December 10-14

Curriculum:
Language Arts: Expository Texts and Pet Research; Writing Letters; Using Adjectives
Math: Comparing Whole Numbers
Science: Soil
Social Studies: Holiday Traditions

December 12th: Field Trip to Zachary Scott Theatre and Zilker Park
We will be leaving School for the play at 9:30 sharp. Parents may meet us at the park at 12:30 for lunch. We will need a parent from each room that is meeting us at the park to bring our lunches to the park, if possible. Please let me know if you will be meeting us at the park, so we know to look out for ya!

December 13th: Awards Assembly - 1:45 P.M. All students in Ms.Heine's class will be getting an award.

December 14th: Holiday Celebrations Rotations:
We will be travelling throughout the world celebrating holiday traditions. First Graders will each needs a handled bag (example would be from Sprouts or Whole Foods market) to put their leaning experiences in from each stop that they make that day. Each classroom needs approximately 20.

December 20th: Holiday Celebration
We will be watching the Polar Express  (12:30-2:30) Each student will decorate a bag for party goodies. In lieu of a lot of food treats, students will be eating one snack and 1 juice box/Capri Sun while watching the Polar Express. All other goodies will go in the goodie bags. Students each need to bring either 20 goodies of the same kind to pass out into the goody bags (i.e. 20 decorative pencils, 20 Holiday toys or avtivity books, or 20 individually wrapped holiday treats). The class also needs donations of 20 capri suns/juice boxes and 20 treats for during the movie.We are looking for a copy of the Polar Express on DVD to watch for our afternoon celebration.

Soil Website for Kids

http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/soil-facts-for-kids/soil-facts-for-kids-intro.htm

Wow! What a busy weekend with the Dirt Party and Tree Dedication! Today's Veteran's Presentation was amazing! Students were respectful and truly appreciative of our Veteran's.


This week:

• Field Trip permission slips and fees are needed asap. We need to have an accurate lunch count for the cafeteria and also to be able to make payment to the Zach Scott Theatre. We are excited about this learning opportunity.
• Thanksgiving Lunch in the Cafeteria at Lunchtime for grades 1, 3, and 5

Curriculum:

Reading and Writing: Expository Texts - Main Idea, Supporting Details (Facts)
Planning, Drafting and Revising Procedural Texts (What do you know how to do and taking it through the writing process adding nouns and verbs)

Math: Problem Solving; Counting on by One, Two, Three, and Zero; Fluency in Math Facts
Coins and continued facts

Science: Motion: Pull/Push and Patterns of Movement

Social Studies and Leadership: Veterans (Presidential)

November 15th - TAG Parent Information Night 6:30
November 24th - Mrs. Maggart's Birthday

November 21^st-

23^rd Thanksgiving Break

Dec 4th - Student Leadership Council Meeting

December 4^th

-7^th Book Fair
7th - Lara Heine's Birthday

December 5^th Early Release

December 6^th CommUnity Fest and Book Fair open Late

December 12 - First Grade Field Trip
December 20^th Winter Party

November 5th - 9th

Happy Fall! We hope everyone enjoyed their extra hour this weekend.

Thanks for everyone who took the opportunity to come to see Wreck It Ralph with the class. It was a great time. If you missed it, we will also be meeting up in the future for Monsters Inc, and Legends of the Guardians. I love seeing you guys outside of class and it really was a special day today! Thanks guys!

Also remember that Ms. Heine loves to visit sporting events and dance classes. Please let me know if you have one and I will put it on my schedule :)

Thanks to all the parents who have volunteered to help with the First Grade Harvest Day! Also thanks to our Watch Dog dads for pitching in to help with some pretty fun and helpful tasks. We are so thankful for all of our parent partners who help us each week.


This week:

• Report cards will come home along with a matrix of what each score category means.
• Field Trip permission slips and fees are needed asap. We need to have an accurate lunch count for the cafeteria and also to be able to make payment to the Zach Scott Theatre. We are excited about this learning opportunity.
• Picture retakes are this week. If you have photos and would like retakes, please allow students to return the pictures and they can have a retake done this week. Also if your child was absent on picture day, or new to the school, then they will need to take retakes that day, even if not needing to order a package.

Curriculum:

Reading and Writing: Expository Texts - Main Idea, Supporting Details (Facts)
Planning, Drafting and Revising Expository Texts using facts, strong and specific nouns and verbs

Math: Problem Solving; Counting on by One, Two, Three, and Zero; Fluency in Math Facts

Science: Magnetism; Force and Motion

Social Studies and Leadership: Elections, Presidential and Elected Leaders

CalendarNovember 6^th Report cards go home
November 6 - Student Leadership Council Meeting
November 6th - REFLECTIONS ENTRIES DUE
VOTING POLLS AT SCHOOL EXPECT DELAYS IN TRAVEL - IN DROP OFF AND PICK UP

November 8^th Picture Retakes

November 10th (Saturday) Leadership Council Dirt Party and Tree Dedication for Officer Padron

November 12^th Veteran’s Day Assembly 8:15

November 15th - TAG Parent Information Night 6:30

November 21^st-

23^rd Thanksgiving Break

Dec 4th - Student Leadership Council Meeting

December 4^th

-7^th Book Fair

December 5^th Early Release

December 6^th CommUnity Fest and Book Fair open Late

December 12 - First Grade Field Trip
December 20^th Winter Party

Happy Monday

Thank You First Grade Heroes for all of your time and help in making our Harvest Exploration Day a success! Thanks for everyone who donated their time, effort, and materials this week to make sure that all students were successful. Who would have thought a pumpkin would float! It was amazing and the kids loved it among their other classroom stations as they estimated, graphed, measured, studied description and density.

We hope that everyone had a great time exploring and hearing about our pumpkin explorations this Friday! The kids had a great time and learned a lot. This last Friday was the last day of the nine weeks grading period so be expecting to see report cards soon.

I asked for notebook donations as we are switching writer's workshop to include all resources in one place for ease of students. I purchased those tonight. If you want to send, that is OK, we always can let your child keep theirs at the end of the year. The ones I purchased will stay with the grade level :)

• We still need a special divider from office max for in progress writing and sheet protectors for celebrations of writing

Continue sending coins for coats - so far our class has earned three books, just for participating!

Special Note: I will be going to see "Wreck It Ralph" on Sunday Afternoon after I walk the Komen Race for the Cure. Students are welscome to join me. They will need to get their own ticket and snacks, and possibly purchase tickets in advance. I thought this might be a fun movie for the kiddoes to see together. Please let me know if you are attending.

Tomorrow is vision and hearing screening - be sure to send glasses with your child if they require a prescription (we have a lot of designer glasses in class ;)

All field trip money has been TURNED in - Yay! Heroes!

As temperatures change, please remember jackets for the kiddoes that are labeled with their names. This will help keep children warm and healthy. Please even if it is not too cold in the morning, send one just in case. Sometimes temperatures chanhe fast. Remember to send students with extra changes of clothes in case of accidents.

With Halloween this week, please remember snacks that are healthy. Students need to make sure they are not having highs and lows when they are consuming snacks :)
Thanks to all the parents that contributed to our harvest day and continue to contribute to our classes and student learning - we appreciate you!!!!

Curriculum:
Language Arts: Expository Text vs. Narrative Text
Math: Counting On; Problem Solving using counting on
Science: Magnetism
Social Studies/Leadership: Goal Tracking; American Symbols; Leaders in America (Eleanor Roosevelt or other presidential leader - it is almost election day!)

Don't forget the time change - November 4th~

Calendar

October 30^th

and 31^st Vision and Hearing Screening

November 3^rd Seven Habits Family Training

November 6^th Report cards go home

November 8^th Picture Retakes

November 12^th Veteran’s Day Assembly 8:15

November 21^st-

23^rd Thanksgiving Break

December 4^th

-7^th Book Fair

December 5^th Early Release

December 6^th CommUnity Fest and Book Fair open Late

December 20^th Winter Party

October 15th

Hero parents! We had a great and very productive week last week, and I look forward to another great week with the Heroes! We have started weekly leadership and hero training and I am so excited to say that our journals have outstanding leadership quality as well. Students are working on handwriting, using 1 or two lines as I have prescribed, and are showing immediate growth in their journals. We discussed effort and what it means to give 100 percent effort. I am happy to say the kids are doing a great job understanding effort and leadership of heroes.

Remember:
Library is each Tuesday at 8:30
Students need to be in the classroom at 7:45 to be counted here on time

Leadership Skill of the Week
Handshakes: We will be working on using a firm grip and making eye contact as students enter the room and when adults come in the room. This is a skill you can practice at home daily as well.

This Week in First Grade:

Curriculum:
Reading: Inferring through Poetry Reading; Poetry Terms - Rhythm, Rhyme, Simile, Visualization
Writing: Writing using sensory words
Math: Graphing and Data Collection
Science: How Matter Changes; Introduction to Energy

Coming up in First Grade:

Author Visit this Week! Julie Sternberg will visit and share with students about how she writes, selects her topics, and goes through the writing process. Students will get a chance to ask questions and listen to stories from her book, Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie.

Pumpkin/Harvest Exploration Day: October 26th - First graders will use their five senses, reading, writing, science, and math skills to explore pumpkins and record their observations and thoughts. Students will rotate through classrooms and experience measurement, description, investigation and recording information about pumpkins. Can you help? Each class needs at least 1 medium pumpkin, a parent volunteer, and 1 station needs multiple carving type utensils. Please let us know if you are available to help.

Thank you for all of your participation in the Fall Festival! It was such a success and we are so excited about the turnout to support our students and the PTA! Thank you!

PTA reflections - Students can participate in the Reflections contest where they can create art, writing, or other products related to the theme -"The Magic of a Moment" - for details, check the PTA website at -
http://teravistapta.com/reflections/

Do not forget! Boxtops mean money for our Tigers! Please continue to collect and turn in boxtops from your favorite foods. Classes are trying to collect the most boxtops, so send them in to your class, where they will be counted and turned in to PTA.

Field Trip!

The first grade field trip is scheduled for December to the Zachary Scott Theater! Be looking for permission slips to come home this week. We are allowed only one chaperone which will be our room parent. All parents are welcome to meet us for lunch at Zilker Park!

Calendar:
October 17th:     Author visit - Julie Sternberg
October 22nd:    Red Ribbon Week

October 23^rd       Wear red day; Walk to school day

October 24^th        Wear hats for Health

October 24th       Early Release 12:45

                           9:10 Bully Prevention Program

October 25^th        Dream Big PJ day

Octiber 26th        Harvest Exploration Day

October 26^th       End of 1^st nine weeks

October 30^th 

and 31^st              Vision and Hearing Screening

November 3^rd     Seven Habits Family Training

November 6^th     Report cards go home

November 8^th     Picture Retakes

November 12^th   Veteran’s Day Assembly 8:15

November 21^st-

23^rd                    Thanksgiving Break

December 4^th

-7^th                    Book Fair

December 5^th     Early Release

December 6^th     CommUnity Fest and Book Fair open Late

December 20^th   Winter Party

Many Thanks!

Thanks to all of the parents and students who attended the Fall Festival. It was a blast. I hope you all got a chance to make it to the zipline, pumpkin patch and silent auction. Most of all thanks to our wonderful PTA. Each  year the festivities are amazin"g.

I hope all of you are ready for a nice three day weekend for the students! Please remember that the students are setting goals tomorrow as we have our Fall conferences. The purpose of these conferences is to review student work and to share goals for the year. It will be fun to see what the kids want to work toward this year!

Curriculum:
Reading: Story Maps and Continuing Reader Responses
Guided Reading by Needs Assessment
Writing: Punctuation and Writing Process
Math: Addition concepts and continued practice on counting to 100, place value, and problem solving
Science: Changes in Matter
Leadership: Goals and Effort 

Dates (as of 10/8):
October 8th: Parent Conference Day
October 16th: First Student Leadership Council Meeting
October 26th: Pumpkin Day (All curriculum areas as guided by the ARRC will be taught using a pumpkin)
November 3rd: Covey Family Training (It is great training to help families integrate the 7 habits)
November 8th: Fall Picture Retakes
November 8th: 6:30 PTA
December 14th: Field Trip to Zachary Scott Theatre

Have a great conference day!