Week 34

Friday is our trip to Sarett Nature Center! We will leave school at 9am, arriving at Sarett no later than 9:30. Parents are welcome to meet us there. Please remember to send a bag lunch for your Firstie if that is what you selected. We will have a picnic lunch at Sarett before returning to school by about 12:30.

Countdown! SHHHHHH!….it’s a Surprise!

Everyday starting on May 15th we will announce a fun activity for the following day. The countdown itself is a surprise for the students at this point! Moreover, the specific activities are a SURPRISE! Please do not tell your Firsties what we are planning! We need help with some donations and volunteering. If you can help, please check out this link!

Kiwanis Park Day-May 20 

This is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year. We will walk together as a grade level to the park and enjoy snacks there. This will be in the morning on Tuesday, May 20th. We will return in time for lunch at school. You are welcome to join us for the walk, playing at the park, or both. Megan Jones, Evelyn Xiao's mom, has graciously agreed to be our planner for this day. (The playground at Kiwanis is undergoing renovations and is not scheduled to be complete by this date). We need yard games like giant Jenga, giant 4 square, corn hole, and hoola hoops. Check out this link to volunteer and/or reach out to Megan at megamjon@gmail.com

School Picnic and Field Day-May 22

No School for Memorial Day- May 26

Half Days-May 28, 29, 30

Last Day of School-May 30

Summer Birthdays

If your Firstie has a summer birthday, you are welcome to send in a treat for the class on any day in celebration. 

Week 33

 

Sarett Field Trip-May 9

Parents are welcome to join us for this fun-filled, learning-rich day at the nature center. Students will leave Lincoln on the bus at 9am and return around 12:30. If you would like to join us, there is a fee upon arrival at the nature center. Please meet us there by 9:30. *Parents may not ride the bus. 

Countdown! SHHHHHH!….it’s a Surprise!

Everyday starting on May 15th we will announce a fun activity for the following day. The countdown itself is a surprise for the students at this point! Moreover, the specific activities are a SURPRISE! Please do not tell your Firsties what we are planning! We need help with some donations and volunteering. If you can help, please check out this link!

Kiwanis Park Day-May 20 

This is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year. We will walk together as a grade level to the park and enjoy snacks there. This will be in the morning on Tuesday, May 20th. We will return in time for lunch at school. You are welcome to join us for the walk, playing at the park, or both. Megan Jones, Evelyn Xiao's mom, has graciously agreed to be our planner for this day. (The playground at Kiwanis is undergoing renovations and is not scheduled to be complete by this date). We need yard games like giant Jenga, giant 4 square, corn hole, and hoola hoops. Check out this link to volunteer and/or reach out to Megan at megamjon@gmail.com

School Picnic and Field Day-May 22

More information about this will be coming from Mrs. Knuth and/or the PTO.

No School for Memorial Day- May 26

Half Days-May 28, 29, 30

Last Day of School-May 30

Classroom Library/Storage help

We could use some help with some end-of-year organization tasks, primarily sorting through our classroom libraries and removing books that are long past their prime. If you’re interested please reach out to your Firstie’s teacher.

Summer Birthdays

If your Firstie has a summer birthday, you are welcome to send in a treat for the class on any day in celebration. 

In the Classroom…

We have a super cool opportunity! The high schoolers in their fourth year of French are joining us once a week to teach some basic French language skills. The Firsties are really enjoying it! So far we have learned to say:

• Bonjour (good day)

• Bonsoir (good night)

• Salut (hi and bye)

• Je m’appelle (my name is)

• Bien (good)

• Pas mal (not bad)

• Comment ca va (how are you)

• Color words: rose, rouge, orange, vert, noir, bleu, jaune, violet, blanc, gris, marron.

We are working on:

• Studying stories of bird helpers and the ways in which they care for birds.

• Writing introductory and concluding sentences.

• Reviewing all the spelling patterns we have learned this year.

• Recognizing attributes of 2D and 3D shapes. 

• Compound and simple sentences.

• Identifying subjects and actions in sentences.

• Finding equal shares in 2D shapes.

• Spotting halves, wholes, and fourths.

Ask your Firstie:

• What does tremendous mean?

• What is the subject in this sentence: The pirate found gold.

• What did Olivia do?

Week 33

 

Special Activities

Sarett Field Trip-May 9

Parents are welcome to join us for this fun-filled, learning-rich day at the nature center. Students will leave Lincoln on the bus at 9am and return around 12:30. If you would like to join us, there is a fee upon arrival at the nature center. Please meet us there by 9:30. *Parents may not ride the bus. 

Countdown! SHHHHHH!….it’s a Surprise!

Everyday starting on May 15th we will announce a fun activity for the following day. The countdown itself is a surprise for the students at this point! Moreover, the specific activities are a SURPRISE! Please do not tell your Firsties what we are planning! We need help with some donations and volunteering. If you can help, please check out this link!

Kiwanis Park Day-May 20 

This is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year. We will walk together as a grade level to the park and enjoy lunch there. This will be in the morning on Tuesday, May 20th. You are welcome to join us for the walk, playing at the park, or both. More details to come soon!

School Picnic and Field Day-May 22

More information about this will be coming from Mrs. Knuth and/or the PTO.

No School for Memorial Day- May 26

Half Days-May 28, 29, 30

Last Day of School-May 30

Classroom Library/Storage help

We could use some help with some end-of-year organization tasks, primarily sorting through our classroom libraries and removing books that are long past their prime. If you’re interested please reach out to your Firstie’s teacher.

Summer Birthdays

If your Firstie has a summer birthday, you are welcome to send in a treat for the class on any day in celebration. 

In the Classroom…

We have a super cool opportunity! The high schoolers in their fourth year of French are joining us once a week to teach some basic French language skills. The Firsties are really enjoying it! So far we have learned to say:

• Bonjour (good day)

• Bonsoir (good night)

• Salut (hi and bye)

• Je m’appelle (my name is)

• Bien (good)

• Pas mal (not bad)

• Comment ca va (how are you)

• Color words: rose, rouge, orange, vert, noir, bleu, jaune, violet, blanc, gris, marron).

We are working on:

• Studying stories of bird helpers and the ways in which they care for birds.

• Writing introductory and concluding sentences.

• Reviewing all the spelling patterns we have learned this year.

• Recognizing attributes of 2D and 3D shapes. 

• Compound and simple sentences.

• Identifying subjects and actions in sentences.

• Finding equal shares in 2D shapes.

• Spotting halves, wholes, and fourths.

Ask your Firstie:

• What does tremendous mean?

• What is the subject in this sentence: The pirate found gold.

• What did Olivia do?

Week 31

 

Special Activities

VIP Donuts-April 17 OR 18

We would like our students to select a very important person in their life to bring to school to share a donut with. The event will begin at 7:45 and continue until the bell rings at 8:25. Students with a last name beginning with the letters A-K can bring their VIP this Thursday (April 17th) and students with last names beginning with L - Z should bring their VIP on Friday (April 18th).

Sarett Field Trip-May 9

Parents are welcome to join us for this fun-filled, learning-rich day at the nature center. Students will leave Lincoln on the bus at 9am and return around 12:30. If you would like to join us, there is a fee upon arrival at the nature center. Please meet us there by 9:30. Please note, parents may not ride the bus with us. Students will need a bag lunch for this day. You are welcome to send one from home OR order a bag lunch from the school. Order forms went home on Friday. Forms are due on Monday, April 14. 

Countdown! SHHHHHH!….it’s a Surprise!

Everyday starting on May 15th we will announce a fun activity for the following day. The countdown itself is a surprise for the students at this point! Moreover, the specific activities are a SURPRISE! Please do not tell your Firsties what we are planning! We need help with some donations and volunteering. If you can help, please check out this link! There are many spots still available, especially the role of courtyard games coordinator.

Kiwanis Park Day-May 20 

This is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year. We will walk together as a grade level to the park and enjoy lunch there. This will be in the morning on Tuesday, May 20th. You are welcome to join us for the walk, playing at the park, or both. More details to come soon!

School Picnic and Field Day-May 22

More information about this will be coming from Mrs. Knuth and/or the PTO.

No School for Memorial Day- May 26

Half Days-May 28, 29, 30

Last Day of School-May 30

In the Classroom…

We are working on:

• High frequency words: ahead, around, away

• Vowel teams in compound words such as playground, downtown, raincoat, and repeat

• The basics of area, perimeter, capacity, and weight

• Using the words heavier and lighter

• Studying stories of bird helpers and the ways in which they care for birds

Ask your Firstie:

• What happened to Maggie, the peregrine falcon? What about Pierre, the penguin?

• When is a time you showed forgiveness?

• What is an example of a simple sentence? How about a compound sentence?

• Can you name a conjunction?

• Can you compare and contrast waffles and pancakes?

Week 30

 Welcome Back! 

We hope you had a restful break!

It is hard to believe, but we are already on the home stretch of 1st grade! While we have a lot of learning yet to do, we also like to end the year with a variety of fun activities. We thought it would be helpful for you to have as many details as we can provide now so that you can plan ahead.

Special Activities

VIP Donuts-April 17 OR 18

More details about this will be coming soon from Mrs. Knuth and/or the PTO.

Sarett Field Trip-May 9

Parents are welcome to join us for this fun-filled, learning-rich day at the nature center. Students will leave Lincoln on the bus at 9am and return around 12:30. If you would like to join us, there is a fee upon arrival at the nature center. Please meet us there by 9:30. Students will need a bag lunch for this day. You are welcome to send one from home OR order a bag lunch from the school. We will be sending home a form on which we ask that you indicate whether you’ll provide lunch from home or order from school. Forms are due on Monday, April 14. 

Countdown! SHHHHHH!….it’s a Surprise!

Everyday starting on May 15th we will announce a fun activity for the following day. The countdown itself is a surprise for the students at this point! Moreover, the specific activities are a SURPRISE! Please do not tell your Firsties what we are planning! We need help with some donations and volunteering. If you can help, please check out this link!

School Picnic and Field Day-May 22

More information about this will be coming from Mrs. Knuth and/or the PTO.

Kiwanis Park Day-date TBD, but likely either May 20 or 27

No School for Memorial Day- May 26

Half Days-May 28, 29, 30

Last Day of School-May 30

In the Classroom…

We are working on:

• High frequency words: because, busy, family

• The /oy/ sounds spelled oi or oy in words such as: choice, annoyed, voices, boys, and joined

• Comparing lengths of objects

• Putting objects in order from shortest to longest

• Studying stories of bird helpers and the ways in which they care for birds

Ask your Firstie:

• What are some examples of vowel teams? (ee, ea, ie, igh, ow, etc.)

• What does it mean to have an “other people mindset”

• What is something that is hard for you at school?

• Do you feel like you’re becoming a better reader and writer?

Week 29

We will be busy this week as we lead into the long-awaited Spring Break! Please help us by reminding your Firstie that we still need to work hard and focus on our tasks. If you are leaving early for break, please let us know. Thanks!

We are working on:

• High frequency words: by, buy, bye, type

• The long i sound spelled igh and ie in words such as: pie, sigh, might, bright, and lie

• Writing a mystery bird riddle to demonstrate understanding of how particular body parts help birds to survive

• Reviewing all we’ve learned in math lately

Ask your Firstie:

• How do you solve 66 + 21 by adding the ones and then the tens? Is there another strategy that works for you?

• What words can you think of that make the long i sound?

• What are the other long vowel sounds? 

• Does every syllable have a vowel? What are the vowel sounds in each syllable in the following words: classroom, computer, happy, zebra, library

Week 28

 

Planetarium Trip Monday

Our annual visit to the Upton Planetarium will be tomorrow, Monday, March 17. We will leave school around 9:30 and return to Lincoln around 10:45. 

We are working on:

• High frequency words: been, carry, and please

• Long e spelled ee, ea, and y in words such as: trees, flea, library, and clean

• Finishing up our addition within 100 unit

• Using text features to answer questions about birds

Ask your Firstie:

• Do these numbers make a new ten: 44 + 6, 23 + 9

• What is a label? Caption? Table of contents? Glossary?

• How do you think the blue bird (above) uses its beak? What about its feet?