Long time no talk...

Greetings from room 116!  It's been a while since I've posted.  I don't know about you but I feel like October came and went so quickly!  I cannot believe we are already in the second week of November!

I just wanted to send out a few reminders and touch base on a couple of things.

No school-- Friday, November 11 (Veteran's Day)
                    November 23, 24, 25 (Thanksgiving Break)

The spelling test over Unit 3 Lesson 11 will be on Friday, November 18.  Words are: itch, ditch, pitch, catch, chin, chat, check, chop, me, see            Bonus Words: thank, Saturday

HOMEWORK:
Monday, Nov. 14-- Reading Log Due
Monday, Nov. 14-- Reading Fluency Due
Wednesday, Nov. 16-- Math p.183-184 Due
Thursday, Nov. 17-- Reading Homework Journal Due

Your child should be reading to you every night.  Please record any books they read on their reading log.  Reading practice each night makes a HUGE difference in their reading success.  I cannot stress this enough!

Spelling Words should be practiced as needed.  You know your child.  Practice on Monday and see how they do.  If they do great, maybe wait and go over them again on Wednesday or Thursday.  If they struggle, focus on the words they struggle with each coming night until they master each word.

Practice Math Facts when you can!  This can be done on paper, verbally, or with flashcards.  It's a fun way to pass the time in the car!  (So is practicing spelling words!)

Happy Birthday to Joshua!  Thank you for sharing the cupcakes with our class!

Congratulations to Maile who was the first person in our room to make their Accelerated Reading Goal!  She has been diligently reading books and taking quizzes.  Her hard work has paid off!  We have some other friends who are very close to making their goals, too.  Each child has an individual goal based on their reading level.  We also have a first grade "challenge goal" and it is the same for every first grader.  This grading period the challenge goal is set at 6 points.  If your child makes their challenge goal they will get to participate in the Dilly Bar Party!  We will have Dilly Bars from DQ for those children.

The canned food drive is going on at the Elementary school until Tuesday, November 15.  Please send in non-perishable foods (canned veggies, boxes of macaroni, etc.) by Tuesday.  If we reach our goal of 775 items the students receive a gym jam as a prize.  All of the collected food will go to families in need right here in our district.

Looking farther ahead... November 22 is PJ's for Police Day!  A flyer went home explaining this.  For $1 students may wear their PJ's to school.  All money will go to Backstoppers.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you to any Veterans out there!  We appreciate your service and sacrifice!

Hugs and High Fives!
Ms. Bleich

Reminders before the LONG weekend

Hello first grade families!  I just wanted to send out a few reminders before the long weekend!

No School-- Friday, October 7 and Monday, October 10


Reading Logs due Tuesday, October 11 since we don't have school on Monday.  Please make sure your child has read and someone has recorded at least 4 books for the week.

Reading Homework Journal assignments are due on Thursday, October 13.

Spelling Words: up, cup, rub, cut, nut, sun, hug, bug, yes, was
Bonus Words: apple, Tuesday
Test Friday, October 14

The book fair is going on in the Library this week.  Your child can shop any day but our class shopping time is during Library on Wednesday, October 14.  You may also shop with them during the Spaghetti Dinner.

Whiteside PTC's

Spaghetti Dinner and Book Fair

Wednesday, October 12th

Whiteside Elementary School

Dinner- 4:30-7 p.m.

Book Fair- 4:30-7:30

Band performs at 5:30

Glee Club performs at 6:15

Order forms DUE: October 5th

We will have a short reading test over what we have learned so far in Unit 2 of our Animals unit.  Students will be tested over letters and sounds: p, i, n, l, ll, d, o, b, c, 

As in our previous reading test, these are multiple choice questions and students will answer using an ActiVote, a hand held device linked to our promethean board and computer.  They will have to find the correct spelling of words containing the previously mentioned sounds.  

For example:  Which is the correct spelling of lap?     a. lip      b. lup      c. lap

Congratulations to the following students who earned star student awards this week:

Hailey, Jaliyah, J'Vier, Zariyah

I hope that you all enjoy the long weekend!  

Hugs and High Fives!  

Apple Taste Test

We had a great day today in first grade.  Happy Birthday, LaShane!  Thank you for the yummy cupcakes!  

Today we taste tested 5 different kinds of apples.  Thank you to Zachary's mom and Mariana's mom who helped me out a lot by donating apples for our taste test!    The kids had a great time trying the different kinds of apples.  We found out some favorites and we even had a few spit them out into the trash!  ha ha (Granny Smith's are too sour for some of us!)  We were a little worried about how it was going to go because one of our friends was crying before we started because she doesn't like apples.  With a little encouragement from all of our first grade friends and a few stories from me about previous first graders who felt the same way and tried the apples and LOVED them, we were able to get her to be brave and try them!  She liked them all!  What a great life lesson we all learned today about being brave and trying new things!  It later turned into a big discussion about foods that we don't like and how we might like them one day and also foods we like now but might not like later.  

Look at her-- yeah... she clearly hates apples!  LOL

Have a great weekend everyone! Don't forget to read and record books for your Reading Logs, which are due Monday!  

Hugs and High Fives!  

Just a few things...

Wow!  What an exciting time of year!  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things get so busy!

I will send home a reminder note about parent teacher conferences tomorrow to remind you of the time you signed up for.  If you didn't sign up at Open House I will give you some options for some times that are available.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKAELYN!  THANK YOU FOR SHARING CUPCAKES WITH THE CLASS TODAY!

Congratulations to Dean who got to move up to level four of our Math Mad Minutes Addition Club!  Keep practicing those math facts at home everyone!

There is MATH HOMEWORK in your child's take home folder tonight.  Please have them complete the worksheet, check it, and help them correct any mistakes.  Have them put it back in the right side of their take home folder and bring it to school to turn in tomorrow.

Parents/ Guardians, please remember to check take-home-folders every night.  Check your child's behavior chart.  Check the right side for papers that need to be returned to school.  Check papers on the left side and leave them at home.

Spelling Test Friday: mom, pot, stop, not, nod, hops, hot, on, no, with
Bonus: September, Monday

Keep working on the assignments in the Reading Homework Journal (RHWJ-- yellow composition notebook).  All of those should be completed and signed by Thursday.

Please remember to listen to your child read every night!  This will make a HUGE difference in their education.  Log any books you read together on the Reading Log in your child's folder.  They are supposed to have at least 4 entries a week and those are due on Mondays.

If you're looking for a way to practice spelling words and enjoy this beautiful weather at the same time, pick up some sidewalk chalk from the dollar store and have your child write their spelling words on the sidewalk!  This works for math facts, as well!  So much fun!

Thanks to those of you who volunteered to send in apples.  If you're still interested there is still time.  Just let me know and I will let you know what kind we need!

Hugs and High Fives!
Ms. Bleich

Week of September 19

Hello first grade family and friends!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather after Friday's downpour!

This week we are preparing daily for our first reading test, which will be on Thursday, September 22.  If you complete the Reading Homework Journal Assignment with your child it will help them greatly in getting ready for their test!  The homework this week acts as a review/study guide.  

I am sending home math homework tonight.  Please have your child complete it on their own.  Check their work.  Then help them to correct any mistakes that they made.  They should turn it in tomorrow.

Spelling words this week:  did, pat, tan, hand, all, tall, will, an, can, by
Bonus Words: friend, Sunday (Sunday is worth 2 points-- one for correct spelling and one for a capital S)--  Test on Friday, September 23

Specials schedule this week:
Monday- Computer
Tuesday- PE
Wednesday- Art
Thursday- Music
Friday- Library

Tomorrow is an early dismissal day.  Students will be dismissed at 2:00.  Please plan accordingly.  Tomorrow is also hat day.  If your child brings in $1 they may wear a hat all day.  The money goes toward our Character Education Program.

Thank you to Mariana and Tanaja who brought in snacks to share with the class this week.  It's nice to have such generous friends.  I use the extra snacks for when students forget to bring one.

Congratulations to Zachary and Dean who moved up to the next level in our Math Mad Minutes Club!  Keep practicing those math facts at home!  You'll be amazed how much just a little bit of practice will help your child to memorize and retain those facts!  As of now we are mainly working on addition but we will move on to subtraction soon.

We are wrapping up our Bee Unit.  Your child should be able to tell you the main body parts of a bee, how they help people, how they make honey, and the stages of their life cycle.  We are taking part in a honey taste test today, which is usually everyone's favorite part of our bee unit!  Sweeeeeeeet!!!!

We will begin discussing the tall tale of Johnny Appleseed tomorrow.  Next week we will do an apple taste test.  If you are interested in donating apples for our taste test, please let me know by sending in a note with your child or sending me an email by Friday.  tricia.bleich@wssd115.org  I will then compile a list of the people willing to help and assign each person a certain type of apple to purchase.  Please do not go out and buy apples on your own without finding out what kind we need.  I like to have a wide variety and by assigning one kind to each volunteer it helps us from getting 23 of the same kind!  Thank you so much for considering this!

Hugs and High Fives!  :)

First Grade Reminders

Greetings from room 116!  I just want to start by saying that these kiddos are REALLY getting the hang of things!  We have been adding new things to our routine each week and everyone is doing a great job of learning how to be responsible!  

Happy Birthday to Tanaja, who celebrated her 7th one yesterday.  Thank you for the yummy cupcakes you brought for us.  Thank you, Simon, for bringing extra class snacks for us today.  I love the kindness and sharing!

Just a few reminders:  
1. Tomorrow is the spelling test over the following words: sit, him, lip, ill, hill, is, in, it, and, I
Bonus words: grade, play

2. Please remember to read with your child each night. Please record the books they read on their Reading Log, located in their take home folder.  Your child should have at least 4 entries a week. If you need books you can visit the public library or read the Whiteside library book that your child brings home each week.  Soon, I will allow students to borrow books from our classroom.  I will also be sending home a book order soon so that you may order books at a discounted price.  In the mean time, ANYTHING they can read is helpful!  Most of us have smartphones, so even if you don't have books you could find a children's article online.  If your child is reading chapter books you can record one chapter of the book or a series of several pages as one whole entry.  

3. Study spelling words as needed.  You know your child the best.  If they have a firm grasp over the words, perhaps only once or twice a week is needed for practice, in addition to what we do at school.  If your child struggles with spelling, please make it a habit to practice nightly, or as much as needed.  I keep a copy of my own kids' spelling words in my car so we can practice as we drive around town.  I also keep a copy next to their beds so that when we are done with bedtime stories we can quickly go over the tricky words.  You can download the Spelling City app to your phone and look for my page (Mrs. Bleich) for our weekly words and fun games to play.  (It's easiest to find if you search by school.) These are just a few ideas you can try if you need ideas.  

4. Please remember assignments in the reading homework journal are due each Thursday.  We had several students not have theirs done today.  I realize we all lead very busy lives but these assignments are important to your child's growth in first grade.  Please make every effort to take the time to do these with them.  


You may have noticed a math paper come home this week with 30 addition problems.  This is our "Mad Minutes Math Club."  Students get 2 minutes to complete 30 problems correctly.  As of right now, we are only doing addition.  Subtraction will start soon.  We do these on Monday.  If your child completes each problem CORRECTLY they will get to "move up" to the next level.  I have a chart in my room to keep track of progress.  It becomes an exciting challenge for our class and they get really excited when someone reaches the next level.  Congratulations to Dean who was the first student in our class to advance to level A2!  Awesome job!  When your child brings the paper home please have them practice the problems.  This will help with fact memorization.  Flash cards are a great purchase at the dollar store for fact memorization, as well!  

Hugs and High Fives!  
Ms. Bleich

Hello first grade families!  I hope you all enjoyed your labor day weekend.  

Here are some important reminders:

*Please check your child's take home folder EVERY NIGHT.  Papers that may be left at home should be on the left side and papers that need to be completed and returned to school should be on the right side.  I give explicit instructions on which side to put the papers on but sometimes kids get their left and right mixed up, even with labels and multiple reminders.  So if you see a paper on the left that looks like it might have been homework-- it might have been put on the wrong side by mistake.  Give your child the benefit of the doubt and ask them.  I tell them every day what needs to be brought back and what their homework is, so they should know.  If you question their judgment, just email me and ask.  The safest bet would be to have them do the work and turn it in!  
*Reading Logs should have been completed with at least 4 reading entries yesterday (since they are due on Mondays and this past Monday we did not have school, they were due on Tuesday)
*Reading Homework Journal signatures (yellow notebook in your child's backpack) are due tomorrow (these are always due on Thursdays)
*Spelling Test on Friday, September 9-- The spelling list came home last Friday.  The words are: am, at, has, as, sat, mat, ham, Sam, the, are.  Bonus words: school, first

Congratulations to Dean whose name was picked from the August star students, and was recognized as one of our Star Students of the Month!  Each time your child earns a star student award they get entered into the monthly drawing.  They win a prize and their picture gets posted on a bulletin board outside the cafeteria.  Way to go Dean!!  

Thank you to Samuel and LaShane who brought in extra snacks to share with the class this week!  You are so kind!

Sunday, September 11 is Patriot's Day.  Please have your child wear red, white, and blue to school on Friday, September 9.  

September's Character Education Word of the Month is: Respect
Ask your child what they learned about what it means to be respectful at school and at home.  

We started learning about Bees today!  Beeeeeee on the look out for some bee experts coming home to you every day for the next week and a half!  

I will be testing over Kindergarten sight words tomorrow and Friday.  Your child should have mastered these words in Kindergarten.  I sent home sight word flashcards the first week of school for them to cut out and practice at home.  We have also been practicing them every morning.  If your child has a good mastery of these words, please move on to practicing the Units 1 & 2 sight words that came home yesterday.  

If you see a T in the top right hand corner of a paper, it means that we did the work together.  I started doing that with my small groups today.  

Have a wonderful Wednesday!  
Hugs and High Fives!

Pictures from STEM Monday- spaghetti and marshmallow structures

Well this week has certainly flown by!  It's hard to believe it's almost Friday!

We have been hard at work this week.  We have done a lot of baseline testing so that I can see what these smart kiddos know already.  We have been doing a lot of number and letter writing, as well.  Please use the handwriting paper I sent home last week to have your child practice their writing.

We have created a math journal and a phonics journal, which we will work in every day.  Students get to cut and paste different activities in these journals and complete them.  They seem to really like these hands on assignments!

We started working in our math books today.  Your child brought home a ziploc bag of math vocabulary words.  They will bring home vocabulary cards at the beginning of each new chapter. Please keep these in a safe place at home.  I keep my own children's in a ziploc bag hanging from a magnet clip on the refrigerator so they are easily accessible when it is time to practice.  Another great place to keep them is in the car.  You can practice them with your child on your way to school, coming home from the store, going to grandma's, etc.  There will always be a vocabulary section on our chapter tests.  I will read the words and definitions to the class and they will be responsible for matching the word with the definition.  This will be done through drawing lines to match, fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc.

We had a series of emergency drills this week.  We practiced what to do in case of a fire, severe weather, and an intruder in the building.  Ask your child what they learned about what to do in case of an emergency at school.

Finally, we started STEM on Monday!  What is STEM, you ask?  It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  It is a student led discovery and activity or experiment.  It usually involves solving a difficult problem or creating a unique structure given only a certain amount of materials.  We started STEM in my classroom last year and Monday quickly became everyone's favorite day of the week!  I had several parents contact me saying that their child was always excited to come to school on Mondays because it's STEM day!  This week we made spaghetti and marshmallow structures.  It is always enjoyable to see how their little minds work and this time I even saw some team work, which was extra special!  I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Hugs and High Fives!
Ms. Bleich

What a week!  I'm exhausted!  I'm sure your children are tired too!  The first week is always exciting and tiresome for all of us.  It was a great week here in first grade and I think we all deserve a pat on the back for a job well done!

Congratulations to the following students who received STAR STUDENT awards this week:
Dean, Makaelyn, Tanaja, and Jaylan
What a great way to start first grade!

The brown bag biography was so fun for all of us.  I love learning about my students' favorite things and what's important to them.  I enjoy seeing what they bring to represent themselves.  I learned a lot about them and hopefully they had fun gathering these items with you.  I was SO PROUD of EVERYONE for sharing!  It's not always easy to get up in front of everyone and speak but they all did a GREAT job!

Have a super duper weekend, First Grade Families!

Hugs & High Fives!
Ms. Bleich

Back to School

Welcome back!  We are on our third day of school now and things are going well!

We have been learning all about the rules and procedures in our classroom, and we reviewed the school rules and procedures at "Back to School Bootcamp."  Lots of our friends are doing a great job of remembering these rules already!

We have read several fun stories this week such as:The Night Before First Grade, Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes, Don't Eat the Teacher, There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books, and Pete the Cat Too Cool for School.  We have done several fun activities involving these stories, but our favorite was probably going on a scavenger hunt all over the school looking for Pete the Cat.  We didn't find him, but did we worry?  Goodness no!  We just kept rockin' in our school shoes!

We have learned some fun math games to spark our number sense.  The first graders have enjoyed playing these games with partners using my big foam dice!

Just a reminder, if you haven't read the information packet I gave you at Open House, please do so.  There are answers to many of your questions in that packet.

Take home folders came home for the first time yesterday.  They will come home every day and they need to come back to school every day.  If your child puts things where I have told them, the papers that can stay home are on the left and papers that need to come back to school are on the right.  You will also find plastic page protectors which I have labeled for you: Behavior Calendar, Reading Log, Spelling List, and Menu.

Check the behavior calendar every night to see how your child did at school that day.  (The color code is on the calendar so you can see what each color means.)  On the back I try to write a very brief explanation of what your child clipped down for if they receive a yellow or a pink.  Please take the time to review that each night and discuss it with your child.  I have been very lenient as far as the rules go these first three days.  I continue to give extra reminders and warnings about our rules so that everyone can "catch on."

The Reading Log page protector is empty right now.  That will be placed in your child's folder on Monday and a description of what to do with it will be in the folder that night, as well.

The Spelling List page is also empty right now.  I will send home the first spelling list next week and the first spelling test won't be until the following week.

The school lunch menu stays in the page protector marked "Menu."

Specials this week and next week:
Monday- PE
Tuesday- Art
Wednesday- Music
Thursday- Library
Friday- Computer

"Brown Bag Biographies" are due on Friday, August 26.  (These came home yesterday.)  A few of our friends already completed this assignment and shared with the class today.  Great job!

A note came home today regarding our classroom parties.  Please fill out the form and send in $10 as soon as possible.  This one-time fee covers the cost of ALL of our classroom parties for the year.

Thanks to all of you who have subscribed to our first grade blog.  You will receive alerts when I post anything new.

Hugs & High Fives!
Ms. Bleich

I cannot believe this year is over!!!  I woke up this morning and thought, "Is it REALLY the last day of school?"  It still doesn't feel real!

We have had a really exciting end of our year.  Here are some of the highlights:

Congratulations to Colt and his family for the birth of his new baby sister, Liberty!  She is a doll!

Congratulations to Amariona for making her AR goal last week and also to Tiara for making her AR challenge goal!  I'm so proud of all of our Super Readers!  

Thank you Kross for bringing in doughnuts last week.  They were delicious!

Happy Birthday to  Michael whose birthday was last week and Daylin whose birthday we celebrated today!  Also, Tyrie's birthday is Friday!  Thank you to Tyrie and Daylin for the yummy birthday treats!

Happy birthday to all of our summer birthdays:
Angelo, Landon, and Autumn

Wednesday was our all day Read In.  It was a fabulous day of reading fun!  We had some special visitors and guest readers, three of whom were Mr. Wells (Mrs. Wells' husband and former Whiteside student), Mr. Rakers, and Mr. Karstens (former assistant principal--current BTHSE principal).

Mayfest and Carnival were really fun even though we had to have it inside due to the weather.  Thank you to Mrs. Brush and all of the specials teachers for all of their hard work in making the Mayfest a success!

Our Good News Party and End of the Year party were also a great time!  Thank you to all of the parents who helped with the End of the Year party.  A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Jensen for organizing all of our classroom parties this year.  We wouldn't have had nearly as much fun if you hadn't been in charge!  THANK YOU for your time!

An even that our students really enjoyed was our JRFH assembly and the kick off for next year's character theme, "Character Rocks!"  It's safe to say our teachers really enjoyed it, too!  A group of us even learned a special dance to perform the day of the assembly.  I've heard many of you have already seen it on Facebook or YouTube.  I'm glad I put in so many practice hours so I didn't look like a total fool on social media!  ha ha

The summer packets that I sent home last week are for your children to complete over the summer to keep their skills fresh.  Please make an effort to listen to your child read for at least 20 minutes a day.  I know it's a big commitment. (I even struggle with doing it with my own children.)  However, it really will make a HUGE difference in their growth as a reader and their starting success as a second grader!  (SECOND GRADER??  Can you BELIEVE  it??)

Thank you to all of you for your kind words, cards, and end of the year gifts.  You have made me feel so appreciated and my heart is so full of love for your children.  Thank you for allowing me into your lives.  We will forever be bonded by this 2015-16 first grade school year.  I walk away from this year with many new friends who I will remember forever!    

I hope that you all have a safe, happy, relaxing, and exciting summer!  High Fives and Hugs!  :) 

Congratulations Angelo on making your AR goal!!

Greetings from room 116!  I cannot believe we are almost down to our last full week of school!  This year has just flown by!  Our little first graders are about to be second graders.  (sniff sniff)

The end of the year is PACKED with excitement!  As an addition to all the regularly scheduled excitement I am adding to it by throwing a substitute teacher in the mix.  I will be gone both tomorrow and Monday to chaperone both of my children's field trips.  I have two very capable subs here for me.  They are two who have been in my room before, so they already know the kiddos.

Tomorrow is the LAST reading test and spelling test in first grade!  We will only do the written portion of the reading test on The Big Team Relay Race.  There will be no multiple choice this time.

Tuesday is Mayfest and Carnival.  It is one of the best days of the school year!  Your children will perform songs and dances they have learned in music class.  We will do it around the outdoor stage (near the east facing doors of the school) weather permitting.  If the weather is yucky it will be in the gym.  Please dress your child in a red shirt, tennis shoes, and please apply sunscreen to their little bodies!  We will be outside for the majority of the day.  Mayfest begins at 9am.  Parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. are welcome to attend.  Bring a lawn chair and set up around the marked off areas of the outdoor stage.  If you go to the Maypoles that are set up and face the stage, our class sits on the right side, all the way toward the back.  If it's in the gym, I THINK we will be right in front of the door that's nearest to the cafeteria.

After Mayfest, first grade gets to attend Carnival first.  Yay!  It is a free carnival to our students and families.  WS students will receive one free popcorn and one free snow cone.  Anyone else wishing to have popcorn or a snow cone will need to purchase them for a dollar.  All of the rides and games are free for everyone.  Games are set up in the gym.  Parents and siblings are welcome to join in the fun! The book fair will also be open in the library at this time and you are welcome to take your child to shop. Our carnival time ends at 12:30.

First grade eats lunch at 12:30.  Students may bring their lunch or purchase a school hot dog lunch.  If you or any other family members wish to purchase a school lunch, a note came home about that yesterday.  You will need to order lunch and pay by tomorrow.  After we eat we will come back inside and work on cleaning up our classroom, organizing, coloring, and probably watching a movie.  If you would like to take your child home at that point you just need to sign them out at the office.

We will have our Good News Party for students who have earned it on Thursday, May 19.

We will have our End of the Year Party near the outdoor stage on Friday, May 20.

Our AR challenge pizza party for students who earned 11 points with at least 80% accuracy will be on Friday, May 20 in the afternoon.  (It's not in the place of lunch.  Plan for a regular lunch day.  This will be after specials._)

Monday, May 22 is our LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!  Students will be dismissed at 12:00.  No lunch will be served that day.

If I don't get a chance to tell you later, it has been an honor being your child's teacher this year.  I have loved getting to know each and every one of them.  It's hard to watch them go!  Thank you to all of you for your support at home.

High fives and Hugs!
Ms. Bleich :)

Thank you to those of you who extended well wishes for my daughter!  It has been a stressful week but everything with the surgery went really well!!!  I appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers!

Our spelling words for this week are:
ran, sit, win, not, can, let, because, caught, fault, pretty
Bonus words: animals, argument

We started our 1 School 1 Book assignment for the year.  It's called Zapato Power.  Our whole school will read the book in our classrooms, have discussions, complete activities, and even take part in a school wide service project.  We are collecting new or gently used shoes for Shoeman Water Projects, which is an organization that collects shoes and exports them to secondary markets for resale.  Then they use the funds generated to provide communities around the world with clean drinking water, well drilling rigs, water purification systems, repairs for hand pumps, and health and hygiene training.  Thank you James and his family for donating quite a few pairs of shoes so far!  We had an almost brand new pair of adult Reebok's donated, but I'm not sure from who.  I've asked the class twice where they came from and no one has claimed them! So thank you, whoever you are!  :)  This project will run until May 19.

There will be a hat day on May 6 to raise money for Joshua's Great Things, which is an organization that raises money for children with brain cancer.  Joshua was a student here at Whiteside.  When he was in first grade he was in my homeroom.  He passed away in 2013 from a long struggle with brain cancer.  His family runs the organization and they do "Great Things" for children with brain cancer.

Reading story this week:  The Great Ball Game
Reading Homework journals due Thursday, May 5
Multiple Choice reading tests and spelling test on Thursday, May 5
Written Reading and Spelling test on Friday, May 6

I am so proud of our kiddos for their amazing work on last weeks reading and spelling tests as well as our math test!  We had a LARGE number of A's and A+'s on these tests.  (I counted the math grades--- 14 A's or A+'s)  WOW!  Great job!!!!!  The written reading tests are getting better and better!  I am LOVING our complete sentences!  We are just about ready for second grade!  YAY!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALANA FOR MAKING HER AR GOAL TODAY!  WOO HOO!  

The Book Fair is running.  Our day to shop is Tuesday, May 10 during our Library time.

Mayfest and Carnival is May 17.  Parents, if you can, consider taking a morning off work to attend the Mayfest.  Mrs. Brush organizes a FANTASTIC performance, which the whole school takes part in.  More information about this day will come home later.

High Fives & Hugs!  :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRELL!!!!  THANK YOU FOR THE DOUGHNUTS!

Reminders:
Written Reading Test for Matthew and Tilly tomorrow
Spelling Test for Unit 8 Lessons 4-5 tomorrow.
Ch. 6 Math test on Monday

I just wanted to let you all know that I will not be here on Monday.  My daughter is having surgery to remove a tube from her ear, which hasn't fallen out and is giving her problems.  So far this year I have not had the best reports from substitute teachers after returning from an absence.  I really hope after the stress of dealing with my daughter's surgery that I can come back to an AWESOME report!!!  I will be stressing the importance of this with my students tomorrow before they leave.  Please discuss this with your child at home, as well.  Thank you, in advance, for your support!

High Fives & Hugs!  :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I spent 7 hours working in the garden yesterday so I'm a little sore today.  I went to one of our first grade friend's basketball game on Saturday morning, as well as hosted my daughter's 6th birthday party that afternoon. Needless to say, it was a busy weekend!

Specials this week are the same as last week:
Monday-- Music
Tuesday-- Library
Wednesday--Computer
Thursday-- PE
Friday-- Art

We have been having some trouble with our printers and copiers at school the past couple of weeks.  We are all trying to deal with it the best we can but it makes certain tasks very difficult.  We were unable to do our STEM activity today because of it but I am hoping to be able to work it out to do it tomorrow instead.  Today we had a DANCE party after specials, thanks to James and Patrick for buying it for the class with their punch cards on Friday.  We have some talented dancers in here and my oh my do they love the song "Cheerleader!"

Congratulations to Landon and Alexis for making their AR goal!  

Congratulations to James for being the first person from our class to make the challenge goal this grading period.  Remember, in order to reach the challenge goal students have to earn 11 points with at least 80% accuracy by the end of the day on Thursday, May 19.  Those who do will be allowed to attend a PIZZA party!  We have several students who are getting very close!!!

Enjoy your evening!  :)

Happy Earth Day!  What a beautiful day it turned out to be!  We discussed different ways to take care of our Earth, one being recycling or reusing as much as we can in order to reduce waste.  We took a nature walk this afternoon and noted all the things we saw on a checklist and then made an extra list of things that we saw.  We were laughing about how long it took us to find flowers!!!  Then every flower we saw after that was like we saw the President!  "LOOK!!!!  It's a FLOWER, Ms. Bleich!"  A few of my students picked up some trash on the way inside in an attempt to "keep our Earth clean."

Spelling words for next week are: age, phone, write, jump, that, rode, wrist, wrong, photo, want

Bonus Words (worth 1 point each): sidewalk, sorry

Test Date: Friday, April 29

Reading Story next week: Matthew and Tilly

Test Dates:  Thursday, April 28-- multiple choice using activotes: comprehension, phonics- study blending lesson in reading homework journal, vocabulary- in reading homework journal, find misspelled spelling word

Friday, April 29-- Written comprehension questions and answers in a complete sentence.  

Congratulations to these friends who are the latest to make their AR goals: 

Tiara, Dasani, Maddox, Autumn

Way to go super readers!

Have a great weekend! :)

https://vimeo.com/163313870

I created a Vimeo account in order for you to view our "Exploding Lunch Bag" video.  Click on the link above.  This is my first "vimeo" so I hope it worked!  Fingers crossed!    

What a beautiful day!  My students were incredibly excited about learning today!  Especially during STEM!  Today we made an "Exploding Lunch Bag!"  We mixed together water, vinegar, and baking soda inside of a ziploc bag and sealed it.  When the baking soda dissolves it creates a chemical reaction (carbon dioxide) which then fills the bag, causing it to swell, and eventually EXPLODE!  I took a video but since it is so long I'm having trouble sharing it.  I will figure it out and share it with you this week!

Congratulations to Daylin and James for making their AR goals today!  Nice work, boys!

This week's spelling words are: family, saw, paw, purple, know, swing, rang, talk, walk, goes
The spelling test is Friday, April 22.

There are no bonus words this week!

Please remember to listen to your child read their decodable books and please sign the chart by Thursday.  Please remind your child to bring their decodable books to school every day.  We read them in class.

This week's reading story is Jafta.  We read A Game Called Piggle today. Your child should read it to you tonight.  Please sign and return the slip with the book tomorrow.  There will not be a test over this story.  We will test over Jafta on Thursday and Friday.   Please make sure your child is bringing their take home folder and their reading book to school every day.

I hope to see some of you at the Cardinals vs. Cubs game tonight!  I am so excited to watch some of my former students sing God Bless America on the field tonight at Busch Stadium.  My family and I will be cheering on Whiteside and the Cardinals!  (Sorry James and Daylin... ahem... Cubs fans... It's OK, I still love you)  LOL

:)

We can add Cadynne and Tyrie to our list of friends who have made their AR goal this grading period!  Great job!

We took our math test on place value yesterday.  I am SO proud of these kiddos!  We had 15 students earn an A+ or A!  We had 3 students earn a B!  Those are some AMAZING scores!  Keep it up!

Reminders:
Tomorrow-- Thursday, April 14-- Reading Homework Journals due, multiple choice tests for comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and spelling The Hare and the Tortoise.
Friday, April 15-- spelling test, written test for comprehension questions for The Hare and the Tortoise.  (Use the comprehension wksht to practice and prepare at home!)

Next week:
Wednesday, April 20-- Early Dismissal 2pm

Have a wonderful second half of your week! :)

Congratulations to the following students who have already made their AR goal for this grading period:

Patrick, Micah, Colt, D'Mario

We have several students who are very close to making their goal!  The challenge goal for this grading period is 11 points.  The reward for reaching it (with at least 80% accuracy) is a PIZZA PARTY, which will be held on Friday, May 20.

This week's spelling words are:

draw, play, too, foot, soon, high, light, right, pause, of

Bonus words: slowpoke, tortoise

Spelling Test: Friday, April 15

Please listen to your child read "The Fox and the Grapes" on Monday.  There is no slip to sign.  There will not be a test on this fable.  

Our story this week is The Hare and the Tortoise.  Please listen to your child read it every night.  The reading slip will come home on Thursday, April 14.  Please sign it and return it on Friday.  The multiple choice tests over comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and spelling will be on Thursday, April 14.  The written test will be on Friday, April 15.  Please review the comprehension question worksheet, which we complete together in class and bring home on Thursday afternoon.  

In math we are wrapping up our chapter on place value.  The test is tomorrow.  We will complete the review independently in class today.  As always, anyone who scores 100% on their review is exempt from taking the test tomorrow and will receive a 100% for their grade.  Anyone who does not score 100% today will correct their mistakes for homework and also complete a math homework worksheet tonight in order to help prepare for tomorrow's test.  

Specials this week:

Monday-- Music

Tuesday-- Library

Wednesday-- Computer (Due to PARCC testing taking place in the computer lab we will go to PE instead-- bring or wear tennis shoes)

Thursday-- PE

Friday-- Art

We have a bus evacuation drill on Tuesday, April 12.  We have these twice a year to prepare students on what to do in case there is ever an emergency situation on the bus.  

Have a great week!  Go Cardinals!  :)

Magic House Photos--First Grade-- March 2016

I want these stairs!  

In the pit

Learning about communities

Trying to kill time after lunch.  Why not start a Conga line?

A gigantic light bright!  My favorite childhood toy!

Getting ready to go down the BIG slide

Worn out

I always have one fall asleep on me.  My favorite part!  :)

The only time they were quiet all day!  Ha

Darth AW

Thank you, Micah for the yummy cupcakes!  We enjoyed them yesterday.  I guess the good part about Ms. Bleich forgetting to pass them out on your actual birthday is that we got to celebrate your birthday two days in a row!

I am moving the math test back to Tuesday, April 12 so we can review another day.

Happy 7th birthday, Micah!

We had a rather hectic day.  So hectic that I forgot to pass out Micah's cupcakes (we will do that tomorrow) AND I forgot to put math homework in mailboxes.  I am very sorry about both.  I will send the math homework tomorrow.

I am hoping that tomorrow is better for all of us!  :)

Hello first grade friends and families!  It has been a while since I posted but my, oh my, have we been busy little bees in first grade!

Our field trip to the Magic House last week was a huge success!  Thank you SO MUCH to all of the parent and grandparent chaperones!  We could not have done it without you!  The students had so much fun and learned a lot.  I will soon post some pictures from that day.

This week's spelling words are: ground, down, sour, grass, piece, raced, snail, say, day, stay
Bonus words are: sunflower, hilltop
The spelling test is Friday, April 8

Our reading story this week is The Way of an Ant.  Vocab words are: enormous, dandelion, gnarled, rushed
The multiple choice part of the reading test will be Thursday, April 7, and the written part will be Friday, April 8.

Today in math we had great fun playing place value games.  Ask your child which game they played and what they learned from it.  Ask them about what PacMan has to do with greater than and less than.  You will get a kick out of it!  There will be a math worksheet for homework on Tuesday night.  Please help your child with any questions they may have.
The Math Chapter 5 test on Place Value and Numbers to 120 will be on Monday, April 11.  On Friday I will send homework for anyone who needs the extra practice before the test.

As we wind down to the end of the school year things start to get a little hectic.  The weather changes, students are ready to be outside all day, and we start thinking about our summer plans.  A lot of students are having trouble remembering the rules.  We have reviewed the rules a lot this year, but especially in these past two weeks.  I have reminded them that they are going to be second graders soon.  With that promotion comes a big increase in responsibility.  I give SO many warnings in a day about what students should be doing.  We still have lots of firsties who have trouble even after multiple warnings.  The top three reoccurring problems are talking when the teacher is talking, not following directions, and staying seated when it's expected.  My daughter and I have both had quite a few doctor's appointments lately and every sub I have had has had the same issues.  Please reinforce at home what is expected at school. It will make the end of the school year go much more smoothly for all of us!  I appreciate your help!

Have a wonderful week and enjoy whatever nice weather we end up with!

Way to go Angelo, Tiara, and Colt for making the AR challenge goal today!  Woo hoo!  

I hope you all have a safe and happy Spring Break!  

I cannot believe it's already Spring Break time!  We are off school on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. 

Tomorrow we will have our Good News Party in the morning, which should make for a super calm afternoon. (ha ha-- probably not)

Just a few reminders:
We are reading The Garden this week and next week. 
Reading homework journals-- due Thursday, March 31.  
Multiple choice test for The Garden-- Thursday, March 31.
Written test for The Garden-- Friday, April 1.
Spelling test-- Friday, April 1.  (sun, frog, toad, now, green, will, they, does, rain, pain, garden, frightened-- Bonus Words)

Field trip to the Magic House--Wednesday, March 30.  If you have any outstanding fees please pay them.  It is school policy that if your child has unpaid fees they are not allowed to attend the field trip.  A note came home today on a pink piece of paper if your child owes for anything.  

On Tuesday, I will send home a note to the chaperones.  
Here is the list of chaperones who have volunteered to go and who have turned in their background check to the office:
Tyrie's mom
James' mom
Amariona's mom
Landon's grandma
Micah's mom
Colt's mom
Terrell's mom and dad
Cadynne's grandma

If I do not have your name listed but you signed up to attend it means the office did not receive the necessary paperwork in order to approve you.  We turned in our final numbers to the Magic House today.  I'm really sorry if you wanted to attend but aren't able to due to your work schedule or due the paperwork.  We will miss you but don't worry, your child will have oodles of fun stories to share with you!  

Congratulations to the following students who made their AR goals since my last post:
Terrell
Dasani
Maha
Alana

Congratulations to Autumn, who made the AR challenge goal since my last post!

The grading period ends tomorrow, which means that tomorrow is the last day to make AR goals or the challenge goal.  Our AR challenge party will be in the afternoon on March 29.  We start new AR goals and a new challenge goal on Tuesday, as well.  

Have a safe and happy Spring Break!   

Happy birthday, Maddox!!!!  Thank you for sharing the delicious cupcakes with us!

We got to use something that we've never used in our class until today... watercolor paints!  We did a really fun spelling activity today called "Invisible Ink."  I had them write their spelling words twice in white crayon.  (They had to REALLY pay attention and write SO carefully because they couldn't actually see what they were writing on their white paper!)  Then we took our spelling papers outside before morning recess and the words we wrote "magically" appeared as we painted over them with watercolors!  It was a hoot watching their faces as their words became visible in front of their very eyes.  There are SO many FUN ways to practice spelling words!

We finished reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck today.  Ask your child what Oobleck is and ask them what the magical words were which saved the kingdom from it!

Reading Homework Journals are due tomorrow.  Also, please listen to your child read The Kite and sign their reading slip.  The reading slip is due tomorrow.  We will take the multiple choice portion of our reading test over this story tomorrow.  (Don't forget to practice spelling words and discuss vocabulary words, as well.)  We will also work on comprehension questions during class and we will practice writing in complete sentences while restating the question.  We will take the written sentence part of the test on Friday.

Enjoy your evening!

These two little cutie patooties showed up with twinsie braids today.  Love, love, love it!