We enjoyed having our dads and other family members for Doughnuts for Dads last Friday! Don't forget to complete the Super Bowl assignment in their football books. Those books already went home and should be returned to school by next Friday, February 1st, when we'll have our Super Bowl celebration. On that day the students will share their family's team NAME, COLORS, and HELMET DESIGN with the rest of the class. We learned that every football team is named for a special reason, so each student should be able to explain the reason behind the mascot he chose for his family team. Family members can help with this presentation and make it as creative as they want. This week we will also be learning all about Roman Numerals, because the Super Bowls are always announced with these wonderful symbols. The students enjoy learning a "secret code" that others may not know or understand completely. Please ask your children about what they are learning about Super Bowl XLVII.

In preparation for the great TEXAS Unit we will have in March, please send any old blue jeans that are too worn out for Goodwill. We will be covering our Texas books with denim, and they will be more special if we reuse our old clothes. Any child or adult jeans that can be cut up will be wonderful. The deadline for these donations is Friday, February 15th.

Ash Wednesday is February 13th. Please notify me if your child will not participate in the ceremony in Chapel on that day.

SPELLING WORDS : January, down, too,work, many, first, by, try, fly, belly, jelly, smelly

Spelling Rule: Sometimes "y" can be a vowel and make the long i or long e sound.

Synonym Pairs: 
endothermic…….warm-blooded              trail……..passage               blue…..azure   

Note…On February 8, students will take a matching quiz on the 12 pairs of synonyms we have had so far.

Blessings,
Mrs. E 

First graders are enjoying the Winter Unit very much. We went "ice fishing" this past week, and we are enjoying the adventures of Jack London's White Fang. 

In math we are slowly beginning to memorize subtraction facts. You would be so surprised to see how fast the students are with addition math facts, and they are eager to master the subtraction problems with the same accuracy and speed. Please see the Saxon Math Newsletter that just went home to see what is in store in the next few weeks in math. I am so proud of these first graders!

Our room mothers will be contacting each of you to let you know what is needed for our classroom in the next few months. I would appreciate your help in planning some interesting events for our students. Your involvement is crucial. The Gala is scheduled for February 22nd, and we still need to plan a class project. Please help us with suggestions and volunteer to make our contribution to the Gala memorable.  The deadline for our class project is February 15th! 

Spelling Words for the week:
one, new, didn't, isn't, aren't, cleaner, cleanest, longer, longest, cupcake, bathtub, weekend  

Spelling Rules: - contractions - the apostrophe usually takes the place of the "o" in "not"
                         - compound words - combine two complete words to make a compound word

Synonym Pairs:
underwater…….submerged              cold…….frigid             warm-blooded……endothermic

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Blessings, 
Mrs. E

Since much of the world celebrates Christmas on January 6th, or Day of the Kings, first graders observed Epiphany last week by sharing a King's Cake. This delicious pastry is circular (like a crown), and a baby Jesus figurine is hidden inside. Traditionally, in Mexico, the person who finds the baby in his piece of dessert will invite the celebration to continue in his home on February 2nd, Dia de la Candelaria. Students enjoy learning about traditions from around the world, and next week CCS will set aside International Day to learn some new customs from another cultures. In our classroom this is a common practice all through the school year.

In our North America Unit this week, the focus will be on the Inuit Tribes of the North. Their adaptation to a hostile climate is an interesting study, especially since it will coincide with the science lessons of insulation and Arctic animals. We are erecting a large igloo in the classroom to set the mood for our winter units, so please send any empty plastic milk/water gallon jugs to add to this project. Come by the classroom to see what all the excitement is about!

Spelling words for this week: were, would, could, some, each, teach, beach, eat, treat, road, toad, load.
Reading Rule: CVVC Words…When a word has two vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent.  

Synonyms:         red………...crimson
                           forever…….eternal
                           sleep………hibernate
                         
Blessings,
Mrs. E

Some years my winter unit is not very convincing without a lot of imagination. Migration, hibernation, and insulation experiments require lengthy explanations which are not fully understood when the lowest temperatures don't fall below 60 degrees. With all that in mind, I am very grateful for this wintry spell that we have enjoyed for several weeks now, even though the near freezing temperatures make outdoor visits brief. Thank you, God, for winter!

We welcomed a new student to our class today! Clara has joined the first grade class, and we are so happy to add another girl to our class roster. Welcome, Clara! We are so glad God sent you to Texas.

The January calendar will be sent out asap. We are adjusting the calendar to include a new student to the chore list and show-n-tell schedule.

Spelling words for this week are…want, very, one, new, deep, keep, sleep, pain, rain, train, boat, coat.

SOMETHING NEW!
Synonym List:
      beginning………genesis
      travel……………migrate
      smart……………clever

The synonym quiz at the end of the week will be a matching activity, so spelling is not an issue to learn new synonyms. Please try to use these words in conversation, so that first graders will have an opportunity to "show off" big words in their speech! We will start off with only three synonyms per week and then add more as the semester continues. Every five weeks the students will be assessed on all the synonyms from the previous four weeks.

Happy Winter!
Mrs. E

It is hard to believe that this semester is already coming to a close! The second quarter grading period also ends on Friday making the school year officially half over.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our botany unit in science. Last week we slipped old socks over our shoes to observe how many different kinds of seeds we could collect while running through a field. I will be sending home all of the science journals, so that the activities we have done all semester may be shared with family members; however, please send them right back! We still have a full spring semester of life science and physical science waiting to be recorded in those journals. Most of the science lessons included active student participation…sorting leaves (by margins, shapes, and vein patterns), eating different parts of plants, constructing a human skeleton, experimenting with echolocation, determining what things in the classroom are made of matter, dissecting a seed, dissecting a flower, measuring and predicting, etc. First and Second graders joined to explore science together, and the extra minds really inspire great conversations and questions. (A couple of students are still not convinced that AIR is made of matter! The debate rages on!)

When we return in January, the focus and tempo of our lessons will intensify. This may require a little more help from parents with home lessons, as a few new routines will be introduced. Please be expecting a "First Grade Report for the Spring Semester" to be sent to you by email during the holidays, so everyone will be ready to dive into learning in January.

My prayer is that your family will have a safe and memorable holiday, as we strive to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Over the last few years two films have touched me deeply, and now I watch them both often, especially during the Christmas season. The first is simply called The Nativity Story (www.thenativitystory.com) by New Line Cinema. It depicts the birth of our Lord in a very personal and authentic manner. The second is  The Star of Bethlehem produced by Stephen McEveety. In this presentation, an amateur astronomer uses modern technology (possible because of what we now understand about the precision of planetary motion) to visit the skies of ancient times, and what he finds is breathtaking. These videos were not made with first graders in mind, but I hope your family has an opportunity to watch them, nonetheless. Perhaps you will add them to your Christmas traditions as I have :)

Don't forget to come to the Christmas Class Party on Friday, December 21, if you are able to join us. The starting time for the festivities has been moved to earlier in the morning to include more activities.

I hope to see you all there!

Spelling Words for the Week: boy, two, girl, about, hope, hoped, hoping, smile, smiled, smiling

Spelling Rule: For CVCe words (consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e), the silent e is dropped before adding the suffixes -ed and -ing. Also, the vowels in these CVCe words are usually LONG.

Praying for Connecticut families,
Mrs. E

Hanukkah began at sundown yesterday with its rich traditions that are celebrated world-wide by our Jewish friends. This holiday lasts for eight days, and so this week our class will be learning about several observances (common games and recipes) of this time in the Jewish year, as well as its origin. Christ's earthly life was full of these feasts and holy days, and as we study them further, we can see how He fulfills the expectant spirit surrounding these celebrations. I hope your first grader enjoys learning about Hanukkah this week!

Don't forget to attend the Christmas program on Tuesday, December 11th, at 6:30pm. Vicki Boyd asks for Christmas Sunday attire for this event.

Please help us plan a memorable Christmas party for the first graders. You will be contacted very soon with ways you can be a part of this celebration. Students are preparing a small presentation for anyone who can attend on that day, Friday, December 21st, at 10:30am. Early dismissal at 11:30am follows the party that day. Hope you can join us!

Spelling Words for the Week (Finally!!):
  good, very, want, cute, flute, joke, choke, broke, kite, white

Please don't forget to send a small package of your favorite potpourri to school for a special Christmas project. Thanks!

Blessings,
Mrs. E

Scripture memorized as a child stays with that individual for all his life; whereas, scripture learned as an adult must be reviewed frequently. For this reason the first grade class is learning several passages of the Bible as well as Patriotic Songs during this school year. This month we are learning portions of Luke Chapter 2, the Christmas Passage. We will very soon compile these works of recitation in a Song and Poetry Book for you. I am very certain you will be amazed!

In science we are learning about the SEED this week. Your student will be eating sugar snap peas, edamame, sunflower seeds, and mixed nuts. Don't be surprised if your first grader will be interested in starting a spring garden next year. Dr. Eidson really inspired us with his vegetable garden. We have already started by sprouting pumpkin seeds in the classroom!

This Thursday, December 6th, our class is scheduled to go on a Field Trip to the CAC. Please let me know if you are available to transport students that morning around 10 am.

I am also in need of the following items:
  1- a small bag of your favorite potpourri.
  2- a bag of candy for a project to be done at our Class Christmas Party, Dec 21. An email will go out with a list of specific candies, so you can sign up for one.
  3- volunteers for our class Christmas Party. Please let me know if you are able to attend and help.

Christmas Program is December 11th at 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Mrs. E.