2012 Summer Reading List

Community at Large member:  Mike McGinnis

Parent Members:  Amy Case and Tim Fry

Thank you to all who voted in the election.  The members will be seated at the May Board of Directors’ meeting on Tuesday, May 8 at 6 p.m.

Thank you for participating this year!  Please follow the link to see results:

Caprock Race Results 2012

Good Afternoon Parents and Caregivers,

Another fantastic week in first grade has come and gone. We are thoroughly enjoying our two new units in History and Social Science. In History, we started the week off with Christopher Columbus in search of a faster route to the Indies. It was so exciting to hear all the information the first graders remembered from kindergarten; they are so bright! This week, we will learn about Sir Walter Raleigh and the quest to establish a successful colony in the Americas for England.  Land ho!

Your little star is looking up -literally! Exploring Our Solar System is a super fun Core Knowledge unit which includes many hands-on activities about the sun, the Earth, the phases of the moon, and the planets.   First graders have learned how we get day and night and designed their own constellations on Thursday.  I hope you had fun looking at the constellation your child created.  Please remember to send at least one 8×11 piece of cardboard with your child by Wednesday, February 1st.  In addition, our class is in need of Oreo (or similar kind) cookies when we go to the moon on February 6th. If you are able to send in a package, please let me know.

Thank you for all of your support.

Have a restful weekend with your family!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Dillon

Welcome to my teacher page. There are many ideas for teacher pages, so don’t be surprised if you see a myriad of writings and pictures. Somehow, I would like to make these pages worth your view at least on a weekly basis. Of course, I’d like to think I will post more on a daily basis so those avid readers among us will find they can’t go to bed at night without having first dropped by this page. (I know, rather arrogant of me, eh?)

This page will be informative, but also interactive. Finding the rhythm of the daily post might take some time, but the value outweighs the tedium.

Cat litter

Iams or Purina Dog and Cat Food

Creamy Peanut Butter

Kong chew toys

Paper towels

Laundry Soap

If you would like to donate any of these items we will have a collection box in Mrs. Gray’s classroom.  Please drop them by!

We will be celebrating the 100th day of school in a big way!

Items to bring the morning of the 100th day of school:

1. A poster of 100 items

2. An estimation of 100 items in a sandwich bag

3. 100 small items for a 100 day snack (cheerios, marshmallows, choc. chips, peanuts, etc. )

A BIG thank you to the families who provided food for our European celebration! The students enjoyed the tasty treats while watching a slideshow of well –known landmarks in Europe. The students demonstrated great knowledge in the location of Europe on the map, recall of animals living on the continent, and landmarks in England, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, and Greece.  As a final hurrah, students worked in cooperative groups to build the Eiffel tower out of marshmallows and toothpicks. It was a fun-filled afternoon!

Next week we will pack our suitcases and gather Flat Stanley and our passports as we venture to Asia, the world’s largest continent!

Another thank you to the families who volunteered to take on take home volunteer work, our current and upcoming units have many exciting projects to complete. It is a great help to have them cut and ready for students!

In your smart suitcase you will find a required homework assignment. We have been discussing the food pyramid and what a healthy meal entails. Thus, your child’s homework is to draw a picture of their plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner one day this weekend. Then graph how many servings they had of each food group. We will be creating a class-wide graph on Monday with the data.

In talking about healthy bodies, we are also performing a germ experiment. Your child chose a place in the classroom to rub a potato slice, then made a hypothesis about whether or not germs grow there. Some students chose the carpet, others door knobs, chairs, pencils, and book shelves. They are anxious to see if their hypothesis is true! We will continue our study of taking care of our bodies this week, and begin our five senses unit next week!

The 100th day of school is February 14, 2012! This is cause for celebration. As noted last week, your child will need to make a poster to display 100 items. Please begin brainstorming with your child what he or she may like to bring. Also, your child will need to bring  an estimation of 100 items to count in class.  Both projects will be due on February 14. There will be many other activities and projects surrounding this special day. More information is to come!

I have been assessing students in reading, math , and phonograms. I am hoping to have information out to you regarding your child’s growth in these areas in the next three weeks.

Please remember to send your child with a snack and water bottle daily. They are growing in their bodies and their minds and need to stay full and hydrated during the school day J

In math we are completing a money counting exercise daily and performing a measurement task. You can help at home by giving your child an opportunity to count change , measure items around the house, help with cooking (capacity), or compare the weight of items.

Thank you for all you do and for sharing your child with me! We have so much fun!

Mrs. Hecht

Mrs. Piper

Mrs. Piper is a Kindergarten teacher at Caprock Academy, and has been a teacher for over 6 months.

During the school year, we plan on exploring the globe, from the Americas, to Africa, Europe and Asia.

Feel free to contact Mrs. Piper via email:  c.piper@caprockacademy.org