Coat's & Valeri Multi-Age Message

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February News

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January 30

In first grade math we are continuing our unit on money. Your first grader should be able to: exchange equivalent quantities of coins by making fair trades involving combinations of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Also, count out a combination needed to purchase items less than a dollar. You can help your child at home by counting change from your pocket or wallet. You could also have a pretend store and give your child a dollar and “make change” from the item bought. Next we will be learning about time. Your child will be expected to tell time to the hour and half hour. You can help your child at home by using a clock with the hour and minute hands, not only a digital clock. You may also want to point out various times throughout the day and talk about which activities collide with which time of the day. In kindergarten math we are beginning a unit measurement. We will be measuring using standard and non-standard units of measurement. This week we discussed length, weight, height, and capacity. It would be fun to measure items in your house!

Our life skill this week is “Self Confidence”, which means: having a realistic positive attitude about one’s self and having a sense of security and self-assurance. The following children exhibited self-confidence this week:

Kamryn, Chinaza, Megan, Tiara, Destiny, Destiny, Cade

We are incorporating more and more writing with our guided reading lessons. We are also working on summarizing stories.  This helps us identify the main idea and the author’s message.  Remember to re-read your guided reading books each time they are sent home. This reinforces what we are doing in class and all children thrive on reading successfully to someone at home!

We go to the Media Center on Friday’s. Please return your library book each Friday

We appreciate all the parents who joined us for conference week. It is so important for teachers and parents to communicate with each other to ensure the success of your children!

Congratulations to Cade and Devan for completing Mad Minute Addition! Also, to Cade for completing all 220 sight words. Way to go guys! You are showing your “Personal Best”!

First Grade Spelling Update:

The first grade students are beginning formal spelling lessons from Sitton Spelling. The program is not a “get your words on Monday and test on Friday” program. The program is designed to study spelling patterns and commit to rote memory the words on the “no excuse” list provided during conference week.

Dates to remember

February 6…Early Release Day…students dismissed at 12:20

February 14…Valentine’s Day…we will do special centers on this day. More information will be forthcoming.

February 18, 19…President’s Day Holiday…no school

February 29…Kindergarten Performing Arts Puppet Show

*Please remember to check the snack calendar for your snack day. We always try to send a reminder the day before, too.

*This month you will need to read 20 books for the “Book It” pizza certificate instead of 10.

You may also write the same books down on your Six Flags form for your free Six Flags ticket. You can use: books from home, library books, guided reading books, etc. on your reading forms.

6th Edition of “Kids Say the Funniest Things”

From a personal note:

Mrs. Valeri was playing with her son, Riley, 3 years old. I said, “Just think, 3 years ago you were still in my belly!”

Riley said, “NO! Don’t eat me!”

Mrs. Valeri’s other son, Hunter, 5 years old, was pulling up his pants because they were too big in the waist. He then said, “Mom! You need to buy me a five year old belt!”

What is capacity?

“The flag”, Breauna Adams

“Paper can go on it”, Samuel Moises

“How nice something is”, Darion Whitman

“How many letters something has”, Clay Daniel

“How much do you love that”, Cody Davis

“What I want to be when I grow up”, Collin Iheanacho

“What you are talking about”, Cade Stewart

“It is a good mood”, Brett Hurst

“To get someone for me”, Christian Norman

Have a fantastic weekend! Mrs. Valeri, Ms. Coats, Mrs. Knox, Ms. Callahan

Welcome Back!

We are so excited to be back in school teaching your little darlings! Please remember we are out of school on Monday for observance of MLK Holiday. Then beginning on Tuesday, we start conferences. The students will be dismissed at 12:20 on Tues. through Fri. then again the following Monday.

Please be on time to your conference. We only have 20 minutes together. Please be prepared with any questions or conerncs you may have so that we can discuss them. Report cards will be issued during your conference.

Have a great week:)

A Message from our principal

Parents
The service that we use to automatically notify you when the blog is updated has changed their terms of service in such a way that an ad will begin showing up at the bottom of the email that comes to you.  Your email address is still not being shared with anyone other than the school!  The mere placement of advertising in school communications is of concern to us, especially since we have no control over what the ad may be.

We are exploring other means of providing this service to you at this time.  For now, we ask your patience as we work through the concern.  In the meantime, if you receive an ad that is objectionable to you, we would appreciate your notifying the school, and holding onto it so that it may be forwarded to proper personnel.

Thank you for your patience!"

Ana P. Crommett
Principal
Varner Elementary
770-222--3775
770-222-3777-fax

Spetember 7, 2007

We enjoyed meeting all of our parents at open house.   Thank you for coming.  We also appreciate you sending your t-shirt orders and payments so quickly.  If you have not had a chance to do this, please send it in the first of next week.

We have been very busy these last two weeks.  Kindergarten has focused on the letters m, h and i.  Please review these letters and sounds with them.  We are also learning how to sound out words when writing.  Please do not spell words for your child.  Have them use their best guess spelling.  First grade has focused on blending sounds together, isolating different sounds in a word, and listening for short and long vowel sounds.  We have also looked at how we can spell  /s/, /h/, /t/, /a/, and /m/.

In kindergarten math, we have been exploring the different ways to sort items.  We have also been discussing positional words such as:  above, below, behind, and between.  Please review these skills at home.  Next week we will  be exploring patterns.

First graders have completed their introduction of addition.  They should be able to tell you what the commutative property of addition and the zero addition property.  They understand the meaning of sum, equal, addition, and addend.  We have also taken our base line skills test.  We will use this as one of our tools to measure growth.

Together the class has learned the difference between natural and human resources.  We have looked at various jobs and how they contribute to our society.  They should be able to tell you the difference between jobs that provide a service and jobs that provide a good.  They had a good time discovering the differences.

Next week will start exploring the weather and what influences the various types.  We will continue to write in our journals.

Dates to remember:

9/19/07 - Early release

10/17/07 - Early release

10/22/07 - Report cards are distributed

10/30/07 - Field trip to the pumpkin patch

10/31/07 - Fall Centers - more information will come

8/22

Multi-Age Message

In first grade math our Essential Questions are: How can I represent numbers? How can I add sets? How do I count and represent a number of objects?

You can help your first grader at home by counting forks and spoons at dinner, counting pennies, nickels, and quarters in your pocket, or just counting various objects at home and adding them.

In Kindergarten math we are reviewing our numbers 1-10, shapes, sorting, and patterning. You can help your child by sorting objects at home into different groups. Also, practice writing the numbers 1-10.

Our theme for this week is “What is my role and responsibility within my family?” and “How can the division of labor in families help complete a task?” We have discussed our “jobs” at home to help our family and be more responsible.

Thank you to Mrs. Norman and Mrs. Stewart for volunteering at Meet and Greet to represent our class as our room parents.

For your information:

*Birthdays will only be celebrated during lunch which is from 11:07-11:37. You may send cupcakes or cookies on your child’s birthday, but no drinks.

*There will be no transportation changes in the office after 1:45 and all transportation changes must be sent in writing or faxed to the front office, no phone calls will be accepted. The fax number at varner is: 770-222-

*the school is not open until 7:15. Please do not drop off your children before 7:15 as there is no supervision for the children.

*Please remember to send a note for your child’s absence. Due to the “No child Left Behind” law, we are accountable for all absences and need a written excuse when your child is not here.

*You may send ice cream money at any time throughout the week. We will allow ice cream purchases any day of the week, as long as there is money on your account, or you send money. Ice cream is 60 cents.

*Be sure to go through your daily communication folder for important information and homework each night.

**the following is news from our P.E. teacher Mrs. Jordan:

1. They may wear a hat or visor only during PE. If they are playing with it in the hall, it can be taken away.

2. They may bring sunglasses only if we are going outside! Again if they are playing with them, they can be taken away.

3. We are really pushing them bringing a water bottle with their name on them. Only plain water, flavored water, or sparkling water may be in their bottles. No exceptions no gatorade, or powerade.

4. They need to wear sunscreen every day!

5. They need to wear tennis shoes, no crocs, flip-flops, sandals, or shoes without backs.

6. No jewelry such as hanging earrings, necklaces, or bracelets that would causes injury.

7. If they are sick or injured and need to sit out, we need a note from either their parents (5 days or less) or from their doctor (more than 5 days).

Ms. Coats and Mrs. Valeri are working on a class BLOG! We will begin posting our newsletters there as well as sending home a copy for those who do not have internet access. You can get to our blog by going to Varner’s school website and going to “staff” to find Coats/Valeri.

Thank you for sending in the snacks on your designated snack day. It seems much easier to everyone to send the whole class a snack once every 6 weeks, than to send a daily snack.

We are enjoying getting to know your children and look forward to a very productive year of learning!

Mrs. Valeri

Ms. Coats

Mrs. Knox

Dates to remember:

Aug. 28…Picture Day

September 3…Labor Day…no school

September 4…Open House 6:30

September 19…Early Release Day..dismissal at 12:20