THIS and THAT

BEAR DAY

Tomorrow is BEAR DAY in first grade at Truman. Your child may bring a bear (that fits in their backpack), a sack lunch/drink, and slippers or flip flops. If they do not have stuffed bear, they may bring another type of animal instead. We are going to have a Teddy Bear Picnic in our classroom at lunch time, and we will be doing many fun and educational bear activities throughout the day.

DUE DATES:

• January Calendar Writing assignment is due tomorrow, 1/28/11. Several children have turned their assignment in, and I have to tell you impressed I am with their writing pieces. I can tell they worked really hard on this!
• Blends Poster is due next Friday, February 4th.
• PRISM Project is due on Friday, February 18th. This is an optional project.

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these assignments.

My thoughts about 3rd Quarter:

With the winter months in full swing (Ugh! Will spring ever get here??) 3rd quarter is probably the most difficult time of year for your first grader at school. We are not able to play outside very much and we get pretty restless. In addition, the curriculum starts becoming more difficult for many students since a lot of new information is introduced second semester. With their increased knowledge comes expectations being raised. Some students become frustrated and tend to "shut down" at times this quarter. I just want to reiterate how important it is for your first grader to continue reading at home each evening, practice their STAR words, practice basic addition facts, and be held accountable for getting their homework finished and turned in on time. More than ever, your kiddo needs a lot of encouragement during this time as they have a tendency to put less effort into school than what they are capable of. THANK YOU very much for your continued support at home. It has been a successful year in first grade so far, and I want your student to continue achieving as they have been all year.