Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic Book Orders

Back by popular demand, I will be sending home book order forms with students monthly. I have placed the September book order already and those should be coming ASAP. I always place the order around the last week of the month in order to maximize the amount of points earned by our class. If you would like to order books, please do so online or send in checks in student GO Books. Scholastic book orders are a great way to keep your at home libraries up to date with your students changing interests or topics that we study in class. There is nothing like holding a book you are excited to read! It can really help to motivate!

Some topics to consider for this month:

Changing Seasons
Phases of the moon
Biographies (Columbus or Johnny Appleseed)
Kevin Henkes
Laura Numeroff
Bucket Filling

Happy Reading,
Mrs. L

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus Study

1st graders have been studying a new biography this month, Christopher Columbus. We have reviewed, read, talked about and thought about this topic a lot! After this, we attempted to make some true statements about Christopher Columbus and his place in history. 

Visit Brainpop and search Christopher Columbus for a video to watch at home as a homework choice!

In the coming weeks we will be developing opinions about Columbus and expressing those ideas through writing and drawing.

Happy learning!
Mrs. L

Homework!

Homework in 1L

Thank you so  much for your time last week for curriculum night. It was so nice to see many of you here in 1L, sitting in your child's seat and learning about the fantastic things we will be doing here throughout the year. 

I have some exciting news! 

Students received their first homework log this week! 

These may be returned on Friday, or the following Monday depending on your family's homework routine. 

As I said on Thursday, the point of homework in 1L is to help establish routines and practice learned activities at home with your student. 

Notes about Homework:

• Students will be given blank pages in math, writing, reading, phonics and social skills throughout the week and those can simply be added to their "at home homework folder."
• Students can choose to finish those throughout the week. 
• "Unfinished Work," marked "complete and return" may also be added to their homework choices. I just ask that at some point it gets done.
• Students may bring back completed work anytime they wish. 
• Directions for math games may go home as well. These may be kept for future use! 
• If a piece of homework has a specific "due date" I will tell the students about it and write it on the activity. 
• Fundations Unit information and suggested weekly homework can also be added to the mix. 
• Trick words will be sent home with some students in the coming weeks. These may be used as homework choices too.
• Watch out for videos posted in the Blog! Videos are great homework choices!
• IPAD apps/educational software is also a choice. Just let me know on the bottom of the log what the student is using so that I can get a glimpse of their exposure!

Finally, encourage your students to vary their homework choices throughout the week and have fun learning with your students!

Student Council Updates

October Spirit Days:

• Red Sox day - this Friday (October 6th)!
• Halloween Colors  - Tuesday, October 31st

October Service Project:

• Kindness Grows!  Support the Sheehan Student Council's Joanne Hadalski Scholarship fund. Each spring, this money is awarded (in partnership with the PTA) to a graduating former Sheehan student. Our goal is for each class to try to raise $30. Each class will track how much money is raised on their Kindness Grows donation flower (which will be located in a safe spot in each classroom).

**The first School Store will be next Friday (10/13)! $5.00 limit please.

Thank you for your continued support!

Love,

Mrs. L

Johnny Appleseed and Apples!

September, Seasons, and APPLES!

Students here in 1L are learning about the seasons changing this month. In doing so, we have zoomed in on apple trees, as they are the perfect physical example of something that makes very observable physical changes throughout the seasons. We also happen to have two apple trees in our Outdoor Learning Classroom here at school! We are watching apple trees change over the seasons, noticing their different seasonal characteristics and asking questions about why these changes might occur. Students have made "teaching books" based on learned research in classroom books, movies and discussions that highlight the important seasonal changes.

In a oh so fitting way, apples also provide us the opportunity to think about why we in this part of the country and Massachusetts specifically, connect culturally to apple season and apples! We've been studying Johnny Appleseed, or John Chapman, as our first biography of the year. Check out these Brainpop videos with your learner to help with discussions at the dinner table and reinforce learning here in the classroom! This time may be used as a part of their weekly homework routine!

Johnny Appleseed
Seasons
Fall

For login information, visit the Brainpop tab to your right, or click here.

Love,
Mrs. L

HEADPHONES!

WANTED: Headphones

We will be introducing a new app next week called RAZ-Kids. This app gives all students access to "just right" books (books at their individual reading level) at home and at school through online reading. It also provides opportunities for comprehension checks and allows me to listen to at-home recordings of student fluency progress. For more information about login, please check our right tab labeled "RAZ-KIDS" or wait for information to come home on Monday. 

In order to work with this app at school, students require individual headphones.

Please send your child with a pair to keep at school. 

Label a plastic the headphones and a plastic bag with your child's first and last name please.

These headphones will be returned at the end of the year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Mrs. L 

Apple Investigation

Apple Tasting and other Observations!

Students in 1L carried out an apple investigation today! With the help of some super volunteer Dads, our students walked in the shoes of real scientists! We collected data, recorded our results in a graph and then interpreted the data by reading across and down. Scientists made observations with their 5 senses! We had a blast and also began to define key skills that scientists use in every experiment they encounter. Thank you so much to our helpful families for donating supplies for this important learning experience.

Love,

Mrs. L

PICTURE DAY IS TOMORROW!

1L Families,

Don't forget...

PICTURE DAY IS TOMORROW!
September 15, 2017

Ask your child about this book we read today!

Love,

Mrs. L