Remember that next week we have a full day of school on Monday, 12:00 dismissal on Tuesday, and no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I hope you enjoy the time with your family!

In math we have been practicing speed with our equations. Keep up the xtra math! I see your child's report each week. It shows how frequently they practice and what problems are difficult for them. Wow! Some of the kids have already made huge gains!

In reading, we are talking about how our world changes. This week we are focusing on how things move and change. We have learned a lot about the desert. Groups picked a desert animal to research and will be presenting their new found information to the class.

Our Holiday program is scheduled for Friday, December 20th. More info to come.

PTA is sponsoring a December Family Fun Night on the 13th from 6:00-7:00.

Don't forget the spelling test on Friday. We will not have one next week.

I sent a math homework page today.

Enjoy your break!

Hello, It was nice to see everyone at conferences. Your support at home helps your child and I very much. I sent home a math homework page today. We are working on subtraction strategies. Hopefully, your child is getting on the xtra math site frequently. It is amazing to see how much easier ALL math is for them when they get their math facts cemented in their brain. This week we are starting unit 2 in our Lead 21 reading series. We will be focusing on changes, including changes with animals, plants, and our world. I think this will be a fun unit. We will spend quite a bit of time talking about desert plants and animals this week. The spelling words this week are l blends so they are a little challenging. Extra practice at home would be a great idea. Have a wonderful week!

A big thanks to all of the parents. The nursery rhymes and pumpkin play was a huge success because of all of you and your support. I couldn't have asked for a better performance. Your kids did great! They were so proud of themselves! Unfortunately, I was unable to get video of the play. If any parents were able to video...could you please loan me a copy and I will upload it to the blog so we all have access. I would really appreciate a copy! It would be nice to share the performance with friends and family not in Billings. The abundance of treats was amazing. I heard a few parents mention that the pumpkin bars were amazing. I can't believe that it is the end of the first quarter. It went by so fast. This week will be busy with conferences and the start of the next quarter. School will dismiss at 12:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Make sure to look for your child's report card on Tuesday. I just wanted to clarify some sections on the report card. Our district asks us to “grade” behaviors on a basis of Good, Satisfactory, Improving and Needs Improvement. Here is how I approach the behavior section. First, I look at what the majority of the kids in the class are able to do. Then, I look at each individual child. A “G” on this report card means that they very rarely, if ever, need prompting or redirecting to know what to do. An “S” means that they do it just how a first grader is supposed to do it at this point in the year. An “N” DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE BAD IN ANY WAY, it only means that they are still learning and practicing with many prompts. The numbers in the subject areas are rated on a 1 to 3 basis. A 3 is where we strive for them to be at the end of the year and means they are working at the end of the first grade level and thriving. A 2 means they are on the journey and working towards to the end of the year goal. A 1 means that I have some concerns and we need to work on getting some extra help going for your child. One last request from me… Please open the report card with excitement and love. Please hold on to the notion that this is one of your child’s very first experiences with grades and the reaction you will have of them. Notice their strengths, they each have an abundance of them!