Dear Families,
I’m sorry I ended up getting sick over the weekend and wasn’t able to come to school on Monday or Tuesday. Stay warm! It sure is chilly these days. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go to Natural Bridges on Monday because of the rain. We will try to reschedule the field trip, but it may be difficult since the butterflies will soon be migrating to warmer places. I will keep you posted.
We continued our holiday studies and learned about many celebrations around the world. Our classroom is decorated with all of our beautiful projects from countries and holidays including Germany, Holland, Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Mexico. We are not returning the projects until later because we still have several more holidays to learn about in January.
In addition, we made Santa pop-up cards and a special present for your families! We talked about special celebrations throughout the year and we hope you like our surprise! We also decorated our tree with the pasta ornaments that your child is bringing home.
Today was our Polar Express Day. Our classroom was set up like a train and the students all had train tickets to hear the magical story. Then we received silver bells just like the boy in the story. It was fun to wear our pajamas to school like the children in the story while drinking hot cocoa! We also did a kindness project and brought hot cocoa to all the teachers and staff in their classrooms! The kids did a great job showing kindness! In the afternoon, we watched the movie version of Polar Express.
Thank you for the wonderful cards and presents. I am blessed with a kind class of students and parents. Thank you for your support! Today is Emily’s last day with us. We will miss her and her family very much, but we wish them the best. Please keep in touch! I truly enjoy hearing from students even after they are no longer at Eaton!
I hope all of you have a safe and relaxing holiday. I am not going anywhere these next two weeks. I am just looking forward to resting and spending time with friends and family! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will see you all on Monday, January 5th and can’t wait to hear about your vacations!!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
December 12, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Ogata, Mrs. Rueth, Mrs. Sakanaka, and Mrs. Yoon for coming with us on this field trip. We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers!
Monday, December 15th to Friday, December 19th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
There will be no tests this week. However, please continue to prepare your child’s sharing, complete the homework packet, and read daily for 15 minutes for the Book-It! Reading Log. Remember the reading logs are due when we come back after Winter Recess. *** Friday parent volunteers: You do not need to come help on Friday, December 19th. Thank you!***
Friday, December 19th: Polar Express Day – Pajamas Everyone!
This will be a special day to celebrate the holidays! We will be doing activities and games based off of the story, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. It will also be a pajama day (because we are pretending to be the children in the train)! Please send your child to school in their favorite pajamas and they can also bring one stuffed animal or pillow too.
Monday, December 22nd to January 2nd: NO SCHOOL – Winter Recess
School will resume on Monday, January 5th. Have safe travels and a wonderful holiday!
-----
Dear Families,
On Monday, we went to go watch the Elves and the Shoemaker play at Fremont High School! Thank you to Mrs. Kung for coming with us as our chaperone. We enjoyed the story and learned that we should do good deeds for other people, just like the elves did! Starting last week, we began writing praise notes to our classmates. I am encouraging students to compliment and praise other people. Children can often be “me” centered, so I am teaching the children to think of others and notice special things about other people.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Star of the Week: Kayleigh
Poem of the Week: Hanukkah Rainbow
Song of the Week: Skip Counting
Kindness is: learning about holidays around the world
Word Wall: also, blue, brown, color, funny, green, like, many, some
Story of the Week: Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?
Word Families: -ick, -ill
Sounds: clusters with r, contractions with ‘s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Question, Categorize/Classify
Grammar: Action Part of a Sentence
• Math: We finished our chapter on place value and began our sixth chapter on addition and subtraction facts again. We have been practicing word problems with too much information and using tables to help us solve questions. Also, we are learning to add three numbers and find missing addends.
• Social Studies: On Monday, we had a special surprise in our Holland wooden shoes! Sinterklaas brought candy canes for all the kids on the eve of December 5th! On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Nieveen’s class and learned about Diwali. We made rangoli’s using glue and sand art. We have also been working on a project to learn about the different months, seasons, and important holidays around the year.
• Computer Lab: We added more pictures to our kindness journals this week using Kidpix. Students were asked to draw one or two new pictures to add to their journal. You can see these in the Classwork section of our website or directly on: kindness.pbwiki.com
• Music: We saw Miss Rachel this week and we sang holiday songs. We are remembering to listen carefully and follow directions!
• Art: We also saw Mrs. Abada this week! She taught us about Katsushika Hokusai- a Japanese printmaker in the 1800s. We tried printmaking on Styrofoam plates.
Please remember to dress appropriately on Monday for our field trip. It may be raining and if so, we are not bringing umbrellas with us. Please make sure to dress in a rain jacket or poncho instead. Also, don’t forget to label your child’s lunch – everything will be thrown away!
Thank you for those of you who donated canned foods to the Second Harvest Food Bank. We are always talking about how fortunate our lives are, and that many people do not have what we have. Please continue teaching your children about sharing and giving to the poor or unfortunate.
Maybe because of the holidays and the upcoming vacation, many students have
had a hard time following the rules and finishing their work. Please continue to remind them to try their best to finish their projects and to keep conversations for recess or lunchtime, not during class. Please help me to speak to your children about getting green super stars!
Next Friday will be Emily’s last day with us. Her family is moving to Portland, Oregon over the winter vacation and we will be saying goodbye to her. We will miss her very much!
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Ogata, Mrs. Rueth, Mrs. Sakanaka, and Mrs. Yoon for coming with us on this field trip. We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers!
Monday, December 15th to Friday, December 19th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
There will be no tests this week. However, please continue to prepare your child’s sharing, complete the homework packet, and read daily for 15 minutes for the Book-It! Reading Log. Remember the reading logs are due when we come back after Winter Recess. *** Friday parent volunteers: You do not need to come help on Friday, December 19th. Thank you!***
Friday, December 19th: Polar Express Day – Pajamas Everyone!
This will be a special day to celebrate the holidays! We will be doing activities and games based off of the story, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. It will also be a pajama day (because we are pretending to be the children in the train)! Please send your child to school in their favorite pajamas and they can also bring one stuffed animal or pillow too.
Monday, December 22nd to January 2nd: NO SCHOOL – Winter Recess
School will resume on Monday, January 5th. Have safe travels and a wonderful holiday!
-----
Dear Families,
On Monday, we went to go watch the Elves and the Shoemaker play at Fremont High School! Thank you to Mrs. Kung for coming with us as our chaperone. We enjoyed the story and learned that we should do good deeds for other people, just like the elves did! Starting last week, we began writing praise notes to our classmates. I am encouraging students to compliment and praise other people. Children can often be “me” centered, so I am teaching the children to think of others and notice special things about other people.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Star of the Week: Kayleigh
Poem of the Week: Hanukkah Rainbow
Song of the Week: Skip Counting
Kindness is: learning about holidays around the world
Word Wall: also, blue, brown, color, funny, green, like, many, some
Story of the Week: Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?
Word Families: -ick, -ill
Sounds: clusters with r, contractions with ‘s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Question, Categorize/Classify
Grammar: Action Part of a Sentence
• Math: We finished our chapter on place value and began our sixth chapter on addition and subtraction facts again. We have been practicing word problems with too much information and using tables to help us solve questions. Also, we are learning to add three numbers and find missing addends.
• Social Studies: On Monday, we had a special surprise in our Holland wooden shoes! Sinterklaas brought candy canes for all the kids on the eve of December 5th! On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Nieveen’s class and learned about Diwali. We made rangoli’s using glue and sand art. We have also been working on a project to learn about the different months, seasons, and important holidays around the year.
• Computer Lab: We added more pictures to our kindness journals this week using Kidpix. Students were asked to draw one or two new pictures to add to their journal. You can see these in the Classwork section of our website or directly on: kindness.pbwiki.com
• Music: We saw Miss Rachel this week and we sang holiday songs. We are remembering to listen carefully and follow directions!
• Art: We also saw Mrs. Abada this week! She taught us about Katsushika Hokusai- a Japanese printmaker in the 1800s. We tried printmaking on Styrofoam plates.
Please remember to dress appropriately on Monday for our field trip. It may be raining and if so, we are not bringing umbrellas with us. Please make sure to dress in a rain jacket or poncho instead. Also, don’t forget to label your child’s lunch – everything will be thrown away!
Thank you for those of you who donated canned foods to the Second Harvest Food Bank. We are always talking about how fortunate our lives are, and that many people do not have what we have. Please continue teaching your children about sharing and giving to the poor or unfortunate.
Maybe because of the holidays and the upcoming vacation, many students have
had a hard time following the rules and finishing their work. Please continue to remind them to try their best to finish their projects and to keep conversations for recess or lunchtime, not during class. Please help me to speak to your children about getting green super stars!
Next Friday will be Emily’s last day with us. Her family is moving to Portland, Oregon over the winter vacation and we will be saying goodbye to her. We will miss her very much!
Friday, December 05, 2008
December 5, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, December 8th: Elves and the Shoemaker Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Kung for coming with us on this field trip. We will be leaving school at 10:30am and will be back by lunchtime at 12:30pm.
Friday, December 12th: Canned Food Drive
Please try to donate at least one can of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank fundraiser we are having at Eaton school. Please bring it in a bag labeled with your child’s name.
Friday, December 12th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the library after lunch. Please remember to bring your child’s blue library card on that day and memorize the 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and please return them on your own.
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Ogata, Mrs. Rueth, Mrs. Sakanaka, and Mrs. Yoon for coming with us on this field trip. We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers!
Monday, December 15th to Friday, December 19th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
There will be no tests this week. However, please continue to prepare your child’s sharing, complete the homework packet, and read daily for 15 minutes for the Book-It! Reading Log. Remember the reading logs are due when we come back after Winter Recess. *** Friday parent volunteers: You do not need to come help on Friday, December 19th. Thank you!***
Friday, December 19th: Polar Express Day – Pajamas Everyone!
This will be a special day to celebrate the holidays! We will be doing activities and games based off of the story, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. It will also be a pajama day (because we are pretending to be the children in the train)! Please send your child to school in their favorite pajamas and they can also bring one stuffed animal or pillow too.
Monday, December 22nd to January 2nd: NO SCHOOL – Winter Recess
School will resume on Monday, January 5th. Have safe travels and a wonderful holiday!
-------------
Dear Families,
Welcome back from our long weekend! I hope you had a nice vacation with family and friends. I stayed in the area and spent time with my parents and family. I also used the extra time to clean up my home and re-organize (no shopping for me!). Always so much to do! Today I am sending home the first trimester report card that reflects your child’s progress from the beginning of the school year to November 21st. Remember that your child does not get grades on the first page (Language Arts) because they get a separate ELD report card (page 4 and 5) instead for Listening/Speaking, Reading, and Writing. In order to exit ELD, your child must be in at least Level 4 in all three Language Arts categories at the end of first grade. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Star of the Week: Fuka
Poem of the Week: I Heard a Bird Sing
Song of the Week: Skip Counting
Kindness is: giving a praise note to someone.
Word Wall Words: all, call, eat, every, first, never, paper, shall,why
Story of the Week: Snowballs, Mr. C’s Dinner
Word Families: -ip, -in
Sounds: verb endings –s, -ed, -ing, short I, possessives with ‘s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Predict/Infer, Making Predictions
Grammar: Naming Part of a Sentence
• Writing: This week we talked about writing letters to others. We reviewed the parts of a letter (date, greeting, body, salutation, name) and wrote a letter to Santa. You can read these letters in the “Classwork” section of our website, under “Dear Santa…”
• Math: This week we worked on estimating. This was a hard concept for some students because they wanted to get the exact number instead. We worked on counting only up to 10 and then guessing how many more groups of 10 remained. Keep working! We reviewed vocabulary words such as: greater, more, less, etc. and practiced more place value.
• Social Studies: Before Thanksgiving, we went to Mrs. Bachelor’s class for circuits and learned about Hanukkah. We made menorahs and began decorating our classroom with holidays from around the world. Also, we learned about Holland and how children put wooden shoes in their windows for Sinterklaas’ white horse. On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Zankich’s class for circuits and learned about Ireland. We made a project that showed how people in Ireland put candles in the windows during the holidays.
• Computer Lab: This week we worked on another Kidspiration diagram that showed the months and seasons of the year. We chose different symbols for each month and season and personalized our pictures.
If you haven’t already, remember to turn in your November Book-It reading logs. They are always due after the end of the month. Fuka is our first Star of the Week! We choose a new Star each Monday. If you are chosen, you have until Friday of the same week to complete your poster. Please be ready to share it to the class on Friday, and then you get to take Beebear home for the weekend! Remember to write in Beebear’s Journal and return on Monday. Have fun!
Monday, December 8th: Elves and the Shoemaker Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Kung for coming with us on this field trip. We will be leaving school at 10:30am and will be back by lunchtime at 12:30pm.
Friday, December 12th: Canned Food Drive
Please try to donate at least one can of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank fundraiser we are having at Eaton school. Please bring it in a bag labeled with your child’s name.
Friday, December 12th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the library after lunch. Please remember to bring your child’s blue library card on that day and memorize the 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and please return them on your own.
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
Thank you to Mrs. Ogata, Mrs. Rueth, Mrs. Sakanaka, and Mrs. Yoon for coming with us on this field trip. We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers!
Monday, December 15th to Friday, December 19th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
There will be no tests this week. However, please continue to prepare your child’s sharing, complete the homework packet, and read daily for 15 minutes for the Book-It! Reading Log. Remember the reading logs are due when we come back after Winter Recess. *** Friday parent volunteers: You do not need to come help on Friday, December 19th. Thank you!***
Friday, December 19th: Polar Express Day – Pajamas Everyone!
This will be a special day to celebrate the holidays! We will be doing activities and games based off of the story, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. It will also be a pajama day (because we are pretending to be the children in the train)! Please send your child to school in their favorite pajamas and they can also bring one stuffed animal or pillow too.
Monday, December 22nd to January 2nd: NO SCHOOL – Winter Recess
School will resume on Monday, January 5th. Have safe travels and a wonderful holiday!
-------------
Dear Families,
Welcome back from our long weekend! I hope you had a nice vacation with family and friends. I stayed in the area and spent time with my parents and family. I also used the extra time to clean up my home and re-organize (no shopping for me!). Always so much to do! Today I am sending home the first trimester report card that reflects your child’s progress from the beginning of the school year to November 21st. Remember that your child does not get grades on the first page (Language Arts) because they get a separate ELD report card (page 4 and 5) instead for Listening/Speaking, Reading, and Writing. In order to exit ELD, your child must be in at least Level 4 in all three Language Arts categories at the end of first grade. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Star of the Week: Fuka
Poem of the Week: I Heard a Bird Sing
Song of the Week: Skip Counting
Kindness is: giving a praise note to someone.
Word Wall Words: all, call, eat, every, first, never, paper, shall,why
Story of the Week: Snowballs, Mr. C’s Dinner
Word Families: -ip, -in
Sounds: verb endings –s, -ed, -ing, short I, possessives with ‘s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Predict/Infer, Making Predictions
Grammar: Naming Part of a Sentence
• Writing: This week we talked about writing letters to others. We reviewed the parts of a letter (date, greeting, body, salutation, name) and wrote a letter to Santa. You can read these letters in the “Classwork” section of our website, under “Dear Santa…”
• Math: This week we worked on estimating. This was a hard concept for some students because they wanted to get the exact number instead. We worked on counting only up to 10 and then guessing how many more groups of 10 remained. Keep working! We reviewed vocabulary words such as: greater, more, less, etc. and practiced more place value.
• Social Studies: Before Thanksgiving, we went to Mrs. Bachelor’s class for circuits and learned about Hanukkah. We made menorahs and began decorating our classroom with holidays from around the world. Also, we learned about Holland and how children put wooden shoes in their windows for Sinterklaas’ white horse. On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Zankich’s class for circuits and learned about Ireland. We made a project that showed how people in Ireland put candles in the windows during the holidays.
• Computer Lab: This week we worked on another Kidspiration diagram that showed the months and seasons of the year. We chose different symbols for each month and season and personalized our pictures.
If you haven’t already, remember to turn in your November Book-It reading logs. They are always due after the end of the month. Fuka is our first Star of the Week! We choose a new Star each Monday. If you are chosen, you have until Friday of the same week to complete your poster. Please be ready to share it to the class on Friday, and then you get to take Beebear home for the weekend! Remember to write in Beebear’s Journal and return on Monday. Have fun!
Friday, November 21, 2008
November 21, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, November 26th to Friday, November 28th: No School
Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no homework or tests this week since it is a short week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers will have their sharing still.
Monday, December 8th: Elves and the Shoemaker Field Trip
Attached to today’s newsletter is the permission slip for this field trip. We will be leaving school at 10:30am and will be back by lunchtime at 12:30pm. We can bring one chaperone for this trip. Please return the permission slip as soon as possible.
Friday, December 12th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the library after lunch. Please remember to bring your child’s blue library card on that day and memorize the 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and please return them on your own.
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers! We can bring three or four chaperones if you are interested. There is another permission slip attached to this newsletter for this trip, so please return it as soon as possible as well.
-----
Dear Families,
We have been talking a lot about Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. I love this time of the year because we are reminded of so many things that we often take for granted. I want the children to know and appreciate basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and family. We are truly lucky people!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Here is a Turkey
Song of the Week: Vowels
Kindness is: giving thanks
Word Wall Words: animal, bird, cold, fall, flower, full, look, of, see
Story of the Week: The Best of Friends, Seasons
Word Families: -ack, -ap
Sounds: double final consonants (-ll, -ss), short a, plurals with -s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Evaluate, Topic, Main Idea, Details
Grammar: What is a Sentence?
• Writing: To celebrate Thanksgiving, we wrote a short paragraph from the point of view of a turkey who does not want to be eaten. We described ourselves as turkeys and what we enjoy doing. Afterwards, we created an illustration of the turkey.
• Math: Keep practicing skip counting! This week is a little bit harder because we practiced some vocabulary words such as before, after, between, and ordinal numbers (first, second, third…). Please review the 100’s number chart and place value. Some students had much difficulty with questions such as: What is 1 more than 13? 1 less than 13? 10 more than 13? 10 less than 13?
• Social Studies: We are starting our next first grade social studies circuit on Holidays Around the World. We learned about the seven continents in the world. Each week, we will be learning about a different country or holiday! This week, Mrs. Byers taught us about Japanese New Year, which is on January 1st.
• Computer Lab: We finished our Kidspiration All About Me diagrams from last week. Afterwards, we went to the Starfall website and read stories online. Remember that you can always have your child read on that website too!
• Music: We have been learning different Thanksgiving songs in first grade music such as Five Fat Turkeys and Over the River and Through the Woods. We also saw Miss Rachel this week and we played drums as well as sang many Thanksgiving songs!
• Assembly: On Wednesday, we had an exciting assembly on Middle Eastern dancing and music from Young Audiences called “Women of the Heart”. We saw a belly dancer and a blind musician playing different instruments such as drums and cymbals!
Today is end of the first trimester. Report cards will be going home on Friday, December 6th. Next week is a short week! I will not be sending home our homework or Friday Folders. Please have a wonderful weekend and safe travels over Thanksgiving break!
Wednesday, November 26th to Friday, November 28th: No School
Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no homework or tests this week since it is a short week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers will have their sharing still.
Monday, December 8th: Elves and the Shoemaker Field Trip
Attached to today’s newsletter is the permission slip for this field trip. We will be leaving school at 10:30am and will be back by lunchtime at 12:30pm. We can bring one chaperone for this trip. Please return the permission slip as soon as possible.
Friday, December 12th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the library after lunch. Please remember to bring your child’s blue library card on that day and memorize the 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and please return them on your own.
Monday, December 15th: Natural Bridges Butterfly Field Trip
We will be going to Santa Cruz to see the natural butterfly habitat. This will be an all day field trip, so you will need to send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it and make sure to dress in layers! We can bring three or four chaperones if you are interested. There is another permission slip attached to this newsletter for this trip, so please return it as soon as possible as well.
-----
Dear Families,
We have been talking a lot about Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. I love this time of the year because we are reminded of so many things that we often take for granted. I want the children to know and appreciate basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and family. We are truly lucky people!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Here is a Turkey
Song of the Week: Vowels
Kindness is: giving thanks
Word Wall Words: animal, bird, cold, fall, flower, full, look, of, see
Story of the Week: The Best of Friends, Seasons
Word Families: -ack, -ap
Sounds: double final consonants (-ll, -ss), short a, plurals with -s
Strategy and Skill Focus: Evaluate, Topic, Main Idea, Details
Grammar: What is a Sentence?
• Writing: To celebrate Thanksgiving, we wrote a short paragraph from the point of view of a turkey who does not want to be eaten. We described ourselves as turkeys and what we enjoy doing. Afterwards, we created an illustration of the turkey.
• Math: Keep practicing skip counting! This week is a little bit harder because we practiced some vocabulary words such as before, after, between, and ordinal numbers (first, second, third…). Please review the 100’s number chart and place value. Some students had much difficulty with questions such as: What is 1 more than 13? 1 less than 13? 10 more than 13? 10 less than 13?
• Social Studies: We are starting our next first grade social studies circuit on Holidays Around the World. We learned about the seven continents in the world. Each week, we will be learning about a different country or holiday! This week, Mrs. Byers taught us about Japanese New Year, which is on January 1st.
• Computer Lab: We finished our Kidspiration All About Me diagrams from last week. Afterwards, we went to the Starfall website and read stories online. Remember that you can always have your child read on that website too!
• Music: We have been learning different Thanksgiving songs in first grade music such as Five Fat Turkeys and Over the River and Through the Woods. We also saw Miss Rachel this week and we played drums as well as sang many Thanksgiving songs!
• Assembly: On Wednesday, we had an exciting assembly on Middle Eastern dancing and music from Young Audiences called “Women of the Heart”. We saw a belly dancer and a blind musician playing different instruments such as drums and cymbals!
Today is end of the first trimester. Report cards will be going home on Friday, December 6th. Next week is a short week! I will not be sending home our homework or Friday Folders. Please have a wonderful weekend and safe travels over Thanksgiving break!
Friday, November 14, 2008
November 14, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Friday, November 21st: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library in the afternoon. Please send your child’s BLUE library card to school on this day and have your child remember his or her 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and remember to return them to the library on your own.
Wednesday, November 26th to Friday, November 28th: No School
Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no homework or tests this week since it is a short week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers will have their sharing still.
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you for completing the turkeys with your children. I hope it was fun!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Feelings
Song of the Week: Vowels
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: are, away, does, he, live, pull, they, where
Story of the Week: A Hut for Zig Bug, The Rope Tug
Word Families: -ug, -ut
Sounds: q, j, z, and short u
Strategy and Skill Focus: Summarize / Story structure
Grammar: Action Words
• Writing: This week, we made a thankful book that showed different parts of the Earth that we are thankful for. We talked about how important the Earth is to our everyday lives. We also finished our Prince and Princesses!
• Math: We continued working on place value this week by counting tens and ones. We are learning to skip count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s in this chapter.
• Social Studies: We are learning about the Thanksgiving story by making a book of our own. We have talked about Pilgrims and Indians, as well as the Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America.
• Computer Lab: This week we used a new program called Kidspiration and made a picture diagram about ourselves. We used stamps and words to describe our favorite colors, animals, shapes, and food.
• Buddies: This week we saw our buddies and made a turkey using our hands and feet. Our buddies helped us to trace our bodies!
Enjoy your nice, sunny weekend! See you on Monday!
Friday, November 21st: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library in the afternoon. Please send your child’s BLUE library card to school on this day and have your child remember his or her 4-digit PIN number. We will be checking out 2 books and remember to return them to the library on your own.
Wednesday, November 26th to Friday, November 28th: No School
Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no homework or tests this week since it is a short week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers will have their sharing still.
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you for completing the turkeys with your children. I hope it was fun!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Feelings
Song of the Week: Vowels
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: are, away, does, he, live, pull, they, where
Story of the Week: A Hut for Zig Bug, The Rope Tug
Word Families: -ug, -ut
Sounds: q, j, z, and short u
Strategy and Skill Focus: Summarize / Story structure
Grammar: Action Words
• Writing: This week, we made a thankful book that showed different parts of the Earth that we are thankful for. We talked about how important the Earth is to our everyday lives. We also finished our Prince and Princesses!
• Math: We continued working on place value this week by counting tens and ones. We are learning to skip count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s in this chapter.
• Social Studies: We are learning about the Thanksgiving story by making a book of our own. We have talked about Pilgrims and Indians, as well as the Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to America.
• Computer Lab: This week we used a new program called Kidspiration and made a picture diagram about ourselves. We used stamps and words to describe our favorite colors, animals, shapes, and food.
• Buddies: This week we saw our buddies and made a turkey using our hands and feet. Our buddies helped us to trace our bodies!
Enjoy your nice, sunny weekend! See you on Monday!
Friday, November 07, 2008
November 7, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your four-day weekend! We will not be coming to school because of Veteran’s Day.
Wednesday, November 12th to Friday, November 14th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
Since it is a short-week, we will not have spelling or vocabulary homework. I will still be sending home a language arts and math packet, which will be due on Friday, but there will be no spelling or vocabulary tests next week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers do not have to share next week (they will be sharing on Monday, the 24th, and Tuesday, the 25th, instead).
Friday, November 14th: Scholastic Book Orders and Family Turkey Due!
Attached to today’s newsletter are the November book order forms. Please write ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs if you are interested in purchasing books. Also, the family turkey projects will be due on Friday. Please spend time with your child to make this project fun and interactive. Remember, you can use any materials you have at home, but please do not use food!
-----------
Dear Families,
I hope you had a nice week with Halloween festivities, an extra hour of Daylight Savings, and Election craziness! We are nearing the end of the first trimester, so we are doing many wrap-up and review activities in all of our subjects. Plus, November is a busy month since we have so many vacation days and lots of content to cover!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Our World
Song of the Week: Four Seasons
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: do, I, is, me, my, said, you, for
Story of the Week: What Can a Vet Do? And Hot Fox Soup
Word Families: -et, -en
Sounds: y, k, v, and short e
Strategy and Skill Focus: Monitor/Clarify and Fantasy/Realism Grammar: Naming Words
• Writing: We read the story, Goodnight Owl, and adapted the story using us as the main character. We wrote and illustrated our owl stories. Also, we finished our monster stories from last week and also had time to continue our Prince and Princess writings. We are almost done with all our students and will be starting Star of the Week right after Thanksgiving!
• Math: We have been working hard on making and understanding bar and picture graphs. We practiced many word problem questions and talked about “double-checking” our work to avoid making silly mistakes. We started Chapter 5 this week which is on place value and number sense. We have been learning about tens and ones.
• Science: Our final activity for our solids and liquids unit was to see what we have learned in science these past few months. Students were asked to describe different solids and liquids and give examples of each. We also explained what mixtures were and self-assessed our own learning. You will see your child’s science book in this week’s Friday Folder.
• Social Studies: We learned about our feelings this week. We talked about different feelings that we have and thought of three examples of why we felt that way. Then we illustrated our feelings. This was the last rotation in our Me, My Family, and My World circuit. Next we will be starting our Holidays Around the World circuit.
• Computer Lab: We did not have Computer lab this week because we had a full earthquake drill in the afternoon. Teachers received emergency scenarios and we practiced what we would do if there were a real emergency. Specific students at Eaton were chosen to pretend to be injured or missing. These drills help us to be prepared in case of a real emergency.
• Buddies: Thank you for those of you who participated in the UNICEF fundraiser during Halloween. Today we met with our fourth grade buddies again to collect and count how much money we made for UNICEF.
• Art: We saw Mrs. Abada again this week and she made butterflies with us. We talked about reflective symmetry (this is a state standard for art in 1st grade).
Today in the Friday Folder, you will find your Book-It October Reading Log with the Pizza Hut certificate attached to it. I have talked to the students about how important it is to read everyday, and we are keeping a classroom chart of students who return their reading logs each month. Please make sure to use the certificate in the next month (it expires in one month)!
Also, today you will find a Family Turkey Project! This is an activity we’d like for you to complete with your child, using any materials that you may have around the house. Please be creative and have fun making the turkey together, but don’t use any food! The turkeys are due next Friday and we will be hanging them around the classroom for Thanksgiving! Enjoy your four-day weekend!
Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your four-day weekend! We will not be coming to school because of Veteran’s Day.
Wednesday, November 12th to Friday, November 14th: No Spelling/Vocabulary
Since it is a short-week, we will not have spelling or vocabulary homework. I will still be sending home a language arts and math packet, which will be due on Friday, but there will be no spelling or vocabulary tests next week. Remember that Monday and Tuesday sharers do not have to share next week (they will be sharing on Monday, the 24th, and Tuesday, the 25th, instead).
Friday, November 14th: Scholastic Book Orders and Family Turkey Due!
Attached to today’s newsletter are the November book order forms. Please write ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs if you are interested in purchasing books. Also, the family turkey projects will be due on Friday. Please spend time with your child to make this project fun and interactive. Remember, you can use any materials you have at home, but please do not use food!
-----------
Dear Families,
I hope you had a nice week with Halloween festivities, an extra hour of Daylight Savings, and Election craziness! We are nearing the end of the first trimester, so we are doing many wrap-up and review activities in all of our subjects. Plus, November is a busy month since we have so many vacation days and lots of content to cover!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Our World
Song of the Week: Four Seasons
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: do, I, is, me, my, said, you, for
Story of the Week: What Can a Vet Do? And Hot Fox Soup
Word Families: -et, -en
Sounds: y, k, v, and short e
Strategy and Skill Focus: Monitor/Clarify and Fantasy/Realism Grammar: Naming Words
• Writing: We read the story, Goodnight Owl, and adapted the story using us as the main character. We wrote and illustrated our owl stories. Also, we finished our monster stories from last week and also had time to continue our Prince and Princess writings. We are almost done with all our students and will be starting Star of the Week right after Thanksgiving!
• Math: We have been working hard on making and understanding bar and picture graphs. We practiced many word problem questions and talked about “double-checking” our work to avoid making silly mistakes. We started Chapter 5 this week which is on place value and number sense. We have been learning about tens and ones.
• Science: Our final activity for our solids and liquids unit was to see what we have learned in science these past few months. Students were asked to describe different solids and liquids and give examples of each. We also explained what mixtures were and self-assessed our own learning. You will see your child’s science book in this week’s Friday Folder.
• Social Studies: We learned about our feelings this week. We talked about different feelings that we have and thought of three examples of why we felt that way. Then we illustrated our feelings. This was the last rotation in our Me, My Family, and My World circuit. Next we will be starting our Holidays Around the World circuit.
• Computer Lab: We did not have Computer lab this week because we had a full earthquake drill in the afternoon. Teachers received emergency scenarios and we practiced what we would do if there were a real emergency. Specific students at Eaton were chosen to pretend to be injured or missing. These drills help us to be prepared in case of a real emergency.
• Buddies: Thank you for those of you who participated in the UNICEF fundraiser during Halloween. Today we met with our fourth grade buddies again to collect and count how much money we made for UNICEF.
• Art: We saw Mrs. Abada again this week and she made butterflies with us. We talked about reflective symmetry (this is a state standard for art in 1st grade).
Today in the Friday Folder, you will find your Book-It October Reading Log with the Pizza Hut certificate attached to it. I have talked to the students about how important it is to read everyday, and we are keeping a classroom chart of students who return their reading logs each month. Please make sure to use the certificate in the next month (it expires in one month)!
Also, today you will find a Family Turkey Project! This is an activity we’d like for you to complete with your child, using any materials that you may have around the house. Please be creative and have fun making the turkey together, but don’t use any food! The turkeys are due next Friday and we will be hanging them around the classroom for Thanksgiving! Enjoy your four-day weekend!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Upcoming Dates
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!) The November reading log is in today’s Friday Folder.
Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your four-day weekend! We will not be coming to school because of Veteran’s Day.
--------
Dear Families,
Happy Halloween! This week was a short week so we did not have our usual literacy centers. Instead, we had lots of different activities!
On Monday, all the teachers and staff did team-building activities led by Micah Jacobson from the Boomerang Project. He helped us to get to know each other and ourselves more deeply and motivated us to continue making Eaton a wonderful place for teachers and students!
On Tuesday, we had a fire drill and firefighters from the fire department came to make sure we had a good evacuation process planned out. They gave us good marks! This week was also Red Ribbon Week and we learned about what it means to be drug free. This is why red ribbons were tied around school and students were asked to wear red clothes.
On Wednesday, we had the Morris Brothers return to Eaton to present a special assembly about Red Ribbon Week and what it means to stay safe. Today, of course, was an eventful day with all the Halloween celebrations!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Pumpkin
Song of the Week: Four Seasons
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: two, three, four, five, once, upon, in, what
Story of the Week: The Box, Wigs in a Box
Word Families: -ox, -ot
Sounds: d, w, l, x, and short o
Strategy and Skill Focus: Question and Noting Details
Grammar: Capitalizing Names and Word Order in Sentences
• Writing: This week we started writing a short description about a monster that we created. We also drew a picture of our monster and wrote details about it.
• Math: This chapter on data and graphs has been much harder for the students to complete accurately. Students have trouble counting carefully when making picture or bar graphs and word problems have been somewhat challenging. Therefore, we have been working in smaller groups on different word problems to practice solving them together. Miss Yeh comes in every Tuesday morning before recess and she helps to take half the class for reading while I teach math, and we switch groups halfway through. This has helped me to work more closely with individual students.
• Science: This week was our last week with the Solids and Liquids kit. We explored the different properties of liquids this week and made our own observations about liquids such as: cornstarch, water, fabric softener, cooking oil, and liquid hand soap. We still have a few more wrap-up activities to assess student knowledge, but otherwise we were able to complete most of the experiments in our science kit. Also, this week in class, we completed a project about the life cycle of a pumpkin using the story, Pumpkin, Pumpkin. We learned that all living things change and grow! Please ask your child if they can teach you how a pumpkin grows!
• Social Studies: In addition to learning about Red Ribbon Week, we had circuits with Mrs. Barelli this week. She combined social studies with a little bit of math by first talking about homes and families in our community, and then counted the number of feet in people’s homes.
• Computer Lab: This week, we used Kidpix to draw a Halloween picture for our Kindness website.
• Buddies: We haven’t seen our buddies for a while! This Thursday, we talked about UNICEF and received boxes that we can use to collect money for children in need. There is more information about it in today’s Friday Folder. Afterwards, we read The Spider and the Fly and made black and white Halloween illustrations like the story.
Have a safe time tonight going trick-or-treating with your kids (rain rain go away)! Next week, I have jury duty (yikes!), but hopefully I won’t actually get called in! Stay dry and I will see you on Monday!
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!) The November reading log is in today’s Friday Folder.
Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your four-day weekend! We will not be coming to school because of Veteran’s Day.
--------
Dear Families,
Happy Halloween! This week was a short week so we did not have our usual literacy centers. Instead, we had lots of different activities!
On Monday, all the teachers and staff did team-building activities led by Micah Jacobson from the Boomerang Project. He helped us to get to know each other and ourselves more deeply and motivated us to continue making Eaton a wonderful place for teachers and students!
On Tuesday, we had a fire drill and firefighters from the fire department came to make sure we had a good evacuation process planned out. They gave us good marks! This week was also Red Ribbon Week and we learned about what it means to be drug free. This is why red ribbons were tied around school and students were asked to wear red clothes.
On Wednesday, we had the Morris Brothers return to Eaton to present a special assembly about Red Ribbon Week and what it means to stay safe. Today, of course, was an eventful day with all the Halloween celebrations!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: Pumpkin
Song of the Week: Four Seasons
Kindness is: raising money for my school.
Word Wall Words: two, three, four, five, once, upon, in, what
Story of the Week: The Box, Wigs in a Box
Word Families: -ox, -ot
Sounds: d, w, l, x, and short o
Strategy and Skill Focus: Question and Noting Details
Grammar: Capitalizing Names and Word Order in Sentences
• Writing: This week we started writing a short description about a monster that we created. We also drew a picture of our monster and wrote details about it.
• Math: This chapter on data and graphs has been much harder for the students to complete accurately. Students have trouble counting carefully when making picture or bar graphs and word problems have been somewhat challenging. Therefore, we have been working in smaller groups on different word problems to practice solving them together. Miss Yeh comes in every Tuesday morning before recess and she helps to take half the class for reading while I teach math, and we switch groups halfway through. This has helped me to work more closely with individual students.
• Science: This week was our last week with the Solids and Liquids kit. We explored the different properties of liquids this week and made our own observations about liquids such as: cornstarch, water, fabric softener, cooking oil, and liquid hand soap. We still have a few more wrap-up activities to assess student knowledge, but otherwise we were able to complete most of the experiments in our science kit. Also, this week in class, we completed a project about the life cycle of a pumpkin using the story, Pumpkin, Pumpkin. We learned that all living things change and grow! Please ask your child if they can teach you how a pumpkin grows!
• Social Studies: In addition to learning about Red Ribbon Week, we had circuits with Mrs. Barelli this week. She combined social studies with a little bit of math by first talking about homes and families in our community, and then counted the number of feet in people’s homes.
• Computer Lab: This week, we used Kidpix to draw a Halloween picture for our Kindness website.
• Buddies: We haven’t seen our buddies for a while! This Thursday, we talked about UNICEF and received boxes that we can use to collect money for children in need. There is more information about it in today’s Friday Folder. Afterwards, we read The Spider and the Fly and made black and white Halloween illustrations like the story.
Have a safe time tonight going trick-or-treating with your kids (rain rain go away)! Next week, I have jury duty (yikes!), but hopefully I won’t actually get called in! Stay dry and I will see you on Monday!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
October 24, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 27th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers will be having a staff development workshop on that day to write our school vision plan and to brainstorm ways to improve our school culture.
Friday, October 31st: Halloween
Students will need to bring their costume to school in their backpack or in a bag labeled with their name. After lunch, students have time to change into their costumes, and the school parade will be outside on the blacktop starting around 1:30pm. You may come to take pictures during this time. Afterwards, we will have some snacks and play games outside with Mrs. Byers’ class. Thank you for those of you who volunteered to donate food and items for our party this time (the list is attached). We will take turns donating food for our parties throughout the year.
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!)
--------
Dear Families,
Thank you for the kind book donations I received over the past few days. It was a perfect opportunity for me to start sharing praise notes with the class. Students (and myself) can write a praise note for another person who does something extra kind or special for them. It is part of our school Peacebuilders program and pledge.
Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Zankich, Mrs. Bachelor, Ms. Wolter and I attended a 2 day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. We learned about different ways of assessing student work and how we can use assessments to guide individual learning. This will be something that our Eaton leadership team will be sharing with the Eaton staff in the next few months. Since returning from my absence, I have noticed a difference in classroom behavior and am needing to go over many classroom rules and procedures again. Most of the reminders are over being good listeners to the teacher and classmates, focusing during work time, and less talking when others are talking. Please continue to speak with your child!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: First Book
Song of the Week: Making Words
Kindness is: saying, “Happy Halloween,” when I go trick-or-treating
Word Wall Words: find, have, one, to, who
Story of the Week: Alice and Greta, The Big Hit, Big Pig
Word Families: -it, -ig
Sounds: b, r, h, g, and short i
Strategy and Skill Focus: Evaluate and Cause/Effect
Grammar: Punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation marks)
• Math: We are now in Chapter 4 on Data and Graphs. This week, we practiced voting for different things and showed our results using tally marks and charts. We are learning to make picture graphs and bar graphs. Again, we are practicing our magic words to help us solve word problems including: more, less, greater, smaller, how many more/less, in all, etc.
• Science: We are busy trying to finish our Solids and Liquids unit. This week, we explored solids in liquid and tried to predict whether the solids would sink or float! We also had opportunities to feel and touch different small solids and make our own observations about them.
• Social Studies: We resumed our Tuesday circuits with the first grade classrooms now that conferences are over. This week, we went to Mrs. Nieveen’s class and learned about Me on the Map. We talked about our home, our community, our city, our state, our country, and our world.
• Computer Lab: This week, we went to the Foss website: www.fossweb.com and completed a neat activity about solids and liquids. We were able to pretend to put different solids in the oven to see what would happen, and we put various liquids in the freezer to see what would happen.
• Assembly: We had two assemblies this week. One was a special presentation at the Cupertino Library. We watched a play called, “Green Golly and The Treasure of Light” which used wonderful music during the play. The other assembly was at school on Wednesday from the Traveling Lantern performance group. They acted out a play called, “Caterpillar Hunter.”
• Music: We saw Miss Rachel this week. We sang Halloween songs this week including a monster dance song, a black cat rhythm song, and we used chalk to draw pictures of Halloween characters we heard in a song.
Today was the annual Eaton Walk-a-thon! I hope you were able to attend part of it because it really is fun and exciting to see the entire school outside walking! Thank you for trying to collect pledges and donations for our school and returning the envelopes on time!
Have a great weekend!
Monday, October 27th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers will be having a staff development workshop on that day to write our school vision plan and to brainstorm ways to improve our school culture.
Friday, October 31st: Halloween
Students will need to bring their costume to school in their backpack or in a bag labeled with their name. After lunch, students have time to change into their costumes, and the school parade will be outside on the blacktop starting around 1:30pm. You may come to take pictures during this time. Afterwards, we will have some snacks and play games outside with Mrs. Byers’ class. Thank you for those of you who volunteered to donate food and items for our party this time (the list is attached). We will take turns donating food for our parties throughout the year.
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!)
--------
Dear Families,
Thank you for the kind book donations I received over the past few days. It was a perfect opportunity for me to start sharing praise notes with the class. Students (and myself) can write a praise note for another person who does something extra kind or special for them. It is part of our school Peacebuilders program and pledge.
Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Zankich, Mrs. Bachelor, Ms. Wolter and I attended a 2 day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. We learned about different ways of assessing student work and how we can use assessments to guide individual learning. This will be something that our Eaton leadership team will be sharing with the Eaton staff in the next few months. Since returning from my absence, I have noticed a difference in classroom behavior and am needing to go over many classroom rules and procedures again. Most of the reminders are over being good listeners to the teacher and classmates, focusing during work time, and less talking when others are talking. Please continue to speak with your child!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: First Book
Song of the Week: Making Words
Kindness is: saying, “Happy Halloween,” when I go trick-or-treating
Word Wall Words: find, have, one, to, who
Story of the Week: Alice and Greta, The Big Hit, Big Pig
Word Families: -it, -ig
Sounds: b, r, h, g, and short i
Strategy and Skill Focus: Evaluate and Cause/Effect
Grammar: Punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation marks)
• Math: We are now in Chapter 4 on Data and Graphs. This week, we practiced voting for different things and showed our results using tally marks and charts. We are learning to make picture graphs and bar graphs. Again, we are practicing our magic words to help us solve word problems including: more, less, greater, smaller, how many more/less, in all, etc.
• Science: We are busy trying to finish our Solids and Liquids unit. This week, we explored solids in liquid and tried to predict whether the solids would sink or float! We also had opportunities to feel and touch different small solids and make our own observations about them.
• Social Studies: We resumed our Tuesday circuits with the first grade classrooms now that conferences are over. This week, we went to Mrs. Nieveen’s class and learned about Me on the Map. We talked about our home, our community, our city, our state, our country, and our world.
• Computer Lab: This week, we went to the Foss website: www.fossweb.com and completed a neat activity about solids and liquids. We were able to pretend to put different solids in the oven to see what would happen, and we put various liquids in the freezer to see what would happen.
• Assembly: We had two assemblies this week. One was a special presentation at the Cupertino Library. We watched a play called, “Green Golly and The Treasure of Light” which used wonderful music during the play. The other assembly was at school on Wednesday from the Traveling Lantern performance group. They acted out a play called, “Caterpillar Hunter.”
• Music: We saw Miss Rachel this week. We sang Halloween songs this week including a monster dance song, a black cat rhythm song, and we used chalk to draw pictures of Halloween characters we heard in a song.
Today was the annual Eaton Walk-a-thon! I hope you were able to attend part of it because it really is fun and exciting to see the entire school outside walking! Thank you for trying to collect pledges and donations for our school and returning the envelopes on time!
Have a great weekend!
Monday, October 20, 2008
October 17, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 20th: Walk-a-Thon Envelopes Due
On Tuesday, your child brought home the Walk-a-thon pledge envelopes. Remember this fundraiser helps to pay for things such as: music, art, playground structure, PE equipment, etc. The envelope is used to collect money for this fundraiser.
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon and Picture Day
We will be taking individual pictures in the morning. Picture envelopes will be sent home the day before, so please remember to return the envelope this morning! In the afternoon after lunch, we will begin the annual Walk-a-thon to raise money for our school. They can wear their Eaton shirt or the Eaton colors (blue, yellow, or white), and make sure to bring a hat and wear sunscreen! They will be given free Eaton water bottles during the Walk-a-thon. Dismissal is still at 3:05pm.
Monday, October 27th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers will be having a staff development workshop on that day to write our school vision plan and to brainstorm ways to improve our school culture.
Friday, October 31st: Halloween
Students will need to bring their costume to school in their backpack or in a bag labeled with their name. After lunch, students have time to change into their costumes, and the school parade will be outside on the blacktop starting around 1:30pm. You may come to take pictures during this time. Afterwards, we will have some snacks and play games outside. You will be notified if you need to bring something for the party.
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!)
----------
Dear Families,
Fairyland was an adventure on Wednesday! Thank you again to our wonderful parent chaperones who had small groups of kids throughout the day: Mrs. Krispin, Mrs. Miura, Mrs. Natarajan, Mrs. Ogata, and Mrs. Sakanaka. We left right away in the morning, and unfortunately, had to sit in some traffic on the way up to Oakland. Once we got there, we watched a puppet show called Trickster Tales and then had lunch at the picnic tables. Afterwards, the children had time to visit the animals, play in the different themed areas, or ride the trolley! We were lucky that it was a warm, beautiful day, and we made it back to Eaton just on time! Overall, it was a bit further than we would like to travel, but the park itself was a lot of fun for the children and they had a great time!
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: My Nose
Song of the Week: Making Words
Kindness is: taking care of the classroom
Word Wall Words: and, jump, too, here, not, we
Story of the Week: Messy Meals, Nan and Fan, We Can!
Word Families: -an rhymes
Sounds: n, f, p, short a
Strategy and Skill Focus: Summarize, Compare and Contrast
Grammar: Beginning Sentences with Capital Letters
• PE: Mrs. Barelli took our class this week and we played with scoops and balls. We practiced our throwing and catching skills.
• Math: We have finished Chapter 3 this week on addition and subtraction facts. We started our fourth chapter on data and graphs. This will be a little more challenging for students because it requires reading word problems and following directions! We talked about two types of graphs: bar graphs and picture graphs.
• Science: It was great to hear the different types of liquid riddles this week in sharing! Great job and very creative liquids! This week, we also talked about our five senses: see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. We read a Halloween story and wrote our own stories using the five senses.
• Social Studies: We are starting to learn about October animals and themes such as pumpkins, spiders, bats, and Halloween. We are reading stories and starting projects using Halloween vocabulary words!
• Art: This week, we saw our art teacher, Mrs. Abada. We are lucky to have her
because of the PTO money all of you donated in the beginning of the year! She did a lesson about paper mosaics this week!
• Music: We are learning some fun Halloween songs in first grade music about black cats, witches, pumpkins, and skeletons! Have your child teach you a Halloween song!
• Library: We did not visit the Eaton library again this week because of the Book Fair. However, we did go to the Cupertino library, so please remember to return the books on your own!
Next week, I will be at a Leadership Conference with Mrs. Rowe and three other teachers on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Seema substitute most of the time since she is already familiar with all your children. Please remind your children to be on their best behavior still! Thank you!
Monday, October 20th: Walk-a-Thon Envelopes Due
On Tuesday, your child brought home the Walk-a-thon pledge envelopes. Remember this fundraiser helps to pay for things such as: music, art, playground structure, PE equipment, etc. The envelope is used to collect money for this fundraiser.
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon and Picture Day
We will be taking individual pictures in the morning. Picture envelopes will be sent home the day before, so please remember to return the envelope this morning! In the afternoon after lunch, we will begin the annual Walk-a-thon to raise money for our school. They can wear their Eaton shirt or the Eaton colors (blue, yellow, or white), and make sure to bring a hat and wear sunscreen! They will be given free Eaton water bottles during the Walk-a-thon. Dismissal is still at 3:05pm.
Monday, October 27th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers will be having a staff development workshop on that day to write our school vision plan and to brainstorm ways to improve our school culture.
Friday, October 31st: Halloween
Students will need to bring their costume to school in their backpack or in a bag labeled with their name. After lunch, students have time to change into their costumes, and the school parade will be outside on the blacktop starting around 1:30pm. You may come to take pictures during this time. Afterwards, we will have some snacks and play games outside. You will be notified if you need to bring something for the party.
Sunday, November 2nd: Daylight Savings
Don’t forget to change your clocks back one hour!
Monday, November 3rd: October Book-It Reading Logs Due!
Remember to read every evening and complete the reading log we sent home earlier this month! Students who complete their reading logs will receive a certificate for a Pizza Hut personal pizza (and even if you do not like pizza, please remember to read every day!)
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Dear Families,
Fairyland was an adventure on Wednesday! Thank you again to our wonderful parent chaperones who had small groups of kids throughout the day: Mrs. Krispin, Mrs. Miura, Mrs. Natarajan, Mrs. Ogata, and Mrs. Sakanaka. We left right away in the morning, and unfortunately, had to sit in some traffic on the way up to Oakland. Once we got there, we watched a puppet show called Trickster Tales and then had lunch at the picnic tables. Afterwards, the children had time to visit the animals, play in the different themed areas, or ride the trolley! We were lucky that it was a warm, beautiful day, and we made it back to Eaton just on time! Overall, it was a bit further than we would like to travel, but the park itself was a lot of fun for the children and they had a great time!
• Language Arts:
Poem of the Week: My Nose
Song of the Week: Making Words
Kindness is: taking care of the classroom
Word Wall Words: and, jump, too, here, not, we
Story of the Week: Messy Meals, Nan and Fan, We Can!
Word Families: -an rhymes
Sounds: n, f, p, short a
Strategy and Skill Focus: Summarize, Compare and Contrast
Grammar: Beginning Sentences with Capital Letters
• PE: Mrs. Barelli took our class this week and we played with scoops and balls. We practiced our throwing and catching skills.
• Math: We have finished Chapter 3 this week on addition and subtraction facts. We started our fourth chapter on data and graphs. This will be a little more challenging for students because it requires reading word problems and following directions! We talked about two types of graphs: bar graphs and picture graphs.
• Science: It was great to hear the different types of liquid riddles this week in sharing! Great job and very creative liquids! This week, we also talked about our five senses: see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. We read a Halloween story and wrote our own stories using the five senses.
• Social Studies: We are starting to learn about October animals and themes such as pumpkins, spiders, bats, and Halloween. We are reading stories and starting projects using Halloween vocabulary words!
• Art: This week, we saw our art teacher, Mrs. Abada. We are lucky to have her
because of the PTO money all of you donated in the beginning of the year! She did a lesson about paper mosaics this week!
• Music: We are learning some fun Halloween songs in first grade music about black cats, witches, pumpkins, and skeletons! Have your child teach you a Halloween song!
• Library: We did not visit the Eaton library again this week because of the Book Fair. However, we did go to the Cupertino library, so please remember to return the books on your own!
Next week, I will be at a Leadership Conference with Mrs. Rowe and three other teachers on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Seema substitute most of the time since she is already familiar with all your children. Please remind your children to be on their best behavior still! Thank you!
Friday, October 10, 2008
October 10, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 13th to Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30 everyday!)
Thank you for coming to your conference appointment this week. I have sent home the parent conference forms in today’s Friday Folder (if you already had your meeting).
Tuesday, October 14th: Book Fair Family Night (6:00pm-8:00pm)
The library will be open if you would like to purchase books for your child! You can also go to the book fair after school until Thursday, October 16th if that is more convenient.
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip & Book Orders Due
We are going to take five parent chaperones: Mai’s, Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name and dress in layers!
Friday, October 17th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be going to the Cupertino Library a week earlier than planned because of the Walk-a-thon on the 24th. Please send your child’s blue library card to school and practice memorizing his or her 4-digit PIN number! Remember to return the Cupertino Library books directly!
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon and Picture Day
Eaton will be having our annual walk-a-thon fundraiser in the afternoon. More information will be sent home in the next few weeks. We will also be taking our individual pictures that morning!
------------
Dear Families,
What a short week! We weren’t able to complete as much as we usually do because of the early 1:30pm dismissal time. Thank you for coming to conferences this week! It was nice to get to talk individually with you all. We have a lot of important dates coming up in October. Please make sure to mark your calendar with all the important dates!
Poem of the Week: Oh Mr. Squirrel
Song of the Week: Hello Around the World
Kindness is: seeking wise people
Word Wall Words: go, on, the
Story of the Week: Lunch, The Cat Sat, The Mat
Word Families: -at rhymes
Sounds: m, s, c, t, and short a
Strategy and Skill Focus: Predict and Sequence
Grammar: Capital and lowercase letters
• Language Arts: Students are getting better at completing our literacy centers! Great improvement! Keep working with your child at home, especially on writing story summaries and oral retells. We officially started our first grade reading textbooks from the Houghton Mifflin publisher. Each week we will be reading stories from the textbook and learning the skills listed above such as rhyming words, word wall words, sounds, and grammar. The homework each week will be on the same skills we learn in class.
• Social Studies: We talked about wise people this week for our Kindness journals. This is part of our Peacebuilders pledge, and we discussed who we could go to if we need help at home, at school, or in the community.
• Computer Lab: There was no computer lab this week because of the short day, and also there will be no computer lab next week because of our Fairyland field trip.
• PE: Mrs. Nieveen played a game with us this week. We focused on teamwork and working together.
• Math: We continued the subtraction portion of chapter 3. One new strategy this week was reading about word problems with “How many more?” or “How many less?” We learned that this means comparing two different “things” and is a subtraction problem. We also started working on fact families which will be part of the homework next week.
• Science: This week, it was great to hear the different solid objects students brought for sharing! We continued our focus this week on liquids and learned different properties such as: transparent, translucent, viscous, foamy, bubbly, and colored. We saw real liquids that displayed these properties such as: liquid soap (foamy) vs. honey (viscous).
• Library: Since the Book Fair is this week, we did not get to go to our regular library visit so students can keep their books for one more week. On Thursday, our class previewed the books. If you have time, you can visit the Book Fair with your child after school or on Family Night next Tuesday.
The Scholastic Book Order forms for October are attached today. If you are interested in purchasing books, please make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. Please remember that your children need books at their reading level, so that is why there are 3 catalogs to choose from. Firefly is usually for beginning readers, Seesaw is for first grade level, and Lucky is for advanced readers. Please return order forms by Wednesday, October 15th if you are interested. Thank you!
Monday, October 13th to Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30 everyday!)
Thank you for coming to your conference appointment this week. I have sent home the parent conference forms in today’s Friday Folder (if you already had your meeting).
Tuesday, October 14th: Book Fair Family Night (6:00pm-8:00pm)
The library will be open if you would like to purchase books for your child! You can also go to the book fair after school until Thursday, October 16th if that is more convenient.
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip & Book Orders Due
We are going to take five parent chaperones: Mai’s, Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name and dress in layers!
Friday, October 17th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be going to the Cupertino Library a week earlier than planned because of the Walk-a-thon on the 24th. Please send your child’s blue library card to school and practice memorizing his or her 4-digit PIN number! Remember to return the Cupertino Library books directly!
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon and Picture Day
Eaton will be having our annual walk-a-thon fundraiser in the afternoon. More information will be sent home in the next few weeks. We will also be taking our individual pictures that morning!
------------
Dear Families,
What a short week! We weren’t able to complete as much as we usually do because of the early 1:30pm dismissal time. Thank you for coming to conferences this week! It was nice to get to talk individually with you all. We have a lot of important dates coming up in October. Please make sure to mark your calendar with all the important dates!
Poem of the Week: Oh Mr. Squirrel
Song of the Week: Hello Around the World
Kindness is: seeking wise people
Word Wall Words: go, on, the
Story of the Week: Lunch, The Cat Sat, The Mat
Word Families: -at rhymes
Sounds: m, s, c, t, and short a
Strategy and Skill Focus: Predict and Sequence
Grammar: Capital and lowercase letters
• Language Arts: Students are getting better at completing our literacy centers! Great improvement! Keep working with your child at home, especially on writing story summaries and oral retells. We officially started our first grade reading textbooks from the Houghton Mifflin publisher. Each week we will be reading stories from the textbook and learning the skills listed above such as rhyming words, word wall words, sounds, and grammar. The homework each week will be on the same skills we learn in class.
• Social Studies: We talked about wise people this week for our Kindness journals. This is part of our Peacebuilders pledge, and we discussed who we could go to if we need help at home, at school, or in the community.
• Computer Lab: There was no computer lab this week because of the short day, and also there will be no computer lab next week because of our Fairyland field trip.
• PE: Mrs. Nieveen played a game with us this week. We focused on teamwork and working together.
• Math: We continued the subtraction portion of chapter 3. One new strategy this week was reading about word problems with “How many more?” or “How many less?” We learned that this means comparing two different “things” and is a subtraction problem. We also started working on fact families which will be part of the homework next week.
• Science: This week, it was great to hear the different solid objects students brought for sharing! We continued our focus this week on liquids and learned different properties such as: transparent, translucent, viscous, foamy, bubbly, and colored. We saw real liquids that displayed these properties such as: liquid soap (foamy) vs. honey (viscous).
• Library: Since the Book Fair is this week, we did not get to go to our regular library visit so students can keep their books for one more week. On Thursday, our class previewed the books. If you have time, you can visit the Book Fair with your child after school or on Family Night next Tuesday.
The Scholastic Book Order forms for October are attached today. If you are interested in purchasing books, please make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. Please remember that your children need books at their reading level, so that is why there are 3 catalogs to choose from. Firefly is usually for beginning readers, Seesaw is for first grade level, and Lucky is for advanced readers. Please return order forms by Wednesday, October 15th if you are interested. Thank you!
Friday, October 03, 2008
October 3, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 6th to Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30 everyday – no computer lab the next 2 weeks!)
Thank you for returning the confirmation pages. I look forward to seeing you at your 20 minute appointment. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 8th: Scholastic Software Programs Order Due
Please write ONE check payable to Scholastic, Inc. if you are interested in purchasing different software programs for your computer at home. They have programs for academic areas such as reading and math, or programs for fun and games.
Wednesday, October 8th to Tuesday, October 14th: Book Fair
Today’s Friday Folder has information about the Book Fair coming up at Eaton School. You can purchase books with your student after school during this week, or during Family Night on October 14th from 6-8pm. Our class will have a special visit to the book fair on Thursday, October 9th.
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Thank you for those of you who have returned the permission slip for Fairyland. We have our four parent chaperones: Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name and dress in layers!
Friday, October 17th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be going to the Cupertino Library a week earlier than planned because of the Walk-a-thon on the 24th. Please send your child’s blue library card to school and practice memorizing his or her 4-digit PIN number! Remember to return the Cupertino Library books directly!
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon
Eaton will be having our annual walk-a-thon fundraiser in the afternoon. More information will be sent home in the next few weeks.
----------
Dear Families,
Happy October! Time is already going by quickly. We have so much to do and this month will definitely fly by!
Poem of the Week: Fall
Song of the Week: Hello Around the World
Kindness is: making new friends
• Language Arts: We finished our alphabet dictionaries this week! All students should know their letter sounds and proper handwriting for each letter. Please remind your children to write neatly at home also so we can develop a good habit. Literacy centers this week was a big improvement. Many of us were able to finish the different activities on time! Let’s keep practicing! We had time to interview two princesses this week. We have about four more students to interview!
• Social Studies: We learned more about leaves and apples this week. We read stories and made an art project that showed how an apple tree changes in the four seasons. In circuits, Mrs. Zankich did an activity about why we are all unique or special. We wrote about ourselves and drew a self-portrait.
• Computer Lab: We spent this week learning to draw a self portrait on KidPix. It was our first illustration for our kindness website. You can see our updated journals through the classroom website under “Classwork” or directly at kindness.pbwiki.com. One area we are working on is following directions and learning to save our pictures and work in our own folders.
• PE: Mrs. Zankich had our class this week. We played a team game using hula hoops and tennis balls.
• Math: We started Chapter 3 this week on Addition and Subtraction facts to 12. This week we focused mostly on addition skills and practiced different word problems that require some logic thinking. It is really important that everyone pays attention and listens actively when we are on the carpet. I usually explain all the problems and therefore, students should know how to solve all classwork questions.
• Science: We continued our unit on Solids and Liquids. This fits with next week’s sharing topic – something solid. This week we learned some vocabulary words that are properties of solids. For example, we looked at objects and sorted them in these categories: soft vs. hard, flat vs. pointed, smooth vs. rough, opaque vs. transparent, and flexible vs. rigid. These are very difficult words, but we played some guessing games to practice learning their meanings and finding objects that fit. Later in the week, we also learned about sorting small solids such as rice, mung beans, pinto beans and cornmeal. We predicted and experimented with these different solids to find out how to make solid mixtures and how to separate solid mixtures.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class and continued our project using the book, Hooray For Me! This week, we specifically shared our dreams and illustrated a picture about what we want to be when we grow up.
I look forward to seeing all of you during parent conferences. Please remember to come on time. We will be starting and ending promptly because I have many interviews lined up one after another. I would like for us to work together to help your child this year in first grade. Thank you!
Monday, October 6th to Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30 everyday – no computer lab the next 2 weeks!)
Thank you for returning the confirmation pages. I look forward to seeing you at your 20 minute appointment. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 8th: Scholastic Software Programs Order Due
Please write ONE check payable to Scholastic, Inc. if you are interested in purchasing different software programs for your computer at home. They have programs for academic areas such as reading and math, or programs for fun and games.
Wednesday, October 8th to Tuesday, October 14th: Book Fair
Today’s Friday Folder has information about the Book Fair coming up at Eaton School. You can purchase books with your student after school during this week, or during Family Night on October 14th from 6-8pm. Our class will have a special visit to the book fair on Thursday, October 9th.
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Thank you for those of you who have returned the permission slip for Fairyland. We have our four parent chaperones: Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name and dress in layers!
Friday, October 17th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be going to the Cupertino Library a week earlier than planned because of the Walk-a-thon on the 24th. Please send your child’s blue library card to school and practice memorizing his or her 4-digit PIN number! Remember to return the Cupertino Library books directly!
Friday, October 24th: Walk-a-Thon
Eaton will be having our annual walk-a-thon fundraiser in the afternoon. More information will be sent home in the next few weeks.
----------
Dear Families,
Happy October! Time is already going by quickly. We have so much to do and this month will definitely fly by!
Poem of the Week: Fall
Song of the Week: Hello Around the World
Kindness is: making new friends
• Language Arts: We finished our alphabet dictionaries this week! All students should know their letter sounds and proper handwriting for each letter. Please remind your children to write neatly at home also so we can develop a good habit. Literacy centers this week was a big improvement. Many of us were able to finish the different activities on time! Let’s keep practicing! We had time to interview two princesses this week. We have about four more students to interview!
• Social Studies: We learned more about leaves and apples this week. We read stories and made an art project that showed how an apple tree changes in the four seasons. In circuits, Mrs. Zankich did an activity about why we are all unique or special. We wrote about ourselves and drew a self-portrait.
• Computer Lab: We spent this week learning to draw a self portrait on KidPix. It was our first illustration for our kindness website. You can see our updated journals through the classroom website under “Classwork” or directly at kindness.pbwiki.com. One area we are working on is following directions and learning to save our pictures and work in our own folders.
• PE: Mrs. Zankich had our class this week. We played a team game using hula hoops and tennis balls.
• Math: We started Chapter 3 this week on Addition and Subtraction facts to 12. This week we focused mostly on addition skills and practiced different word problems that require some logic thinking. It is really important that everyone pays attention and listens actively when we are on the carpet. I usually explain all the problems and therefore, students should know how to solve all classwork questions.
• Science: We continued our unit on Solids and Liquids. This fits with next week’s sharing topic – something solid. This week we learned some vocabulary words that are properties of solids. For example, we looked at objects and sorted them in these categories: soft vs. hard, flat vs. pointed, smooth vs. rough, opaque vs. transparent, and flexible vs. rigid. These are very difficult words, but we played some guessing games to practice learning their meanings and finding objects that fit. Later in the week, we also learned about sorting small solids such as rice, mung beans, pinto beans and cornmeal. We predicted and experimented with these different solids to find out how to make solid mixtures and how to separate solid mixtures.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class and continued our project using the book, Hooray For Me! This week, we specifically shared our dreams and illustrated a picture about what we want to be when we grow up.
I look forward to seeing all of you during parent conferences. Please remember to come on time. We will be starting and ending promptly because I have many interviews lined up one after another. I would like for us to work together to help your child this year in first grade. Thank you!
Friday, September 26, 2008
September 26, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, October 1st: Book It Reading Logs Begin
On Monday, you will be getting our first reading log for October in the homework packet. Please read 20 minutes every day (five days a week) and return the reading log after the month ends. More information will be included in the homework packet.
Monday, October 6th – Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30!)
Today there is an important paper that tells you your parent conference time. Please return the confirmation section and also fill out the parent input form by TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Thank you for those of you who have returned the permission slip for Fairyland. We have our four parent chaperones: Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name!
------------
Dear Families,
This was a busy week! Here are some of the highlights:
Poem of the Week: A Little Red Apple
Song of the Week: The Eaton Song
Kindness is: learning a friend’s language
• Language Arts: We started our literacy centers this week. There is a lot to learn and get used to, but we will get better with more practice! Remember that 3 stars in each center is our goal! Please take time to look over the work that goes home in the Friday Folders and help your child to practice some of the skills at home. We continued our dictionaries to S this week and interviewed three new prince or princesses.
• Social Studies: We learned about Johnny Appleseed this week. We read some stories about his contribution to our world by planting lots of apple trees! We also talked about the new season that began on Monday, Fall!
• Computer Lab: On Wednesday, we did a math project in Kidpix on different way to add to seven. Students used different stamps to show math sentences such as 3+4=7 or 0+7=7. Afterwards, we introduced the software program, Type to Learn, to the students. This program is great for teaching proper typing skills and hand placement on the keyboard.
• PE: Mrs. Bachelor had our class this week. We practiced our throwing and catching skills by using tennis balls and plastic milk gallon containers!
• Circuits: Mrs. Bachelor had our class on Tuesday afternoon for our social studies circuit. We learned about our homes and talked about how it may look different for everyone. We shared what was special about our home.
• Math: We finished our chapter on subtraction this week. We practiced reading word problems together and figuring out whether we should add or subtract. It is important to learn to solve problems carefully and accurately!
• Music: We saw our music teacher, Miss Rachel, on Thursday. We listened to different songs and practiced showing high notes and low notes with our bodies.
• Library: Remember we go to the Eaton library every Friday and can check out one book. This afternoon, we also went to the Cupertino library. Students checked out 2 books of their choice, but please remember to return these books on your own. We do not want to mix up our Eaton books with the Cupertino public library books. Thank you! Now that everyone has a library card, please take your child to the library from time to time and let them practice checking out books. They are very capable of remembering their PIN numbers and checking books out on their own.
• Art: We have been working on an apple art project called quilling. We made a shape of an apple, a stem, and a leaf, and we have been rolling strips of paper to fill in the apple. This is a project that students work on when they finish their work and it also is practice for their fine-motor skills.
• Science: This week we started our science unit for the trimester on Solids and Liquids. We introduced examples of solid object such as pencils, erasers, and computers. We talked about liquids such as water, milk, or juice. We also learned that air is not a solid or liquid, but a gas.
I look forward to seeing all of you during parent conference week. Please remember to turn in the confirmation page by Tuesday, September 30th. We will be discussing your child’s progress so far in first grade and what goals we have for the end of the year.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 1st: Book It Reading Logs Begin
On Monday, you will be getting our first reading log for October in the homework packet. Please read 20 minutes every day (five days a week) and return the reading log after the month ends. More information will be included in the homework packet.
Monday, October 6th – Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences (Dismissal at 1:30!)
Today there is an important paper that tells you your parent conference time. Please return the confirmation section and also fill out the parent input form by TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Thank you for those of you who have returned the permission slip for Fairyland. We have our four parent chaperones: Maya’s, Naoki’s, Kinako’s, and Jhanvi’s parent. They will be coming with us on the school bus. Please send a DISPOSABLE lunch (paper bag or plastic bag) with your child because we will be throwing everything away after lunch. Remember to LABEL the lunch bag with your child’s name!
------------
Dear Families,
This was a busy week! Here are some of the highlights:
Poem of the Week: A Little Red Apple
Song of the Week: The Eaton Song
Kindness is: learning a friend’s language
• Language Arts: We started our literacy centers this week. There is a lot to learn and get used to, but we will get better with more practice! Remember that 3 stars in each center is our goal! Please take time to look over the work that goes home in the Friday Folders and help your child to practice some of the skills at home. We continued our dictionaries to S this week and interviewed three new prince or princesses.
• Social Studies: We learned about Johnny Appleseed this week. We read some stories about his contribution to our world by planting lots of apple trees! We also talked about the new season that began on Monday, Fall!
• Computer Lab: On Wednesday, we did a math project in Kidpix on different way to add to seven. Students used different stamps to show math sentences such as 3+4=7 or 0+7=7. Afterwards, we introduced the software program, Type to Learn, to the students. This program is great for teaching proper typing skills and hand placement on the keyboard.
• PE: Mrs. Bachelor had our class this week. We practiced our throwing and catching skills by using tennis balls and plastic milk gallon containers!
• Circuits: Mrs. Bachelor had our class on Tuesday afternoon for our social studies circuit. We learned about our homes and talked about how it may look different for everyone. We shared what was special about our home.
• Math: We finished our chapter on subtraction this week. We practiced reading word problems together and figuring out whether we should add or subtract. It is important to learn to solve problems carefully and accurately!
• Music: We saw our music teacher, Miss Rachel, on Thursday. We listened to different songs and practiced showing high notes and low notes with our bodies.
• Library: Remember we go to the Eaton library every Friday and can check out one book. This afternoon, we also went to the Cupertino library. Students checked out 2 books of their choice, but please remember to return these books on your own. We do not want to mix up our Eaton books with the Cupertino public library books. Thank you! Now that everyone has a library card, please take your child to the library from time to time and let them practice checking out books. They are very capable of remembering their PIN numbers and checking books out on their own.
• Art: We have been working on an apple art project called quilling. We made a shape of an apple, a stem, and a leaf, and we have been rolling strips of paper to fill in the apple. This is a project that students work on when they finish their work and it also is practice for their fine-motor skills.
• Science: This week we started our science unit for the trimester on Solids and Liquids. We introduced examples of solid object such as pencils, erasers, and computers. We talked about liquids such as water, milk, or juice. We also learned that air is not a solid or liquid, but a gas.
I look forward to seeing all of you during parent conference week. Please remember to turn in the confirmation page by Tuesday, September 30th. We will be discussing your child’s progress so far in first grade and what goals we have for the end of the year.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
September 18, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers throughout the Cupertino District will be getting trained on our new science kits.
Friday, September 26th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library after lunch. If you have a blue library card already, please remember to send it on Friday morning. If you do not have a library card, your child will be receiving a new one on our first visit. PLEASE practice your child’s 4-digit PIN number (for new students, it is the first 4 digits of their hot lunch number). We will get to check out two books to bring home. Please return the books directly to the Cupertino Library at your convenience (DO NOT return them to Eaton School!)
Monday, October 6th – Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences
We will be notifying you about your 20 minute conference slot in the next few weeks. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Attached to this newsletter is a permission slip for our first field trip. We will be traveling to Oakland on a school bus with all the first grade classes. We can take four parent chaperones who will be taking small groups of children around the park. Please let me know if you can come with us.
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Dear Families,
Today I’d like to go over one of our activities that we are starting next week: Literacy Centers. You will see this packet (with a green cover sheet) almost every week in the Friday Folder. Your child receives 0, 1, 2, or 3 stars each week for finishing all the activities in centers. This is a growing process. Your child may only receive 1 or 2 stars in the beginning of the year, but I hope by the end of the year, they will receive 3 stars in all categories. I have included our literacy center rubric (how I evaluate work) in this newsletter so you can see how to work with your children on improving their scores.
The most difficult center is usually the listening center. This week, we did the listening center together so the students understand how to write the five sentences. This is called a SUMMARY. Please note that sometimes we do SUMMARIES and sometimes we do RETELLS. A SUMMARY is brief and covers the main points, whereas a RETELL is done orally and you repeat all the details of the story as if you were the storyteller. The listening center will be a summary. The five sentences in listening center include:
o This story was about _______. (Who is the character and what is the setting?)
• Example: This story was about three little pigs outside in the forest.
o In the beginning, _________. (Where or what’s happening?)
• Example: In the beginning, the three little pigs build three houses.
o In the middle, ___________. (What is the problem?)
• Example: In the middle, the big bad wolf blows down two of the houses.
o At the end, ______________. (What is the solution?)
• Example: At the end, the third pig tricks the wolf and catches him!
o My favorite part was when _______ or I liked when __________ (Conclusion – What did you think of the story? What was your favorite part?)
• Example: My favorite part was when the wolf couldn’t blow the brick house down!
Please practice summaries and retells with your children when you have time!
Some other highlights this week:
• Assembly: This week the Wildlife Associates came to our school! They showed us real animals from California such as a red fox, red tailed hawk, baby opossum, great horned owl, and a porcupine! It was interesting to learn facts about the animals!
• Computer Lab: On Wednesday, we did an alphabet project in KidPix. Students had to find stamps of different pictures that begin with different letters in the alphabet! Thank you to Seyon’s father and Winny’s mother who will be helping us during computer time!
• PE: We started our PE circuits this week. Mrs. Byers had our class this week and we played games using beanbags. We worked on our catching and throwing skills.
• Circuits: Mrs. Byers also had our class on Tuesday afternoon for our social studies circuit. We learned about maps and grids. We had to create a grid of our school layout.
• Math: We started subtraction this week. We worked on word problems in subtraction and learned some magic words such as: how many LEFT? or reading carefully for words like “takes” or “picks” or “buys.”
• Language Arts: We continued our dictionaries to the letter O this week. We didn’t have much time for Prince or Princesses though, so we only had 2 students this week. We wrote our Journals and some students really enjoy the open-ended writing time. Journals are simply to encourage students to enjoy writing and it is a safe activity. I won’t be correcting any spelling or grammar. I read the journals and ask them a question. Journals are fun because they can keep them and read them when they’re older!
• Writing: Another journal we started today was our Kindness journal. We are learning different ways we can be kind to others. Every week we will talk about a different kind action. Then we will start typing and illustrating them on our website!
I’d like to also thank so many of you for offering to volunteer! We have enough help on Friday afternoons now – thanks to Dodam’s, Maya’s, Kinako’s, and Fuka’s mothers! Also, Terrence’s mother has volunteered to be our room mother. Thank you everyone! We are lucky and thankful to have a supportive group of parents!
It was great to see many of you on Sunday at the Chicken Dance performance! I hope you had fun at the Cupertino Festival! Enjoy your three day weekend! See you on Monday!
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers throughout the Cupertino District will be getting trained on our new science kits.
Friday, September 26th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library after lunch. If you have a blue library card already, please remember to send it on Friday morning. If you do not have a library card, your child will be receiving a new one on our first visit. PLEASE practice your child’s 4-digit PIN number (for new students, it is the first 4 digits of their hot lunch number). We will get to check out two books to bring home. Please return the books directly to the Cupertino Library at your convenience (DO NOT return them to Eaton School!)
Monday, October 6th – Tuesday, October 14th: Parent Conferences
We will be notifying you about your 20 minute conference slot in the next few weeks. During conferences, dismissal everyday will be at 1:30PM. Please remember to make arrangements to pick up your child on time!
Wednesday, October 15th: Fairyland Field Trip
Attached to this newsletter is a permission slip for our first field trip. We will be traveling to Oakland on a school bus with all the first grade classes. We can take four parent chaperones who will be taking small groups of children around the park. Please let me know if you can come with us.
------
Dear Families,
Today I’d like to go over one of our activities that we are starting next week: Literacy Centers. You will see this packet (with a green cover sheet) almost every week in the Friday Folder. Your child receives 0, 1, 2, or 3 stars each week for finishing all the activities in centers. This is a growing process. Your child may only receive 1 or 2 stars in the beginning of the year, but I hope by the end of the year, they will receive 3 stars in all categories. I have included our literacy center rubric (how I evaluate work) in this newsletter so you can see how to work with your children on improving their scores.
The most difficult center is usually the listening center. This week, we did the listening center together so the students understand how to write the five sentences. This is called a SUMMARY. Please note that sometimes we do SUMMARIES and sometimes we do RETELLS. A SUMMARY is brief and covers the main points, whereas a RETELL is done orally and you repeat all the details of the story as if you were the storyteller. The listening center will be a summary. The five sentences in listening center include:
o This story was about _______. (Who is the character and what is the setting?)
• Example: This story was about three little pigs outside in the forest.
o In the beginning, _________. (Where or what’s happening?)
• Example: In the beginning, the three little pigs build three houses.
o In the middle, ___________. (What is the problem?)
• Example: In the middle, the big bad wolf blows down two of the houses.
o At the end, ______________. (What is the solution?)
• Example: At the end, the third pig tricks the wolf and catches him!
o My favorite part was when _______ or I liked when __________ (Conclusion – What did you think of the story? What was your favorite part?)
• Example: My favorite part was when the wolf couldn’t blow the brick house down!
Please practice summaries and retells with your children when you have time!
Some other highlights this week:
• Assembly: This week the Wildlife Associates came to our school! They showed us real animals from California such as a red fox, red tailed hawk, baby opossum, great horned owl, and a porcupine! It was interesting to learn facts about the animals!
• Computer Lab: On Wednesday, we did an alphabet project in KidPix. Students had to find stamps of different pictures that begin with different letters in the alphabet! Thank you to Seyon’s father and Winny’s mother who will be helping us during computer time!
• PE: We started our PE circuits this week. Mrs. Byers had our class this week and we played games using beanbags. We worked on our catching and throwing skills.
• Circuits: Mrs. Byers also had our class on Tuesday afternoon for our social studies circuit. We learned about maps and grids. We had to create a grid of our school layout.
• Math: We started subtraction this week. We worked on word problems in subtraction and learned some magic words such as: how many LEFT? or reading carefully for words like “takes” or “picks” or “buys.”
• Language Arts: We continued our dictionaries to the letter O this week. We didn’t have much time for Prince or Princesses though, so we only had 2 students this week. We wrote our Journals and some students really enjoy the open-ended writing time. Journals are simply to encourage students to enjoy writing and it is a safe activity. I won’t be correcting any spelling or grammar. I read the journals and ask them a question. Journals are fun because they can keep them and read them when they’re older!
• Writing: Another journal we started today was our Kindness journal. We are learning different ways we can be kind to others. Every week we will talk about a different kind action. Then we will start typing and illustrating them on our website!
I’d like to also thank so many of you for offering to volunteer! We have enough help on Friday afternoons now – thanks to Dodam’s, Maya’s, Kinako’s, and Fuka’s mothers! Also, Terrence’s mother has volunteered to be our room mother. Thank you everyone! We are lucky and thankful to have a supportive group of parents!
It was great to see many of you on Sunday at the Chicken Dance performance! I hope you had fun at the Cupertino Festival! Enjoy your three day weekend! See you on Monday!
Friday, September 12, 2008
September 12, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
(PLEASE PLAN ON ARRIVING NO LATER THAN 12:40PM and BRING YOUR
CHILD’S CHICKEN DANCE HAT!)
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers throughout the Cupertino District will be getting trained on our new science kits.
Friday, September 26th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library after lunch. If you have a blue library card already, please remember to send it on Friday morning. If you do not have a library card, your child will be receiving a new one on our first visit. PLEASE practice your child’s 4-digit PIN number (for new students, it is the first 4 digits of their hot lunch number). We will get to check out two books to bring home. Please return the books directly to the Cupertino Library at your convenience (DO NOT return them to Eaton School!)
______________________
Dear Families,
Sharing went very well this week! Thank you for preparing your child’s riddles with at least four clues and bringing a picture or object to show! Next week we are starting our complete homework packet with vocabulary and spelling. Please remember to study the words and be ready for a test on Thursday.
Here are some highlights from the week:
Poem of the Week: Manners
Song of the Week: Clap Your Name
• Language Arts: We worked on our picture dictionary to the letter L this week. Also, we started our weekend news journals on Monday. Students can write about anything they want in their journals, or they can write about their weekend. Please review the weekend events with your child each Sunday night or Monday morning!
• Math: We finished chapter one this week! It is important that students build a good habit of reading word problems carefully before solving them. We are learning strategies to understand and solve word problems.
• Physical Education: This week, we played Sharks and Minnows on the field. Our PE rotations will start next week where classes will rotate between all the first grade teachers.
• Art: We met our art teacher this week, Mrs. Abada. She did a great lesson on creating distances in pictures (ie. Smaller means far away and larger means closer). We also used crayons and practiced making a crayon rubbing picture by placing shapes behind our paper. We are excited to have our art lessons once a month!
• Music: We also had our first music lesson with Ms. Rachel this week. She let us practice different movements such as walking, marching, and jumping to various songs. We also listened to sounds of different animals and tried to move our bodies like the animals.
• Computer: We had our first computer lab visit this week! We played with the drawing software program: Kidpix. We explored the different features such as drawing lines, boxes, circles, and using tools such as the paint bucket and stamping.
• Social Studies: We learned that it was California’s birthday on the 9th and talked about California’s state flag, flower, tree, and bird. On Thursday, we talked about Patriot Day and how Americans are both same and different.
• Buddies: We saw our buddies again this week and continued our project from before. We shared activities and things that we love and made a heart project with our big buddies.
This week, our classroom behavior was better. We still needed reminders here and there, so please continue to speak with your children about following rules. Also, everyone finished their work! Please encourage your child, especially when you see them at home doing their homework, to finish within a set time free and independently! Most children can do their work if you are sitting next to them, encouraging them to finish. However, they need to build the skill of finishing their work all by themselves. Please help practice this skill at home too! Thank you!
Have a great weekend! Please come early to the Chicken Dance on Sunday! In the past, I have had students come just 5 minutes late, and they miss the whole performance =( Don’t forget your chicken hats too!
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
(PLEASE PLAN ON ARRIVING NO LATER THAN 12:40PM and BRING YOUR
CHILD’S CHICKEN DANCE HAT!)
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Teachers throughout the Cupertino District will be getting trained on our new science kits.
Friday, September 26th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino Library after lunch. If you have a blue library card already, please remember to send it on Friday morning. If you do not have a library card, your child will be receiving a new one on our first visit. PLEASE practice your child’s 4-digit PIN number (for new students, it is the first 4 digits of their hot lunch number). We will get to check out two books to bring home. Please return the books directly to the Cupertino Library at your convenience (DO NOT return them to Eaton School!)
______________________
Dear Families,
Sharing went very well this week! Thank you for preparing your child’s riddles with at least four clues and bringing a picture or object to show! Next week we are starting our complete homework packet with vocabulary and spelling. Please remember to study the words and be ready for a test on Thursday.
Here are some highlights from the week:
Poem of the Week: Manners
Song of the Week: Clap Your Name
• Language Arts: We worked on our picture dictionary to the letter L this week. Also, we started our weekend news journals on Monday. Students can write about anything they want in their journals, or they can write about their weekend. Please review the weekend events with your child each Sunday night or Monday morning!
• Math: We finished chapter one this week! It is important that students build a good habit of reading word problems carefully before solving them. We are learning strategies to understand and solve word problems.
• Physical Education: This week, we played Sharks and Minnows on the field. Our PE rotations will start next week where classes will rotate between all the first grade teachers.
• Art: We met our art teacher this week, Mrs. Abada. She did a great lesson on creating distances in pictures (ie. Smaller means far away and larger means closer). We also used crayons and practiced making a crayon rubbing picture by placing shapes behind our paper. We are excited to have our art lessons once a month!
• Music: We also had our first music lesson with Ms. Rachel this week. She let us practice different movements such as walking, marching, and jumping to various songs. We also listened to sounds of different animals and tried to move our bodies like the animals.
• Computer: We had our first computer lab visit this week! We played with the drawing software program: Kidpix. We explored the different features such as drawing lines, boxes, circles, and using tools such as the paint bucket and stamping.
• Social Studies: We learned that it was California’s birthday on the 9th and talked about California’s state flag, flower, tree, and bird. On Thursday, we talked about Patriot Day and how Americans are both same and different.
• Buddies: We saw our buddies again this week and continued our project from before. We shared activities and things that we love and made a heart project with our big buddies.
This week, our classroom behavior was better. We still needed reminders here and there, so please continue to speak with your children about following rules. Also, everyone finished their work! Please encourage your child, especially when you see them at home doing their homework, to finish within a set time free and independently! Most children can do their work if you are sitting next to them, encouraging them to finish. However, they need to build the skill of finishing their work all by themselves. Please help practice this skill at home too! Thank you!
Have a great weekend! Please come early to the Chicken Dance on Sunday! In the past, I have had students come just 5 minutes late, and they miss the whole performance =( Don’t forget your chicken hats too!
Friday, September 05, 2008
September 5, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, September 8th: Scholastic book orders are due
I am extending the deadline to Monday to return book orders. Please look through the book orders and if you are interested in purchasing books, make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
The first graders from Eaton will perform the Chicken Dance at the Cupertino Jubilee which is held at City Hall (next to the library). Please return the permission slip if you have not already done so!
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
------------
Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Back to School night yesterday! It was really good to officially meet all of you and match my students’ faces with their parents! I know it was a lot of information, so please continue to look through the website and ask questions if you have any. Remember to turn in the following items as soon as possible: $150 classroom donation (made to Eaton Elementary School), website permission slip, book orders, and volunteer form.
Here are some highlights from the week:
Poem of the Week: A Circle of Friends
Song of the Week: Clap Your Name
• Language Arts: We continued our picture dictionary to the letter I this week. I am emphasizing neat and proper handwriting. Please encourage the same at home using the handwriting guide I sent home in last night’s packet.
• Reading: This week, we read Rosie’s Walk and talked about important words such as: across, over, around, under, past, and through. We practiced using these words by showing how to go “over the chair” or “across the classroom.” We also made our own story called Pete the Pencil to demonstrate our understanding of these words.
• Writing: We continued our Prince and Princesses this week! Remember you can read about them on the “Classwork” section of the website! We also talked about the 5 parts of writing a friendly letter when we wrote our Back-to-School letters. They are: the date, greeting (dear…), body, salutation (love…), and signature (name). We will be practicing more letters this year.
• Math: We finished half our first chapter on addition facts this week. You will see their math packet in today’s Friday folder. A star means that they got everything right. A circle means that they had made a mistake, but they corrected it (with me or by themselves). We talked about how “in all” in word problems always means to add (Plus).
• Physical Education: This week, we reviewed the rules of running around the track and reviewed some of the playground rules.
• Library: We had our first library visit this morning! We went over the rules and expectations of library time. Each Friday morning, we will listen to a story read-aloud by Mrs. Glass, and then we can check out one book to take home. Please remember to return the library books every Friday or else your child cannot check out another book. Also, if there is no school on Friday, we will skip library that week so you can keep the book at home that week.
• Friday Folders: Remember to get excited about Super Stars and getting all GREEN squares on the Friday Folders! Again, YELLOWS are given if students are not finishing their work on time or if they are not following the classroom rules. Please talk to your children about their behavior, especially sitting nicely on the carpet and listening to others!
Next week, remember sharing will begin! I am excited to hear your children’s sharing and please remember your child must be prepared with at least 4 complete sentences and have an object or picture to show. I have attached the updated schedule!
Also on Monday, we will start our Weekend News journals. These journals are to encourage children to write freely without worrying about spelling or grammatical mistakes. Students usually write about what they did over the weekend, however, if nothing exciting happened, they can write about anything they want. It really helps if you can talk with your child Sunday night or Monday morning to review the weekend events. For example: did you go to a special place? Did they see a friend? What did you do at home? Are they excited about an upcoming event? Etc. Thank you for your help!
Also attached is our class directory! Thank you for turning in the forms to share with the rest of the class!
See you on Monday!
Monday, September 8th: Scholastic book orders are due
I am extending the deadline to Monday to return book orders. Please look through the book orders and if you are interested in purchasing books, make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
The first graders from Eaton will perform the Chicken Dance at the Cupertino Jubilee which is held at City Hall (next to the library). Please return the permission slip if you have not already done so!
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
------------
Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Back to School night yesterday! It was really good to officially meet all of you and match my students’ faces with their parents! I know it was a lot of information, so please continue to look through the website and ask questions if you have any. Remember to turn in the following items as soon as possible: $150 classroom donation (made to Eaton Elementary School), website permission slip, book orders, and volunteer form.
Here are some highlights from the week:
Poem of the Week: A Circle of Friends
Song of the Week: Clap Your Name
• Language Arts: We continued our picture dictionary to the letter I this week. I am emphasizing neat and proper handwriting. Please encourage the same at home using the handwriting guide I sent home in last night’s packet.
• Reading: This week, we read Rosie’s Walk and talked about important words such as: across, over, around, under, past, and through. We practiced using these words by showing how to go “over the chair” or “across the classroom.” We also made our own story called Pete the Pencil to demonstrate our understanding of these words.
• Writing: We continued our Prince and Princesses this week! Remember you can read about them on the “Classwork” section of the website! We also talked about the 5 parts of writing a friendly letter when we wrote our Back-to-School letters. They are: the date, greeting (dear…), body, salutation (love…), and signature (name). We will be practicing more letters this year.
• Math: We finished half our first chapter on addition facts this week. You will see their math packet in today’s Friday folder. A star means that they got everything right. A circle means that they had made a mistake, but they corrected it (with me or by themselves). We talked about how “in all” in word problems always means to add (Plus).
• Physical Education: This week, we reviewed the rules of running around the track and reviewed some of the playground rules.
• Library: We had our first library visit this morning! We went over the rules and expectations of library time. Each Friday morning, we will listen to a story read-aloud by Mrs. Glass, and then we can check out one book to take home. Please remember to return the library books every Friday or else your child cannot check out another book. Also, if there is no school on Friday, we will skip library that week so you can keep the book at home that week.
• Friday Folders: Remember to get excited about Super Stars and getting all GREEN squares on the Friday Folders! Again, YELLOWS are given if students are not finishing their work on time or if they are not following the classroom rules. Please talk to your children about their behavior, especially sitting nicely on the carpet and listening to others!
Next week, remember sharing will begin! I am excited to hear your children’s sharing and please remember your child must be prepared with at least 4 complete sentences and have an object or picture to show. I have attached the updated schedule!
Also on Monday, we will start our Weekend News journals. These journals are to encourage children to write freely without worrying about spelling or grammatical mistakes. Students usually write about what they did over the weekend, however, if nothing exciting happened, they can write about anything they want. It really helps if you can talk with your child Sunday night or Monday morning to review the weekend events. For example: did you go to a special place? Did they see a friend? What did you do at home? Are they excited about an upcoming event? Etc. Thank you for your help!
Also attached is our class directory! Thank you for turning in the forms to share with the rest of the class!
See you on Monday!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
August 29, 2008
Upcoming Dates
Monday, September 1st: NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
Thursday, September 4th: Back-to-School Night 6:15pm-7:00pm in Room 8
This is a mandatory informational meeting about our classroom procedures and curriculum plan for the year. There will be a PTO meeting in the MP room from 7:00pm-7:15pm afterwards.
Friday, September 5th: Scholastic book orders are due
I am including the September book order with this newsletter. This first order is very important because it gives our classroom free materials depending on the amount ordered. Please look through the book orders and if you are interested in purchasing books, make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
The first graders from Eaton will perform the Chicken Dance at the Cupertino Jubilee which is held at City Hall (next to the library). Plan on coming if you are available that day!
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
---------
Dear Families,
Thank you for those of you who have given generous donations for our classroom! In addition to the first grade supply list, we ask each family to donate $150 (payable to Eaton Elementary School) in order to cover the costs for all the fun assemblies, field trips, projects, and activities we complete all year long. These programs are not possible without your donations. We appreciate your contribution and support! The Eaton PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) also is asking for a $175 donation (payable to Eaton PTO) to help plan school wide events and fundraisers. Please consider these donation opportunities, as they greatly help our school!
The first few days of school have been focused on class rules and procedures. I am reminding students to be on their best behavior, to try their best, and be a peacebuilder to others. Parent communication is very important to me because I strongly believe we have a huge influence on your child’s academic and social learning. Please be sure to read these weekly newsletters carefully and remind your child to follow directions at Eaton.
Here are some highlights from the week:
• Language Arts: We have begun our phonics and vocabulary lessons by beginning a picture dictionary. I have been emphasizing neatness and proper handwriting in their work. We worked on A, B, C, and D.
• Social Studies: We are learning about ourselves and our families. We made a family portrait to share with the class. Also, we discovered all the countries that our families have come from and drew flags around the world.
• Writing: We have been learning about our classmates. We select a Prince or Princess of the day. The students interview them and then we write a paragraph about that person. Some areas we are beginning to focus on are indenting paragraphs, capital letters in the beginning of sentences, punctuation, and sentence variety.
• Math: We began our first chapter in our textbook on addition facts. We are practicing basic computation and also word problems using addition. Please review the work that gets sent home. Most of the word problems are done as a whole class so some students need more practice doing them independently.
• Physical Education: We began our PE this week. We have PE class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students have to run around the track once and then we play games afterwards.
• Fire Drill: On Thursday, we practiced our first fire drill. We lined up quietly when the fire bell rang and walked onto the field until we were excused. We did a great job!
• Music: We have started our first grade music program on Wednesdays before lunch and Friday afternoon. We are singing fun songs led by the first grade teachers.
• Nutrition Policy: We are continuing our nutrition program at our school and we are only allowed to have one treat per month. Therefore, if your child has a birthday and you would like to share something with the class, we can only allow items such as pencils, erasers, or stickers.
• Friday Folders: Today you are receiving our weekly Friday Folders. Please review all the work that is sent home with your child and sign the back of the folder. Every week I monitor each child’s behavior using Super Stars. If your child receives green cards all week long, they will take home the Super Star (this week is the yellow bus). Please acknowledge these Super Stars and post them up in your house to remind children of good behavior!!!
We are fortunate to have an ELD aide to help out in our classroom everyday. Her name is Seema Saxena (Mrs. Seema) and she helps in our class for an hour and a half each day. Mrs. Seema is a wonderful help to us! Also, we have an ELD Specialist who will be helping in our classroom every Tuesday morning before recess. Her name is Miss Yeh. Both helpers have already been introduced to our class.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you next Thursday at Back to School Night! If you have not returned the first day forms such as: supplies, health card, library permission slip, directory information, classroom donation, etc., please do so on Tuesday! Have a wonderful weekend!
Monday, September 1st: NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
Thursday, September 4th: Back-to-School Night 6:15pm-7:00pm in Room 8
This is a mandatory informational meeting about our classroom procedures and curriculum plan for the year. There will be a PTO meeting in the MP room from 7:00pm-7:15pm afterwards.
Friday, September 5th: Scholastic book orders are due
I am including the September book order with this newsletter. This first order is very important because it gives our classroom free materials depending on the amount ordered. Please look through the book orders and if you are interested in purchasing books, make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.
Sunday, September 14th: Cupertino Jubilee Chicken Dance @ 1:00pm
The first graders from Eaton will perform the Chicken Dance at the Cupertino Jubilee which is held at City Hall (next to the library). Plan on coming if you are available that day!
Friday, September 19th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
---------
Dear Families,
Thank you for those of you who have given generous donations for our classroom! In addition to the first grade supply list, we ask each family to donate $150 (payable to Eaton Elementary School) in order to cover the costs for all the fun assemblies, field trips, projects, and activities we complete all year long. These programs are not possible without your donations. We appreciate your contribution and support! The Eaton PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) also is asking for a $175 donation (payable to Eaton PTO) to help plan school wide events and fundraisers. Please consider these donation opportunities, as they greatly help our school!
The first few days of school have been focused on class rules and procedures. I am reminding students to be on their best behavior, to try their best, and be a peacebuilder to others. Parent communication is very important to me because I strongly believe we have a huge influence on your child’s academic and social learning. Please be sure to read these weekly newsletters carefully and remind your child to follow directions at Eaton.
Here are some highlights from the week:
• Language Arts: We have begun our phonics and vocabulary lessons by beginning a picture dictionary. I have been emphasizing neatness and proper handwriting in their work. We worked on A, B, C, and D.
• Social Studies: We are learning about ourselves and our families. We made a family portrait to share with the class. Also, we discovered all the countries that our families have come from and drew flags around the world.
• Writing: We have been learning about our classmates. We select a Prince or Princess of the day. The students interview them and then we write a paragraph about that person. Some areas we are beginning to focus on are indenting paragraphs, capital letters in the beginning of sentences, punctuation, and sentence variety.
• Math: We began our first chapter in our textbook on addition facts. We are practicing basic computation and also word problems using addition. Please review the work that gets sent home. Most of the word problems are done as a whole class so some students need more practice doing them independently.
• Physical Education: We began our PE this week. We have PE class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students have to run around the track once and then we play games afterwards.
• Fire Drill: On Thursday, we practiced our first fire drill. We lined up quietly when the fire bell rang and walked onto the field until we were excused. We did a great job!
• Music: We have started our first grade music program on Wednesdays before lunch and Friday afternoon. We are singing fun songs led by the first grade teachers.
• Nutrition Policy: We are continuing our nutrition program at our school and we are only allowed to have one treat per month. Therefore, if your child has a birthday and you would like to share something with the class, we can only allow items such as pencils, erasers, or stickers.
• Friday Folders: Today you are receiving our weekly Friday Folders. Please review all the work that is sent home with your child and sign the back of the folder. Every week I monitor each child’s behavior using Super Stars. If your child receives green cards all week long, they will take home the Super Star (this week is the yellow bus). Please acknowledge these Super Stars and post them up in your house to remind children of good behavior!!!
We are fortunate to have an ELD aide to help out in our classroom everyday. Her name is Seema Saxena (Mrs. Seema) and she helps in our class for an hour and a half each day. Mrs. Seema is a wonderful help to us! Also, we have an ELD Specialist who will be helping in our classroom every Tuesday morning before recess. Her name is Miss Yeh. Both helpers have already been introduced to our class.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you next Thursday at Back to School Night! If you have not returned the first day forms such as: supplies, health card, library permission slip, directory information, classroom donation, etc., please do so on Tuesday! Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Back to School 2008
Dear Families,
Welcome to a new school year at Eaton Elementary! I hope you had a wonderful summer and am as excited to be back as I am. My name is Mrs. Yu and I will be your child’s teacher for the upcoming year. This will be a fun-filled and challenging time for both your child and myself!
I am eager to meet all of you at Back to School Night. Please save the date: Thursday, September 4th. I will hold a mandatory meeting in Room 8 from 6:15pm – 7:00pm and there will be a PTO meeting in the MP room afterwards from 7:00pm – 7:15pm. This will be a very important opportunity for you to learn about our classroom and the procedures for the year.
All students are asked to bring the items below. Please make sure to buy the EXACT brand (such as Dixon-Ticonderoga, Magic Rub, Crayola, Sharpie, etc.). Please purchase these items by Friday, August 29th and bring them in a large paper bag with your child’s name labeled on it. Thank you for your donations.
• 1 box of DIXON-TICONDEROGA #2 pencils
• 2 MAGIC RUB erasers
• 1 box of CRAYOLA CLASSIC color markers
• 6 LARGE glue sticks
• 1 box of 24 CRAYOLA crayons
• 1 fine point and 1 thick point BLACK SHARPIE
• 1 FISKARS FOR KIDS scissors – pointed tip
• 1 box of 24 CRAYOLA colored pencils
• 1 box baby wipes or Clorox wipes
• 1 box of Kleenex
Students with last names beginning with:
A to L – one box of gallon sized ziplock bags
M to R – one bottle of liquid soap (NOT anti-bacterial)
S to Z – one box of aluminum foil
Please remember to send your child to school on time each morning at 9:00am and pick up your child at 3:05pm (except Tuesday dismissal is at 2:30pm). Also, please label all lunch boxes, jackets, hats, sweaters, etc. with your child’s name so that lost items can be returned to you. I am looking forward to working with you and your children!
Welcome to a new school year at Eaton Elementary! I hope you had a wonderful summer and am as excited to be back as I am. My name is Mrs. Yu and I will be your child’s teacher for the upcoming year. This will be a fun-filled and challenging time for both your child and myself!
I am eager to meet all of you at Back to School Night. Please save the date: Thursday, September 4th. I will hold a mandatory meeting in Room 8 from 6:15pm – 7:00pm and there will be a PTO meeting in the MP room afterwards from 7:00pm – 7:15pm. This will be a very important opportunity for you to learn about our classroom and the procedures for the year.
All students are asked to bring the items below. Please make sure to buy the EXACT brand (such as Dixon-Ticonderoga, Magic Rub, Crayola, Sharpie, etc.). Please purchase these items by Friday, August 29th and bring them in a large paper bag with your child’s name labeled on it. Thank you for your donations.
• 1 box of DIXON-TICONDEROGA #2 pencils
• 2 MAGIC RUB erasers
• 1 box of CRAYOLA CLASSIC color markers
• 6 LARGE glue sticks
• 1 box of 24 CRAYOLA crayons
• 1 fine point and 1 thick point BLACK SHARPIE
• 1 FISKARS FOR KIDS scissors – pointed tip
• 1 box of 24 CRAYOLA colored pencils
• 1 box baby wipes or Clorox wipes
• 1 box of Kleenex
Students with last names beginning with:
A to L – one box of gallon sized ziplock bags
M to R – one bottle of liquid soap (NOT anti-bacterial)
S to Z – one box of aluminum foil
Please remember to send your child to school on time each morning at 9:00am and pick up your child at 3:05pm (except Tuesday dismissal is at 2:30pm). Also, please label all lunch boxes, jackets, hats, sweaters, etc. with your child’s name so that lost items can be returned to you. I am looking forward to working with you and your children!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Last Day!
Dear Families,
I can’t believe the school year is over! Wow! This week, we went to Almaden Lake Park on Monday. The students took the bus to the Children’s Discovery Museum and then we rode the light rail to Almaden. Many students had never been on a train before, so it was a fun experience! We walked to Almaden Lake Park, where they have huge play structures, water play areas, and picnic areas! The students had a great time playing and we even had popsicles! Unfortunately, the bus was 45 minutes late picking us up, so I apologize for any inconvenience that caused!
On Tuesday, we had the Talent Show. Good job to Anna who performed with two other girls a dance from the movie, Hairspray! It was very cute! The teachers also performed a dance medley of High School Musical! In the afternoon, we wrote our last entry in our journals.
Wednesday was our last day to finish our science books on Healthy foods. We learned about all the food groups and what we should be eating every meal. We also cleaned up our classroom and took everything home. I hope you enjoyed all of the projects that your child worked on this year. It was a lot of stuff!
Today was Breakfast and a Book! We had donuts and juice for breakfast, and then we went to different classrooms to read books.
It is always hard to say goodbye to all my students at the end of each year. I have seen your children grow and learn so much over the year and I am so proud of them for their hard work. I would appreciate it if you kept in touch with me from time to time to let me know how your children are doing.
My present to the students is a music CD to remember all of our first grade songs! Enjoy the music! In addition, I would like to especially thank Aiko’s mom, Anna’s mom, Kevin’s mom, and Nasrin’s mom for coming every Friday afternoon for an hour to prepare homework packets, centers folders, spelling, vocabulary, and Friday folders! I would also like to thank Brian’s mom, David’s mom, and Yuna’s mom for coming every Monday afternoon to help in computer lab. Everyone else, thank you for all of your support this year! Many of you came on field trips, gave classroom donations, and provided supplies for our class. I have made a personalized notepad from our classroom for all of you to say thank you for a wonderful year!
I will see some of you at my wedding on June 21st! Yay! If you are traveling and I don’t see you, have a wonderful summer! Please keep in touch!
I can’t believe the school year is over! Wow! This week, we went to Almaden Lake Park on Monday. The students took the bus to the Children’s Discovery Museum and then we rode the light rail to Almaden. Many students had never been on a train before, so it was a fun experience! We walked to Almaden Lake Park, where they have huge play structures, water play areas, and picnic areas! The students had a great time playing and we even had popsicles! Unfortunately, the bus was 45 minutes late picking us up, so I apologize for any inconvenience that caused!
On Tuesday, we had the Talent Show. Good job to Anna who performed with two other girls a dance from the movie, Hairspray! It was very cute! The teachers also performed a dance medley of High School Musical! In the afternoon, we wrote our last entry in our journals.
Wednesday was our last day to finish our science books on Healthy foods. We learned about all the food groups and what we should be eating every meal. We also cleaned up our classroom and took everything home. I hope you enjoyed all of the projects that your child worked on this year. It was a lot of stuff!
Today was Breakfast and a Book! We had donuts and juice for breakfast, and then we went to different classrooms to read books.
It is always hard to say goodbye to all my students at the end of each year. I have seen your children grow and learn so much over the year and I am so proud of them for their hard work. I would appreciate it if you kept in touch with me from time to time to let me know how your children are doing.
My present to the students is a music CD to remember all of our first grade songs! Enjoy the music! In addition, I would like to especially thank Aiko’s mom, Anna’s mom, Kevin’s mom, and Nasrin’s mom for coming every Friday afternoon for an hour to prepare homework packets, centers folders, spelling, vocabulary, and Friday folders! I would also like to thank Brian’s mom, David’s mom, and Yuna’s mom for coming every Monday afternoon to help in computer lab. Everyone else, thank you for all of your support this year! Many of you came on field trips, gave classroom donations, and provided supplies for our class. I have made a personalized notepad from our classroom for all of you to say thank you for a wonderful year!
I will see some of you at my wedding on June 21st! Yay! If you are traveling and I don’t see you, have a wonderful summer! Please keep in touch!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
June 6th
Upcoming Dates
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. Make sure your child wears sunblock! We will take the light rail and walk to the park from the station. Please remember your child must bring a disposable lunch in a bag LABELED with his/her name! Everything will be thrown away at the park! Thank you to Mrs. Okubo, who will be coming on the bus with us. If you are driving and meeting us at the park, please be sure to get the directions from me on Monday morning. Also, one of the drivers will be transporting our lunches and drinks. Thank you!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
Please make sure you pick your child up on time!
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Dear Families,
This was our last “academic” week. We finished our last chapter in math, our last centers rotation, our language arts textbooks, and our solids and liquids science unit! Next week, I will be sending home everything in a bag on Wednesday after school, including all the work your child has done from the year. Please make sure you have a way of bringing home everything (walking may be difficult if it is a long ways away!).
For the last 2 weeks, we are ending the year by reading Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. His stories are chapter books but are great because it shows good examples of friendship. I hope that in addition to everything your child has learned academically this year, most important is remembering how to treat others with kindness and respect. Frog and Toad show different ways of being good friends to one another.
Also, we are learning about nutrition and healthy eating these last two weeks. We are learning about the food pyramid and practicing food vocabulary in the different groups. Have a wonderful weekend!
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. Make sure your child wears sunblock! We will take the light rail and walk to the park from the station. Please remember your child must bring a disposable lunch in a bag LABELED with his/her name! Everything will be thrown away at the park! Thank you to Mrs. Okubo, who will be coming on the bus with us. If you are driving and meeting us at the park, please be sure to get the directions from me on Monday morning. Also, one of the drivers will be transporting our lunches and drinks. Thank you!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
Please make sure you pick your child up on time!
-----
Dear Families,
This was our last “academic” week. We finished our last chapter in math, our last centers rotation, our language arts textbooks, and our solids and liquids science unit! Next week, I will be sending home everything in a bag on Wednesday after school, including all the work your child has done from the year. Please make sure you have a way of bringing home everything (walking may be difficult if it is a long ways away!).
For the last 2 weeks, we are ending the year by reading Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. His stories are chapter books but are great because it shows good examples of friendship. I hope that in addition to everything your child has learned academically this year, most important is remembering how to treat others with kindness and respect. Frog and Toad show different ways of being good friends to one another.
Also, we are learning about nutrition and healthy eating these last two weeks. We are learning about the food pyramid and practicing food vocabulary in the different groups. Have a wonderful weekend!
May 30th
Upcoming Dates
* Friday, May 30th: International Festival
Try to come this afternoon if you are free! The festival will be from 4:30pm-8pm at Eaton School. There will be posters about different countries, games, and performances from Eaton students! Hope you have a great time!
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. There is a permission slip attached to this newsletter. Please fill it out and return it to me by Wednesday, June 4th! We can take 3 chaperones on the bus, but parents are welcome to drive there if you wish! Please remember your child must bring a lunch in a bag LABELED with his/her name! Everything will be thrown away at the park!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
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Dear Families,
This was a short week. I hope you had a nice memorial day weekend. I can’t believe there are only 2 more weeks left! However, we are still working on all our academic subjects next week so I expect all our students to try and still have super star behavior!
This week we have been busy learning about liquids for our last science unit. We are exploring different properties of liquids (such as dishwashing liquid, water, liquid hand soap, cooking oil, etc) and learning how to describe them using vocabulary such as: colored, viscous, transparent, translucent, bubbly, or foamy. This is a fun activity for the kids.
We had a volunteer tea on Thursday, and we invited the volunteers from this year. A big thank you to many of you who have come in every week to volunteer, or even if you just came on one field trip… it really makes a difference and we appreciate you! Thank you so much!!!
* Friday, May 30th: International Festival
Try to come this afternoon if you are free! The festival will be from 4:30pm-8pm at Eaton School. There will be posters about different countries, games, and performances from Eaton students! Hope you have a great time!
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. There is a permission slip attached to this newsletter. Please fill it out and return it to me by Wednesday, June 4th! We can take 3 chaperones on the bus, but parents are welcome to drive there if you wish! Please remember your child must bring a lunch in a bag LABELED with his/her name! Everything will be thrown away at the park!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
------
Dear Families,
This was a short week. I hope you had a nice memorial day weekend. I can’t believe there are only 2 more weeks left! However, we are still working on all our academic subjects next week so I expect all our students to try and still have super star behavior!
This week we have been busy learning about liquids for our last science unit. We are exploring different properties of liquids (such as dishwashing liquid, water, liquid hand soap, cooking oil, etc) and learning how to describe them using vocabulary such as: colored, viscous, transparent, translucent, bubbly, or foamy. This is a fun activity for the kids.
We had a volunteer tea on Thursday, and we invited the volunteers from this year. A big thank you to many of you who have come in every week to volunteer, or even if you just came on one field trip… it really makes a difference and we appreciate you! Thank you so much!!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
May 23rd
Upcoming Dates
* Monday, May 26th: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Enjoy your long weekend! Hopefully the Santa Cruz fires will stop soon so that we can all go outside and enjoy fresh air!
* Friday, May 30th: International Festival
The festival will be from 4pm-8pm. There will be posters about different countries, games, and performances from Eaton students!
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. More information will come later!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
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Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Open House on Tuesday! Your children were very excited to be your tour guides for the afternoon. I hope you enjoyed seeing all the work they have done this year in first grade. They have done so much this year and I am very proud of them! I will be sending home everything the last week of school!
Today the air was really smoky outside, so we had indoor recess, lunch, and PE. Fortunately, we had an assembly by the Silicon Valley Brass Company and we also had our last art class with Mrs. Blakeslee. Also, we have been busy learning about solids for our last science unit. We are exploring different properties of small solids (such as rice, cornmeal, and beans) and learning science vocabulary words such as: soft/hard, transparent/opaque, smooth/rough, and flat/pointed.
The year is quickly coming to an end, but we are still learning and doing many activities. Please remind your children about kind behavior and actions! We have been getting many reminders and warnings for not listening or respecting others. Thank you! Hope you have a wonderful long weekend! See you on Tuesday!
* Monday, May 26th: NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Enjoy your long weekend! Hopefully the Santa Cruz fires will stop soon so that we can all go outside and enjoy fresh air!
* Friday, May 30th: International Festival
The festival will be from 4pm-8pm. There will be posters about different countries, games, and performances from Eaton students!
* Monday, June 9th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be going to Almaden Lake Park the whole day. More information will come later!
* Thursday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
-----------
Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Open House on Tuesday! Your children were very excited to be your tour guides for the afternoon. I hope you enjoyed seeing all the work they have done this year in first grade. They have done so much this year and I am very proud of them! I will be sending home everything the last week of school!
Today the air was really smoky outside, so we had indoor recess, lunch, and PE. Fortunately, we had an assembly by the Silicon Valley Brass Company and we also had our last art class with Mrs. Blakeslee. Also, we have been busy learning about solids for our last science unit. We are exploring different properties of small solids (such as rice, cornmeal, and beans) and learning science vocabulary words such as: soft/hard, transparent/opaque, smooth/rough, and flat/pointed.
The year is quickly coming to an end, but we are still learning and doing many activities. Please remind your children about kind behavior and actions! We have been getting many reminders and warnings for not listening or respecting others. Thank you! Hope you have a wonderful long weekend! See you on Tuesday!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 16th
Dear Families,
This was a short week since Monday we had no school. We finished many of our projects this week. On Thursday afternoon, we had the Environmental Volunteers come to our classroom to teach about mammals, arthropods, and birds. They brought real animals that have been preserved for the students to see and touch. They will be returning on Monday for one more activity.
The end of the year is coming soon. However, I am disappointed in many behaviors that I have been seeing recently. One incident this week was that somebody broke the leg of a rabbit that the Environmental Volunteers brought. No one would admit to doing it and it was very sad for the volunteers. Also, this week I found a cut-up crayon that was stained on our carpet floor, and no one would tell what happened. In addition, students have been less respectful on the carpet and not being good listeners, or not working when it is work time. Please remind your children everyday to try their best and to remember to make good choices in school. Also, please discuss the importance of telling the truth. Thank you.
Future Dates
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year! This event will be a guided tour of our classroom, and your tour guides are your children! Let them take you around to see everything and have them share/read/explain the different projects! Have fun! I hope to see you all there!
* Monday, May 26th – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Have a great weekend!
Please email me ASAP (if you haven’t already done so) if you plan on attending my wedding on June 21st. I have to plan for the right number of people and want to make sure I accommodate enough for everyone. Thank you!
This was a short week since Monday we had no school. We finished many of our projects this week. On Thursday afternoon, we had the Environmental Volunteers come to our classroom to teach about mammals, arthropods, and birds. They brought real animals that have been preserved for the students to see and touch. They will be returning on Monday for one more activity.
The end of the year is coming soon. However, I am disappointed in many behaviors that I have been seeing recently. One incident this week was that somebody broke the leg of a rabbit that the Environmental Volunteers brought. No one would admit to doing it and it was very sad for the volunteers. Also, this week I found a cut-up crayon that was stained on our carpet floor, and no one would tell what happened. In addition, students have been less respectful on the carpet and not being good listeners, or not working when it is work time. Please remind your children everyday to try their best and to remember to make good choices in school. Also, please discuss the importance of telling the truth. Thank you.
Future Dates
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year! This event will be a guided tour of our classroom, and your tour guides are your children! Let them take you around to see everything and have them share/read/explain the different projects! Have fun! I hope to see you all there!
* Monday, May 26th – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Have a great weekend!
Please email me ASAP (if you haven’t already done so) if you plan on attending my wedding on June 21st. I have to plan for the right number of people and want to make sure I accommodate enough for everyone. Thank you!
May 9th
Wow! This week was so wonderful. Thank you everyone for all the beautiful flowers, cards, books, supplies, and kind words. I was really touched by the surprises each day. It was also very creative and thoughtful to make my door posters the double-happiness wedding symbol! I am so lucky to have supportive and caring students (and families!). Thank you. It really made me smile each day!
This week we have been working on our projects for open house. In social studies, we learned about communities and did an all-day first grade circuit on Wednesday. We learned about different parts of a community such as helpers, buildings, houses, animals/plants, street signs, and transportation. Also, we made poems about ourselves that you will be reading at open house! We have been busy finishing all of our writing pieces. We hope you can come see all of our work at Open House!
Future Dates
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
* Monday, May 26th – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Have a great weekend!
Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday! Thank you for all your hard work, patience, and love! Enjoy your special day!
This week we have been working on our projects for open house. In social studies, we learned about communities and did an all-day first grade circuit on Wednesday. We learned about different parts of a community such as helpers, buildings, houses, animals/plants, street signs, and transportation. Also, we made poems about ourselves that you will be reading at open house! We have been busy finishing all of our writing pieces. We hope you can come see all of our work at Open House!
Future Dates
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
* Monday, May 26th – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day
Have a great weekend!
Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday! Thank you for all your hard work, patience, and love! Enjoy your special day!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
May 2nd
I hope you were able to attend the first grade musical today. We worked hard to memorize the poems and songs! I hope you enjoyed it!
Now that it is getting close to the end of the year, students are forgetting some of our school and classroom rules. This week, we had many warnings for poor behavior, specifically with focusing on work (not talking or distracting others), being a good listener (listening to other adults or students), and following directions at recess and lunch (playing tag on the grass and not playing dangerous games).
Please remind your children everyday the importance of following rules and trying their best. We talk about kindness everyday and making good choices, and I hope that we can develop good habits to treat others respectfully.
Future Dates
* Thursday, May 8th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to send your child’s blue library card to school. They will check out two books and you can return them at your convenience.
* Friday, May 9th: Insect Fair Field Trip at Sanborn Park
If you have not signed the permission slip, please remember to fill it out and return it on Monday! Please send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it – we throw away everything at the park.
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
Now that it is getting close to the end of the year, students are forgetting some of our school and classroom rules. This week, we had many warnings for poor behavior, specifically with focusing on work (not talking or distracting others), being a good listener (listening to other adults or students), and following directions at recess and lunch (playing tag on the grass and not playing dangerous games).
Please remind your children everyday the importance of following rules and trying their best. We talk about kindness everyday and making good choices, and I hope that we can develop good habits to treat others respectfully.
Future Dates
* Thursday, May 8th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to send your child’s blue library card to school. They will check out two books and you can return them at your convenience.
* Friday, May 9th: Insect Fair Field Trip at Sanborn Park
If you have not signed the permission slip, please remember to fill it out and return it on Monday! Please send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it – we throw away everything at the park.
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
Friday, April 25, 2008
April 25, 2008
Future Dates
* Monday, April 28th: Turn in your child’s clothes!
Remember to send your child’s bright solid colored shirt and blue jeans in a bag labeled with your child’s name and room number!
* Friday, May 2nd: First Grade Music Performance – 2:00pm @ MP Room
We will be singing songs from the theme, Sesame Street, and sharing poems from the authors Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. Hope you can attend! Remember that if you are video taping, please stand in the back of the room!
* Friday, May 9th: Insect Fair Field Trip at Sanborn Park
There is a permission slip in today’s Friday Folder! Please fill it out and return it to me as soon as possible. We will be able to take about 2-4 parents on the trip. Remember to bring a bag lunch that can be thrown away at the park.
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
I hope all of you had a nice week with your children. I was at home busily preparing for my wedding. I hope all of you received the invitation in the mail! Please RSVP by May 9th to let me know whether your family can make it or not. Thank you!
* Monday, April 28th: Turn in your child’s clothes!
Remember to send your child’s bright solid colored shirt and blue jeans in a bag labeled with your child’s name and room number!
* Friday, May 2nd: First Grade Music Performance – 2:00pm @ MP Room
We will be singing songs from the theme, Sesame Street, and sharing poems from the authors Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. Hope you can attend! Remember that if you are video taping, please stand in the back of the room!
* Friday, May 9th: Insect Fair Field Trip at Sanborn Park
There is a permission slip in today’s Friday Folder! Please fill it out and return it to me as soon as possible. We will be able to take about 2-4 parents on the trip. Remember to bring a bag lunch that can be thrown away at the park.
* Monday, May 12th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
This is our last teacher learning day. We will be doing some community building activities and looking over our school goals.
* Tuesday, May 20th – Open House from 2:30pm-3:30pm
This year, we will not be having open house in the evening. Instead, it will be right after school. Please save the date and plan on coming to see all of your child’s wonderful work from the school year!
I hope all of you had a nice week with your children. I was at home busily preparing for my wedding. I hope all of you received the invitation in the mail! Please RSVP by May 9th to let me know whether your family can make it or not. Thank you!
Friday, April 11, 2008
April 11, 2008
I’m back! After the craziness of ATA, we finally found a flight back on Tuesday on American Airlines… but if you saw the news, American cancelled their flights that exact day! So I actually was stuck in LA (ahhh!) and got home late that night on a United flight. This trip was an adventure! Hopefully none of you will have traveling problems next week!
It was a short week for me, but I’m glad I finally made it home. Thank you for supporting Mrs. Seema and offering to help her. This week, we also had another teacher aide join our class for one-and-a-half hours everyday. Her name is Mrs. Subha and she will be in our classroom on an alternating schedule with Mrs. Seema.
I received many compliments about the amount of parent volunteers who helped during our traffic duty last week. Thank you again!
Future Dates
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
* Friday, May 2nd: First Grade Music Performance – 2:00pm @ MP Room
There is a paper in today’s Friday Folder about the first grade musical. We will be singing songs from the theme, Sesame Street. Your child is required to bring a solid colored T-shirt and jeans (in a bag labeled with your child’s name) the week after we return from spring break. Hope you can attend!
Have a wonderful spring break! Enjoy the sun and have a great time!
It was a short week for me, but I’m glad I finally made it home. Thank you for supporting Mrs. Seema and offering to help her. This week, we also had another teacher aide join our class for one-and-a-half hours everyday. Her name is Mrs. Subha and she will be in our classroom on an alternating schedule with Mrs. Seema.
I received many compliments about the amount of parent volunteers who helped during our traffic duty last week. Thank you again!
Future Dates
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
* Friday, May 2nd: First Grade Music Performance – 2:00pm @ MP Room
There is a paper in today’s Friday Folder about the first grade musical. We will be singing songs from the theme, Sesame Street. Your child is required to bring a solid colored T-shirt and jeans (in a bag labeled with your child’s name) the week after we return from spring break. Hope you can attend!
Have a wonderful spring break! Enjoy the sun and have a great time!
April 4, 2008
THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered their time this week to do the Suisun traffic duty! Every week, a different class is responsible for keeping kids safe in the parking lot. Our class had many parents help out. Thanks for helping Eaton!
Jump rope for health! We are participating in this fundraiser for the American Heart Association. All of Eaton School will be jump roping together to raise money. If you have donations, please turn them in!
April book orders are attached to this newsletter. If you are interested, please return the order with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. Please return them by Friday, April 11th and we should be able to get the books by the end of April.
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
I hope everyone had a good week! My dance group was invited to perform at a 3-day conference in Hawaii, so that’s why I have been absent. We are lucky to have Mrs. Seema substitute for our class because she already knows all the kids! See you on Monday!
Jump rope for health! We are participating in this fundraiser for the American Heart Association. All of Eaton School will be jump roping together to raise money. If you have donations, please turn them in!
April book orders are attached to this newsletter. If you are interested, please return the order with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. Please return them by Friday, April 11th and we should be able to get the books by the end of April.
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
I hope everyone had a good week! My dance group was invited to perform at a 3-day conference in Hawaii, so that’s why I have been absent. We are lucky to have Mrs. Seema substitute for our class because she already knows all the kids! See you on Monday!
Monday, March 31, 2008
March 28, 2008
Next Week:
Monday, March 31st to Friday, April 4th
* Traffic & Parking Lot Duty
Thank you to many of you for signing up for traffic/parking lot duty. I have attached the schedule. If you have not signed up, please see if you can fill in one of the empty spots. Please sign up to help during one or more of the 20 minute time slots. Remember to check in the office 5 minutes before your shift to receive your orange vest. Thank you for helping our school!
* No Spelling or Vocabulary Homework
During this week, we will not be sending spelling or vocabulary homework. However, your child will still be getting a packet of worksheets to complete. Homework will continue after this week.
* Book-It Reading Program
Turn in your March reading logs on April 1st. The Book-It program ends after March, so you will not receive a reading log anymore, but please keep reading 20 minutes every night!
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
Have a wonderful weekend! I will be attending a conference Wednesday through Friday next week, so Mrs. Seema will be the substitute teacher. Please remind your children to be on their best behavior and to try their best!
Monday, March 31st to Friday, April 4th
* Traffic & Parking Lot Duty
Thank you to many of you for signing up for traffic/parking lot duty. I have attached the schedule. If you have not signed up, please see if you can fill in one of the empty spots. Please sign up to help during one or more of the 20 minute time slots. Remember to check in the office 5 minutes before your shift to receive your orange vest. Thank you for helping our school!
* No Spelling or Vocabulary Homework
During this week, we will not be sending spelling or vocabulary homework. However, your child will still be getting a packet of worksheets to complete. Homework will continue after this week.
* Book-It Reading Program
Turn in your March reading logs on April 1st. The Book-It program ends after March, so you will not receive a reading log anymore, but please keep reading 20 minutes every night!
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
Have a wonderful weekend! I will be attending a conference Wednesday through Friday next week, so Mrs. Seema will be the substitute teacher. Please remind your children to be on their best behavior and to try their best!
Friday, March 21, 2008
March 21, 2008
Upcoming Week:
Monday, March 31st to Friday, April 4th
* Traffic & Parking Lot Duty
Our class is in charge of traffic/parking lot duty during this week. Please sign up to help during one or more of the 20 minute time slots (before school 8:45-9:05 or after school 3:00-3:20). The sign up list will be outside our classroom door next week! We need help every day! Thank you!
* No Spelling or Vocabulary Homework
During this week, we will not be sending spelling or vocabulary homework. However, your child will still be getting a packet of worksheets to complete. Homework will continue after this week.
* Book-It Reading Program
Turn in your March reading logs on April 1st. The Book-It program ends after March, so you will not receive a reading log anymore, but please keep reading 20 minutes every night!
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
Monday, March 31st to Friday, April 4th
* Traffic & Parking Lot Duty
Our class is in charge of traffic/parking lot duty during this week. Please sign up to help during one or more of the 20 minute time slots (before school 8:45-9:05 or after school 3:00-3:20). The sign up list will be outside our classroom door next week! We need help every day! Thank you!
* No Spelling or Vocabulary Homework
During this week, we will not be sending spelling or vocabulary homework. However, your child will still be getting a packet of worksheets to complete. Homework will continue after this week.
* Book-It Reading Program
Turn in your March reading logs on April 1st. The Book-It program ends after March, so you will not receive a reading log anymore, but please keep reading 20 minutes every night!
Future Dates
* Thursday, April 10th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
Remember to bring your blue library cards on this day. We will be walking to the library in the afternoon. Please memorize your 4-digit PIN number!
* Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th: NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your spring break!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
March 6, 2008
* Friday, March 7th: No School – Staff Learning Day
Teachers will be coming to school to work on writing strategies. In the afternoon, we will be going to Hicklebee Book Store to pick books for our Eaton Library.
* Thursday, March 13th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino public library in the afternoon. Remember to send your child’s blue library card to school and have him/her remember the 4-digit password. Your child can check out 2 books. Please return them directly to the library on your own.
* Friday, March 21st: Report Cards Go Home
Today is the last day of the second trimester. I have assessed your children in all the subject areas and will be sending home report cards on the 21st.
-----
Dear Families,
Here are some highlights from the week:
Star of the Week: Amit
Poem of the Week: What the Rain Said
Song of the Week: Penguin Song
Kindness is … trying your best
Story of the Week: Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?
Vocabulary of the Week: Transportation 1
Word Wall: been, evening, far, forest, goes, hungry, near, soon
Next Week’s Sharing: Regular – your favorite book
(at least 4 lines memorized and bring something to show)
• Language Arts: Theme 6: Animal Adventures – Week 3
• Stories: Red Eyed Tree Frog
• Strategy and Skill Focus: Predictions and Inference
• Word Families: -ay
• Sounds: vowel pairs ai and ay
• Grammar: Naming Words for One or More
• Math: We worked mostly this week on addition and subtraction for numbers up to 20. This is slightly more challenging for students because we are in the higher numbers. I am seeing many mistakes and am reminding students to work carefully.
• Writing: Most students have finished writing the sloppy copy for The Mitten story. Some students have finished the final edit and a few students have even finished their illustrations. Great job!
• Science: We are starting a new circuit in first grade. We will be teaching the HLAY – or Here’s Looking at You – program about keeping safe from poisons, drugs, or alcohol. This week we learned more about penguins and how there are many different kinds. We found out some facts about several of the penguins, including African Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins, and Emperor penguins.
• Social Studies: Sunday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday! On Monday we talked about Dr. Seuss and how his stories are unique. On Tuesday, we had a special volunteer from the Cupertino Rotary Club named Ms. Colleen. She read two Dr. Seuss books to our class and even donated Green Eggs and Ham for our classroom! This was a fun treat!
• Music: First graders are continuing to learn all the songs for our end-of-the-year musical. I have been looking for participation levels during music. Each student will be responsible for singing all the songs and performing one dance. Save the date: Friday, May 2nd at 1:30pm.
• Art: This week, we did a lesson on what a landscape is. We learned about warm and cold colors and made a picture of things from nature. We drew mountains using the warm and cold colors and learned how to shade pictures using crayons.
• Computer: We added pictures to our kindness journal. We drew two pictures to add to our February entries. You can see our newly updated journals on our website kindness.pbwiki.com or through our classroom website.
ANTS!!!!! Please wash your child’s lunch bag!!! This week started off with a few ants here and there, and today, ants were all over our lunch basket! Please make sure that all food is closed inside Tupperware or a ziplock bag! Some students had to get hot lunch because there were ants in their food. Yucky! I have cleaned up most of the ants, but let’s try to prevent them from coming back again!
Teachers will be coming to school to work on writing strategies. In the afternoon, we will be going to Hicklebee Book Store to pick books for our Eaton Library.
* Thursday, March 13th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
We will be walking to the Cupertino public library in the afternoon. Remember to send your child’s blue library card to school and have him/her remember the 4-digit password. Your child can check out 2 books. Please return them directly to the library on your own.
* Friday, March 21st: Report Cards Go Home
Today is the last day of the second trimester. I have assessed your children in all the subject areas and will be sending home report cards on the 21st.
-----
Dear Families,
Here are some highlights from the week:
Star of the Week: Amit
Poem of the Week: What the Rain Said
Song of the Week: Penguin Song
Kindness is … trying your best
Story of the Week: Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?
Vocabulary of the Week: Transportation 1
Word Wall: been, evening, far, forest, goes, hungry, near, soon
Next Week’s Sharing: Regular – your favorite book
(at least 4 lines memorized and bring something to show)
• Language Arts: Theme 6: Animal Adventures – Week 3
• Stories: Red Eyed Tree Frog
• Strategy and Skill Focus: Predictions and Inference
• Word Families: -ay
• Sounds: vowel pairs ai and ay
• Grammar: Naming Words for One or More
• Math: We worked mostly this week on addition and subtraction for numbers up to 20. This is slightly more challenging for students because we are in the higher numbers. I am seeing many mistakes and am reminding students to work carefully.
• Writing: Most students have finished writing the sloppy copy for The Mitten story. Some students have finished the final edit and a few students have even finished their illustrations. Great job!
• Science: We are starting a new circuit in first grade. We will be teaching the HLAY – or Here’s Looking at You – program about keeping safe from poisons, drugs, or alcohol. This week we learned more about penguins and how there are many different kinds. We found out some facts about several of the penguins, including African Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins, and Emperor penguins.
• Social Studies: Sunday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday! On Monday we talked about Dr. Seuss and how his stories are unique. On Tuesday, we had a special volunteer from the Cupertino Rotary Club named Ms. Colleen. She read two Dr. Seuss books to our class and even donated Green Eggs and Ham for our classroom! This was a fun treat!
• Music: First graders are continuing to learn all the songs for our end-of-the-year musical. I have been looking for participation levels during music. Each student will be responsible for singing all the songs and performing one dance. Save the date: Friday, May 2nd at 1:30pm.
• Art: This week, we did a lesson on what a landscape is. We learned about warm and cold colors and made a picture of things from nature. We drew mountains using the warm and cold colors and learned how to shade pictures using crayons.
• Computer: We added pictures to our kindness journal. We drew two pictures to add to our February entries. You can see our newly updated journals on our website kindness.pbwiki.com or through our classroom website.
ANTS!!!!! Please wash your child’s lunch bag!!! This week started off with a few ants here and there, and today, ants were all over our lunch basket! Please make sure that all food is closed inside Tupperware or a ziplock bag! Some students had to get hot lunch because there were ants in their food. Yucky! I have cleaned up most of the ants, but let’s try to prevent them from coming back again!
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