Hello, Parents!
We are now half-way through the third quarter.
Your child’s progress report will be coming home
sometime this week. Please look it over with your Mar. 2
child and set some goals for the remainder of this
quarter.
Mar. 18
With all of the delays and closings due to
weather, we are trying to keep the students
schedules as normal as possible. You can help at
home by ensuring your child reads every day and
practices his/her word wall words, sorts spelling
patterns, and reviews math facts. All of these
things help in mastering these very important
First Grade skills!
Our Annual PTA Sock Hop will be held on
Friday, March 18th at 7:00 pm. This event is a lot
of fun as our children come dressed in the styles
of the 1950’s and dance to music from that time
period. This is a unique event that our children
(and you, their parents) won’t want to miss!
Please remember that Thursday, March 24th is
a professional day for teachers to finalize grades
and complete report cards. Monday, April 4th will
be the first day of the fourth quarter. Can you
believe that this school year is nearly 75% over?
Just where has the time flown???
Sincerely,
Your First Grade Team
Mr. Clark, Mrs. Czarnopys, Mrs. Geraci, Miss Kim,
Mrs. Mutiga, and Mrs. Robeson
Read Across America- Dr. Seuss Attire
PTA Sock Hop @ 7-9
Mar. 23
STEM Day… creating recyclable
structures
March 23
Marking Period 3 Ends
Mar. 24
Professional Day- No School
Mar. 25-Apr.1 Spring Break!
Apr. 4
Marking Period 4 Begins
Apr. 6
Recycling Center Field Trip
A Very Happy
March Birthday to…
March 3 Colton Mettler
March 3 David Ramirez
March 6 Risandy Jayasinghage
March 7 Ishaan Kalotra
March 8 Carlos Rivas
March 13 Melani Gerrero
March 20 Camila Bueso
March 20 Veronica Ciecwierz
March 20 Tony Mills
March 26 Ryder Harbison
March 26 Princesse Ouangrawa
March 26 Nadia Whitford
March 29 Brazil Thomas
Students have been using persistence and effort
to read challenging text about special US places
studied in Social Studies including both
informative text and poetry. In addition, we have
been view digital resources to gain more
information. Students have synthesized these
facts and demonstrated understanding by writing
their own poems and informative pieces about
these places.
In March, our children will continue to focus on
developing their reading strategies, building both
their speaking and writing vocabularies, and
revisiting the literary elements through two Junior
Great Books readings. They will have the
opportunity to participate in collaborative
conversations about stories and poems, learning
the important skills of posing questions, citing
evidence and building on one another’s
comments.
In science, we will continue observing,
examining, describing, and comparing the
different properties of natural and human-made
objects that we use in our everyday lives. We will
also be determining the impact human actions
have on our environment. Please talk with our
children about the importance of recycling and
conserving our resources.
During March, we will continue to work on
fluency to 20 for both addition and subtraction by
applying the strategies we have learned and by
practicing our facts through games. We will also
revisit solving for the unknown in addition and
subtraction word problems, and will challenge our
thinking by attempting the more complex Math
Forum problems.
In addition, we will learn how to add a twodigit number and a one-digit number and how to
add a two-digit number and a multiple of 10 to
sums within 100. We will also learn to subtract
multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples
of 10 in the range 10-90 by using manipulatives,
drawings, and strategies.
Please continue to have your children practice
their basic math facts for addition and subtraction
nightly. This daily practice goes a long way as
math facts are the foundation for all future
learning in mathematics.
Our students can log on to the Harcourt
textbook website and practice facts in all four
operations on the computer. The website is
www.harcourtschool.com, and the password is
“andrews.” In addition, this site has lots of
practice problems, activities, and games for many
different topics in math – fractions, telling time,
counting money, measurement, skip counting,
estimation, graphing, and 2-D and 3-D geometry.
Please feel free to allow your child to use any of
these activities to practice his/her skills and
strategies in mathematics.
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 Our children should continue to read every
night from their guided reading books as well
as just right books of their choice. Regular
practice (15-20 minutes per night) is essential
for the growth of their reading skills. It is also
a part of our nightly homework.
We could all use sharpened pencils,
erasers, glue sticks, and tissues to
replenish our classroom supplies. Thank
you!!!
 Help our children practice their addition and
subtraction facts for about 5-10 minutes every
night. It is not enough for our children to be
able to figure out the correct answer. Instead,
they need to have immediate recall – meaning
they can give the answer within 3 seconds.
Flashcards are still the best way to do this. You
can buy a pack at the local dollar store or at a
store like CVS or Wal-Mart for $2.00-$3.00.
This daily practice goes a long way!
Arts Corner
Art:
In March, First graders will learn about a new art medium:
printmaking! After comparing printmaking with traditional
stamps, students will create their own stamp on a
Styrofoam tray, then use brayers and ink to ‘pull’ prints. It
is a very interesting process! After that students are going
to design their own miniature sketchbook while we discuss
how simple books can be made. (Mrs. Raker)
 Check your child’s white Goshen Grizzly Students in Mrs. Newman’s art class have been painting
folder every night, and then please return this with tempera paints. Your youngsters are making paintings
to school every morning.
of birds; learning how to mix colors, how to handle and
clean their brushes, how to mix hues by adding white, and
 Be sure that your child brings his/her book
they are using feathers to show the textures of the birds
baggie with his/her guided reading books back
we have been looking at. (Mrs. Newman)
to school every day.
 Don’t forget to sign the top page of your
child’s completed homework packet and In PE, First grade students will be working on
both balance and weight transfer activities.
have your child return this page every Friday.
These activities will include some basic
 Please place any money for your child’s lunch tumbling skills.
account in a sealed envelope and write
his/her full name and PIN on the front.
In information literacy, each class is using digital
tools to create informative pieces about a
 Please help us to keep all toys and trinkets at special place and to write a poem about that
home. These types of items disturb our same place. Students are learning how to cite
classroom learning.
these sources in a bibliographical document.
 Even though some days it feels as if spring is
here, other days it is still very cold. Please be
sure that your child wears the appropriate
outer clothing to school, so that s/he is
comfortable at recess.
Music:
First grade has been working hard on composing!
Students have been using quarter notes and eighth
notes to create their own rhythm patterns. We are also
using the pitches so and mi in our compositions.
Students will be focusing on improvisation and using
instruments to help enhance a song.
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