SCHOOL NOTE 2H Friday, September 10, 2021

Important Upcoming Dates: * No School Thursday, September 16 for Yom Kippur. * Thursday, September 30, 6-7 pm: Open House at Miller Hill I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone this week! This week we:

• got our materials organized. • practiced daily routines • played games to get to know one another. • reviewed some first grade reading, writing and math skills.

Here are a few things you may be wondering about: Homework

• Read 20 minutes each night (expert book, library book, eBook, RAZ Kids, or any other reading material your child chooses).

• Practice math + and - facts (as needed). We will review facts from 0-10

first, focusing on one "fact family" at a time (e.g., plus and minus 2). I will send home flashcards each Friday. Reflex is also a great way to practice math facts.

• Study spelling patterns. Our first spelling list will go home next Friday.

Please study the words on the list with your child, but also challenge them to spell words that follow the same pattern. For example, if we are working on the spelling pattern ‘or’ and corn is on the spelling list, you can ask your child to try spelling other ‘or’ words too, such as horn and sport.

• Not all unfinished classwork needs to be finished at home (only papers

stamped "Finish & Return"). Book Borrowing Your child will be able to borrow school library and class library books. When books are returned, they will stay out of rotation for several days as a health precaution. When your child brings home a book from our class library in their

Expert Book Folder, please initial and return the reading log sheet and book in the folder when you feel that your child has read the book fluently (smoothly, at a natural pace, and with expression). If your child does not read the book fluently at first, encourage them to reread to develop confidence and fluency. You do not need to record how many minutes your child spent reading. Take Home Folders - Students will bring home their work as we complete it on a daily basis. On Fridays, I will send home a newsletter and a personalized update on how your child is doing. Please sign the comment sheet, add any comments, questions, or suggestions you may have, and return it on Monday. Seesaw is an online learning platform that second graders will be using daily. It has 3 main features: 1) Journal - I assign online activities and student work goes in their "journal." This includes all types of learning (math, science, reading), not just journal writing. Students can only see their own journals (they cannot see each others). 2) Blog - On the blog, students can "publish" work to share it with the class. It's also a great way to stay in touch in the event of remote learning. The blog is password protected, and I review all posts and comments before they go live. My students last year enjoyed the blog, but please know that it is optional. If you do not want your child to participate in the blog, please let me know. Clever.com - If your child is working on at home for any reason, they can access the Seesaw or any other website we use at school (like Reflex) by going to clever.com. Choose login as student. Click Login with Google. google username: 32lastnamefirstinial@apcsd.org password: cafeteria PIN two times (for example, 12341234) 3) Seesaw Family App I will be sending you an invitation over the weekend to connect to your child's journal on the web (app.seesaw.me) or by downloading the Seesaw Family App. I will also be sharing photos and videos and messages with families through the family messaging. I strongly encourage you to connect with our class on Seesaw! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! ~ Joann Harnden