*********************NEWEST ITEMS WILL ALWAYS BE ON TOP*******************
* Open House will be Wednesday, 9/23, 4:30-6pm. There will be 15-20 minutes with the
administrators in the Dolphin Theater and then you can briefly visit your childrens' classrooms to
have them show you their work. Please remember that open house is a time for your children to
share with you what they are doing, so the progress of your child will be discussed with you
(privately) at another time. There will be a sign up for sheet for short conferences at the open house,
if you are interested in meeting. If you come to Open House, PLEASE bring your child!
* Homework reminder...Logs (3) are checked Wednesday mornings. The can be completed
throughout the week, though. The minimum expectation is: Reading: 100 minutes per week, Dolch
Practice (sight words): 15 minutes per week, and Math +/- facts with sums to 18: 15 minutes per
week. Students are paid or money taken for completion of these logs each week. Raz-kids DOES
count if you write the level and time spent (titles need not be listed). Math and Dolch can be
practiced however you like - no papers/work are sent home for these.
* September 30 will be a half day for all of DoDEA Guam. Students will be dismissed at 10:45 to
accommodate the USAF Sir Show (2pm) and for teacher professional development to take place for
the remainder of the day. No lunch will be served that day.
* Individual school pictures (for the yearbook and personal purchase) will be taken of C-7 Friends on
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th at 8am. Students may wear the clothes you/they would like to be
photographed in to school, then change into their uniform immediately after. They MUST have a
uniform with them if they wear other clothing to school. (Spaghetti straps are NOT permitted.)
* C-7 and AES are collecting Box Tops for Education. Students are asked to save box tops in a
ziplock and bring them in once per week. Students will receive a class penny for each box top they
send in. Thanks in advance!
* If anyone has an old cassette players to donate to our class, they are greatly appreciated. I have a
wide variety of books on tape for independent listening time, however I only have two players
available. Thanks in advance!
* Homework begins September 8th! Logs (3) should be updated on Tuesday and will be checked
Wednesday, Word Work (Lesson 1 only) should be done Wednesday and is due Thursday, and Book
bags will be brought home Thursday and MUST come back Friday. Class money will be paid and
revoked accordingly.
* Levels on Raz-kids have been slightly modified since I received May's DRA scores. I have moved
most kids to more a appropriate level. Remember Raz-kids DOES count toward the 100 minutes per
week as long as it is logged with time spent. Each Monday I will recieve a report from Raz-kids with
a list of kids whoo have achieved the next level and they will be paid a dime.
*I have sent ear buds back home with the students who have brought them, as they pose a hearing
hazzard for children when worn regularly. Starting the 14th, if we do anything with sound in the
computer lab, only students with HEADPHONES (NOT buds) will have access to the sound. Kids
without headphones will also be limited to only the main listening center with class headphones,
not the other sets which have no headphones.
* THANKS for getting lunch pins so quickly! I only have two kids without lunch accounts. Everyone
else who did not have one last year got theirs so quickly...I do appreciate that! Signing up for this
account allows your child to have a unique pin (rather than 0000) and allows them to "charge"
lunch twice if they leave their lunchbox at home. Money does NOT need to be deposited to have a
pin (unless, of course, they buy lunch). If your child does not have money or runs out, they can
charge lunch twice, which does need to be repaid to the cafeteria.
* Supplies: Most children have sent in the necessary supplies. The two SHARED things we are either
lacking or need more of are glue sticks and hand sanitizer (not soap). I believe the BX has been out,
so just send it in when you can, if you haven't already.
* If/when your child is the "BUG", please log onto this site, click "BUG Blog" and help them reply to
the message. It helps build motivation and inspires other to be the BUG! Thanks!
* I plan on entering Individual Student Messages on this site soon. That page can be accessed from
the home page of this site. It is private and requires the student's lunch pin for access. These
messages will just be brief updates on your child's progress, attitude, and behavior. Additionally, if I
feel there is a message to send home that is too lengthy for the small space on the communication
form in the red folder, I will put a label saying "Please read the Individual Student Message page on
our website".
* Woo Hoo! Many students have already logged-onto Raz-Kids! Great Job! Remember, the class
username is "Msladybugzz" and the password is your child's lunch pin (written on the top of the
communication log in the take-home folder). Raz-Kids reading DOES count for the reading log, as
long as time spent is written in as well. The book level and number of books can replace the titles on
the log. I will begin to pay students in class money each time they complete a level. I run a report
weekly and congratulate students publicly in class! Keep on reading!!
* We have about 6 days worth of snack. Thanks to those of you who have sent snack in already! For
those who have not, please begin sending in snack for the class ASAP. Thanks in advance and see
below for suggestions. (NOTE: We have 21 students, so please be sure to send in enough for all!)
* We do have a child with a tree nut allergy, so please refrain from sending in snacks with all nuts
OTHER than peanuts. If YOUR child has food allergies, please send in a few individually wrapped
/sealed snacks for them, so I can keep it on hand to give him/her that snack if the class snack
contains the allergy item. I do not allow students to bring in or eat personal snacks brought in on a
daily basis. When this occurs, they may take it with them to lunch.
* Snack Needed on an ongoing basis: A light, healthy snack will be available for the students mid-
morning each day. This snack should be able to be eaten with fingers and not be sticky or easily
spilled. It should have fewer than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Suggestions for group snack are:
Goldfish crackers, pretzels, Wheat Thins, 'Nilla Wafers, Chex Mix, Nutri-grains, granola bars, etc...
Thanks in advance for sending in group snack at least MONTHLY.
* Please ask your child about “Word Work”. We have been practicing it in class and they will begin
having it as weekly homework next week! A directions sheet has been given for the first five lessons
(5 weeks of HW). There is a sample and directions page in the Letters / Forms section. These are to
be turned in ONE PER WEEK every Thursday morning. You will also need to have scissors and a
pencil handy (gluing is not required). Please do not return the letters...only the bottom of the page.
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* Please see the Letters / Forms section of this site to read my "First Day Intro Letter". This page (C-
7 Announcements) and the Letters/Forms page should answer nearly all of the FAQ you may have
about first grade, my teaching style, and our schedule and routines, and the first grade curriculum
standards.
* Please note I do NOT send home a weekly newsletter; rather, I post updates here on a weekly basis
and have an e-mail reminder sent to everyone on my distribution list. Please add yourself to that list
by clicking the red bar marked "teacher" on the home page of this site. * It is STRONGLY
recommended that children have pre-paid lunch accounts rather than bringing in money each time
they buy a lunch. The pre-paid amount can be whatever you choose and will never expire. It also
allows students who forgot their lunchbox or money to charge, whereas children without a pre-paid
account are sent to the office to call home. If a child runs out of money in their account, they are
permitted two additional charges before being sent to the office. Money can be added to the account
at any time and is used with a personal pin number. Even if your child brings a packed lunch every
day, it is still a good idea to have an account with a few days worth of lunch money just in case.
Thanks! Additionally students' lunch pins are used as their passwords for Raz-Kids and Individual
Student Messages on this site.
* Curious to know what your child does while in class? Download the Detailed Plans (Emergency Sub
Plans) from the Letters/Forms section to gain a little insight about what daily lessons are like. Also
see the Literacy Center section for slide shows of samples of centers and photos of kids at Literacy
Centers (Password required, e-mail Mrs. Miller!)
* Please help your child gain responsibility for their belongings! Homework folders are to be
brought to parents each evening, emptied, signed, and returned to school every day. The only items
to be sent back in the folder are homework, reading log, notes marked “sign & return”, etc… class
money will be taken for not having the folder and homework the day they are due. Thanks!
* Earphones needed! Each child should have their own earphones (not buds) from the school supply
list sent out at the beginning of the year. If your child does not have earphones, they will not be able
to use the audio part of Raz-Kids when we use the computers in the library each week.
* E-mails needed! I am lacking e-mail addresses from most families. Please add yourself to my
reminder distribution list AND please e-mail me (cynthia.miller@pac.dodea.edu) from your preferred
e-mail address so I can quickly save it to my outlook contacts. You can e-mail me from my
homepage by clicking the mailbox in the upper right corner. Thanks for your interest in your child’s
education!
* Drumroll, please! Has your child “BEEN CAUGHT” yet? We have a daily recognition program called
"The BUG Award”. Details and winners are listed in the "BUG" section. Once your child has been a
BUG, remind them to post an entry in out BUGBLOG on this site! In addition to teaching some new
technology, it encourages others to strive for the BUG Award. Thanks!
* All students have or will individually take the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) which will
assist me in determining an initial Guided Reading level. There is a chart to correlate Guided Reading
levels (alphabetical) to DRA / Reading Recovery levels (numeric) in the Letters/ Forms section of this
site. I use GR levels as my guide, but you may be interested in knowing the numeric level as well.
* Your child was or will be given an individual sight word test using the Dolch high frequency lists for
pre-primer through third grade. Your child’s Dolch test results will be sent home over the next few
school weeks. Every word your child recognized is highlighted in yellow. Please work on immediate
recognition of every word that was NOT highlighted (progressively beginning with pre-primer) for a
minimum of 15 minutes per week until mastery of all words is achieved. I have included on this
website a power point presentation that will flash the words in 4 second intervals! (see Letters
/Forms). There are also 11 lists in label format if you choose to put them on index cards for practice
so they can be randomized. You may want to color code them with dots or colored cards. Children
will be tested on the same list again each quarter. So, practice, practice, practice!
* I will be assessing your child's basic math skills with a one-on-one math inventory test for grades
K-3+. This will be given initially, and oral assessments of skills taught will be done regularly to
track progress throughout the year. The initial assessment guides instruction and group placement.
It is not used for grading or evaluative purposes.
* We will soon begin our Literacy Centers. To see samples of the centers your child will be doing,
please go to Letters/Forms and download the powerpoint CentersCycle1. Literacy Centers will take
place during Guided Reading Groups and are meaningful activities for independent work while I
meet with other students.
* If you are interested in viewing the password protected areas of this site, please send me an email
for the password. If you have logged onto raz-kids, you already have the password as it is the class
name/login.
* I have purchased a subscription for Reading A-Z and RAZ-kids online. Reading A-Z is mainly for
my use for Guided Reading support, but RAZ-kids allows me to program appropriate books for
students to read Guided Reading Leveled books online, take quizzes, and even record their reading
(microphone required). You may access the site by going to www.raz-kids.com and typing my
login: msladybugzz, then click your child's name, and enter their password (lunch pin). These books
DO count for weekly reading requirements!!! I sincerely request that you please DO NOT allow other
children (siblings, friends, etc) to access your child's raz-kids account. This will invalidate the
information I receive about how much your child is reading and testing while on the site. Siblings
ARE welcome to use the "zsiblings" login (password msladybugzz). The progress of that login will
not be tracked.
* Homework will begin after Labor Day! Do the following activities on these days and submit the
following day: ***SEE THE HOMEWORK PAGE FOR SPECIFICS!***
Monday -Math Bag (I send these home on Mon.)
Tuesday - Two for Tuesday -Logs: Reading and Dolch/Math (Logs checked on Weds.)
Wednesday - Word Work (A packet for 5 weeks was sent home this week - one due per week on Th)
Thursday - Guided Reading home practice (books MUST be returned Fri.)
Friday - none (although reading/ log work can be done any day)
* Please ask your child about “Word Work”. We have been practicing it in class and they will begin
having it as weekly homework soon! A directions sheet will be given soon for the first five lessons (5
weeks of HW). There is a sample and directions page in the Letters / Forms section. The first one is
due next week, and they are to be turned in every Thursday morning. You will also need to have
scissors and a pencil handy (gluing is not required).
* Math Monday is another homework that requires adult (or a Middle/High School sibling's)
participation. Each Monday, your child will come home with a Math Bag. Inside you will find a math
activity or board game. Please read the HOMEWORK page on this site to learn more about the Math
Monday homework assignment, as there are much more details there.
* To ensure the safety of our students, DoDEA requires photos of students be password protected if
posted online. If you are interested in access to the password protected segments of this site, please
contact Mrs. Miller via e-mail for the password. (Click the mailbox from the homepage.) If you have
logged onto raz-kids, you already have the password. * In the "Individual Student Messages" section
of this site, I will post academic and behavioral updates specific to your child. These messages are
NOT viewable to others as they are locked password protected and passwords are unique to each
student. The password for that page for your child is their four digit lunch pin.
* In the "Individual Student Messages" section of this site, I will post updates specific to your child.
These may be academic or behavioral. These messages are NOT viewable to others as they are
locked password protected and passwords are unique to each student. The password for that page
for your child is their four digit lunch pin. (If your child doesn't have a lunch account yet, please let
me know the pin when it is provided.) Please make an effort to check the announcements page and
the Individual Student Messages page at least WEEKLY. Thanks in advance!
* If your child brings money for something at school (lunch, popcorn or bake sale on Friday,
yearbook, book orders, etc...) PLEASE write his/her name and purpose of the money and place it in an
envelope or baggie. Money not marked with a purpose will be put into the child's lunch account.
* We are about to begin a thematic unit - plants! If your child has anything to share about our unit
(puzzles, pictures, books, etc…) please allow them to bring it in beginning next week. We will place
these on display!
* See the Yearlong Planning / Unit Guide in the Letters Forms section to know what we will study
each month. I integrate as many subjects as possible, so these themes will be incorporated into
most of our day. Our first unit of study is Plants /Harvest.
* If any parents would like to volunteer from home to print and assemble some Reading A-Z books,
your help would be greatly appreciated! This task involves:
* printing the books and ancillary materials from my thumb drive
* photocopying the book pages (You will need a quick lesson on copier use from the office staff)
* assembling the books (instructions given)
I am able to provide the paper, if you can provide the ink and "elbow grease". Thanks in advance!
* Here are some MATH websites to check out for Math practice!
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/mathsadd.html It will
allow your child to practice the facts in sets. For example - (+0, +1, +2,)
http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/counting-bugs.html Great for counting items
for the kids...
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/math-trainer-addition.html Great for
learning how to add.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fill-missing.php?g=5s&name=Skip%20Counting%
20by%205 skip counting by 5's
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fill-missing.php?g=evens=Skip%
20Counting%20by%202 Skip counting by 2's
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/skip-counting.html
display that shows how skip counting by 2's is faster than by 1's
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/counting.html counting to 100 by names and
numbers
http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/counting-bugs.html Counting bugs with
displayed number line
http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/finding-bugs.html Counting bugs...(finding
them first)
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/counting-table.html counting to 100
filling in blanks
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/number-chart.php Number chart that you
color!!! GREAT ONE FOR ODD AND EVEN!
http://www.mathsisfun.com/graph/bar-graph.html Make a bar graph.
* AES Mission Statement: AES creates opportunities for all students to achieve academic and social
success in a global environment while encouraging them to be self-motivated, life-long learners.
Please see the AES Goals page of my site for additional information on school-wide mission and
goals!
***********************NEWEST ITEMS WILL ALWAYS BE ON TOP********************
