Our first week back is off to a great start! The children
returned to school happy to see their friends but also ready to get on with the
work of first grade. I really notice how confident they are as first graders.
This is the time in first grade we generally see significant growth in academic
and social skills.
The children were excited to report about all the books they
read over break. The reading logs
look quite impressive. You can
definitely see the practice paying off! Thank you for your help with this. As always, if you would like me to send “just right books” for your
child to read, let me know.
Our focus this month in writing is “realistic fiction”. We’ve talked about “good story starts”
and have practiced writing a number of them. We know that good story starts:
introduce characters, tells where, tells when, gives clues and makes a reader
want to read more. We also know that realistic fiction has:
• settings that could be real,
• characters that are people who behave like real people,
• a believable problem solved in a believable way.
In math we are continuing our work with tens-and-ones groupings
to 100. We are using ten sticks, dimes and pennies to see the connections. We are practicing our math facts by
playing games.
Our next topic of study will be oceans and islands. This unit
will include the study of oceans, islands and sea life. As part of our study we
will be going to the Minnesota Zoo on Monday, January 31st. During this time of the year, reading
and writing become more integrated with our study of oceans and islands. The
children will be reading books about oceans and sea life.
Social Studies is an integral part of our everyday lives at
school. We continue to talk about current events, family news, school events
and special holidays. This month we will be learning about Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and will focus discussions and activities around his life story and
the contributions he made to our society.
Our January CARE theme is “joyfulness”. The theme was kicked off at
Community Meeting on Wednesday with the book and song What a Wonderful World. We are thinking about joyfulness a little different then we think about
happiness.
Just a reminder... We will be going outside for recess in this
cold weather when the wind chill temperatures permit, so be sure your child has
everything they need to be safe and warm.
Important Dates:
Important Upcoming Dates:
January 9-Admissions Open House (Please share with any families
interested in Breck)
January 14-No School due to faculty workshops
January 17-No School in honor of MLK Day
January 21-Skating Begins Again (Please prepare your equipment)
January
31-MN Zoo Field Trip
