Fall Conferences

Mrs. Reis’s Fall Conference Schedule

Thursday, November 10, 2011

4:00 p.m.          Isabella H.                       
4:12 p.m.           Lilly B.
4:24 p.m.           Madison B.                      
4:36 p.m.           Kendra P.
4:48 p.m.           Nico B.           
5:00 p.m.         
5:12 p.m.           Brooke B.
5:24 p.m.           Mason B.
5:36 p.m.           Molly R.
5:48 p.m.           Jessica T.
6:00 p.m.          Winter W.
6:12 p.m.           John R.
6:24 p.m.           Katie W.
6:36 p.m.           Aidan B.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

4:00 p.m.                                 
4:12 p.m.          
4:24 p.m.                          
4:36 p.m.           Zach K.
4:48 p.m.           Alexis H.
5:00 p.m.          Caleb E.
5:12 p.m.           Blake P.
5:24 p.m.           Aiden G.
5:36 p.m.           Alicyn F.
5:48 p.m.           Eva G.
6:00 p.m.          Kylie S.
6:12 p.m.           Bryce P.
6:24 p.m.           John K.
6:36 p.m.           Ethan T.
6:48 p.m.           Brady K.

Please email me if you cannot make your scheduled time!  Thanks, Mrs. Reis :)

Turkey Family Project

Family Turkey Project

Dear Families,

Please work with your child and make a turkey to present to the class any way you desire.  Use anything you have around the house to make the turkey!

Discuss what materials might be suitable to use to make your turkey, decide how to attach materials, etc.  Talk with your child about this project and work together to create it.

Please send the turkey to school with your child by Wednesday, November 16^th!

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (16^th, 17^th, 18^th) each child will have a chance to show the class their turkey and tell them…

1.   What materials were used?

2.   Who helped them?

3.   How they made the turkey?

4.   What is their favorite part of their turkey?

This is an exciting project for the children.  I am looking forward to seeing some “VERY FINE TURKEYS”!

Have some family fun with this one…anything goes! J

Thanks,  Mrs. Reis

November Family Project Rubric

Below is the rubric I will use to grade your child on his or her

Turkey Project

Child’s name: __________________________

1.    _____ I told the class what materials were used?

    2.   _____  I told the class who helped them?

3.   _____ I told the class how my family and I made the turkey?

4.   _____  I explained my favorite part of the turkey.

 

5.    _____ I looked at the audience when I was speaking.

6.   _____  I spoke clearly and slowly.

____/6

Comments: ________________________________________________

Halloween Party & Parade

Our classroom Halloween party will take place on Monday, October 31^st from 10:30-11:30am in our classroom.  We will allow the children time to get their costumes on before the party begins.  If your child’s costume requires make-up, it must be done at homeJ  Please make sure every part of your child’s costume is clearly labeled and fits in a bag.  Also, please do not send in any weapons (swords, batons, guns, etc.) and please make sure your child’s costume is school appropriate.   We will have a variety of activities for the children to complete during the party.  All parents are welcome to attend, but please leave all siblings at home due to lack of space in our classroom.  If you are willing to donate any of the food or craft items below for the party, please email me and let me knowJ The school-wide Halloween parade is taking place at 2:00pm.  Please meet in the gymnasium or the bus-loading area to view the parade! Thanks for all your help and support!

Items Needed:

28 mini pumpkins (gourds)
30 Halloween-shaped unfrosted sugar cookies
3 containers of vanilla frosting
3 containers of sprinkles (Halloween colors)
30 plastic gloves
10 bags of popped popcorn
1 large bag of candy corn
Halloween plates and napkins (30 count)

Thanks so much for everything you do for your child (and to make my job easier!) You are appreciated more than you know:)

Mrs. Reis

 

Hurricane Hustle

Hutchings Hurricane Hustle

Our annual Hurricane Hustle is right around the corner.  The last day to turn in donations collected is Wednesday, October 26th!  Please encourage your child to try their best to get people to sponsor their walk.  The whole school will be walking to Latson Rd and back starting at 2:00pm on Wednesday, October 26th weather permitting.  Please remember to send your child to school wearing appropriate tennis shoes to walk in and dressed for the weather.  The money raised goes directly back into our school and classrooms for the children:)  Thanks ahead of time for all your support!

Mrs. Reis:)

Monster of the Week

Monster of the Week Activities

 

 

You will be notified when it is your child's week to be our "Monster of the Week." Please help them prepare so they can participate in and present each activity to the class on thier chosen week of school!

Monday: Pictures and Sheet

An area in our room is designated and available to hang about five pictures (snapshots) of your child. It's really nice to see a baby picture, one of the family, pets, house, a sport, holidays and pictures of different ages. Please do not send in more than five pictures and please keep photo albums at home as space is limited and we wouldn't want any damage to come to valuable family keepsakes. They will be pinned to our board and returned to you either Friday or the following Monday. Please be sure to fill out the "Monster of the Week" sheet as we will have fun going over that also!

Tuesday: Favorite Book

We will take time to read your child's favorite book to the class on this day! Please be sure to write your name in the book in case it gets mixed up with our other classroom books.

Wednesday:  Personal Letter

You will have the opportunity to write a letter about your child for the teacher to read to the class.  Tell us something fun or interesting about your child that they will not care about being shared with the class.  This is meant to make your child feel special inside:)

Thursday: Recipe for Favorite Food

The class will listen as your child tells them how to make his/her favorite food. Please write down the steps in which they THINK the food is prepared:) They will read these steps to the class and we will collect the recipes to make a class book!

Friday: Read Class Book

Throughout the week the class will be drawing a picture of our monster of the week and writing something they have learned about him/her. We will make a book for your child. On Friday, we will read the book and then send it home for your MONSTER to keep!

Oral Language Activities

Below are the oral language activities that the students will be participating in on a weekly basis this school year:) Your child will receive a paper notice when it is their turn to participate in oral language for that week. Each student will have the opportunity to participate in each job during the school year. Please help your child prepare at home so they are ready to share with their classmates on their designated day! Thank you for all of your support....as always, please feel free to email me with any questions you might have:)

Mrs. Reis  :)
reiss@howellschools.com


Oral Language Activities

Tuesday: "Just A Minute" reporter...Please help me prepare to talk to the class for one minute on something I know a lot about. I can bring things to show!

Wednesday: "News Reporter"...Please help me find and article, picture or advertisement in the newspaper that I can report on to my group!

Thursday: "Weather Forecaster"...Please help me prepare for this so I can present the day's weather to my class!

Friday: "Joke or Poem"...Please help me find a joke or a poem and prepare to present it to the class!

Mystery Reader

We are in need of some mystery readers:) 

You are invited to surprise our class by being a “Mystery Reader”! Mystery Readers can be parents, older siblings, relatives or special friends. Mystery Readers will visit us on Fridays at 12:45pm.


Mystery Readers are asked to bring a favorite story to read. If you can't decide, I can recommend some terrific books! Just let me know what topics interest you. So, check your calendar and find a Friday at 12:45 that works for you. The schedule will fill up fast so please give me your top two choices for dates. I will do my best to accommodate you.

Sign ups can be done via email at reiss@howellschools.com or by sending your choices to school in a “top secret” envelope. I will get back to you to confirm your official Mystery Reader date and time.

A week before your mystery visit I will send you a reminder email. You will then be asked to email me 5 clues about yourself. These clues will help students solve the mystery of who will be reading to the class. You should start with a hard clue and end with an easy clue. It is so much fun to see children’s faces light up when they have figured out that their family member is the mystery reader.

Remember, you are a mystery to the class. Try not to tell your child when you will be coming. Email me or drop me a “secret” note if you have any questions. I hope you'll be part of our Mystery Reader program!


Happy Reading!
Mrs. Reis


Here is an example of clues…

1. I like chocolate
2. I have two dogs
3. I love to run
4. I coach girls’ basketball
5. I love to go four-wheeling at my cottage in Lewiston, Michigan

• Please be sure to fill out the proper paperwork in the office. All mystery readers must have their volunteer forms turned in at least one week before their scheduled date (even Grandma’s and Grandpa’s).



Daily Five - Listen to Reading Headphones Wanted

Dear Parents,
We are proud to inform you that this school year all first graders will be actively reading and writing each day using a researched based strategies that foster literacy independence in the elementary grades. This program is called THE DAILY FIVE. During this enrichment time the children will be reading to themselves, working on writing, reading to a buddy, working with words and listening to reading. These five components make up the Daily Five. Each one is as important as the other. One of the five is listen to reading. During this time the children listen to books on tape. This helps strengthen their reading by allowing them to look at words as they are read to them. This strategy also develops language fluency. The children are able to hear how good readers sound.

Because all of the classes will be working on the Daily Five we will have to share the headphones. We have two class sets of headphones, so two classes will be passing them back and forth.

Due to health issues such as head lice; we know many parents who are uncomfortable with the idea of so many children sharing the headphones. We will make sure we clean the headphones after every use, but if you would like to send in headphones from home in a large Ziploc baggie with your child’s name on them feel free; HOWEVER… The tape players are very old so you would also need to purchase an adaptor for your child. The adaptors are $3.99. There is a picture of the adaptor below. If you are able to find it in a store; please feel free to buy it there or we will be happy to order one for you. Please send check or money to school with your child for $3.99 plus tax. If we get enough orders (50 or more) the price will be $2.99 plus tax. We will let you know if this happens!

Please let us know if you have any questions. We will need the headphones and adaptor money by September 30th.
Thank you!

Sincerely,
First Grade Team

6.3mm (1/4") Stereo Male to 3.5mm (1/8") Stereo Female Adapter Headphone Jack
Adapts 3.5mm stereo jack to 6.3mm (1/4in) plug.
Ideal when you need to convert 3.5mm stereo headphones for use in 6.3mm (1/4in) stereo jack.

* Connectors: 3.5mm Stereo Female to 6.3mm (1/4in) Stereo Male
* Adapts a 3.5mm (1/8") stereo plug to 6.3mm (1/4in) stereo plug
SKU: A40639

Special Schedule

Special Schedule

Our specials are from 12:40-1:35pm Monday through Thursday and 1:35-2:30pm on Fridays!
Monday: Technology
Tuesday: Gym
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Art 1
Friday: Alternating Special

September News

A big thank you to everyone who came to Open House last Thursday....it was so nice to meet many of you as we start a wonderful year together:) Don't forget to send back all the wonderful forms that I need to get the school year started...email me if you have questions about which ones I still might need from you:)

I wanted to update you on our curriculum and things we have been working on in the classroom, so be sure to ask your child about these things:

Reading: I will be testing the children soon on their reading levels.  I will let you know where your child is at and if I feel the need, meet with you to discuss this level.  We will be starting reading groups in October when your child will be bringing home a reading book every night!  We started the Daily 5 and have learned how to "Read To Self" as well as pick good fit books, choose a good spot and build our stamina.  Please ask your child about these things:)

Writing: Please be sure to send in 5-7 pictures of your child. These pictures can be of them growing up or of something fun they did this summer.  Please talk with your child about the pictures so they are sure to remember what they are about.  The pictures will not be returned until the end of the school year. We have been working on building our writing community and learning how writing workshop runs.  Small mini-lessons on punctuation and capital/lowercase letters have been our main focus!

Math: We have been working on our calendar books where we write the date, add tally marks, write numbers, etc. We learned how to play "Bunny Hop" today to help us learn how to add and subtract as well as "Monster Squeeze" to work on comparing numbers! We have been having lots of fun so be sure to ask your child about our math games:)

Social Studies: We have been learning how to get along with others at school.  We learned the "Get Along With Others" song and the three ways to get along with others......share, talk/listen, and take turns.  Ask your child to sing the song to you!

Science: We will be beginning our Weather Wathcers unit this week where your child will become a weather watcher for the next three months.   The students love this science unit!

Poetry: Our poem of the week last week was "The Summer's Over" and we focused on the  -un family and contractions.  This week our poem of the week is "The Recess Song" and we are focusing on the -ay family and sight words:)

Spelling: We will be reviewing Kindergarten sight words this week:)

Text Talk: We started our Text Talk program this week where we will be reading a different book each week and learning six new vocabulary words to add to our bank of words.  Our book this week is "Ruby the Copycat."  Be sure to ask your child what are words of the week are!

Mystery Reader: If you would like to be a mystery reader please email me with the Friday that would work best for you:)  We need someone for every Friday:)

Rule Review: The summer is over and the children have been having a hard time looking and listening to the person (teacher or student) who is talking. We have been focusing on this rule all week and working hard on it.  We also talked about respecting others and treating them how you want to be treated.  Please help us reinforce these things at home too:)

Oral Language: We started our Monster of the Week this week (I am the first monster)!  I will be sending home a list of when each student will be the Monster of the Week and a list of what is expected of them!  We will also be starting our oral language jobs next week, so please be looking for these to come home!

Homework: Just a reminder that homework should not take more than 20 minutes each night!  I hope you have fun seeing what your child is working on in school (even though I know they will say nothing!)

I think that is it for now!  Please email me with any questions that you might have and as always thanks ahead of time for all of your continuous support of your child's education!

Mrs. Reis:)

What to Expect the First Day of School

It's almost here..the first day of school. I know that many children are excited and ready to go to school, while others are hesitant and don't want too many surprises. No matter how your child feels about the first day of school, know that I am here for them to help them have a wonderful first grade experience. Below is what to expect on the first day:)

One great idea is to talk with your child about the first day routine so there aren't too many surprises! I will be outside by the buses holding a sign with my name on it. The children are to come check in with me and then get into a line behind the sign. If your child rides the bus, have him or her look for me with my sign. If you are dropping your child off, you may walk him or her out back by the buses and look for me there for the first two days of school.After that, the children will walk to the classrooms by themselves. You may stand by the main stairwell and watch them walk down the hall if you would like. If at any point throughout the school year you would like to speak with me, please send a note with your child, email me or leave me a phone message to set up an appointment. It is too busy at the beginning of the school day to conference with parents as the children really need my attention at this time.

Once we have all the children together, we will walk to the classroom and I will show them their desks. At that time, they will empty their backpacks and then we will take them to their lockers to put the remainder of their personal belongings. This is how the daily routine will go for the first two days of school.
Please be sure to have a name tag on your child with his or her first and last name, teacher's name, bus number or pick-up or kids kare written on it. This is important as there is a lot going on the first few days of school and I want to be sure your child returns home safely:)Please also be sure to label all of your child's clothes and items that belong to them.

If your child has reservations about starting school, a great way to reduce anxiety is to send a picture of the family for your child to hang in his or her locker (please also send a magnet). The children love to look at the picture when they are feeling homesick! Also, please tell your child not to worry about staying all day and eating lunch in the cafeteria (if they were in half day Kindergarten) as I will be eating with them the first week of school!

Please keep in mind our school policy of leaving personal belongings such as toys, stuffed animals, etc. at home. We would feel awful if something were to happen to your child's special "security" item at school.

We will have a great first day! Our classroom theme this year is the "Furry Friends" (also known as cute little monsters)! Please feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions. I'm sure things will run smoothly and we will have an awesome time in first grade:) Thanks ahead of time for all your support in helping make your child's education the best one possible!

Mrs. Reis

1st Grade Teacher

Hutchings Elementary

reiss@howellschools.com