What’s Coming Up…

Monday is Polar Express Day! Students should wear their pajamas to school. They may bring their slippers to change into. We will be drinking hot chocolate and stirring it with candy canes.
Wednesday is a READ-IN. Students will need 8-12 books and an extra healthy snack.
Friday is the last day of school before Winter Break. Have a wonderful relaxing break with your family.  Please keep READING and filling out the Reading Log minutes for December. The calendar is due in January when the students return to school.

 Curriculum Update:

Language Arts: We introduced the new reading strategy which is determining important details. We read the non-fiction story “Fun With Fish” to find important facts about fish. We also read and illustrated our own book about fish facts. Another strategy we practiced was rhyming words with the book “Down By the Bay”. We had a great time finding rhymes and making up some of our own! The next story we will read is “Greedy Gray Octopus”. We will make character puppets and do a Reader’s Theatre retell of the story.

 

Phonics: We finished learning all the short vowel sounds and the students were assessed on them.  After break we will begin learning the long vowel patterns.

 

Grammar: We learned about adjectives (describing words) and made a fish booklet called "One Fish, Two Fish". We also learned about contractions.  When you come across a contraction while reading, please discuss with your child the words that make up this special kind of words.

We continue to practice the rules for using capital letters at the beginning of sentences and at the beginning of proper nouns.

 

Word Wall Words: how, want, girl, ride, put, good, eat, off, said, away

 

Writing: We continue learning about elements of narrative writing, including beginning, middle, and ending.

Math: We have completed Unit 3 which is on number patterns, odd and even numbers, telling time to hour and half hour (analog and digital), and adding and subtracting using tools (number line, hundreds chart, etc.). Problem solving continues to be a focus.  We will begin unit 4 which is about Measurement.

 

Science: To go along with our fish and water stories, we are studying fish and whales and finding out that a whale is not a fish.

Social Studies: We completed our unit on Bullying and Disrespectful behavior. Ask your child if they can tell you what a bystander and upstander are?  They should be able to tell you what they should do if someone is treating them or a peer disrespectfully.  We are currently working on our “Holidays Around the World” unit.  They are working hard to celebrate the differences of others.  The holiday reports are great so far.  We are learning so much about our classmates and the special traditions they have in their family.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!  I hope you enjoy the time off together.

I hope you and your family had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday and enjoyed the short break.  I just can't believe we are almost in December.  We will begin our Holidays Around the World unit.  The students will learn about many different holidays that are celebrated around the world.  If your family celebrates a special winter holiday, we'd love to have you come in and share about it.  The students will be doing a holiday presentation about a holiday your family celebrates.  Look for a note on Monday with details.  These presentations will be scheduled during December.  If your child will be missing school prior to winter break due to a vacation, please let me know ahead of time so I can schedule your child's presentation before he/she leaves.

We will be making holiday cards....and we can use your help.  If you have any holiday cards from previous years that we can use, that would be great.  Please send them in.  You can just send in the front of the card.

The November reading calendar is due Monday.  Please add up your child's total reading minutes and sign the calendar and send it to school on Monday.  You'll be receiving the December calendar which will be due after winter break.

Many students are running low on their crayons and colored pencils.  Please check with your child and see if he/she is in need of a new box of either of these items. 

Curriculum Update:

Language Arts: This week we have read Down by the Bay and Fun with Fish.  The skills we have been working on are identifying rhyming words and finding important details.  Please enjoy these two stories with your child over the weekend.  Please return both books on Monday.  We are working on a Narrative unit in writing.  To introduce this topic, we are reading a variety of books and talking about the beginning, middle and end of a story.  We are also talking about the traits of good writing (word choice, organization, ideas, sentence fluency, conventions and voice).  We are finishing up our study of short e.  Next week we will review all short vowel words.

Word Wall Words: how, want, girl, ride, put

Math: The students have been working on using the number line for adding and subtracting, identifying patterns on the 100's chart and identifying patterns in numbers.

Science: The children have been looking closely at rocks.  The key words we are discussing are weight, texture, luster, color and size.

Important Dates:
Monday, December 3: November Reading Calendar Due
Tuesday, December 11: Holiday Presentations Begin
Friday, December 21: Winter break begins after school
Monday, December 24-Friday, January 4: Winter Break
Monday, January 7: School Resumes

Take care.
Mrs. Giarrante

It was fabulous to see you all at your child's parent teacher conference.  I appreciate all the support you provide at school and at home.

Curriculum Update...

LANGUAGE ARTS:We have enjoyed many October and November theme related stories...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Native Americans and Pilgrims. One story we read was "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything". In this story we studied nouns and verbs. We read "Stellaluna" and "Zip-Zapping Bats" to compare bats and birds and fiction and non-fiction texts. We read "The Ghost's Dinner" and did a story map with the characters, setting, problem and solution.  We compared two versions of "Teeny Tiny" and used a Venn Diagram to note the things that were the same and different in both versions.  We read "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" and made our own booklet after sequencing the words and pictures.
PHONICS: We have studied short u and made short u word families. We assessed short u along with the vowels a, i and o.  Next week we will move on to short e.
WORD WALL WORDS: was, but,she, two, make, will, find, his, may
GRAMMAR:  We have been writing sentences with correction punctuation while writing various  nouns and verbs
WRITING: The students have been writing their own stories related to the season and November holidays.
MATH: We have been working on addition and subtraction story problems with missing addends, extended addition problems, counting and identifying patterns on the number grid.
SCIENCE: We have begun our rock unit.  The students have been learning about the earth and its three layers.  Next week we will observe our rocks close up and learn about their color, weight, hardness and luster.  We have also been learning about various Native American tribes and what life was like for them.  The students learned about the Plains, Sioux, Wampanaog and Chinook Indians.  They learned many interesting facts about their houses and what they are made from, what they ate, how they dressed and other interesting facts.  We also discussed the first Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims. 
SOCIAL STUDIES: We are working on our bullying and empathy unit.  The students have learned that if someone is being a bully they need to ask them to stop what they are doing.  Hopefully that will solve the problem, if not they need to walk away and if needed tell an adult.  We also talked about being an upstander and standing up for a classmate.  We will continue to work on this important topic.

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, November 21- Friday, November 23: No School
Don't forget November reading calendars are due soon.  Keep reading at least 10 minutes every day.

I hope you and your family have a special Thanksgiving celebration and enjoy your time together as a family.

Have a good week,
Mrs. Giarrante

I hope you all enjoyed the holiday today.  My own kids enjoyed putting on their costume and heading outside.  By the weekend I know Ava will have forgotten all about the bucket of candy.  I can’t believe we are now entering the month of November.  Boy, time sure flies.  We have lots to learn in first grade.  Here is an update on many of the things we have been learning.

Language Arts:

The skills we have been working on are making predictions, using picture clues and being a critical thinker while reading stories. Some of the books we have enjoyed are “Dear Zoo”, “Space Pup”, “Boots for Beth”, “Louella Mae She’s Run Away”, “Head to Toe”, “Stellaluna” and “Pumpkin Pumpkin”.  We also read a variety of holiday literature while we worked on the skills of comparing and contrasting, sequence of events, identifying nouns and verbs and story mapping (characters, setting, problem, solution).  While you read with your child at home, please have him/her make predictions during the story and then discuss what ended up happening.  You can also talk about the characters, setting, story problem and then how the problem was solved (solution).

The students have begun working in flexible groups. These groups are targeting specific skills at your child’s level. Your child may work with me or another teacher. Each child’s progress will be discussed at the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences.

Word Wall Words:

come, get, from, here, day, was, but, she, two, make, will, find, his, may, they

The sight words for 2^nd quarter came home earlier this week.  Please let me know if you need another copy.  Please spend time practicing these important words with your child.

Grammar:

We have been working on telling, asking and exclamatory sentences, identifying nouns and verbs,

Phonics:

The students have been assessed on short a, i and o.  We are now working on short u.

Math:

Some of the skills we have been working on are counting on (adding) and back (subtracting), solving addition and subtraction number stories and telling time to the hour (analog and digital).  We are also working on solving Halloween story problems that require us to use many different math strategies.  Just a reminder when math homework is sent home, it is always due the next day.  Please make sure your child has his/her name on it.

Science/Social Studies:

The students researched our adopted animal, Isis the African lion.  They learned many interesting lion facts.  They sure enjoyed seeing her during our trip to the zoo.  Also the students learned about different animal habitats. The first graders have also learned about the famous Explorer Christopher Columbus.  Next week we will begin our rock unit.  Please have your child bring in his/her rock collection by Monday so your child has a collection to study and observe.

We are beginning our bully unit.  We have talked about having empathy and how to read someone else’s facial expressions to know how they are feeling.  We will continue to work on this topic.

If you are interested in coming in and sharing with the class about a special holiday or celebration your family celebrates, we’d love to have you. Pleae contact me so we can set up a time for this.

A special thanks to…Mrs. Klimes, Mrs. Suresh, Mr. Simon, Mrs. Pomazal, Mrs. Hartley and Mrs. Keeler for volunteering to come along on our trip to the zoo.  Mrs. Cebula and Mrs. Villalobos for a fun holiday party.

Just a reminder…as you send in a healthy snack for your child, please make sure it DOES NOT contain peanuts, peanut butter or any type of nut. We want to keep all our classmates safe and healthy. Thank you for your cooperation.

Don’t forget…

Thursday, November 1: Read In, October Reading Calendar Due or record minutes online at maywattsreads.com

Friday, November 2: Report Cards Sent Home: Keep all items inside and return the signed envelope only.  Feel free to bring the report card to your child’s conference.

Monday, November 5: Parent Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, November 6: No School: Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 8: Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 15: Picture Retakes: See note below

Picture re-takes are being planned for Thursday, November 15, 2012, beginning at 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. If you need to have your child’s photo re-taken, please do the following:

1) Call the office to get your child’s name on the re-take list.

2) Return the complete original packet of photos on November 15.

If your child did not have money with them on the original picture day to purchase photos, forgot to turn in their payment envelope, was absent, or is new to May Watts School, they should also be placed on the re-take list. All students have their photos taken in order to have them appear in our May Watts yearbook and for their academic file regardless of whether you purchase photos or not.

If you have any questions, please contact the office at 428-6700.

 

Don’t forget to visit the LMC blog for more information about the At-Home Reading Incentive Program.

The temperature is changing and we go outside most days. Make sure your child dresses for the weather.  Also, first graders should be able to zip, button and take off their coat on their own (so the sleeves don’t get inverted in coats that have two layers) so please help your child if any of these things haven’t been mastered yet.  Thanks for your help.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I look forward to seeing you next week at your child’s conference.

Mrs. Giarrante

Curriculum Update

 

Language Arts: We read the story "My Friends" and worked on the decoding strategy-Picture It -where the student visualizes what he has just read to help him remember or figure out the meaning.  We also read "Together" and "Sometimes" practicing the decoding strategy of "getting a running start" when we come to words we are not sure of.

Phonics: We assessed short a and o, Short i has been introduced.
In D'Nealian handwriting we have learned these letters: M,N,P,B,T,R,K,F,H

Word Wall Words: did, has, of, car, play, fox, little, have, zoo, too
These words should be recognized in reading and spelled correctly in writing.

Grammar: We are working on writing telling and asking sentences correctly.

Writing: We have introduced Writer's Workshop and are brainstorming ideas to write about. We are also working on the genre of Opinion Writing. The students should state their opinion and then give one or two reasons.
Math: We have completed Unit 1 and our first Application Task (counting grandma's buttons). We are now working on the complements of 10 by introducing the tens frame, the Math Rack and unifix towers. We continue working on story problems.

Science: We are finishing up our Science Unit on Weather and will be starting our research on our adopted animal Isis the African Lion.  Students will learn about habitats as we prepare for our trip to the zoo.

Social Studies: We are still working on Problem Solving and Talking It Out in Citizenship. We studied Johnny Appleseed and made our delicious applesauce.

Technology: We have been working on Mouse skills and identifying the parts of the computer.
Upcoming Events:

 

Wednesday, October 10: P.E. Night

Wednesday, October 17: Early Dismissal (No lunch but bring healthy snack)

Friday, October 19:  Field Trip to Brookfield Zoo.  Be sure you have signed and returned the permission slip with the $8.00 check. The students are also trying to earn $2.00 for the donation for the Share the Care program. We adopted Isis the African Lion. (note with details coming home tomorrow)

 

If you haven't emailed Mrs. Klimes, our 1G room parent, with your email address, please do so.  She is contacting 1G parents with volunteer opportunities.  See her email below and her address at the bottom of it.

 

Hi there everyone,

 

I hope you are all having a good week and enjoying the lovely fall color! Thank you all for sending your e-mail addresses. Now, we begin with volunteer opportunities: First Grade will have three in-class celebrations this year.

 

The name and date of these parties are as follows:

 

• Fall Festival and Costume Party ~ Wednesday, October 31st
• Winter Holiday Celebration ~ Friday, December 21st
• Valentine's Day ~ Thursday, February 14th

(All three parties run from 2:30 - 3:15p.m. Party Hosts should plan to arrive at 2:15p.m.)

 

Mrs. Giarrante needs 2 parents to plan and host each party. Please note that younger siblings are not able to attend these parties. I have party details which I will give to party planners once they have been assigned.

 

In order to be fair, I would like to ask you to let me know, by the end of the day Thursday October 11th, if you would like to help out with one of these parties.

 

I will then draw names out of a hat and let you know which parents are doing which party.

 

Please make sure to indicate the specific party(ies) you're able to help out with in your e-mail. Feel free to call me with any questions.

 

Thanks everyone!!

 

Jamie Klimes

klimes99@sbcglobal.net

630.717.0890 (home)

630.886.4934 (cell)

Hello there IG parents!

My name is Jamie Klimes (Evan's mom) and I am excited to be Mrs. Giarrante's Room Parent this year. I also have a daughter, Renna, in 3BR (Mrs. Brayton).

Now that we've gotten into the swing of things with school, it's time to start thinking about volunteer opportunities in 1G. I will be helping coordinate volunteers in the classroom as well volunteer opportunities that can be done at home. These include three class parties (Fall, Winter, and Valentine's Day), classroom support, parent readers, supply donations, field trips, and other needs that arise throughout the year.

We will be using the scheduling website called www.signupgenius.com again this year. This will allow you to view availability online and plug yourself in to your desired slot -- a VERY user friendly and efficient way of planning.

Because May Watts is so careful about everyone's privacy, I need to please ask for your e-mail directly. Can everyone please send me their e-mail address directly and I will add it to my 1G distribution list and sign-up genius? I'd appreciate having all e-mail addresses by Monday, October 1st as we need to start the fun and get organized. Click on the link below my signature to e-mail me directly.

Once I receive your e-mail addresses, I will be sending info. regarding sign-up genius and our volunteer opportunities.

Warm Regards,

Jamie Klimes (Evan's mom)

klimes99@sbcglobal.net

630.717.0890 (home)

630.886.4934 (cell)

What's New in 1G

Hello.  I hope you have had a nice weekend.  It definitely felt like fall.  Let's hope we have nice fall weather this year.  Low 70s and no humidity...I could live like that year round.

It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night.  If you missed the sign ups (classroom helper, field trip helper or at home helper) please let me know what you are interested in.  Also, THANK YOU to those who offered to send in donations to our class.  I really appreciate it.  If you forgot what you signed up for send me an email and I can let you know.  Please send in your donation in the coming days/weeks.  I really appreciate your generosity.

Curriculum Update:

Language Arts: Our reading strategy focus for the past two weeks as been "Look for Sounds" in unknown words and Skip/Read/Go Back while reading the story the "Chick and the Duckling".  The second strategy is when you skip a word you don't know, continue reading and then to back and reread the sentence again to see if it makes sense. We also worked on distinguishing between real and make believe while reading the story "One Monday Morning"and "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub". We discussed royalty words and days of the week, along with the stories "Cookie's Week" and "A Week of Raccoons". We did several writing activities, including an opinion writing piece on our favorite day of the week. Opinion writing includes a statement of opinion, supporting reasons and a conclusion.

Word Wall Words: for, is, can, see, us, are, her, up, and, one

Grammar:  Quotation marks were introduced.  The students used macaroni to write sentences using quotations marks.  We discussed that they are used in stories to show that characters are speaking. The students learned the three sentence rules.  Using a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, leaving spaces between words and putting a punctuation mark at the end of a sentence are the rules we are practicing.

Phonics: The students have been introduced to short o.  Later this week they will be assessed on short o and then short o and a.

Math: We continue counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s to 120 by starting at ANY number.  Please practice counting at home, in the car, on walks...to help your child develop in this skill.  We are practicing problem solving by drawing, writing equations and explaining our answers. We practice making tally marks, graphing and finding complements of 10.  Here is a great website to visit with your child to work on this very important skill.  http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=75  When math homework is given, it is always due the next day.  Starting next week, one night a week the math homework will be a problem solving activity.

Science: We have started our Weather unit. We will explore various types of weather, identify clouds and explore air and wind. We also went on a Nature walk to look for signs of Fall as the first official day of Fall arrived on Saturday. 

Here is a great site for weather. weatherwizkids.com

Social Studies: We continue working on being a good citizen at May Watts.  We are talking about problem solving.  We are practicing ways to resolve conflicts while using "I" statements.  (I feel ____ when you _______ because _________.)  The students are enjoying learing all about their classmates with their All About Me bags.  Thanks for helping your child prepare his/hers.

Upcoming Events:
Book orders due:  Friday, September 28
Applesauce Day:  Thursday, September 27 (please send in one or two diced apples)
Read In: Friday, September 28 (more information to follow this week)
Picture Day: Thursday, October 4
No School: Monday, October 8

 

I hope you have a great week!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Busy in 1G

Hello 1G Families,

It is hard to believe we have been in school for 10 days now.  The students are working hard and handling the heat well.  They are learning new things, practicing and following classroom routines and great things are happening.  It is going to be a great year in first grade.

I will update the blog every two weeks or so with important upcoming information and a recap of what the students are learing.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Reading: The students have been enjoying many stories and poems about friends, citizenship, rain and colors.  We have been working on the reading strategies of using picture clues, get your mouth ready and use the beginning sound and finding details in nonfiction text.

Word Wall Words: all, be, do, I, like, look, my, the, to, you

Grammar: The students are learning what makes a sentence.  Also, we are working on writing in lowercase letters.

Phonics: We have reviewed the sounds the letters m, s, f, t  and b make along with the short vowel a.  We are making word families (cat, bat, flat, ad, bad, sad).  You can do this at home too for extra practice.

Math: We have been learning about numbers, what number comes before and after a number and ways to make five.

Social Studies: We have been busy talking about good citizenship at May Watts.  The students have been working hard earning paw prints and marbles for our class.  We also have brainstormed a list of rules we'll follow here at school.  All About Me presentations will begin next week.  A note will be sent home with more details.

Upcoming Dates:

Thursday, September 13: Curriculum Night 
Please refer to the note that was sent home via email.  I hope to see you on this informational night to tell you all about first grade.

I hope you have a nice weekend.  Enjoy the cooler weather.  I know I will as we move into our new house.

See you Thursday at Curriculum Night.
Mrs. Giarrante

Dear 1G Families,

Welcome to 1^st grade!  I am so glad it is time for school to start.  We have a very exciting school year ahead of us…we will be making many new friends, learning new things and growing together.  If you have any questions throughout the year, please feel free to contact me via email Amanda_Giarrante@ipsd.org or phone 630-428-6730 at any time.

Meet and Greet: I am looking forward to seeing you on Monday, August 20, for this special event from 1:15-2:00.  Please come to our classroom which is room 130.  We'll get to meet each other and you will be able to see our classroom and even find your desk.  Your school supply kit will be available for you in the classroom if you ordered one.  If so, please take it home with you and label your supplies.  Then you can bring all your supplies back on the first day of school.  Please see below for labeling instructions.  If you already have your school supplies, please see below for labeling instructions.  You can bring your supplies with to Meet and Greet and leave them by your coat hook.  Please DO NOT put your school supplies in your desk.  We will organize them together on the first day of school.

School Supplies: We will work this year on our organizational skills and responsibility.  Please label all of your child’s school supplies with his/her name or initials (every pencil, every crayon, every marker, eraser, folder, etc.).  Also, please sharpen all pencils before bringing them to school.  As we work hard during the day, supplies do end up on the floor and the good citizens in 1G will want to return items to their owners.  We will organize them together on the first day of school.

Nutritious Snack Break: Your child may bring a healthy daily snack for our healthy food break.  Please send finger foods that do not require utensils (pretzels, raisins, dry cereal, granola bars, crackers, cheese sticks, fruit…).  This will begin on the first day of school.  Due to allergies, please DO NOT send in any snacks that contain peanuts or tree nuts.  We want to keep all our friends safe in 1G.

Specials Schedule:

Monday: Music and P.E.

Tuesday: Art

Wednesday: Music

Thursday: P.E.

Friday: P.E.

I will let you know when LMC book check out is.

Lunch Time: 12:40-1:15

I can't wait to see you on Monday.  If you can't make it, that is okay.  I will see you for our first day of school on Thrusday, August 23.

Mrs. Giarrante

What beautiful weather we are having. It is hard to believe that spring has just started today.  We sure have been lucky and hopefully this weather will last.  Just a reminder, that there is no air conditioning in the school.  So it does get hot in here.  So please have your child dress for the weather.  If it is 60 degrees or warmer, the children have the choice if they want to wear their coats or not when we go outside. 

Upcoming Events:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 21: Beanie Baby/Webkinz/Stuffed Animal Day: Please have your child bring one of the above items to school in a small brown bag.  We will write a riddle about this animal for the class to guess.  If your child doesn't have one or forgets one, I have Beanie Babies in the class that can be used.

Thursday, March 22: Read In: Bring a bag of labeled books and an extra snack to enjoy throughout the day.

Friday, March 23: March Reading Calendars Due (200 total minutes), Please add up your child's total minutes and include the total on the calendar.  Otherwise, record the minutes on-line.  There is a half day for students.  Dismissal will be at 12:15.  Lunch will not be served.  Your child can bring a healthy snack to eat in the morning.

Thanks to all who have sent in the brown paper bag vest.  If you haven't yet, please send it in by April 5.  Please let me know if you are unable to send one in.

Monday, March 26-Friday, March 30: Spring Vacation

Monday, April 2: School Resumes

Friday, April 6: No School

I hope you and your family have a very nice, relaxing spring vacation.  Safe travels to all traveling!  To those staying in town, like me, hopefully we'll get lucky with some nice weather!

Mrs. Giarrante

March Comes in Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb...

Today we discussed this calendar and weather topic.  Your child is bringing home a recording sheet for an optional at home activity.  Each day your child can make a tally mark on what kind of weather it was.  Was it a "lamb" or a "lion" day?  Then at the end of March, your child can record his/her thoughts on the March weather.  The paper can then be brought back to school.

Don't forget to send in the February reading calendar or record your minutes on line.  March calendars are coming home and will be due prior to spring vacation.  Because of this, the March goal is at least 200  minutes.

The information below is from Mrs. May in the LMC...
We are looking for parent scorers for Young Authors entries. Reading will be done during the school day on Mon-Wed, Mar. 5-7. Parents can sign up to read at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4DA4AB2EA13-readers

· The Book Fair is Coming! Preview will be on March 7-9, with sales March 12-17. We will be open during the Fun Fair! Flyers will go home next week. Our online homepage can be accessed directly by going to http://goo.gl/7jFU4 or go to www.scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs and follow the path to May Watts.

We are having a busy two weeks here in first grade.

Tonight, January 31 is Open House from 6:30-8:30.  Please come by our classroom to see all the work the children have been busy with.  They are so excited to share it all with you.

Wednesday, February 1: Read In: Please bring in a bag with books to read an an extra healthy snack.  We will read in the morning and in the afternoon.

By the end of the week...Please try and send the following items to school with your child.  If you can't, sending them on Monday is fine too.  These items will help us celebrate the 100th day of first grade.
          Item to make our special 100's day snack.
          Collection of 100 items in a ziplock bag labeled with your child's name for various math activities.

On Monday, February 6, wear an item of clothing or something else with 100 items on it.  A cheerio necklace is what I'll be wearing.  This is an optional activity.  We will celebrate this special day with various learning activities.

Look for a note to come home soon with details about Valentine's Day.

Don't forget to enter your January reading minutes online by the end of the week or send in your reading calendar.  Please add up the total number of minutes.

I look forward to seeing you tonight at Open House.

MAY WATTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

800 S. Whispering Hills Drive

Naperville, Illinois 60540

Phone: 630 428-6700

FAX: 630 428-6701

January 11, 2012

OPEN HOUSE

Dear Parents and Students:

You and your family are cordially invited to attend May Watts School’s Open House on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. We are holding only one Open House this year. To alleviate being overcrowded, we are asking families whose last name begins with “A thru L” attend from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Families whose last name begins with “M thru Z” are requested to attend from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity for you and your family to see your children's work, meet your child's teacher and see your school. All members of our support staff will also be available for you to visit. Please be sure to stop by and visit with them. Due to the informal nature of the night, it will not be possible to conduct parent/teacher conferences. Our next conference date is Tuesday, February 21^st, or you can call the teacher anytime to schedule a meeting.

There will not be a Book Fair during Open House this year. We will be holding the Book Fair in March and more information will be forthcoming.

Please remember to check our "Lost & Found" which will be on display in the Office hallway during the evening. Any items not claimed this evening will be donated to a charity.

We will open all outside building doors in order for you to enter the building so that you may park in the rear of the building. Come on in. We are looking forward to your visit.

Sincerely,

May Watts Staff

Happy New Year!  I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed the time off together.  My family and I had a wonderful break and enjoyed spending the days together.

It is hard to believe this week is the end of the second quarter which means we are half way through our school year.  Yikes...where does the time go.

We have a unit beginning on snow.  Hopefully we will have some soon otherwise we will imagine about snow.  We will start preparing for Open House which is coming up later this month.  Also, we will begin introducing the students to our bullying program.  We will start with our first lesson on empathy.

Reading Incentive: Don't forget to turn in your December reading calendars or keep track of your reading minutes online.  If you need a new January calendar, please let me know.  Here is information about the January reading incentive from Mrs. May.

Our reading program reward for January will be in conjunction with the Read to Succeed program from Six Flags® and Discovery Education. Every student who completes six hours of recreational reading during the month of January is eligible for a free admission ticket valid at participating Six Flags theme parks.

· Each child must complete six hours, or 360 minutes, of recreational reading in the month of January.

· Minutes must be logged in at www.maywattsreads.com by January 31^st. (If you don’t know your child’s password, contact me.)

If you want to use a paper calendar, that must be signed by a parent and returned by February 3.

· Your child can read books, magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Kids can read silently, aloud, or with an adult—you can read to your child, or your child can read to you.

· In May, you will receive one voucher for a child’s ticket to Great America along with a discount opportunity for the rest of the family.

Very Important! No late entries will be accepted. Great America is very specific about their requirements.

Young Authors: This is a wonderful opportunity for your child.  The information below was sent home prior to break.  Here it is again.

Young Authors Program - 2012

May Watts Elementary School

December 19, 2011

Dear Students and Parents,

May Watts will once again be participating in the YOUNG AUTHORS PROGRAM co-sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Language and Literacy Council. It was designed as a celebration to honor exceptional writing by Illinois students in kindergarten through eighth grade. All children are encouraged to participate in the program by submitting an original story, essay or a collection of poems.

1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Place will be awarded at each grade level. The overall school winner will be eligible to attend the Young Authors Conference at Illinois State University. The student will have the opportunity to work in small groups, sharing ideas with other young authors, educators, and noted children’s authors. All District #204 Young Authors will receive participation ribbons to recognize their efforts. We will celebrate all of our Young Author participants at May Watts with a breakfast reception.

Dec. 19th Information letters sent out, and posted on the May Watts’ website

Fri., Jan. 20th Letter of intent to participate returned to LMC

Thurs. March 1^st Final manuscripts must be submitted to the LMC

Fri., Mar. 17th May Watts’ Young Author Conference participant is announced

April (date TBD) In-school May Watts’ Young Author’s Celebration

Sat., May 19^th The school winner attends the Illinois Young Author Conference at Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL

To be eligible for judging the entry must include:

§ A substantial cover with pages securely attached and a title page.

§ A rough draft

§ A detachable title page including the child's name, grade, and title of the book. (This page will be removed for anonymous judging.)

Please follow these guidelines:

§ The final manuscript should reflect the student’s writing ability and developmental stage. (For example, an excellent kindergarten submission may use very basic language and may have grammatical errors.)

§ Dictated books may be typed or handwritten by an adult, but the language and voice should be the child’s own.

§ Illustrations are optional.

§ Only one entry per student will be accepted.

§ Two students may collaborate on a piece.

If your child plans to participate, please return the permission slip on page 3 to the LMC by Friday, January 20th. Keep this page and the attached evaluation rubric for reference. If you have any questions, please email or phone me.

Sincerely,

Laurie May

May Watts LMC Director

laurie_may@ipsd.org

630-428-6707

Paper #	Young Authors Rubric				Score for each category
	1	2	3	4
Planning	No rough draft	Little difference between rough and final draft	Rough draft has been edited for grammatical and spelling errors	Growth from rough to final draft; shows signs of revision and editing
Ideas	Main idea unclear; no details	Clear main idea, but few details and/or topic lacks originality	Clear main idea; some details and/or original ideas are present	Clear main idea; specific supporting details; demonstrates originality
Organization	Random, unconnected thoughts; no paragraphing	Some attempt at paragraphing; Missing or undeveloped beginning, middle, or end	Engaging introduction or conclusion; appropriate paragraphing	Clear beginning, middle, & end; strong introduction & conclusion; appropriate paragraphing
Voice	Robotic tone; flat	Efficient story-telling, but it does not engage the reader.	Some attempt to include emotion; author shows enthusiasm for the topic	Distinct, memor-able characters; strong sense of the emotion in the writing
Word Choice	Basic, repeated use of words; overuse of slang or cliché	A few plain words have been replaced in editing	Shows attempt to use creative word choice throughout paper	Uses specific nouns and powerful action verbs; little or no slang; some words stick in your mind
Sentence fluency	Incomplete or awkward sentences; difficult to read	Sentences make sense, but show little variety. Some transitions are present	Some variety in sentence length and style. Good use of transitions	Easy to read aloud; sentences flow and vary in length & structure
Grammar & punctuation	Frequent errors make reading difficult	Some spelling and punctuation errors, but still readable	Minor errors in spelling and grammar are hardly noticeable	Few or no errors in spelling, and demonstrates strong knowledge of punctuation.
Presentation	No student input into presentation	Neat presentation, with some student input	Student done presentation with attempt at neatness	Student done/Neat presentation
				TOTAL SCORE

RETURN THIS PAGE TO MRS. MAY BY JANUARY 20^TH, 2012

I have carefully read this letter and am aware that in order to be accepted for scoring, the manuscript must:

· include a rough draft, in the child’s own language

· be turned in by the end of school on Thursday, March 1st. In fairness to all, NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Please be proactive in your planning timeline.

1) Child’s Name (please print) ___________________________________________________

Grade & Class ________________________________

2) Child’s Name (please print) ___________________________________________________

Grade & Class ________________________________

3) Child’s Name (please print) ___________________________________________________

Grade & Class ________________________________

Parent Signature ___________________________________________________________

Parent Contact email ________________________________________________________

Please return this signed letter of intent to the LMC by Friday, January 20th, 2011.