January 3rd Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to school!  We hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing but fun winter break!  We're excited to say that this month we'll be integrating our science, social studies and literacy in a unit all about polar region animals!  Beginning this week with some informational read alouds about polar bears and other animals that live in the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the world.  We'll also discuss and do some shared writing about what we already know on this topic.  Throughout the month we study the informational genre of writing as we explore many books and notice how authors teach us about topics. 

In math, we are going to begin learning about place value.  We will be using manipulatives, as well as calculators.  The children will be finding mystery numbers after they are given or shown place value clues.  We will also be revisiting money by completing a few fun activities.  The children will be comparing numbers and learning how to use the relation symbols greater than, less than, and equal to.  In addition, we will be doing activities that help the children memorize their addition facts in order to continue developing “fact power.”  Keep working with your children at home on both their addition and subtraction facts.  Look for Home Links 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 and the Unit 5 Family Letter to come home this week.

Additionally, the students will be learning about Pushes and Pulls in science this week.  The students will be thinking about their favorite jobs and how pushes and pulls are used in that job.

Special Points of Interest

• The holiday party was fun for all.  Thank you so much to all of the parents who donated items!
• THANK YOU for all of the wonderful gifts and cards!  We appreciate your thoughtfulness!
• Please send an extra pair of socks and mittens in your child's backpack for the wet winter weather.
• Winter MAP testing begins next week.
• Scholastic Book orders are due on Monday, January 16th.  I have not received the paper copy of the books orders, but I will send them home as soon as I receive them.  Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Online Code:  JBVLK

December 19th Newsletter

Brrrrrr!!!  What a chilly way to start the week!  Luckily we warmed up with good books and hot chocolate!  Today we shared some of our favorite book recommendations with Mrs. McCalmont's class while we enjoyed some hot chocolate!  

Last week we worked on book recommendations, and now we're focusing on toy recommendations!  We started our first one today and we will learn how to include what we like about the toy, how to write an interesting beginning and we'll focus on punctuation and capitalization.  We are having lots of fun as we think about our opinions! 

We will be watching a movie and having our Holiday party on Thursday.  The kids are so excited!  Again, thank you to all of the generous parents who are donating food or items for our party!  I greatly appreciate it!

I hope you have a wonderful winter break and a Happy New Year!  Enjoy spending time with your family!

See you in 2017!

December 12th Newsletter

This week we are finishing our hard work on writing book recommendations for our friends!  You may see some come home, but we're hanging on to one that we will be sharing with another 1st grade class.  Sharing our writing in an authentic way makes it more valuable and worthwhile to kids.  If you read your child's book recommendation and then make a trip to the Cedarburg Public Library, you could find that book and read it together!  

In our reader's workshop we'll continue to read great recommended stories, and we are studying the vowel "e" and the different sounds it can make.  We are examining different words with "e" and deciding if they make the long sound, the short sound or are silent.  You can help by noticing signs while driving to activities and on errands.  Chances are, they know the word anyway, like when you're at Target.  Say "Target" and listen for that "e," which sound is it making?  We're also working really hard to find smaller words or chunks we know, that can help us when we're stuck on bigger words.  For example, the word "and" is inside "stands," and we can go from and, to stand, to stands. 

In math, we are going to continue working on addition and developing “fact power.”  Having fact power is like being a good reader.  It is more enjoyable if you recognize words automatically.  The same is true of number facts.  Solving problems is easier if you automatically know the answer.  Keep practicing addition and subtraction facts with your child at home so they can develop fact power.  Practice at home by playing math games, using flash cards, or playing online math games.  Great online math activities are located on the Thorson webpage (go to IMC, then click on math).  The kids also love math bingo on www.abcya.com.  Look for Home Links 4.9 and 4.10 to come home this week.

We are looking forward to our holiday party next Thursday.  Thank you in advance to all of the parents who are donating items for the party.  The children are already looking forward to it!

Special Points of Interest

• THANK YOU to all of the families that donated toys the past few weeks!
• Scholastic Book Orders are due today!  I will be placing the order this evening at 8:00 p.m.  Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Online Code:  JBVLK

Please Label Winter Gear

Now that the snow has finally arrived, the kids are of course wearing all of their snow gear.  Please label all of their gear.  We already had a few friends accidentally wear items that did not belong to them out to recess.  There are a lot of items (black snow pants, for instance) that look exactly the same and it will make finding the correct owner much easier.  Thank you for your support with this!  Enjoy the snow!

December 5th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope all of our first grade friends were able to get outside and enjoy playing in the snow on Sunday!  It sounded like many did!  Those outdoor snow stories are great ideas for writers workshop!  This week we'll wrap up our "storyboard stories," by adding a cover and a title.  They are looking great and will be sent home next week. 

Please remember, the stories your child comes home with will not perfect, there will be spelling mistakes, maybe punctuation or capitalization mistakes.  When we conference with students, one on one, with their writing, we choose one or two areas to focus on and work to lift their understanding in that area.  If we overwhelm them by pointing out every error, they will likely be turned off to writing and begin to think that writing is all about spelling and conventions, instead of sharing thoughts and ideas with others.  We will begin learning about how we share our opinions by writing book reviews!  That will be so much fun!  

In math, we are going to continue exploring measurement.  This week the students will be using a tape measure in order to measure objects that are not flat.  The students will be measuring different parts of their own bodies, such as their wrist, elbow, and head.  Additionally, we will be learning how to tell time to the quarter-hour and introducing timelines.  Look for Home Links 4.5, 4.7 and a subtraction practice sheet to come home this week.

In science we will be learning about African animals and the habitats that they live in.  We will be integrating writing into science by writing about grasslands as well as writing animal reports on different African animals that we will be learning about.

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due next Monday, December 12th. We will receive the orders before winter break!  Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Online Code:  JBVLK
• The Kapco's Kids 2 Kids toy drive lasts through this Friday, December 16th.  If you are able to, please bring in a new, unwrapped toy for the Toy Drive.
• Hat day is this Friday, December 16th - donate a dollar and wear a hat to show your support.

Kapco Kids 2 Kids Toy Drive

Thorson Student Council News

The Kapco's Kids 2 Kids toy drive will start on Monday, December 5th and last through Friday, December 16th.  If you are able to, please bring in an unwrapped toy for the Toy Drive.  Thorson's goal is to bring in 275 toys!  Please help us reach this goal.

Kids2Kids Toy Drive Events: Buy an ornament day is on Friday, Decmber 9th - Students can donate a dollar to the toy drive and buy an ornament to put on the bulletin board outside of Mrs. Kikkert's office.  Hat day is on Friday, December 16th - donate a dollar and wear a hat to show your support.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Scholastic Book Order - Guaranteed delivery before Winter Break!

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub
One-Time Class Activation Code: JBVLX

Dear Families,

Please remember to place your Reading Club orders by Monday, December 12th.

You can shop and submit your order online or return the order form with payment directly to me. No matter how you order, every purchase you make earns FREE Books and educational supplies for our classroom.

The arrival of the book box is always a highlight - thanks for making it happen!

Happy reading,

Mrs. Majinski

Ordering online is fast and easy:

• REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub
• ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter
• CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks
• SUBMIT the order to me by the due date at the top of this letter
• EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!