December is an exciting month in first grade! We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Christmas (and our extended winter break)! We have lots of things going on this month. Here are a few dates to keep handy:
Dec. 11: DIBELS testing-Be sure your child eats a hearty breakfast and gets plenty of rest!
Dec. 12: Book Orders due-Just in time for Christmas!
Dec. 15: DIBELS testing continues
Dec. 15-19: Red Ribbon Week (school-wide)–watch for more information
Dec. 15-19: Polar Express Week in First Grade!
Dec. 19: Christmas Program at 2 p.m. We will dismiss from there.
Dec. 19: Smokey Bear/Woodsy Wol posters due. We would love EVERY student to turn one in!!
Dec. 23: Holiday party at 1 p.m. Mrs. Knecht’s class will serve the party. We will be serving Valentine’s Day. Watch for a letter to come home about the party.
Dec. 23; Vacation begins. DISMISS AT 2 P.M.!
A few other things–Be sure to return your picture packets or money ASAP. These are the Christmas picture packets that were sent home last week. The elementary is also holding a food drive. We are asking all students to bring in one canned good for our drive. Thank you!
We have started Accelerated Reader in first grade!! The students are excited–and very eager to read and take quizzes. AR is not graded. It is a comprehension program that is incentive-based. We give out prizes for reaching some goals. The school also has incentive parties throughout the year for students who reach their goals. Watch for information about your child’s points and goals.
We also have a new list for High Frequency words. They are SO important to make reading more fluent. Students should be able to recognize these words WITHOUT sounding them out. Word attack skills typically don’t work for these words. Here’s the link: http://hi002.k12.sd.us//HFWords3.mht
Be sure to visit www.spellingcity.com to practice weekly spelling lists. We practice both the High Frequency words and spelling words daily in class. However, some students need the extra practice at home.
Have a great week!!
