Mrs. Dillon's Blog

WEEKLY NEWS FROM ROOM 114

THIS WEEKS NEWS
January 4 - 8, 2010
Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday. Thank you for all the wonderful gifts you gave me. You were so very generous.

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Our first star of the week for 2010 is Will Culloton. You should have your pictures today.
We will begin to work on some projects in preparation for Catholic Schools Week. I will need a baby picture of your child - no larger than 3x5 and no older than 1 year old... (anywhere between birth and the first birthday will be great.) PLEASE PRINT YOUR CHILD'S NAME ON THE BACK. Please send by Jan. 12.
Catholic Schools Week will be Jan.24 -29.

Please keep working on tying shoelaces.

We will have a Christmas "show and tell" this week. Children from Altman to Goggin can bring ONE show and tell on Wednesday. Children from Murnane to Wahl can bring theirs on Thursday. This is completely optional.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, Jan 7 is "special lunch" so check your calendars to see if you ordered.
We will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day on Monday, Jan 19, so there will be no school that day.

HOMEWORK
Please read "Fox and Bear" on Mon. and Tues. Read "Fox and Bear Look at the Moon" on Wed. and Thurs. We will be reviewing all short vowel sounds and final consonant blends this week. The sight test, spelling test and workbook pages that are used for assessment will be given on Friday, Jan 9. This will be our 4th week where I haven't read the test to the class. The children seem to be doing very well on their own. I'm so proud of them. Anyone who needs help on the test just raises their hand and I offer assistance.

We are beginning chapter 5 in Math on geometry and fractions. Please continue to practice the flash cards.

Thanks for all the time you spend listening to your children read. I hope you can see the great improvements in their reading since the beginning of the year. Please ask your children to retell stories they read to you in their own words. This helps comprehension and retention of facts.

NEW SIGHT WORDS:
came
know
there
out
she

NEW SPELLING WORDS:
and
hand
just
fast
best
must

As always, contact me with any questions. Have a good week.
Mrs. Dillon

WEEKLY NEWS FROM ROOM 114

THIS WEEKS NEWS
January 11 - 15, 2010
The class has returned for the new year, and are working so very hard! I've seen growth in each student and continue to see it every day.

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Will did a great job as star of the week.
Our new star of the week is: Gabe Daggy. Please bring your pictures on Monday, Jan. 11.
Please remember to send a baby picture - no larger than 3x5 and 12 months or younger (put name on back please) - to school by Tuesday, Jan. 12, for a special project we will work on for Open House.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, Jan. 18 is a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Catholic Schools Week Open House and Mass is on Sunday Jan. 24. Please plan on attending and then tour the school and our classroom.

HOMEWORK
Please read "I Can Read" on Mon. and Tues. night. Read "Lilly Reads" on Wed. and Thurs. The phonics skill this week will be to review all short vowel sounds and words that are contractions. The sight test, spelling test and workbook pages that are used for assessment will be given on Friday, Jan 15. We will finish level 1.3 in reading this Friday, Jan 15. A complete list of 1.3 sight words will be sent home next week. There will be a complete sight test during the week of Jan 18.

In math, we will begin the study of fractions. Please keep practicing the math facts every night.

NEW SIGHT WORDS:
again
please
read
say
word

NEW SPELLING WORDS:
clap
drop
spot
trip
sled
drum

As always, contact me with any questions. Have a good week.
Mrs. Dillon

WEEKLY NEWS FROM ROOM 114

THIS WEEKS NEWS
January 18 - 22, 2010
Thanks for your help on the projects we are working on for Open House during Catholic Schools Week. You will see all the creative work your children are doing when you attend the Open House on Sunday, Jan. 24. Hope all of you can attend.

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Gabe did a great job as star of the week. Our next star of the week is: Claire. Please bring your pictures on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

A book report for January will be coming home on Tuesday. It will be due on Jan. 27.

UPCOMING EVENTS
No school on Monday Jan. 18 - Martin Luther King Holiday.
Open House will be on Sunday, Jan. 24 after the 10:00 mass.

We want to wish Anthony and Jack a Happy Birthday on January 24!!!

HOMEWORK
We will begin the new Reader, 1.4, on Tuesday. There will be some changes in regards to the spelling words. There will now be 10 spelling words for the week. Please read "Red Stone Game" on Tues. night. Read "The Gingerbread Man" on Wed. and Thurs. night. The new readers continue to get more difficult, more sentences on the pages, and more difficult sight words.
It really helps when your children practice the stories at home. The sight words become familiar and you should be able to hear an improvement in fluency. Oral reading practice even helps the established readers.
Sight test, spelling test and workbook pages used for assessment will be given on Friday.
We will begin to study all the long vowel sounds now! This week we begin with long /a/ and the inflected ending of -ed as in walked.

We will continue our study of fractions in Math. We will complete the chapter this week with a short test on shapes and fractions on Friday.
Please keep practicing the math facts every night. Since our chapter was on Geometry and Fractions, we didn't make any new flash cards. We will make the next set of cards this week.

NEW SIGHT WORDS:
after
as
call
laugh
something

NEW SPELLING WORDS 10 FROM NOW ON:
ate
gave
make
bake
late
take
as
after
helped
wanted

As always, contact me with any questions. Have a good week.
Mrs. Dillon

WEEKLY NEWS FROM ROOM 114

THIS WEEKS NEWS
January 25 - 29, 2010
We have really been working hard this week to "show off" the great work we do in first grade. The children are so excited for you to see the classroom.

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Claire did a great job as star of the week.
Our next star of the week is Clare . Please bring your pictures on Monday.

UPCOMING EVENTS
We want to wish Clare a Happy Birthday on Jan.30!!!

January Book Report is due on Jan. 27.

Next week begins Catholic Schools Week. Open House will be on Sunday, Jan. 24 after the 10:00 mass. All are welcome to visit the school, classrooms, and specials rooms.

The 100th Day of school is only a few days away!!! I can't believe it. We will celebrate the 100th day on February 5, 2010. The children will be bringing home a sheet of paper that needs to be filled with "100 things". Please DO NOT USE ANY KIND OF FOOD OR REAL MONEY. Some ideas are stickers, cotton balls, q-tips, rubber bands, straws, buttons, paper money, etc. I would like each child to attach the 100 items on their paper to display what 100 things look like. These papers will be hung outside in the hall by our classroom. Things can be grouped into sets of 10 or randomly placed - it's up to your child.
Please return your paper to school by
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010. Thanks for your help with this project. (please don't go to any great expense for this).

HOMEWORK
Please read "The Same as You" on Mon. and Tues. night. Read "Cherry Pies and Lullabies" on Wed. and Thurs. night. The phonics skill for this week will be long vowel /a/ and the ch and th sound as in chair and this. Sight test, spelling test and workbook pages used for assessment will be given on Friday.
Please practice the 10 spelling words and new sight words. Look for long /a/ words in the stories.

We will begin chapter 6 in Math this week which will cover addition and subtraction facts to 12 and doubles facts ( 4+4=8). We will make new flash cards this week, but please feel free to go on ahead if your child is doing well memorizing the facts we've covered.

NEW SIGHT WORDS:
every
made
mother
of
was

NEW SPELLING WORDS:
tap
tape
cap
cape
mad
made
of
was
check
then

As always, contact me with any questions. Have a good week!
Mrs. Dillon