Mrs. Wolsh's Class

May's Here! (WOW!!!!)

It's super crazy to think about the end being here already!  I can't believe those little boys and girls who I met in August are now almost 2nd graders!!!  We've had such an awesome year and I'll miss them all!  Here's what we'll be working until for the next 3 weeks:

Language Arts: reviewing all phonics skills and comprehension skills

Math: review of place value and money counting

Social Studies: folk tales and tall tales, producers and consumers

Science: finishing our study of animals

Important Dates:

May 6: Boosterthon Fun Run - send in those pledges!!!!  We'd also love for you to come out and support Mrs. Wolsh's Hot Chili Peppers as we run our laps!
May 7: Zoo Field Trip!  Students need to wear orange "First Grade Rocks!" t-shirt and good walking shoes.
May 8: All books must be returned to the media center!  This is the last day to earn points for the AR wall.
May 11: Animal Projects due and AR picnic!
May 13: K-2 Field Day!  Bring out that orange first grade t-shirt again!
May 21: End of the Year Party...more details to follow....but it will involve the orange first grade t-shirt for a final time. :)  :)   
May 22: Last Day!!  Good luck in 2nd grade!!

* Happy Birthday to: Matthew (6th) and Leanna! (24th)  Also, happy birthday to all of our summer birthday friends:  June - Austin   July - Amrita and Tessa   August - Kevin

* Congrats to our final Character Ed winner of the year: Genevieve!  The word is "Accomplishment" and I'm so proud of all that she has accomplished this year.  Way to go, Gen!

* Thank you for your support of our Boosterthon Fun Run.  The students are really excited about running on May 6th!

* A ton of thanks goes out to my FANTASTIC room moms: Joyce Quinet and Marta Rutherford.  You ladies have been wonderful to work with and have made my job a thousand times easier.  I really appreciate everything you've done. 

* A huge thanks to everyone else for making this year such a great one.  You all have been a wonderful set of parents to work with and I wish you all the best in 2nd grade!!  Come visit anytime!!

Happy Summer and Keep Reading!!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

Spring Has Sprung!

April's here and we're really getting down to business in our classroom!  It's hard to believe that the end is so close!  Here's a look at what we'll be talking about this month:

Language Arts: more informational writing, reviewing all of our reading comprehension skills, spelling rules and phonics!!!

Math: addition sentences with 3 addends and more review, review, review!!!

Social Studies: folk tales and tall tales

Science: continuing our study of animals - their needs, how they move and their coverings and habitats

Important Dates:

April 6-10: Spring Break!

April 17: Scholastic Book Orders due!

April 21-23: CRCT testing for 1st grade!

April 22: Happy Earth Day!  Go plant a tree!

April 30: Zoo Atlanta Field Trip forms due!

**** Please be reminded that there are no visitors allowed in the building during CRCT testing!!!!!  This includes the days that we will be testing (see above) AND the 24th and 27th as other grade levels will still be testing!!  Thank you so much for your cooperation! ****

CRCT reminders:
1. Please make sure that your child has breakfast before they come to school on testing days.  Brains don't work well when tummies are growling!
2. Students must be here by 8:00 am on testing days, or they will have to sit in the media center until our testing session is done. Please be sure to get your child here on time! :)
3. Stress the importance of trying your best, but not to get too freaked out while testing!

* Happy Birthday to: Evelyn! (22nd)

* Congratulations for our Character Ed winner for the month of March: Brooke!  The word was "Commitment" and Brooke is most definitely committed to doing great first grade work!  Way to go, Brooke!

* As the weather gets warmer, please be sure that your child's clothes are appropriate for playing outside and P.E.!  Thanks!

* We would still love some more snack bin donations!  Thanks to all who have donated thus far - you all are awesome!!

* Keep practicting those CRCT tests online - if you do not have your child's password, PLEASE let me know.  Thanks for all you do!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

Wow!  Who can believe it's already March?  I can't wait for the weather to start warming up!  The 4th nine weeks will be beginning soon (I know, it's amazing!!) and we're chuggin' along here in our room.  Here's a look at some of the things we'll be talking about this month:

Language Arts: r-controlled vowels, prefixes and suffixes, practicing some more on our research skills, reviewing abbreviations, correct usage of quotation marks and more informational writing

Math: measuring using nonstandard units and 2 digit addition and subtraction (without regrouping)

Science: plants and beginning to look at animals

Social Studies: the life and contributions of George Washington Carver

Some important dates:

Mar. 2: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! 

Mar. 3: Early Release!

Mar. 8: Spring Forward!  Set your clocks an hour ahead!

Mar. 9: Book forms due...will be coming home soon!

Mar. 13: Scholastic Book Orders due!

Mar. 17: Leprechaun traps due!  More info on this soon....    

Mar. 19: Report Cards come home!

*Happy Birthday to: John! (21st)

*Congratulations to our Character Ed winner for the month of February: Austin!  We're proud of you, Austin!

*Thank you SO SO much for all of my wonderful gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week!  I have never felt more appreciated!  You all are the best!

*A short wish list: we are in need of band-aids (we really enjoy Spongebob band-aids, but of course, any will be fine...) and snacks for our snack bin!

*Thanks to our room mom Joyce Quinet for the wonderful Valentine's treats and story!  We loved it!

*Please make sure you are practicing the CRCT tests online - let me know if you do not have your child's password!

Watch out for that leprechaun and happy reading!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

We LOVE February!

First of all, I want to say how much I enjoyed sitting down and speaking with all of you at conference week last week.  Isn't it awesome to see how much your child has grown and how far they've come in first grade??  We're moving into February and we have alot of exciting things happening in this super short month!  Here's a look at what we'll be learning:

Language Arts: finishing up "2 vowels go walking," vowel dipthongs, (oy, oi, oo, au, aw) using a dictionary, asking and telling sentences, and informational writing (writing to teach)

Math: continuing work with money (counting collections of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies and collections of bills - $1, $5, $10, $20)

Science: plants - their parts and basic needs

Social Studies: the life and contributions of Teddy Roosevelt and George Washington Carver

Dates to Remember:

Feb. 4th: Early Release!

Feb. 5th: Picture Day - say cheese!

Feb. 12th: Valentine's Day activity...more info to come...

Feb. 16th: No School - President's Day!  Happy Birthday George and Abe!

Feb. 20th: Spaghetti Dinner and Teacher Spelling Bee - come on out and watch Mrs. Wolsh test her spelling skills! :)

Feb. 24th: Six Flags Reading Logs Due!

** Happy Birthday to: Kian (17th) and Brooke (22nd)

** Congrats to our Character Ed winner for the month of January: Zoe!  The word was "resilience" and Zoe really is great at being flexible and "going with the flow."  Well done, Zoe! :)

** Scholastic Book orders are due Feb. 13th!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

We're Halfway There!

Can you believe we're at the halfway point in first grade??  Wow!  Time really flies when you're having fun!

Here are some things we'll be looking at in January:

Language Arts: fact vs. opinion, synonyms, homophones, homonyms, compound Words, contractions, vowel diagraphs, ("two vowels go walking" - ai, ay, oa, ie, ee, ea, ui) correct subject/verb agreement and informational writing

Math: fractions (1/2 and 1/4) and recognizing, counting and using money

Social Studies: the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman

Science: lights and shadows

Some Important Dates to Remember:

January 19: No School - Martin Luther King Day

January 23: Scholastic Book Orders due!

January 26 - 30: Conference Week - Early Release every day

*A HUGE thank you to all of our helpers that made our Holiday Celebration so much fun!  Mrs. Quinet, Ms. Reece, Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Hoople, Mrs. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Fields, Mrs. Seiden and Mr. and Mrs. Burns - THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Another big thanks to the Davis family for their wall plug-in donation - our room smells lovely now! :)

*Please remember to send your child to school with clothing that is appropriate to the weather!

*We are having some issues with toys coming to school.  Please remind your child that unless it is a special treat, or they have something to share that is relevant to what we are learning in school, toys are to remain at home.  Thanks for your help!!

*Happy Birthday to: Zoe, (1st) Jessica (12th) and Sam (22nd)

*Congrats to our Character Ed student for the month of December: Evelyn!  Great job, Evelyn! :)

*PLEASE BE SURE YOU ARE READING EACH NIGHT WITH YOUR CHILD!!!!!!!!  And while you're at it...record it on their reading logs! :)

Stay warm and happy reading!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

It's December!!

The temperature is dropping which means December must be here!!  There will be loads of exciting things happening this month.  Here's a look at what we'll be learning...

Language Arts: inflectional endings, (-ing, -ed) making nouns plural with -s and -es, story elements such as problem and solution, simple vs. compound sentences, working more on fluency (no robots here!) and looking at features of nonfiction texts

Math: 2-D and 3-D shapes and addition and subtraction to 12

Science: magnets

Social Studies: continuing our study of Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea

Some important dates to remember:

Dec. 5th: All Scholastic Book Orders due!  Please let me know if you'd like for me to wrap it up for you!

Dec. 11th: Gingerbread Houses...more info to follow!

Dec. 12th: Field trip to Children's Museum of Atlanta!  More info to follow...

Dec. 18th: Class Winter Celebration...more info to follow!

Dec. 19th: Holiday Sing Along...wear your favorite pajamas!

Dec. 22nd - Jan. 5th: Winter Break!

* Congratulations to our Character Ed student for the month of November: Jessie!  Way to go!! :)

* Thanks to Mrs. Rutherford and Mr. and Mrs. Burns for their help with our Thanksgiving craft!  We appreciate it!

* Please remember to read EVERY night with your child and record it on their reading logs - it really does make a difference! 

* A small wish list: we are in need of snack donations for the snack box and plug-in room fresheners. (any scent from the Bath and Body Works Wallflowers line will do)  Thanks for keeping us well-fed and our room smelling lovely!

Enjoy the season and READ, READ, READ!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

Brrr..it's November!!

Can you believe November's already here??  Things are rolling along nicely in our room and we've got some super exciting things coming up this month!  Here's what we'll be looking at:

Language Arts: long vowels, (magic e and "two vowels go walking") simple and compound sentences, looking at story elements, (characters, setting, problem, solution) a review of consonant blends and diagraphs and narrative writing

Math: fact families, addition and subtraction to 12 and 2-D and 3-D shapes

Science: sound and magnets

Social Studies: Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea

**IMPORTANT DATES!!**

November 4: Student Holiday

November 13: Thanksgiving Play and Lunch

November 20: Thanksgiving Centers

November 24-28: Thanksgiving Holidays

*Please RSVP to our Thanksgiving play by MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10th!!!  We hope to see everyone there!!

*Again, please be sure that your child is wearing clothes that are appropriate for the weather - it's time for jackets and sneakers!!

*Scholastic Book Orders are due on Dec. 5th!

*Congratulations to our September Character Ed Student for the word "Responsibility": Tessa!  Way to go Tessa!! :)

*A HUGE thank you to our wonderful helpers at our fall centers last week: Mrs. Rutherford, Mr. Woods, Ms. Reece, Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Davis, and especially Mrs. Quinet and Kevin's wonderful grandparents!  We had so much fun - you all are the best!! :)

HAPPY READING!!

Gobble, gobble!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

 

 

It's October! (Already!)

Welcome to my favorite time of year!  I love the fall - when the weather begins getting cool and football is in full swing (go Redskins and VA Tech Hokies!! :) )  We're really in gear here in first grade!  Here's what we'll be looking at this month:

Language Arts: consonant diagraphs, (sh, ch, wh, th) consonant blends, (sl, pr, sw, etc.) cause and effect, main ideas and supporting details, complete and incomplete sentences, different types of sentences, (telling vs. asking, simple vs. compound) identifying the plot of a story and looking at features of nonfiction texts

Math: more addition and subtraction strategies, fact families, 2-D and 3-D shapes

Social Studies: the life and contributions of Benjamin Franklin

Science: magnets

Some dates to remember:

*October 10: Field Trip to Fernbank!  Please wear your orange "First Grade Rocks" t-shirt!

*October 15: Early Release

*October 17: Report Cards come home!

*October ???: Fall Celebration here in the classroom!  More details to follow... :)

*Happy Birthday to: Havana (12th) and Genevieve (15th)

*Congratulations to our Character Ed student for the month of September: Kevin!  The word was "Integrity" and Kevin really does deserve it.  Way to go, Kevin! :)

*Scholastic Book Orders are due Friday, Oct. 17th and Reading Logs are due at the end of the month!

*As the weather gets colder, please remember to dress your child appropriately!  Coats and jackets are expected and, sadly enough, flip-flop weather is over.  Thank you!

As always, thank you for evertyhing you do to support our success here in first grade and remember t0  READ READ READ!!!!!!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

September's here!

Things are going swimmingly here in our room and we're really getting the hang of first grade!!  Thanks for all of your help and support - we really appreciate it!

Here's what we'll be learning this month:

Language Arts: nouns, verbs, word families, adjectives,  making story predections, retelling stories, and reviewing more of our letter sounds!

Math: addition to 10 and even and odd

Science: different types of weather

Health: continung talking about germs and how to prevent illness

Some dates to remember:

*Sept. 10th: Picture Day!  Smile!!!

*Sept. 16th: Early Release Day!

*Sept. 17th - 19th: COGAT - look for information coming home....

*Sept. 19th: Scholastic Book Orders due!

* Congrats to our Character Ed student for August: Sam!  The word was "Respect" and Sam is always such a respectful guy!

* If you have not returned the class t-shirt order form, please do so ASAP.  Thanks!!

* Reading logs due on the last day of the month! 

Happy September and Happy Reading!!!!!

Mrs. Wolsh :)

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Welcome to First Grade!!

I'm so excited to be working with all of you this year.  I know it will be a fun and productive year and I am really enjoying getting to know the students. :)  Please use this blog as a reminder of different things we are learning about in our classroom and important dates.  Here is what we're working on this month:

Language Arts: review of Kindergarten skills, beginning, ending and vowel sounds, rhyming words, recognizing high frequency words, (color words, number words, etc.)  I will also be conducting a number of beginning of the year assessments to help me better understand your child's learning needs.

Math: recognizing number words, counting sets to 50, ordering numbers, ordinal numbers, (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) and Calendar math (days of the week, months of the year, etc.)

Social Studies: creating rules and map skills

Science: weather (different types and their correlation with different seasons)

We will spend our first week creating our class rules and establishing our classroom routine. 

Happy Birthday to: Kevin! (5th)

REMINDERS:

1. Please be aware of your child's PE days and send your child to school in sneakers those days!

2. Students are permitted to have water bottles at school.  Sport tops are encouraged as normal tops are easily lost or cause spills.

3. Healthy snacks should be sent everyday.  Please do not send candy or anything of that nature. :)

4. Be sure to check your child's orange Take Home folder every night!!  This is where I will place homework, important announcements and, most importantly, your child's beautiful work!!  Be sure to clean out the right side daily and sign and return anything that may need to be returned on the left side.  Also, be sure to look at their behavior chart and encourage great 1st grade behavior!!  Lastly, READ READ READ!  And, while you're at it...record what you read on the reading log so that your child can earn a special treat at the end of the month. :)

5. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if there is a change in your child's dismissal routine, send me a note in their folder letting me know what the change is.  Thanks!!

6. Homework will come home each Monday and be due each Friday. 

Once again, thanks in advance for all of your help and support this year.  Welcome to 1st grade!!!! :)

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Wolsh )