Reminders:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! MANY thanks to all of the special treats for teachers! We feel so grateful every day to be teaching your children and to be part of such a wonderful and loving community! The children loved sharing their lovely valentines with each other and contributing to a special cause with their dollar donations. Thank you parents for making this a special day for us all! :) My favorite is the St. Brigid prayer card. The children have written beautiful reflections of our patron saint along with drawing their interpretation of her image. They are magnificent!!

Our Mid-year PALS assessments are on their way. The process is a long one as the children have grown so much in their abilities! They are so very proud of their progress-it's wonderful to show them how far they have come since August!! We are getting the results to you as soon as possible.

Very few book logs have been returned for January. If you are still working on it, that is fine but please send it in so that it can be added to your child's portfolio file. This month our author study is Dr. Seuss. We will also be reading slelctions on St. Valentine, the presidents, famous African Americans and Valentine classics. February is a great month for book logs-lots of topics to explore!!

Throughout the month we will begin focussing on Long vowel sounds (as in cake), consonant blends (flag, plug, skip), and many new sight words. Practicing these skills with your children will help tremendously, especially if short vowels and previous sight words are still tricky.

We have been focusing on the process of writing during our Writer's Workshop time and in our journal entries. In first grade we focus on basic grammar and punctuation plus sentence fluency, voice (the writer's personality showing through words), and word choice (vocabulary building with "juicy" verbs and adjectives). We encourage self editing and conference with our students weekly to assist with these skills and the process of quality writing. As with reading,each child develops these skills at his or her own pace so please do not focus on the "product" as much as the process.You will be seeing these writng pieces coming home and I am certain you will enjoy seeing their growth and creative expression as much as I have!!

p> Remember to use the comprehension questions included in the Back to School information-they serve as wonderful guides for cementing comprehension whether you are reading to your child or he/she is reading to you. Asking about setting, characters, sequence of story events, main idea vs. detail and predictions enhances your child's reading experience and relates to the skills taught throughout the year.

We will be beginning our Accelerated Reader computer program in the next few weeks. Throughout the year, as their reading skills grow, each child will have opportunities to complete the reading comprehension activities that coincide with our classroom library of Accelerated Reader books.

Please continue practicing telling time to the hour and half hour as well as counting combinations of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to 100 cents. These two concepts tend to be very tricky for first graders and both lend themselves well to at home learning experiences.

Please look over the papers in your child's folder nightly, as this is the best way to keep up with their daily progress.

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Calendar:

2-3/ Noon Dismissal, Free Spirit Day

2-9/ Daily Mass with the parish at 8:00 a.m.

2-14/ St. Valentine's Day spirit day

2-20/ President's Day-School Holiday

2-22 Ash Wednesday Mass @ 9:00 a.m.

* *Please make sure you sign the assignment pad each night at the bottom of the column for each day of the week. Your signature tells me that you have read over the directions for your child's homework and have gone over it with them when it is completed.

*Please send a snack that is easily accesible for your child. The ones with tin can openings are difficult for the children to remove and can easily cut a hand or finger. If your child's snack requires a spoon, please send one with him or her in the lunch bag. Children who are buying lunch still need to bring a snack. Our snack is at the end of the day and since our lunch is so early, they are very hungry in the afternoon.

Homework:Spelling: 5 Rhyming Words using Spelling Words. Math: Worksheet 283, 284

Classroom Policies and Procedures

Classroom Enrichment Information

Classroom Discipline Policy