First Grade News

August 15, 2011

Curriculum Highlights Classroom jobs and routines supporting independence Math counting, recognizing numbers and patterns Word Study review - vowels and consonants short a Social Studies The Melawati Way (school conduct code)

Reminders

Every Monday you will receive by email a newsletter with homework on it for the week. (Im hoping to also post this on our blog) Today, if you have not yet labeled your childs hat, backpack, lunchbox and drink bottle please do so with name and class 1MT. Tuesday, August 23rd, 6:30pm Open House. Curriculum evening for parents.

Word Study: Short a

as had

and can

at that

am has

dad an

News from Ms. Tindalls class

We have had a wonderful start to the school year. All the children are excited and making friends. We have been adjusting to the new routines of First Grade life and exploring our daily jobs such as the calendar, attendance monitor and days of the week. Many children in the class have been trying out the school lunch menu. Please remember to have a conversation with your child before school every morning so that he/she is confident when it comes time to indicate if s/he has lunch from home or will be ordering from school. It would be also helpful if you discussed with your child what they like from the buffet menu (available on Panther Apps) so that when it is time to make selections from the buffet they actually choose something other than white rice J! Homework (following), is different from Prep S., however students in the past have quickly moved into the routine. The homework provides practice of skills taught in the classroom. It also lets you know what is going on in class and how your child is managing the activities. Ill send you more information about homework closer to Open House, but for now try to ease into the routine with your child. Feel free to adapt the homework if your child is finding it too difficult or add some challenges if it is too easy. With us working together towards the same goals your children will surely shine this year. AGAIN more information to come later.

Parent Information - Spelling

Writing and recognizing the vowel letters

Every syllable of a word must have at least one vowel letter.

Many vowels may be short, such as a in apple, or long, such as i in ice. However some may represent a different sound, work in a team or even be silent!

The vowels are:

a e i o u
And sometimes

A vowel is long when it represents the sound of its own name The sign to show that a vowel is long is a horizontal line placed over the vowel. This is called a macron. a e i y o u

A vowel is short when it represents the following sounds: a as in pat e as in pet i as in pit o as in pot u as in cut The sign for a short vowel is an inverted arc placed over the vowel letter. This is called a breve. a e i y o u

Homework Monday:
Talk with an adult about one thing you like about school. Read the word study words with an adult.

Tuesday:
Talk with an adult about the many ways you can Take Care of Yourself. Look at the word study words. Is the short a in the front, middle, or end of each word?

Wednesday:
Talk with an adult about the many ways you can Take Care of Others. What other words do you know that have short a?

Thursday:
Talk with an adult about the many ways you can Take Care of this Place. Practice writing short a in NSW foundation script. Posture, pencil grip, start at the dot, follow the arrow. (Remember: no need to print! You can do this on a whiteboard or something else good for the environment)

Friday:
Poem Collection. Put your finger on each word and recite/sing the songs/poems we have been learning in class. Put your Poem Collection back inside your backpack so that you remember to return it to school on Monday.

a__________