Helen Wade
Dear Parents,
Please find attached today’s learning plan. We will also be sending an individual email to explain our new tracking system. It’s an amazing website/app called Seesaw. Please keep an eye out for your child’s individual login details to be sent by email.
Mrs Every & Mrs Wade
Click on this link to download today’s learning plan: First Grade Home Learning Grid – Week 1 Friday March 20
Click on this link to download Math/Literacy activity sheet: Friday Math Literacy Integration sheet
Another week behind us. Its hard to believe that we are already into the second half of Quarter 3.
Wow, wow, wow! The children have produced such amazing Important Building projects! They have a great understanding of why different buildings are important. Thank you for continuing to support your child with these projects.
In Literacy, we are continuing with our Opinion writing. The children have been fascinated learning about the opinions of the different crayons in “The Day The Crayons Quit”by Drew Dewalt. This week we will be focusing on some grammar work – specifically past, present and future tenses. There will be a spelling test as usual next Friday, March 20.
The kids loved the Toy Museum and did well identifying the different types of motion: straight, circular and back-and-forth. Next week we will continue to investigate how objects can move in different ways and how they may vibrate and produce sound.
We have had fun making clocks in class this week and will now continue to practice telling the time to the hour and half hour using analog and digital clocks over the next 2 weeks. To consolidate our Calendar work, homework this week is an activity on the month of March. Each side is to be completed on a different day. You can ask your children questions such as: How many Mondays in March? What day of the week is March 4th on? etc.
I absolutely loved hearing all about your occupations. Your kids are so proud of you all. For Show and Tell next week, anything starting with ‘D’.
In Bible next week, we are focusing on Caring For Others. We will be doing the Bible story ‘Jesus heals the paralyzed man.’
Please remember its a half day Friday March 20th. Children must be picked up by 12:30pm. There is no after school care on this day.
Hi everyone,
We trust that you all had a wonderful midterm break.
We are now back into the swing of things at school. Thank you for your Fruity Friday contributions.
In Math, we have finished off Fractions. Homework is a fun cut and sort activity to consolidate halves and fourths (quarters). Our next topic is Time, starting with the calendar. Please constantly draw your child’s attention to the time displayed around them. Specifically o’clock, half past, quarter past and quarter to. If your child has an inexpensive wrist watch (digital or analog), please have them wear it to school.
In Science, we are also moving onto a new topic: Force, Motion and Energy. I would like to set up a ‘Toy Motion Museum’ and ask that you please send one toy that can move to school on Monday. Examples include balls, objects with wheels, windup toys. The children will be exploring the motion of the toys in the museum when they are pushed or pulled and then record their observations. (Back-and-Forth Motion, Straight Motion, Circular Motion). Please ensure that all items are labelled with your child’s name.
Science Fair letters have been sent home. Please read through the rubrics and return them to school when you are finished.
In Literacy, we are continuing to edit and improve our Opinion writing. The children have all worked really hard so far to develop their writing and have created a beautiful piece of artwork to go with their “Do you like when it rains?” opinion. These will soon be on display around the school – keep watch! Next week, instead of the usual spelling test, there will be a fluency assessment. Children will bring home the piece to read today. Please help your child to practise reading this fluency, with appropriate volume and expression.
Remember that the Important Buildings Social Studies projects are due in on Thursday 12 March.
In Show and Tell this week, we will be taking a little break from ‘Things starting with…’. I would love the children to tell us about their parents occupations.
One week to go until Mid Term Break!
In Social Studies, we are starting a new topic on ”Important Buildings”. To support this, we are going on a field trip this Thursday, the 20th to the Pedro St James Castle. We will be back by lunchtime. Children must wear school uniform. Please remember to pack your child’s hat, water bottle and a snack to bring with them. The trip costs $5, please hand in to the class teachers before next Thursday.
The children have done well working with Halves and now we are ready to move onto Fourths/ Quarters. Homework booklet is all about Equal Parts and Shapes and is due Friday 21st.
In Science, we did an observation of the Sun’s position in the morning and then in the afternoon. We observed that in the morning, it is in the East and in the afternoon, the West. It looks like the sun has moved, it’s actually the Earth that is moving. Next week, we look specifically at the functions of the Sun. We will be doing an experiment, using a thermometer, to measure and compare the temperature of land, air and water in the sun and in the shade.
In Literacy, we are continuing our Opinion writing and learning how to give a reason for our opinions. We are having a big focus on developing comprehension skills this quarter. Homework this week is a short comprehension task. Children must read the short story about ”Smart Alec” and answer the questions. Please return by Friday Feb 21st. New spelling words have also been sent home for a test next Friday.
For Show and Tell, please bring anything starting with ‘B’ and assist your child in preparing what to say about their item. Describe it, what are it’s uses…etc.
Have a great weekend!
The weeks are flying by!
The kids have done very well completing growing and repeating patterns. We had some fun with hidden mystery patterns. Next week we continue in Fractions- specifically halves.
In Science, we will continue learning about the Earths relationship with the Sun. We will be doing a little experiment observing the length of our shadows throughout the day, i.e. our shadow is the shortest at noon because the sun is above us.
For Show and Tell, please bring something starting with ‘A’.
In Literacy, we are starting a new topic on Opinion Writing. Children will be learning that people can have different opinions on the same matter, how to state their opinion clearly and give reasons for it. Have you tried logging in to your child’s Reading Eggs account? A letter was sent home last week with their login details. It is a great resource for online reading. The school has been given a free trial, please let us know what you think of it.
Oh oh oh LOVE is in the air!!! Valentines Day is on Friday and the kids have dress down day. Try to have them dress in Valentines Day colors. Also, remember that you are invited to join them for lunch in the gym on that day. Please pre-order your food from the school office.
Wow! What a week! We certainly have so much to give thanks for.
Sports Day was a huge success. Well done to all our little athletes and a big thank you to all the parents who were there to help.
Due to the shorter week we have just had, we will do the same memory verse next week. (Ps 84v11) They only need to memorize and recite ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord God bestows favor and honor.’
Just a reminder that Friday the 7th will be a half day. Please pick your child up between 12.00-12.30 from the Dorms.
We need to do a little catch up in Math, so next week we will finish off patterns and then start Fractions (halves and fourths). Homework is a practice sheet of patterns. There are a couple fun songs on Youtube for Patterns. Here is one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBjjxSx45-Q&t=21s Also, don’t blame me if your children come home singing ‘Banana Banana Meatball!’ hahaha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ9q4U2P3ig&t=23s
In Science we will be moving into our new topic Earth and Sun. Lots of exciting investigations ahead.
In Literacy, we are reminding ourselves of some grammar skills and reviewing phonics so far. We will also be focusing on our speaking and listening in the children’s individual presentations to the teacher about their Social Studies project about weather and the seasons. There is no spelling test, instead we will be doing a Reading Test on Friday. Please ensure the test sheets are sent back to school on Friday so we can use them to grade the children. There is no other Literacy homework apart from Reading your book over the weekend. On Monday, there will be a letter coming home about an online reading program that the school is trialing for the next 30 days. It is called ”Reading Eggs” and each child will have their own login. We are looking forward to your feedback on this new system.
Show & Tell – we will continue with our guessing game. Children do not need to bring anything for this. They will describe a person, place or thing for the rest of the class to guess.
Have a great weekend!
Yippppeeeee! Its time for a long weekend!
We are now going into our final week of Weather and Seasonal Change in Science. We will be ending with a fun experiment that explores how special animal coverings can keep them warm in winter. Here are 2 video clips:
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/blubber-gloves/
We had fun sorting and classifying this week. The children enjoyed the practical activities very much. Sorting Homework has been sent home. Next week we will be moving onto Patterns.
Tip: I have discovered the website ABCya (https://www.abcya.com/) Paige and Emma find it fun and the learning opportunities are great for Math. The children use this website regularly to practise their Literacy and Math skills, and to have fun!
Show and Tell: We have now finished with sharing of photographs. I would like to try something different next week. A guessing game. Please help your child choose a person, place or thing. They are to describe it, without naming it, so that the class can listen carefully and then guess who or what it is. For example, Paige could describe her sister Emma or her favorite fruit.
Literacy: we have now finished with our Narrative Writing. Next week we will be revising some grammar and phonics skills we have learnt this quarter. For the spelling test this week, children need to revise all 20 words that they have had in the past 2 weeks. On Friday, they will be tested on 10 of these words.
Friday is Sports Day. Children need to wear a blue tshirt and normal PE shorts and trainers. They must have their hat, water bottle and a snack to take with them. We will be leaving school at 08:15. Please make sure you are on time. All children need to pay $3 towards the cost of the transport and facilities for the day.
Hi Moms and Dads,
I am busy doing homework with Paige now, and thought it might help you to send answers for 2 of the story sums. (See attached) The children have been doing each of these steps in class but I have assisted throughout the process. Story Sums / Word Problems are challenging. We will be practicing this topic throughout the year.
Kind Regards,
Mrs. J Every
GRADE 1 – NUMERACY AND SCIENCE
Hi parents,
We hope that you have had a good week.
The children have worked very hard in our topic Story Sums this past week. I am so proud of them. We are going to be revisiting Story Sums throughout the year to get as much practice as possible. I have sent home a Story Sum practice sheet for homework. Our new topic for next week is ‘Sorting and Classifying’. I have prepared fun zip lock bags of various items for them to sort and then give reasons for their groupings.
In Science, we will be doing thermometer readings.
In Literacy, this week we have been focusing on the story of Cinderella, the characters, the setting and the plot. Next week, we will be doing our final Narrative planning and writing assessment piece based on Cinderella. This is an in-class writing session that will go towards their Quarterly grade. Remember to practise spellings from the Spelling Menu for Friday’s test. Homework this week is to read a story setting, guess which story it is from and draw it. Please return the sheet by Friday.
Social Studies Project – there will be an information sheet coming home with details about a Social Studies Project for the children to consolidate and show their knowledge of the weather and seasonal changes. This is due by January 29th. Please ensure that your child complete the project on their own.
Please remember that Friday 24th is a half day. Children are to be collected between 12:00 and 12:30 from the Dorms.
Sports Day has been scheduled for January 31st. Grade 1 need to wear a blue t-shirt and normal PE shorts/trainers. Please see the email from Coach Kring for more details, the cost is $3 per child to be paid by Monday January 27, 2020.
We are now back into the swing of things and your children have settled back into their normal routine.
Homework will now be sent altogether on a Friday to be returned by the following Friday.
Bible Verse: Please note that next week’s verse (Exodus 15:2a), should read: “The LORD is my strength and my song. He has given me victory.” Thank you for your support in helping your children to learn their weekly Bible verses. These do make up 40% of their overall Bible grade. Each Quarter, we also award a certificate to those children who have learnt every verse that Quarter.
In Literacy, we are changing our spellings routine. Children will now receive a ‘Spelling Menu’. They can choose different ways of practising their spellings, whichever way suits them. The words will be based on the Grade 1 High Frequency Words that all children are required to learn to read and write by the end of the year. We will also be practising these words daily during Phonics lessons. New spellings will be sent home on Fridays with the homework. Every three weeks, the children will be tested on a mix of words already learnt to see if they have retained the words:
Week 1 – HFW list 1
Week 2 – HFW list 2
Week 3 – a mix of words from list 1 & 2, no more than 10 spellings.
Literacy homework – there are 2 double-sided sheets this week. One is a Phonics sheet on the short /e/ sound and the other is grammar sheet using punctuation correctly. Please return by Friday January 17. Reading books are due back on Thursday ready to be changed for next weekend.
In Math we will be doing Word Problems. Homework booklet due by Friday January 17th.
Our next Show and Tell will be showing and sharing about a special photograph.
In Science we will be looking more closely at seasonal changes in animals which include hibernation and migration, resulting in changes in habitat. Here are 2 videos you can show your kids at home: