your bunny ... and your bunny will read to you!!

Schedule for the Week:

(Please remember to send a daily nutritional quick snack for your child for a.m.recess!)

Monday: Art /Computer Lab p.m.

Tuesday: Music (Lion Shake/Computer Lab in the a.m.)

Wednesday: P.E. (wear appropriate clothes and shoes)/COW
Thursday: Host Nation
Friday: Host Nation

Make certain you visit the archived information below dated 9-12 October for Classroom News and Homework Links! Enjoy! Mrs. Petty

October 9-12, 2007

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, extended weekend! We'll be learning a little about Columbus this next week in class, so get ready for the discussion at home.
Staff members at VES participated in inservice regarding one of the School Improvement Process Goals on writing. First Grade improvements will center around expository and narrative (the sharing of events and telling of stories in sequence) with appropriate writing conventions, improved sentence composition and structure, use of new vocabulary, relationships between oral and written language, and clear, legible handwriting. When your child reads a story to you during the year, please remember to ask them questions throughout the reading. At the end, let them re-tell the story remembering to include the main characters and their names, setting(s), and the sequence of the events in order including the problem and solution. This will be of great importance as they learn to understand what they've read and when they write their own stories. Thank you for all your assistance throughout the year with these tasks. Remember, you have been and will continue to be your child's first teacher! Please note the weekly changes in homework assignments and the additional activities listed on the bottom of the column on the left side of the page.

*If your child does any of the written work associated with the homework assignments this week, they can hand them in at the homework center, and I'll record completed homework for the week and send them back home. :-))

*Special Activities This Week:

Individual Pictures on Thursday at 8:15 a.m.! :-P

Progress Reports are on their way! Everyone is progressing nicely, and over the remainder of weeks left in the 1st quarter of the year, we'll look for improvements in work productivity, listening attentively, following classroom routines automatically, tightening up our transitions throughout the day, and improving in all academic areas including handwriting, reading, mathematics and writing with competency in print conventions to include capitalization, punctuation, and complete sentences, and of course, correct letter formations.
We just completed our first writing exercise using an autumn graphic organizer known as a 'web'which assists students in thinking visually. We all wrote a few sentences using the information we gathered from non-fiction books, sorting our fall findings and brainstorming what we learned. All the artifacts, including the published samples are on display and are fun to read. We're on our way! For more information on Graphic Organizers, visit: http://www.readinga-z.com/more/graphic_org.html#primary

Please continue having your child write their spelling words 5X and compose a sentence for each word. You are welcome to send this into school if you like. After doing this each week, your child will gain indenpendence and confidence when generating their own sentences.

Thank you for your efforts in helping your child make the needed connections to school from home. The fall collections were amazing and it was fun to sort and organize all we had to work with. Make sure you check out the new features of our classroom blog: 1) Student survey-How many people are in your family and 2) Scroll down to the bottom of the blog and follow the other homework activity links if you like.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Petty :-)

This week your child will begin bringing new books home for the home reading program. We will gradually switch to Guided Reading and the books will become individualized and tailored to their independent and instructional reading level. I ask that you listen and help them read using the parent prompt sheet that will be found in their home reading bag. Many of the students will also begin taking a Reading Counts test during the day for each book read. These consist of a 10 question, multiple choice computer-generated quiz where they can gain a point or two for each quiz scoring 7 or more correct. Reading test questions and choosing the correct answer is a new skill for most and many will develop an independence in this task over the next 4-6 weeks.

Please remember to collect some artifacts from around your neighborhood that demonstrate that fall is here. Try to include few different types of leaves, perhaps an acorn or walnut you may find on the ground, and even a very small pine stem. Place them inside a zip-loc sandwich bag and include your child's name on a small piece of paper inside the bag. We will be scientifically organizing our findings and writing a bit about autumn. The days are shorter and the nights, cooler. Enjoy this time of year with your child.

Daily Schedule this week:
Monday: Physical Education
Tuesday: Host Nation
Wednesday: Host Nation
Thursday: Art
Friday: Music

Mid-term progress reports will also be sent home at the end of this week.

Thank you for all your continuing support!
Mrs. Petty

Here we go with Week 3 for spelling and List 3 on Sight Words with Samson. Time is passing and I'm very happy to be back at school, teaching your children! A great big thanks to Mrs. Bade, once again, for doing such an amazing job and giving all the students a great start to their First Grade year. I am adding a new parent link that will lead you to a short, very informative Print Concepts video. Please watch this and add it to your parent repertoire.
Monday, the 17th is Constitution Day. Your child will participate in a lesson on Rules that Govern Us in School, and will make a torn-paper flag in honor of the document that allowed our democracy to flourish. When you stop by our class, you'll have to peek inside to see our new flag.
It was so nice to meet most of you at Open House. We had a full room and learned about how the class and year will be organized. Thank you for making the effort to come. If you weren't able to make it, I'd be glad to see you after school most days. Just send me a note and I'll get right back to you about it.
Don't forget to bring one of your favorite kinds of apples on Thursday!

Well, a new week has come and we have a new spelling list. We'll practice List 2 on Sight Words w/Samson this week. We are also working on counting to 100. Try the new links to the left of the weekly post.

Please read the books in your Take Home Reading Bag. Next week we'll be bringing some newer books home with us! Remember, it just takes a minute to read with your child.

Don't forget to come to Open House on Tuesday,11 September. Meet at the Post Theatre at 4:30 and then come and join us in our room and throughout the rest of the school. Mrs. Bade and I will be your hostesses for the evening. Here's a map of our classroom so you don't get lost! Let your child tell you all about our classroom before you come. All the students have worked hard to get ready for this night. See you there!

Now you can just click on the homework links! I hope this is easier for everyone. there's even a link for parents and students about Donald Crews, our author study this month. Make a calendar on the Starfall web-site. It's fun!

Please do not make comments on this blog. Please write to Mrs. Petty at her work address. Thank you!

Hello to our 2nd week of school, but our first week w/homework. :-)

Hello Parents and Students!!

Today everyone bring home their new reading bag. You will find 2 very important things inside. 1) books to read to you and, 2) a list of 5 new spelling words.

Parent(s) should sign the reading form each night, and have your child write their spelling words 5X each. Don't worry about the On the Back words. We are learn to make new words from our rhyming words this week: pig and not. We will also have sentences to write, but they're always a surprise on Friday morning. You can also practice your counting at home this week. How far can I count? Let me show you!!!

Also, this week we will be practicing Week 1 from Sight Words with Samson: http://www.sightwordswithsamson.com/. Remember to participate in all five activities for List 1. Do not work on any other lists this week. We are reading the sentences from List 1 at school. We like Samson!!!

Have a great week and remember to memorize your lunch pin code!

Mrs. Bade and Mrs. Petty

Well, we've finished our first day of school. Mrs. Bade and I hope that you have fun sorting the Lucky Charms and sharing what each one means for homework tonight. Your student has 15 new friends in our class. How exciting.

Please send in your e-mail and current phone #s to Mrs. Bade on the form she sends home tomorrow. As I mentioned, a lot of our daily communication will be completed through e-mail.

Thanks for a wonderful start! Take the time to read to your child tonight.

P.S. Let your child enjoy our class blog, also.