Weekly Preview October 3-7

We had another busy week! Johnny Appleseed's birthday was fun and the zoo field trip was fantastic! We couldn't have asked for better weather! It looked like our dads were having as much fun as the children! I took lots of pictures and I hope to have a slide show for you soon.

Here are some important dates in October:
-This is the last week of the first grading period. Report cards will go home October 13.
-We will be out of school Monday, October 10.
-Homecoming Week is October 17-21. We will have early dismissal on Friday, October 21.
-Parent Conference Day is Friday, October 28. Children will not be in school that day. I will let you know more soon.
-Ahna's Angels will sing at Holiday Market at noon on Thursday, October 13. We will not need drivers because we will be riding chartered buses. Boys need LONG khaki pants and a navy shirt. Girls need the blue jumper and white blouse. Anyone who comes to hear our angels will need a ticket to Holiday Market. They can be purchased ahead for $5.00 from any Junior League member, from the Junior League website, or at River Bank and Trust. Tickets are $10.00 at the door. We will have a regular day of school after we sing, but you can stay and shop!

Here is what we'll be working on next week:
Reading -- shortcuts (an, en, in, on, un), adding -ed and -ing endings, possessives, predicting
Language -- animal reports
Math -- subtraction from 10
Science -- solids and liquids (This will be our first FOSS kit of the year. It's a great hands-on program!)
Bible -- Abraham (memory verse Genesis 12:2)

Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy this fall weather!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview September 26-30

We had a fun Fall Festival today! I'm so glad the sun came out! Steamy is better than soggy for a Fall Festival.

We will celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday Monday. Please remember to bring an apple Monday if you didn't bring one today.

Our field trip to the zoo is Friday. We will wear uniforms because it will still be a regular school day. Dads, we would like to leave about 8:40. We will be back in time for lunch in the room around 11:00. Dads will be able to go back to work. We will still do Bible verse and spelling test and other activities that day.

Here is our work for next week:
Reading -- clusters with l, s, and r (ex. sl, bl, tr, gr, sn, fl, cl, dr, tr) and main idea/details
Language -- We will be authors and illustrators for a special project!
Math -- addition strategies to 10
Science -- animals
Bible -- Noah (memory verse Genesis 9:11c)
We have also been working on a monthly theme for September. We have done lots of activities with apples and we will finish this theme this week.

Have a great weekend! Go Wildcats!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview September 19-23

Our reading groups went very smoothly. It was a great first week of groups! We also started our math notebooks this week. We do calendar activities every day, but we have added a notebook to record information. The children are enjoying this excellent learning tool.

In the red folders Monday you will find a form to help us plan for this Friday's Fall Festival and next Friday's zoo field trip. You can also go ahead and put October 13 on the calendar. Ahna's Angels will be singing at noon at the Holiday Market that day.

Here is what we'll be working on next week:
Reading -- short vowel review, story structure
Math -- addition strategies (counting on, using doubles)
Language -- asking sentences
Science -- animals
Bible -- Rules (memory verse Ephesians 6:1-3)

Enjoy our little "cool snap" this weekend!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview September 12-16

We are going to start our small reading group rotations this week! This will be lots of fun for the children and it allows me to work with them on specific skills and reading strategies. They will also have time to work independently and in small peer groups. It looks like a three-ring circus, but it is very effective.

I will be sending home the mid-term progress reports in the red folder Monday. It's hard to believe that we are already halfway to the first report card! It does not need to be signed and returned.

Here are our skills for next week:
Reading -- short u, story structure
Math -- skip counting, graphs, fact families
Language -- telling sentences
Science -- animals
Bible -- Work (memory verse Ephesians 6:1-2)

Have a nice weekend!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview September 5-9

We have a short week next week so I am going to send home next week's spelling words in the blue folders Friday so you can go ahead and get started on them if you have a chance. They are doing FANTASTIC on the spelling words and I think they're excited about knowing how to spell that big, long word!

We will be out for Labor Day Monday. Our Fall Festival is scheduled for Friday afternoon, September 23. Our daddy field trip to the zoo is Friday morning, September 30. I'll send more details later.

Thanks for the great response to the book order! I can gets LOTS of books for our classroom library! I will send it off this weekend and it should be in very soon!

Next week we will be working on:
Reading -- short o, consonants d, w, l, x
Math -- subtraction from 10
Language -- sentences
Science -- animals
Bible -- God Makes Man (memory verse Ephesians 6:2)

Have a wonderful and safe long weekend!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview August 29-September 2

We are settling in to our routines very nicely. Thanks for helping us with homework!

We had our first STAR test this week. I will send the report home Monday in the red folder. The children have library slips that they can use to help them find an appropriate book on their reading level. I used this first STAR test as a springboard to start them off and I will "kick it up a notch" as needed. I want each child to have at least one AR book to read independently, but most of the STAR reports also suggest that the children be read to daily at school and at home. I am reading to them every day and it is still so beneficial for you to model good reading for them at home.

We will have individual pictures made Wednesday. We will be out for the Labor Day holiday on September 5.

Here is what we'll be working on next week:
Reading -- short i, consonants b, r, h, g
Math -- subtraction from 6
Language -- rhyming words
Social Studies -- My School
Bible -- God Makes Animals (memory verse Ephesians 6:1)

Happy weekend!
Mrs. Morrison

Weekly Preview August 22-26

Our first full week of school was very busy! We have now been to all of our specialists. There is one change from the specialist schedule I gave you last week. We will now go to Science Lab on Mondays and we will go to Library on Fridays. We will start this schedule on August 22, so I will make sure the children get to go to the library early in the week so they can get another library book.

We plan to take the STAR test Tuesday. I will send home the report in next week's red folder. We took an AR test together on the laptops this week. The children are wanting to take LOTS of tests, but it is a slow process right now. It will be better after we have the information from the STAR test so each child can choose books on his/her reading level. We will get in our "groove" very soon!

In this week's red folder, you will find a brochure from the library. There is lots of information you can use. I am not going to continue sending hard copies of the AR reports like I did this week. I want to encourage you to sign up for AR Home Connect. The website is www.trinitywildcatroar.pbworks.com. Then click on the Home Connect icon which is a big apple. You will need to use your child's username and password to check test scores and points. I will include this in the folder.

Here is what we will be learning:
Reading -- short e, consonants n, f, p
Math --addition to 8
Language -- following directions
Social Studies -- My School
Bible -- Creation (memory verse Genesis 1:31)
We will also have our first chapel Thursday!

Hope you have a great weekend!
Mrs. Morrison