CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- Monday, February 16th: Bring a Friend to School Day
- Saturday, February 21st: Open House at 9:00 am
- Friday, February 26th: First grade field trip to West Liberty (more info to come)
- Friday, February 27th- March 8th- Spring Break
- Saturday, March 28th- Mark your calendars for CELEBRATE!
- Several of our WCDS families will be traveling to Chile with FC Wheeling Soccer over spring break, including Miss Meredith and Mrs. Fuentes, and will have the opportunity to visit a local school while they are there. As our students are learning Spanish as a foreign language, we are excited about the chance to support children in Chile who are learning English. If you have any bilingual English/Spanish children’s books at home that you would be willing to donate, they will be shared with the school as a way to support their English language learning. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library books are often bilingual and are a wonderful option to donate! Thank you for helping us share language, learning, and kindness beyond our classroom. Muchas gracias!
In Phonics this week we unlocked the Secret of “er.” We learned that when these crazy drivers get in the car together, they slam on the breaks and say “errrrrrrrrr” (insert screeching sound)! 🚘 We practiced our words (her, over, and number) and learned that these two letters usually appear at the end of a word– though not always. We made our RED words appear like magic in hearts when we took a marker to our paper after using crayon!
In math, we used Conversation Hearts to practice sorting, graphing, and answering questions about data in a fun and hands-on way. Students began by sorting their hearts by color—pink, purple, yellow, green, and orange—and counting how many of each they had. Then, they created a color graph to represent their data, with each square standing for one heart. Once our graphs were complete, we used them to answer questions like which color had the most, which had the least, and how many there were in all. Students also compared amounts and explained their thinking using the graph as evidence. It was a sweet and engaging way to build counting, comparing, and data skills all in one lesson! At the end, they accepted the challenge to see how. many hearts they could stack on top of each other. Though this proved to be a quite a difficult task, they showed great perseverance and got super creative with their stacking.
Our habitat discovery has now led us to our last destination–the amazing OCEAN! We learned that the ocean has different layers, specifically focusing on the Sunlight Zone, the Twilight Zone, the Midnight Zone. They learned that the Sunlight Zone is bright and warm, and many fish, dolphins, and sea turtles swim there. The Twilight Zone is darker and cooler, and you might find squids and lanternfish. The Midnight Zone is very dark, and some animals can even glow! We loved learning about the ocean and the wonderful animals that call it home! We look forward to traveling to West Liberty University’s Zoo Science Center on Thursday, February 26th. More info is to come!
In Writing Workshop, our first graders kicked off a sweet and exciting friendly competition called “Cupcake Wars,” inspired by the book Cupcake by Charise Harper. After reading the story and noticing how the main character learns that being unique is something to celebrate, students were challenged to design their very own one-of-a-kind cupcake using a variety of craft supplies. Nothing was off limits—some cupcakes were piled high with imaginative toppings, while others were transformed into characters with faces, accessories, and even personalities! Once their creations were complete, students brought their ideas to life through writing, describing their cupcake’s features, explaining what made it special, and describing what it would taste like if it were real. We wrapped up the project with a school-wide vote for the most creative cupcake, making the experience even more exciting and giving our young authors a real audience for their work. Congratulations to Edna’s valentine cupcake & Gemma’s Stitch cupcake, as they tied for first place! All cupcakes were amazing creations and we were so excited to celebrate ALL creations!
Our First Grade Valentine’s Day celebration was filled with love, laughter, and lots of kindness! The day was centered around showing appreciation for one another and celebrating the friendships we’ve built in our classroom. Students were so excited to pass out Valentine’s cards to their classmates, carefully making sure everyone felt included and special. We enjoyed a few sweet treats, shared smiles, and practiced using kind words throughout the day. It was a joyful celebration that reminded us all how important it is to spread love and kindness—not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day in first grade. 💕
Have a weekend full of LOVE!
Danielle and Karen
