Little Blue Bulletin 1/12-16

Don't Forget:
• No School on Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Wear red, white and blue on Tuesday to celebrate our new president.
• Bring a small flag to school. You can draw one if you don't have it at home.

What have we done this week:

• In math we finished our number sense unit on adding and subtracting. We will now begin our measurement unit that is part of our thematic Penguin unit.
  
• In language arts, we continued to use our Step Up to Writing program to write about our friends in class. The students are learning about green - topic sentence, yellow - details, and red - examples. We are also adding transition words to our writing. We are gathering the writing samples each week to send home in a nice book at the end of the year. It will be a great way to measure your child's growth.
• We studies Dr. Martin Luther King's life by reading Scholastic News. Students also discussed how we should love each other to make the world a better place.
  
• We also started our thematic Penguin unit. We will be using penguins to practice reading, writing, math, geography, and science.
  
• In science, we continue to study the properties of wood. Question of the week: Will wood sink or float in water?
  

Play Update:
This week we continued practicing our songs. We had practice on the big stage twice. Please remind your child to practice speaking parts and songs at home this weekend.

We are still collecting items list below.

• small camera bags with straps (2)
  
• khaki vests (2)
• paper towel tubes (lots)
  
• wrapping paper and wrapping paper tubes (lots)
  
• round party trays (like sushi platter, veggie tray, large party platter)
• egg cartons
  

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
1/20: Ways to promote peace
1/26: What your mom or dad's career is...

Have a great weekend,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin 1/5-1/9

Happy New Year! We want to say thank you for showering us with gifts and cards before the break. We feel very fortunate to work with such a great community.

Don't Forget:
Monday is class picture day.
If you haven't returned the while envelope, please turn it in on Monday.

What have we done this week:

• In math, we continued learning addition and subtraction by doing hands-on activities. We also made the January calendar and decorated it with snowflakes.
  
• In language arts, we wrote our New Year resolution. The outcome will be put into a podcast and a classbook. We also did summary sentence writing with Scholastic News.
• In science, we learned more about .the properties of wood They each keep a science journal in their binder at school.
  

Play Update:
This week we focused on practicing the songs for our play. They were learning how to be quiet between songs as well as memorizing the lyrics. Parent volunteers met again today to talk about costumes and backdrops. It is going to be very exciting! In order to prepare for the show, we are asking you to collect the following items:

• small camera bags with straps (4)
  
• khaki vests (2)
• paper towel tubes (lots)
  
• wrapping paper and wrapping paper tubes (lots)
  
• round party trays (like sushi platter, veggie tray, large party platter)
• egg cartons
  

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
1/12: How to solve a conflict with a friend
1/20: Ways to promote peace

Have a great weekend,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin: 12/8-12/12

Though the winter break is drawing near, we still have a lot of learning going on. Here is what we've done in class this week.

• In math, we started place value and doubles facts.
  
• In science, we continued our unit "Wood and Paper." Students explored different things around the room that are made of wood. You could go on a wood hunt at home.
  
• In language arts, we had our first Super Kid of the week! The super student will present a poster about himself/herself, and the class will write a expository paragraph each week.
  
• We have been practicing our songs for next week's performance. We hope you can all make it!
  

Mark your calendars:
Peace Performance--December 17 and 18 at 8:15. Please pick one day to attend.

Don't Forget:
To return report card envelopes!

To use the crosswalk when you cross the street. DO NOT walk cross the drive way. It's very dangerous to walk between cars.

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
12/15: Share three signs of winter
1/5: Three hopes for the New Year

Thanks,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin: 12/1-12/5

This week is very packed with learning. Here is what we've done in class this week.

• In math, we finished time and calendar, and will start place value next week. Don't forget to talk about daily events as well as using the calendar we made to reinforce the concepts.
  
• In science, we started a new unit "Wood and Paper." Students were exploring different wood samples and where they come from.
  
• In social studies, we learned about how transportation has changed over time. You can ask your child how people traveled long ago, and maybe they can use it in their sharing next week!
• In language arts, we introduced Super Kid, our step up to writing program. Each week, a student will present a poster about himself/herself, and the class will write a expository paragraph each week. Moreover, we practiced how to write a summary sentence to summarize Scholastic News.
  

Mark your calendars:
Peace Performance--December 17 and 18 at 8:15. Please pick one day to attend.

Don't Forget:
Report cards are going home today. Please review it with your child, and set reasonable goals with him/her. Sign and return the envelope on Monday. You may keep the report card. Thank you.

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
12/8: Show how things have changed in the last 30 years
12/15: Share three signs of winter

Thanks,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin 11/17-21

Happy Thanksgiving

We have been very busy this week. On Monday we went to a field trip to see "Aesop's Fables". On Tuesday we were busy practicing reading and writing. On Wednesday we visited the library and tech lab. On Thursday, we wrapped up our tree unit and went to see the Macaroni play. Finally, we ended the week by making sum turkeys. Wow. What a week!

Please visit our podcasts this weekend. The kids are very excited to share them with you. Use the links on our website.
You can also learn how to make puppets by visiting http://www.jimwestpuppets.com/

Homework:
There will be no homework this coming week. Instead, please take the time to check out the Little Blue website. We added many educational links related to reading, spelling, and math. Each classroom also posted a Thanksgiving podcast. Please make a comment for our class to read. The students enjoy hearing what everyone has to say.


PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
11/24: No sharing - short week
12/01: Special ways your family celebrates the season

Thanks,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin: 11/12-11/14

It was great to see so many K/1 families at the movie this week. We hope you enjoyed our community event. Also, if you haven't returned the bottom portion of the orange traffic flyer, please do so on Monday. We need 100% participation.

Upcoming Events:
Field trip on Monday. We will be going to the Flint Center to see "Aesop's Fables II". The buses will return before lunchtime.

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!

The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing Change!
11/17: Share a special family ritual
11/24: No sharing - short week
12/01: Special ways your family celebrates the season

A family ritual is something that your family does on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis.
For example:
• My family eats dinner together every night.
• My family has game night on Wednesday nights.
• My family goes to Tahoe each December to ski.
Please remember to share one ritual, and add some details about what your family does.
Do not share 3 different events.

BOOK BAGS!!!
First grade parents only!
We know that there has been some mix-ups lately with the book bags. We now have all the books and direction cards in the correct bags. If your child receives a repeat bag, please have your child do a text to self connection instead. To help us, please make sure your child returns the book and activity in the same bag as it was sent in. Thank you.

There will be no homework folders on Fridays due to the book bags.


Review of the week:
Language Arts:
This week we wrote autumn poetry, visited the computer lab, and practiced prompt writing. For a short week, we packed in quite a bit!

Math:
This week we continued to learn about time and calendar. Please take time each day to talk about the calendar and clock. Here is some vocabulary to help lead your discussions.

• days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• yesterday, today, tomorrow
• Months of the year: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec
  
• minute
• hour
• elapsed time (time it takes to do something)
  
• order of events

Science:
In science, we continue our studies of trees. Please go for a walk and use the following words to describe trees.

• bark
• branch
• twig
• leaves
• trunk
  
• deciduous
• conifer
• serrated edges
• needles

Finally, we want to remind everyone that the weather has been unpredictable. Here are a few tips to keep your child (and yourself!) healthy:

• Dress in layers: always have a short sleeve shirt underneath.
  
• Some sweatshirts are hard to take off, leave them at home!
• Wash hands before eating, or after touching your face/nose.
  

Thanks,
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin 11/03-11/07

It has been a very exciting week in our nation and here at Portal. Our classes voted along with the nation.The students learned the importance of voting, and what a privilege it can be to be part of a republic

We also enjoyed seeing all of your 3-D turkey projects. Keep your eyes out for the podcasts that will be posted soon.

We went to an awesome assembly on Monday. We learned about musical instruments from Latin America. The students were able to play, sing, and dance to the Latin beat. On Thursday we took a trip to New York! The Adelie Village shared some Broadway hits in their performance of "Penguins on Broadway".

Upcoming Events:
November 10, 11: No school in observance of Veteran's Day
November 13: Meet your teachers at the Movies: K/1 community event
November 26, 27, 28: No school in observance of Thanksgiving

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!

The Little Blue Village Calendar

Sharing:
11/10: No sharing
11/17: SHARING CHANGE! Share a family ritual
11/20: No sharing
A family ritual is something that your family does on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis. For example: My family eats dinner together every night. or My family has game night on Wednesday nights. or My family goes to Tahoe each December to ski. Please remember to share one ritual, and add some details about what your family does. Do not share 3 different events. We will send home more information in the homework folder next week.

BOOK BAGS!!!
First grade parents only! We know that there has been some mix-ups lately with the book bags. We now have all the books and direction cards in the correct bags. If your child receives a repeat bag, please have your child do a text to self connection instead. To help us, please make sure your child returns the book and activity in the same bag as it was sent in. Thank you.

Extra assignment:
Please visit your teacher's blog. With your parent's help, add your comment. We look forward to hearing from you. Review of the week:

Language Arts:
We continued our new handwriting program--Hand Writing Without Tears. We are practicing making our letters all the same size. Please practice neat writing with homework too! We are continuing to review the following concepts in reading skills. It is helping us prepare for reading and spelling!

• short/long vowel sounds
• beginning letter sounds and blends
  
• sight words
• rhyming words
• recalling facts while reading

We have also started an author study about Leo Lionni. We started by reading Frederick. Frederick is a mouse that would prefer to write poetry. We helped him gather warm thoughts for the winter. We also talking about text to self connections. This is when a part of the story reminds us of something that happened in our own life. Try it with a book you read at home.

Math:
We are started our new strand in math, learning about time and calendar. We feel this is the most valuable and difficult unit that students learn this year. Please take time each day to look at the calendar and talk about time. Here is some vocabulary to help lead your discussions.

• days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
• yesterday, today, tomorrow
• minute
• hour
• order of events
  

Science:
In science we are studying about trees. We are using our observation skills to compare and sort leaves. It's not too late to contribute $2.00 toward our K/1 tree.

Spiritwear:
Show your school spirit each Friday. Remember to buy your Portal t-shirts and sweatshirts. They are on sale through November 14th.

Thanks,
Your Little Blue Teachers