Spring Break is Almost Here!

Noon dismissal on Thursday.  No school on Friday or Monday.  Back to school on Tuesday, April 7th. Report cards also go home on April, 7th.

We've been working hard in both reading and math the last few weeks. Jumping right into fourth quarter material, we'll finish the year out with spiral review of our curriculum and first grade favorites, like money and 3-D shapes! Keep practicing spelling, as the words start to get a little trickier with the culminating phonics work.

I've started to notice the "cranky" first grade syndrome in Room 13! That means growth spurts and more sunlight to keep the kiddos up later. Please continue your diligence in strict bedtimes and proper nutrition. Spring fever combined with cranky kiddos is a recipe for disaster in our 7 hour day, especially with spring sports starting! Also, the heights wind continues to make morning recesses pretty chilly. A light coat is still necessary, especially if the kids start coming in shorts and t-shirts.

Also, just as a heads up, our class musical is scheduled for May 22nd at 1:15. I know parents need a lot of time in advance to take time off of work, so here is your first of many reminders from me.

We need your help for the school carnival.  So far, we only have 2 parents helping.  We will be unable to have a booth without more help, and without booth money, we cannot fully fund the end-of-the-year activities. Thanks for all that you do! If you would like to volunteer, contact me at dimockc@billingsschools.org or give me a call!

-Mrs. Dimock

P.S. Congrats to Annika, our Purple Hand Cookie Award winner for the month of March!

First Week of Spring!

There is no school Monday, March 23.

Our annual classroom carnival is coming up on Friday, April 17.  All proceeds go directly to the classes that participate.  First grade uses their money for field trips, to bring in special presentations, etc.  First grade is in charge of the duck pond.  We are in need of some parent volunteers to help run our booth.  We are asking that you work a minimum of 30 minutes, but you are certainly welcome to work longer.  If you are available to help out at the duck pond please email me at dimockc@billingsschools.org.  We appreciate your help!

We finished up our 3rd quarter assessments last week.  The kiddos did absolutely amazing on their assessments.  I am so proud of them.

We will be starting our new reading groups on Tuesday.  We will continue to learn about history in Lead 21.  The focus for this week is why do we tell stories from long ago.  We will be making a family tradition quilt on Friday.  If your child has not returned their homework from last week, My Family's Special Day, they need to have it back by Friday to participate in making the quilt.

I love 4th quarter math!  It is very hands on and the kiddos have so much fun learning the skills.  We are starting off with geometry and working with geometric solids this week.

Homework

I wanted to provide a sample of what I expect for homework this week. We are beginning to talk about traditions and how families celebrate together. The more color, the better. If I had more time, I would color each shape a different color or a color pattern. My example is how I celebrate the 4th of July. No judgements on the pictures, please ; )

Due on Friday! We'll be making a class quilt with all of our family traditions!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day.  Be sure to have your kiddo wear green!

Quarter three is over at the end of this month, which means next week is full of math and reading assessments to show the growth we've made in quarter three!

We will not have reading groups or spelling because of the reading assessments.

Also, we've had quite this issue with hats over the last week. Remind the kiddos that hats stay off in the building and stay in backpacks between recesses or the hats go into my "June" bucket. (A secret place where toys hide until the end of the school year).

Please make sure your kiddo is getting plenty of sleep and a good breakfast this week so rumbly tummies don't get in the way of reading assessments. Thanks for all you do, parents!

Update 3.9.14

SPRING FORWARD!  Remember Daylight Savings begins on Sunday, March 8.  Be sure to move your clocks forward an hour. I guess we will see how tired we are missing that extra hour of sleep. Try really hard to keep your first graders bedtime.  As it gets lighter out at night, it seems to be harder to convince them that it REALLY is bedtime.  Tired first graders are grumpy first graders!

Congratulations to Madisyn and Tayshaun!  They were the two top readers in our class for the read-a-thon. Way to go!  I am so impressed with how much our class read.  My favorite thing about first grade is seeing your children flourish into competent readers.

We will begin unit 5 in Lead 21 this week.  Our focus this unit is "What history can teach us".  The first week focuses on family history.  The students will have homework this unit about their family traditions and special days.  We will be working on plurals and adding -es in spelling.

The weather is suppose to be in the 60's this week.  Please make sure your child has a jacket available even if it seems warm.  Sometimes, it is still in the 30's & 40's when we go out for morning recess. Thanks for your support.

Mystery Scholastic Books

I received some mysterious, paid for, scholastic books in my book order. It didn't show a name on payment receipt. Do these books look familiar to any customers this month? If so, please give me an call or email. Thanks!

March is Here!!

We will be having our Read-a-Thon celebration assembly on Friday.  Awards for top readers will be handed out and lots of fun will be had!  A huge thank you to those that donated!  All proceeds will be going to the Bitterroot library.

This week is supposed to be pretty cold.  Please make sure your child brings his or her coat.  We have had some very cold first graders at recess because they are only bringing sweatshirts.  BRR!

Monday is Dr. Seuss' birthday!  We will be doing some fun activities throughout the month to celebrate this amazing author.

We will be wrapping up unit 4 in Lead 21.  This means we will be reviewing the different comprehension and vocabulary skills we learned in this unit.  We will also be revisiting the books we read throughout the unit.  Our spelling for the week focuses on long i.

This week in math we will be working on 10 more 10 less and subtracting multiples of 10.  These are some tough skills and take lots of practice.  We will also completing a few assessments.  The quarter ends March 31, but it is nice to spread them out and not overwhelm the kiddos.

In writing, the kiddos will be finishing up a published piece to bring home about celebrations. They worked very hard on practicing editing and only writing about the specific topic they chose.

Have a great week!