HALLOWEEN UPDATE

NATURE WALK FOR TUESDAY IS POSTPONED UNTIL THURSDAY DUE TO STORM...

The power may be out, but we still have Halloween energy!

HALLOWEEN NEWS FLASH!
No Word Study tonight due to Halloween and power outages!
If you miss doing regular homework, try sorting your treats into categories (for example, chocolate, fruit, crackerish -  make tally marks if you have a humongous pile).

See you tomorrow!

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 journals, complete Reader Responses, and work on some of our own story creations in Writers Workshop. We have put aside our true Small Moment stories and are beginning to focus on Realistic Fiction stories where the stories have some kind of big adventure or a problem that needs to be solved. It might not have happened in real life, but it actually could! We are constantly practicing our speaking skills as well as good listening, especially when our Mystery Guests visit!

We’ve noticed that the Monday WordsTheir 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

There are no November birthdays.

REMINDERS

Tues., Nov. 1: Nature Walk (at school)

Wed., Nov. 2: Field Trip to a real college! - Fairfield Univ. Theatre

Mon., Nov. 8: Family Turkeys Due

Nov. 7-9: Book Fair (even Election Day!)

Tues., Nov. 8: Election Day/StaffDev/No School

Wed., Nov. 9: Field Trip/Darien Historical Society

Thurs.,Nov. 10: Veterans visit   *(wear red, white, and/or blue)

Fri., Nov. 11: Veterans Day   *(wear red, white, and/or blue)

Fri., Nov. 11: Scholastic Orders Due

(just in case you don’t find what you wish from the Book Fair!)

Mon., Nov. 14: Ancestor Info Due

Wed., Nov. 23:Thanksgiving coming/Early Dismissal

Nov. 24-25: Thanksgiving/No School

Nov. 29-Dec. 2: 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 am still sending the order forms home in case you’d like to “elect” another option for some great books!


• This month also begins Scholastic online ordering. If you are not comfortable with on-line ordering, simply fill in the books you wish from the book club catalogs, send in the order and a check by the deadline, and I will order for you! Thanks!

• 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 SIGHT WORDS

a

an
am
at

big

come

down
for

go

help

I

in

is

little

me

my
one

red

said

the

to

two

we

yellow

you

2nd Steps Social Skills

This week we continued learning how to develop empathy and understanding for others.  We also learned that one person may change their feelings about a situation over time.

The way we react to someone is very important in our understanding how they feel and how we can help them feel a little better.  If we notice that someone is having trouble joining something we're doing at recess, we can be welcoming and inviting so that person might not feel nervous or shy anymore!

Try these scenarios with people in your house and see how your feelings may change over time.

• You've never tried the jungle gym at the park and your cousin shows you how to do it.
• Your mom and dad don't see their usual friends in their lunchroom at work, but they meet someone new.
• Your team just made it to the World Series and you're afraid you'll let them down, but the crowd cheers and you start to feel differently.
• Your teacher chooses the partners so you can't pick your best friends to work with, but your new partner is so excited to start the task with you.
• You try Subtraction Bowling, miss the pins, but your classmates still cheer for you.

Remember:  You can make others feel better if you help them feel welcome.
And, if you have an uncomfortable feeling about something, the feeling won't last forever!



2nd Steps Social Skills

Similarities and Differences:

This week we started to realize that that people might have different feelings about the same situation, and that's OK!  This helps us build empathy and awareness of others' feelings.

Reflecting back on our first day of school was a perfect way for us to see that we all might not feel the same way.

Try these scenarios with people in your house and see if you would react the same way:

• A new puppy arrives on your doorstep
• Your family is giving out candy for Halloween instead of Trick or Treating
• The school announces a Snow Day
• You are first up at bat in a baseball game
• You're the first to perform in a dance recital
• The family is going to live somewhere different for the summer
• A friend wants you to hold a pet iguana

Do you have the same feelings as someone else at your house?

What are some other good scenarios to demonstrate that it's OK to have different feelings about the same event?

Have fun thinking about it!

2nd Steps Social Skills

This week we started a new unit in Social Skills and Citizenship called Empathy.

We are learning how to pay attention to other people's faces and bodies to figure out what they are feeling.
It helps us get along better with others and do better in school when we pay attention to feelings.

Here are some Scenarios you can practice at home:
1) Name feelings as you are experiencing them.   For example,

• I'm feeling worried.  I need to find my coat quickly or else we're going to be late for school.
• I can tell by your big smile that you are feeling happy about the picture your sister made for you!

2) Ask your child to name a feeling as they are experiencing it.  Such as,

• You just scored the soccer goal. I can tell you are feeling _____ because you're jumping up and down.
• The ball didn't go into the net. I can tell you are feeling _____ because you're frowning.

3) Ask your child what you are feeling and how they know.   For example, pretend:

• your ball team doesn't make it to the World Series and you show a disappointed face
• your puppy walks into the room with chocolate on its face and you make a surprised face

 
Have fun practicing different feelings!

OUR SEASON TREE

Here we are by our Fall Tree, late in September!

Here are some of our scientific observations:

The summer season changed quickly to Fall.

We feel a warm breeze.

It's still perfect weather to play outside.

The ground is a little wet.

The tree has yellow leaves.

Some leaves have fallen from our tree and are on the ground.

We can see the bark of the tree better now.

There is a different smell in the air - definitely like trees or leaves or something.

We still hear crickets.

We still feel great!

OCTOBER MCMONTHLY NEWS

October has begun with some exciting new responsibilities around 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 (It was actually Apple Tasting in the morning), 3 birthday celebrations, and our first Super Citizen Pep Rally with all of the first graders!  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 review how 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.

BIRTHDAY

There are no October birthdays.

REMINDERS

Fri., Oct. 7:          Scholastic Orders Due

Mon. Oct. 10:      No School/Columbus Day/Staff Dev.

Fri., Oct. 14:        Yearbook orders due

Fri., Oct. 21:        Boo-Grams due (approx. date, details coming)

Mon., Oct. 31:     Halloween Celebration (wear Halloween colors)

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tues., Nov. 1:      Nature Walk at school, weather permitting
(wear outdoor clothing)

Tues., Nov. 8:      No School/Election Day/Staff Dev.

Nov. 7 - 9:           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, Allison Melich and Missy Almy, 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 and experimenting time.  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!
• It's often hard to think of end-of-the-year school yearbooks in the Fall, but if you wish to order a yearbook, please send in your $$ now.
• Box Tops will be collected once again this year.  More info coming!

SEPTEMBER WORDS

Anna

Annie

Ashley

Axel

Brendan

Isaac

Jack

James

James

Kelcie

Lily

Matteo

Owen

Paige

Remy

Richie

Ryan

Shafay

Turner

SECOND STEPS PROGRAM

Our Second Steps Program helps us to concentrate on Social Skills and Citizenship.
This past month we have been concentrating on Skills for Good Listening.
One way we practice these skills is by:


Ears Listening
Eyes Watching
Voice Quiet
Body Still

We have also practiced self-talking where we repeat directions to help us remember what to do.
Self-talking and trying the game called "Think, Turn, and Tell" has also been quite helpful when we learn new information from our friends, parents, and teachers too!  We really try to focus on what we hear.

Finally, this past week, we learned how to be assertive when we need to ask for help.  We learned these "big-kid" words:  passive, aggressive, and assertive.  Passive is being really quiet and not confident.  Aggressive is being wild and demanding.
When we are stuck and need to ask for help, asking for help in a respectful, calm way is doing it assertively.

Here are some scenarios to help us ask a grown-up for help in an assertive way:

• The first grade ball rolled down the hill during recess.
• You can't find a dinosaur book in the library.
• You don't understand the new Word Study work you have to do.
• You fell on the playground and scraped your hands.

What are some other ways you might need to ask for help?

OUR SEASON TREE

Here we are by our Summer Tree, early in September!
Here are some of our scientific observations:
We hear birds singing.
We see bird nests.
We feel a warm breeze.
Our clothes are perfect for warm weather.
We hear children playing outside in Gym class.
The tree has green leaves.
We smell flowers.
We hear crickets.
We feel great about first grade!