First Grade: February 10 - 14, 2025
Dear First Grade Families,
Welcome back to school! Can we really be this close to March and the beginning of spring? It is certainly becoming more palpable with the growing light as we near the vernal equinox; the children will welcome the changes in the air. In the first half of the month, we were treated to bright yellow clusters of daffodils and fresh green clumps of green onions around campus. Oh, the reward of freshly dug baby wild onions with all their pungency and earthiness.
Before the break, the class kicked off their fourth Language Arts Block, which focuses on CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) patterns. To build phonemic awareness, a key to success in reading, students begin with a chunk such as “-an” to build words such as “pan” and “can” before progressing to phonemically related words like “plan” and “can’t,” for example. Students will make the important discovery that many words look alike at the end if they sound alike at the end. In addition, they will gain awareness that one little chunk (like “-an”) can unlock lots of words!
We also celebrated Esther’s seventh birthday with ice cream, along with stories and pictures of her seven years on Earth. Happy birthday, Esther!
Now that we have returned to school, we are continuing our Language Arts block, which includes a celebration of books during Read Across America Week, which always falls on the week closest to the birthday of that master of whimsy, positivity, and rhymes: Dr. Seuss, born on March 2nd, 1904. The children have begun work on their own book-themed shoeboxes, which will be displayed in school the first week of March. It is wonderful to feel a buzz in the classroom over books and reading.
Announcements and Reminders for First Grade:
First Grade photo folder: Photos (and the occasional video) are uploaded on an approximately weekly/biweekly basis. Only parents of this class have access.
Please check extra clothing, footwear, etc., to ensure your child has the gear needed for the varying weather of spring. Also, a pair of sneakers is helpful each day, no matter the weather, for indoor skipping rope upon arrival.
3/8: Community Work Day
4/4: Half Day - Grandfriend’s Tea 11:00 a.m.
4/7 - 4/11: Spring Break (No School)
4/25: Annual Auction Fundraiser - Half Day
4/26: Community Work Day
Warmly,
Ki Michelle
