Infant Jesus School

News from Mrs. Frieda's First Grade Class

Mrs. Frieda

Sleepy Lane

Fantasyland, NH 03060
March / April 2010

Dear Parents,
Well, it is the end of the school year and I am so very proud of everyone’s accomplishments throughout the year. I am always astounded to see how many words they have learned and can now sound out. Even their writing skills have improved drastically with their knowledge of these words as well as phonetic awareness. Your children have made it a fun year. They are all such an excellent group. I keep telling them how much they’ve improved in their reading and writing!!! We had so much fun writing many stories and our last assignment, poems. We went a little crazy when we made so many blend books, but I was so thrilled to see them brainstorm numerous word possibilities, decide who would do which word page, what order the pages would be in and then how to design and create the cover and back page. All of this was done in their groups of four children each. They worked so well together helping each other and taking turns letting each take part in the culmination of their group books. It has been so enjoyable to witness the growth of each and every one of them.

Many of you ask what kinds of things your children should be reviewing this summer in preparation for second grade. Summer can be a fun time to review those math facts that they will so often use in the future. Begin with addition to 17 or even 18 if you feel brave. A great approach to learning this is to have them repeat them by saying the entire fact out loud. For example, “one plus one equals 2.” It is purely just memorizing them. Saying the entire fact, rather than saying just the answer, stores it in our memory even more. Helping to reinforce the English concepts we have learned by having them continue to write sentences, stories, etc., can also help retain their acquired skills. Their journals will also be sent home with extra pages for them to practice these writing skills. Often, we forget what is not practiced when given a long break. Also give them more home responsibilities to foster self-esteem through independent work.

As you all are constantly told …READ! READ! READ! They to you, and you, to them. Choose something they are comfortable reading and progress onto more challenging stories when they are willing. Asking the main idea, sequencing events, predicting what may be coming up in the story and asking some comprehension questions help improve their understanding of what they have read. A list of summertime reading books is also enclosed.

Check out the photo gallery for pictures of enrichments, extracurricular activities, and the students at work and play.

Did you know that many of the forms you need for school can be found on our school web site? Click here.

Telling time is another item that you can review this summer. We just covered o’clock and half hour, of which they were astoundingly good at. Once you feel they have that mastered, progress to ¼ of and ¼ past, etc. This year they all seemed to grasp the minute’s concept very easily. Therefore, don’t be afraid to forge on and challenge them to tell the minutes. Enclosed with your child’s papers you will find a list of the numerous ways we said hello or good morning this year. The kids had fun with this and remember quite a few of them since we began this in September. A final closing to all parents for making my year at Infant Jesus School a lot easier: it is so great having parents take an active roll in helping their children improve their class skills. Your children have been an enjoyable and respectful group to work with. They are full of great ideas, but most importantly such caring individuals.

Thank You. Mrs. Frieda