Whew! We Made It Through the First Week of School! It Was a Little Hot, but Your Children

Dear Parents,

Whew! We made it through the first week of school! It was a little hot, but your children were troopers and persevered!! We spent a lot of time assessing what they have retained over the summer and what they need to know going forward. To offset those “paper and pencil” activities and to help disperse any stress, we spent an equal amount of time coloring, doing puzzles and playing some math games! Next week we will get started on our normal weekly schedule. You can find a copy of that schedule on my web page.

Additionally, your child will begin getting regular homework next week. He/She will continue to bring home their reading log for “choice” reading. This can be done on RAZ-Kids or hard copy books. If your child is not yet reading fluently, please read to them and help them read simple words in the book. Your child should be reading, or being read to, 10 minutes every night. Please return the reading logs daily so that I can keep track or their progress.

We will also have math homework and some spelling work. Please remember to check their folder when they come home to see what they need to accomplish that night. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call, text or email. First graders can stress-out if they feel they are not doing something “right,” so I would rather have a little interruption to my evening than an anxious first grader in your home! J

Most of the children have returned their summer packets. Those who have returned them will be getting a special treat next week from the office, so please be sure to send in the packet if you have not already. I hate for anyone to miss out. Again, if you have any questions, please contact me.

The Friday Folder this week contains many pages of information, including a letter from Dr. Sutter. Please skim through and make sure to return any forms, etc. Next week you can expect to see your child’s completed schoolwork, as well as an individual update on his/her progress.

Finally, Back to School Night is a little early this year: it is Thursday of next week (September 10)! I hope to see all of you there. I will be giving you a lot of information about what we will be doing in class each day and how you can help your child at home and in the classroom. Please make arrangements for at least one parent to attend this important event.

Enjoy your weekend!

Joyce Petty