Since it is the end of the quarter, I have been completing quite a bit of assessments to determine the growth that the kiddos have made from that very first day (half-day) in August. And I must say, it is so amazing to see the growth the kids can make in just 9 weeks. From oral counting, identifying letters/sounds, reading behaviors, identifying the first sound in a word, and identifying parts of a book....WOW! WOW! WOW! 

I hope you too, have been able to see evidence of how much they have grown acedmically/socially. 

Okay, now on to the nitty gritty. 

Language Arts

This week in reading, our focus is marking part of a story, so we can go back and talk about it after reading. This also links to our speaking and listening goals, as being able to share our ideas orally (and listen to others share their ideas) is very important. At home, you can share with your child their favorite part of a book (while they listen) and then have them share their favorite part. Make sure to have the kiddos explain WHY it is their favorite part. 

In writing, we continue to work on using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to convey our ideas and thoughts. We have also continued to write words we do not know how to spell by stretching them out to hear their  beginning, middle, and end sounds. Ask your child for some 'help' in spelling words like, cat, hat, or mat! 

We continue to use Letterland to address our foundational skills (letter formation, letter identification, and letter sounds). This week, we met 'Mr. A' (long vowel A, who appears I words like acorn). We also delved into Dippy Duck (the letter D). The kiddos were even able to generate 52 (a class record) 'D words' today. They were so proud of themselves:-)

Math

In math this week, we have introduced counting on from 5. That is, instead of using one to one correspondance to count each object starting at one, the students use a 5-group and count on to six, seven, eight, etc... For example,    X X X X X.       X X      

Instead of counting each object individually, we would circle the group of 5 and say, "Five, six, seven. 

There are 7 x's". 

It is very important that students have a solid understanding of this concept, as we will build on it when we begin to add numbers. 

Apple Day

Part 1 of Apple Day went well. Today, we taste tested red, yellow, and green apples. The red apples came in first as our favorite, followed closely by green apples, then with only 1 vote, yellow apples. Together, we also made apple sauce. We then invited our book buddies from Mrs.Vaughn's class to share our applesauce and read our books together. A fun afternoon was had by all:-)

Report Cards

As you may or may not know, there have been technical difficulties with our new report cards. Due to this, report cards have been pushed back to October 25th. However, you will not have to wait until then to hear about your child's progress, as I will be holding teacher/parent conferences during my work days in October. Please see below for more information. 

Fall Festival Auction Baskets

Don't forget our Fall Festival Auction baskets. Our theme for the basket is 'gift cards'. We are looking for contributions of gift cards in any amount $2, $5, $10, or more. Our basket will be auctioned off to the highest bidder with the proceeds going to our grade level. 

Conferences

I will be holding conferences October 17th and 18th. To sign up, please go to www.signupgenius.com . Click on "Find a Sign Up". Put in my email address smcgarry@wcpss.net and whallah! you will be connected to my quarter 1 conference page. Please email me should you have any questions or concerns.