April 29, 2016
May is shaping up to be our busiest month yet! I know it is a bit lengthy, but this contains a
great deal of important information. Please take a look at what’s coming up in first grade!
Due Friday
-Words Their Way homework page and sort
-Opinion Writing
-Pot of Gold money page
**Due Monday May 2nd: April Reading Calendar
**Due Monday May 2nd: After School Enrichment form if interested
Important May Dates
May 3-6: Book Fair
May 4: PTO Meeting
May 5: Open House
May 10: Seth Paine Night at Culvers
May 12: Author’s Celebration
May 13: Book Orders Due
May 20: Early Release
May 27: Early Release
May: 30: No School- Memorial Day
May 31: May Reading Calendars Due
June 2: Olympics Field Days
June 3: Last Day of School 
After School Enrichment
The flyer for the 1st and 2nd grade after school enrichment went home on Monday (it was a green
page). If you have not filled out the permission slip and would like your child to attend, please
return the form on Monday. I have attached another copy of the flyer/permission slip. It’s free
and after school! Below is a preview of the program:
Find out what really matters. Have FUN as we explore all different types of matter. Discover
bubbling potions for yourself, watch air take up space and even have a contest with carbon
dioxide! Do experiments with chemical and physical changes and make crystals to keep.
Fire Drill
Today we have a surprise Fire Drill. Our class acted a bit silly and chatty while standing outside
and while walking in the hallways to exit the building. Afterwards I talked about the importance
of staying quiet to hear important directions from adults during an emergency, but please
reinforce this with your child at home.
Open House
Seth Paine’s open house is Thursday May 5th 6:30-7:30pm. The first graders are very excited for
you to come so they can show off our room and all their hard work! You can also stop by the
gym to check out the book fair which will be open all night. See you then!
Author’s Celebration
Our Author’s Celebration is fast approaching! The students are hard at work finishing their
1
published books. At the celebration, the students will be sharing their story along with other
writing pieces from the year. You will be amazed at how much they have grown! Light
refreshments will be provided in the form of Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies, lemonade, and water.
If you have not completed the form below indicating your child’s guest, please do so by Friday!
Guest Form Link: http://goo.gl/forms/rP73eqFE2f
Olympics Field Days
The end of the year is near! Attached is a flyer for the end of the year field days. Each year the
PTO puts on an amazing field day celebration. This year it is Olympic themed! If you are
interested in helping out at the Field Days, please complete the attached flyer and return it to
school ASAP.
Reading
Our class has been integrating our science unit of Habitats into our reading. We have spent a
great deal of time utilizing the resource PebbleGo to record facts about different habitats. In
these assignments the students need to read the articles and think about the information being
presented before writing their facts. Next week we will begin our poetry unit.
Writing
In writing our focus has been completing our snake stories. Each student wrote a story about a
snake who earned a medal for their actions; we even stuffed socks and made our own snakes
for inspiration! The students wrote their stories and then edited them with me as I typed their
stories. The kids loved seeing their work in another form on my computer screen. Up next are
the illustrations!
Math
Our class is continuing our work with place value. We are working with multiples of ten and
counting on and off the decades. We are working with addition and subtraction problems of
multiples of ten to encourage the students to count by tens. Next we will be working with two
digit addition and discussing strategies to solve these difficult problems.
Science
The students are currently researching different animals and working on presentations to teach
their peers. Come to the Open House to check out our final project! We have also compared and
contrasted different types of land and water habitats. Our class LOVED the animal visit from
Hands, Paws, and Claws- the animals were incredible! The students observed and interacted with a
rooster, chameleon, snake, chinchilla, bearded dragon, and more. We learned so many interesting
facts about these friendly animals. Check out a few of my favorite photos below: