Letter that came home today...

January 31^st, 2013

Dear Parents,

Wow, I can’t believe it is the end of the January! We have been getting back into the swing of things in B2. You might have heard from the students that I have been gone three days this month. I was at a teacher training with two other teachers from our building. I will also be gone three days in February. Please remind your kiddo to do a great job when they have a guest teacher. I know it is especially hard to be in first grade when you don’t have your regular teacher everyday J I will try not to catch the flu or a cold and be here as much as I can. I miss the kids when I am gone and always look forward to coming back to the classroom to teach after long days away.

A few house keeping things to be aware of….

• I will put in a book order on Feb. 8^th- so turn those in if you are planning to order books.
• The January RAH calendar should be completed and signed over this long weekend and turned in Monday, February 7^th.
• Today the new February RAH calendar came home. Please put that in your plastic folder and start reading for the month!
• Fast Falcon Facts are up and running. Please have your child give me the challenge slip with your initials if they are ready to move to the next set of flash cards. This is a new program and we are still figuring out how to make sure it is running smoothly. Thanks for your patience.
• There is spelling/writing homework this week. That is due Feb. 8^th
• Start thinking ahead to February for Valentine’s Day when your child will make a recycled box to receive their valentine’s in.
• February 26^th at 6:30 is our Winter Music Program- more information will be coming home soon from the music teacher.

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns! Thanks for your support and partnership!

Take Care,

Mrs. Weathers

My Favorite Books!

    



These are two of my ABSOLUTE favorite books to read to kids. I like them because they talk about making mistakes, kindness, and everyone having different qualities that make them just perfect.They are two great books that always make me appreciate the opportunity to teach kids everyday!

Take Care!

Mrs. Weathers



Math Update

This week in math we are learning about more about subtraction. One thing we worked on this week was matching up numbers with fact families to to help us solve subtraction problems. If I know 6+4=10 then I can figure out what 10-4 is much easier. It is great to see the connections the kids are making in math! I hope you are working on Fast Falcon Facts at home. Even just five to ten minutes a night with some flash card practice help out tons! Thanks for working on math at home, we are working on math lots at school.

We Love Recess!

Just in case you were wondering, kids in B2 love to play at recess! Everyday we work hard to earn an afternoon break by getting our work done and being respectful and responsible in the classroom. We hope for a sunny break to play outside with friends and get some fresh air! Here are some pictures of some 1st graders enjoying the playground and having fun with friends!

Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening!

Today we took some time to talk about the best parts of books we are reading independently. The students took some time to read and then write about the best part of the beginning, middle and end of their book. Then everyone had a chance to sit in the yellow chair and share about their book. We will have another speech later this spring and so we took some time today to practice being a good speaker and listener.

Thanks for checking in to see what's happening in our class!

Take Care,

Mrs. Weathers

Non-Fiction Focus in Reading and Writing

Right now in first grade we are learning about Non Fiction text features. We have been reading and writing about penguins and Dr. Martin Luther King this week. Soon we will be learning about whales! We have been discussing the differences between fiction/non fiction and stories/informational text. We have also been looking at descriptive writing and pulling out details about what we are reading.

Thanks for checking out the blog to see what we've been up to. Also, you might have heard from the students we got a SMART board! It is super exciting and it will be up and running soon!

Take Care!
Mrs. Weathers

Big Buddy Fun on Friday!

We had buddies today. We did lots of reading. Some of the reading included learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The kids always look forward to seeing their buddies. They  get a letter in the buddy journal, time to read, work on art and hangout with an older friend at school. It is a nice way to spend some of the afternoon on a cold Friday in January.

Math Update

SUBTRACTION! We are learning about subtraction right now. Our math focus is on differences between zero and twenty. The students are pretty good at differences from and within ten, but struggle and the next batch. This week we are using number lines to start on a number and move backwards. If you want to quiz your child on subtraction at home, feel free! Eveyone should be able to figure out simple problems and equations. In the next few months, students should become fluent with their facts. We are starting to look more at fact families and will continue to work on subtraction strategies.

Bookmobile Visit To Forest Ridge!

Today the Book Mobile came to Forest Ridge from the Salem Public Library! We had so much fun learning about the library and all the awesome things you can do there. Miss. Jessica let everyone check out a book. It can either be returned by Jan. 31st to Mrs. Weathers or to the Public Library Children's Desk where you will get a special button if you bring it back. If you visit the library you can learn more about the week where you can pledge to turn off the TV and spend a week reading, listening to music, playing games, etc. and if you register online you can even spend the night at the library at the end of that week. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome community resource! Book are awesome!!!!!! Here are some pictures...

Winter Break Comes To An End....

I hope everyone had a good break. 21 days off is a really, really long time. I am anxious to get back in the classroom and get back to learning. Please have your homework from break turned in by Friday to get a prize! Also, there will be new math homework coming home soon in addition to the RAH homework and the writing/spelling.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Weathers

Merry Christmas!

The Thursday before break I got to go with the choir to the capital and the mall to do some singing! Great job Forest Ridge Choir! I was surprised how many big brothers and sisters of kids in B2 are in the choir. So much fun! While I was at the choir, the first graders got to have a guest teacher... Mr. E! Pretty cool to have the principal be your teacher for a few hours. Thank you to Mr. E for spending some time in B2 hanging out with the best first graders in the world!