Mrs. Snook’s 1st Grade News

Week of April 9th

Dear Parents,

Here's hoping that each of you had a wonderful Spring Break!!  I know that I did with a 6 day trip to Pawley's Island, S. C. with 4 girlfriends.  It does us all good to get away from the quick pace of Atlanta and enjoy some down time....I hope you were able to rest and relax, too.  With only 7 weeks of school left, I hope your child is rested and refreshed and ready to work hard.

Some important dates to put on your calendar for the month of April...

Thursday, 4/12 - PTA meeting @ 6:30  Election and Speaker

Friday, 4/13 - GM School Spirit Day/wear your GM t-shirt

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 4/16-18 - CRCT testing grades 1 & 2 (grades 3 - 5 con't Th./Fri.)

Mon. - Fri., 4/16 - 20 - Volunteer Recognition Week

Monday, 4/23 - Reading Night @ 6:30pm in Media Center  (AR tests)

Friday, 4/27 - Volunteer Brunch @ 8:30am, Career Day, and Parents Monthly theme centers 9:30-10:30

Before the holidays, I sent home each child's April Reading Log and a Pre-registration envelope for next school year.  The envelope, if you haven't already turned it in, is due back to me by Wed., 4/11.  Also this week you will be receiving a parent letter from our principal concerning the CRCT test to be given next week.  We will begin testing by 8:15am with 2 sessions each day (50-60 minutes each) and hopefully finish by 10 - 10:30 each of the three mornings with a snack break midway through our time.  It is essential that your child be well rested and on time for them to do their best.  A good, healthy snack should be provided daily....thank you.

Coming home on Monday attached to your child's homework sheet will be Rabbit Project for this week's homework.  Your child may be selective as to his/her interest in choosing different projects to do.  Your selections MUST total 8 points or more and they will be due by this Friday, April 13th.  Have fun with it and let your child be creative.  We will present these projects on Friday to our class.

Curriculum News: 

Science - On Monday, 4/9, 1st Grade will have High Touch, High Tech on "Sound".  Each class will receive an hour and a half presentation with lots of demonstrations and hands on activities.  I remember from last year that this was one of the best HTHT programs.  The students should really enjoy the activities.

Other areas of studies this week===Math, Phonics, Reading, Language Arts, etc. ====  will be reviewing areas for the CRCT.  We will go back over nouns, verbs, and adjectives, ABC order, phonics rules we learned, reading comprehension strategy skills, math problems deciding whether you need to add or subtract to solve the problem, adding 3 numbers together, and adding/subtracting 2 digit numbers without regrouping---yes, we will do some addition with regrouping.  Those are just ideas on some of the things that we will be reviewing this week.  Hopefully, all of you have had time to let your child go on the Garrison Mill website to practice some typical CRCT questions.  It has been very good practice for them when we have done it on our last laptop day with Mrs. Schulmann.  It scores the problems for them and they can go back and see their mistakes.  The CRCT will be in three areas for 1st graders - Monday will be Reading, Tuesday will be Language Arts, and Wednesday will be Math.

One final note before I close this week's newsletter ---- David Mayer and his family have moved to Knoxville, TN over Spring break.  All of us will miss seeing him daily, but we do plan on writing letters to him.  ***Good practice on letter writing skills****  We are going to give him a few weeks to settle into his new school and then we will start sending our letters.  I even took a class picture with the Easter Bunny on his last day with us.  I'll be sending that along with our letters!!!

Here's hoping that you have a great week and keep warm.

Sincerely,   Peggy Snook

Week of January 8, 2007

Dear Parents,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!    It's hard to believe that our Winter Break is over and the new year is upon us!! I sincerely hope that each of you were able to have some special time with your family....I know that I did.

The Six Flags 6 Hour Reading Club forms were sent home before the holidays.  They are due back to me by February 12th and each child that completes 360 minutes of reading will be eligible to receive a FREE Six Flags ticket for this summer.  Sounds like a good deal to me!!!  Read & Enjoy!

An information packet was sent to you before the holidays for on-line practice CRCT test.  I hope that you have had an opportunity to read it and will check out this site.  This will be a good chance for you to see how they are doing.  CRCT tests are schedule for some time in April.

Here are some important dates in January for you to mark on your calendars:

Monday, Jan. 8th - Back to School

Tuesday, Jan. 9th - High Touch High Tech on Magnets 8:00 - 9:30

Friday, Jan. 12th - Report Cards sent home

                           -School Spirit Day/wear your GM t-Shirt

Monday, Jan. 15th - MLK holiday/no school

Tuesday, Jan. 16th - Room Parents Meeting  10 - 11 AM

Friday, Jan. 19th - Relay for Life Bake Sale

Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 22nd - 23rd  - Student Fingerprinting

Wednesday, Jan. 24th - 100th Day of School

Friday, Jan. 26th - Munch and Learn  11 - Noon

                          - Sock Hop  6:30 - 8:30

Here are some of the topics and subjects that we will study in January.

In Science we will continue to explore the thermometer by making a "hands-on" thermometer of our own.  This will lead us into more studies of weather, temperatures, and winter writing.

• In writing we will continue to work on narrative writing---telling a story or event.  We will particularly be working on capital letters at the beginning of sentences and punctuation marks at the end of sentences.
• In math we will be starting a chapter on money.  I have requested on the homework sheet for you to send in 10 pennies, 10 nickels, 10 dimes, and 4 quarters.  Please label the ziplock bag with your child's name and send it in by Wednesday, January 10th.  The coins will be returned to you.
• Reading groups have swapped between Mrs. Harrison and me.  Both of us are seeing  improvement with most students.  We continue to work on retelling the story in their own words, sequencing (what happened first, second.....), and comprehension of what they have read.  These are all skills that you can do with your child in their nightly reading at home.

We will start a new unit of study of animals that live in the Arctic and Antarctica regions of the world.  This will lead us to study polar bears and penguins in more details.  Look for a fact sheet to be sent home later.  Also, we will be talking and reading about Martin Luther King this week as MLK day is recognized on January 15th.

We start new Literacy Centers this week and these will continue for the next several weeks.  Here are some of the subject areas we will be doing.....magnets, sentence writing, listening center with "Tacky the Penguin, winter word search, read the room, read a book independently, long and short vowel review, winter word sentences, art center, read and illustrate a poem, 2 math centers, math flashcards, and spelling word center on words that we have had.  These centers are done independently or with a partner and they are working on these while Mrs. Harrison and I have our Guided Reading groups.  As you can tell, we will be quite busy in January!!!

FYI----please make sure your child has a good snack for school as many of them were forgetting one  or they didn't like what was packed for them.  They are quite hungry by 9:15 and they look forward to this time....thanks!!

                 Here's hoping the weather gets more seasonal and we are able to write about Winter using our spelling words like----scarf, mittens, cold, snow, snowman, and boots!

Have a great week.....Peggy Snook

Week of November 27th

Dear Parents,

                                                                             

How quickly these past five days have gone by and, hopefully, each of you have spent some special time with your families....I know that I have!!!  WELCOME BACK!

With just four weeks of school left before winter break, there will be lots going on in the classroom and all around the school.  In Math, we continue to work on adding and subtracting bigger numbers and making this an automatic process.  Timed tests are still being given each week and Mrs. Harrison and I are looking for improvement....less use of counting on fingers and more of your child knowing the answers automatically.  Some strategies that we teach them are adding doubles, doubles plus one, doubles minus one, and the use of fact families that brings in the subtraction component.  Please continue to work on fact families such as if your child knows that 8 + 5 =13 and 5 + 8 =13, then he/she should know that 13 - 5 =8 and 13 - 8 =5.  Keep practicing at home as we see improvement on Fridays when the two classes get together to play "Around the World".

Phonics continues work on the long vowels and the "magic e" rules as in make, bike, hope, etc.  We will introduce the /j/ sound spelled as gi or ge as in giant and cage as well as the /s/ sound spelled as ci or ce as in twice and center.  We will also continue on contractions with will...I'll, he'll, she'll and the contraction I'm. In Mountain Language, I will be introducing 5 more skills making a total of 15 questions each student will answer.  Look for the new sheet coming home this week with the additional 5 skills on the back.

In Science, we will begin talking more about winter weather and at what temperature water freezes.  They are always interested in this because of the possibility of snow happening over the next few months!!  This will help to introduce a thermometer and how it is read.  Give them some practice on your outdoor thermometer on any of these cold mornings in the next few weeks.

Mrs. Harrison and  I will reevaluate reading groups and make adjustments where necessary.  This gives your child the opportunity to read with different groups during a grading period and be challenged in what they are doing. Please continue to read at least 10 minutes or more each night and record it on your November Reading Logs that will be due on Thursday, November 30th.

This week we have library on Monday, the 27th, but I'm not sure the new system will be in place for the students to check books out....we will see.  On Tuesday, the 28th, we have laptops in the classroom and also guidance class with Mrs. Glenn.

Here are some important dates for the month of December:

Friday, December 1st - Parents Munch and Learn 9:30 am and School Spirit Day/wear GM shirts.

Wednesday, December 6th - Early Release Day at 12:20pm.

Thursday, December 7th -Reflections Reception @ 6:00 and PTA @ 6:30.

Thursday, December 14th - Chick-Fil A Night @ 6:00pm.

Friday, December 15th - Relay for Life Bake Sale.

Wednesday, December 20th - Class Holiday Parties/time TBA.

Friday, December 22 to Sunday,January 7th - Winter Holidays

Monday, January 8th, 2007 - first day back!!!

Here's hoping your week is a delightful one!

Sincerely,  Peggy Snook

Week of October 2, 2006

Dear Parents,

What a beautiful fall weekend we had!!!  I hope that each of you were able to enjoy your family and the wonderful weather there was.

With October upon us, we will be studying pumpkins, spiders/webs, Christopher Columbus, and other fall related subjects.  This past week in a Social Studies lesson, we used a map to trace where Johnny Appleseed went as he planted apples heading west from Massachusetts.  I introduced the four main directions used on a map--North, South, East, and West--and showed them what a compass rose is on a map.  We will be doing more map skills in Literacy Centers.  In Phonics, the short "e" was reintroduced with the keyword being egg.  As a reminder, the key words that are used in class are:  "a" as in apple, "e" as in egg, "i" as in igloo, "o" as in octopus, and "u" as in umbrella. Please use these words at home as your child tries to decode words.  We also talk about the "magic "e" words" such as "make" - the "e" is silent and that makes the "a" long/it says its name.  Other words that follow this rule are rake, bike, cute, tire, white, and cake, etc.

In Math, we continue to write and work with addition number sentences.  Chapter 2 test will be given by Friday of this week and we will be starting the subtraction chapter next.  Please continue to practice addition facts at home and, at school, we are taking timed test for practice. This year 1st graders are required to pass a 4 minute addition test with 50 problems.  We will continue to practice weekly here at school and your help will be greatly appreciated at home.  This goal is set for May of next year---we can do it...keep practicing!!!  Last Friday during Calendar Math, Mrs. Harrison and I both made the comment we could see an improvement in our "Around the World" math game as more children knew the facts better than the week before--GREAT!!!!  Keep up the good work at home.

A BIG thank you to Mary Fisher, Lynn Mayer, and Aimie Fritz for planning wonderful September parent activities that were done with your children last Thursday morning!! 

Here is a list of important dates coming up in October:

Monday, October 2nd - Conference Letters go home, please return as soon as you can.

Thursday, October 5th - PTA Meeting/5th grade performs

Friday, October 6th - Spirit Day--wear a Garrison Mill T-shirt.

Saturday, October 7th - Schoolyard Habitat Workday  9am.

Monday, October 9th - Reflection entries are due. (Optional) Theme for this year is "My Favorite Place."

Thursday, October 12th -  Hearing and Vision Testing

Friday, October 13th - Student Holiday/Teacher Work Day.

Monday-Friday, October 16 - 20 - Conference Week/dismissal at 12:30 p.m. daily. Book Fair

Monday, October 23rd - Lunch and Learn 11:30 -12:30.

Tuesday, October 24th - Box Tops Deadline/Keep sending them in!

Thursday, October 26th - Parent Activity Centers (9:30-10:30) & Chick-Fil-A night 6pm.

Please remember that your child's Composition Journal comes in by Friday, if not before, every week.  New October Reading Logs are attached to this week's homework sheet.  Thanks for all that you do with your child at home to help make his/her school day a good one!  We are definitely Partners in the Education of your children.   

Have a great week.....Peggy Snook :)

Newsletter/Important Dates for September

Dear Parents,

I hope to update information for you on this blog site.  This is all new for me, so, please be patient as I learn the ropes.  Here are some dates in September that you may want to mark on your calendars:

Sept. 13th -  we start Book Buddies with Mrs. Hohn's 4th grade class.  This will be every Wed. from 1:30 - 2:00.  It should be lots of fun and sharing each week!

Sept. 15th - Fun Friday  *note and information on blog already sent to you*

                - Progress reports go home only if necessary.

Sept. 18th - Reading Night at Garrison Mill Media Center - 6pm

Sept. 20th - Early Release Day-children are dismissed at 12:30.

Sept. 22nd -Spirit Day at GM  *Wear your favorite Garrison Mill shirt*

Sept. 26th - Fall Pictures/prepay envelopes will be coming home to you.

Sept. 28th - Room parents and other moms plan theme center activities (9:30-10:30)

Sept. 29th - Silly Socks and Sneakers Day!

Sept. 30th - Fun Run at GM -  (8am)-check for more information in the school newsletter.

MATH - we continue to work on the digits 0 -12 and making different patterns (ABAB,ABBABB,ABC) as a review from kindergarten.  We have introduced Bar Graphs and will be making one on Friday with the different stuffed animals that are brought in.  New for them is Fact Families taking 3 numbers such as 2,3,5 and making two addition problems and two subtraction problems with them.  (2+3=5, 3+2=5,5-3=2, and 5-2=3)  We will continue working on this as we do lots of number sentences, both addition and substraction, during our daily Calendar Math.  Also, the class is learning about number order as well as greater than and less than.

PHONICS AND HANDWRITING - As you have seen with your child's daily papers, we are reviewing the letter sounds, practicing the correct way to make these letters, listening for them in beginning, middle and ending positions, and doing lots of blending of letters to make words (r-a-n = ran)  I have also started to introduce blends at the beginning of words such as tr, cr, st, and br, etc., so please begin to point these out in your nightly reading with your child. We have reviewed the short "a" and "i" and the key words I use are apple and igloo to help with that sound.

GUIDED READING - Mrs. Harrison and I started our Guided Reading lessons last Tuesday.  We have 3 groups each for a two week period and our groups are a combination of both classes.  After two weeks, we will swap groups so that both of us will teach all of our students during a month period.

I hope this information has been helpful to you and I will send more newsletters as needed.  The class is working together well learning the rules and schedule.  This past week we were given an ice cream party for being the top sellers for Sally Foster....thanks, parents and students!!!  Also, as a class reward for spelling out "Compliment", I brought in a big chocolate chip cookie on Friday and we ate that as a treat at our lunchtime.  We had several parents visiting us for lunch and they got chocolate chip cookies as well!! Keep up the GOOD WORK!

Thanks,   Mrs. Snook:)

F.Y.I. - You may send total reading log minutes in weekly on the sheet, I will check it off as seen, and return it to you.  For each 10 minutes read, your child gets a sticker on his/her apple for this month.  Also, any homework done in the compositition book can be turned in early if the assignments are finished----just make sure it comes in by Friday of every week.   Thanks!