Dear Parents,

I hope you had a wonderful Easter Holiday. We will be working hard this week as a class to polish our skills and prepare for end-of-year testing. Here are some important ways to support first graders for testing: encourage them to do their best, ensure they get plenty of sleep, have a good breakfast, and remind them to show us what they know. Permission slip for testing treats.

Important Dates:

• April 28th-May 2nd: End of Year Testing
• May 21st: Nature in-house field trip from 8:45-9:30 (Volunteers needed)
• May 28th: Field Day from 9:45-10:45 (Volunteers needed)
• May 30th: Last day of school (Early out all week from the 26th-30th)

Thank you so much for all your help and for working with your kiddos!

Best regards,
Ms. Strain

Tips for Parents to Help Children Prepare for Testing

1. Encourage a Positive Attitude: Remind your child that testing is an opportunity to show what they know. Encourage them to stay positive and do their best.
2. Establish a Routine: Create a consistent daily schedule that includes time for study, play, and relaxation. A routine helps children feel more secure and prepared.
3. Ensure Adequate Sleep: Make sure your child gets plenty of rest each night, especially leading up to test days. Aim for 9-11 hours of sleep for optimal performance.
4. Healthy Eating: Provide nutritious meals and snacks, particularly a balanced breakfast on test days. Foods rich in protein and whole grains can help maintain energy levels.
5. Practice Test-Taking Skills: Familiarize your child with the types of questions they may encounter. Use practice tests or sample questions to build confidence and reduce anxiety.
6. Talk About the Test: Have open discussions about the testing process. Address any concerns your child may have and reassure them that it’s okay to feel nervous.
7. Limit Screen Time: Encourage breaks from screens, especially close to test days. Instead, engage in activities that promote relaxation and focus, such as reading or puzzles.
8. Stay Calm and Supportive: Your attitude towards testing can influence your child. Stay calm and provide encouragement, reminding them that you believe in their abilities.
9. Teach Relaxation Techniques: Show your child simple breathing exercises or mindfulness practices to help them manage stress and anxiety before and during the test.
10. Celebrate Efforts: After the tests, celebrate your child’s hard work and effort, regardless of the outcomes. This reinforces a growth mindset and the importance of trying their best.

By following these tips, parents can help create a supportive environment that fosters confidence and readiness for testing.

Dear Parents,

Spring is in full swing, and we have exciting things happening in the next few weeks. Please help your student remember that toys and trinkets need to stay at home unless they have a show and tell certificate.

On Wednesday, April 16th, we will have baby goats visiting! The week of April 28th marks the beginning of end-of-year testing. Additionally, please note that on May 21st, we have a Nature Center on-site field trip, and May 28th is Field Day.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child prepare for end-of-year testing by encouraging them to read and work on math skills.

Best regards,
Ms. Strain

Kids Read Now Please help your child choose their books for the summer. Thanks! Ms. Strain

Dear Parents,

Mrs. Woodrow is going to bring in baby goats next Wednesday afternoon and is gong to let them visit the class.   Please fill out the google form for permission for your child to touch the goats.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_LeqIwpMMdWNDoDo0c9b5lSuMCgqvg1YamP2JUy3hrHU33w/viewform?usp=headerThanks! 

Ms. Strain

Dear Families,
I hope you all had a fabulous Spring Break! As we jump back into school, I want to remind you that end-of-year testing is approaching. Acadience testing will take place from April 28th to May 2nd. This gives the kiddos three full weeks to practice and maintain the skills we have learned throughout the school year.
In math, students will be tested on AQD, MNF and Computation. In ELA, they will be tested on WWR, Accuracy, Fluency, and Retelling. If you would like to know where your child currently stands in any of these areas based on their progress monitor, please send me an email, and I can let you know.

Helpful ideas to help practice:
Nonsense Word Fluency – Correct Letter Sounds (NWF-CLS) and Whole Words Read (NWF-WWR): The goal is to have students blend and read real as well as nonsense words.Here are activities to help your child with nonsense word fluency:1. Download the “Blending Board” app for your child.2. Flash Cards: Create 2 sets of consonant flash cards, alphabet without the vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Make another set of cards in a different color with the vowels on them. Place the first consonant set on the left, the vowels in the middle, and the second consonant set on the left. Flip one card at a time and have your child blend the 3 sounds.

AccuracyTry these activities to help increase reading accuracy:1. Echo Reading: Read a sentence or page, and then have your child read the same section back to you. This models accurate reading.2. Tapping: Have your child read a book or passage. If they make a mistake, tap your finger on the table, this will notify your child they made a mistake and they will go back and fix it. Make sure they go back to the beginning of the sentence to reread.

FluencyEncourage reading fluency with these activities:1. Repeated Reading: Have your child read the same short passage or book multiple times until they can read it smoothly and confidently.2. DYAD reading: Select a book that may be a little difficult for your child. Read in unison for 10 to 15 minutes.3. Have your child read out loud to you for at least 10 minutes of their reading time.

Retell To improve retelling skills, consider these activities:1. Story Mapping: After reading, have your child draw or write about the main parts of the story (beginning, middle, and end).2. Who, What, Where, When, Why: Ask your child these questions after reading to help them remember and retell key story details.3. Have your child ask you questions about the story/passage they read.
Advanced Quantitative Discrimination (AQD):Here are activities to help your child with Advanced Quantitative Discrimination:1. Number Models: Write a number down and ask your child to create a model using 10’s and 1’s. (e.g. III …. Would be 34. When they get good at this, you create 2 models and ask them to determine which model is bigger.)2. Comparing Large Numbers: Write pairs of two-digit numbers on paper, and ask your child which number is larger or smaller.3. More or Less Game: Using a deck of cards (remove face cards), draw two cards and ask your child which has the higher value. This helps with understanding and comparing quantities. You can make this harder by flipping two cards to create a double digit number, to compare to 2 other cards. Aces count as 1)

Missing Number Fluency (MNF):Try these activities to help your child with Missing Number Fluency:1. Fill in the Blank: Write a sequence of numbers with a missing number (e.g., 4, __, 6), and ask your child to fill in the blank.2. Pattern Recognition: Create simple patterns of numbers with missing elements (e.g., 10, 12, __, 16) and ask your child to identify the missing number. Do this with 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. 3. Using the Hundreds Chart, cover a number and ask your child to determine what the covered number is.
Computation 1 (First Grade Level) through Computation 3 (Third Grade Level):Play iReady learning games (get QR code from your child’s teacher)

Additionally, we have the Nature Center coming for a field trip on May 21st from 8:30 to 9:45 AM, and we will need some volunteers to help move tables outside and monitor groups of students during the presentation. If you are interested in helping, please let me know, and I will get you signed up.
We will also need volunteers for Field Day on May 28th. I will inform you of the time as soon as I find out.
The kiddos are doing great and working very hard. Let’s keep their determination high so they can achieve their best!
Thank you for your support! Ms. Strain

Dear Families,

As we get ready for the last week before Spring break, I wanted to share some important information:

• March 28th: Spring pictures and a free dress down day.
• March 31st – April 6th: Spring break, no school.

I will also be offering math tutoring on Tuesday, March 25th and Thursday, March 27th from 8:05 to 8:25 AM.

Please encourage your child to continue reading over the break and to practice addition and subtraction within 20, as well as 2-digit addition up to 100.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Ms. Strain

Dear Parents,

March is cruising on by! We have St. Patrick’s Day on Monday, March 17th. Students are welcome to wear St. Patrick’s Day shirts with uniform pants.

We have just two weeks of school until Spring Break, which will be from March 31st to April 4th. We are working hard on mastering our math and reading skills, so please continue to support your students at home. Reading, reading, reading will make all the difference in mastering these skills! Additionally, please work on building and reading CVC words, including nonsense words.

In math, we have been focusing on two-digit addition and regrouping to make a new ten. It would be helpful to practice this skill, as well as identifying which number is greater and working on missing number fluency. If you have any questions about these skills or if your child is struggling, please feel free to reach out.

Don’t forget that Spring pictures will be on March 28th, and it will be a free dress-down day.

Thank you for your continued support!

Ms. Strain

Dear Families,
I hope this message finds you well. I want to inform you that spring pictures will be taken during school on Friday, March 28. Students will have the opportunity to dress down for these photos while still adhering to dress code standards (e.g., no bare shoulders or midriffs, no offensive language or logos, and no open-toe or open-heel footwear).
Please note that photos are optional, and we kindly ask you to answer the questions below to indicate your preference for your student. Only students who have pre-ordered photos will be photographed. Orders are due by March 27, and please keep in mind that there will not be a retake day for these photos.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Lifetouch will photograph only those students who have prepaid for photos, so we would appreciate it if parents could fill out the form beforehand.
Best regards. Ms. Strain.

Please use the link to fill out google form

Dear Family,

Thank you for your continued support! I wanted to share some important upcoming events and learning focuses for our class.

The Mother/Son Ball is scheduled for March 14th at 6:00 PM. During this time, we will focus on some of the hardest phonics patterns of the year, including r-controlled vowels: er, ir, ur, or, ar, oar, and ore. Please help your child reinforce these phonics patterns and sounds at home.

Additionally, we will be reviewing Unit 5 in math, which covers tens and ones, place value, and double-digit addition. This has been a challenging unit, so any assistance and review you can provide would be greatly appreciated. We will move on to shape and measurement next but will continue to practice Unit 5 skills. If you see practice pages in your student’s take-home folder, please help them work on these skills to find success. I will also be starting tutoring before and after school to help those students who need assistance.

Please note that Spring pictures will be on March 28th, and it will be a free dress day. Dollar Dress Day is on March 21st.

Thank you!

Ms, Strain

Dear Parents,

We have a busy month of March coming up. The Daddy/Daughter Ball is on March 7th at 6:00 PM, and the Mother/Son Ball is on March 14th at 6:00 PM. We will tackle some of the hardest phonics patterns of the year, starting with the r-controlled vowels: er, ie, ur, or, and ar. Please help your child reinforce these phonics patterns and sounds.

Additionally, we will be doing a unit review of Unit 5 in math, which covers tens and ones, place value, and double-digit addition. This has been a challenging unit, so any assistance and review you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Spring pictures will be on March 28th, and it will be a free dress day. Dollar Dress Day is on March 21st. Finally, we will have Spring Break from March 31st to April 4th.

Thank you so much for your support!

Ms. Strain

Math Unit 5 Review