*********************NEWEST ITEMS WILL ALWAYS BE ON TOP*******************
* The end of the grading period and first semester was January 28.
Report cards will be issued next week and only the envelope is to be signed
and returned. Second semester will bring changes in our academics, as your
child is no longer "just out of kindergarten" but rather "almost in second
grade". I do use these phrases regularly and hope they gain an understanding
of what it is to be an "independent, responsible learner".
* For our 100th Day students have an extra homework assignment. They
are to creatively make a display of 100 Words. These can be "100 Words I
Know", "100 Words I Can Read", "100 Words I Can Use in my Writing", "100
Words that are Adjectives", "100 Words I Can Define", etc.... This can be a
poster, 3-D object, quilt, etc...be creative! Words can be written, cut and
pasted from magazines, computer, etc! Have fun! It will be presented (read)
to the class by your child then hung in the hallway for a display. The
display is DUE Thursday, Feb 11, please do not submit early.
* I have completed DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and Dolch
test for every child. Most have make tremendous strides in DRA levels and
mastered all of the Dolch lists. Many already exceed the first grade
standard for the end of the year (DRA 18 and all Dolch). I am so proud of
them! If your child has not mastered all of the Dolch lists, please continue
practicing as these should be completely mastered by the end of first grade.
If they have mastery of all five lists, move on the Fry lists. These,will be
valuable for your child, however will not be tested in first grade. The fry
words are attached and can be found on my website.
* Many children have not been making regular progress with Math +/-
facts. Please work on memorization of the +/- facts with sums to 18.
Children should be able to answer without using manipulatives (which would
include fingers).
* Monday, we will begin a math program called Saxon Math. It is a very
comprehensive program that builds upon itself sequentially and continually
revisits skills. After assessing the class I feel it is appropriate to begin
on the first page of the second grade program. The first grade program is a
bit too easy for the class as a whole and the second grade begins with
revisiting first grade skills anyway. Each Monday through Thursday we will
do the "A" side of a page. Children are to do the "B" side for homework. If
anything is unclear they can turn over to see how the similar problem was
done. Although students should not need help, a parent must initial the
upper right hand corner of the "B" side to ensure they saw it and/or helped
with it. Each page is to be returned the following day, in addition to their
regular daily homework. We will continue to do extensive real-life math at
calendar time as well, and Friday will be devoted to Problem Solving (UPSL).
* I will no longer be sending home Guided Reading books on Thursdays,
instead I will send home Language games. The program will be set up exactly
like the math bags and use identical forms. Please be sure to return the
game on Friday with the signature page facing out and the homework form in
the red folder, just as you have been doing for the math bags. If your child
is below the current grade level expectation (DRA 10) and you would like
daily phonics readers to be sent home in the book bag, please send me a
message and I will accommodate your request. These books MUST go to and from
school each day and cannot be left at home overnight.
* More than two-thirds of the class is now taking Reading Counts
tests. They are expected to take and pass at least three RC tests per week.
Before testing and to ensure comprehension, they must read the book twice
(except chapter books). The goal is 100 points in first grade by the end of
the year. (Children added to RC after this point will receive a modified
goal.) Children who meet the goal will be invited to a lunch-time pizza
party during one of the last few weeks of school.
* Now that the majority of students are independent readers, we will
begin focusing on our AES school goals of Writing and Problem Solving. We
will begin writing more extensively and with defined purpose and we will
continue to refine our problem solving skills using UPSL (see below). Every
AES class K-5 will do a school-wide prompted assessment of each of these
goals in April. These assessments will be scored and used for our
school's "Continuous School Improvement Plan". Please see the attached songs
and information about the 6+1 Writing Traits and UPSL Problem Solving.
* We will complete our Polar Regions (Arctic/Antarctic) unit on Feb
5th. We will close it out with the documentary movie "March of the
Penguins". Our next unit will be the ocean, tentatively followed by space
(planets, sun, and moon), the rainforest, and dinosaurs. For the last three
units the students will select a topic and do a project on it. The students
seem very excited about this!
* Lunch money has come up missing a few times. I do not believe this
is occurring in the classroom, but rather in the cafeteria while students are
at recess. Regardless, it is strongly advised that you prepay for your
child's lunch through GFS if at all possible. Cash that comes in for lunch
will now be put into a friends lunchbox for safekeeping until students get to
the cafeteria.
* Our 100th Day of school is Friday, February 12. We will celebrate it
with a variety of activities and need some supplies to do so. We will also
pass out Valentines that day (optional). If your child would like to give
out Valentines, they MUST have one for every student in C-7. We have 19
students and a list of names and supplies needed is attached.
****************************************************************************
* 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.
* 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!
* 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 mssages 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.
******************************************************************************
* 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********************
