September

Dear Parents,

Thanks so much to all of you who attended Parent Orientation Night! I try to give you as much information about your child's day as possible on this night, so I apologize if I kept you too long!

We are currently in a kindergarten review until Monday, September 14th when the true first grade Language Arts curriculum begins. If your child is having any difficulty with the concepts we are working on, now is the time to get working. Please study the words I send home in the newsletter every night & read. This is the number one way to reinforce what we do in school. Practice letter sounds & naming the letters. Talk about beginning &ending sounds & what that means. Play a game where you say a word & your child has to say a word that rhymes with it. Do not let any troubles go unattended, because once September 14th comes around - the work gets challenging & fast. Ms. Bain & I will be working with students one-to-one & in small groups to help anyone who needs it. We will do our best during the day, but your support is needed at home also.

If your child is having an easy time with the review, that's great. I can always supplement his/her work with other things to keep him/her in learning mode. Reviewing is good for all of the students because it gets them into our routine & they will be ready for the fast pace that is coming. Once I assess all the students, (week of Aug. 31-Sept. 4) I will be better able to create more individualized plans, and I WILL be doing so for everyone.

We are currently into the first grade Math curriculum, & if you look at our curriculum maps, you'll see that we are right on target. If I see that our students are able to proficiently complete assignments that go along with our maps, I will move them on.

It is always my goal to be sure every student is challenged & no student is left struggling. In the coming weeks, I think you will see that our students will be working hard & to their fullest potential. I have put together differentiated homework packets that will be coming home next week. Please let me know what you think of them. By this I mean, tell me if the work is too easy, just right, or too difficult. Your child should be doing the work with an adult, and never by him/herself completely. Your input is important to me, & I do think about it when assembling assignments.

Have a great month! I'll be changing my blog again in October! Call me anytime if you have questions or concerns! Thank you!


Ms. Seely