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