3 days left....

These next 3 days should be fun and BUSY!!
-We have our concert tonight at 7pm (and practice at 2:30ish).
-Tomorrow we have carolling in the gym with the whole school.
-Wednesday is the last day before holidays and by far the most FUN! It is PJ day so dress in your most snuggly pajamas because we will be watching a school wide movie. We will have a 2:00pm dismissal on this day as well.
Of course there will be no spelling words this week. We will continue with spelling on the week after we return.

Thank you for all of the cards and gifts I have received it is very thoughtful and appreciated. Have a very merry christmas and safe travels to you and your families.

See you in 2011!

Ms. Heshka

Letters from Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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spelling words for Dec. 10th

with

his

they

at

be

her

Live from Yorkton

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so much happening--so little time ;)

New reading books!
Ok, so we have moved on from our reading rainbow! We will still be using it to send our spelling test practice worksheets back and forth as well as for the odd reading rainbow page.
I will be sending home books that follow what we are doing in class. We started using a program called Starfall (www.starfall.com). During ELA we read a book, then we go online and play the games that go with the book and finally we watch a 2 min video of the topic (ex. Zac the Rat). To follow up we work on the corresponding section in our Starfall work book.
I will be sending home a Starfall book nightly (sometimes it will be another brand) but either way it will be a book . I’d like you to read over these books and send them back the next day. I will NOT send a new book until the other book has been returned. I do this because most of the books I send home have been purchased with my own money and I’d like to keep them as long as possible 
-Reminder our field trip is Dec. 1st! ALL students in grade 1 MUST stay for lunch that day.
-Dec. 3rd CTV is coming to film us singing The First Noel. Please make sure to dress nice for the cameras!
-If you did not make it to interviews PLEASE call me to reschedule. I will be contacting everyone (that didn’t make it) soon to set up a new date/time. 786-5510 (school phone number)
Thanks,
Ms. Heshka

canteen reminder

Just a reminder that our grade 1 class can ONLY buy hot food from the canteen on Mondays. Milk can be bought everyday.

Thanks!!

Centre fun slide show!

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reminders...

The new spelling list is:

it

in

of

for

is

that

Our test will be on Thursday Nov. 25th as there is no school Friday.

The students spelling test is glued in their agenda! They did GREAT!!! It was awesome to see how well they did. THANK YOU for taking the time to study with your child!!

Don't forget Parent Teacher Interviews will be held Wed and Thurs night. You scheduled times will be sent home today in your child's report cards.

Have a great weekend!!!

Spelling fun!!

STARTING NEXT WEEK….
On Monday morning we will be starting our spelling program!!! Here is the rundown of how it will happen.
Every Friday we will write our new spelling words in our agenda (that way you have them for the weekend). I will also put them on the blog.
On Mondays, we will do a worksheet specifically on the new words. They will be kept in a duotang in the room.
The rest of the week we will be doing one or two reading rainbow pages that are a bit different format then we’re used to. Some of the words will be hard but that’s where you can help them out. The reading rainbow will continue to come back and forth each day. Some days you will not get a reading rainbow page but you will get a small book. The book will go with that day’s word. Whichever one I send home (the sheet or the book) is your reading homework for the night.
We will play games, read stories, and use technology to help us prepare for Friday morning tests! I want this to be fun so making study time at home fun is important! I am sending some practice ideas home as well to help you with some ideas on how to make spelling fun!!
If you have any questions feel free to pop in the room, call, email, or leave a comment on the blog!
Have a great long weekend!!
Ms. Heshka

Our first list is:
the

and

to

I

you

and

Fun song!

Here is a song we listened to in the classroom that the students just LOVED!

http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player/-/pgpv/videoplayer/0/2c0cd479-be84-4d08-bf9b-1405def9ea92

Till the end of the month

Wed. Oct. 20th-OPEN HOUSE 7-8:30pm
Thurs. Oct. 21st-Book Orders DUE
Tues. Oct. 26th-Retakes
Fri. Oct. 29th-Halloween Parade (Students can ONLY dress in their costumes in the afternoon. They must beable to dress themselves. If they can't you can meet them here to help them.)

Thanksgiving Feast Slide show!

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reminder!!

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Feast!! Please send 1 fruit to school with your child in the morning!

Picture money is also DUE tomorrow!

22 days...

Yep, thats right...we have made it through 22 days of grade 1!!
We are working on our letter formation and sounds of hard and soft letters. Tomorrow is the letter O o. We are also reviewing our numbers and learning about sets and proper formation.
Of course, there are a million other things we have on the go (Autumn books, colours, My special Me books....ask your child to share what they are doing in class)
I am SOOOO PROUD of them and how far they have come since the first day! They are picking out words they know in books and beginning to put together sentences. It is AWESOME!!!

Pictures were sent home today! They all turned out fantastic!!!

Please remember your child needs INDOOR and OUTDOOR shoes! They will not beable to participate in Phys. Ed without the proper footwear.

Also a reminder...NO Junk Food for snack!!! There is a complete difference in them if they eat a chocolate bar or oreos at snack as compared to when they eat an apple or banana.

I have enjoyed the first 22 days!
Ms. Heshka

Cheeessssseeee

Don't forget that picture day is on Tuesday Sept 21st. Every child will have their picture taken! Dress 'perty'!

14 Days!

So, today is our 14th day of school! Hooray!
We have been talking lots about behaviour in our class and school. There has been many issues within our classroom such as inappropriate use of the washroom, hitting, being verbally mean, etc. Starting next week I will beging to take these behaviours more seriously (I felt like they may need time to adjust to gd. 1 but 3 weeks is enough adjusting).
My disipline plan is 1 warning. Everyones name is on the board right now, the 2nd time gets your name underlined. The 3rd time gets it crossed out and you stay in for a recess. For any other incidences your child will see one of the admin team and lose more things (like recess).
I also have an "I Had a Good Day Chart". Everyday the children have a good day they get a sticker by their name. 5 stickers in a row gets them a prize or treat from the "treasure box"!
I will be writing in your child's agenda if he or she had any issues during the day.
Please support our classroom rules by talking with your child about the inportance of proper behaviour while at school.
Thanks!
Have a great weekend!!

FRIDAY!

We made it through the first week of school! YAY! I had a great week getting to know the kids!
I sent home a yellow printing book with most of the kids. We have completed up to and including D. Please make sure your child is caught up and that their printing book is returned on Tuesday!
Please remind your child that we always start our letters from the top and go down. Here are a couple sites to go to for reference.
http://www.hwtears.com/files/Print%20Capital%20Formation%20Chart.pdf
http://www.hwtears.com/files/Print%20Lowercase%20Formation%20Chart.pdf

Have a super LONG weekend!!

EXCITED!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of another school year! 2010-2011!!! WOW! I am soooo excited to be able to meet the kids and get started on some FUN learing!

See you tomorrow :)

Back to Work

Our holidays are coming to an end. I am at the school taking part in a Summer Math Institute (learning new ways to teach math making it fun and exciting for me and the students!!)
I hope you have been playing the games I have added to the blog!! These games will refresh skills learned in grade 1 and will help your child start grade 2 WITH A BANG!!
For my new grade 1's...there are many games on the blog to help get you ready for the beginning of the year. We will be starting with letter/number recognition and printing as well as colours and shapes. Having some recent "refreshers" for your child to pull from will make the transition to grade 1 easier for your child. So, play games on-line or hands on (like Uno, go fish, etc) and your child will thank you!!
See you SOON!

Monday

I can't believe that the last day of school is Monday! I am going to really miss the kids.
Our awards ceremony is on Monday morning at 9:15am.
We will be having our talent show in the afternoon at 1:15pm. You are invited to either or both. We will be dancing the "Alley Cat" for the talent show.
I sent home most of their stuff on Friday but will be sending home a few last minute things on Monday. The kids have Tuesday off and then come Wednesday morning to pick up report cards...then SUMMER HOLIDAYS OFFICIALLY BEGIN!!!

Thanks for a great year!

WHAT A DAY!

Was it a great day or what grade ones????
THANK YOU sooooooooooo very much to all the dads who were able to attend our "special man" party! The children did not stop smiling all afternoon! You made their day!!!

Reminder that our field trip is on Monday. ALL students were sent home with a letter in their agenda.

Have a GREAT FATHER'S DAY weekend!

Very Interesting!

I was reading an online article and found this:

MATH: On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Studies reveal that the greatest areas of summer loss for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, are in factual or procedural knowledge (Cooper, 1996).
So, if your child is leaving grade 1 at a 2.0 (grade 2) level, without daily home reading and math they will start grade 2 behind (at approximately 1.7. That is where they were in about March of Grade 1).
If you need some help with resources for the summer please contact me and I will be happy to help. Walmart has some excellent activity books that are well priced.

READING: ...Children are ready to shrug off the mantle of "student" for the two-month break, along with the backpacks, the math homework, and the quizzes and tests. But just because school is out, it doesn't mean that reading and learning should stop. Teachers know that many children can't afford to take such a long break. Young readers who don't continue to read over the summer — especially those who are reluctant or at-risk — are likely to lose crucial ground. One summer off can sometimes mean a whole school year of struggling academic performance.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/summer_reading.htm

It is important to read as well as work on basic addition and math facts daily. Giving them problems and having them figure them out will also keep their minds sharp and enhance skills that will be needed in grade 2.

There are many articles on this topic on the internet...education journals are the best place to find accurate facts on this topic.

TALENT SHOW

1H together with 1E will be presenting a dance called "The Alley Cat" during the talent show. Please have them dress in black that day.
You are invited to come and watch the performance which will be on JUNE 28th at 1:15pm.

Also a reminder that tomorrow is the Family BBQ!!
If you have ordered lunch please be at the school at 11:55am.
Our Father's Day Party will be the same day from 1:00-2:00pm.

Home reading is done for the year! Thank you to everyone for reading nightly with your child. You made an impact on your child's education with 15 minutes a night!!
If you have any books at home please return them as soon as possible.

That's all for now....I think...

sad,sad,sad

Well it looks like our first field trip will be cancelled due to rain :(
But instead we will be having a POPCORN PARTY! I told the students they may bring their stuffies and a pillow, etc.

Spelling Test for THURS. June 10th

This will be our last spelling test of the year!!

rabbit

sheep

bird

pig

fish

goat

Spelling Words for June 4th

cat

cow

horse

duck

dog

frog

FOR FRIDAY...

I would like the students to bring a toy to school on Friday for a writing assignment. I have asked them to refrain from bringing toys that are too big or too expensive.

Spelling Words for the 28th...

They are:

school

garden

flower

house

farm

grass

Trying to Plan!

I have added a list of things I know are coming up to our classroom calendar (bottom of blog page). I know this time of year is busy for everyone so I wanted to give you as much notice as possible on our planned events. I have not talked to the students about our field trips yet but will closer to the dates. If you have any questions post a comment, call, pop by the room or email!!

**Don't forget to send a boiled egg to school tomorrow!!

Spelling words for May 21st

mother

father

sister

brother

boy

girl


And a reminder that Friday May 21st is ROCK STAR day! Dress like a rock star!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Our Mother's Day tea was a huge success!! The students were thrilled to share the afternoon with you! Thank you for coming!

Our Spelling Words for Friday May 14th are:

hot
cold
wet
dry
warm
cool

We are still talking about opposites so the test will be a bit of a reinforcement to in-class work.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Spelling words for May 7th...

birthday

does

short

far

left

give

Mother's Day Tea

Our Mother's Day Tea will be on Friday May 7th from 1:00-2:00pm. If you are unable to make it, please send a 'special lady' in your child's life (an aunt, grandma, neighbour, etc).
Please RSVP if you can make it.

Happy Friday!

Reminders!

Next weeks spelling words are:

put

tall

why

never

children

much

There will be no more number words at this time.

**I will NOT be here tomorrow as I will be attending a reading conference in Regina. Mrs. Graham will be in for me completing our usual activites.

**Friday April 24th is HAT DAY and school colour day! In order for you to wear a hat you need to bring a minimum of $1.00 which will be donated to charity!

Words for Friday April 23rd:

little

where

thank

right

most

away

Spelling Test

I will be sending home the spelling words for our next test which will be on
APRIL 16th! This will give you plenty of time to study.
The words are:

best

know

think

must

very

just

twenty

Please remember to read nightly over the holidays!

Happy Easter!

Spelling Test!

Our spelling test is on Thursday April 1st!
The words are:

going (go + the "ing" brothers)

back

part (ar like arnie ardvark)

done

stop

walk

nineteen

**Remember in the blue spelling duo tang are many different ways to make studying for spelling fun...be sure to check them out!!

If you have...

Please don't forget to send your (white) egg shells to school on Monday! We're going to try an Easter Art Project using them.

New things....

I added a couple new things to our blog.
If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page you'll see a calendar. I will post all the important dates on the calendar.
To the left is a cluster map...this map will show us where people who look at our blog are from. We will check this often to learn about the different cities, towns, countries, etc. our 'visitors' are from.
There are also some new games. I will continue to add to the games section according to units we are working on as well as to strengths and weaknesses I see in the classroom)
My next goal is to get some photos on here!! If you haven't signed a blog form yet please let me know so I know who pictures to not put up. (FYI: Everyone signed a form saying it was ok except my newer students. I will send one home in your child's agenda.)
I hope you are enjoying the blog.

P.S.
I LOVE to recieve messages from the kids :)

Spelling words for March 26th

The words for the week are:
again
thing
here
say
come
after
eighteen

STUDY HARD!

A new way to study is using www.spellingcity.com, Its fun and the kids LOVE IT!

Don't Forget.

Early dismissal this Thursday! The bell will ring at 11:55am!

Next Fridays Spelling words

The words for the March 12th spelling test are:

made (vowel rule...magic E)

water (er sound...like Whirling Irving)

only (the Y is a vowel here...saying e and making the o long)

get (consonant-vowel-consonant word)

day (2 vowels together, 1st one does talking the 2nd one does the walking)

may (2 vowels together, 1st one does talking the 2nd one does the walking)

It's Friday!

We had a very busy day today. For the past week we had Mrs. Muir in our room helping us learn about measurement, capacity, mass, and "er" words (longER, shortER, smallER, etc). Ask your child to teach you what they learned in Math this week.

We did not get a chance to add our new words into our duotangs. (Sorry)
Our new words are:

under

down

did

use

find

fifteen

We also started out healthy body unit and are focusing on Nutrition right now. We also found out that we have lice in the classroom. A note was sent home with each student. The cycle is 7 days (at least) so please continue to check your child's hair nightly. If one person misses it, the lice will continue to circulate around the classroom. If you need any help with checking or getting rid of, please contact the public health nurse.

Book orders went home and are due back on Monday March 1st.

Have a super weekend!!

Spelling Words for Feb. 26th TEST

The words for the week are:

first

people

now

way

who

look

fourteen

Holidays!

It is Saturday morning and I have just started getting some housework done so I can enjoy the rest of my week off.
I will be heading in to the school to get planned for our next few units. We will be starting the Space and Shape Strand in Math and the Healthy Body Unit in Health. (as well as many other new and exciting things)
I would ask that you keep working on adding and subtracting (in this case, practice will make perfect). You can add in workbooks from Staples or Walmart, online, or using day to day objects like cereal or macaroni. It is so important they have a solid understanding of adding and subtracting for the next few units we will do as well as for the rest of their schooling years. A small amount of time will make a HUGE difference for them.
I also ask that you continue reading. The time spent together sharing a good piece of literature can be priceless and what your child will get out of that time spent together can never be measured. I can not stress the importance of this.
One last thing...I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful Valentines treats and gifts. They were very much appreciated. I have been truly blessed with a wonderful school family!
I hope you all enjoy your holidays and I cannot wait to see you next Monday!!

Week of Jan. 8th....

Spelling words for this Friday (the 12th) are:

could (just like "would" from last week)

more (use the "magic e"...where the e bumps the vowel o on the head to make it say
its own name)
time (use the "magic e"...where the e bumps the vowel o on the head to make it say
its own name)
see (squealy e's)
been (squealy e's)
then (th, like in the and then a short e and a n)

Don't forget that JAN. 11th is early dimissal.
and JAN. 12th from 1-3pm is the SCHOOL CARNIVAL! Please join your child and enjoy this great event!!

Have a great week!

PARTY!

Friday February 5th, 2010 is our 100th DAY OF SCHOOL!!
We will be having a party in the afternoon. I will ask that you send 100 ‘snacks’ for the kids to share. (100 cheerios, 100 chocolate chips, 100 shreddies, 100 goldfish crackers, 100 raisons, 100 dried cranberries-or 100 of any small dried fruit, pretzels, 100 small ritz crackers, 100 mini marshmallows etc.) We will be mixing them up and making trail mix. Please do not send peanuts or any other nuts. Be creative and send something not on the list if you wish!
We will be doing many fun “100” activities! I am looking forward to the celebration.

Thursday Jan. 28th Spelling words

The Spelling Test WILL BE on THURSDAY Jan. 28th NOT on Friday since there is no school for students Friday. Study Hard!
Out
Then
Many
Some
Their
Eleven

A few things...

Spelling words for Friday Jan. 22nd are: make
were
about
good
do
him
ten
WED. JAN. 20th is WACKY HAIR DAY!

I will NOT be here on the 21st and/or the 22nd. I am away for an inservice. Mrs. Graham will be in for me.

There is NO SCHOOL for the kids on the 29th. It is a curriculum day for the teachers. Enjoy the long weekend!

The home reading program we started is going VERY well! Thank you soooo much for doing the nightly reading. I can not believe how much their reading has improved since September. Way to go grade ones!!!

"Work with your children to help them become strong readers"
Contributed by: Judy McDaniel, communications consultant

Reading well is at the heart of all learning. Children who can read well,
learn well. You can help make a difference for your children.

Reading with children spells success for early literacy. A few simple strategies
will make a significant difference in helping your children develop into
good readers and writers. By reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive attitudes
about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on your
children’s literacy and learning.
Reading tips:
-Invite your children to read with you every day.
-When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read.
-This will help your children learn that reading goes from left to right and understand that the word they say is the word they see.
-Read your children’s favorite books over and over.
-Read stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite your children to join
in on these parts. Point, word by word, as they read along with you.
-Talk about new words. For example, “This big house is called a palace. Who do
you think lives in a palace?”
-Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.
-Read a variety of children’s books, including fairy tales, song books, poems, and
information books.

We are skating every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY. If your child has skates PLEASE send them to school, that way they are guaranteed to skate; otherwise, it is first come first served.

Early Dismissal

Today is Early dismissal. The students will be dismissed at 11:55am.

Mon. Jan. 11, 2010

Our spelling test will be on Friday Jan. 15th.
The words for the week are: will
up
like
them
each
how
nine
A note was sent home in regards to the POPCORN PARTY!!! The party will be on the afternoon of the 15th. Please let me know if you did NOT receive the note and I will send one home with youc child.
Scholastic book orders were sent home today. I will need this order back by Friday.

Have a good week!!
Ms. Heshka

P.S.
Happy New Year (later this week) to all of my fellow Ukrainians!

First day back...going well!!!

Today has been going great! I think everyone was just as excited as I was to be back at school. I really missed the kids over the break but I still managed to have a wonderful holiday!!!
Our spelling test will be written this Friday (the 8th) and the words are:
which
said
my
if
an
eight
there
The work sheet was sent home before the break. Thanks to everyone who started studying early. These words can be tricky as most are not able to be sounded out so the more study time you can get in the better.

Show and tell will be on Thursday. Your child may bring ONE toy to show the class. Please make sure they know who they got the present from as this question usually comes up more than once during 'question/answer'. Please do not send guns/swords/etc to school for show and tell. Also, these toys CAN NOT be played with at recess (as I do not want them lost, stolen, or broken). Please remind your child of this very important rule!

We will be starting home reading this week. I will send home a note of how it will work as each teacher 'runs it' a bit different.

I think thats all for now....

Happy Monday!!!