Classroom News and Tidbits . . .

Scholars are invited to participate in WCE Spirit Week!

WCE Spirit Week gives Scholars the opportunity to show their school pride while helping others.

In order to participate, Scholars must donate a quarter for each day of participation or bring in a dollar on Monday, December 12^th for the week! All proceeds will be donated to Colorado Gives.

Spirit Week

Monday – Crazy Hair and Hat Day!

Tuesday- Jeans and White T-shirt Day!

Wednesday- Color Clash Day!

Thursday- Wear the Yellow!

Friday – Backwards Day! *** PJ Day for Scholars (don’t forget your slippers) ***

Dates to Remember!

Friday, December 16th Pajama Day!

Class Winter Holiday Party 2:30 - 3:30

December 19th- January 3rd No School

January 16th No School

November - December Snack Calendar

Classroom News and Tidbits . . .

Homework

Homework will not need to be returned until December 1^st

Reading and Writing Workshop

This week, we begin a new unit of study “Small Moments.”

During this unit the Scholars will learn and practice decoding

and reading strategies to help them better comprehend text.

In addition, they will learn how to retell a story in sequential

order using transition words and how to use their schema,

along with clues from the author to better understand a

character’s emotions and motives.

In Writer’s workshop the Scholars will learn and practice

writing personal narratives based on a small moment in their

life. They will learn how to plan their writing using a graphic

organizer and “fancy up” their stories.

Everyday Math

Tomorrow the Scholars will complete their Unit 3 EDM progress check and on Monday, we will begin Unit 4.

Unit 4 focuses on measurement (standard and nonstandard),

telling time (half-hour, quarter –to and quarter-pass), and

introduces addition facts.

We will continue learning and comparing the value of pennies, nickels and dimes.

If you have not done so already, please send in 20 nickels, 10 dimes, and 4 quarters for your Scholar to use during EDM lessons and games.

1^st Grade Kids Care

Gloves and Mittens Drive

The 1^st grade classes are collecting gloves and mittens until December 9^th

.

Online Ordering Information

Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: J7YGQ
Ordering deadline: December 8th

Dear Parents,

Please take some time to explore the flyers with your child online.

It’s fast, easy, and you get instant access to thousands of additional titles plus online-only specials and discounts. Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online.*

Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and log in using your user name and password.

If it’s your first time ordering online, use the Class Activation Code shown above to get started.

Online ordering offers you several advantages: Larger selection: Exclusive online-only offers: Enjoy discounts available only on our Web site. Easy payment: Use your credit card! No need to worry about printed forms or sending che

cks to school.

Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs now to get started.

Thanks,

Ms. Woodard

NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

November 23rd - 25th

Classroom Update - November 3rd

"A Shout Out " ...

To the Cavender family, including Chase’s grandmother for taking on task of covering each Scholar's journal in a brown paper bag. Your time and kindness is greatly appreciated!

To Jo-Nell Herndon, Ally Magana, Laura Willius, Tia Cavender, Toni Palmer,

and Susan Fabian for helping with the Halloween activity stations. Our

Halloween party was a huge success the Scholars are still talking about it!

Dr. Mikey (Gabi's dad) for teaching us all about our heart.

Melissa Angtuaco for helping me with the blog.

Sarah Kleinschmidt for helping with the weekly homework packets.

Thank you much!!!

Homework went home today. The weekly dictation sentences are included in the spelling packet. Please return homework next Thursday along with your Scholar's red folder.

EDM

Please send 20 nickels, 10 dimes, and 4 quarters in a zip

lock bag with your child's name on it by Tuesday,

November 7th. The coins will for your child's personal use

during EDM lessons and games and will be kept in their

EDM tool- kit.

**** Keep those paper towel rolls coming!!!

Writing Journals *************************************

On Monday, the Scholars will decorate their writing journals. They can decorate their journals with photographs, stickers, magazine cutouts, ribbons, scrapbook papers, just about anything! Making their writing journals their own! Please send your Scholars decorations in a zip lock bag with their name on it.

Also, we can use any extra “leftover” scrapbook pieces you may have at home for our writing center.

Our first yearbook is now ready to order! This
full-color book will showcase ECE-5th grade students, staff, events and
activities from the 2011-2012 school year, plus student artwork. Yearbooks will
be sold at the dis

counted price of $20 until January 5th, 2012. Orders placed

after January 5th will be $25.

ORDER ONE FOR EACH OF YOUR WCE
STUDENTS!
To order online go to www.yearbookforever.com. (There
is a $2 service fee for online orders.)

No School - November 10th Assessment Day

No School- November 11th Veteran' s Day

No School - November 23rd -25th Thanksgiving Holiday

Dictation Sentences - Oct. 13th

Weekly Dictation Sentences

Week # 6

• Spell words with the long e sound spelled e or ee
• Spell short o words

1. I got to see the queen bee.

2. Can he get sheep in the pet shop?

Week # 7

• Review short i, a and u words
• Recognize the special vowel in put

1. Is that his cat in the sun?

Please remember to use your writer's manners.

Thank you !

October Snack Calendar

October Snack Calendar

Parent Teacher Conference Information

Parent – Teacher Confererence Sign Up

Parent –Teacher Conferences will be held the week of

October 17^th – October 21^st. I will be sending home a

pre-conference form in this week’s Thursday/ Homework

folder. Please return the form before your child’s scheduled

conference.

Weekly Update - Oct. 7

HAPPY FALL!

Homework

This week’s Spelling Dictation

Week # 4

Spelling words with or

Recognize homophones four and for

Recognize I and we

Dictation Sentence

1. I got it for him.

2. Can four men go up in a jet?

Week # 5

Spelling words with or

1. I have a pup on the bus.

EDM

Today, I sent home an EDM Unit 2 Practice – Review packet.

The review packet will help your Scholar practice what they have learned during EDM Unit 2, which includes: telling time to the hour, counting pennies and nickels, exchanging pennies and nickels for equivalent amounts, showing the same amount with fewer coins, and the introduction of number models and number stories.

*** Please remind your Scholar to focus on what the question is asking them to do *** Reread the question for understanding*** Double check their work ** Make sure their number(s) are not written backwards or transposed (21 instead of 12)***

Remember Practice Makes Better!!

Classroom Update

Monday, October 10^th is Picture Day! No payment is required at this time. The Scholars will receive an immediate proof after taking their picture; along with a payment envelope.

Science

The Scholars LOVE Investigating Weather! This week, the Scholars took a weather walk and used their senses as science tools to explore the weather.The Scholars worked in teams to collect and record data from their observations. Then, they used their data to make weather - word picture vocabulary cards for our Weather Word Wall.

We finished-up this week making thermometers. Next week, we will have some fun hands on experiments reading thermometers and investigating the wind.

Literacy - Social Studies

Kids Care

“No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure” – Emma Goldman

This week, we started Kids Care. It is an AWESOME unit of study! Kids Care integrates social studies and literacy. The Scholars will learn about the various kinds of communities including the classroom commununity, school community, family community, Denver community, and the wide world community.

In addition, they will learn how to show kindness, how kindness can make a difference, how one “good deed” can change the world, and what we can do as a classroom community to make a difference.

Our unit will conclude with a Community Service Project.

This week, the Scholars wrote and shared all about their favorite community. In addition, we took a walk throughout our school and observed people in our school community who show they care and demonstrate kindness.

Skills

This week, the Scholars reviewed using Capital letters for “proper nouns” and practiced sentence writing using end marks.

Dictation Sentences - Sept. 29

Homework

Spelling Week 5

Dictation Sentence

Is it fun to run?

Spelling Week 3 – Spelling words in the –all and –and families

Dictation Sentences

1. Is his hand small?

2. Bob can call his mom and dad.

Weekly Update - Sept. 18

Classroom Update

Everyday Math

We are launching Unit – 2 Everyday Uses of Numbers

In Unit 2, the Scholars will learn all about uses of numbers in real world contexts.Unit 2 focuses on the introduction of the analog clock and telling time to the hour, practicing finding the value of various coin combinations (nickels and pennies), exchanging fewer coins (changing 5 pennies for a nickel), and comparing numbers.

DLI – Daily Language Instruction

The Scholars learned all sentences begin with a capital letter and have an end mark. They learned that the period is a signal just like the school bell that something has ended, and the period is a signal that a sentence has ended. Please help your Scholar practice this when writing their spelling dictation . . . practice, practice, practice.

**** In addition, the Scholars are practicing how to write their beautiful name using capital letters ONLY for the first letter of their first name and for the first letter of their last name. All other letters in their name should be lower case.

Spelling

Week 3 - Spelling words with /an/ and /at/ families

Dictation Sentence

A cat sat in a pan.

Week 1 - Spelling short vowel words

Dictation Sentences

Tom did not get a hot bun.

Kim had on a red hat.

September Snack Calendar

Homework - Thursdays

Homework

I have decided to send homework home on Thursdays instead of Mondays. I am hoping this will give the Scholars (and parents too) more time and flexibility in completing the homework packet. Homework is due on Thursday.

Homework

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Reading

Scholars are expected to read for 30 minutes each day. Please have your child log their books. Also try keeping a basket of books in the car for reading on the road and Environmental print counts too!

Spelling

This week’s focus is on spelling short /a/ words and recognizing /a/ as a special word. ** All of the spelling words are high frequency words that 1^st graders will be expected to know**

Dictation Sentence

I am on a bus.

EDM

1.9 Calendars

1.10 Tally Marks - Please remind your child to “close the gate” with the 5^th tally mark

1.11 Explorations

Explorations will give the Scholars the opportunity to become “Math Explorers.” They will try to find the answer to something they did not know before, while working in cooperative groups and using questioning – wonderings, and the sharing of ideas.

1.12 Thermometer

Room Parents

Our Super Scholars Room Parents

are

Allison Magana and Lauren Willius

They are in the process of setting –up an email group list for our class. Please send Ally or Lauren your email contact information along with your child’s name and a contact number at almagana@comcast.net or laurawillius@me.com.

They will be using the information to contact you regarding classroom donations, volunteer opportunities and friendly reminders of upcoming events.

Thanks a Bunch!