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!