Recommended Websites

As promised in your September Newsletter here are several websites that are educational and worth checking out.
www.nasa.kids.com
www.kiddonet.com
www.funbrain.com
www.aplusmath.com
www.superkids.com
www.mathcats.com
www.betweenthelines.com
www.funschool.com
www.puzzlemaker.com
www.noogrin.com
www.biography.com
www.discovery.com
www.educationplace.com

Classroom Jobs

Most weeks your child has a classroom job. These jobs are designed to promote responsibility and a sense of community in the classroom. Ask them if they have a job this week and what that job may be. Extend this responsibility by giving them jobs at home if they do not already have them. Encourage them to complete the jobs without being asked to. Reward them when they succeed. Our students are capable of so much! Help prepare them for the workplace now, by showing them how to do a good "job".

Counting Change

In Math, we are studying coins. I am noticing that students need the most practice with identifying coins and their worth. Not exactly counting money but knowing which coin is a nickel and how much that is worth. Many of them don't realize that each coin has a different value that doesn't change. When you really think about it, identifying coins and their values is complicated. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Show your student change and ask them to identify them. Quiz them on how much each is worth. Don't try to get them to count change just yet. Let's get down the identification first.

Jordan Says Hi!

Jordan Fulton is a student in Room 5. He has worked so hard today. I wanted to let everyone know how well he is doing today. Ms. Coleman and his classmates are very proud of him.

Peace Place

Today Mrs. Stodola came in and talked to students about peaceful. She helped install a peace place in the classroom. This corner is place in the classroom where students can opt to go to help them calm down. This is NOT a consequence but a step for students to learn how to calm down. Talk to your student about the Peace Place and remember not to punish them for choosing to calm down, this is the goal.

Shadows

As you may already know students are studying shadows. This is a great time of year to do this as it is still sunny outside when they come home from school. Encourage them to play shadow tag or experiment with different objects to see if they can see their shadow. For example, do clear objects, like a glass, cast a shadow? What about water? Call attention to their shadow and its shape at different times of the day. All of this will increase their experience and knowledge of shadows and make learning Science a little bit easier.

HOMEWORK PACKETS

Finally, homework packets went home. I know you are as anxious about that as I was. Here are some homework tips.

1. Review the packet as soon as you get it to make sure you have all the materials needed to complete.
2. Do a little at a time so it is not overwhelming to your child.
3. Mark off the assignements as you complete them.
4. Keep all assignments in the Homework Folder so they don't get lost or torn up.
5. Sign the packet only when all assignments are done.
6. Packet is due Thursday.

Thank you so much for your continued involvement. By the way, Mrs. Connors, First Grade now has a blog too. Look for link on this site.