21 April 2012

Dear Parents,

Compound Word Day was a HUGE SUCCESS!  The girls could hardly contain themselves as they recognized and at times were amazed to learn new compound words around us... EVERYWHERE!  We shared our excitement with the school parading to several classrooms and the front office where one student commented, "Mrs. Kirby, I love your out...fit. Get it?"   I think that first grader did!  And I think compound words will remain an identifiable skill for these girls for years to come!

Too our Stone Soup (s), with the stones on the side, were a GREAT HIT!  The girls were amazed at what a little effort from each of us can produce!  This exercise of working together in small steps to produce great things leads us into this week's Salesian Retreat focusing on one of the four little virtues of St Francis de Sales. 

This week the girls will particiapte in a schoolwide retreat focused on one of the little virtues of St Francis de Sales: simplicity, humility, gentleness, and optimism.  In the primary building we will focus on optimism; finding good in all things. 

Our retreat will include a small lesson each day focused on a different example of optimism in our lives.  From the story of Noah to Little Bear and Emily we will look at how trust and faith allow us to see the good in all things made by God.  On Friday we will finish with a rainbow feast, the colors of St Fancis de Sales and St Jane de Chantel.  

This week's spelling words return to a phonetic base.  The vocabulary words come from the stories for the week.  In addition to these word selections for the week, we have begun our chapter book for the month, Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery, just in time for Earth Day.  This book is the third in our Keys for Reading read-a-thon.  Tickets for your daughter were sent home last week for the private and home school game of the Frederick Keys Sunday April 29th @ 2pm.  A parade will take place at 1:30 for all those children who attend.  Hope to see you there!

Again, as we speed into the end of the year, know that your daughter is our primary focus.  Feel free to contact us. 

Many Blessings, 
Mrs. Kurtz 

18 April

Good Afternoon,

We ave started our new Science Unit: Weather.  There are several online resources we use in class.  Below lists the links to several songs useful to this unit.  Parents Beware:  These tunes are rather catchy!

Bill Nye's: Whether the Weather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-muLRSuAw

A Class Favorite.... Poor Uncle Dan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okZBiy_IdBA

Water Cycle, Ain't It Great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw275056JtA&feature=related

Today in the planner, you will find a FREE TICKET to the Frederick Keys game on APRIL 29th @ 2pm.  Information regarding the Keys to Reading Program was sent home last month.  Enjoy the game!

Today we began practicing for May Procession.  Please note the Student Handbook whic outline the dress code for this solemn and holy tradition at Visitation Academy.  The girls must wear a white dress.  It must cover he shoulder.  They must wear white flats.  They must wear white ankle socks or white tights - no flesh colored hose.   Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

Many Blessings, 
Mrs. Kurtz 

16 April 2012

Happy Easter!  I hope you enjoyed a beautiful Holy Day vacation with you and yours. 

Once again I apologize for the failure of the last post.  I appreciate your patience while I continue to look for the root of the problem causing weekly posts not to appear. 

Time is swiftly chasing the end of the year!  As we prepare to close 1st grade and think of emerging as 2nd graders several changes take place post Easter Break. 

First, the girls will begin to receive weekly vocabulary words.  These words are select words targeted for comprehension from both of the weekly reading series stories.  While they will still be assigned weekly spelling words based on a phonetic element, the addition of vocabulary words helps to bridge the gap to larger and more complex reading selections and the strategies necessary to decode them. 

Next, the girls will b asked to compare and contrast two separate stories with greater frequency.  This critical thinking skill is key in their development of strategies to think analytically and discuss from a formative stance.  

This week the weekly stories are 2 versions of a popular folktale commonly called Stone Soup.  The girls are asked to compare and contrast both stories on many levels.  One element asks the girls to compare and contrast the ingredients in the separate versions of soup created in each story.  Another exercise asks the girls to compare and contrast the geography and region of the stories.  While there are many other areas of analogy, these foundational skills of comparing and contrasting elements from a story are vital as we help the girls shape their critical thinking while at the same time increase their creative responses. 

One authentic exercise to highlight the concepts actualized through a Venn Diagram (compare and contrast) is our own versions of the stories.  On Friday of this week, April 20th, we will be creating 2 versions of soup of our own.  Each girl is asked to bring in one vegetable to contribute to her table's soup.  Please send in one vegetable with your daughter on Friday.  If you choose to send in carrots, please only send only one carrot, not a bag.  The same applies for each type of vegetable.  One of the elements this exercise underscores is that when a group works together the effort of each is minimal.  This exercise proves to be a huge crowd pleaser each year!

This week's spelling words appear to be a huge hit already as well!  Compound Words are always fun to explore and in First Grade we take it to the next level. On Friday the girls are asked to wear 25 compound words to school.  They have been secretly plotting already to craft creative ways to surprise and enjoy this task.  

Please allow your daughter to create her own list of words.  We are reviewing and brainstorming various compound words in class each day this week.  Allowing your daughter to create her own list requires her to develop critical creative thinking skills, essential for problem solving of any kind. 

The girls have thought of a toothbrush and a hairband, their fingernails and eyeballs, a basketball and toolbelt.  Today was full of wonder as they stretched their imagination to tackle the problem! Be prepared for some rather unusual uniform requests for Friday!  We're looking forward to the ways in which First Grade will surprise us once again this Friday!

Spring is here and Summer appears to have peaked its head around the corner as well!  Please know that the spring gym uniform is blue logo-ed gym shorts and the blue logo-ed short sleeved t shirt.   Items must be logo-ed to be worn for gym days. 

As always, please feel free to contact me.  I look forward to working with you as we watch your daughter continue to grow. 

Many Blessings, 

Mrs. Kurtz

25 March 2012

I apologize the post from last week does not appear on this page.  I have cleared some space by removing T-2 posts in hopes this will help to avoid the same problem.

We're moving swiftly to the end of First Grade.  It's hard to believe how quickly time flies and how far your daughters have come.

We have begun a facet of reading this trimester involving greater independence.  This weekend the girls took home our latest chapter book Horrible Harry and the Dead Letters, a story with which they are having wild fun!  They have been asked to read the chapter Something Weird, independently.  Please allow your daughter to do so. 

The objective with this level of independent reading is multifold.  First, independent reading forces one to apply with greater frequency the decoding tools, strategies and techniques from class.  This recall both near and far from its learning builds great confidence.  Second, and more importantly is the confidence.  Your daughter will make greater leaps forward when she accomplishes incremental tasks independently.  One recommendation is to offer a quiet space, away from others, and set a timer for 15 minutes.  As the timer goes off, tuck the book away for some time later.  15 minutes is a relatively appropriate time for the girls at this stage in their development and this age.  For those that want more time, I would recommend giving it!  But 15 minutes of uninterrupted practice is a great place to start. 

At this point, perfect reading and complete comprehension is not the primary goal.  Before this can be accomplished your daughter needs to build the confidence and independence to tackle chapter reading by herself.  It's hard for her to do so if she is becoming reliant on continuous help.  While it's more difficult for parents to endure than the child to attempt, giving her the time and space to begin to address the "novel" is key. 

In math you've noted several changes and turns.  While related in a broad construct, the move towards Roman Numerals, reflective of our Lenten pilgrimage through the Stations of the Cross, AND incorporating the inclusion of the nickel and the quarter, is the next progressive step in counting.  Too, shifting the concept of the whole to its fractional pieces, forces the girls to see a problem from the beginning to the end and offers the view from the end to the beginning. This ability to spatially revert problems, both numeric and conceptual, is a key strategy to many types of problem solving. 

Please remember to sign all test papers and return them promptly.  After Easter we will begin to filter home the T-1 and T-2 files.  T-3 tests will be sent home the last day of school. 

In order to ensure accurate assessment accounting, it is important that I have your signature on each test and that each test is returned.  As we move towards final reports each trimester, all assessments are double and cross checked for accuracy.  Your help in making the initial communication, a signed test paper, is greatly appreciated.

While the weather is warming, please note each day's forecast.  Early jaunts to school and specials at times require a sweater or light jacket, regardless of the balmy afternoon predictions.  Please help your daughter to plan appropriately. 

As the weather warms too, more than just the blooms come out from a cold (well maybe not so cold this year) winter's sleep.  Please make certain to completely close snack lids and to send in only sealed juice drinks for lunch.  Ants LOVE the sugars in many of our treats and we want to keep them OUT OF THE ROOM!

Please note the HolyDay break schedule to begin next Wednesday.  

As this last trimester moves to a close, there are several reminders:

Please know our traditional May Procession will take place on the first Friday in May.  A white dress covering the shoulders, white flats, and ankle socks are the required dress for this most reverent of ceremonies.  

Please note the solemn occasion of May Procession.  Further instructions and information regarding the processional path and proper protocol will follow in the coming weeks.  It is our intent and strong desire for the girls to embrace not only the traditions embodied in this event but the solemn nature of our devotion to the Blessed Mother as well. Your cooperation in our efforts is greatly appreciated. 

Many Blessings,

Mrs. Kurtz 

10 March 2012

Today marks the halfway point of our annual Lenten journey.  I hope it has been a reflective pilgrimage for you and yours.

In First Grade, Lent is observed through the natural extension of the world around us.  Just as flowers awaken from a dead sleep and frog eggs spring to life miraculously, so too Lent offers us a time of renewal and awakening.  Coupling our understanding of the world around us as it springs to life with Jesus' resurrection from the dead, offers the girls a tangible and real Easter experience.

The tradition of exploring the Stations of the Cross becomes a venue for the children to connect the sacrifice our God made for us.  We have walked the stations each Wednesday and Friday in our effort to introduce the stations and begin to lay the foundation for later and greater understandings of their importance. 

This Friday March 16th we will make our own pilgrimage to the Grotto in Emmittsburg.  Please make certain to return both the permission slip and the $10 fee by Monday.  

You'll note in the purple test folder numerous scores on each assessment.  By now these have become familiar facets of the weekly progress you daughter is making across the curriculum.  Beginning this week, the first assessments of T-3, individual works will take on weightier and greater significance.  The sentence writing portion of the spelling test this week is one example.  

Three assessment factors were evaluated with this weeks sentence writing portion of the assesment.  You'll note the scores SW x/15 (sentence writing); SA x/5 (Spelling application) and HW x/25 (Handwriting).  Each of these elements utilizes a separate rubric of assessment factors as each area allows your daughter to demonstrate her understanding of the skills.  

The same is true for our Math assessments.  The Saxon math program reinforces weekly the concepts and skills necessary to begin to lay the firm foundation for its own future.  As the girls progress with their writing ability, additional elements of assimilating Language Arts content with Math skills acquisition have been introduced.  The math story is a wonderful translation between the two. 

The same application of writing skills is utilized in Sciecne and Socail Studies.  I feel certain you've heard ALL ABOUT OUR AMAZING SCIECNE investigations of late!  From Habitat projects and presentations to the Sicence Fair and our plant lab as well as FROG LAB!!!  the circle of life can be seen all over First Grade!

A very warm and large THANK YOU to the Counts Family for supplying the class with frog eggs and an aquarium to observe their growth and transformation.  The whole school has come for various observations and to share in the learning.  Thank you Thank you Thank you!

On Monday we will be kicking off a reading program with the Frederick Keys.  The goal is for the girls to read 3 books, independently by the end of Spring Break.  Those who have achieved the goal, independently, will receive a voucher good for a ticket to a game.  The details will be sent home on Monday and the Keys mascot will be on hand during lunches to help jump start the program. 

As a class, our next chapter book, Horrible Harry and the Dead Letters, will begin next week.  This will lead into our understanding of letter writing and the postal service.  We will set up and establish our own classroom post office and spend time each day writing to a classmate.  At the end of each week, post office jobs will be assigned to the girls.  On Friday we will deliver the letters.

Thank you for your generous donation of paper to the class.  We now have a generous supply to last through the end of the year. 

Many Blessings, 

Mrs. Kurtz