"We grow as Christians by showing love."

1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 52:10

The children will hear the story of David's anointing as king and know that they can grow to be more like Jesus in their ability to show love for others.

We'll read Whose Garden Is It?, a rhyming story with emphasis on short /i/ and adjectives. We'll work on a mural of the stages of a seed's growth. High Frequency words: I , am, the, little, to, a, have, is, we, my, like, he, for; ip Word Family : dip - hip - nip - rip - tip - zip I highly recommend that you write the HF words and Word Families on index card, handy for summer review.

We'll identify plane shapes in different positions by using blocks. We'll create pictures using different shape stickers.

We'll paint bears this week and distinguish between real/fantasy bears. There will be a teddy bear sleepover and picnic next week. Info will follow. We'll learn about polar and read many fiction/non-fiction stores about bears.

Our buddies will help us to determine what objects will absorb water.

We'll view several museum art prints with winter scenes on the Smartboard. We'll compare them to today and paint our favorite winter activity.

It will be interesting to share our New Year's Resolutions with each other.

We'll be on mail watch for the return of the Gingerbread Babies. I hope you mailed yours!

Homework: Directions are in your child's folder. Please replace your child's folder if need be. Several are falling apart. A front two pocket folder please.

Due: December Read Aloud - always hoping for 100% participation

Your child's laundered tee shirt

Reminders: Have your child color in a star on his Starband for every good deed he/she does. Due back Monday, January 31st. It's in his/her folder.

Please call the office if/when your child will be absent.

Enjoy the week ahead.

"JESUS CAME TO SHOW US HOW TO LOVE GOD"

There's lots of excitement in the air as Christmas approaches. The children truly do believe!

The children will wear their serapes and carry lanterns for the "posada" as they become pilgrims searching for shelter just as Mary and Joseph did. They'll have fun trying to break open a pinata, which will be filled with treats.

We'll light the fourth candle on our Advent wreaths at the Advent Prayer Service. Our "hearts of kindness" are all filled in. What a great job the children did getting caught being kind to others!

The children will each get a turn unwrapping a gift for the class.

Have you sent your Gingerbread Babies on their way? I hope so. We're looking forward to learning about the state that they visit as well as seeing what they're wearing upon their return. Due: January 7th

Everyone is looking forward to the Jingle Bell Jog on Monday. The money raised will go to the Missions. Free dress for those participating.

We'll have a very special Mystery Guest Reader on Tuesday. Send in a robe or pajama top for your child if possible. We be sipping hot chocolate and nibble Gingerbread cookies. I guess you heard about how we were outfoxed!

Gym will be on Tuesday, not Wednesday, so be sure your child wears gym clothes. I have a sweatshort - no name. Is it yours?

There will be pizza for all following the 3rd grade assembly on Wednesday. Please send a note if your child is going to EDP that day.

Special thanks to all the parents/grandparents who helped the children and their buddies decorate the Gingerbread Houses and wrap them. Thank you for sending in all the items requested.

Thank you to all who sent in hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves for the Mitten Tree. The children loved putting their items on and seeing the tree transformed. There will be many happy faces when the items are delivered.

Does anyone have Mary Wore Her Red Dress? I am missing the book and the class rewrite.

No Homework - no Bag A Book

Due: January 3rd - December Read Aloud

Please wash your child's art tee over the break. We have many more messy activities planned.

I wish you and your family a Joyous Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

"Mary's appearance to Juan Diego is evidence of her special care for those in need."

Father Dan will visit our class for a special Advent Service. We'll light our third candle and continue to "get caught doing good". I hope your child is coloring in hearts at home.

This week we'll celebrate the Feast of St. Lucia. The oldest girl in the class, as is tradition in Sweden, will carry the tray of cinnamon buns to serve her classmates.

We'll read several versions of the Gingerbread Man and hope that he won't run away when we bake a batch. We're looking forward to decorating Gingerbread Houses later in the week. Have you sent in all the requested supplies?

We will continue to focus on short and medial /i/, opposites for adjectives, sequencing, High Frequency words he and for, and the -ip Word Family: dip - hip - lip - nip - rip - sip - tip.

We'll count candy canes and identify and sort solid shapes.

We'll write to Santa in our journals asking for something for ourselves.

Homework: Shape activity sheet (in your child's folder)

The Christmas Concert is Wednesday. Remember: holiday best. Bring your child to the classroom no later then 6:15. You must pick up your child in the classroom afterwards. No one will be dismissed from the gym. Gym will be on Tuesday, not Wednesday this week.

Everyone is looking forward to the Jingle Bell Jog. Pledge sheets will be sent home and need to be returned. We're hoping for 100% participation from the K kids. It is a free dress day for those who will be doing laps around the gym. Sneakers for sure. All the money raised goes directly to the missions. Thank you for your support.

If you've volunteered to help with the Gingerbread Houses on Friday, please come to the classroom at 9 am. Plan on an hour. If you're going to help wrap, stop by the room at 2:30. Everything will be ready for you. Thank you!

Have you signed up for the Christmas Caroling on Friday? Your child will love it! So will you.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Holy, kind Saint Nicholas, friendly, good, and wise -

When he could, he helped the poor - always by surprise.

We will continue to talk about preparing for the birth of baby Jesus and show hearts full of kindness by our words and actions. I hope that your child is coloring in hearts at home.

St. Nicholas will stop by our room while the children are at Library/Art and leave a small surprise in their slippers. They will also find a beautiful lit Christmas tree in the room. Let the holidays begin!

We enjoyed spinning the dreidel with our buddies and seeing how important lights, food, and gifts are during Hanukkah as well as during Christmas.

We'll learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe and Don Diego's vision.

A Bed for the Winter is our reading selection. The children have been enjoying all the stories about bears and understand realism and fantasy. We'll work on sequencing of story events, short /i/, adjectives: opposites, High Frequency Words: he, for, and the -an Word Family: can - Dan - fan - man - Nan - pan - ran - tan - van

Twenty children participated in the November Read Aloud with 426 books read, a slight drop from October. Total to date is 859. I just know that we'll reach 1,000 this month!

We're completing our chapter on numbers 6-10. Please reinforce proper number writing formation and pencil grip at home.

Stop by during the week and see the beautiful family Christmas trees hanging in the hall. You did a wonderful job!

The IHM Mitten Tree is filling up. The children love hanging their donations. Many thanks.

Reminder: Holiday dress for the Christmas Concert. You might hear some singing around the house as we begin practice this week.

Please send in all Gingerbread House/Dec.Jan. supplies by the end of the week. This will be a fun activity for the children. A few more helpers would be welcome.

Homework: Have your child write a letter to Santa asking for a gift for someone else, not themselves. The paper is in their folder. Please stress writing slowly, carefully, and neatly. Follow the format below and have them color Santa's cap. Be sure that they sign their name. We'll add a pom pom in class. Due: Thursday.

Dear Santa,

___________________

___________________

Love,

SeeSaw Book Club order due Friday. Check made out to Scholastic.

We do not exchange Christmas gifts with our buddies. We make cards for them in class.

Have a wonderful week. Winter is just around the corner.

ADVENT

A TIME TO WAIT AND PRAY

We will prepare for the birth of baby Jesus with hearts full of love and kindness toward others every day. Just like the evergreen branches remain green, the Advent wreath serves to remind us that God's love for us never changes.

Our reading selection is Bear Snores On, realism and fantasy. We'll read a variety of fiction/non-fiction books about bears. We'll count, sort, and graph gummy bears. Phonics will address Cc /k/ and we'll discuss adjectives: colors, shapes, sizes, and numbers.

High Frequency Words: I - am - the - little - to - a - have - is - we - my - like

-am Word Family: Cam - ham - Pam - ram - tam

We'll work on number lines and identify numbers before and after in sequence. We'll draw conclusions based on data from a graph.

We'll discuss how animals prepare for winter and record the growth of our corn seeds.

Our ArtSmART lesson will be a look at Edvard Munch's "The Scream". We'll think about what the subject was screaming about and pose for a class scream picture.

Homework: Use adjectives to write three sentences describing themselves. (slowly, carefully, and neatly in pencil - first and last name on the back please. )

The 7th graders are sponsoring a "Tag Day" (free dress) on Tuesday, November 30th. Cost is $2.00. Money raised on Tag Days goes towards the bus rental for class trips.

The children will visit the Holiday Boutique on Thursday/Friday. Please send money in an envelope with your child's name.

Due: November Read Aloud

Family Christmas Trees by Friday if possible

Reminder: Please replace your child's folder with a two front pocket one if needed. Many are falling apart.

Please pack a napkin or two in your child's lunchbag.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Every Day is a Thank-You Day!

We will prepare for our Thanksgiving Feast with our first grade friends. You're welcome to join us in the gym at 11:30. We'll recite a few poems and enjoy homemade pumpkin bread, corn bread, and butter. We've worked hard on writing picture stories on our tees and stringing our pasta necklaces with patterns.

Dismissal is at 12:30 and Extended Day Care will be provided. Send a note if your child is staying and pack a lunch if needed.

Your child is bringing home a family Christmas tree project in his/her folder with directions included. Please return it in the plastic bag no later then Thursday, December 2nd. I know that every family will be represented.

No homework - No Bag a Book - No Gym this week.

Save the Date: Wednesday, December 15th is the IHM Christmas Concert. All kindergartners are expected to attend. They should arrive in the classroom no later then 6:15. The concert starts at 6:30. The children should come dressed in their "Sunday Best" - no sweats or jeans.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and offer thanks to God for His many blessings. I am truly blessed and thankful for such a wonderful group of children.

I thank you, O Lord, for the wonder of myself.

Psalm 139:14

This week we'll continue to discuss our talents and how special we all are. We'll reflect on the five senses and make a senses booklet. The children enjoyed the story of Helen Keller and the games that we played using our five senses.

Our reading selection is Animal Babies in Grasslands, a concept book. The focus will be on main idea, initial and final /p/, adjectives (colors and shapes) High Frequency words: we, my, like, and the -ap Word Family: cap, lap, map, nap, sap, tap, zap. We'll make a purple quilt of /p/ pictures. We'll respond to da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and give a penny for her thoughts as we write in our journals. Just what was she thinking about while she sat posing?

We'll work on identifying and counting objects of numbers up to 10 and play several partner games to practice one to one correspondence.

There will be preparation for our Thanksgiving feast, including reciting poems, making placemats, and picture writing on our dyed tee shirts. We'll plant our corn seeds and record their growth. It was fun to see the Corn Palace in South Dakota on the SmartBoard. Our buddies will measure the space used on the Mayflower and 102 IHM students will see just how tight things were on that ship when we gather in the gym.

We'll look at Grant Wood's "American Gothic" and discuss different lines in the print. We'll write what we thought the farmer and his wife would do once they finished posing. (I can't wait to read these!)

This month's genre is a "how to" writing sample, so our buddies will guide us in expressing how to wash our hands. They'll also help us with a popcorn book. We've been tasting different corn products and will get to vote for our favorite.

Mickey Mouse is turning 82 this week so we'll make mouse ears, mouse hand puppets and wish him a Happy Birthday. He will be the Star of the Week.

Our "Socks for Souls" was quite a success. Fifty nine pairs of socks were collected. Thank you so much.

The children enjoy putting food items in Laura's Basket (Girl Scout project) in the hall. The collection continues this week.

Our Thanksgiving Feast with the first grade will be in the gym on Wednesday, November 24th at 11:30. The children will recite poems and then sit and enjoy some of the foods that they prepared. Don't feel that you have to take time off from work. I will take pictures and post them on the web.

Homework: The sheet is in your child's folder. Be sure that they use tally marks when recording. Help them write their conclusion based on the number of tally marks. Due: Thursday.

I hope that you're reading for the Read Aloud.

Reminders: Library books are due Monday. Bag a Books are due Thursday. Your child needs sanitizer in the lunch bag and a BIG bottle of water. I've had to send lots of notes lately.

Half days Monday/Tuesday due to conferences. Send a note if you're child will be going to EDP.

Enjoy the week ahead!

God Made Me Wonderful.

Psalm 139:13-14; Isaiah 43:1-4

We will discuss our own uniqueness and appreciate our five senses as we thank God for making us so wonderful. There will be several activities in which we will use our senses. We'll learn about Helen Keller and the obstacles that she overcame in her life.

Our literacy selection, Armadillo's Orange, will focus on setting, initial and final /s/, plural and proper nouns, and High Frequency words I - am - a- little - have - is. We'll work on the -ad Word Family: bad - dad - fad - had - lad - mad - pad - sad. Be sure that you are writing the HF Words and Word Families on index cards for summer review. We'll work with our buddies to see what objects can roll, just like an orange.

We'll work on number lines and number sequencing and continue to practice proper number formation.

There will be a Veterans' Day Assembly in the gym on Thursday at 10:00. You are welcome to attend. We'll read The Wall and learn about why this day is so special. Stop by and see our Veterans' Day Salute on the bulletin board. Thank you to all of you who sent in stars.

We'll learn about the importance of corn to the Native Americans , sample some corn products, vote for our favorite and plant kernels. Preparations are underway for our feast.

Twenty three children participated in the Oct. Pizza Hut Read Aloud for a total of 433 books read. I am hoping for 100% participation this month.

We've collected 35 pairs of socks for Eva's Shelter in Paterson. The drive ends on Friday.

The Girl Scouts are collecting food items to distribute to those in need.

Homework: Due Thursday - Have your child print upper/lower case letters slowly, carefully, and neatly. Note pencil grip and letter formation. The sheet is in his/her folder. If your child's folder needs to be replaced (and several do) be sure to get a front, not side pocket one.

Needed: a large Elmer's glue stick for your child. We've got lots of projects ahead of us.

Due

Baptism photo of your child if possible

yellow writing journal with your comments

conference reminder

tee shirt for the feast

Gentle Reminders

Prayers start promptly at 8:25. Please have your child arrive on time.

Bag A Books are due back on Thursdays.

Class Rewrites, the Photo Album, Surprise Box, etc. should be sent back in a day or two. Many children are waiting for their turn.

If you are sending in birthday invitations to be distributed please write the names of the children and put them in ABC order.

The girls should be wearing shoes not sneakers with their uniform.

Have a good week. Stop by and see the wonderful "Action Jackson" paintings on display in the hall.

In God, we are all brothers and sisters.

Luke 2:39-40

The children will realize that they belong to a family and identify the Holy Family as they appreciate how family members help each other. They will learn that they are members of God's special family, the Church.

There will be an All Souls' Remembrance service on Tuesday. Please write the name of anyone you'd like remembered on the fall leaf that is in your child's folder and send it back.

We will read Life in an Ocean, an informational book and discuss what an ocean environment is. Skills addressed will be comparing/contrasting, short /a/, plural nouns, and High Frequency words: have - is. We'll meet "Miss A", work on the short sound of /a/, initially and medially and the -at Word Family. There will be many books about ocean life to read, both fiction and non-fiction.

We'll continue to work on l:l number correspondence and practice number/letter formation. We'll vote for our favorite type of sandwich on The Earl of Sandwich's birthday and discuss Election Day and what a privilege it is to be able to vote.

Preparations for our Thanksgiving Feast will get underway as we dye pasta for our necklaces to be worn at the feast.

The children are enjoying a "time out" with me on Fridays at Lunch Bunch. It's fun to sit and talk with them. Everyone will get a turn.

Tomorrow's Birthday Bash, "Dragons and Dreams" celebrating those sponsors with birthdays in Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec., promises to be an exciting program as the children learn about fire and ice with some live Science experiments that will bring the story to life. Have you thought about being a sponsor?

Community Service Project: We will join the IHM Parish request for "Socks for Souls" and collect new socks for men, women, and children sheltered at Eva's Kitchen in Paterson. This will also give us a chance to count by 2's. We'll collect through Friday, November 12th. Thank you for your generosity.

Homework: Have your child print in pencil slowly, carefully, and neatly I am thankful for... and complete the sentence. Don't forget end punctuation. Name on the back please. Due: Thursday

Due Friday

• SeeSaw Book Club order - checks to Scholastic Book Club


• White tee labeled with fringes cut on the sleeves and the bottom


• Your comments on your child's writing journal which will be sent home on Tuesday.


• Conference Form with any questions/concerns and a Baptism photo of your child if possible
  

Last call for the October Read Aloud. My fingers are crossed for 100% class participation.

The children will have library on Thursday this week so they will not be taking a book home until then. Books are due back on Monday.

For Review: -at Word Family: bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat

HF Words: I, am, the, little, have, is

Write them on index cards and review when possible.

Have a great week!

In Prayer We Talk To God

1 Samuel 3:2-12

The children will learn that prayer is talking to God and that amen is a prayer word that means "yes". Take some time to look over the Creation books with your child. Read Genesis to them.

Our literacy selection is Dig, Dig, Digging, a concept book about machines and how they help people. We'll also read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and look at books about various machines at work. We'll talk about machines used at home and in the classroom and how they make life easier for us. Skills will include classifying and categorizing, initial /t/, final /t/, High Frequency Words I - am -a - little, and nouns: words that identify people, animal, places, or things. Please save the Family Times booklets and Phonics Stories that are sent home. They make for great summer review.

Mercy Watson has endeared many of the children. We'll be starting our third chapter book, Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise and think of a Halloween costume befitting this porcine wonder. We'll use tally marks on the SmartBoard to see how many of us would like our toast buttered when we snack this week. (Mercy LOVES buttered toast). Pumpkin butter will be offered as well. We'll choose which of the three books we like best and tell why. There are six in the series and we will read them all as long as interest continues.

There will be many activities with the leaves that you sent in. We'll use magnifiers to get a close look at the veins, do leaf rubbings and paintings, measure leaves and compare them with a partner's, graph the different colors, classify types, draw leafy creatures, and put together a rewrite of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? using different colored leaves. We'll read our stories to the first graders. Be sure your child has a chance to jump onto a pile of leaves, but take out the rake first!

We've finished the chapter on Patterns. Everyone seems able to read, copy and extend a pattern. We'll work on numbers and 1:1 correspondence. You do not need to send back the end of chapter review booklets but be sure to do them with your child.

The children loved seeing Action Jackson Pollock's drip paintings on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's web site. They are eager to try their own drip paintings, very different from the still lifes done last month.

The fifth graders will put on a puppet show about safety for us and a "very special" visitor will carve our pumpkin.

Friday is "Tag Day", which is free dress, no uniform - no cost

You might consider being a sponsor for our first Birthday Bash on Tuesday, November 2nd. You're welcome to join us. Sponsors are for those children whose birthdays fall during September, October, November, and December. Fee is $50.00 and the shows are great.

October Read Alouds due Friday. I'm hoping for 100% class participation.

Reminders: a folder every day, a water bottle, and hand sanitizer. Send in a teddy bear on Tuesday (if you have one). Please call the office or send a note if you are picking up your child before dismissal, or taking some time off from school for vacation days with your family.

Homework: Halloween A to Z maze in your child's folder. Due: Thursday

Bag A Books: due Thursdays please

The children are doing a great job and enjoying all the learning that is taking place. Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Enjoy the week! Hope to see you at Trunk or Treat. Wait 'til you see the cars!

Red says STOP!

Green says GO!

Yellow says Caution!

Be sure you know!

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:11)

We will learn about the many wonderful things that take place in quiet and experience quiet prayer together. We'll read Noisy Nora, a story about a little girl who just couldn't keep quiet, and compare it with Nobody Notices Minera.

The children are enjoying working on their Creation booklets. It is wonderful when they ask to look at the class Bible.

Our reading selection is Julius, animal fantasy about the friendship between a pig and a girl. The focus will be on character, initial sound /m/ and High Frequency words I - am - a - little - to -a . We use these words in our journal writing and with proofreading on the SmartBoard. It's a good idea to write the words on index cards and have them ready for summer review. Hold onto the decodable reading pages that are sent home every week.

We'll look at some non-ficiton books about pigs, including children working on a pig farm raising pigs for competitions. We'll begin our first chapter book: Mercy Watson by Kate DeCamillo. This pig loved buttered toast so of course we'll toast some for a snack.

The children are doing well with naming patterns, copying, and extending them. It's a lot of fun doing them on the SmartBoard. We've created some ghostly patterns for the hall bulletin board.

We'll discuss spiders and graph whether or not we'd hold one in our hand. (Would you?) We'll read The Lady and the Spider and see just how important this little arachnid is. We'll also read The Very Busy Spider and discuss if it is important to finish a job and why. We'll work together to build a web using a ball of yarn and emphasize the importance of each child's role in building and supporting the web. What amazing things can be done when we work together!

Weather permitting, we'll go on a fall Nature Walk with our buddies and note the changes of the season.

• 
  
  Homework: Check your child's folder for Family Times and alphabet sequence activity sheet. Due: Thursday


• 
  
  Individual pictures on Thursday. Children usually wear free dress, not their uniform.


• 
  
  Class pictures on Friday. Winter uniform. No hoodies. School sweater


• 
  
  Consider coming to Trunk or Treat. It will be lots of fun.


• 
  
  Have you sent in the the class party and Autumn Auction fee?


• 
  
  Please do not send in any Halloween treats the day of the class party. If you want to send in a special treat please do so by Monday, October 25th. Things become too hectic at the last minute. Thank you!

Have a good week.

Stop, Look, and Listen

Before You Cross the Street.

First You Use Your Eyes and Ears

Then You Use Your Feet.

We will learn about community helpers as we discuss how people in a community help each other. Two of our parent/police officers will speak to us about their jobs. We'll get to sit inside a police car and hear the story Officer Buckle and Gloria. We'll make Traffic Light Cookies with M&M's as the color signals. There will be a visit from the fire department and everyone will get to climb on board the fire truck. Have you practiced a fire drill at home?

Target skills in literacy include letter recognition through Zz. We'll work on beginning sounds and play Batgo, an alphabet version of Bingo. High Frequency words include I - am - the - little.

We continue to work on patterns and note so many in the classroom. We'll copy and extend patterns with our buddies this week and share our creation booklets with them. Once the leaves begin to change we'll talk our autumn nature walk together.

The children are enjoying a variety of games on the Smartboard, including animal memory, rhyming words, and proofreading. They're getting quite good at it! They write in their journals every week and share their thoughts.

I hope that you are reading for the October Read Aloud.

I will be inviting five children at a time to "Lunch Bunch" with me on Fridays starting next week. We will eat together in the classroom. It is an opportunity for me to spend some informal time with your children. I will bring them outside for recess with the rest of the class after lunch. Everyone will get a turn.

Our towel drive for the animals at the McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff ends on Friday.

Homework: Have your child write upper/lower case letters As to Zz in pencil - slowly, carefully, and neatly. Note pencil grip and letter formation. The sheet is in your child's school folder. Due: Friday

Have a wonderful week!

OCTOBER

This month we will learn the Prayer to the Guardian Angel. We'll read Genesis and see God's love and goodness in the world as we work on Creation booklets.

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi we'll attend Mass with our buddies. They helped us write clues for animal riddle books which we'll share this week. Our Community Service Project this month will be to collect "gently used" towels for the animals at the Nature Center in Wyckoff. Check your linen closets!

Our literacy selection Miss Bindertarten Takes A Field Trip will focus on how people in a community cooperate. Target Skills include letters Tt-Zz, beginning sounds, and classifying and categorizing.

In Math we'll read, copy, extend, and create patterns.

We'll follow the route of Christopher Columbus and think about what items we would take on a long voyage.

The children enjoyed viewing some Still Life paintings on the Smartboard. They created their own and they will be on display in the hall. We'll play an I Spy game to see what fruits we can spot in different pictures. They are becoming ArtSmART.

Homework: fruit and veggie graph in your child's folder. Due: Thursday

Bag A Book: due Thursday

SeeSaw Book Club orders: Due Thursday. Check to Scholastic Book Club.

Towel Collection through Friday, October 15th.

I hope you are enjoying the Surprise Box, Literature Rewrites and Photo Album that is circulating among the class. Please return them in a day or two so that other children may enjoy them at home.

The October Pizza Hut Read Aloud runs through the end of the month. Please record the title of books read. I am hoping for 100% class participation. We'll graph the total number of books read at the end of the month.

Gentle Reminders: Hand sanitizer in your child's lunch bag, healthy snacks, and labeled clothing.

Our class parents: Mrs. Martino, Mrs. McNiff, and Mrs. Serafin will be contacting you regarding class fees. Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Have a great week and enjoy the long weekend.

We will hear many Bible stories this week and learn to reverence the Bible as God's word.

We will discuss how we live, work, and play together with the reading selection Plaidypus Lost. Letter recognition O0 through Ss will be targeted along with sequencing and beginning and end punctuation. By now each child should write his/her first name with lower case letters. We've been editing sentences at the Smart Board. The children love coming up and are amazed at how they can erase with the touch of a hand.

High Frequency Words: I - am - the - little It is a good idea to write them on index cards so that they will be ready for summer review.

We'll read The Button Box and then sort a variety of buttons according to size, shape, and color. We'll use our graphing mat to sort foods from the Food Pyramid.

Your child will bring home a Math Storybook at the end of each chapter. It is for you to review together. You do not need to send it back.

The children are becoming "Heart Healthy" as we continue to discuss the various food groups and healthy/less healthy snacks.

We'll become ArtSmART as we look at still lifes and create our own arrangements.

We continue to use our slates to practice letter and number formation. I am in the process of administering the baseline reading readiness test. The assessment is on concepts, phonological awareness, and beginning sounds. I will send you a note regarding your child's progress in the next week or two.

Homework: "Crunchy to the Core" activity sheet. Due Thursday. Look for it in your child's folder along with the Family Ties and Phonics Stories that are sent home each week. Save these for summer review.

Reminders: a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your child's lunchbox, a healthy snack, labeled clothing, and any picture fee or Back to School Night supplies requested. Please tell your child if he/she is ordering lunch on any given day. Also, a tap on the head at dismissal signals that I've seen who is picking up your child. It gets pretty crowded outside at dismissal. Thanks for being patient and sending your child back for a tap if they run off.

The children are doing well. I am enjoying them and am amazed at how much they've learned already. Thanks for your cooperation and support.

I am available via e mail (ldelpercio@ihmschoolonline.org) should you wish to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Week of September 20th

We had a wonderful visit with Father Dan in church. We sang and prayed and he read a story about a bully named Billy. Everyone agreed that bullies are not nice! We will follow up in class with more stories.
It was fun to meet our buddies and take a walk around the lake with them. We returned to the classroom and dictated sentences to them about what we saw and heard.
This week we'll learn that names are important and that God calls each of us by name. We'll hear about a little girl named Chrysanthemum who didn't particularly like her name.
Our Reading Unit is "How We Help Each Other" and there will be discussions on how we help family and friends. We'll work on letter names, rhyming words, syllables in words, HF words (I-am) and story setting.
We will sort materials by color and shape and use our graphing mat for many activities, including classifying food groups as we continue to discuss how to be "Heart Healthy".
In celebration of the ice cream cone's birthday we'll graph whether we prefer vanilla or chocolate and enjoy a cone.
We'll follow Johnny Appleseed's route out west on a USA map as we celebrate his birthday. We'll graph whether we prefer red or green apples and compare homemade to store bought applesauce. We'll roll the dice and play "Rotten Apple" with our buddies.
We will continue to use our slates to practice number and letter formation and we've gotten off to a good start in our writing journals.
Homework: Number writing 1-10. Due: Thursday
Reminders: A healthy morning snack, a water bottle, and names on all clothing.
Please send an apple (extras always welcome), the photo fee and the item requested in your Back to School folder by the end of the week if possible. Thanks!
Have a wonderful week!

Week of September 13th

We're off to a great start! The children are doing a fine job settling in. They've already proven to be pretty good at jumping rope, something we do a lot of. They've been introduced to the Food Pyramid and we've started talking about how we can become "Heart Healthy".

This week we'll read Mark 10:13-16 and hear how Jesus welcomed the little children. Father Dan will welcome our class into the IHM Community on Friday in Church. (I was very proud of how well the class did at the school Liturgy !)

Our Reading theme is "How We Live, Work, and Play". You will receive a parent page at the beginning of each unit. Be sure to note the phonics skills, high frequency words, and suggested activities. It is a good idea to hold onto them throughout the year. It makes for good summer review. This week's HF words are I and am. We will use them in our writing journals.

Concepts addressed in Math will include top/middle/bottom; inside/outside; above/below; over/under; right/left.

We've used our graphing mat to see who likes/doesn't like pizza. Most do. Each morning we graph the number of boys and girls when we take attendance.

On Friday we'll celebrate "Constitution Day" and discuss what it means to be a good citizen.

Our 4th and 5th grade buddies are looking forward to meeting us this week.

Homework: Have your child write his/her first name slowly, carefully, and neatly on the paper sent home in his folder. Note pencil grip and letter formation. Due: Thursday

A reminder: Send in a water bottle so we can avoid trips to the fountain.

I look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night.