DECEMBER MCMONTHLY NEWS

THEME
Our thoughts anxiously turn to this exciting time of year.  Our passports are ready as we begin traveling to see how some holidays are celebrated around the world.  We have recently enjoyed searching our world map as we investigated the students' ancestors' homelands.  We found that there are many modern-day pilgrims in our class!

HOLIDAY HELPERS
As the holiday season arrives, please help your child know that, while they can feel excited, they need to act like responsible first graders.  They still need to be respectful listeners, try their best, and always be kind to one another.

LANGUAGE ARTS
The students continue their progress and success in reading.  We are comparing short vowels and long vowels and are constantly reviewing our high frequency words.  Starfall.com has been one of the many ways we've been able to practice these sounds in the Computer Lab, along with some cool Smartnotebook activities.  We've also been concentrating on the beginning, middle, and ending of literature we read and of our own stories that we are writing.

MATH
We have been focusing on patterns that repeat, patterns that grow, and with place value.  These skills will help us understand the differences among the ones, tens, and hundreds place.

BIRTHDAYS
Mon., Dec. 20:          Mia Cappelli
Tues., Dec. 21:          Jack Yurman
Thurs., Dec. 23:        Jacqueline Jaskiewicz
Tues., Dec. 28:          Katelyn Frawley
Fri., Dec. 31:             Samantha Hunt

REMINDERS
Fri., Dec. 3:               Scholastic Orders due
Tues.-Fri., 11/30-12/3:  Conferences, Early Dismissal
Mon., Dec. 6:            Family Traditions due
Tues., Dec. 7:            Field Trip, Maritime Aquarium
Wed., Dec. 8:             Cookie Exchange
Thurs., Dec. 9:           Darren Farrell Author Visit
Thurs., Dec. 16:         Grab Bag gifts due
Fri., Dec. 17:             Holiday Party, Polar Express Theme
Fri., Dec. 17:             Toy Drive ends
Tues., Dec. 21:          Holiday Grab Bag
Thurs., Dec. 23:         Short day, vacation begins
Dec. 24 - Jan 2:         December vacation
Mon., Jan. 3, 2011:    Return to school

SPECIAL NOTES

* I would like to thank all of you for your generosity with the school-wide Toys-for-Tots Drive taking place during the next three weeks.  You are making others very happy this season!

* Superstar News:  Every Friday, a new "Superstar of the Week" is picked at random.  If there is a week that is not good for your child to be superstar, please jot me a note or email, so we won't pick your child's name during that week.  Once a superstar is picked, they can share treasures throughout the week.  A note will go home explaining the details once he or she is picked.

NOVEMBER WORDS
I
black
brown
come
down
find
go
have
here
say
they
we
what
where
who

* Keep practicing old Spelling words and spelling patterns

NOVEMBER MCMONTHLY NEWS



THEME

We turn our focus from tasty treats and fun costumes to crisp weather and the thrill of Thanksgiving time.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Our reading program continues to take us on a decoding journey, blending all the consonants with different vowel sounds and learning tricks to figure out larger words.  Books are becoming more challenging, and we continue to write in our journals and work on some of our own story creations.  We are constantly practicing our speaking skills as well as good listening, especially when our Mystery Guests visit!

We've noticed that the Monday Words Their Way homework can be tricky at times.  If the homework takes up a lot of time, simply choose a handful of words (perhaps 10) to try certain homework choices (such as the Letter Change choice).  The idea is to get used to the spelling patterns and sounds, but not worry so much about memorizing the words.  Take an extra day to finish if your child needs it.  Likewise, if your child would like a challenge, doing more than the sorts each night is fine too, as long as it doesn't feel overwhelming to your child.

MATH
We have been concentrating on the "measurement" of time, money, and length.  Please ask your child how much time has passed between one activity and another to reinforce the duration concept of time.  We continue to use literature and manipulatives to reinforce addition, subtraction, and problem solving.

BIRTHDAYS
Tuesday, Nov. 16:                          Chase Lombra
Friday, Nov. 19:                             Paige Zamsky

REMINDERS
Mon., Nov. 1:                                 Nature Walk (at school)
Mon., Nov. 1-3:                              Book Fair (even Election Day!)
Tues., Nov. 2:                                  Election Day/Staff Dev/No School
Mon., Nov. 8:                                  Family Turkeys Due
Week of Nov. 8:                              Ancestor Info Due
Thurs., Nov. 11:                              Veterans Day
(wear red, white, and/or blue)
Fri., Nov. 12:                                   Veterans visit
(wear red, white, and/or blue)
Fri., Nov. 12:                                   Scholastic Orders due
(just in case you don't find what you wish from the Book Fair!)
Mon., Nov. 15:                                Field Trip
(Fairfield Univ. Quick Center Theater)
Wed., Nov. 24:                                Thanksgiving coming,
early dismissal
Nov. 25 - 26:                                   Thanksgiving, no school
Nov. 30 - Dec. 3:                            Conferences, shortened days

SPECIAL NOTES
* This Fall's Book Fair comes at the same time the monthly Scholastic orders are available.  Due to popular demand, I will still be sending the order forms home (next week) in case you'd like to "elect" another option for some great books!

* Thank you for the Halloween Boo-Grams.  They were most appreciated and were a fun way to start our exciting Halloween day!

* With the weather getting chillier, please label any extra clothing your child brings in.

* Thank you all for helping us get off to a great start with our Volunteer schedule!  The school year gets so busy and I often don't get the chance to say thank you.  The children and I appreciate all your help in the classroom, behind the scenes at home, and with your daily support for homework and encouragement for being grown-up first graders!

OCTOBER MID-MCMONTHLY UPDATE

UPCOMING DATES NOT LISTED ON OCTOBER'S CALENDAR

Fri., Oct. 15:                          Yearbook Orders Due

Fri., Oct.  22:                         School Photo Orders Due

Mon., Nov. 1:                        Photo Retakes

***Word Study Homework Clarification: 
*MONDAY:  Choose only one assignment for Monday's homework.  Keep words in baggy at home.
*TUESDAY:  Study words and word patterns.
*WEDNESDAY:  Study words and word patterns.
*THURSDAY: Study words and word patterns.  Prepare for Friday's Spelling Check-up by spelling words out loud or by writing them down as family member "quizzes" students.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS!

We have been very, very busy in first grade so far!
We started learning words in a new way called Word Study.  Some of us tried this in kindergarten.  Now we have new word lists, and we're experts at sorting our words the right way.
We had our first spelling test.
We went into the Computer Lab to try activities with grown-ups.
We started having Superstar of the Week.
We had our first Mystery Guest.  We had fun guessing who it would be.  It was Officer Mark, Mia's Dad.
We also had our first Activity Afternoon.  It was Apple Tasting Day.  It was yummy!

OCTOBER MCMONTHLY NEWS

October has begun with some exciting new responsibilitiesaround the corner - Spelling, homework, small-group reading, and independent activities.  The children are excited about taking these new challenges seriously.  We already had our first Activity Afternoon and are having our first Writers' Celebration the first week of October!  We will continue those efforts as we begin even more grown-up first grade regular activities, such as Literacy Centers, Mystery Guest, Computers and more!  We will also consume apples and pumpkins in our major subject areas as we anxiously await Halloween.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our reading and writing programs are taking us through many letters, sounds, word patterns, and print concepts.  We have enjoyed investigating the shape, the syllables ("beats"), and vowels in each other's names.  We have jumped right into our balanced literacy program, are learning to choose "just-right" books, and are working hard on our very-difficult writing responsibilities.

MATH

We are beginning to add and subtract numbers to 10 and focus on the parts (the numbers) that make up the total.  We will continue to use literature and manipulatives to reinforce problem-solving.

BIRTHDAYS

Fri., Oct.1:                          Olivia Pistone

Sat., Oct. 2:                        Valentina Cuccolo

REMINDERS

Fri., Oct. 8:                          Scholastic Due

Mon., Oct. 11:                     No School

                                            Columbus Day/Staff Dev.

Fri., Oct. 15:                         Boo-Grams Due

Fr., Oct. 29:                          Halloween Celebration

                                             Wear Halloween colors

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mon., Nov. 1:                       Nature Walk at school

                                             Weather permitting,

                                             wear outdoor clothing

Tues., Nov. 2:                       No School

                                             Election Day/Staff Dev.

Nov.  1 - 3:                           Book Fair (Mon. - Wed.)



SPECIAL NOTES

* Thank you for helping to make the first month of your child's first grade a success!  It was nice to meet those of you who were able to attend Open House.

* A special Thank You goes out to our Room Moms, Marijke Hart and Nancy Lombra, for coordinating our Volunteer schedule.  A special thanks goes out to the rest of you too!  The children and I are excited to have all of you help us in the class (or help out at home too!)  Your time is most appreciated!

* A special thank you to all of you who made our Apple Tasting Day such a success!  We enjoyed some tasty creations.  Apples have 20 to 25 percent more air in them than most fruits, so we're glad to know why our apples floated.

* Thank you for helping your child choose his/her favorite book to share with the class last month.  We enjoyed investigating the selections!

* Box Tops will be collected once again this year.  More info coming!

SEPTEMBER WORDS

Andrew

Austin

Ben

Charly

Chase

Freddie

Jack

Jack

Jacqueline

James

Jeremiah

Josephine

Katelyn

Madden

Matthew

Mia

Nicole

Olivia

Paige

Peter

Sami

Simone

Valentina



OUR FIRST SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDER ARRIVED!

If there is a family that ordered the A to Z Mysteries 4-pack and didn't receive it, please let Mrs. Mc know. 
Thank you for your orders!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK!

We started classroom jobs.
We had our class photos taken.
We learned about our class stoplight.
We learned about Just Right books.
Now we have our own book bins.
We did more stories in writing workshop.
We did more graphing and learned how to use tally marks.
We made bingo boards from Super Names of the day.
We went to all of our special classes.
Our families visited our classroom.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR

FIRST WEEK OF FIRST GRADE!

First grade is fun.

We celebrate our names every day and learn the vowels, syllables ("big-kid" word) and spelling.

We remembered that we are expert counters.

We did graphing in math with our names and lunch choices.

We like working in first grade.

We're going to like homework.

We learned a lot of things we'll learn in first grade.

We looked in a special treasure box.  Things inside of it had special meaning.

We have a great class!

FIRST GRADE MCMONTHLY NEWS SEPTEMBER

Congratulations to the first graders!
We had a great first week of school!

THEME

We will be incorporating all major subjects into our main units of study revolving around apples and manners.  We are also getting to know one another in our class "team" and are starting to become experts at all the routines.  Please encourage your child to accept their new first grade responsibilities.  The "Golden Rules" attached to the hard copy of the monthly newsletter will help them keep up the good work!

LANGUAGE ARTS

We are excited to have a balanced literacy program in the classroom which targets a wide variety of learners through guided, shared, and independent reading, and our Words Their Way phonics program.  We will also begin to develop writing skills revolving around a "Writing Workshop" model and our class themes.

MATH

Our Growing With Mathematics program begins by reviewing grouping, patterns, and numbers through 12.  We will be using literature and manipulatives to reinforce problem solving.

BIRTHDAYS

There are no August or September birthdays.

REMINDERS

Mon., Sept. 6:         No School, Labor Day

Thurs., Sept. 9:        No School, Rosh Hashanah

Fri., Sept. 10:          Scholastic Orders Due

Fri., Sept. 10:          Bus Contracts Due

Fri., Sept. 10:          Favorite Book Due

Tues., Sept. 14:       1st Grade Parent Coffee, 9:30-10:15
                                  (Bring datebooks/planners)

Wed., Sept. 15:       Open House, 8:00-8:25, Parents Only
                                  (Bring datebooks/planners)

Thurs., Sept. 16:       School Photos

Sun., Sept. 19:          Family Picnic, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 24:            Get Acquainted Page Due

SPECIAL NOTES

• 
  
  Thank you all for sending in supplies and paperwork!
• 
  
  All Ox Ridge students have been asked to have a bus-time book or magazine available to help maintain peace (and promote reading!) in our hallways.  Please have your child bring a small book for that time.
• 
  
  Ox Ridge Snack:  The children have the opportunity to order an afternoon snack from our cafeteria.  I have encouraged the children to talk to their families about how often, and if, they can buy this extra snack.  The snack money will be deducted from the students' lunch accounts.
• 
  
  If you still have your child's summer reading journal, please send it in to class this coming week, so we can send along the good reading news to the Library!
• 
  
  Please note that when you receive the Photo Day sign-up form, you may choose your background color.  Please send your response back to the classroom before 9/16.
• 
  
  Sharing will occur when a child is Superstar of the Week (details to come).  If they have something they wish to share and simply can't wait for their Superstar week, they can bring it in on Mondays.  If time permits, we will have a brief sharing time that afternoon.
• 
  
  Please feel free to call me at school with any questions or concerns (203-655-2579, ext. 1142).   You can also email me at cmcgettigan@darienps.org; however, there are times when email could be "down," so the phone is essentially more reliable.
• 
  
  I hope to see you all at the Open House evening when I will explain in more detail about our schedule, curriculum, homework, and class routines.  Please bring your calendars, as I will have our Conference sign-up sheet available that evening.

Thank you so much!  I look forward to working with your children in first grade!

Cathy McGettigan

WELCOME TO THE 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR!

Welcome to Mrs. McGettigan's First Grade!
The first day if school is Monday, August 30, 2010. 
I hope you had a fantastic summer!
Our first grade year is filled with lots of exciting activities!


Please check our first day letter which includes information about our classroom routines and paperwork.
Be on the lookout later this first week for our September newsletter to learn about many upcoming events.

Last Year's Info Below

SUNSATIONAL READERS!

It's Sunsational Reading Week!

To get you in the mood for being a summer reader, please pack a beach bag to keep in school this week.  You might want to include a beach towel, some favorite books from home, sunglasses, and whatever else helps you to be the very best reader ever!

FIRST GRADE MAY/JUNE MCMONTHLY NEWS

May will be filled with many springtime activities, and we will still be working hard!  We will have several rehearsals to prepare for our Three Piggy Opera play later this month.  We are excited about our role as the play's singers and musicians!

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our reading challenges have been exposing us to larger vocabularies and comprehension strategies that help add deeper meaning to the stories we read.  We continue to review short and long vowels, blends, digraphs, and sight words.  Learning about different types of poetry is our focus in Reading and Writing Workshop.

MATH

We will soon begin to make sense of "multiplication" by putting together groups that contain equal parts.  Likewise, we will soon make sense of the big-kid word "fractions" by splitting bigger groups into fair shares.  As always, it is beneficial to encourage your child in math by using real-life examples or everyday objects to help understand these tricky concepts.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES

The class scientists have enjoyed learning about the plant cycle.  Soon, we will be learning about another cycle and will be hatching our own butterflies!  As we travel throughout this busy time in June, we will be enjoying geography concepts and locating places on maps (although we've used our classroom map throughout the year!)

TECHNOLOGY

We have been able to do some grown-up work in the Computer Lab using the Destination Reading program.  We have become adept at trying some Smartboard templates, locating letters on the keyboard, and manipulating objects and words on the screen.  We will learn a cool new concept called Google Scratch this month.  We soon hope to be typing our final Writers Workshop stories!

MAY REMINDERS

Mon. 5/3 - Wed. 5/5:          Book Fair

Thurs. May 6:          Butterfly "Bruce Mobile"  (In-school enrichment)

Fri., May 21:           Three Piggy Opera Music Performance, 9:30, Common Room

          (Girls, please wear a pink top and Boys, please wear a brown top.)

          (Families, come early for good parking and seats!)

Fri., May 21:          Last Scholastic orders due (Will be sent home 5/17)

Fri., May 28:          School Spirit Day, Patriotic Day (Wear red, white, and blue)

Mon., May 31:          Memorial Day, No School

MAY BIRTHDAYS

Thursday, May 20:          Anna Passaretti

Friday, May 21:            Julia Lucak

JUNE REMINDERS

Tues., June 8:          Field Day, 12:30 - 2:00  (Raindate 6/10)

Wed., June 16:          Ice Cream Celebration, Memory Share, 1:30 - 3:00  Mrs. Mc's Classroom

Mon., June 21:          Shortened Day, Last Day of School

JUNE/SUMMER BIRTHDAYS

Wed., June 2:          Huntley Pizzarelli

Wed., June 23:          Jackson Wood

Thurs., June 24:          Katie Chandler

Sun., July 11:          Jack Bailey

Sat., July 17:          Garrett Stauffer

OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES

Thank you for your input for our class Memory Share Day.  What a busy time of year!  I am hoping you can all come on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 16th.  We will be having our Memory Share combined with the ice cream celebration.  We will meet in the classroom first, and weather permitting, head outside after that.  Feel free to bring other family members with you for this exciting, culminating activity!

Our last Spelling test will be right before Memorial Day weekend.  We will be having an informal spelling bee early in June for fun!  We've learned so much!

Thank you for your generous contributions to Pennies for Patients, Box Tops, and the other numerous school fundraisers.  The last day to collect bos tops for this year's class contest will be Friday, May 21.

Thanks also to those involved with the scenery for The Three Piggy Opera play to be performed later this month by all first graders.

Thanks to the hard work during March Math Madness!

All volunteers, continued thanks to you!

If your child has borrowed some of our classroom library books or materials, please return them to school by the last week of May.  Thanks!

MAY SPELLING WORDS

#25 - ED Endings

wanted

hopped

framed

watched

played

#26 - Compound Words

sunshine

homework

baseball

into

mailbox

#27 - Plurals

butterflies

foxes

beaches

teachers

children

#28 - Summer Fun

summer

vacation

swimming

travel

picnic

MAY SIGHT WORDS

always

around

ask

been

before

best

both

does

found

goes

its

pull

read

sing

their

these

us

very

which

would

your

DATE CHANGE FOR JUNE

Please mark your calendars for the first grade Field Day!

The new date will be Tuesday, June 8th from 12:30-2:00.

The rain date will be Thursday, June 10th from 12:30-2:00.

Thank you!

DATE CHANGE FOR MAY

Please mark your calendars for The Three Piggy Opera!  The 1st grade music performance has been changed from Friday, May 14th until Friday, May 21st in the morning.  Thank you!

FIRST GRADE APRIL MCMONTHLY NEWS

IN LIKE A LION, OUT LIKE A LAMB

Wow, the weather expression held very true this month.  We hope all families are back on track after our unexpected hurricane-like storm.  The children had many stories to share, and we are so glad to all be safe!

LANGUAGE ARTS

We are focusing on comprehension strategies in our stories, as we continue to review short and long vowels, blends, and sight words.  We have also been enjoying paying more attention to the characters in our just right reading.  This week we will have our "All About" project celebration that follows our non-fiction writing unit!  Our next writing unit focuses on Realistic Fiction where stories are true to life, but may not have happened.  Be on the lookout for Spelling Bee news.  As we keep learning new patterns, remember to keep practicing our old spelling patterns! 

READING HOMEWORK INFO

In addition to our "paper" homework that we do almost daily, we should be reading approximately 15 minutes on our own, so that we can continue to build fluency and understanding - even on the weekends!  (Thanks for encouraging your children.)

MATH

We soon return to shapes, attributes and measurement, and we anticipate some cool activities working with symmetry.  To help us understand bigger math problems, we are also using counting strategies in a much more advanced way than we did earlier in first grade!

BIRTHDAYS

Thursday, April 1:        Grant McIntyre

Wednesday, April 21:  Ava Comey

Thursday, April 29:      Michal Depczyk

REMINDERS

Wednesday, March 31:  Overtime Athletics makeup class (for the 2/10 snow day)
Wednesday, March 31:  In-school enrichment, Space author, Andrew Chaikin
Thursday, April 1:          School lunch:  Hamburger/Cheeseburger and Managers' Choice
Thursday, April 1:          March Math Madness ends
Thursday, April 1:          Class Spirit Day, Clothing Clash day
Thursday, April 1:          School in session storm make-up day (Staff Development postponed)
Friday, April 2:               No School, Good Friday
Monday, April 5:            Library author visit, Pat Hubble
Wednesday, April 7:       Character project due
Friday, April 9:               Library author visit, Anthony Coccia
Friday, April 9:               Scholastic orders due (going home on 4/5)
April 12 - 16:                 School closed, April vacation
April 19 - 23:                 Earth Day Week, save energy by keeping lights off as much as possible

UPCOMING DATES

Mon - Wed, May 3-5     Dive Into Reading Book Fair
Thursday, May 6:            In-school enrichment, The Bruce Mobile (Bruce Museum)
Friday, May 14:              Music Performance, 9:30 tentative
Tuesday, June 1:             Field Day, 12:30 - 2:00, (PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE)
Tuesday, June 8:             Raindate for Field Day, 12:30 - 2:00 (PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE)
Monday, June 21:           Last day of school for students

OTHER NEWS

The Springtime gets so busy at Ox Ridge with a myriad of activities.  Please be on the lookout for a classroom survey coming home soon regarding our final classroom culminating activity.  I will try my best to schedule the "Memory Share" on the date the majority chooses.  I'll let you know as soon as we confirm the dates for our Memory Share and end-year on-site picnic.

We have been such hard workers that we have decided to write in our "Highlight of the Week" journal once a month but will try our best to blog our highlights weekly.  Keep an eye out!

Our first grade will help support Miss Blake's Earth Day efforts in saving as much electricity as possible while we are in the classroom during the week after April vacation.  Let's hope the entire school participates.  We can make a difference!

A TON OF THANKS

• Thanks for helping to participate in Trash-Free Tuesdays.  What a great way to recognize Earth Day every week.
• Thanks for your support for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with the "Pennies for Patients" fundraiser coming up in April!
• Thanks for your support for "Box Tops for Education!"
• Thanks for your support with the Daffodil Drive!
• Thank you, Volunteers, at school and with your home support!
• We are one very lucky classroom.

MONTHLY WORDS

could

every

get

good

her

look

ran

start

that

there

think

under

warm

when

white

APRIL SPELLING WORDS

# 21  The Ouch Brothers  ou/ow

outside

house

flower

shower

how

#22  The Sorry Sisters  au/aw/a

August

draw

tall

crawl

autumn

#23  Ahoy Mates  oy/oi

foil

enjoy

oyster

spoil

choice

#24 - Contractions

can't

I'm

wasn't

it's

you're

APRIL SIGHT WORDS

(an edge of our playground after the storm)

after

again

as

because

call

don't

draw

had

him

how

just

once

round

thank

them

then

walk

wash

were

why

FIRST GRADE MARCH MCMONTHLY NEWS

GO FOR THE GOLD!

March is definitely coming in like a lion this year.  Let's hope some warm, lamb weather arrives soon!  We have been thoroughly enjoying the Olympic feel of our school this winter, and you will be amazed at how fast time will fly in first grade this spring!  We will enjoy learning some map skills as we navigate through these Spring months.  We also kick off this month with Dr. Seuss' birthday!  If your child has red, white, and black clothing, he or she should wear them on Tuesday as "Cats in the Hat" as we participate in "Read Across America" in honor of Dr. Seuss.  If your child has some crazy or mismatched socks, he or she should wear them on Wednesday as we continue with our Dr. Seuss celebration with a "Green Eggs and Ham" Activity Afternoon!  In addition, if your child has any favorite Dr. Seuss books, he or she should feel free to bring them in to enjoy with their classmates throughout this week!

LANGUAGE ARTS

We continue to review short vowels, long vowels, and we are learning tricky sounds that look a little different and "don't follow the rules."  Paying close attention to the longer stories we are now reading helps us to figure our what to do when words are tricky, and it also helps us to "jump" right into books with characters!  We are increasing our writing skills and focusing on complete sentences, proper punctuation, and story details.  We have been enjoying non-fiction writing and were excited to write many "How-To" stories.  We realized that we are experts at many activities!  We are certainly becoming "Olympic Writers" as we officially move into writing our own "All-About" stories.

MATH

We now begin to enjoy a new understanding of geometric shapes and fun with different units of measurement (perhaps we can help cook more now!)  By the middle of the month, we will return to focus on the parts and total in addition and subtraction stories such as doubling, counting on, counting back, and more.

BIRTHDAYS

Sunday, March 7th:     Casey Warble

REMINDERS

Tuesday, March 2          Darien Nature Center Enrichment Program

                                      on Animal Movement

Tuesday, March 2:         Red, white and black clothing day 

(Class Spirit Day in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day)

Wednesday, March 3:   Crazy Socks Day

Friday, March 5:           Scholastic orders due

Monday, March 22:      Progress Reports home

March 24 - 26:             Conferences, 1:30 dismissal

                                   (conference sheets coming home soon)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Friday, May 14:          Music Performance in the Common Room,

                                   9:30 a.m. tentative time

Tuesday, May 25:       Field Day, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 1:         Field Day Raindate, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

SPECIAL NOTES

• 
  
  Thanks for the continued box tops.  The collection continues through May.
• 
  
  Thanks for your generous support in the Daffodil Drive.
• 
  
  Continued thanks to our Room Moms, Christina Passaretti and Brooke Kennedy, and all families for all the work you do with your children supporting our first grade learning!

                             

MARCH SPELLING WORDS

#18  The H Brothers

phone

think

wish

white

much

# 19  Bossy R

after

start

bird

were

church

# 20  "oo"

look

book

tooth

school

foot

#21  The Ouch Brothers

outside

house

flower

shower

how

MARCH SIGHT WORDS

could

every

get

good

her

how

look

once

ran

round

start

thank

that

them

there

think

under

warm

when

white

FIRST GRADE FEBRUARY MCMONTHLY NEWS

THEME

Incredibly, the 100th day of school should arrive on Thursday, February 4th!  This month is filled with holiday celebrations and theme awareness such as Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Force and Motion/Shadows, the 100th Day, Valentine's Day, and Presidents' Day.  We don't know how we're going to squish in vacation!

LANGUAGE ARTS

We continue to learn long vowel sounds that are spelling in many different ways and review short vowel sounds.  We continue to increase our sight vocabulary!  Our confidence in spelling new words will help us as we continue to do more non-fiction story writing!  We are excited to have our "How-To" Writers' Celebration very soon.  We realized that we are experts at many activities!  Next focus:  "All About" stories.   (We know a lot about many things, so that should be exciting!)

* Special Note:  If your child wishes to do a very brief "how-to" video, feel free to film them and send their creation to me via email, camera, flash drive, etc.  I will try my best to post to our class blog.  We have learned that "acting out" helps us put more details in our writing, so this is a terrific form of encouragement.  (No pressure though!)

MATH

We have beeen working hard to investigate how numbers go together in fact families.  We will soon return to place value to help us make sense of some big numbers!  We will also study 3-D objects to understand geometry and measurement.

BIRTHDAYS

No February birthdays

REMINDERS

Mon., Feb 1:           100th Day goodies due

Wed., Feb. 3:          Enrichment Program
Shadows With High Touch/High Tech

Thurs., Feb. 4:         100th Day of School
100th Day goodies from kindergarten & first grade picked up

Fri., Feb. 5:             Scholastic Orders Due

Fri., Feb. 5:             Superbowl Spirit Day
Wear your favorite team/sport jersey or Ox Ridge colors/gear

Thurs., Feb. 11:       Chinese New Year celebration

Fri., Feb. 12:            Valentine celebration

Feb. 15 - 19:            Presidents Week/Vacation

Fri., Feb. 26:            2nd marking period ends

Feb. 1 - 26:             Daffodil Drive (Delivery March 22nd)

SPECIAL NOTES

• 
  
  Please remember to include all your classmates when you make/write your Valentines!
• 
  
  With the chilly/snowy weather, please label all cold weather gear and send to school with your child in some kind of "snow gear bag."  Thank you for helping the children stay organized with their belongings!
• 
  
  Thank you for your support and for encouraging your child with Acts of Kindness in honor of the Nivrose family in Haiti.
• 
  
  Thank you for helping to support our local Person-to-Person organization for the 100th Day.  The students' donations will add up to just around 100 cookies to go along with the goodies brought in by the other K/1 classes - definitely a nice treat for families in need!
• 
  
  Thank you for your support in sending in the "Box Tops for Education."  Please keep them coming!
• 
  
  Thank you for your support in this month's Daffodil Drive for the American Cancer Society!
• 
  
  We were lucky to have Christine Wood and Andrea Warble present a terrific environmental/recycle program sponsored by the DAEG the last week of January.  Thanks!  The students are excited to care for their environment way before the arrival of Earth Day.
• 
  
  Thanks to Annie and John Lucak for hosting this month's Chinese New Year celebration!
• 
  
  Continued thanks to our Room Moms, Christina Passaretti and Brooke Kennedy, and for all Volunteers!
• 
  
  In our new class blog, the web site that sponsored the fancy fish clock was responsible for a pop-up in late January that said "Make a donation."  Please excuse any confusion it caused.  It has now been removed.
• Basic information in our class blog:  http://www.mrsmcgettigan.blogspot.com/

JANUARY WORDS

did

do

going

into

know

must

new

no

now

old

open

over

so

some

soon

those

too

use

will

with

FEBRUARY SPELLING WORDS

#15 - Long u Spelled u, ue, ui

glue

fruit

suit

blue

music

#16 - Long Vowel Mixed Review

away

please

night

those

cute

#17 - Y as a Vowel

funny

my

why

many

try

FEBRUARY SIGHT WORDS

any

ate

blue

by

fly

from

funny

give

live

many

may

our

out

of

pretty

FIRST GRADE JANUARY MCMONTHLY NEWS

THEME

Happy New Year!  It's so nice to be back with the children again!  It's hard to believe 2010 is here!  This month we learn how to stay safe and healthy when we study germs (we've already been doing a pretty good job of that this school year!)  We study science principles of Animals in Motion while learning how some animals adapt in winter.  We also continue concentrating on the on-going STAR traits by appreciating one another through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our Spelling program becomes trickier as we continue to focus on more long vowel sounds.  We are blending these new sounds with all the consonants to increase our vocabularies and help us to spell.  We are also comparing short and long vowels and know this will be especially helpful as we apply these tricky spellings to our writing.  This month, we begin some non-fiction writing with our enjoyable "How-To" unit!

MATH

We have been focusing on the parts that are taken away in subtraction and putting those parts back together in addition, using literature, manipulatives, and real-life situations.

BIRTHDAYS

No January birthdays

REMINDERS

Fri., Jan. 8:  Scholastic orders due

Mon., Jan. 18:  Martin Luther King Day/No School

SPECIAL NOTES

• 
  
  Due to the power outage on our field trip last month, the first grade team is still working on the best way to make up the $$ and the experience with the children.  It was certainly an adventurous day!  The students (and chaperones) were such good sports.  Will keep you posted.
• 
  
  Thank you all for sending in the amazing supply of paper goods and healthy cleaning supplies.  You are all very generous.  The children and I thank you immensely!
• 
  
  Since the cold weather has returned, please label any extra gear, such as boots, snowpants, mittens, and hats.
• 
  
  We are enjoying our Superstar of the Week sharing and writing opportunities; regular sharing will still continue on Mondays, time permitting
• 
  
  "Box Tops for Education" are being collected by the Student Council.  You will see the red and white rectangular shapes on certain types of packaged food boxes.  Please check the expiration date, cut them out, and send them in with your children so they can help earn extra equipment for our school or again help someone in need (for example, if the school collects enough box tops, Ox Ridge can send a child to a summer camp!)
• 
  
  Thank you, Volunteers, especially during our busy month of December!  Thank you in advance for the second part of the year!
• 
  
  When we reach this time of year, it is always such a great milestone.  Although January is a relatively quiet month, it is amazing how fast this second half of first grade goes.  I feel very proud of your children!
• 
  
  Please check out our simple class blog:

http://www.mrsmcgettigan.blogspot.com/

Our class blog will contain some basic information similar to the monthly news, spelling and sight words, and some student reflection.

DECEMBER WORDS

all

are

be

eat

four

he

like

please

ride

saw

see

she

three

was

want

COMING SOON!

The 100th Day is just around the corner, on Thursday, February 4th!  The first grade team has been asked to participate with the kindergarten team in helping to support the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and our local Person-to-Person organization.  Each classroom has been assigned a food item to donate, in hopes that each student will bring enough to equal 100 of that item!  We would love everyone in our class to bring in six cookie bags or boxes (any size) by Monday, February 1, 2010.  This will be a marvelous math and super citizenship activity.  Thank you for your support if you're able to partcipate!

NEWS FLASH!

Kindness Abounds in first grade!

We hope our first graders will participate in an Ox Ridge school-wide fundraising effort in coming up with an act of kindness in honor of the people of Haiti.  By "earning" a dollar for their kind ideas, their efforts will directly benefit a beloved member of our staff, Miss Natasha, in our cafeteria, whose family was deeply affected by the recent earthquake.

Thank you, Families, for your generous support!

RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

TB - I will be nicer to my brother.
AP - I want to try to be on time for ballet.
GS - I will try to go to Hibachi where they cook in front of us and start a new family tradition.
AC - I want to read more.
CW - I am going to get better at hockey.
KC - I will be better at reading.
JBr - I will write books better and find more golf balls.
HP - I want to learn to write books.
JBa - I will try to learn more Czech words from a different language.
JW - I will read at night and in the morning.  I want to be a library teacher.
JM - I will try to learn my signature.
SH - I will try to be better at sports.
GM - I will do better in karate.
OS - I will be a great listener!
JL - I want to try everything that my teachers says, and I want to be better friend.
JK - I will turn off my DSI and my Wii when I am told.
RH - I will try to write better.
BL - I want to learn to write songs!
MD - I want to read  more non fiction books.
Mrs. M. - I would like to not eat too many sweets.

JANUARY SPELLING WORDS

#11  LONG I

tie

kind

high

night

icy

#12  LONG O

hope

wrote

those

note

joke

#13  LONG O

going

only

own

boat

know

#14  LONG U

rule

use

cute

flute

cube

JANUARY SIGHT WORDS

did

do

going

into

know

must

new

no

now

old

open

over

so

some

soon

those

too

use

will

with