First Grade “Unlocked the Box!”
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First grade got a special delivery from a pesky little Leprechaun this past week. They were tasked with addition and subtraction problems that revealed the secret location of the key that was hidden under a chair in our classroom. This key unlocked a safe to a number of St. Patrick’s Day surprises. Even though students were unsuccessful at catching the Leprechaun with the traps they set, they LOVED the challenge of unlocking the box!
We continued our studies of the rainforest by exploring the amazing animals that live there. Students researched facts about various animals discovering where they live and what they eat. We look forward wrapping up our habitat unit by visiting the ocean next week.
25, 50, 75, $1.00, all for Country Day, stand up and hollar! We are becoming masters at counting mixed change to $1.00. Students have learned how to sort change and exchange money for various amounts.
S-P-R-I-N-G…SPPPRRRIIINNNGGG was the topic for writing workshop this week. Students shared what the season brings by writing lengthy sentences enhanced with adjectives. Then they learned about poetry by completing a Spring acrostic poem. We read “Who You Were Made to Be” by Joanna Gaines and created beautiful hot air balloons in celebration of our excitement for the new season.
We are getting so excited for CELEBRATE! Don’t forget to get your tickets! Be sure to check out some photos of the art project first grade will be auctioning off.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Danielle, Karen, & Brittany
“Oh the Places First Grade Will Go…”
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Our kiddos have had great success with our two recent reading challenges with authors Mo Willems and Dr. Seuss! They spent many mornings choosing to read over playing with the morning bins! Congratulations to Grady, Caison, Adelaide, Emmett, Finn, Aaron and Morgan for completing the Spring Break reading Challenge!
In phonics, we unlocked the amazing secret to magic e. Our book club friends helped bring magic e to life by soaring into the classroom wearing super hero vowel capes! Students learned that the silent e has the power to make the short vowel into a long vowel and say its own name!
We learned about the four layers of the rainforest during our science deep dive. Students then created their own rainforest and added various animals to each layer. This may be their favorite biome yet!!
We took advantage of the warmer weather and spent our writing workshop outdoors! Writing with the sun on our backs really encouraged us to write
“Penny, penny easily spent, copper brown and worth one cent!” This was the first line in our money poem, which helped introduce the coins penny, nickel, dime and quarter. Students explored coins, identified both the front and back of each coin, counted on, flipped coins and made predictions!
We closed out the week by making leprechaun traps with STEM materials. We hope to get lucky and finally catch a leprechaun!
Have a great week,
Danielle, Karen and Brittany
Hip Hip Hooray.. It’s time for Spring Break!
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What a week we had in first grade to wrap up the month. Throughout February, students have been learning about influential African Americans who made BIG marks on the world. Jackie Robinson, LeBron James, Ruby Bridges, Simone Biles, and many more were some of their favorites. We wrapped up our study by making banners to display in our entryway.
We began our week with a field trip to West Liberty University’s science/STEM lab. Students got to meet some pretty amazing animals including an alligator snapping turtle, gargoyle gecko, bearded dragon, tenrec, and a Box turtle. Students then ventured to the STEM lab to create the habitat for their assigned animals. It was an amazing trip that enhanced our Deep Dive studies on animal habitats. We wrapped up the desert by venturing through centers set up by Miss Brittany! Students made their own cactus, experimented with different types of sand, and painted the desert with watercolors. We look forward to discovering the rainforest following Spring Break!
Our class has showcased their reading fluency by taking on the Piggie & Gerald reading challenge. Students spent the week filling up their chart to earn a cool sticker. They learned how to read with a partner and to read with expression.
In phonics, students learned about open and closed vowels. A vowel closed in by consonants makes a short vowel sound. A vowel that is open, not followed by a consonant is a long vowel. They made flip books to practice their skills. We unlocked the secret “when some vowels go walking, the first one does the talking,” as their trick words each, between, and see followed this Secret!
Our book club read the “Calendar Mysteries, February Friend” during the month. They were challenged to visualize, predict, comprehend, and write responses as they read each chapter. They ended the month with a story map presentation to the class that highlighted the important events that took place throughout the story. We are so proud of them!
We had a blast learning about 2D and 3D shapes this week in math. Students made their own paper 3D shapes and learned about their faces, edges, and vertices. They also accepted the challenge of creating shapes with toothpicks and Playdoh. They searched around the room to spot the many shapes we come across on a daily basis. We look forward to sharpening our money skills following our Spring Break.
We hope you all have a wonderful week off! Please see your child’s folder for a Dr. Seuss reading challenge over break. See you Monday, March 11th at a 10am start.
Danielle, Karen, & Miss Brittany
Piggie and Gerald Come to First Grade!
UPCOMING DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
We began this week celebrating President’s Day. We watched an informative video about presidents, specifically those honored on Mt. Rushmore. After discussing facts from the video, students worked together in small groups to recreate Mt. Rushmore with straws and four pictures of each president. Enjoy the pictures of our version of Mt. Rushmore!
We also learned about many brave and influential leaders- Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks and Lebron James to name a few. The stories and videos have been heartwarming and have led to some thoughtful discussions in class.
First graders were excited to meet two new friends this week- Piggie & Gerald. These fun characters come to life in the Mo Willems series about two best friends. Students have been given a reading challenge to read ALL the books in our class set. They read their book silently then to a friend. They have a chart to record what they have read and we have confidence they will all succeed!
We had a fun visit from fourth grade! Students shared three chicks that have hatched right here on campus! These responsible fourth graders are in charge of their care and were so knowledgable. Thanks for letting us get to see them up close!
In science, we continued our adventure in the desert, learning about animals that can survive in that harsh climate. Students had the opportunity to create animal habitats with water colors. This is a great introduction to our upcoming field trip on Monday, February 24th. Students will travel by bus to West Liberty University for the morning to meet some animals and create habitats and enrichment toys for the animals. We thank Sammy’s mom, Karen, for inviting us and helping our deep dive come to life!
We have had our share of germs in first grade. We appreciate your diligence in keeping your child healthy. Thank you for reminding your child to wash his/her hands frequently, eat healthy, get a good night’s sleep and to wear appropriate outer wear.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Cupcake!
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Our week was BURSTING with LOVE! Student’s were so excited to share their creative boxes and pass out Valentine’s to their friends. In celebration, this week we began the “Cupcake Wars” during writing workshop. We read Cupcake by Charise Harper. Students were asked to create a cupcake out of a variety of supplies. They were challenged to think outside of the box like the cupcakes from the story. Students then wrote about their cupcakes, highlighting what they used to make it, the unique toppings they chose, and what the cupcake would taste like.
Superhero cupcakes, princess cupcakes, sports cupcakes, and so many more lined the tables in the gym as the whole school casted their vote. After the tally, the results are in and will be announced at our whole school meeting on Monday. We have such a creative group of kiddos and they loved the friendly competition!
This week we unlocked the secret of blends! Students were challenged to spot blends while reading and add them to their secret notebooks. They also learned a fun way to remember their red words (would, could, and should). See if they can tell you the funny story! We practiced our heart words in a magical way as a review. Students wrote their words in white crayon and watched their word appear before their eyes when painting on them with water colors.
Many of our first grade friends have completed the final Monster Math fact fluency challenge, mixed addition and subtraction. Upon completion, they will receive a monster key chain of their choice. We are so proud with how far they have come with their math facts!
This week in our Deep Dive, the students discovered the very few plants that live in the desert and how they survived in such a dry habitat. The students also explored the cactus and how a cactus can be a “hotel” for all kinds of animals and insects. The students created their own cactus out of STEM supplies. We will be going to West Liberty University Monday morning, February 24th for a program on science and literacy. Students will meet animals, make habitats, and visit the Maker Space. Big thanks to Sammy’s mom, Karen Kettler for making this happen for us. We will traveling by bus. We will leave shortly after arrival and will be back before lunch. We look forward to continuing our study of habitats through this hands on experience.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Danielle, Karen, & Brittany
Why did that groundhog see his shadow?
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- Winter Long Weekend: February 7- February 10. Classes resume at 10:00am on Feb 11. Enjoy!
Our class Valentine’s party will be celebrated next Friday, Feb. 14th. Students may bring in a valentine box or bag that day. Thank you to the parents that donated the following items for the party- Knox-drinks, Aaron-healthy snack, Emmett- paper products and Grady-sweet treat!
We kept our learning chilly during our science deep dive on the Arctic. Students had fun exploring Arctic animals and their habitats as they travelled around the room to participate in centers such as building igloos from marshmallows, playing in snow bins and creating arctic animals from Play-Doh to name a few. The students also created a snowstorm in a bottle to study how snowstorms happen in the arctic.
We continue to hone our math skills with fun activities like “I have who has place value “ and +/- monster math! These daily practices help with our automaticity of facts! We are so proud of their tenacity and hard work. You can go to toytheater.com for some fun review activities in math!
We had visitors from Linsly on Thursday. Students from the 11th grade English class came and read books to our students! They talked about the importance of literacy and reading everyday! We love how this goes full circle as many of the visitors are WCDS alumn!
Have a wonderful long weekend and see you all Tuesday at 10:00AM!
Danielle, Karen & Brittany
100 Days in First Grade!
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–Message from 3rd grade: Our third grade class has been working hard on their “Goods & Services” deep dive. As a final project, we will be hosting Market Day on Friday, February 21st! On this day, five student-run stores will be set up, offering a variety of homemade items for sale: bookmarks, bracelets, dog treats, energy snacks, and pencil cases.Prices will range from $1 to $3. All proceeds will go toward supporting a local charity, and we would greatly appreciate your support!Please send your child with small bills if they choose to participate.Thank you for helping make this a successful and meaningful experience for our students.
Can you believe we have been in school for 100 days?! We celebrated in the biggest way! During morning meeting, students enjoyed counting to 100 by 10s, 5s, and 1s and moving that last bundle of ten over to the hundreds place. In writing workshop, we wrote about what we would do if we had $100. Students loved our 100th day centers that consisted up cup stacking, chain making, finger painting, and more! We ended the day sharing their 100th day collection bags.
In math this week, we talked place value to 120. Students used base ten blocks to expand their understanding of how to represent a 3 digit number. They learned how to stretch numbers out into expanded form using “Stretch out Steven!” We used a slinky to show how to expand and contract a big number!
We had the honor of leading the whole school Monday morning meeting this week. Our class discussed our MLK service project for the animal shelter. We also discussed wearing appropriate clothing as the snow disappears and how to keep ourselves healthy during this cold/flu season. Have your child practice their “Superhero elbow’s!”
Do you think the Groundhog will see his shadow? Our first graders voted and the results are in… 26 friends believe the groundhog will not see his shadow and it will be an early Spring. We can’t wait to find out if our prediction comes true on Monday…Stay tuned!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Danielle, Karen, & Brittany
An ARCTIC Week!
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Although we missed school on MLK day, we spent the rest of the week honoring Dr. King. We listened to stories about his life and legacy, and then wrote our own “I Have A Dream” statements. We also completed our service project for the Ohio County Animal Shelter. Our class made dog treats …and bagged them… Thank you so much for your donations!
Do you know how animals stay warm in the arctic?? BLUBBER! The students had fun emulating blubber-they put their hand in a baggie then inserted it into a baggie of shortening. When they submerged their hand in ice cold water, they stayed warm just like arctic animals!
We have continued our Monster Math challenge with both addition/subtraction facts. The kiddos are doing a great job with looking carefully at the sign before solving the problem.
Kindly continue dressing your child for the weather. It’s important to have hats and mittens too! We also appreciate you packing two healthy snacks to help promote good brain growth.
Have a safe and warm weekend!
Danielle, Karen and Brittany
Baby It’s Cold Outside!
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MLK Jr. Day of Service at Wheeling Country Day School embodies the spirit of community and action, inspiring students to make a difference in the lives of others. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” This day reminds us that even the youngest among us can contribute meaningfully to building a better world.
For our service project, we will be collecting items for the Ohio County Animal Shelter. Items to be collected include: dry or canned dog or cat food, or a container of bleach. The shelter recently had a case of Parvo and could use cleaning supplies. If you can, please follow the following donation recommendation: all first grade GIRLS please donate a bottle of bleach; GOLD SIDE BOYS donate wet or dry dog food; and BLUE SIDE BOYS donate wet or dry cat food. We will also be making dog treats on MLK day. All donations are due no later than Monday, January 20th.
SK – 5th grade – Monday will be a casual/dress warm day for our MLK Jr. Day of Service. If they have warm WCDS apparel, please wear that on Monday for our service day projects. As the weather forecast is predicted into the single digits and negative numbers for the first part of next week, your children are permitted to wear casual warm clothing to school for the ENTIRE week.
Did you know you can measure your height in Polar Bears? First grade dove into a unit on non-standard measurement this week. They learned that any item can be used as a UNIT of measurement as long as it is the same size. The used a variety of items to practice their measuring techniques including cubes, paper clips, and pictures of polar bears. Students also learned about weight. They compared weights of a variety of classroom items and even got to see how much each item weighed in cubes. Students used new math vocabulary words (shorter, longer, heavier, lighter) to compare heights and weights.
In phonics this week, we continued our practice of the glued sounds we introduced during our last short week. Everyday students were singing “ing, ang, ong, ung makes the sound of bells rung.” We will unlock the rest of the secret next week as we explore words with ink, ank, onk, unk. Stay tuned!
Students learned about fact and opinion in writing workshop this week. We read books like “Duck Rabbit” and “The Pigeon Wants A Puppy” to practice making facts and opinions. Students even shared facts and opinions about their snacks. This tied in well with our Deep Dive on animals in the Arctic. Students rotated around the room exploring different animals, wrote facts about them, and then shared them with the class. Finally, they chose their favorite Arctic animal to create and shared their opinion to why it is their favorite.
Has your child told you about “Tom Cat and Tabby Cat” or “Levi the Lion?” These furry friends have helped us practice our social and executive functioning skills throughout the year. Shoe tying and independence were big topics this week with Levi. We discussed the importance of being able to tie our shoes and completing tasks independently.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Karen, Danielle, and Brittany
Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
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MLK Jr. Day of Service at Wheeling Country Day School embodies the spirit of community and action, inspiring students to make a difference in the lives of others. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” This day reminds us that even the youngest among us can contribute meaningfully to building a better world.
For our service project, we will be collecting items for the Ohio County Animal Shelter. Items to be collected include: dry or canned dog or cat food, or a container of bleach. The shelter recently had a case of Parvo and could use cleaning supplies. If you can, please follow the following donation recommendation: all first grade GIRLS please donate a bottle of bleach; GOLD SIDE BOYS donate wet or dry dog food; and BLUE SIDE BOYS donate wet or dry cat food. We will also be making dog treats on MLK day. If you would like to help with this aspect of the project, we will be sending out a talking points message asking for those few first come first serve donations early next week. Thank you for your support.
The word of the week was SNOW! The kids loved playing outdoors, sledding, and enjoying the winter wonderland! We spent our short week reviewing skills as well as practicing our executive functioning ( hanging up snow gear and taking it home). Snow gear will be coming home daily so the items are not wet. Please send their items in a labeled large bag so that students can practice those executive functioning skills when gathering their items to return home. Labeling individual items is also helpful.
Students unlocked another secret this week! Glued sounds “-ing, -ang,-ong,-ung, make the sound of bells rung!” Our secret treasure box included items like tongs, strings, and rings . They enjoyed being detectives to find more words that follow these glued sound patterns during their book box time. Due to the short week, we will stretch this skill to next week and our spelling test will take place next Friday, January 17th.
“Pumpkin Jack” is in his final stages of decomposition and we will be saying “goodbye” to him this week. We have studied and recorded our observations since October. During our final observation this week, students recorded that he is very “SMELLY!” Even through the closed container! They also recorded that he is almost flat and slimy. While “Little Jack,” our un-carved pumpkin is still in tack with just a few dots and white fuzz on him. Be sure to check out the photos below.
This week during our Deep Dive, students are becoming scientists by studying what the Arctic is and where it is located on our planet. Our scientists are also studying what type of animals live in the Arctic. The students were able to learn some facts about this region and are eager to learn more in the upcoming weeks.
We hope you have a safe wintery weekend. We hope to see our first grade friends every day next week.
Danielle, Karen and Brittany
