A Note From Your First Grade Teachers
First Grade Connections
March 16th, 2017
Dear First Grade Families, 

Congratulations to all of our fine performers! Last week's Suessical the musical was a huge success. We were very proud of the students during their dress rehearsals and the big show. This week marks the start of our spring field trips. As part of Farms and Markets on the Coast unit, the first grade classes wll be taking a field trip almost every week. A package of permission forms will be coming home in the next few days and the driver/chaperone sign ups will be posted shortly. Please check you calendars and join us when you are available. This is a great time of year to grab those extra honorable hours.

We hope you have enjoyed the beautuful weather this week and look forward to seeing you at the upcoming end of second-trimester conferences on  March 23rd and 24th . Please follow the link below to sign up if you haven't done so already. 
Please note:  Thursday, March 23rd  is a minimum day for students and there is no school for students  on Friday, March 24th . Please review Extended Day offerings on these days.

Sincerely, 

Your First Grade Team
Stephanie Hanepen, Lesley Stevens and Vienna Klingele 
What We Have Been Learning
Writing

We have launched our Non-Fiction Writing unit and first graders are learning how to write books that teach. Students worked with their writing partners to choose a topic of expertise, plan and begin writing. Below is a sample page from a book about butterflies "The difference of a boy and a girl butterfly are the boys are usually looking for girls, and girls are usually looking for leafs to lay their eggs on." We are learning so much from our first graders! 

Math

In Math we continue to explore numbers to 20 by examining efficient ways to count to 20. The students have been practicing making groups of 10 and counting on. They are also comparing numbers by matching groups of objects to determine greater than, less than and the difference between the two. The students are beginning to put their strategies to work as we begin our addition and subtraction to 20 unit.
Reading-RAZ Kids

Login: FabFirstGrade
PW: readingrocks

From there, your first grader can tap on their name and enter the password. You can also access Raz Kids on their website:  https://www.raz-kids.com and login from there. Please let us know if you have any questions. If your first grader would like to use Raz Kids for their reading homework they are welcome to. We are excited about this new learning tool! Have fun!
Character Education

We are beginning our study on Multiple Intelligences. We learned about what it means to be BODY SMART, which means that you learn and think with your body. You love to move and touch things. When you are moving your body stay focused, learn and can come up with good ideas. We read books about famous athletes who were body smart (Mia Hamm, Jackie Mitchell and Wilma Rudolph) and noticed that they also were determined, never gave up and had good attitudes despite obstacles they faced.
Science
Students continue to look at properties of different materials in our testing materials unit. We recently performed a test for absorption. With a dropper we put 3 drops of water on various materials made of: wood, paper, fabric, glass, plastic and metal. We observed the water and recorded our results on a results checklist.
Additionally, the students learned that science is not always exact and results not always black and white. This week they learned about ordering their results in a series of investigations that had them rate their observations on a scale. These activities included: dull to shiny, light to dark, fast to slow, smooth to rough, soft to loud, etc. They worked in teams and found it interesting that their opinions sometimes varied from their partners'.  
Ask Your Child About

Talking with your child is the best way to support classroom learning. The following questions and activities can help you get started.

  • Using small objects like Cheerios or buttons, have your first grader count, add and subtract numbers to 20. Make sure they are putting them in groups of 10's and adding on.
  • What is schema? How do you use schema to help you understand stories?
  • Let's brainstorm some words that start with S blends, L Blends and R Blends.
  • Why do scientists have to order their results?
  • What farm do you live closest to?
Homework
Thanks to our Mystery Reader
Petra Patton 
Mom of Marshall
Tomorrow: Parent Education Workshop

Distraction, Multi-Tasking and Time Management, Friday, March 17th, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., Think Tank. Research shows that media multitasking while studying and learning can have a negative impact on our children's academic performance. Speaker Laurie Schoeffler, Student Support Coordinator, will provide tools to work around media disruption.
Extended Day Program
Noon Dismissal and Conference Day
Our Extended Day Program (EDP) will be open: 
  • Minimum (Noon Dismissal) Day, Thursday, March 23rd, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Theme: Go Fly A Kite! Cost: $11.00 per hour. 

  • Conference Day, Friday, Friday, March 24th, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Theme: Let’s Go Ride! Bikes & Scooters (Helmets required). Cost: $11.00 per hour. 
"Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's Party"!" ~ Robin Williams
Musical Photos
Only Today: You Shop, Amazon Gives 5%
Thursday, March 16th, Amazon will donate 5% (10 times the usual donation rate) of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Sea Crest School  as they celebrate their #1 ranking in customer satisfaction by the ACSI.  Click here,  shop and HELP US RAISE FUNDS FOR THE SCHOOL!
How to Reach Us
If questions ever arise, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are available by email at:  [email protected] ,  [email protected]  and  [email protected] . Email is our preferred method of communication. We will check our email after school daily. If there is an emergency, please call Cathy at the front desk, at  650.712.9892 .
SEA CREST SCHOOL  |  seacrestschool.org  |  650.712.9892