November

Hello Grade One and Two Parents,

After the first two exciting months quickly went by, the grade one and two students begun to get settled in our busy classroom. Everyone worked well and learned lots of new and exciting things.

In October we have started our Home Reading Program and I am very happy to see how excited the students are. Continued practice at home has already made an impact. Please, keep up the great work you are doing and keep reading every night! Do not be afraid to become more deeply engaged in your child’s learning. Encourage your child to read the book a few times until the reading becomes very fluent. Remember to initial the little booklet and write down the minutes too. Some students have really good decoding skills, but they are unable to tell what happened in the story. Also, sometimes they don’t know the real meaning of certain words. Please remember to ask several questions after the reading. There is the so called “Five W’s and One H” to follow after each story.

St. Stephen School is offering a great online reading program called RAZ – Kids. For more details check your child’s agenda!

The grade 2’s are started the Spelling Program. They are working on their spelling skills and each week (on Friday or Thursday) they have a spelling quiz. The students have a full week to study and prepare. It is a good idea to have a quiz at home the day before, so they can build confidence in their ability to succeed.

During the month of November in Language Arts we will continue to work on reading skills, comprehension, learning new vocabulary and practice sight words. In writing our focus is on good sentences and proper punctuation.

The grade 1’s are finishing off the Alphabet Stories and started to show a really nice progress in their printing booklet. It is very important that they are practicing all the Dolch sight words in order to make better progress in their reading. If you lost the sheet I have sent home, please do not hesitate to go online and you will find all the words listed. It is a free website, www.sightwords.com   

In Math the most important is the fluency in skip counting and mental math. This could be practiced even during a car ride. Count by 2’s 5’s and 10’s. Also, adding or subtracting small numbers mentally up to 10 and later up to 18. Using the ten frame helps students to recognize the value of ten and understand how to make 10. There are lots of YouTube videos you can find on the internet.

In Science we will finish our unit on magnets around the middle of November, and before we will start our new unit, called Hot and Cold Temperature, the students will have a short and easy quiz on magnets. Still, it will require some studying and preparation.

In grade 1 the students will show and perform how well they can recognize and read all the colour words, name the primary and secondary colours. In mid-November we will learn more about seasonal changes.

In Religion we will learn about the life of the Saints and at the end of the month we will be getting ready for the wonderful journey of Advent.

In Music more songs and games are making us happier and the students are learning to differentiate between rhythm and beat while keeping the steady pulse.

During Health we are continuing our journey of wellness choices such as healthy eating, physical activity, adequate sleep, sun protection and an appreciation for our own body.

In Social we will be learning more about Canada, the provinces and territories and their capital cities.

Important Dates for November

Ø  Remembrance Day Liturgy on Friday, Nov. 10^th at 10:30 a.m.

Ø  Popcorn Day November 22^nd

Ø  Report Cards go home on November 24^th.

After the students brought home their Progress Report it is important to review the report card comments together with your child. After, please sign the envelope and return it to the school. The report card is your copy to keep. If you wish to discuss something during the interview please remember to bring it with you.

Remember to make an appointment for Parent/Teacher Conferences.

October

 Hello Grade One and Two Families,

It is quite hard to believe, but we have entered into the month of October.

The students are getting used to our daily classroom routine and working on their self-discipline. Most students are able to follow the classroom rules pretty well.

What are we working on?

In Math we are finishing off patterning and getting into working with numbers.

Science is very popular amongst the students, because all children were born with a natural sense of wonder. They are eager to explore, discover and participate to know more about colours, mixing colours (Gr.1) and about the magical world of magnets and magnetism.

Singing songs, doing the actions or playing a musical game is always fun. The children are practicing to use their singing voice appropriately and developing the feeling of the steady pulse. (Heart Beat)

In Health they are studying the four food groups and learning about making healthy food choices.

Mapping is the main focus in Social for grade two’s and grade ones are learning about their community in which they live in.

In Religion class we are learning about how we all belong to God’s Family.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, so the grade 2 students will write their own prayer and grade 1’s will work on their little booklet. In class we will talk about what, how and why are we thankful for.

In Language Arts the grade one’s are still working on recognizing and printing the alphabet letters. They also learn each letter’s corresponding sound. The class is listening to a nice Alphabet Story that is in connection with the letter. The students are encouraged to retell the story at home and practice recognizing the words used in these stories.

We will be making letters out of play-dough and we would greatly appreciate a few batches as donation for the class. Below is a recipe for Kool-Aid Play-dough for anyone interested in making a batch for the classroom. Please make sure that the play-dough is brought to school in an air-tight container. Thank you for your help.

Kool-Aid Play-dough

3 cups of flower

½ cup of salt

2 packages Kool-Aid

2 cups boiling water

3Tbsp.oil

Mix Kool-Aid, oil and boiling water together. Add to the dry ingredients. Knead until right consistency. You may need to add a bit more flour while kneading to prevent sticking.

There is one more news and that is about the opportunity to join the Recorder Club. It will be open for students of grade 2, 3, 4 and 5. Students will be responsible to show up regularly for practices during lunch recess on every Day 2 and Day 5. To register, please come and see Ms. Balazs in Room 126.

Students will:

ü  Enjoy playing the recorder with others

ü  Develop good instrumental techniques

ü  Use basic music reading skills

ü  Be a responsible group member

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! God Bless You All.                  

Ms. K. Balazs 

Welcome

Welcome to Grade 1 & 2!

Dear Parents,

Grade 1 and 2 will be a fun and exciting year!

I feel blessed to have such a wonderful group of children in my class. The students are already busy getting to know each other and learning the classroom rules and routines.

Our goal is for all students to experience the best possible learning environment and to have success. The success of all students will depend on a partnership between the student, parent and teacher.

 In class, we have already talked about the word respect, which is absolutely essential to demonstrate good citizenship and to cooperate with others.

I hope we will have a great year together which will be filled with fun and active learning.

I look forward teaching your children this year and I am confident that it will be a memorable and a happy experience.

Best wishes for the year;

Ms. K. Balazs