Common Core Standards, Report Cards, and Conferences

The last month has been so hectic! Your children have been so busy with learning new concepts in math, immersed in reading "good fit" and instructional text, participating in centers, book talks, exploring the symbols of US and enjoying their Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. You and I have read, internalized and discussed common core standards and your child's progress. Though it has been a lot to absorb, these standards determine where the students are heading and where they stand in this progression. I enjoyed meeting with all of you and can tell you that I so love working with children. It is a privilege and an honor to work with them each day!

Check out these pictures of the Halloween Centers thanks to Mrs. Meyers (Wyatt's mom) who thankfully had her camara that day. Our first grade Weebly will have pictures from the Harvest Centers. I want to thank all the moms who came into assist for these activities. Stay tuned for Holiday Centers that will be happening later in December. As you will see, everyone is having a fabulous time!


























I have many things I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for a wonderful family. I am thankful for a terrifc class of students. I am thankful for supportive parents and families at the Killam School. Finally, I am thankful for living in a country where I feel safe and comfortable to live a "good life" as one of my students wrote this week. May all my Killam families enjoy a pleasant holiday break with family friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

FALL FUN

Well as you may have heard, your children have been busy learning the difference between spiders (arachnids) and insects and "Going Batty" studying the life of a bat. Both spiders and bats have thousands of different species and are fascinating. The children have learned lots of new vocabulary and would love to share it with you. Bat packets will come home this week. Thank you for all who volunteereed supplies and/or to help for our Halloween Celebration on Monday, October 31. The children are looking forward to it. The events will take place in the afternoon so the kiddos will be excited to bring home their creations. The next big event will be our First Grade Thanksgiving feast planned for mid November before conferences.

Speaking of conferences and report cards, I hope everyone has or will take advantage of any and all opportunities to hear information on the new report card and the new online system. It is very important that you understand the new reporting system and the language of the learning standards. The grades will sound like this: E means exceeding the standard, M means meeting the standard, P is progressing toward the standard and a B beginning the standard. (All standards will be addressed and will acompany the report card.)

Your children have been working very hard in all areas of the curriculum. In writing, they are practicing the writing of a complete thought using a capital at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end. They also have learned that I should be capitalized at all times and days of the week and names should be capitalized as well. Lots of information for little ones to remember but they are progressing toward the learning standard. In Fundations, this week they will be learning the first of a set of glued sounds. "ALL" as in ball is a glued or welded sound. Refer to the First Grade Wiki for more information.

In Math we are finishing up with unit 2 and will be assessing by the end of the week. Your child should be practicing coin values and counting change using pennies and nickels. Also have them practice counts by 2s, 5s, and 10s as it will help when counting coins, telling time and grid counting as a learning goal. Again check the weebly for more activities.

All reading classes have built stamina Reading to Self and how to ask good questions when Reading To Someone. Next, your child will learn Work Work and what it looks like in their reading classroom. READ TO SELF, READ TO SOMEONE, WORD WORK and LISTENING TO READING are part of The Daily5 Cafe for reading and strategy building.

Don't forget its spirit week. Tomorrow is favorite hat day. Have a great week!

Well On Our Way!

I can't believe I haven't posted since the end of August. I apologize! Please know I will be better about posting regularly. It has been a busy month of establishing procedures, routines and classroom rules. Your kiddos are a sweet bunch and I LOVE working with them. Ask your child about our class rules. Here they are:

Rule #1 Raise your hand before you speak.
Rule #2 Follow directions quickly.
Rule #3 Make smart choices
Rule #4 Use Time wisely.
Rule #5 Use the school listening look.
Rule #6 Stay in your seat.
Rule #7 Keep your hands to your self.

Your children are doing GREAT! While establishing classroom routines, the class has been working on building stamina for reading. Last week, I taught the children how to pick a "good fit" book. I shared with them the I PICK strategy.

I Pick not you, I Pick my book.

I Pick a book with a Purpose: why am I reading?
I Pick an Interesting book.
I Pick a book I Comprehend (understand).
I Pick a book where I Know most of the words.

Check out a class video here. It is a catchy tune and reminds them of the strategy to support picking a "good fit" book. At the end of this blog post I will post pics of the class READING TO SELF and READING TO SOMEONE as part of the Daily 5. You can find out more information about the Daily5 and CAFE at their website. The research tells us to develop stronger strategic readers the children need to be given more time to read. Please watch for Parent Pipeline letters attached to the first grade weebly for further details on how to practice these reading strategies at home. I sent a hard copy home last week about reminding your child to look at the pictures when reading. I will send another Parent Pipeline home this week about "good-fit" books.

Enjoy the fall festivities and cooler temperatures. We are rapping up our apple talk and focusing on Christopher Columbus this week. Columbus did not discover America but he was a great explorer and brought the exploration of the Americas to the for front.

Enjoy these photos of your kiddos reading and stay tuned for more photos next week.
Happy Fall!

We Survived!!

It was a wonderful day! The sun was shining, everyone was smiling and we all made it without any tears. Yahoo! It was a wonderful day! The children wanted to learn about everything in the classroom and what they will learn this year. I forget how much you talk on the first day of school. All is well and they all told me they would be back tomorrow. (Hehehehe)

On Thursday, I will take the kiddos on a tour of the building and show them the dining hall. The lunch ladies will show them how to buy lunch and where they will sit. (Half day K students and new students have never experienced it.) The tour will be after a special reading as we hunt for the main character throughout the school. When we get back we will have a snack and then do a craft focusing on our main character.

Over the next few days much time will be spent on routines and procedures. I will do a lot of talking and kids will do a lot of listening. If I take the baby steps now and carefully explain everything, the rest of the year will run very smoothly. Ask your child about what routines they learned so far.

Open House is Wednesday, September 7. I hope to see you all there. If you can't make it, the information will be on the First Grade Weebly which you can access from EDLINE. (Please activate your account if you haven't done so as we will be posting all assignments and projects there.)

So cheers to a great year! I look forward with anticipation to a year filled with enthusiasm and fun!

Welcome To Room 14

Welcome Families to Room 14! I am looking forward to a fabulous year in first grade. As many of you may know I spent a terrific year in grade two last year but I feel fortunate to return to the joys and challenges that first grade has in store. I can't wait to get started!

Please see EDLINE if you did not receive a letter at the end of the school year with the supply list. All supplies are listed there. Thank you in advance for having your children prepared for the first day of school.

Your children should come with a snack on the first day. I will meet the children at the back of the building at 8:15. Dismissal on Wednesday and Thusday will be 11:00 AM. Please have patience for the first few weeks at dismissal time as I get used to the faces of those who will be picking up your child. If there is a change in pick-up at anytime...PLEASE PUT IT IN WRITING. I will send home a form at the beginning of school so that you may list days, pick-up, and bus schedules. If it's in writing, everything wshoould run smoothly.

So enjoy the last few days, I know I will. Please give a hello and BIG hug to your children and let them know I can't wait to see them.

End Of The Year Wrap-up and Summer Fun Ahead

Well here we are at the final week of second grade. Was it just me or did this year just fly by? So many memories and new learning experiences to recall. I have compiled a CD of most of the memories of the year. It will come home the last day of school so be on the look out! I hope you enjoy watching it with your child!






Posted here are the fabulous insect projects that came in last week. Incredible!

I wish all my second (third) grade friends and their families a terrific summer filled with fun and frolic! Please remember to encourage your children to READ, READ, READ so they won't get "rusty"! I am attaching some links of online game sites to practice literacy and math skills. It will be a fun way to have your child work on a variety of skills in a fun way! Here is another for comprehension and one for math. Another site for all skills is Toon University. Have fun and keep the learning alive!

Finally, I want to thank you all for your support through out the year. You are all incredible families to work with and are a fine tribute to the Killam community. I will miss you all and wish you well in your future endeavors. A special thanks to Ava and Jessica's moms for coordinating many events, goodies and supplies. It was very much appreciated.

That's all folks! Have a great summer and good luck to all in Third Grade! In Friendship, Deb Dellovo!