First Grade: March 2-5, 2026
Dear First Grade Families,
Thank you for your generous participation in Read Across America week and in Handwork class! Each day last week, a parent read a favorite picture book to the class and shared a themed activity and/or food. The children were delighted with these special visitors, their book selections, and the games, crafts, and refreshments provided! Through the read-alouds, students explored new concepts and vocabulary while savoring each book’s beautiful illustrations and universal themes. In Handwork, students are further developing their skills in wet felting and pom-pom making to craft items for our class auction project. It is a fun opportunity for parent volunteers to get involved!
Students have been working hard on their reading practice and spelling patterns. With repeated exposure and opportunities for practice, they are absorbing the information and putting their skills to use! Last week, students brought home a short decodable text about a boy and his ball. In class, learners did a choral reading and spotted target words featuring the glued sounds am, an, and all, such as Cam, ran, and hall. Students were encouraged to try reading the story at home and giving it a title. In addition to reviewing glued sound chunks, the children have been learning about the digraphs “sh” and “th” (where two distinct letter sounds come together to make a new sound). They were interested to see how many common words feature “th” and how it can be voiced or unvoiced for two distinct sounds. Another reading focus has been heart (or high frequency) words such as the, he, to, and is. There are numerous multisensory ways to memorize heart words; for example, your child can model the spellings with play dough, saying each letter out loud and reading the word.
Announcements & Reminders:
Bug spray season is nearly upon us! We have some left for each student from last semester, but each child will also need a fresh supply in their backpack for a bottle, so please double check on that.
Parent-Teacher Spring Conferences are this week! Your prompt arrival is greatly appreciated, as it helps ensure that each family has ample time to discuss their child’s learning and growth at school.
March 12: Teacher-Parent Conferences (Half-day)
March 13: Teacher-Parent Conferences (No School)
March 18–19: Picture Day - Class photos will be taken, along with a makeup opportunity for students who missed photos in the fall.
April 1: Grandfriends Tea at 11:00 (Full Day)
Warmly,
Ki Michelle
