August 31, 2012

This week we learned about God protecting Noah and how God's rainbow reminds us of His promise to care and love us.  God used the flood to wash the earth; the world was given a new life.  God uses His Word and the waters of Baptism to wash our sins away and gives us the gift of eternal life.  This weekend as we are anticipating needed rain, talk to your child about God's work in your life, tell your child about his/her baptism, share with them the Good News that God will never flood the earth again, instead He sent Jesus to die and rise to forgive us and give us new life.

A Look Ahead:
NO SCHOOL MONDAY- Enjoy Labor Day

Memory: Psalm 31:14
Religion: God gives us Families, God's promise to Abraham
Reading: We will begin our guided reading centers this week
Literacy Centers:
     writing: I wore...
     alphabet: sorting letters by shape
     poetry: build more verses to the poem, Mary Wore a Red Dress
     name: add friends names in a story
     math: make a rainbow graph
     computer: start a beginning sounds book using iPods and computers with Mrs. Helmkamp
Spelling: Lesson 3
Grammar: Sentences have capital letters and periods.
Math: Word Problems, Shapes with Geoboards
Science: Plants-characteristics and parts
Social Studies: Working Together
Art: Victor Vasarely and Op Art

REMEMBER FUNDRAISER PACKETS ARE DUE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 4!!

Your child has art on Artsonia.  Please read the information sheet in the Friday Folder and go online to look at your child's artwork.  This is an online art gallery that you can use to view your child's art, share the artwork with family and friend, and purchase items with your child's artwork.

READING BOOK BAGS:  Beginning next week your child will come home with a blue book bag filled with a few books to read over the week.  Please send the bags back on Mondays.  Don't forget to record your child's reading on the calendar stapled in his/her Homework Folder.  (See Blue Information Folder from Back to School Night for more information about this Reading homework)


Book Order forms are in the Friday Folders.  Please order online.  Orders due by Friday September 7. The class activation code is GPF69.  Use this link or go to www.scholastic.com when ordering:

https://orders.scholastic.com/GPF69

Please work with your child on left and right.  This is a skill that some of them struggle with, help them to make the L with their hands to remind them of their left and right.  We played a game called Left, Right, Center in class.  This is a fun way to practice, the game can be purchased or google it and make your own game.

As we take time to relax and get renewed this 3-day weekend, please make time to get renewed and refreshed by God.  GOD IS SO GOOD!  Let us worship and praise Him this weekend!  If you do not have a church home please know that you are welcome at Zion. This weekend Zion resumes our regular worship schedule: 
Saturday-5:00, Sunday-8:00, 9:30, and 11:00.  Sunday School and Bible Class are at 9:30.  If you are looking for a Monday night option Chapel of the Cross, our partner church at Jungermann and Willott, holds Monday night services year round at 7:00.

In HIM,
Amy

Enjoy the Pictures!

First Week for Name Center

First Week of Computer Center
Next Week Mrs. Helmkamp will help us make our own letter sound books using iPods and iBooks!

First Week at Writing Center... I wish...

Science Center: Sorting Living and Non Living 

Using the Table of Contents at Library Center

                                         two funerals this week = lots of indoor recess

       SCIENCE IS FUN!!

For Science we used a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Theo, the hamster, and a Zhu Zhu pet.

Theo wasn't sure if he liked the Zhu Zhu pet.

Each child wanted me to take a picture of them with Theo.
Ask your child about something that was the same and different  between the two furry friends.

August 24, 2012

We will shine for Jesus!
Check out our art display in the lobby of school.

This week we learned about how God created the world and everything in it in six days. While some scientists dispute the biblical account of the six-day creation, it is important for us to understand that God can do anything.  We put our trust in Him and in His Word. This week we will continue learn about how God always watches over us and protects us. 

A Look Ahead:

Religion:  The Flood

Memory: Psalm 46:1

Reading:  We have spent the whole week learning about our Literacy Centers.  This week we will continue to practice them so we can work at our centers independently.

Grammar: Sentences, focusing on word order

Spelling:  Lesson 2

Phonics:  Hearing sounds in a sequence

Writing: Sentences

Math:  Continue review of numbers, begin ordering and matching

Science: First TEST WEDNESDAY over A2-A17 Living/nonliving

Social Studies:  Learning from each other

Art:  Piet Mondrain

It was great to get a chance to talk to you at Back to School Night.  I want to thank you for making your child's education a priority and thank your for the sacrifices you make to have your child in this Christian environment.  Please read through the blue folder as I wasn't able to go into a lot of the details that are included.  If you have any questions please contact me.

We took our first spelling test today and you can see the test in your child's Friday Folder.  This was a practice test and I didn't record the grade.  I will begin recording the grades next week.  Please look at how the tests are graded.  The sentence must have all words spelled correctly, begin with a capital letter,  have no other capital letters, and end with an end mark. 
I will not be marking reversals and capital letters on the word portion but I will remind them to use lower case letters.  I will start marking these wrong once we have done a few tests.

Fundraiser Order Packets are Due SEPTEMBER 4

Thank you for those who volunteered to clean the room.  I hope to have the schedule done and emailed to you next week.

Please send in a family picture (3x5 or 4x6), we will be using them in Religion this week.

Please make sure your child's gym shoes are in his/her backpack.  We had a couple kiddos who were not able to participate in P.E. today because they did not have gym shoes.  

This has been a great week.  Your children are doing such a good job of learning our classroom routines.  Ask them about centers and check out the pictures of our first few centers, mileage club, and other activities this week!

Have a wonderful weekend.  Please set aside time to worship and praise our AWESOME CREATOR!!

Shared Reading

Shared Reading

Familiar Reading with our Reading Phones

Computer Center with iPods

Working on Phonics Center

Practicing Spelling at Spelling Center

Building Spelling words at Spelling Center

Alphabet Center

Library Center

Mileage Club with a special guest card puncher!

Running

My First Footie

Walking with a Kindergarten Friend:)

Working on the color wheel in Art

First Days of School, August, 17, 2012

 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,  so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky  as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16

We had a great first few days of school and I look forward to doing more academics next week.  This will be a short parent letter because I will share a lot of information at PARENT'S BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, TUESDAY, AUGUST 21 at 6:30.  It is very important that at least one parent attend the BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.  New families will begin in the church with Mr. Debrick at 6:30, I will run sessions in my room at 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30.  I look forward to talking with you and sharing first grade information with you.

A quick look at next week:
Religion: Creation
Memory: Philippians 2:15a (memory is in your child's homework)
Reading: Mrs. Masa will be testing our class to find a beginning point for their literacy groups.
Centers: We will begin learning about our center time
     Spelling: practice lesson 1
     Phonics: rhyming words
     Alphabet: ordering letters
Grammar: Sentences
Spelling: Lesson 1  Practice Test Friday
Spelling Words: am, as, an, at, rat, mad, bag, can, tag, had
Spelling Dictation Sentence: I can play tag.
Math: Review of numbers and shapes
Science: Plants
Social Studies: School Community
Art: Color wheel

I hope this will help you talk with your child about what we are doing next week.

Your child may bring a water bottle to school to drink during the day.  Please send a bottle that has a sippy type lid that pops up to keep spills to a minimum.

Monday we have PE so please have your child's clean gym shoes in his/her backpack.  The gym shoes need to be shoes that will not be worn outside and only worn inside at gym.  If you are reusing an old pair of shoes please scrub the bottom to make sure the shoes are clean and free from pebbles, bark, or dirt.  Thank You!

Please look in your child's red Friday Folder for important notes and work from this week.  Please mark the church and Sunday school attendance and initial so that I know you have looked at the Friday Folder!

Please look at the Fundraiser information that is in your child's RED FRIDAY FOLDER.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know your child and I look forward a great year.   I hope to see many of you in church this weekend.  May you worship our awesome Creator as a family and be filled with HIM so we can SHINE His love to others in the coming week.

Please enjoy a few pictures of our first days.  I have been busy helping children and have only taken a few pictures :)  SEE YOU AT BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT!
In HIM,
Amy

Playing with Bobcat Playdough

Becoming Zion Bobcats 

Did your play dough turn a 'reddish' color?

Spelling D-A-N-C-E

Practicing Morning Work

Practicing Morning Work

Practicing Morning Work

Morning Work Finished

Our Zion Family in God's SONSHINE

July 24, 2012

Welcome to 1B

Welcome parents to First Grade!
I hope you are as excited for your child to be in First Grade as I am to have them.

This year our school theme is "SHINE".  Jesus is the LIGHT of the world and He fills us with HIS light so that we can SHINE for HIM and show others we have and awesome SAVIOR!

First grade is such a big year for your child.  I can't wait to be a partner with you as we help your child to SHINE spiritually and academically.

I look forward to seeing you Monday, August 13 at the Open House from 4:30-7:30.  

This will be an opportunity for your child to talk to me, see our classroom, pick out their desk, and bring their supplies to school.  Please label your child's supplies with his or her name or initials.  It is helpful to label each marker and crayon.  You DO NOT need to labels pencils as I will collect all the pencils at the beginning of school and we will share them throughout the year.

If you are a new family to Zion I would like to welcome you to our the Zion family.  I will be calling you soon to schedule a home visit.  If you are a family returning to Zion I would like to offer a home visit if time allows, please email me if you would like a short visit.

Parents also plan on attending the BACK TO SCHOOL night on August 21 at 6:30 where you will learn a lot about our First Grade class.

I hope you enjoy the last bit of summer and are ready for school!

See you at OPEN HOUSE.

In HIM,
Amy Bernhardt

abernhardt@zionharvester.org