Thank you for taking the time to come and see our classroom last night. I was happy to meet almost every family and the students were excited to show his/her work so far. I appreciate your efforts taking the time to make school important as it shows that we are working together to help your child.
Every student also returned their books yesterday- YEAH! I know we will have strong readers if they practice every day and have access to books that are at the right level and are of interest.
Parent helpers will start in October. Thanks for all of those forms that have been returned. We will focus on help during reading time at the beginning.
There are new regulations for parent drivers and supervisors on trips. I will give you the information as soon as it’s available. It may take a few weeks to have that all figured out.
We started Words Their Way this week. It is a spelling program that puts students in levels that are appropriate for their spelling skills . I am running three groups right now to meet the diverse needs. Ask you child which group he/she is in- 1. at words, 2.s,h, and sh, or 3. the long and short a group. I find success with this as it focuses on learning concepts and patterns at their level rather than just memorizing lists of words which often translates to improved reading and writing skills.
We will be going to the computer room for the first time tomorrow. During the year we will do various things. Tomorrow I hope to get each of them set up on Epic– the reading program. They choose their own interests and read books on the computer or have them read aloud.
We will be starting the Star of the Week Program next week. Each child will have a week during the year to be the special person sharing things, leading gym games, bringing a guest and being the class meeting leader. Your child will bring home the information package to fill out a week or so before it is his/her turn. Please return the poster, autobiography and photos on the Monday or first day back. We will send it all home on Friday. I find this program helps kids build connections, improve self esteem and develop our community.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family!