First Grade Newsletter, Volume 2
 
YG First Grade Newsletter  September 10, 2007 Volume 2 First Weeks of First Grade Whew! It has been a busy, exhausting week of learning new routines and learning teacher expectations and procedures. Sayaka Sensei and Nancy Sensei are so happy with our new homerooms, but we see there can be lots of improvement in student behaviors so we can have the best learning environment. YG Rules and Classroom Goals We've talked over the school expectations of "We are Respectful," "Our School is Safe", and We are Responsible" and have expanded it to reflect our Classroom Goals for the 07-08 school year. Our Classroom goals in both classes are: "Yorokobi" - Be Cheerful, "Tasukeai" - Be Helpful, and "Shinsetsu" - Be Kind to Others. This week the class is working their way to earn 20 stickers on the "Be Helpful" card. Once they do, the class earns a Classroom Wow, and we choose a poster winner. Homeroom 12, Kabocha - Pumpkin Group and Homeroom 13, Donguri - Acorn Group Student Schedules We hope everyone is understanding the Donguri and Kabocha Schedules of the Day. Last week we did not have Technology and P.E., so we did not follow it to the letter, being busy with sharing procedures and all, however, the specialists tell us they are ready to start teaching this week, so we are very excited. Parent Volunteers Needed We both could use parent volunteers in class during our Everyday Math teaching times. They are Mondays - Friday in the afternoon from 12:30 - 1:30. If you enjoy math and want to spend an afternoon with us, we would be most grateful. We always need a dedicated group of parents to commit to coming in weekly to “stuff” Thursday envelopes and get them ready to pass out. Also, parents to check in homework on Fridays and “stuff” the homework folders with the next week’s assignments are essential to our teachers’ sanity and first grade program. Ruby always appreciates parents who want to read stories to our classes and help students find their books for the week. Students can check out an English and a Japanese book a week. Our Library times are Friday afternoons from 12:30 - 1:30. Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Our Composer of the Week was Franz Joseph Haydn. We listened to Symphony # 6, "Le Matin" - "The Morning". Students identified when the sun came up and when the birds were singing. For Week 2 in September, we are listening to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, specifically the “Horn Concerto No. 1”. It features the French Horn. First Week’s Memories So what was your fun memory of the week? Was it seeing your friends again? Was it getting to eat in the cafeteria? Was it getting new reading books? Was it getting your new school box full of new supplies? Was it listening to "Follow Me" at the Listening station, or learning to use the classroom computers? Was it reviewing the Kindergarten songs with Sayaka Sensei such as “Head and Shoulders” - “Atama- Kata”? Go to our first grade Blog site and see the responses. http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/imamura/. All responses are screened before being posted. Homework Packets and Folders Everyone is receiving their homework folder this week. We went over the English Explode the Code 1 Short Vowel packet in class today and did a few examples for each page so students should be recalling what they are to do for each page. Students will be getting a packet a week to complete during the school year, and will be getting through it in a third of the time it took to do it this week by the end of the year. We are starting with short vowels, will move up to blends, and end with long vowel packets. We use this opportunity to also practice D’nealian handwriting when students write their words, especially on the last page. If you feel your child can test out of this level by passing an end of the level test, which involves being able to write down dictation sentences with short vowel words, please let us know, and we can have Marilyn give an assessment on her Assessment days from 11:00 - 11:15 during the week. 4J District Reading Testing Testers come the week of September 17 - 21 to test all YG first graders on their knowledge of letter names, sounds and segmenting. We are spending this week and next on Kindergarten Review and will delay the start of the first grade Theme 1 till the week of September 24. Eugene Celebration and “Chomp, Stomp and Romp this Friday, 9-14. It was great to see so many of you at the Eugene Celebration YG Parade last Saturday. We hope we can see you at the PTO sponsored “Chomp, Stomp and Romp” on Friday, 9-14 from 5:30 - 7:30. Sayaka Sensei will represent the first grade as Nancy Sensei will be out of state. Home Reading Program We are sending home the Home Reading Envelopes with each student this week. Everyone received either a short vowel or a blends book to read. When you are ready for a new book, please turn in the envelope into Nancy Sensei’s Mailbox. Parents can “check off” on the envelope to tell Ruby if the books was just right, too hard, or too easy to guide the next book to be checked out. At MINIMUM the envelope should be turned back onto school on FRIDAYS to have a book to read for the weekend. If your child is a fluent reader and is ready for chapter books or want to specialize on a series or a particular author, we can accommodate that. Please let us know. RECORD ALL MINUTES read during the week. We have a classroom goal of 100 minutes in September. From October, they can earn a Pizza Hut Certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza. Most months will have a goal of 200 minutes. Everything counts. When your child reads to you the completed work attached to the blue slips, write down those minutes. You can count books read from your own home library. You can count bedtime minutes when you read to your child. Research indicates 15 minutes a night of students reading to you is needed to improve fluency. Modeling oral reading by parents is also an essential component towards developing an appreciation and enjoyment of life long reading. Snack and Sharing Families are asked to bring to share a snack for 25 students once every six weeks. Please make sure the snack is peanut free and not processed in a plant that produces peanut products. It can be brought anytime during their assigned snack week. If students would like to share a story, book, poem or event, they can let the teacher know during their snack week.http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/imamura/shapeimage_2_link_0
Monday, September 10, 2007