Attention: Hope you all found the 100th Day Bottle Project/Canned Soup Drive paperwork! Don't worry about it, just read it through thoroughly, think about some different items that could fit into a 20 oz. bottle, especially those that are a different size, weight, and volume; then get creative. I'll have pictures of directions by Monday to send to you, so you can get a feel for it. The written work will be everything from easy to challenging, but worth the fun and effort. Don't open the white paper bag until the project is ready for hiding. I'll be getting back to you soon. :-) Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule:

PLEASE BRING A SNACK FOR RECESS!!!

Monday-Art-Computer Lab

Tuesday-Music-Computer Lab

Wednesday-P.E./Info Center & Book Check-Out

Thursday-Host Nation A

Friday-Host Nation B-Spelling Test

Can you believe that it's the last week in January? Report cards have been finalized and you will receive them in the mail this week. Please contact me via e-mail@ elizabeth.petty@eu.dodea.edu if you would like to schedule a conference with me.

We're progressing and have the 2nd semester in front of us. We'll begin the 3rd grading period with the usual busy mornings with language arts activities and centers, enjoy recess, then return for group work, then off to lunch and back to class for problem solving in math, then off to Special Classes, and last, but not least, mathematics and other core subjects in science, social studies and health. Thank you for all your support with monitoring homework, and getting your student to school in a healthy, on-time manner. So much done, but so much more to accomplish together.

We look forward to our next project-based learning activity. We will make Valentines for a new group of buddies from the "From Me to You" Technospud learning web-page http://www.technospudprojects.com/Projects/vd2008/fm2u2008_info.html. Click on this link and check out this web-site for the details, if you like. Our winter holiday project was so fun, we've decided to participate in the next one. Basically, each student will decorate a valentine, write a friendly letter, and send it to students from 24 different locations. Our first card will be sent to Australia! It will be fun. If someone has a wall-sized world map, or a wall-sized U.S. map to donate that would be great. We'll plot them and learn about where in the world they came from. We hope to have these in the mail NLT 4 February. We'll be taking pictures of our valentines and posting them on the blog. So fun to connect with students in this way.

Valentines Day will be a busy one for us at school. On Thursday, February 14th, your child is welcome to bring a valentine for each classmate. Here are the names of all the members of our class.

Alicia

Lucy

Austin

Vivian

Caroline

Klarisa

Mackenzie

Jaydrian

Jeremiah

Karima

Matthew

Andrew

Travis

Malik

Kobi

I always encourage hand-made valentines that are more meaningful that allow students to write, draw, and/or color. Whatever your student chooses to do, remember to have them write FROM: _______ on the back, so it is clear to the receiver who gave them the valentine. You are welcome to attach a sweet treat if you like, as well. Please bring them in a sealed zip-loc bag, all ready to be delivered on Valentines Day. They will remain in their cubby until time for delivery, so you're welcome to bring them to school any day. We look forward to visiting every other first grade teachers classroom full of activities to celebrate the 100th day of school and.......Valentines Day, also! Remember to keep practicing counting to 100 by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s. Many of the students have mastered these skills, and they may not know it, but know the multiplication tables for those numbers, also. It's amazing what skip counting does for other skills in mathematics.

Don't forget the School Improvement Goals at Vicenza Elementary School:

#1-All students will improve in writing across the curriculum

#2-All students will improve the math reasoning/problem solving skills.

Make certain you visit the new homework links and thank you once again, for all your help and support.

Sincerely, Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule: No Spelling Work this Week!

Please bring a snack for recess time!

Tuesday: P.E.- Computer Lab

Wednesday: Host Nation-Information Center Book Check-Out

Thursday: Host Nation

Friday: No School - Teacher Work Day

Welcome to another short week! We were busy getting our mid-year assessments completed and all the students worked hard on reading for me on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), their timed math tests, some writing samples and their spelling tests. I think you'll be pleased with their growth thus far and we all look forward to the second half of the year, and especially the next quarter, where we will have the longest, most concentrated number of days over time, to continue showing progress toward end-of-year 1st Grade benchmarks. Thank you for all your support.



This week we'll continue our work and Friday is another day off for students. Final Report Cards will be prepared and sent home the following week. Report cards will indicate how your child is progressing in Mathematics, Language Arts, Life Skills, Motor Skills, Art, Music, Host Nation, and P.E. After you receive the report card, you are welcome to write me an e-mail at elizabeth.petty@eu.dodea.edu if you would like a conference. Please mention a time and date/day convenient for you. I am available on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday after school, or during lunch at 11:30-12:00 any day. I will then write you back and you will confirm with a written note, or an e-mail.



Please continue working on the spelling, Sight Words w/Samson, and other homework activities. Your child should be reading each night for about 20 minutes and it is requested that you sign the Home Reading Log each night. Since our last conference I have seen progress and more interest in school work from most students.



We will begin having a home/family project each month istarting in February. The purpose of these is to strengthen academic skills and demonstrate a unique way of completing another form of homework. These will have a completion date, when your child will bring them to school to share. Have fun and be creative on these. Most students are very proud of their work and look forward to these, especially when other family members can help.



Have fun with the homework this week. There will not be a spelling test, due to the short week. Feel free to review the weekly spelling lists from Week 1-Week 16. If you have been adding to their home word wall, this is a great time to have you call out any word on the review weeks and have them spell/writie on their own. We have been working on our 'visual memory' when spelling at school. They like to write and spell the words by thinking about what they see in their mind, before checking the word wall. Try it at home and see what they are able to do.



Have a wonderful week and keep warm.



Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule:Bring a Daily Snack for Recess!!!

1/14 Monday: Host Nation

1/15 Tuesday: Host Nation

1/16 Wednesday: Art and Library/Info Center Book Check-Out

1/17 Thursday: Spelling Test & Music

1/18 Friday: No school for Students

*Monday, January 21st-Martin Luther King, Jr. Day-Federal Holiday/No School

It's a shorter week this week, so study up on those spelling words and look to complete your weekly homework assignments a little earlier. We're doubling up on the home reading program, and I would request that parents sign the signature line each night after reading with your child for 20 minutes. We are taking more Reading Counts tests on the books that have quizzes and this should also help with fluency and phrasing.

The 2nd quarter of 1st grade will be on Thursday, 24 January. Friday the 25th will also be a Friday without school for students. Report cards will be prepared on that day. During the next two weeks, I'll be assessing reading levels, high frequency word recognition, writing abilities, counting to 100 by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s, problem solving, and speed drills for addition and subtraction. Your assistance in monitoring homework is appreciated and always helps for the efforts made at school. Thank you so much.

Please remember to return any library books NLT Wednesday morning of each week. I am requesting that students check out at least 1 reading counts book from their weekly check-out, as many of the students are ready to experience books outside our classroom library that have quizzes. You will recognize the book on the spine, by seeing a colored 'dot' sticker. This book must be read carefully and on the RC quiz, there will be 10 comprehension questions about the story and its elements. Please encourage phrasing and fluency, along with problem solving when coming to a new or unknown word(s).

These cues will help:

1. Get your mouth ready to make the beginning sound.

2. Look at the picture(s) - [context clues]

3. Think about the story and what's happening

4. 'Chunk' the word-look for parts of the word they may know

Have them use their fingers to find little words, endings, etc.

5. If word is still unknown, have them skip the unknown word, then go back and read it again, with their predicition.

6. Always re-read a sentence where they have worked to figure out the 'tricky' part. This helps encourage phrasing, fluency and comprehension.

7. Let them re-tell the story using these story elements:

a. Main Characters (their names, too!)

b. Setting (Where the story takes place)

c. Beginning, Middle, and End

d. Have the state the problem in the story and the solution (how it was solved)

Hats-off to all our parents!

Mrs. Petty

Weekly Schedule:

Monday: Host Nation

Tuesday: Host Nation

Wednesday: Art

Thursday: Music

Friday: P.E.

Happy New Year, 2008!

Or....as they say in Italy, Buon Anno Nove :-). This is a pivotal time, as we start the new year, but also as we have what I consider the 'long-run' toward achievement of 1st Grade benchmarks, with MOST of it being accomplished between now and spring break. Your help is essential and the home/school partnership will take on new meaning, as more will be expected in work production, mathematics computation and deeper understanding of problem solving/understanding the flexibility needed to actively and efficiently function in a world of math, and lastly, the ability to read on grade level with phrasing, fluency, and develop a self-extending system of solving unknown words and use context clues in determining the meaning, and re-tell the author's point and summary of the words read.

We will carefully assess writing samples and expect your child to independently write responses in their own words in their literature log, when given a writing prompt, and organize their own thoughts as the mechanics of writing develop with the help of daily 'fix-ups- in the morning when entering the room. Daily reading will be requested of each parent(s) for 20 minutes. This will secure the goal for each of them to prepare for 2nd grade and beyond.

Once again, thank you for all your help and assistance thus far. I look forward to the successes and challenges in front of us and hope your start on 2008 has been a happy one thus far.

Please check out the new homework links and activities! On with the rest of the year.

Mrs. Petty