January 15, 2025

Hi 1A families,

We are maintaining our classroom bubble during school hours, where it is business as usual. The kids seem happy to be back at school after break and they have been working hard. Here are some of the topics we have covered.

• We worked on 2025 new year resolutions. The students set some goals for themselves in the new year. Many of them want to make a new friend or read a chapter book.
• In math, we have been talking and learning about measurement. The kids learned how to compare the height/length of objects. They learned that it is necessary to line up the endpoints when they determine which item is longer or shorter. They also practiced measuring with standard units using both centimeter cubes and a ruler. After that, they measured with nonstandard units such as paper clips and crayons. They also determined the difference in length between two objects.
• Today, we began learning about data. The kids voted on their favorite animal and then we made a pictograph to show the results. (Dogs were the clear winner, by the way.) They also learned vocabulary terms about graphing such as data, graph, label, and key. Tomorrow, we will be investigating bar graphs.
• In Fundations, we wrapped up module 7 which focuses primarily on glued sounds such as /ing/, /ang/, /unk/, and /onk/. Example words include "thing" and "chunk". The trick words for unit 7 include: very, also, too, some, come
• In module 8, which we began this week, the students are learning about consonant blends, when 2 consonant sounds can be hear, but blend together (e.g. /pl/, /gl/, /tr/, /dr/, /sm/, /sp/). Example words include: black, small, and grab
• In the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, we began module 3, which focuses on the power of the wind. We read a story called Feel The Wind which is a nonfiction text. Additionally, the students are learning to gather information about a topic from multiple sources. We read a text about hurricanes, listed facts about the wind, and then watched a video to collect more information. Using the new facts, the students are each writing a paragraph about what wind can do during a hurricane. They began with a graphic organizer and are currently working on the final drafts. I'm so impressed with how far their writing skills have come this year! Vocabulary words that have been introduced are: force, powerful, sources, similar, singular noun, plural noun, and soar
• In the Mystery Science curriculum, the kids completed a unit on The Sun and Shadows. Ask them about how they used mini-flashlights to create shadows in class. We also talked about the path of the sun in the sky. This week, the students started learning about The Moon and Stars. Today, we talked about how the moon can look different each night. Tomorrow, we will start to discuss the phases of the moon.
• The students are also learning about the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
• The most recent read aloud book has been The One and Only Ivan. If you've never read it or seen the movie, I high recommend the book! It is the story of some animals who live in a run-down mall and perform for meager audiences each day. Ivan, a gorilla, makes it his mission to find a better life for Ruby, a baby elephant. There are lots of ups and downs but it truly is a heart-warming story.

Student Teacher :)

I'm very excited to welcome back Ms. McMahon, who is a teacher candidate from Merrimack College. Last semester, she visited our classroom for some of her observation hours. Starting tomorrow, she will be with us daily. We are very lucky to have her!

Upcoming Dates

January 17 (Friday): No school - teacher professional development

January 20 (Monday): No school - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 23 (Thursday): Kittredge Dines Together

January 29 (Wednesday): Early release at 1:45 - teacher professional development

February 5 (Wednesday): Early release at 1:45 - teacher professional development

February 14 (Friday): Valentine card exchange and craft in class

February 17-21: No school

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me. And, again, thank you for all of your support.

Katie

December 15, 2024

Hi 1A families,

Happy holidays, everyone! As we roll into the last week of school before winter break, I wanted to make you aware of a few things.

No Homework This Week

I'm sure that everyone is busy, so there will not be a homework packet or spelling words this week.

Holiday Shop

Our class will visit the Holiday Shop on Wednesday at 9:45. It's a great opportunity for the kids to buy a little something for the members of their family. If you are planning to have your child purchase gifts, it would be great if you have a discussion with them about who they are buying gifts for - and please fill out the slip that was sent home last week.  Putting the estimated amounts on the form is VERY helpful. :) There are volunteers who help the kids make the appropriate purchases. If you need financial assistance, please send me an email and we can help. Every item that is purchased will be gift wrapped and labeled.

Emergency Dismissal Form

Thank you to everyone who returned the emergency dismissal form. If you have not sent it back into school yet and would like another copy, please let me know. I am happy to send one home with your child.

Blue Home/School Folders

Please help your child empty their blue home/school folder every evening and return it to school the next day. Thank you!

1A Winter Craft Party

Thank you to our Kittredge Krew for helping to organize the craft party for this Thursday morning! And thank you to everyone who volunteered to help out! Should be a fun time!

Upcoming Dates

December 18 (Wednesday): 1A visits the Holiday Shop at school

December 19 (Thursday): 1A winter craft party in the classroom

December 20 (Friday): School-wide winter concert (kids only); report cards will be released in PowerSchool

December 21-January 1: Winter break

January 8 (Wednesday): Early release at 1:45 (Teacher Professional Development)

January 17 (Friday): No school (Teacher Professional Development)

January 20 (Monday): No school (MLK day)

January 29 (Wednesday): Early release at 1:45 (Teacher Professional Development)

Thank you for all that you do to support your child's learning. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Katie Barnett

November 21, 2024

Hi 1A families,

The kids are getting very excited about the Thankful Show! We have been practicing with the other first grade class each day. It will be held in the Kittredge gym on Wednesday, November 27, starting at 9:00 am. Families are invited. It will be short and very sweet! We hope to see you there!

Here are a few of the other things we've been learning about in first grade this week.

• In the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, we focused on a book titled Seahorses: The Shyest Fish in the Sea. In addition to learning many facts about the unique features of seahorses, the kids learned about the aspects of a nonfiction book such as the table of contents, captions on photos, and the glossary. Ask them about the fun partner work we did in class today as they searched through nonfiction books. 
• In conjunction with this work, the students are learning how to write an informational paragraph. Continuing through next week, the kids will use a graphic organizer to formulate a paragraph with their own thoughts.
• In math, we have been learning how to make a group of 10 to add 2 numbers together. This is one strategy that they can use to solve addition problems.
• The first graders also learned about the suffix -s. The are learning to identify the base word and then add the -s to make the noun mean more than one. They also learned that the s can make two different sounds: /s/ in words like "dogs" and /z/ in words like "bugs".
• The trick words for the week: are, were
• The kids created two thankful crafts to celebrate the season. The are hanging in the hallway outside of the classroom if you have a chance to stop by.

Kids Stop Next Wednesday, 11/27

If your child usually attends Kids Stop on Wednesdays, please let me know how I should dismiss them on 11/27. A quick email would be great. Thanks!

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, November 27: First Grade Thankful Show at 9:00 am (families invited); half day (11:50 am release)
• Thursday and Friday, November 28/29: No school - Thanksgiving break
• Wednesday, December 4: Holiday shop - day 1; early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Thursday, December 5: Holiday shop - day 2
• Wednesday, December 11: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Friday, December 13: Picture retake day
• Thursday, December 17: 1A winter craft party
• December 20: Term 1 report cards released
• December 21 - January 1: Winter break

Looking forward to seeing many of you at the show next week. Thanks for all that you do!

Katie Barnett

November 12, 2024

Hi 1A families,

Thank you so much for meeting with me for a conference over the past couple of weeks. I truly enjoyed talking to everyone about their wonderful kids!

Thankful Show - November 27

Today, the first graders came home with an official invitation to our Thankful Show. We will be holding the performance on Wednesday, November 27, at 9:00am in the Kittredge gym. Families are welcome to attend! The kids will sing a couple of songs and we will watch a brief slideshow where they can show us what they are thankful for. The show will be about 30 minutes long. I hope you can attend! :)

Food Drive

Last Friday, the students came home with a flyer for the Thanksgiving Food Drive. The first grade is collecting boxed stuffing and bread mixes. All donations are very appreciated! The collection will continue until November 22.

Here is a quick look at what we've been learning about in first grade:

• We wrapped up module 1 of the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, How Books Change Lives around the world. Next we are learning about Creature Features. We read a fiction book titled Seven Blind Mice and discussed the central message of the story. Now we are focusing on a book titled Me...Jane that tells the story of how Jane Goodall became a scientist. The kids love it and we are having some excellent discussions.
• In conjunction with that material, the students are learning about paragraphs. So far, they have learned that a paragraph is a collection of sentences that center on a specific topic. Today, they practiced identifying the topic sentence, the supporting details, and the conclusion. We use the analogy of a hamburger to explain it to the kids. Over the next couple of weeks, the students will learn to write their own paragraph using this structure.
  
• In math, the students have been working with addition and subtraction story problems. They have started using a math journal, which they seem to really enjoy. Ask them to tell you about it!
• Another skill that I have introduced is alphabetical order. We have been working on this a few times a week as it can be tricky for first grade students.
• The most recent trick words (sight words) that the kids learned are: you, your, I, they, was, one, said, have, from
• The first graders also learned that quotation marks indicate when a character is speaking. 

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, November 20: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, November 27: First Grade Thankful Show at 9:00 am (families invited); half day (11:50am release)
• Thursday and Friday, November 27/28: No school - Thanksgiving break
• Wednesday, December 4: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, December 11: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Friday, December 13: Picture retake day
• Date TBD: 1A holiday craft party
• December 20: Term 1 report cards released
• December 21 - January 1: Winter break

Thanks for all that you do to support your child's learning. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Katie Barnett

October 28, 2024

Hi 1A families,

I hope that everyone enjoyed the beautiful fall weather this weekend! Here are a few updates from our classroom.

Caregiver-Teacher Conferences

Looking forward to chatting with everyone. :) Here's is a link to the 1A Conference Sign Up form. If you designated that you would like a virtual meeting, I will send out the link on the day before the meeting.  All in-person meetings will take place in the classroom. 

Pumpkin Day - Wednesday!

I'm looking forward to Pumpkin Day in class! Thanks to everyone who volunteered to come in - we have room for all of you and you should have received a message from me on October 10th.

If you offered to donate a pumpkin, you can send it into school any time between now and Wednesday morning. Thanks to everyone who already sent them in!

Homework packets and book bags

The kids were very excited to complete the first homework packet this week - and they did a fantastic job! Of course, it's completely optional, but they were enthusiastic about having this "big kid" responsibility. As a reminder, if they kids choose to complete the homework packet, it is due at the end of the week. Book bags should also be returned on Fridays.

The kids have been working hard in class

Here are a few of the things they have been learning about:

• In Wit and Wisdom, we focused on the book Green Eggs and Ham. The students learned about point of view of the narrator as well as sequence words that help to put the events of the story in order: first, next, then, last. They also learned about the lesson of the story: You don't know if you'll like something until you try it.
• The students completed a craft and writing task based on the story Creepy Carrots. The finished products are hanging in the hallway outside of our classroom. If you are coming to school for a conference, be sure to check them out. They are adorable!
• The first graders also learned about questions and telling sentences. They are learning to differentiate the two so that they can choose the correct ending punctuation as they write.
• In math, the students learned another strategy for subtraction: the number path. We also discussed how addition and subtraction facts are related. 6 + 2 = 8 and 8 - 6 = 2
• The trick words for the week are: or, for
• I also introduced the FLSZ rule in words such as puff, fill, kiss, and fuzz. When a one-syllable word ends in F, L, S, and Z, you should double that letter at the end of the base word. This can be a tricky concept to implement when writing, so we will continue to circle back to it in the coming weeks.

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, October 30: Pumpkin Day in 1A (Kids can wear orange if they would like)
• Friday, November 1: Fall Extravaganza (Mr. Cushing will send out more information on this event)
• Tuesday, November 5: No school for students - Election Day/Caregiver-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, November 11: No school - Veterans Day
• Wednesday, November 20: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, November 27: First Grade Thankful Show at 9:00 am (families invited - details coming soon); half day (11:50am release)
• Thursday and Friday, November 27/28: No school - Thanksgiving break

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you so much for your support at home!

Katie Barnett

October 20, 2024

Hi 1A families,

Just a quick update on what's been happening in 1A. Here's what we did in class during our short week.

• Building on the parts of speech that we have discussed so far this year (nouns and verbs), the kids learned about adjectives (describing words). They practiced differentiating the types of words in a small-group sorting activity during our literacy centers time.
• In math, the first graders learned about double facts (when both addends are the same: 2+2, 5+5, etc.). They also learned about doubles facts plus one (2+3, 5+6, etc.) Knowing both of these common facts helps the students when they work with larger values. At the end of the week, I introduced the concept of subtraction.
• I also discussed the spelling rule of the final -ck, which comes at the end of one-syllable, short vowel words such as "sick" and "pack". 
• In conjunction with that concept, I taught the first graders when to use C and when to use K in words. They learned the Cat/Kite rule. When a word begins with the c/k sound, look to the vowel that follows it to determine whether it is spelled with a C or a K. "C takes a, o, and u, K takes the other two." Examples include: cap, cod, cup, kit, kelp

• The trick words (sight words) that I introduced this week are: he, she, we, be, me
• We have also been discussing voting and elections. The vocabulary words we discussed are: vote, election, ballot, leader, president, and Democracy. We read two stories: Splat the Cat for President and Duck for President. Then we held a mock election where the students could vote for Spat the Cat or Duck. We then tallied the votes. Ask your kiddo which fictional candidate won our election!
• In the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, we focused on a book titled That Book Woman, which is a fictional story about a library who delivers books to a family in the mountains of Kentucky during the Great Depression. Her determination to bring stories to the kids inspires Cal, one of the boys, to learn how to read.
• I finished our chapter book read-aloud Ramona The Pest - and the kids loved it. Ask them to tell you all about it. :)

Homework

We've finally reached the time in the year when we begin homework in first grade! I want to stress, however, that homework is completely optional. I like students to have the chance to practice the skills that they are learning in class, but I also recognize that they work very hard during the school day, so you might feel like it's more beneficial for them to spend their time on other endeavors at home. It's your choice.

The packet will go home on Mondays and can be sent back to school on Fridays. On the front cover of the packet, there are five spelling words that match the phonics skill we are working on in class as well as a sentence to practice. I will give an informal spelling check in on Fridays. We will also practice these words and the sentence in class during the week.

This week's spelling words and sentence are:

thin
then
math
with
she (trick word)
She can go with them.

Book Bags

I will also send home a "book bag" with classroom books in it each week. The kids choose the books themselves at school. They can borrow them for the week and read them, then return them to school with the homework packet at the end of the week. I encourage the kids to find a cozy spot at home and enjoy the books each week. They can read them independently or with someone else. Hint: If the kids keep the book bag in their backpack, they will always have it to return to school on Friday. 

Accessing ST Math and Boost From Home

I sent home a printout of how to access these two valuable resources from home. The kids have used both programs in school and are familiar with how they work. Any time that they spend working on their math and reading skills outside of school is fantastic! If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. :)

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, October 23: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Friday, October 25: Picture day
• Wednesday, October 30: Pumpkin Day in 1A (Kids can wear orange if they would like)
• Friday, November 1: Fall Extravaganza (Mr. Cushing will send out more information on this event)
• Tuesday, November 5: No school for students - Election Day/Caregiver-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, November 11: No school - Veterans Day
• Wednesday, November 20: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, November 27: First Grade Thankful Show at 9:00 am (families invited - details coming soon); half day (11:50am release)
• Thursday and Friday, November 27/28: No school - Thanksgiving break

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. The kids are doing an amazing job as students. I am so proud of all they have accomplished so far this year. :)

Katie

October 14, 2024

Hi 1A families,

We've been so busy in first grade! We had an amazing day for the field trip - the sun was shining and the kids were smiling all day. They had the opportunity to learn about how farms work and how apples grow and are harvested. Not only that, but they took a hay ride, picked apples in the orchard, played on the playground equipment, and saw some of the farm animals. Rogers Spring Hill Farm puts together a fantastic experience!

Here are a few of the highlights from the past couple of weeks:

• As part of the phonics curriculum, the students learned about the sounds that /am/ and /an/ make in words. Examples include: band and ham. Ask your first grader why we call those the "fussy a" sounds. They also learned about the /all/ sound in words like fall and small. They have been practicing how to read and spell words with those letter combinations.
• I also introduced the concept of digraphs. That is when two letters come together to make one sound. We practiced reading and writing words with ch, sh, th, and wh. Example words include chip, shock, that, and when.
• I also introduced new "trick words" over the last two weeks. Trick words are words that the students should learn by sight because they are high frequency words and/or words that do not follow the spelling rules that we have learned up until this point. We follow the list of words in the Fundations curriculum. The trick words that have been introduced in class are: a, and, the, is, his, as, has, to, into
• In math, we have continued to work with addition. The students learned the math vocabulary words: addend, sum, equal sign, and related facts. The students are also learning about the commutative property (you can add the numbers together in any order and get the same sum. 4+2=6 and 2+4=6).
• In the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, the students have been been delving into the ways that books can change lives. Most recently, we read a book titled My Librarian is a Camel that talks about how children in remote areas of the world get books. The first graders have also been learning to spot the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. Ask them about what they know. :)
• Since the field trip, we have been reading about how pumpkins grow so that we can get ready to be pumpkin scientists on Pumpkin Day. 
• As a class, we completed both the DIBELs early literacy assessment and the MAP assessment (which covers both reading and math). The DIBELs assessment results were sent home in your child's take home folder on Friday and the MAP assessment results will be sent home in a couple of weeks. Both of these assessments help to inform my instruction and are administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. 

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who has come in to be a Mystery Reader. The kids love it! If you haven't had a chance to sign up and would like to visit our class, here is the Mystery Reader Sign Up.

Caregiver-Teacher Conferences

Just about every family has signed up for a meeting slot. Thank you so much! I am looking forward to talking to all of you about your fantastic kids! Caregiver-Teacher Conference

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, October 23: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, October 30: Pumpkin Day in 1A (Kids can wear orange if they would like)
• Tuesday, November 5: No school for students - Election Day/Caregiver-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, November 11: No school - Veterans Day
• Wednesday, November 20: Early release at 1:45 (teacher professional development)
• Wednesday, November 27: First Grade Thankful Show (families invited - details coming soon); half day (11:50am release)
• Thursday and Friday, November 27/28: No school - Thanksgiving break

Thanks for all that you do to support your child's learning at home. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Katie Barnett