Dear Parents,

It was nice to see all of you at conferences last week. It's so important that we work together to ensure a successful first-grade experience for your child. Believe me, your continued involvement in your child's education will reap huge rewards. Remember that I am always available to discuss your child's progress and any concerns you may have.

I hope you took the opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair during conferences. The selections this year are wonderful! Our class visited the Book Fair today. If your child did not get an opportunity to purchase books, s/he will be able to visit the Fair toward the end of the week. Remember to send money in a sealed envelope with your child's name and the amount enclosed clearly marked.

I also hope you had the chance to visit our Hexabits exhibit. Hexabits are not only fun, but educational as well. We, the primary teachers, recommend them highly and are pleased to present them to you as possible Christmas gifts. Also, your orders will benefit our classroom. A percentage of the proceeds will go toward the purchase of a class set of Hexabits. I've attached an order form for your convenience.

Any "crafty" moms out there who'd like to work on our class Memory Books? Believe me, it's not too early to start planning.

Congratulations Maddy, Student of the Month, and VIPs Isabella and Austin!

Have a great week!

Ms. Kopilchack

Now, for a look at this week's activities:

Reading/Writing
Our story this week is Jasper's Beanstalk. Our focus will be on plot and order of events.

Writer's Workshop begins this week. We'll learn about the writing process as well as the mechanics of writing. We'll use what we learn to publish class books and eventually, individual books.

Phonics
We begin the short I sound this week and will continue reinforcing the short A sound.

In addition to our Word Wall activities, we are learning words through poetry activities and an activity called "Making Words."

Math
We begin subtraction this week. We'll learn subtraction facts and strategies with the help of hands-on learning activities.

Science
Our physical science unit begins this week. We will learn about States of Matter (i.e. solids, liquids and gases); Sounds, Heat and Light; and, How Things Move (simple machines and magnets).

Religion
We will learn about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and that she is our Mother too.

Homework
Study spelling words, practice wordbooks, attached activities.