Week of 10/12/26
🐻 First Grade Weekly Newsletter 💙💛
Dear First Grade Families,
Just a reminder that there is no school on Monday. I hope you enjoy the long weekend with your families!
Here is a look at what we have been learning and doing this week.
🧩 Soft Start Mornings
Our mornings continue to be a wonderful time to build friendships and practice working together. Students have been enjoying Legos, Magna-Tiles, Brain Flakes, and other building activities while learning to share, take turns, and solve problems together.
☀️ Morning Meeting
Our Morning Meetings continue to be one of my favorite parts of the day! We practice greetings, sharing, listening, and building a caring classroom community. We are also learning about personal boundaries and using “I-messages” to solve problems with friends.
🎃 Pumpkin Exploration
Next week, we will begin our pumpkin exploration! Each child will have a pumpkin to investigate as we explore its characteristics and learn more about this special fall fruit. We are excited to become pumpkin scientists! 🎃
🔤 Phonics
We are continuing to practice our phonics skills and review letter sounds. Students are working on hearing and identifying sounds in words and using those sounds when reading and writing. We are also continuing to practice our Heart Words.
Please review these Kindergarten Heart Words with your child. Students should be able to read and spell these words:
a, am, an, and, are, at, but, can, fun, here, I, in, it, like, look, love, my, of, play, see, the, to, with, you
📚 Reading
Our first graders are becoming stronger readers every day! We are practicing reading fluently, reading with expression, and building our reading stamina. Students are enjoying listening to stories and spending time reading books independently.
Please continue to encourage your child to read at home each evening. Even a few minutes of reading together makes a big difference!
Book Baggies Begin Next Week! 📖
Next week, your child will bring home a Book Baggie. Please have your child practice reading the book Monday through Thursday. There is a note inside the bag with helpful information and suggestions for reading together at home.
➕ Math
We are continuing our work with addition and subtraction. Students are learning to solve different types of problems, including adding to, putting together, taking away, taking apart, and comparing. We are using hands-on activities and math tools to help us explain our thinking.
🔬 Science
Our classroom has been transformed into a group of scientists! 🔦 We are exploring how sound is made and how it moves. Soon, we will be making our own instruments using everyday materials.
We could use a few empty tissue boxes by Tuesday. If you have any at home that you are able to send in, we would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you!
🏠 Social Studies
We are continuing our unit about families and our school community. Students are learning that families can be different in many ways while also sharing things in common. We are also talking about how our classroom is a family where we support, respect, and care for one another.
🎨 Specials
This week, our first graders enjoyed Art, PE, and Library. They are doing a great job learning the routines and expectations for each of our special-area classes!
📝 Homework
Please continue to check your child's homework folder each night. Thank you for helping your child develop independence by encouraging them to read the directions, complete their work, and remember to put their name on their papers.
📅 Dates to Remember
- 10/10: Clothing Sale and Playdate
- 10/10: School Spirit Wear or School Colors
- 10/12: No School — Columbus Day
- 10/16: School Spirit Wear or School Colors
- 10/19: First Grade Service Project
- 10/20: Picture Day
- 10/21: PTO Meeting
- 10/23: School Spirit Wear or School Colors
- 10/26–10/29: Hallo-Week! Wear Halloween shirts, socks, hair bows, or accessories.
- 10/30: Halloween Parade and Party — Halloween Hoot! 🎃
❤️ Thank You, First Grade Families!
Thank you for all of your support as we begin this school year. I have truly enjoyed getting to know your children and watching them become more comfortable and confident in our classroom.
I am so proud of the way our first graders are learning to ROAR — being Respectful, On Task, Achieving, and Responsible. 🐻💙💛
I hope you have a wonderful long weekend with your families!
Love,
Mrs. Fornaro ❤️