First Days of School August 14, 2015

We begin each day with the invocation, inviting God to be with us.

We had a great first few days of school and I look forward to doing more academics next week.  

This will be a shorter parent letter because I will share a lot of information at PARENT'S BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, TUESDAY, AUGUST 18  at 6:30.  

It is very important that at least one parent attend the BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.  I would like for you to attend the first and second sessions with me in our first grade room.  In the past we have had a separate night to go over reading information, but we would like to try to do it all on BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.  (Meeting in my room from 6:30-7:20)  If you have other kids you can attend the last session at 7:30.  This is for parents only no children please.

A quick look at next week:
Religion: Cain and Abel and Noah's Ark
Memory:  Psalm 139:4memory is in your child's homework memory may be said any dayTuesday-Friday)

Reading: Mrs. Wegner (our literacy coach) will begin 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:   We will have a practice test on Friday over Lesson 1 -at chunk words

                        hat, cat, mat, rat, sat, fat, bat, pat

sight words: the, and

Spelling Dictation Sentence: The cat is fat.

Math: Review of numbers and shapes
Science: What a Scientist Does
Social Studies: School Community
Art: Color wheel
I hope this will help you talk with your child about what we are doing next week in school.

I have a no homework on Fridays Policy.
The weekends are for family time so I do not give math homework on Fridays.
We do the homework side in school!

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.  Some of the bottles form condensation and I have told the kids to bring a sock to cover the bottom, then no more wet desk!

On Fridays and Mondays 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.   Please keep the gym shoes in the backpack so that the shoes are there if we go to the gym on a different day.  Thank You!

Please look in your child's BLACK Friday Folder each week.  Please mark the church and Sunday school attendance and initial so that I know you have looked at the Friday Folder!  There isn't much homework in the red Friday Folder this week. There are some important notes: 

- girl scout information

-a TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER FORM This is an easy fund raiser.  Just use the form to order the TWB cards you want, include a check for the cards and send it back in your child's Friday Folder.  The order will be filled and the cards will be sent home with your child on Monday.

Hot Lunch Program – Food Allergies:  Since Zion participates in the National School Lunch Program, we are reviewed by the state every 3 years.  At our last  Administrative Review with the state, and it was brought to our attention that we need a note from a doctor when a student require substitutions for lunch – milk included.  Please send a note from your doctor or chiropractor to the school office specifying which foods your student can’t have.  

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know your child this week and I look forward a terrific year.   I hope to see many of you in church this weekend.  I would like to invite you to Zion's new Bible Study, THE STORY.  This weekend you can pick up a free book and sign your child up for sunday school.  The study begins on August 23 at 9:30.

Please enjoy the pictures of our first days.  It will give you a small picture of our awesome 3 days :)  

SEE YOU AT BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT- TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, AT 6:30 !!

BLESSED TO SERVE,
 Amy Bernhardt

We started the day on Wednesday making bees.

Each bee is unique and different just like us.

We talked about how Jesus wants us to BEE a servant.
We talked about ways to serve each other.

We organized our supplies.

 We took a picture on the first day.

We did a little bit of writing and wrote what we want to learn in first grade.

We played with BOBCAT play dough.

The more we squished it we found that it turned red.

We had a great first day as First Grade Bobcats!

We then played with our RED play dough.

At the end of the day we sing a special closing song that tells us that The Lord is our Rock! 

In the morning we say the pledges to the Christian and American flag.

We did our first serve project and made birthday cards for a woman at church.

Mrs. Steinbacker taught us how to play in the Bobcat Pit.

We played I have... Who has?

We practiced writing our name correctly.  Only the first letter is capital.

We wrote in our "This or That" journal.
This will be our morning work on Wednesdays.

We made Creation books.
I hope your child shared theirs with you!

In math we build towers and matched them with numbers.

We then recorded our work on our homework.

 Ask your child about the "All About Me Bags".

 

We put our first page in our Poetry book.

We learned about the EET a way to help us organize our thoughts when writing an informative piece.
Ask your child to sing the song.

We learned about book buddies.

Our lunch prayers

Samuel was our prayer leader this week.

The Night Before First Grade, August 11, 2015

I want you to know that I am praying for you and your child tonight and in the morning.  

Here is the video of a bedtime story for your child to watch.

I will see you tomorrow!
Blessed to Serve,
Mrs. Amy Bernhardt