1st

UPCOMING DATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Sunday, September 15- Vaske Family Fundraiser (see flyer below)
• Thursday, September 19th- First Grade at Northern Campus for the day (see below for more info)
• Friday, September 20th – 11:30am Dismissal 
• September 23rd – September 25th: WCDS Student Fall Pictures! Students may wear whatever they would like. First grade photos will be taken on Sept. 23rd.
• September 26th: Join us on main campus for Coffee Conversations @ 2:00 pm! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families, and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared before hand via Talking Points, if interested.)
• September 27th: Freedom Friday for SK – 5th grade (Casual dress and pizza for lunch!)
• PARENT PARTNERSHIP MEETINGS: Be sure to sign up for a time slot to meet with us! You can view the dates and time slots at our Sign up Genius HERE! Please let us know if you have any questions.

It was all about the D- dots, dominoes and our deep dive! We are almost finished with decorating our outdoor learning space! We have worked hard to design beautiful “flowers” for our tire flower pots!

Our class learned what it takes to be “independent learners.” They began centers this week and rotated through hands-on activities such as, teacher time, word work, writing center and technology. We also started our Flashlight Friday where they had the opportunity to read with a buddy and use a flashlight in our dark classroom.

In math, we discovered addition through dominoes! Students are learning how to work in pairs to solve simple addition problems. We are exploring addition through the use of our hands and a wide variety of manipulatives to represent number sentences. Students are becoming masters at putting the biggest number in their head and then counting on to get the sum.

Our students learned everyone can be an artist, even if it starts with a simple dot! We celebrated International Dot Day by listening to the book “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds. Their creativity was put to the test with one simple black dot. Then students created beautiful coffee filter art using their favorite colors and unique designs.

NORTHERN: Next week, we will be visiting our Northern Branch Campus located in the former Student Union building of WV Northern Community College. Below is a description of our drop-off and pick-up recommendations. The address of the building is 8 16th Street. When dropping your child(ren) off, you have a few options. There is a parking lot attached to the building (off Market Street), but spaces are limited so we ask that you do not park there for long. Parking along the main streets (Market or 16th) and using the paid meters is also an option if you’d prefer to park and walk your child to the front doors. When arriving at the door, you will be greeted by a WCDS administrator (usually Mr. McDonald or Mrs. Skadra) and our classroom is located upstairs and through two sets of locking doors (exterior and interior). Look for the WCDS logo sign hanging in the front door window if you want to confirm you are in the right spot. When picking up, please just arrive back at the same spot and allow the WCDS administrator outside to know you are there and they will text the teachers upstairs. Before care will be available from 7:45-8:15. Regular Drop-off will take place from 8:15-8:45. Pickup will take place directly from the Northern Campus between 2:45-3:15. Students will need a packed lunch, water bottle, and two snacks. Please wear Country Day attire and comfortable walking shoes. We look forward to a fun day!

Have a great weekend!

Karen & Danielle

• Thursday, September 19th- First Grade at Northern Campus for the day (details to come)
• Friday, September 20th – 11:30am Dismissal 
• Saturday, September 21st – Save the Date: Ya’ll are invited to a rootin’ tootin’ good time! Country Roads: Boots for Buses September 21, 2024, 6-9 pm WCDS Main Campus Join us for an evening of BBQ, Boots, and Boogyin’.  It’s the perfect chance for parents to mingle, get to know each other, and kick up their heels! More details to come, so mark your calendars now.  Yee Haw!
• Monday, September 23rd-25th – School Pictures (more information to come)
• Thursday, October 3- Grandparents Day! (more information to come)
• We are continuing to accept the following items for both our indoor/outdoor learning spaces: perler beads, outdoor storage containers, and a variety of beads and pipe cleaners.

First Grade learning is really starting to blossom! Our outdoor learning area is becoming such a welcoming space. Thank you for the many donations! You all rock! We spent the week creating a variety of flowers for our tire flower pots using loose parts such as hangers, pool noodles, beads, cds and more! We can’t wait to share the finished space with you.

In Phonics, we unlocked the secret story of short vowel “e.” Students loved being detectives as they searched for words with the short “e” sound in their “good fit books!” We will continue unlocking all the short vowel sounds for the next few weeks and then will transition in to identifying and differentiating between those vowel sounds.

In math, students continued exploring number concepts and compared numbers using the math talk “more” and “less.” They ordered numbers, identified patterns, and recognized missing numbers in a sequence. We are continuing to work on number reversals during our handwriting time.

Be on the look out for Parent Partnership meeting sign-ups soon. These will take place toward the end of September or early October. The meetings will take via Google meet or in-person and will last 15 mins. During this meeting, we can discuss your amazing children, assessments that have been given, and goals we have for the year.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Karen and Danielle

• Monday, September 2nd, – Labor Day- NO SCHOOL 
• Tuesday, September 3rd, 10:00AM START
• Friday, September 20th – 11:30am Dismissal 
• Saturday, September 21st – Save the Date: Ya’ll are invited to a rootin’ tootin’ good time! Country Roads: Boots for Buses September 21, 2024, 6-9 pm WCDS Main Campus Join us for an evening of BBQ, Boots, and Boogyin’.  It’s the perfect chance for parents to mingle, get to know each other, and kick up their heels! More details to come, so mark your calendars now.  Yee Haw!
• Monday, September 23rd-25th – School Pictures (more information to come)
• We are continuing to accept the following items for both our indoor/outdoor learning spaces: perler beads, wire hangers, outdoor storage containers and a variety of beads as well as pipe cleaners.

First grade braved the heat and enjoyed some outdoor learning! We utilized our outdoor learning space for the first time and the kids loved it! Students explored the playground and observed their surroundings. We look forward to starting our first deep dive!

Our daily routine is coming along! We are remembering how to settle in for the day and do our best learning. Students are working hard to be whole body listeners. We introduced our reading and math centers and our class is excited to be independent learners!

In math, we are learning proper number formation and have been practicing counting forwards and backwards. We have practiced subitizing numbers, using 10 frames, and comparing numbers using “more and less.” Students have had the opportunity to explore a variety of different math materials and centers.

In phonics, students are showing us what they know about letters and the sounds they make. As a class, we unlocked the secret of “short a.” See if your child can tell you the secret! Students got to be detectives as they searched for words with short “a” and recorded them in their secret notebooks. In addition to short a, we also unlocked the secret of “au,” as students were curious as to why the “a” and “u” in the word August do not make their short vowel sounds. We will be unlocking more secrets throughout the year just as another visual way to help students remember what letters do when they get together in a word. This fun strategy is helping them with their reading and fluency.

Please remember to check our home learning folder daily. This folder will communicate homework and daily reading. You will record the book your child reads daily. Additional reading materials will be coming home in a few weeks that will follow our phonics skill.

Please remember to email both of us with questions or concerns. Have a great Labor Day, long weekend!

Danielle and Karen

• Aftercare begins next week Monday, August 26th. It will be available from 3:30-5:00
• Monday, September 2nd- LABOR DAY – NO SCHOOL –
• Tuesday, September 3rd – 10:00 start – classrooms open at 9:20
• Save the Date: Ya’ll are invited to a rootin’ tootin’ good time! Country Roads: Boots for Buses September 21, 2024  6pm-9pm WCDS Main Campus. Join us for an evening of BBQ, Boots, and Boogyin’.  It’s the perfect chance for parents to mingle, get to know each other, and kick up their heels!  More details to come, so mark your calendars now.  Yee Haw!

Welcome to our First Grade family! We loved spending the week getting to know each of your kiddos. We learned about so many FUN things! Our mornings have been filled with practicing executive functioning, and we are learning how to be mindful of our actions. Our class theme is perseverance and we practiced this by opening a special class gift. Be sure to ask your child about what was inside! Students are acclimating to the classroom and learning how work together and be a family!