Mrs. Correa’s First Grade
Classroom News
Jane Addam’s School Focus: I can read carefully. I can think
deeply. I can show understanding. We enjoy reading!
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Dear Parents,
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August 21, 2014
Welcome to First Grade! I am so pleased and honored to have your
child in my class this year. I’m looking forward to getting to know each
first grader and sharing a great school year together! Please feel free
to contact me with any concerns or questions that may come up. If you
have internet access, the best way to contact me is through email. My
email address is [email protected]. If you do not have internet
access, you can call the school and leave me a message and I will return
your call as soon as possible. Please check your child’s Thursday folder
weekly for important papers from school.
Feel free to check out our classroom website. I will posting monthly
newsletters there as well as keeping it updated on what’s going on in our
class. I’ve also included links to several great websites your child will
enjoy.
I will send home a weekly behavior chart every Friday so you know how
your child’s week went. Those children who stay on star all week will
get to pick a prize from my treasure chest! At Jane Addams we provide
rewards to all students who stay referral free and do not require a
phone call or note home for behavior problems every 10 days - “10 Day
Countdown”. I will be sending home notes at the time of each reward
to let you know what the reward was and if your child was able to
participate.
I have put the Word Wall Words from kindergarden up on our Word Wall
and we will be reviewing them during these first couple weeks. I have
attached a list of the words for you to work on at home with your first
grader. Please practice spelling these words at home. You can spell and
clap them while riding in the car. You can also have your child make
flash cards to practice them. These words are used a lot in their writing
and reading. First graders should be able to say the word instantly,
without sounding it out.
In First Grade, children are expected to read independently for at least
15 minutes at the beginning of the school year. If you could work on
this at home, that would be a big help to your child. Just give him/her
a book to read alone, quietly while you’re doing household chores and set
the timer for 15 minutes. Tell your child that you want him/her to read
in a whisper voice, just like at school, until the timer goes off. I highly
recommend spending at least 15 minutes a day reading at home. As a
mother, I’ve always enjoyed reading bedtime stories with my children
when they were first graders - it was the best time of the day!
In Math, we will be doing a lot of counting. I encourage you to have
your child count things at home, or just ask how for he/she can count.
Ask him/her to count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s also.
I will be passing out a small healthy snack during the mornings to keep
the children energized. If you’d like to donate to our snack supply, that
would be greatly appreciated. There are 22 children in our class. Jane
Addams School is asking that snacks be kept healthy. Attached is a list
of ideas.
Please help your child learn his/her lunch number. I will write their
lunch number on their hand until they learn it so the lunch line moves
along and children have enough time to eat. I will be sending home a
practice page with everyone. If your child attended Springfield Public
Schools last year, the number will be the same (although your child may
need a quick refresher).
You may want to keep a sweater/jacket at school. The air conditioning
is a little chilly (but oh so nice!)
PE will be on Wednesdays and Fridays. Please make sure your child
wears tennis shoes on those days. If your child does not have on
appropriate shoes, he/she will have to sit out.
I’m looking forward to a wonderful year of first grade!
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Sincerely,
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Mrs. Correa
First Grade Teacher
Jane Addams School
Dear Parents,
Appropriate Snack Suggestions
As we strive to promote healthy food habits, we ask that you refer to this list
of snack suggestions. Thank you for your assistance as we work to create a
healthier learning environment!
Sincerely,
Jane Addams Elementary School
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Fruit: served whole, sliced, cut in half, cubed, or in wedges. Canned,
frozen, and dried fruits need little preparation, and kids love it.
Apples (it can be helpful to use an apple corer)
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Grapes (red, green, or purple)
Honeydew Melon
Kiwis
Mandarin Oranges
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Watermelon
Unsweetened applesauce, fruit cups, canned fruit: low-cost, easy, and healthy if
canned in their own juice. Examples of unsweetened applesauce include Mott’s
Natural Style and Mott’s Healthy Harvest line. Dole and Del Monte offer a variety of
single-serve fruit bowls in their own juice.
Dried Fruit - raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, and
others with no added sugars.
Frozen Fruit – Try freezing grapes or buy frozen blueberries, strawberries,
peaches, mangoes, and melon.
Fruit Leathers –Some brands of fruit snacks are more like candy than fruit
and should be avoided due to their high content of added sugars and lack of nutrients.
Good choices are Natural Value Fruit Leathers and Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, which
come in a variety of flavors and don’t have added sugars. Brands to AVOID include
Fruit Rollups, Farley’s Fruit Snacks, Sunkist Fruit Gems, Starburst Fruit Chews,
Mamba Fruit Chews, Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews, Original Fruit Skittles, and
Amazin’ Fruit Gummy Bears.
Vegetables served raw with dip or salad dressing:
Broccoli
Carrot sticks or Baby Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery Sticks
Cucumber
Peppers (green, red, or yellow)
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
String Beans
Tomato slices or grape or cherry tomatoes
Yellow Summer Squash slices
Zucchini slices
Dips –Try low-fat salad dressings, like fat-free Ranch or Thousand Island, store-bought
light dips, bean dips, guacamole, hummus (which comes in dozens of flavors and is
high in protein), salsa, or peanut butter.
Ants on a Log – peanut butter on celery with raisins
Hard Boiled Eggs – a great source of protein, and very inexpensive!
Breakfast Cereal – Either dry or with low-fat milk, whole grain cereals like
Cheerios, Grape-Nuts, Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Wheaties make
good snacks.
Crackers: Whole-grain crackers like Triscuits, whole grain/multi-grain wheat thins or
store equivalent, Kalvi Rye crackers, or whole wheat Matzos can be served alone or
with toppings, like low-fat cheese, peanut butter, or low-fat, reduced-sodium
luncheon meat.
Rice Cakes -Look for rice cakes made from brown (whole grain) rice. They
Are available in many flavors, and can be served with or without toppings.
Baked Tortilla Chips -Baked tortilla chips are usually low in fat, and taste
great with salsa and/or bean dip. Look for brands with less sodium.
Granola and Cereal Bars -Look for whole grain granola bars that are low in fat
and sugars, like Barbara’s Granola Bars (cinnamon raisin, oats and honey, and
carob chip flavors), Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars (cinnamon, oats ‘n
honey, maple brown sugar, and peanut butter flavors), Nature Valley Chewy
Trail Mix Bars (fruit and nut flavor) or equivalent store brands.
Pretzels, Breadsticks, and Flatbreads - These low-fat items can be offered as
snacks now and then. However, most of these snacks are not whole grain and
most pretzels are high in salt.
Yogurt –Look for brands that are low-fat or fat-free, low in sugars (no
more than about 8 grams of sugars in a 6-oz. cup), and high in calcium (at
least 25% of daily value [DV] for calcium in a 6-oz. cup). Examples include cups of
low-fat or non-fat yogurt from Stonyfield Farm, Dannon, Horizon, and similar store
brands. Low-fat or non-fat yogurt also can be served with fresh or frozen fruit
or low-fat granola.
Low-Fat Cheese -Choose reduced-fat cheeses like Borden or Sargento Light
Mozzarella string cheese or equivalent store brands; Frigo Light Cheese Heads; Kraft
Twist- Ums; Polly-O Twisterellas; the Laughing Cow’s Light Original Mini Babybel; or
Cabot 50% Light Vermont Cheddar.
Nuts - Peanuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews, or soy nuts are all excellent
sources of protein. Look for nuts that are unsalted.
Trail Mix -Trail mixes are easy to make and store well in a sealed container.
Items to include: low-fat granola, whole grain cereals, peanuts, cashews,
almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits like raisins,
apricots, apples, pineapple, or cranberries.
District 186 Kindergarten Word Wall List
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