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