Week+5



Newsletter for Week of Sept. 30th, 2013 =Week in Review =

Happy Birthday to Johnny Appleseed! Thank you for planting all those apple seeds! We truly enjoyed our taste test between red and green apples. This year, both apples basically tied.... Red Delicious and the Granny Smith. We enjoyed our apple juice and our apple crisp. We worked on a little package reviewing sequencing, rhyming words, and we loved our apple word search. In Science we cannot believe how well our plants are growing in just one week! As a scientist, we are recording the growth of our plants. During the month of October, we will continue to observe our plant results through additional investigations and we will begin to observe bulbs and compare them to the seeds we have planted. Did you know that the First Grade has their very own Mar Garden? We will fill it with bulbs soon, awaiting the celebration of spring and Mary, during the month of May. LOOK for a special note coming home soon. It will be a glorious sight!

= Reading =  Our story this week will be "Soccer". We will not only speak of the sport but more importantly we will discuss the importance of teamwork in whatever we choose to do. As we begin October we will be increasing our need for reinforcing comprehension, story structure, and working and reading more quietly during our center and group time each day. Our skills will emphasize the consonant blends of **-st** and **-nk**.

Vocabulary for "Soccer"
**admire...challenging...charity...focus...other **...help...now...use...very...come...pull...down...good...land...sand...fast...past...sink...flip...wink ...black...use...very

**Religion** == This week we will be learning about the Holy Family and what Jesus, Mary, and Joseph did as a family. We will also compare our family life to the life of the Holy Family. We will find out that we are not that different. A family is a family. We all spend time together, do chores to help our family, and even travel on vacations. **On Thursday**, your child will be given a part for our first Mass on October 9th. I always give the children a permanent copy to keep at home to practice, if they have a specific reading part. We will be going to church each day and learning about the parts of the Mass and general responses we should begin to know. Please remember that our First Graders are old enough to participate in the Mass. Encourage them to do so during the weekend liturgies. You are their primary teacher of their faith. They will do what you do.

**Math** 

Each group is extensively working on problem solving skills from the basic take away to the advanced identification of numerous was to solve subtraction problems. Subtraction is rarely a First Graders favorite. However, it is imperative that a child understand and fluently solve these equations. When practicing math facts with your child, never hesitate to work on these facts as well. We are working on numerous strategies to problem solve from drawing pictures and crossing out what is taken away, number lines incorporating the "counting back" strategy, counters, and the fluency of just knowing it! **Addition and Subtraction Concept ** sum...plus...equal to...addition equation...part...whole...add...counting on...counting all...adding to......the same amount as...addition ...order...first second...putting together...taking from...minus...subtract...taking apart comparing...unknown...less than...subtraction...counting back...true...false

=Riddles of the Week = What is a ghost's favorite ride at an amusement park?  A ro ller-ghoster. Wha t vehicle is spelled the same backwards and forwards? <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> A racecar.

[|Thursday Folder] Sept. 20th-Oct. 9th......[|2nd Grade Coat Collection] Sept. 30th........Map Testing continues Oct. 4th............Out of Uniform Oct. 4th............Picture re-take Oct. 9th............**OUR** first prepared class Mass, Birthday Blessings Oct. 11th..........No School, Professional Development Oct. 14th..........No School, Professional Development Oct. 16th..........Schlitz Audubon filedtrip 11:30-1:30 Oct. 31st..........Halloween Parade Nov. 2nd[|Soles for Education walk, 8 a.m.] (registration free through Oct. 1) Nov. 2nd..........Trivia Twilight, 7 p.m.
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Important Date **