Week+24

Newsletter for Week of March 3rd, 2014 = Week in Review = This past week we learned about the 7 sacraments and we will look forward to seeing everyone's Baptism poster on Monday. We will then proceed into learning more about this sacrament as this is our emphasis in First Grade. This past week it was so cool to learn how to use additional technology. We were using QR codes to access additional stories in our listening center and we have now begun using our chrome books for using the Odyssey Learning paths available to us. In P.E. we were working on eye-hand coordination by learning speed cups and listening to and practicing directions. Search out the 2014-2015 academic [|school calendar] as it has been confirmed and published. Be sure you have a copy on hand as you are making future plans.

**Reading** = = We begin our week with our next unit test and we move right into reading the award winning story "Kitten's First Full Moon," written by the Wisconsin author Kevin Henkes. The delightful story is about a cat who sees the moon and its reflection in a pond thinking it is a bowl of milk. Unfortunately, the cat experiences its share of bumps and bruises and finally returns to its own porch to be rewarded with a bowl of milk. It is our first black and white illustrated story and it will be interesting to see if the children gather more from the written details rather than just all the color of the illustrations. We have completed our introduction of the long vowels and the review of all of the short vowel sounds. We now begin to learn about r-controlled vowels and this week **ir, er, and ur** will be featured. We will also be working on adjectives and the skill of understanding the cause and effect of specific situations. We enjoyed our Read and Treat stories this week. We even had a very special visitor that came along for out stories. = Vocabulary for "Kitten's First Full Moon" = discover...mysterious...dusk...scatter...pale ...leaped...lucky...another...climbed...full...through...poor...first...her...bird...fur...fern...burn...dirt...astronaut...planet... weightless

**Religion**  This week we will completed our introduction to all 7 Sacraments. The children were introduced to them so they would understand when they are celebrated, the symbol that is associated with each one, as well as being segmented by purpose. **Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation** are //Sacraments of Initiation.// **Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation** //are Sacraments of Healing.// **Matrimony and Holy Orders** //are Sacraments of Service.// //**ON MONDAY, we look forward to seeing the Baptism posters of the children**//. We will then begin learning more about the sacrament of Baptism. This week Tuesday afternoon we will celebrate Mardi Gras. What a blast the children will have. PLEASE refer to the sheet for our __**Food Drive**__ and for the celebratory dress recommendations for the day. Wednesday we will attend the Ash Wednesday Liturgy of the parish at 8:30 a.m. = = = Math = We have been working on fact families and telling time. Fact families will cement the importance of how addition and subtraction relate to each other. 3+4=7 then 4+3=7 reviews the commutative property we learned earlier this year. We will see how subtraction relates to addition by using the same numbers in the equations of 7-3=4 and 7-4=3 and seeing how just the three numbers of 3, 4, and 7 are used for this entire fact family. In practicing telling time, we are working on an analog clock. The children and I have been enjoying my two favorite sites -- [| Stop the Clock] and later [|Bang on Time]. We have displayed them on our SMARTboard not only in our morning routine, but also in our math groupings. Telling time is a concept based on readiness. **Practice is so very important.** We need to make sure we can count hours and half hours of time.

related facts...addition equations...subtraction equations...minute hand...hour hand...half past...digital time...analog clock...half hour
 * Vocabulary for Fact Families and Time **

= Riddles of the Week = A jolly green giant. A rash of good luck!
 * What** **does a leprechaun call a happy man wearing green?**
 * What do you get if you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover??**

=**Important Dates** =  March 2nd, 19th, 25th [|March Give Backs] Mar. 3rd-7th..............Third Grade Food Drive, baby food from First Grade March 4th..................Mardi Gras at LCT- wear purple, gold, green Mar. 5th.....................Ash Wednesday, Lent begins Mar. 7th.....................First Friday-out of uniform Mar. 15th................... [|SHAMROCK], 5:30 p.m. Mar. 19th...................Class Mass Mar. 21st............"[|Feed My Starving Children]", Lenten QuarterChallenge Mar. 28th............3rd quarter report cards go home Mar. 31st............Spring [|Chess Club] sign-up Apr. 12th-21st.....Spring Break