HAPPY 100TH DAY!

100th Day Hats

• This week in phonics we are focusing on the long a sound using "ai" as in rain, and "ay" as in play. 
• Our High Frequency Words are: about, animal, carry, eight, give, our.
• In reading, we are learning: How animals' bodies help them by reading the folktales A Tail of a Tale and How Bat Got Its Wings. Over the next few weeks, the children will complete their own Animal Reports by reading nonfiction animal books and then recalling facts. 
• In math this week, we will learn to compare numbers using the symbols <  >  =, & find ten more/ten less/1 more/1 less.
• Yoga forms due 2/14 if interested! 
• Disability Awareness Tshirt orders are also due 2/14.

Spirit Day: Football Friday!

• Friday, 2/2, wear your favorite football jersey or team colors to celebrate Super Bowl weekend.
• Continue to work on your Valentine's Day mailboxes at home. Bring mailbox and valentine's to school when complete, or on 2/14.
• Disability Awareness Week starts March 19! Tshirts can be ordered to support the Connecting for Kids Oranization. Order forms due February 14th. 
• Yearbooks for 2017-2018 are for sale for $16 on the Lifetouch website: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob The code for Redwood is 11600718 and orders are due February 23rd.
• Kahalari Night for Redwood is March 1st. Special room rates are available. Please read the flyer that came home  last Tuesday to learn more about this trip.
• This week's HFW: after, buy, done, every, done, soon
•  In reading we focused on the big question: Where does my food come from? We read the stories A Look at Breakfast, From Cows to You, and Where Does Food Come From? The kids used transition words (first, next, then, last) to create a flow chart of how bread, orange juice, or grape jam is made. 
• Our new phonics sounds were /oo/ as in food and /oo/ as in book. We learned when to double a consonant when spelling words with -ed and -ing like: skipped, running, stopped, and swimming.
• In math, we completed Topic 8: Understanding Place Value. The children counted tens and ones, drew longs and cubes to model a number, and identified which numbers were in the ones and tens place. 

Outback Ray & Valentine's Day

• Outback Ray was the highlight of our week, bringing many amazing animals to our school. He shared about their diets, habitats, and other fun facts. Outback Ray let us pet snakes, turtles, chinchillas, a rabbit, a guinea pig, and a gecko.
• In math, we began Topic 8: Understanding Place Value. We practiced grouping objects in sets of ten and having leftovers. Then, we began to learn about the hundreds, tens, and ones place value by exploring flats, longs and cubes.
• In reading, our essential question this week was: How is life different than it was long ago? We explored a variety of stories and texts to learn more about the past. We used a venn diagram to compare and contrast life long ago and today. Finally, the students wrote an opinion piece to share if they would rather live like long ago or today.
• Our High Frequency words next week are: done, soon, every, after, work, buy.
• Yearbooks for 2017-2018 are for sale for $16 on the Lifetouch website: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob The code for Redwood is 11600718 and orders are due February 23rd.
• Kahalari Night for Redwood is March 1st. Special room rates are available. Please read the flyer that came home Tuesday to learn more about this trip.
• Valentines Day Information:
1. Write Out Valentines: On February 14th, the children will be passing out Valentines during our class party. Use the class list below if you’d like to get a head start on writing them. Remember to include everyone!
2. Make A Mailbox: Please use a large shoebox or other box to make a Valentine’s Day mailbox together with your child at home! Spend some quality time together and be creative. Make the opening large enough. In years past, kids have made the lid detachable to open and close, so the child doesn’t have to rip open the box afterwards.
3. Bring Both to School When Completed. Here is a list of names in our class:

Girls	Boys
Maya	Vince
Lyla	Gage
Isla	Mike
Avery	Cooper
Bella	Charlie
Ryder	Thomas
Maddie	Asher
Kaidyn	Nathan
Emma	Will
Eliza	Jack
	Colin

A Snowy Day

• Today in class, we used the story The Snowy Day to guide our fun! We started off by reading about a boy named Peter that wakes up to a lot of snow outside. He goes on a long walk and enjoys playing in the snow in many ways. Then, we mixed up glue and shaving cream to make our own snowy day scene with Peter. We also watched the short movie Snowy Day and compared the movie to the original story.
• Next week's focus in reading is: How is life different than it was long ago? We will read the stories Life At Home, Long Ago and Now,  and From Horse to Plane. 
• We will learn how to use commas when writing dates such as: Saturday, June 6, 2018.
• Our new High Frequency Words are: ago, boy, girl, how, old, people
• In math next week, we will be grouping objects by 10's and 1's, counting up by 1's and 10's on an open number line, and finding missing numbers on a 120 chart. We will quiz topic 7 next week as well. 
• Glow Walk Forms are due back to school by 1/31. The Glow Walk is 1/9 from 7-8:30pm. Please see the yellow flyer that went home last Thursday for more info!

Week of 1/9 & 1/16

• Welcome back from a long, extended break! We are back into the groove of first grade with reading and math!
• In reading this week, we learned the High Frequency Words: upon, once, happy, from, any, so. We focused on learning about folktales by reading The Nice Mitten and The Foolish, Timid Rabbit. 
• We learned the sounds of soft c and soft g. Soft c makes the same sound as "s" like the words: nice, race, and mice. The soft g makes the same sound as "j" like the words: gem, cage, and stage. I introduced the sound of "dge" which also sounds like "j" as in pledge and fudge. We will continue to practice these sounds next week as we explore more folktales. 
• In math, we began Topic 7: Extending the counting sequence. We are exploring the 120's chart and the beginning stages of place value with the tens place and the ones place. Next week, we will group objects by 10's and 1's to help us count faster and to prepare for topic 8: Place Value. 
• No School Friday 1/12 for Teacher In-service, and no School Monday 1/15 for MLK Jr. day.
• Glow Walk Forms are due back to school by 1/31. The Glow Walk is 1/9 from 7-8:30pm. Please see the yellow flyer that went home Thursday.
• Fitness Club begins next Tuesday 1/16 and children may only stay after school to participate if they returned their permission slip.

Field Trip: Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Christmas Party, Polar Express, and Santa!

Winter Break Information

Gummy Bear Graphing

Creating a Tally Chart and Bar Graph with Gummy Bears

• Winter Reading Challenges went home Friday. Have your child choose at least 10 marshmallow activities and complete the task. Cut out the completed paper marshmallows and glue them to the mug on the front. Decorate the mug and return to school by January 3rd for your child to be entered in the challenge. Two random names will be chosen from each grade to have a coco and movie party with Mr. Ebert. 
• Yearbooks for 2017-2018 are for sale for $16 on the Lifetouch website: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob    The code for Redwood is 11600718
• Marco's Pizza Night is Tuesday, December 19th. Order online and remember to choose Kozar so we earn money for our school and win a class pizza party!
• Wednesday, December 20th is Pajama and Polar Express Day! Your child can wear pajamas, slippers, and robes to school! They can bring a small blanket if they wish. We will have indoor recess to stay warm, but I still recommend packing slippers in book bags and wearing tennis shoes to and from school.

Happy Holidays!

Long Vowel Practice

• This week we are focusing on "long vowel a & i" words with silent e, such as plate, name, make, shape, snake, wipe, spike, smile, and shine. We have a special way to mark up these words by slashing the e and writing v-e under the word. Say the long vowel, silent e words out loud and see if your child can write them and mark up the words. 
• Our sight words last week were: away, some, now, today, way, why. This week's words are: green, grow, pretty, should, together, water.
• Our stories this week are Ready, Set, Grow! and Time to Plant! which are plays. Characters in the story read at different times and we will practice switching roles as we read these stories this week. 
• In math, we began Topic 6: Represent and Interpret Data. We will practice collecting data and create tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs. 
• This Wednesday, December 13th at 9:15 AM is our kindergarten & first grade singing concert. Be sure to arrive early to get a great seat! We will be on the far right side of the stage, so I would suggest sitting on the far left of the audience to see us sing. 
• Next Wednesday, December 20th is Pajama and Polar Express Day! Your child can wear pajamas, slippers, and robes to school! They can bring a small blanket if they wish. We will have indoor recess to stay warm, but I still recommend packing slippers in book bags and wearing tennis shoes to and from school.