Updates

Hi everyone! I hope your newsletter made it home in one piece! It looks like we have the perfect number of field-trip chaperones, so thank you for taking time for that!!! I'll let you know more as May 11 approaches, but what I know right now is that the buses will be leaving from school at 9:30 and leaving the museum at 2:00. We should have enough space on the buses if you want to ride with us because we will be taking two at this point, but you can also meet us there.

Another even bigger field trip to keep in mind is our field trip to Hyalite Reservoir on June 2nd. Last year, the first graders piloted the whole trip from a grant we received, and this year, Mrs. Hamburgh has decided to make it a whole-school affair! I would really like to thank you for supporting the Fall Festival and the many other fundraisers we have had this year because that is what makes this trip possible! We had so much fun last year and got to do stations that fit right in with our science standards. So, if you are at all interested in spending a day outside with us at the end of the year, we will need LOTS of volunteers! Again, more info to come, but it's something to think about!

READING--A note about reading. Please keep in mind that all first graders should be reading at home nightly whether they have a book sent home or not! It is crucial for them to be rereading if something doesn't make sense and reading fluently at this point of the year, so keep it up! Also, this month is our READING CONTEST! For every five minutes your child reads at home, jot me a quick note or just write it on their reading record (yes, YOU must at least initial it) with your child's name, number of minutes read, and your initials. This is to avoid students being tempted to go cross off minutes that weren't read just because their friend is. The competition is tough! For every 50 minutes, their name will be entered into a drawing for a prize!! They only have until April 30, so get those minutes in now! Even reading to your child can be counted in some cases!

This time of year is super busy and flies by, but it is also my favorite time of year. Every day your kiddos make me laugh, and I hate to think I have to let them go on to second grade soon! They make my day every day! You should see their writing samples. WOW.

Okay, last, and then I'll be quiet, please please please go ahead and leave comments on this blog if you have one, even just to say you liked a picture! I love to hear from you, and it has been so quiet this year! Last year, I even had parents who would help their child post a comment, and we continued to write to each other during the summer! I would love to get that started now, so go ahead, post a comment! :)

Once again, thank you for being awesome and for letting me work with your awesome kids!

Shopping, Story Problems, and Making Change

This week we have been doing some shopping at our make-believe classroom store so that students have practice counting money, exchanging money, and making change. Change is a difficult concept for many first graders, so don't worry if your child needs extra practice. You can help by pointing out price tags while you are shopping together and then having your child count the coins for the cashier if possible. You can also point out when you get change from the cashier. Because of the common use of debit cards, some children did not realize that if you give the store too much cash, they give you money back! They thought the store just keeps the extra.

Here is one student being the cashier.

We are also working on writing number stories (story problems.) When they shop at the store, students had to write a number story for the items they were going to buy and calculate the total.

This student had one dollar to spend at the store, so he found as many items as he could that would add up to less than one dollar so he could buy them all!

Here he is calculating his total on the number grid. Nice work!!!

These two chose to finish their math during recess. They worked on a challenge problem then helped each other finish math pages. Way to go!!!

I absolutely love this time of year!! Students have grown so much, and we can work on more and more challenging concepts. They have truly formed a community in our classroom, and working together is one thing this class does well! Great job everybody!

Parents, you have a lot coming home in backpacks lately.

Please remember to return book orders and field trip permission forms by tomorrow, April 15. Have a great day!

Polygons

Last week, we learned all about polygons! One great way for the kiddos to learn about polygons is to construct pens for animals. Polygons are many-sided shapes with straight sides, no openings, and no closures inside.



We ran out of cows, so we put many kinds of animals in corrals! We had a lot of fun, and students should now know all of the shapes, including many 3-D shapes. Now in math, we are moving on to more about money, time, and place value to the hundreds! Have a great day!