April 2-5
April 2-5
Dear Parents,
It feels as though Spring has arrived :). Last week my family and I noticed a number of Canada Geese. Have you noticed any signs of spring with your child? As the weather is warmer and puddles might be tempting, a change of clothes tucked into your child’s backpack might be a good idea ;).
I hope that you enjoyed the change of pace that our recent break brought and that you and your child are ready to return to the routines of school life. We are definitely in the final stretch of grade one now. I am so pleased to see how the students have grown and changed over these past months. How far they have come! I hope that you are proud of what your child has accomplished. I am!
I have included our learning goals with the home note this week. These are the things that we will be working on for the rest of the year. Many of these things are not new, but I just want to keep you informed of what is expected for Grade One students to master before the end of the year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Words For the Week: want, new, help, oh, happy
Health Challenge: Tell each member of your family something that you love about them
Library: Thursday
No Milk Program this week (starts on April 8).
I hope that you have a great week!
Sincerely,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
It feels as though Spring has arrived :). Last week my family and I noticed a number of Canada Geese. Have you noticed any signs of spring with your child? As the weather is warmer and puddles might be tempting, a change of clothes tucked into your child’s backpack might be a good idea ;).
I hope that you enjoyed the change of pace that our recent break brought and that you and your child are ready to return to the routines of school life. We are definitely in the final stretch of grade one now. I am so pleased to see how the students have grown and changed over these past months. How far they have come! I hope that you are proud of what your child has accomplished. I am!
I have included our learning goals with the home note this week. These are the things that we will be working on for the rest of the year. Many of these things are not new, but I just want to keep you informed of what is expected for Grade One students to master before the end of the year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Words For the Week: want, new, help, oh, happy
Health Challenge: Tell each member of your family something that you love about them
Library: Thursday
No Milk Program this week (starts on April 8).
I hope that you have a great week!
Sincerely,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
February 19-20
Dear Parents,
I hope that you enjoyed Family Day with those that you love. We have a short week at school this week because Teacher’s Convention is in Red Deer this Thursday and Friday. There will be no school for students on these days.
We will be continuing our study of communities around Alberta. So far we have reviewed characteristics of our own community and “visited” Nordegg. We will continue to study various communities and think about how they are the same and different from our own.
We will also be thinking about Arctic animals such as penguins. We will be thinking about their needs and how they have adapted to live in their harsh climate.
Portfolios are going out soon so we will be completing a number of assessments. I know that this has been an unusually bad year in the way of colds and flues, but if at all possible, please ensure that your child comes to school. Grade One is such a foundational year and missing learning can cause your child to have gaps that can make further learning difficult. Research has also show that students who miss a lot of school early on have higher dropout rates in high school. We all want your child to have the best chance at success, so let’s work together to get them to class on time and ready to learn.
On that note, a number of students have been complaining that they have not eaten breakfast. Of course, that makes focussing very difficult for them. We do have a small supply of emergency food items, but taking time out to eat can be disruptive to your child’s learning as well as others’. It would be best if we could get a nutritious meal into our little ones before they go off for the day. I understand that mornings can be crazy. I am a mom too J. But I would sincerely appreciate a little extra effort making sure that your child is coming to school with a full tummy if at all possible.
Thank you for the Valentine treats and 100 day collections last week. It was great to see the variety of items that the students brought. It was a lot of fun.
Spelling Words: we will review our word wall words for these two days.
Health Challenge: no processed food in lunches
Your Partner in Your Child’s Learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
I hope that you enjoyed Family Day with those that you love. We have a short week at school this week because Teacher’s Convention is in Red Deer this Thursday and Friday. There will be no school for students on these days.
We will be continuing our study of communities around Alberta. So far we have reviewed characteristics of our own community and “visited” Nordegg. We will continue to study various communities and think about how they are the same and different from our own.
We will also be thinking about Arctic animals such as penguins. We will be thinking about their needs and how they have adapted to live in their harsh climate.
Portfolios are going out soon so we will be completing a number of assessments. I know that this has been an unusually bad year in the way of colds and flues, but if at all possible, please ensure that your child comes to school. Grade One is such a foundational year and missing learning can cause your child to have gaps that can make further learning difficult. Research has also show that students who miss a lot of school early on have higher dropout rates in high school. We all want your child to have the best chance at success, so let’s work together to get them to class on time and ready to learn.
On that note, a number of students have been complaining that they have not eaten breakfast. Of course, that makes focussing very difficult for them. We do have a small supply of emergency food items, but taking time out to eat can be disruptive to your child’s learning as well as others’. It would be best if we could get a nutritious meal into our little ones before they go off for the day. I understand that mornings can be crazy. I am a mom too J. But I would sincerely appreciate a little extra effort making sure that your child is coming to school with a full tummy if at all possible.
Thank you for the Valentine treats and 100 day collections last week. It was great to see the variety of items that the students brought. It was a lot of fun.
Spelling Words: we will review our word wall words for these two days.
Health Challenge: no processed food in lunches
Your Partner in Your Child’s Learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
January 28, 2013
Jan. 28-31, 2013
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! It is hard to believe that we are already in the last week of January. Here are some details for the upcoming week.
Language: We will be working on r controlled vowel sounds this week (ar, er, ir, or, ur). In Fun Family Fair, this is called Red Rooster Ringmaster. It is also called Bossy r. Our Book of the week will be Winter Birds. I hope that you enjoyed the Solid Shapes Book from last week. Practicing reading and sight words makes such a difference in your child’s learning progress. Thank you for taking the time to support your child’s success.
Spelling Words: so, but, make, run, down
Our last skating was today. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates or carry skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :)
Health Challenge for this week: Disconnect to Connect - turn of the digital devices and pick an activity that you can enjoy with your children
Thank you for helping your child to remember to plan a non-toy show and tell. We have enjoyed seeing all the creative pictures and objects that the students have been sharing.
Assembly (noon) and Hot Lunch will be on Wednesday Jan. 30.
VERY IMPORTANT: THERE IS NOT SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON FRIDAY Feb. 1
(PD Day)
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! It is hard to believe that we are already in the last week of January. Here are some details for the upcoming week.
Language: We will be working on r controlled vowel sounds this week (ar, er, ir, or, ur). In Fun Family Fair, this is called Red Rooster Ringmaster. It is also called Bossy r. Our Book of the week will be Winter Birds. I hope that you enjoyed the Solid Shapes Book from last week. Practicing reading and sight words makes such a difference in your child’s learning progress. Thank you for taking the time to support your child’s success.
Spelling Words: so, but, make, run, down
Our last skating was today. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates or carry skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :)
Health Challenge for this week: Disconnect to Connect - turn of the digital devices and pick an activity that you can enjoy with your children
Thank you for helping your child to remember to plan a non-toy show and tell. We have enjoyed seeing all the creative pictures and objects that the students have been sharing.
Assembly (noon) and Hot Lunch will be on Wednesday Jan. 30.
VERY IMPORTANT: THERE IS NOT SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON FRIDAY Feb. 1
(PD Day)
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
January 21, 2013
Jan. 21-25, 2013
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! I hope that you survived our windy and icy weather without injury last week.
Here are some details for the upcoming week. We are continuing to review vowel patterns this week. Basically, the general rule is, “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule (eg. bread, head etc.) We rely on context to help us figure out which one. As there is many more words that follow the rule, we try that one first. If it doesn’t make sense, we try the short sound. Please continue to practice with your child at home.
Book of the Week: Your child made a book entitled Solid Shapes today. This book supports our learning in Math as well as Science. It is also a way to practice reading. We have put this book in the front pocket of our agendas. Please take a few moments to have your child read this book every night and return it to the agenda pocket so we can practice at school as well. Thank you!
Spelling Words: one, come, two, year, yellow
Just a quick reminder that there is skating from 2-3 on Mondays. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :) You are very welcome to come again (please have record checks into office as per school division policy). Thank you!
Health Challenge for this week: Wasteless Lunch (lots of natural foods like fruits have their own wrappers).
Thank you for helping your child to remember to plan a non-toy show and tell. We have enjoyed seeing all the creative pictures and objects that the students have been sharing.
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! I hope that you survived our windy and icy weather without injury last week.
Here are some details for the upcoming week. We are continuing to review vowel patterns this week. Basically, the general rule is, “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule (eg. bread, head etc.) We rely on context to help us figure out which one. As there is many more words that follow the rule, we try that one first. If it doesn’t make sense, we try the short sound. Please continue to practice with your child at home.
Book of the Week: Your child made a book entitled Solid Shapes today. This book supports our learning in Math as well as Science. It is also a way to practice reading. We have put this book in the front pocket of our agendas. Please take a few moments to have your child read this book every night and return it to the agenda pocket so we can practice at school as well. Thank you!
Spelling Words: one, come, two, year, yellow
Just a quick reminder that there is skating from 2-3 on Mondays. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :) You are very welcome to come again (please have record checks into office as per school division policy). Thank you!
Health Challenge for this week: Wasteless Lunch (lots of natural foods like fruits have their own wrappers).
Thank you for helping your child to remember to plan a non-toy show and tell. We have enjoyed seeing all the creative pictures and objects that the students have been sharing.
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
January 14, 2013
Jan. 14, 2013
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! I hope that you are enjoying 2013 so far. :) We have been working hard to master silent e words. Many of us need some more practice. Please notice the silent e words in nightly reading or environmental print (eg. Rice Krispies box). We also sent some Spidee e work home to practice as well. We are moving on to other vowel patterns this week. We will be covering long ea (like bead), short ea (like in feather), ee (as in Keegan), oa (as in boat), and ai (as in rain).
Spelling Words: home, here, us, red (word family words like bed, fed etc.) & blue
Just a quick reminder that there is skating from 2-3 on Mondays. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :) You are very welcome to come again (please have record checks into office as per school division policy). Thank you!
Health Challenge for this week: 15 push ups at home each night
TOYS: Toys in class have become a distraction from learning as well as a source of conflict at school. For this reason, I am asking for your cooperation keeping toys at home. This includes show and tell. We will stretch our learning by moving to items that more closely match the spelling patterns that we are working on or things that are meaningful to your child in other ways(mementos, postcards from trips, newspaper clippings etc). The main purpose of show and tell is to strengthen your child’s logical reasoning skills. Please help your child think of 3 clues for the item that they bring. If they really want to bring a toy, please send a picture of it. If you have a smartphone, snap a photo and email it to me :). I will display it for the children on the smartboard. Thank you so much.
DiscoverE presentation: Wednesday January 16, 1-2:30 at West Central. This is a program brought to us from the engineering department at the U of A. We will be learning about building which is part of our Science curriculum. If you would like to accompany us for this walking trip, please let me know via email, phone call, or note in the agenda. Please remember that record checks must be submitted to the office.
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Happy Monday! I hope that you are enjoying 2013 so far. :) We have been working hard to master silent e words. Many of us need some more practice. Please notice the silent e words in nightly reading or environmental print (eg. Rice Krispies box). We also sent some Spidee e work home to practice as well. We are moving on to other vowel patterns this week. We will be covering long ea (like bead), short ea (like in feather), ee (as in Keegan), oa (as in boat), and ai (as in rain).
Spelling Words: home, here, us, red (word family words like bed, fed etc.) & blue
Just a quick reminder that there is skating from 2-3 on Mondays. Thank you to those of you who came to tie skates. Your help is greatly appreciated. :) You are very welcome to come again (please have record checks into office as per school division policy). Thank you!
Health Challenge for this week: 15 push ups at home each night
TOYS: Toys in class have become a distraction from learning as well as a source of conflict at school. For this reason, I am asking for your cooperation keeping toys at home. This includes show and tell. We will stretch our learning by moving to items that more closely match the spelling patterns that we are working on or things that are meaningful to your child in other ways(mementos, postcards from trips, newspaper clippings etc). The main purpose of show and tell is to strengthen your child’s logical reasoning skills. Please help your child think of 3 clues for the item that they bring. If they really want to bring a toy, please send a picture of it. If you have a smartphone, snap a photo and email it to me :). I will display it for the children on the smartboard. Thank you so much.
DiscoverE presentation: Wednesday January 16, 1-2:30 at West Central. This is a program brought to us from the engineering department at the U of A. We will be learning about building which is part of our Science curriculum. If you would like to accompany us for this walking trip, please let me know via email, phone call, or note in the agenda. Please remember that record checks must be submitted to the office.
Thanks again for all your support. You are a great group of parents/families.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
January 7, 2013
January 7-11, 2013
Dear Parents,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope that you had a wonderful time with family and friends over the break. I was able to be in BC with my family. Aside from hitting a deer on the way, we had an enjoyable and safe time. I must admit that my thoughts have drifted to your children often over the break and I am glad to be back with them.
We started learning about silent e endings before the break. As this is such a foundational concept for the children to understand, we will continue to work with silent e endings this week. Our reading program is based upon a visit to a country fair. The vowels in the fair are the vowels. This week we will be talking about silly e clown who plays a trick on words who climb on his e train. When no one is looking silent e clown reaches over the consonant beside him to the vowel (clown). The sitting clown (short sound) pops up and says his name in the word. But we will also learn that the trick only works when there is only one consonant between the e clown and the other vowel clown. Next week we will be visiting Clown Park 1 and learning about other tricks that vowels like to play in words.
Skating started today. Skating is from 2-3 on Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 at the arena. You are very welcome (providing your volunteer checks have been submitted to the office) to come help tie skates or skate with the children. :) Please remember that children must wear a helmet on the ice.
Pick up procedure: Please remember that students will meet their parents at the “gathering area” near the office. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Spelling words for the week are: of, look, all, did, I’m
Health Challenge for the week is rainbow lunches. Natural foods that are brightly coloured (fruits and vegetables) have many nutrients. Our challenge is to have brightly coloured lunches. We have been asked to take pictures of the brightest, healthiest lunches. Good luck with this challenge.
Our building unit is coming up. We will be participating in a video conference with Discover-E on January 16. We will walk over to West Central in order to use the video conferencing suite there.
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope that you had a wonderful time with family and friends over the break. I was able to be in BC with my family. Aside from hitting a deer on the way, we had an enjoyable and safe time. I must admit that my thoughts have drifted to your children often over the break and I am glad to be back with them.
We started learning about silent e endings before the break. As this is such a foundational concept for the children to understand, we will continue to work with silent e endings this week. Our reading program is based upon a visit to a country fair. The vowels in the fair are the vowels. This week we will be talking about silly e clown who plays a trick on words who climb on his e train. When no one is looking silent e clown reaches over the consonant beside him to the vowel (clown). The sitting clown (short sound) pops up and says his name in the word. But we will also learn that the trick only works when there is only one consonant between the e clown and the other vowel clown. Next week we will be visiting Clown Park 1 and learning about other tricks that vowels like to play in words.
Skating started today. Skating is from 2-3 on Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 at the arena. You are very welcome (providing your volunteer checks have been submitted to the office) to come help tie skates or skate with the children. :) Please remember that children must wear a helmet on the ice.
Pick up procedure: Please remember that students will meet their parents at the “gathering area” near the office. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Spelling words for the week are: of, look, all, did, I’m
Health Challenge for the week is rainbow lunches. Natural foods that are brightly coloured (fruits and vegetables) have many nutrients. Our challenge is to have brightly coloured lunches. We have been asked to take pictures of the brightest, healthiest lunches. Good luck with this challenge.
Our building unit is coming up. We will be participating in a video conference with Discover-E on January 16. We will walk over to West Central in order to use the video conferencing suite there.
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
December 17, 2012
December 17, 2012
Dear Parents,
Our hearts are so heavy over the tragic loss experienced late last week in Connecticut. There are simply no words. I anticipate that at least some of the students will have heard about the tragedy and may have questions. I plan to focus on all the people in our school and community who work hard to keep us safe. We will do our best to maintain our routine at school. I hope to keep the conversation brief and will direct any in depth questions back to you as parents. However, there will be a few changes in protocol at Lochearn with safety in mind. Visitors at the school, including parents, are asked to enter through the doors nearest to the office. People who are waiting to pick up their children will be asked to wait in the main foyer or “gathering place”. I am not sure how this will play out logistically at the end of the day for picking up your child. Please have patience with us as we do our best to promote the safety for every student. Thank you so much for your support and understanding.
We enjoyed our gingerbread activities last week. This week we will be thinking about snowmen. We will be learning about short vowels (sitting clowns) and long vowels (baton clowns). We will begin to learn about some of the rules that help us understand which vowels are short and long. In math we will be thinking about the hundred chart. We will be using concepts such as greater than, less than, ten less, ten more, one less, one more. We will also continue to build on our understanding of basic addition and subtraction.
Highlights for the week:
Monday December 17: New spelling words come home today. Thanks for helping us practice these :)
Wednesday December 19 @ noon: Christmas Concert for Pre-K - Grade 2 Family and Friends. Items for the Food Bank will be gratefully accepted.
Christmas Concerts: We will be wearing our best for the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday this week. We hope to see you on Tuesday :)
Skating will begin in the New Year. If your child needs to borrow skates and a helmet from the school, we will do our best to get them outfitted this week. Traditionally the skates have been sent home so that students can get a head start on skating over the break as well as give opportunity for parents to have them sharpened if needed.
Class Christmas Celebration will be on December 21. Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to provide a snack for our winter break send off celebration. Nut free snacks to share are welcome :)
Health Challenges:
Dec. 17th-21st
Make a healthy change to your lunch. ex. water instead of a sugar drink, no processed food, change from white bread to whole wheat.
As always, please call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns.
I hope that you will experience peace and joy with your loved ones this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Our hearts are so heavy over the tragic loss experienced late last week in Connecticut. There are simply no words. I anticipate that at least some of the students will have heard about the tragedy and may have questions. I plan to focus on all the people in our school and community who work hard to keep us safe. We will do our best to maintain our routine at school. I hope to keep the conversation brief and will direct any in depth questions back to you as parents. However, there will be a few changes in protocol at Lochearn with safety in mind. Visitors at the school, including parents, are asked to enter through the doors nearest to the office. People who are waiting to pick up their children will be asked to wait in the main foyer or “gathering place”. I am not sure how this will play out logistically at the end of the day for picking up your child. Please have patience with us as we do our best to promote the safety for every student. Thank you so much for your support and understanding.
We enjoyed our gingerbread activities last week. This week we will be thinking about snowmen. We will be learning about short vowels (sitting clowns) and long vowels (baton clowns). We will begin to learn about some of the rules that help us understand which vowels are short and long. In math we will be thinking about the hundred chart. We will be using concepts such as greater than, less than, ten less, ten more, one less, one more. We will also continue to build on our understanding of basic addition and subtraction.
Highlights for the week:
Monday December 17: New spelling words come home today. Thanks for helping us practice these :)
Wednesday December 19 @ noon: Christmas Concert for Pre-K - Grade 2 Family and Friends. Items for the Food Bank will be gratefully accepted.
Christmas Concerts: We will be wearing our best for the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday this week. We hope to see you on Tuesday :)
Skating will begin in the New Year. If your child needs to borrow skates and a helmet from the school, we will do our best to get them outfitted this week. Traditionally the skates have been sent home so that students can get a head start on skating over the break as well as give opportunity for parents to have them sharpened if needed.
Class Christmas Celebration will be on December 21. Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to provide a snack for our winter break send off celebration. Nut free snacks to share are welcome :)
Health Challenges:
Dec. 17th-21st
Make a healthy change to your lunch. ex. water instead of a sugar drink, no processed food, change from white bread to whole wheat.
As always, please call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns.
I hope that you will experience peace and joy with your loved ones this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
December 10
December 10, 2012
Dear Parents,
By the time you will be reading this, there will be 9 school days left until Christmas break. Here are the highlights for the next couple of weeks.
I have not included the regular sight words and sounds this week. We will be finishing up with th and ch and then we will spend some time reviewing and practicing what we have learned. We will be thinking about the Gingerbread Man story this week. I have found a number of versions for us to read and compare. I also have some other activities (math and sight words) that fit in nicely with this theme. It should be a fun week.
Monday December 10: New spelling words come home. Thanks for helping us practice these :)
Wednesday December 11: Hot Dog Lunch provided by Suncor Energy!
Wednesday December 19 @ noon: Christmas Concert for Pre-K - Grade 2 Family and Friends. Items for the Food Bank will be gratefully accepted.
Christmas Concerts: Contrary to what I told you last week, Grade One students will NOT be wearing pajamas to the performances on Dec. 19 & 20. Instead, please have them dress their best :) for both Dec. 19 and 20. Sorry for the mix-up. Grade 3 is wearing pajamas... so we decided to change our attire.
Skating will begin in the New Year. If your child needs to borrow skates and a helmet from the school, we will do our best to get them outfitted this week. Traditionally the skates have been sent home so that students can get a head start on skating over the break as well as give opportunity for parents to have them sharpened if needed.
Class Christmas Celebration will be on December 21. Nut free snacks to share are welcome :)
Health Challenges:
Dec. 10th-14th
Do something fun in the snow- build a snowman, a snow fort or an make a snow angel.
Dec. 17th-21st
Make a healthy change to your lunch. ex. water instead of a sugar drink, no processed food, change from white bread to whole wheat.
As always, please call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
By the time you will be reading this, there will be 9 school days left until Christmas break. Here are the highlights for the next couple of weeks.
I have not included the regular sight words and sounds this week. We will be finishing up with th and ch and then we will spend some time reviewing and practicing what we have learned. We will be thinking about the Gingerbread Man story this week. I have found a number of versions for us to read and compare. I also have some other activities (math and sight words) that fit in nicely with this theme. It should be a fun week.
Monday December 10: New spelling words come home. Thanks for helping us practice these :)
Wednesday December 11: Hot Dog Lunch provided by Suncor Energy!
Wednesday December 19 @ noon: Christmas Concert for Pre-K - Grade 2 Family and Friends. Items for the Food Bank will be gratefully accepted.
Christmas Concerts: Contrary to what I told you last week, Grade One students will NOT be wearing pajamas to the performances on Dec. 19 & 20. Instead, please have them dress their best :) for both Dec. 19 and 20. Sorry for the mix-up. Grade 3 is wearing pajamas... so we decided to change our attire.
Skating will begin in the New Year. If your child needs to borrow skates and a helmet from the school, we will do our best to get them outfitted this week. Traditionally the skates have been sent home so that students can get a head start on skating over the break as well as give opportunity for parents to have them sharpened if needed.
Class Christmas Celebration will be on December 21. Nut free snacks to share are welcome :)
Health Challenges:
Dec. 10th-14th
Do something fun in the snow- build a snowman, a snow fort or an make a snow angel.
Dec. 17th-21st
Make a healthy change to your lunch. ex. water instead of a sugar drink, no processed food, change from white bread to whole wheat.
As always, please call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
November 19-21
November 19-21
Dear Parents,
I hope you are well :) Here are some highlights for the week:
Healthy Challenge for November 19th-23rd: No Candy in Lunches
November 26th-30th: At least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable in lunch
I hope that you enjoyed looking at your child’s portfolio. Please check the sticker inside the blue binder to find your interview times. If you need to reschedule, please let me know and we will work it out. The first interviews will be on Tuesday night (Some will be next Thursday night). Please bring your child’s portfolio along. On that note, when I was stuffing Portfolios last week, I noticed that I did not have portfolios for a few students who attended Lochearn last year. The blue binder is designed to follow your child from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Each year the last term’s work will be kept in the portfolio and then sent on to the next grade. By the end of Grade 5, your child will have a collection of artifacts from their entire learning journey at Lochearn. So, if you happen to have last year’s binder at home, please send it to school so we can keep your child’s learning collection complete. Thank you!
No School On Thursday and Friday due to Professional Learning throughout the Wild Rose Division.
Spelling Words for the week are: he, me, going, am, with
Monday: n (Nana on her nose says n n n) Action: finger on the bridge of nose; on (extend one hand face down and then put the other one on top)
Tuesday: p (popping popcorn says p p p) Action: extend fingers from a closed fist one hand at a time); put; will
Wednesday: d (drummer Dave says d d d). Action: drum with imaginary drumsticks); are (one clap of the hands)
Please support your child’s learning by listening to him or her read their sentences each night. Thank you so much!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
I hope you are well :) Here are some highlights for the week:
Healthy Challenge for November 19th-23rd: No Candy in Lunches
November 26th-30th: At least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable in lunch
I hope that you enjoyed looking at your child’s portfolio. Please check the sticker inside the blue binder to find your interview times. If you need to reschedule, please let me know and we will work it out. The first interviews will be on Tuesday night (Some will be next Thursday night). Please bring your child’s portfolio along. On that note, when I was stuffing Portfolios last week, I noticed that I did not have portfolios for a few students who attended Lochearn last year. The blue binder is designed to follow your child from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Each year the last term’s work will be kept in the portfolio and then sent on to the next grade. By the end of Grade 5, your child will have a collection of artifacts from their entire learning journey at Lochearn. So, if you happen to have last year’s binder at home, please send it to school so we can keep your child’s learning collection complete. Thank you!
No School On Thursday and Friday due to Professional Learning throughout the Wild Rose Division.
Spelling Words for the week are: he, me, going, am, with
Monday: n (Nana on her nose says n n n) Action: finger on the bridge of nose; on (extend one hand face down and then put the other one on top)
Tuesday: p (popping popcorn says p p p) Action: extend fingers from a closed fist one hand at a time); put; will
Wednesday: d (drummer Dave says d d d). Action: drum with imaginary drumsticks); are (one clap of the hands)
Please support your child’s learning by listening to him or her read their sentences each night. Thank you so much!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
November 12-16
Dear Parents,
We have been busy completing our portfolio work and we are excited to showcase our learning when we bring portfolios home on Friday. Please look through the work with your child and celebrate their accomplishments. Thank you again for your support. I look forward to meeting with you at student, parent, teacher interviews to discuss your child’s progress. Please note your interview time on a white sticker on the inside of your child’s blue portfolio binder.
We are moving forward with our reading skills learning. We have transitioned to a program called “Smart Start in Language Arts” by Joanne Moore. Each day we will focus on two letter sounds and two sight words. The children will have a number of sentences to read and illustrate each day. We will do our best to send these sheets home each day. A great way to support your child’s learning would be to have your child read the sentences to you each day. (underlined words in the sentences indicate new words that your child should be able to sound out). It is also important for your child to master the sight words because they are foundational to our reading and writing skills. The focus sight words are listed at the top of the page as well as on the weekly table below. Your child will benefit from regular practice of these words as well. Review
Monday: m & a; is & you
Tuesday: o & t ; to & we
Wednesday: h & b; that & in
Thursday: f & i: for & at
Friday: g & u; it & with
Purdy’s Chocolate Orders were due today. Unfortunately we will be unable to accept late orders.
We are privileged to have Ashley Lagrelle, an education student from the University of Alberta, join us for the following four weeks. She has prepared an introductory letter that is included with the home note this week. We are excited to welcome her into our classroom community.
This year our Healthy School Committee has prepared a weekly challenge for us. This week the challenge is to drink 6 glasses of water per day. :)
As always, I truly appreciate your support. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, Terri-Lynn Emms
([email protected])
We have been busy completing our portfolio work and we are excited to showcase our learning when we bring portfolios home on Friday. Please look through the work with your child and celebrate their accomplishments. Thank you again for your support. I look forward to meeting with you at student, parent, teacher interviews to discuss your child’s progress. Please note your interview time on a white sticker on the inside of your child’s blue portfolio binder.
We are moving forward with our reading skills learning. We have transitioned to a program called “Smart Start in Language Arts” by Joanne Moore. Each day we will focus on two letter sounds and two sight words. The children will have a number of sentences to read and illustrate each day. We will do our best to send these sheets home each day. A great way to support your child’s learning would be to have your child read the sentences to you each day. (underlined words in the sentences indicate new words that your child should be able to sound out). It is also important for your child to master the sight words because they are foundational to our reading and writing skills. The focus sight words are listed at the top of the page as well as on the weekly table below. Your child will benefit from regular practice of these words as well. Review
Monday: m & a; is & you
Tuesday: o & t ; to & we
Wednesday: h & b; that & in
Thursday: f & i: for & at
Friday: g & u; it & with
Purdy’s Chocolate Orders were due today. Unfortunately we will be unable to accept late orders.
We are privileged to have Ashley Lagrelle, an education student from the University of Alberta, join us for the following four weeks. She has prepared an introductory letter that is included with the home note this week. We are excited to welcome her into our classroom community.
This year our Healthy School Committee has prepared a weekly challenge for us. This week the challenge is to drink 6 glasses of water per day. :)
As always, I truly appreciate your support. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, Terri-Lynn Emms
([email protected])
Please Note
Newsletters are Online
In January, we will be reducing our paper consumption by putting our monthly
newsletters and calendars online instead of sending out paper copies to the
homes. Please plan on checking the school’s website at least monthly for
information.
If you do not have a computer at home and need to have a paper copy of the school
newsletter and calendar, please contact your child’s teacher and one will be sent home with your child.
School newsletters and calendars will be uploaded on the school’s website by the last day of each month.
Healthy and Active School Challenges for November:
November 5th-9th 9 hrs. of sleep/ night
November 12th-16th Drink 6 glasses of water/day
November 19th-23rd No Candy in Lunches
November 26th-30th At least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable in lunch
In January, we will be reducing our paper consumption by putting our monthly
newsletters and calendars online instead of sending out paper copies to the
homes. Please plan on checking the school’s website at least monthly for
information.
If you do not have a computer at home and need to have a paper copy of the school
newsletter and calendar, please contact your child’s teacher and one will be sent home with your child.
School newsletters and calendars will be uploaded on the school’s website by the last day of each month.
Healthy and Active School Challenges for November:
November 5th-9th 9 hrs. of sleep/ night
November 12th-16th Drink 6 glasses of water/day
November 19th-23rd No Candy in Lunches
November 26th-30th At least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable in lunch
November 5-9
November 5-8
Dear Parents,
Here are some important things to note this week:
Monday - new spelling words to practice
Tuesday - anti-bullying assembly @ 2 p.m.
Thursday - Spelling Test & Remembrance Day Assembly @ 12 p.m.
Friday - No School (in lieu of Parent/Teacher Interviews)
A few weeks ago, Mrs. Winchell came to talk to our class about Operation Christmas Child. This is a program that delivers gift boxes to children in need. These boxes go to children all over the world and is likely the only gift that many will receive. She talked about how excited the children are to get them. If you would like to participate by donating items or packing your own shoebox, please refer to the instructions (http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/rss/operation-christmas-child/get-involved/operation-christmas-child-packing-your-shoe-boxes/). We will be collecting boxes on November 19 here at the school.
Our Project Based Learning Unit began today with our entry event. Mrs. Spencer hosted a special grade one assembly where she talked about her concern because some children are not having fun at recess. She challenged the Grade One students to learn more about this problem and to provide some teaching material for the Lochearn school community. Our hope is that recess will be fun for everyone. We are excited to see how the grade one students will become problem solvers as we move through this learning journey.
A HUGE THANK YOU to those parents who provided snacks or volunteered for our special days last week. You made our week more special. Thanks again!
I hope that you have a good week. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Spelling Words:
can (and the words that can be built from it such as fan, man, pan etc)
on
is (a red word because it cannot be sounded out)
at (and the words that can be built from it such as cat, rat, sat etc.)
you (a red word because it cannot be sounded out)
Dear Parents,
Here are some important things to note this week:
Monday - new spelling words to practice
Tuesday - anti-bullying assembly @ 2 p.m.
Thursday - Spelling Test & Remembrance Day Assembly @ 12 p.m.
Friday - No School (in lieu of Parent/Teacher Interviews)
A few weeks ago, Mrs. Winchell came to talk to our class about Operation Christmas Child. This is a program that delivers gift boxes to children in need. These boxes go to children all over the world and is likely the only gift that many will receive. She talked about how excited the children are to get them. If you would like to participate by donating items or packing your own shoebox, please refer to the instructions (http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/rss/operation-christmas-child/get-involved/operation-christmas-child-packing-your-shoe-boxes/). We will be collecting boxes on November 19 here at the school.
Our Project Based Learning Unit began today with our entry event. Mrs. Spencer hosted a special grade one assembly where she talked about her concern because some children are not having fun at recess. She challenged the Grade One students to learn more about this problem and to provide some teaching material for the Lochearn school community. Our hope is that recess will be fun for everyone. We are excited to see how the grade one students will become problem solvers as we move through this learning journey.
A HUGE THANK YOU to those parents who provided snacks or volunteered for our special days last week. You made our week more special. Thanks again!
I hope that you have a good week. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Spelling Words:
can (and the words that can be built from it such as fan, man, pan etc)
on
is (a red word because it cannot be sounded out)
at (and the words that can be built from it such as cat, rat, sat etc.)
you (a red word because it cannot be sounded out)
October 29 - November 2
October 29-November 2
Dear Parents,
I hope that you had a great extended weekend :) I learned a lot in the sessions that I was able to attend last week and I am very excited about trying some new things with the class. I added a new tab on our blog that has some information about Project Based Learning. The home page also has an introductory post to our upcoming inquiry or project learning.
Highlights for the week:
Tuesday: assembly at noon
Wednesday: costume parade at noon (only peaceful costumes please, no weapons or masks) Thursday: Parent Council meeting at noon
Friday: Colour Day & Miss Lagrelle (our U of A practicum student) will be with us
One of our Science units this year is called Creating Colour. We will be celebrating our learning on Friday. Students are welcome to dress in an especially colourful way that day. They are welcome to bring a colourful & healthy snack to share with the class (please let me know in the agenda if you would like to send a snack). Also, we will be completing a number of experiments/investigations with colour and I would love to have a few adult volunteers to help us with the fun. Please let me know if you are willing and available to help from 1:45-3:00 on Friday. Please remember that all volunteers must have their criminal record check and child welfare check turned into the office in order to volunteer. Many of you completed this last year, but just in case you didn’t, it would be great if you could get the paperwork done so that you are free to join us for special days and field trips etc. We appreciate your understanding on this matter. We know that we have an awesome parent and support community at Lochearn. Thank you!
Homework: A sight word book will be coming home today. Please have your child practice the words each night. It might be good to tackle one page per week so that no one gets overwhelmed :). These words are used often in both reading and writing. Mastering them will greatly assist your child as he or she continues their reading & writing journey.
Thank you again for all your support! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
I hope that you had a great extended weekend :) I learned a lot in the sessions that I was able to attend last week and I am very excited about trying some new things with the class. I added a new tab on our blog that has some information about Project Based Learning. The home page also has an introductory post to our upcoming inquiry or project learning.
Highlights for the week:
Tuesday: assembly at noon
Wednesday: costume parade at noon (only peaceful costumes please, no weapons or masks) Thursday: Parent Council meeting at noon
Friday: Colour Day & Miss Lagrelle (our U of A practicum student) will be with us
One of our Science units this year is called Creating Colour. We will be celebrating our learning on Friday. Students are welcome to dress in an especially colourful way that day. They are welcome to bring a colourful & healthy snack to share with the class (please let me know in the agenda if you would like to send a snack). Also, we will be completing a number of experiments/investigations with colour and I would love to have a few adult volunteers to help us with the fun. Please let me know if you are willing and available to help from 1:45-3:00 on Friday. Please remember that all volunteers must have their criminal record check and child welfare check turned into the office in order to volunteer. Many of you completed this last year, but just in case you didn’t, it would be great if you could get the paperwork done so that you are free to join us for special days and field trips etc. We appreciate your understanding on this matter. We know that we have an awesome parent and support community at Lochearn. Thank you!
Homework: A sight word book will be coming home today. Please have your child practice the words each night. It might be good to tackle one page per week so that no one gets overwhelmed :). These words are used often in both reading and writing. Mastering them will greatly assist your child as he or she continues their reading & writing journey.
Thank you again for all your support! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
October 22-25
Dear Parents,
Hello! I hope that you had a great weekend. I did, but I must admit that I spent a good part of it getting ready for this week. I have been invited to attend a three day workshop in Red Deer on Project Based Learning. That is “teacher speak” for finding ways to make learning meaningful by designing learning activities that are based on problems. Successful individuals are great problems solvers. We want to empower your child with the skills they need to be problem solvers in every area of their lives.
Friday is also a PD day (no school for students). I will be going to Drayton Valley to participate in a learning day based on the same philosophy. I am sure that I will have lots of new and educationally sound ideas to implement next week.
The students saw a presentation today by Earth Rangers. It might be a nice idea to ask your child what they learned there today.
We will be finishing reviewing the last letters of the alphabet this week. By this point in the year your child should consistently know each letter and the sound(s) they make. Presently, your child may be able to sound out a few words, but probably needs a lot of assistance with the books that are coming home for home reading. It is OK for your child to be using the pattern of the story and the picture clues to read their books. As we continue to practice, they will be able to sound more and more words home. I apologize if your child has brought home a book that is damaged (ex. missing all the pages) or is beyond their level. Unfortunately the books get mixed up. We don’t have a large supply of level A and B books, so students have been taking from both of these bins. I had recommended Reading Eggspress as a source for books. The site is designed for use after completing the entire Reading Eggs program, so it is likely too difficult for your child at this point. If you would like an online resource, you may want to check Starfall. I will provide a link on our class website so that you will have easy access to this reading option. Thank you again for your support of your child’s learning. I understand how busy evenings can be. I hope that providing you with some homework options will make finding a few minutes for at home practice doable for your family.
Word Work/Spelling. I discovered last week that the students have not learned protocol for spelling (of course). I would like to spend this week working on word families so that your child will begin to see the patterns of spelling as well as practice skills such as dictation. For this reason, there will be no words to work on this week, although you could practice making word families. Today’s words were: STOP, cop, hop, mop, pop, top, drop, chop, crop
Tuesday’s words: DOG, hog, fog, jog, log, clog, frog, smog, bog
COB, Bob, gob, job, mob, rob, slob, snob, throb
Wednesday’s words: ROCK, dock, lock, sock, block, flock, clock, crock, stock (these will be challenging and your child may need assistance as we are only beginning to work with letter blends).
Thursday’s words: SPOT, got, hot, lot, not, pot, jot, shot, slot
Halloween is next week. Students are invited to wear costumes to school that day. We ask that no masks or weapons of any sort are sent to school. Thank you for your support on this. Near the end of the day, the students will have a costume parade.
I hope that you have a great week!
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have. We are in this together :)
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Hello! I hope that you had a great weekend. I did, but I must admit that I spent a good part of it getting ready for this week. I have been invited to attend a three day workshop in Red Deer on Project Based Learning. That is “teacher speak” for finding ways to make learning meaningful by designing learning activities that are based on problems. Successful individuals are great problems solvers. We want to empower your child with the skills they need to be problem solvers in every area of their lives.
Friday is also a PD day (no school for students). I will be going to Drayton Valley to participate in a learning day based on the same philosophy. I am sure that I will have lots of new and educationally sound ideas to implement next week.
The students saw a presentation today by Earth Rangers. It might be a nice idea to ask your child what they learned there today.
We will be finishing reviewing the last letters of the alphabet this week. By this point in the year your child should consistently know each letter and the sound(s) they make. Presently, your child may be able to sound out a few words, but probably needs a lot of assistance with the books that are coming home for home reading. It is OK for your child to be using the pattern of the story and the picture clues to read their books. As we continue to practice, they will be able to sound more and more words home. I apologize if your child has brought home a book that is damaged (ex. missing all the pages) or is beyond their level. Unfortunately the books get mixed up. We don’t have a large supply of level A and B books, so students have been taking from both of these bins. I had recommended Reading Eggspress as a source for books. The site is designed for use after completing the entire Reading Eggs program, so it is likely too difficult for your child at this point. If you would like an online resource, you may want to check Starfall. I will provide a link on our class website so that you will have easy access to this reading option. Thank you again for your support of your child’s learning. I understand how busy evenings can be. I hope that providing you with some homework options will make finding a few minutes for at home practice doable for your family.
Word Work/Spelling. I discovered last week that the students have not learned protocol for spelling (of course). I would like to spend this week working on word families so that your child will begin to see the patterns of spelling as well as practice skills such as dictation. For this reason, there will be no words to work on this week, although you could practice making word families. Today’s words were: STOP, cop, hop, mop, pop, top, drop, chop, crop
Tuesday’s words: DOG, hog, fog, jog, log, clog, frog, smog, bog
COB, Bob, gob, job, mob, rob, slob, snob, throb
Wednesday’s words: ROCK, dock, lock, sock, block, flock, clock, crock, stock (these will be challenging and your child may need assistance as we are only beginning to work with letter blends).
Thursday’s words: SPOT, got, hot, lot, not, pot, jot, shot, slot
Halloween is next week. Students are invited to wear costumes to school that day. We ask that no masks or weapons of any sort are sent to school. Thank you for your support on this. Near the end of the day, the students will have a costume parade.
I hope that you have a great week!
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have. We are in this together :)
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
October 15-19
October 15, 2012
Dear Parents,
Letters/sounds for this week: Ll, Ee, “th”, Nn, “oo”
Word Work Homework: Please find a list of word cards to cut out in your child’s folder this evening. The instructions are included. These are the words that we have covered in our Animated Literacy Program so far. Your child can read the words out loud, put the words into sentences, as well as print and illustrate sentences that they have made using the words. Also, we are working on learning to spell “red” words. These are words that are used often in writing, but cannot necessarily be sounded out. Please have your child practice spelling these words (included in the agenda for this week). I hope that we can master these early so that students will be able to draw on this knowledge as they begin to write more and more. Thanks again for your support of your child’s learning.
Book Fair was today, although you can also shop during the Make and Take Night tomorrow night (October 16 from 6:30 - 7:30). If you are not familiar with Make and Take Night, it is an event that the K-2 teachers put on to promote early literacy and numeracy. There will be centres with different activities for families to participate in. We hope to see you there.
Please send warm clothing for your children. Last week was surprisingly cold and many children were complaining about cold fingers etc. Also, please be aware that our classroom tends to be quite chilly. Please send them to school with a sweater that they can pull on as needed. Thank you!
Ashley Lagrelle is an education student at the University of Alberta. She will be joining us for a practicum this term. For now, she will only be with us on Fridays. In November she will be joining us full time for a number of weeks. Miss Lagrelle fit in very well on Friday and I am confident that it will be a good learning experience for everyone.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress. Have a great week!
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Letters/sounds for this week: Ll, Ee, “th”, Nn, “oo”
Word Work Homework: Please find a list of word cards to cut out in your child’s folder this evening. The instructions are included. These are the words that we have covered in our Animated Literacy Program so far. Your child can read the words out loud, put the words into sentences, as well as print and illustrate sentences that they have made using the words. Also, we are working on learning to spell “red” words. These are words that are used often in writing, but cannot necessarily be sounded out. Please have your child practice spelling these words (included in the agenda for this week). I hope that we can master these early so that students will be able to draw on this knowledge as they begin to write more and more. Thanks again for your support of your child’s learning.
Book Fair was today, although you can also shop during the Make and Take Night tomorrow night (October 16 from 6:30 - 7:30). If you are not familiar with Make and Take Night, it is an event that the K-2 teachers put on to promote early literacy and numeracy. There will be centres with different activities for families to participate in. We hope to see you there.
Please send warm clothing for your children. Last week was surprisingly cold and many children were complaining about cold fingers etc. Also, please be aware that our classroom tends to be quite chilly. Please send them to school with a sweater that they can pull on as needed. Thank you!
Ashley Lagrelle is an education student at the University of Alberta. She will be joining us for a practicum this term. For now, she will only be with us on Fridays. In November she will be joining us full time for a number of weeks. Miss Lagrelle fit in very well on Friday and I am confident that it will be a good learning experience for everyone.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress. Have a great week!
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
October 9-12
Dear Parents,
I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend with your family and friends. I enjoyed spending time with my family and reflecting on gratitude. I once heard it said, “A thankful heart is a happy heart.” So I come to this week with a happy heart. I hope you and your family do as well.
As we move into October we will begin to be taking on more learning challenges in grade one. A lot of what we worked on in September was probably review of what your child learned in Kindergarten. By then end of this month we will be finished reviewing the letter sounds and we will move into more complicated blends. Reading practice at home will support your child’s learning by giving them practice and confidence. Everyone needs a cheerleader when taking on difficult challenges. Let’s cheer your child on together. I have purchased the Reading Eggs program for this year since I got very positive feedback from parents and students. Please take some time to go to the Reading Eggspress side of the program. Selecting “The library” will take you to online books. You may choose to do these with your child instead of or in addition to the books that we send home. Adjust the age range at the top of the screen in order to get books that will be at your child’s level. I will be modelling this with the students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
If your child will be absent from school, please call the Lochearn Safe Phone before 9 a.m.. I will provide a sticker with the safe phone number on it for you to put somewhere handy. If you do not call the safe phone or let the office personnel know that your child will be absent, they will try to contact you in order to ensure that your child is safe and accounted for. With well over 300 students in the school, this task can be overwhelming for our office staff. Please take the time to call the safe phone so that we know your child is safe. Thank you so much for your cooperation on this matter.
New word work words come home today. Please clip them apart and practice matching the words to the pictures. The idea is for children to learn the spelling patterns so that they can spell the words in the set as well as other words that follow the same rules. Some fun ideas for word work practice:
Play memory with the words and pictures.
Spray a bit of shaving cream on a table and have your child practice spelling the words in the shaving cream. You could also show them the words and have them draw the picture to match. If you have any other creative word work practice strategies, please let me know so I can share them.
This week:
Tuesday: Mrs. Emms will be serving as Acting Administrator. A substitute teacher will be facilitating learning in 1E.
Wednesday: Milk forms are due. Milk program starts on October 17.
Next Week: Monday October 15: Scholastic Book fair. Your child can purchase books or novelty items. All profits from the book fair are used for purchasing books for classroom or library use. You can also shop the book fair at the Lochearn make and Take night on Tuesday October 16.
Tuesday October 16: Make and Take Night (an event to support early literacy). 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Open to families with children who are 3 years old through Grade Two.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend with your family and friends. I enjoyed spending time with my family and reflecting on gratitude. I once heard it said, “A thankful heart is a happy heart.” So I come to this week with a happy heart. I hope you and your family do as well.
As we move into October we will begin to be taking on more learning challenges in grade one. A lot of what we worked on in September was probably review of what your child learned in Kindergarten. By then end of this month we will be finished reviewing the letter sounds and we will move into more complicated blends. Reading practice at home will support your child’s learning by giving them practice and confidence. Everyone needs a cheerleader when taking on difficult challenges. Let’s cheer your child on together. I have purchased the Reading Eggs program for this year since I got very positive feedback from parents and students. Please take some time to go to the Reading Eggspress side of the program. Selecting “The library” will take you to online books. You may choose to do these with your child instead of or in addition to the books that we send home. Adjust the age range at the top of the screen in order to get books that will be at your child’s level. I will be modelling this with the students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
If your child will be absent from school, please call the Lochearn Safe Phone before 9 a.m.. I will provide a sticker with the safe phone number on it for you to put somewhere handy. If you do not call the safe phone or let the office personnel know that your child will be absent, they will try to contact you in order to ensure that your child is safe and accounted for. With well over 300 students in the school, this task can be overwhelming for our office staff. Please take the time to call the safe phone so that we know your child is safe. Thank you so much for your cooperation on this matter.
New word work words come home today. Please clip them apart and practice matching the words to the pictures. The idea is for children to learn the spelling patterns so that they can spell the words in the set as well as other words that follow the same rules. Some fun ideas for word work practice:
Play memory with the words and pictures.
Spray a bit of shaving cream on a table and have your child practice spelling the words in the shaving cream. You could also show them the words and have them draw the picture to match. If you have any other creative word work practice strategies, please let me know so I can share them.
This week:
Tuesday: Mrs. Emms will be serving as Acting Administrator. A substitute teacher will be facilitating learning in 1E.
Wednesday: Milk forms are due. Milk program starts on October 17.
Next Week: Monday October 15: Scholastic Book fair. Your child can purchase books or novelty items. All profits from the book fair are used for purchasing books for classroom or library use. You can also shop the book fair at the Lochearn make and Take night on Tuesday October 16.
Tuesday October 16: Make and Take Night (an event to support early literacy). 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Open to families with children who are 3 years old through Grade Two.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Identity Day
October 1, 2012
Hello Parents,
Here are the highlights of the upcoming week:
Letters/sound patterns this week are: “ar”, J, K, & F
Word Work: “an” family. New words should be in your child’s folder. Please practice them every night at home.
Home Reading: students will be bringing books home for home reading. Please have your child read them to you and as many other people as possible. Repetition increases fluency and your child’s confidence in their reading ability. Please record the minutes read or people read to on the monthly calendar in the agenda. Thank you for your support at home. Your child will surely benefit from it.
Homework should not be taking more than about 15 minutes per night. I don’t foresee an issue, but just in case you are finding the homework load too heavy for your child, please let me know. We will negotiate a plan that will be more appropriate for your child.
Hot Lunch Forms: if you wish to order, please have the forms back to the office by Thursday.
Identity Day: Thursday. This is an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of each child in the school. Please create a display at home, telling who your child is and what they enjoy. The displays will be set up in the gym on Thursday.
No School for Students on Friday or Monday, October 8. Happy Thanksgiving!
I have enjoyed getting to know you and your children throughout September. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns regarding your child.
Blog: have you checked out our class blog yet? You can find it at www.gradeoneisfun.weebly.ca. It is also linked on the Lochearn page. There are many games and learning songs linked there. I hope that you are able to enjoy this link between school and home.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Hello Parents,
Here are the highlights of the upcoming week:
Letters/sound patterns this week are: “ar”, J, K, & F
Word Work: “an” family. New words should be in your child’s folder. Please practice them every night at home.
Home Reading: students will be bringing books home for home reading. Please have your child read them to you and as many other people as possible. Repetition increases fluency and your child’s confidence in their reading ability. Please record the minutes read or people read to on the monthly calendar in the agenda. Thank you for your support at home. Your child will surely benefit from it.
Homework should not be taking more than about 15 minutes per night. I don’t foresee an issue, but just in case you are finding the homework load too heavy for your child, please let me know. We will negotiate a plan that will be more appropriate for your child.
Hot Lunch Forms: if you wish to order, please have the forms back to the office by Thursday.
Identity Day: Thursday. This is an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of each child in the school. Please create a display at home, telling who your child is and what they enjoy. The displays will be set up in the gym on Thursday.
No School for Students on Friday or Monday, October 8. Happy Thanksgiving!
I have enjoyed getting to know you and your children throughout September. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns regarding your child.
Blog: have you checked out our class blog yet? You can find it at www.gradeoneisfun.weebly.ca. It is also linked on the Lochearn page. There are many games and learning songs linked there. I hope that you are able to enjoy this link between school and home.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
School Art Project & Terry Fox Run
Sept. 24, 2012
Hello Parents,
I hope that you had a good weekend! The weather has been amazing. I hope you were able to get some time outdoors to enjoy it with your family.
Here are some of the highlights for this week.
Tuesday at noon will be our first school assembly in the gym. You are very welcome to attend.
Thursday is our library day. Please have your child bring his or her books back to school that day so that they can take new ones out.
Friday: we are participating in an all school art project. We will be making chalk art in the bus lanes. Later that afternoon, we will be participating in the Terry Fox Run.
I will be participating in learning opportunities on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The first will be an extension of the workshop that we attended on Friday. The presenter showed us many hands on ways to engage in math learning. Tuesday will be totally geared to meeting grade one outcomes through the use of games and manipulatives. Wednesday is a session hosted by our Division Office. I am very excited about these opportunities because my goal is to make our learning in grade one fun and meaningful for students. I have carefully planned the days that the children will have with the substitute teacher in order to maximize their learning on these days as well.
Words Their Way homework starts this week. Their word sort words came home today. Please cut the cards apart and tuck them into a ziplock bag. Each day your child should sort the words (match the picture cards to the spelling). They should see it, say it, sort it and spell it. For instance, they would see the picture of the mat and say “mat”. Then they would find the word mat and say “mat”. Finally they would pair the two and say “m a t spells mat”. There are many activities that we can do with the words, but for this week we will keep it simple. The aim is to build a strong spelling foundation for your child based on word families. Every child at Lochearn participates in this program and has Word Work homework nightly.
I have received some positive feedback about the Reading Eggs program. I hope that you have had a chance to try it out with your child. Next week we will begin our regular home reading. We will be recording the minutes read and to whom the child read on the monthly calendar in the agenda. For instance, an entry could look like, “Grandma- 5 minutes” or “Dad- 10 minutes”. Building reading skills is foundational to your child’s lifelong learning. I hope that your child will be well supported in the pursuit of this goal. I am hoping that we can develop a support group similar to Akeelah’s 1000 teachers from the movie “Akeelah and the Bee”.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Hello Parents,
I hope that you had a good weekend! The weather has been amazing. I hope you were able to get some time outdoors to enjoy it with your family.
Here are some of the highlights for this week.
Tuesday at noon will be our first school assembly in the gym. You are very welcome to attend.
Thursday is our library day. Please have your child bring his or her books back to school that day so that they can take new ones out.
Friday: we are participating in an all school art project. We will be making chalk art in the bus lanes. Later that afternoon, we will be participating in the Terry Fox Run.
I will be participating in learning opportunities on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The first will be an extension of the workshop that we attended on Friday. The presenter showed us many hands on ways to engage in math learning. Tuesday will be totally geared to meeting grade one outcomes through the use of games and manipulatives. Wednesday is a session hosted by our Division Office. I am very excited about these opportunities because my goal is to make our learning in grade one fun and meaningful for students. I have carefully planned the days that the children will have with the substitute teacher in order to maximize their learning on these days as well.
Words Their Way homework starts this week. Their word sort words came home today. Please cut the cards apart and tuck them into a ziplock bag. Each day your child should sort the words (match the picture cards to the spelling). They should see it, say it, sort it and spell it. For instance, they would see the picture of the mat and say “mat”. Then they would find the word mat and say “mat”. Finally they would pair the two and say “m a t spells mat”. There are many activities that we can do with the words, but for this week we will keep it simple. The aim is to build a strong spelling foundation for your child based on word families. Every child at Lochearn participates in this program and has Word Work homework nightly.
I have received some positive feedback about the Reading Eggs program. I hope that you have had a chance to try it out with your child. Next week we will begin our regular home reading. We will be recording the minutes read and to whom the child read on the monthly calendar in the agenda. For instance, an entry could look like, “Grandma- 5 minutes” or “Dad- 10 minutes”. Building reading skills is foundational to your child’s lifelong learning. I hope that your child will be well supported in the pursuit of this goal. I am hoping that we can develop a support group similar to Akeelah’s 1000 teachers from the movie “Akeelah and the Bee”.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Your partner in your child’s learning,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Picture Day & Meet and Greet
September 17, 2012
Dear Parents,
Here are the highlights for the week:
Picture Day: Tuesday - please have your child wear their smile :)
Meet and Greet: Wednesday 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please have your child bring a rock (about the size of their palm) to decorate in the library. Then all of you can bring it to our classroom. Your child can show you around and we will have a chance to chat. It is also a chance to meet other parents on the same journey as you. I just came upon video of my own son at his kindergarten graduation at Lochearn. It was fun to see how all the children have changed as they are in grade four now. I realized that, as parents, we are likely to be sharing a lot of these moments together. It is nice to develop some friendships with other parents in the Lochearn family. I hope to see you there.
Book Orders Due: Thursday
PD Day: Friday. No school for students. I will be heading to Condor in the morning to learn about math strategies with other primary teachers. In the afternoon, I will be planning inquiry projects with the grade one team here at Lochearn.
Request: We are beginning to use computers in class. Many programs require sound. Obviously, having a classroom full of programs running is challenging. It would be great if children could have access to headphones at school. If you are able to send a set for your child, it will be much appreciated. Thank you!
Weebly: Please check out our Weebly at http://gradeoneisfun.weebly.ca. It is also linked on the Lochearn blog. Our monthly learning goals (I Can Statements) are listed as well as links to activities and games for you and your child to enjoy.
I hope that you have a great week!
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
Dear Parents,
Here are the highlights for the week:
Picture Day: Tuesday - please have your child wear their smile :)
Meet and Greet: Wednesday 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please have your child bring a rock (about the size of their palm) to decorate in the library. Then all of you can bring it to our classroom. Your child can show you around and we will have a chance to chat. It is also a chance to meet other parents on the same journey as you. I just came upon video of my own son at his kindergarten graduation at Lochearn. It was fun to see how all the children have changed as they are in grade four now. I realized that, as parents, we are likely to be sharing a lot of these moments together. It is nice to develop some friendships with other parents in the Lochearn family. I hope to see you there.
Book Orders Due: Thursday
PD Day: Friday. No school for students. I will be heading to Condor in the morning to learn about math strategies with other primary teachers. In the afternoon, I will be planning inquiry projects with the grade one team here at Lochearn.
Request: We are beginning to use computers in class. Many programs require sound. Obviously, having a classroom full of programs running is challenging. It would be great if children could have access to headphones at school. If you are able to send a set for your child, it will be much appreciated. Thank you!
Weebly: Please check out our Weebly at http://gradeoneisfun.weebly.ca. It is also linked on the Lochearn blog. Our monthly learning goals (I Can Statements) are listed as well as links to activities and games for you and your child to enjoy.
I hope that you have a great week!
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
September 10-14, 2012
Dear Parents,
It has been such a joy to spend time with your children this past week. Each one of them is so unique and precious. I truly am honored to be working with them. It is going to be a fabulous year!
“Reading Eggs” is an internet based reading program that has come highly recommended from another school. I have signed up for a trial period in order to pilot the program. We will use it at school, but the program is built so that families can access it at home as well. I am sending an introductory letter with your child’s login information home today. The parent trial period is only 14 days. I am hoping that some families will try it out within that time period and let me know how you and your child felt about it.
Show & Tell will start next week. Students are asked to bring their object or picture as a hidden object. Each child should come prepared by knowing how many letters are in the name of their item as well as the first letter. They should have 3 clues about the object prepared as well. The rest of the students will ask questions in order to guess the item.
Monday: Brianna, Vanessa, Madyson, & Caius
Tuesday: Ashley, Keegan, Carson, & Chase
Wednesday: Madilynn, Gus, Calli, & Marcus Joe
Thursday: Lane, Markus, Addison, and Collin
Friday: Austin, Angelina, Ciara, Ace, & Elise
Important Dates:
Library Day for our class is Thursday. We will provide a bag for your child to store the books in so that it is easy to keep track of the books at home. Please enjoy the books with your child and return them to school the following Thursday.
Chickadee and Highlights forms: Please fill in the Highlights forms and return to school even if you do not wish to order. These companies provide gifts for our classroom for returned forms. If you choose not to order, the only information you need to provide is your name and signature. Thank you so much!
School Photos: Tuesday, September 18
Meet & Greet Night: Wednesday, September 19 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please have your child bring a rock (about the size of your child's palm) to decorate in the library and then deliver to our classroom.
Book Orders: Forms are due on Thursday September 20 if you choose to order.
P.D. Day Friday, September 21 (no school for students).
What we are learning this week:
Language Arts
We are reviewing letters and letter sounds. We will begin to combine letters to make simple words and sentences.
Math
We are working on patterns, making number sentences (1+1=2), representing numbers in different ways, and reviewing numbers 1-10.
Social Studies
We are working on “Belonging in our World”. We have talked about different groups that we belong to (our class, school, Scouts or Brownies, church or community groups etc.).
Science
We are learning about primary colours and colour mixing. We are also noticing seasonal changes as they happen.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]
It has been such a joy to spend time with your children this past week. Each one of them is so unique and precious. I truly am honored to be working with them. It is going to be a fabulous year!
“Reading Eggs” is an internet based reading program that has come highly recommended from another school. I have signed up for a trial period in order to pilot the program. We will use it at school, but the program is built so that families can access it at home as well. I am sending an introductory letter with your child’s login information home today. The parent trial period is only 14 days. I am hoping that some families will try it out within that time period and let me know how you and your child felt about it.
Show & Tell will start next week. Students are asked to bring their object or picture as a hidden object. Each child should come prepared by knowing how many letters are in the name of their item as well as the first letter. They should have 3 clues about the object prepared as well. The rest of the students will ask questions in order to guess the item.
Monday: Brianna, Vanessa, Madyson, & Caius
Tuesday: Ashley, Keegan, Carson, & Chase
Wednesday: Madilynn, Gus, Calli, & Marcus Joe
Thursday: Lane, Markus, Addison, and Collin
Friday: Austin, Angelina, Ciara, Ace, & Elise
Important Dates:
Library Day for our class is Thursday. We will provide a bag for your child to store the books in so that it is easy to keep track of the books at home. Please enjoy the books with your child and return them to school the following Thursday.
Chickadee and Highlights forms: Please fill in the Highlights forms and return to school even if you do not wish to order. These companies provide gifts for our classroom for returned forms. If you choose not to order, the only information you need to provide is your name and signature. Thank you so much!
School Photos: Tuesday, September 18
Meet & Greet Night: Wednesday, September 19 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please have your child bring a rock (about the size of your child's palm) to decorate in the library and then deliver to our classroom.
Book Orders: Forms are due on Thursday September 20 if you choose to order.
P.D. Day Friday, September 21 (no school for students).
What we are learning this week:
Language Arts
We are reviewing letters and letter sounds. We will begin to combine letters to make simple words and sentences.
Math
We are working on patterns, making number sentences (1+1=2), representing numbers in different ways, and reviewing numbers 1-10.
Social Studies
We are working on “Belonging in our World”. We have talked about different groups that we belong to (our class, school, Scouts or Brownies, church or community groups etc.).
Science
We are learning about primary colours and colour mixing. We are also noticing seasonal changes as they happen.
Your partner in your child’s education,
Terri-Lynn Emms
[email protected]