First Grade: February 24 - 28, 2025
Dear First Grade Families,
The first week back after the break found First Grade consolidating their alphabetic knowledge in addition to improving their ability to match letters to sounds and vice versa, which, of course, paves the way for learning to encode (write and spell) and decode (read). During Circle, students have practiced tossing beanbags in synchrony with each word of a nursery rhyme, which is more difficult than it sounds and really helps the children pay attention to the individual words that build sentences. A related activity to deepen students' understanding of the theory of word is breaking words into syllables, which enables beginner readers to sound out each part of a word separately, making it easier to decode and pronounce longer words.
Creative juices have continued to flow in the development of students' book-themed dioramas that they will proudly showcase during Read Across America Week. They began the week before the break, designing their displays, making backgrounds, and modeling their book characters with assistance from Second and Third Grade students, who have also selected books to illustrate with dioramas. Through this hands-on exercise, the children bring to life the images and feelings the book conjures for them. Capturing the main ideas, characters, and mood of a piece of literature are foundational skills that the class can carry all the way through their educational career and beyond.
Announcements and Reminders for First Grade:
3/8: Community Work Day
3/27: Group Picture Day - Individual Picture retake 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
