September 26, 2016

Thanks to everyone who returned the signed spelling test books. Friday's test this week is all about the "et" words; they're listed in the students' agendas.

Thanks, too, to the people who've been reviewing the list of sight words that was sent home. It's making a HUGE difference to the students who are practicing and will pave the way to smoother, more confident reading.

I hope everyone is enjoying the book bag reading program. Thanks for looking after the contents of the bags so well.

The first grade students brought home an apple book today. It can stay at home - another wonderful addition to your family's library! Ask your child to read it to you, then point out individual words and have them say them. We learned that "ow" can say the "ou" part of "ouch". (We'll talk later on about the fact that it also says "O" as in "snow".) We talked about the "ow" sound because it's part of one of the title words: the word "how".  Now you can ask them to try out other "ow" words: cow, bow, now, pow, wow, etc.

September 23, 2016

We had our first grade one spelling test today! Some fun! Please sign and return your child's spelling test book (it should be in the backpack) and return it Monday morning.  Thanks!

It's great to see everybody on top of the plastic book bag reading/activities.  Your at-home learning will really make a big difference in your child's progress.

Enjoy the weekend!

September 22, 2016

Happy first day of fall! We completed a fall trees/fall poem activity to celebrate! The students' efforts will be displayed on the bulletin board outside Room Four by next Monday; drop in for a peek!

Reminders for tomorrow:

1. Study for the spelling test.
2. Noon dismissal for the students.
3. There is a free parent workshop from 4- 5 in room 7 tomorrow. The topic is "Executive Functions: Who's in Charge?"

September 21, 2016

Reminders for today:

1. There will be a snack sale tomorrow at recess.  Snacks will be 25 cents each.  Dig out those quarters!

2. There will be a noon dismissal for students this Friday.  Cross your fingers for Friday afternoon that matches today; the weather looks perfect out there!

3. There will be a Parent Workshop on brain-based strategies this Friday afternoon from 4 - 5 in classroom 7 here at JES. There is no charge for the workshop; the Right to Read group is sponsoring this for our school's parents.

4. The Right to Read group will be meeting here at JES in Room 7 at 7 pm; everyone is welcome to attend. They're always looking for people who'd like to join!

If you get a chance, please review the words listed below with your child. (They should know them just by looking at them. These are our "automatic words'.)

the    I   is   good   am   an   this   boy  a  girl  big   litlle

September 19, 2016

Welcome to our class blog!  We'll be using this forum to post class photos, links to learning, announcements/reminders, bouquets, etc. Enjoy!

Here's a shot of our grade two class pausing for a photo on last Friday's Terry Fox Run.  (Thanks to everyone who sent toonies to support this great cause!)  We ran one and a half km, gaining a real appreciation for Terry, who ran 42 km every day of his Marathon of Hope.

The first graders are starting their home learning program, bringing home book bags today. There should be two books, an activity and a parent info card with each bag. The idea is to have parents read the books in the bag to their children, work through the accompanying activity, then return the book (with all its contents intact, please!) to school the next morning.  A new book bag will be coming home every day. The goal of this at-home reading program is to inspire a love of and an interest in books and reading, and to reinforce at-school learning. Parents play a big role in their children's education; your support will make a big difference.

The first graders are also bringing home their first weekly spelling list. Check the left hand side of this week's agenda page for the words we'll practice for this Friday's big spelling test!

The first graders are also bringing home an apple book to "read" to a willing listener at home. We've practiced  this at school, setting up some sight word reinforcement, and using patterning, predicting, memorization and picture prompts to support reading. Enjoy!

Just a few reminders: there will be a snack sale this Thursday at recess. Snacks will cost 25 cents;  dig those quarters out!

There will be a noon dismissal for students  this Friday, to allow staff to attend a professional development afternoon.

February 16, 2016

I hope everyone had a great long weekend and enjoyed the Family Day yesterday!

I'd like to welcome our newest first grader: Yuan! Our population is growing!

A note went home today regarding some housekeeping items for Room Four, and regarding tomorrow's afternoon activities at Centennial Park.  Please don't worry if you don't have a helmet for your child (the note states that everyone needs a helmet); we have lots of loaners at the school.  Please make sure your child has appropriate winter clothing for tomorrow; we will be outside most of the afternoon.

The spelling list this week is all about "ew". We also talked about homonyms when we constructed this list, as there is blew and then there's blue, dew and then do, etc.

We've been working hard to finish up our "Ain't Gonna Paint No More" art projects. Drop in if you'd like a peek. The work is displayed on the bulletin board upstairs (outside the library) and on the bulletin board outside our classroom.  See if you recognize your child!  (Good luck!)

February 9, 2015

I'm finally back in the blogging saddle, and will try to post more regularly now. (My apologies for my neglect of this blog this year ....)

We have begun a Word of the Day program for Grade One.  Those of you who came to the Student Led Conference had a chance to be tested on the words we've learned so far - hopefully we stumped you on at least a couple! (It's great fun to know big words when you're a little person - particularly when the adults in your life don't know those words!) We're on review mode for the first ten words right now.  The word we reviewed today was cogitate. 

Notes went home in the agendas, regarding the February book order, an outdoor afternoon at Carnaval d'Hiver next week, our Valentine's Day party this Friday, etc.  Check the agenda pocket for scintillating details!

I've thrown in a few photos from our recent cross country skiing adventures at the soccer pitch.  Enjoy!