Dear Parents,

Happy, happy Friday! We have had a pretty hectic week, as I am sure that you have had the same. Blessings as you prepare for Christmas and ALL that goes along with it. 

We have been practicing very hard for our Christmas program and the firsties are doing fabulous!  Please continue to run through it at home, but add the reference from the Bible to the end of each recitation.  We have been practicing it like this “Genesis 18:13” and Luke 1:42 (we aren’t saying Genesis chapter 18 verse 13, or Luke chapter 1 verse 42).  Thanks for practicing this little addition!

(We continue to practice working in groups...it can be quite a challenge, ya know!)

 

Despite of all of the craziness, we will be having a Math test next Tuesday, with our review on Monday.  We have been practicing our fact families and how we can use them as a strategy. We have also been practicing drawing a picture to help us solve word problems.  Word problems can be tricky, so we always read it through two times and we underline the question that needs to be answered.  When they practice at home and/or do their homework at home, please help your firstie to remember to read each word problem two times and to underline the question that needs to be answered.  I want them to get into the habit of really reading the problem and not just looking at the first numbers and thinking that is all that it takes to solve the problem (which they sometimes do….let’s be honest!).

No spelling or memory test next week! Wahoo!  

Have the firsties told you about our helpers that come in each week to read with us?  We have a few special ladies that are able to come and sit with the firsties and read with them, or quiz them, or help tie ornaments, or whatever is needed!  The kiddos have enjoyed working with them and I am so thankful for them. 

Today we had some guests visit us from Valley Lutheran High School.  Ask your child about it!  The first graders really enjoyed hearing them and seemed to be quite enthralled with it all…  (Yea for brass instruments!!!

 

Our Spanish teacher sent home little booklets that had the Christmas story in it.  Did you see it?  Have your firstie read it to you in Spanish! 

                                            

 

(They already know more Spanish words than I know…!)

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Standing the awesome promises of God,

Miss Gallagher

Dear Parents,

Can you BELIEVE this weather?  I simply can’t get over it! It is warmer here than in Arizona (where my brother lives)….crazy….

Friday was a busy day!  We took all of our tests and of course had computers and P.E. but then we had our little “wrapping party”. 

                                  The firsties loved it and enjoyed the cookies and hot cocoa. 

  

                         We also had a cozy little fire going and Christmas music to add to the mood. 

 

                          They picked out which present to wrap and they each got to “wrap” one gift.  

  I delivered the gifts today and the coordinator was very thankful and appreciative. 

We have started the “real” Christmas Program practices today!  The firsties are doing such a great job and I am quite proud of them.  They didn’t use their papers at all and have their speaking parts MEMORIZED.  Thank you for working with them at home….it shows!

Our Christmas Party is next week Wednesday.  Mrs. Anderson sent out a Fast Direct email to everyone.  Please check it out and if you have any questions, you can either ask me or her!

This week we will have our normal tests on Wednesday and on Friday.  Please please please make sure your firstie is studying and practicing hard!  

Blessings on your week,

Miss Gallagher

Dear Parents,

Happy Wednesday! Are you feeling stressed as the holidays draw closer?  I pray that you are able to find a little time to breathe….to pray…..to find a little peace.  One of my favorite Christian singer and songwriters is a woman named Ginny Owens.  She is blind and has been since she was little, and she is such an inspiration. She is a very spiritual person and it is quite clear that God is working through her.   I came across this version that she sang live and I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faBLAC6a_Fs

Wednesday was our birthday party for Jesus!  The firsties were paired with their prayer partners and moved to three different stations. 

  

                                   One station was a craft where they made a Christmas ornament,

                                              another station they played “musical chairs”,

                             and the final station the students worked on puzzles and played games. 

 Mrs. Feinauer read us a story about the mouse that has been appearing in all of the different classrooms…..but he doesn’t have a name yet. 

 Talk about this with your firstie.  Ask them what the story was about and then brainstorm a name, for our little name-less mouse.  Have your firstie write it down, bring it in, and we will discuss it as a class.

Fact (or number) families are what we are working on in Math.  Taking three numbers and using them, to see how they are “related” and what number sentences can be created using them.  For example……3, 7, 10 The number sentences that can be created would be 10-7=3, 10-3=7, 7+3=10, 3+7=10.  The firsties are doing well with this!

Yesterday, we learned how to write a friendly letter (and we wrote one to Andy from the story that we read this week “Later, Rover”…which I thought was a great idea, until one of the kiddos asked if we could mail our letters to him….).  

Thank you to all that were able to donate for the children involved with the Christmas Caring Program at Wellspring Lutheran Services!  I was able to buy some great things and those gifts will surely help to enhance a child’s Christmas.

Have a great Friday!

Miss Gallagher

Dear Parents,

What a week it was last week! I got so crazy busy that I did not update the blog….

So, there is an announcement, right away that I wanted to share with you…..the winner of the Tom the Turkey contest, was Robby! (He had the camo Tom)  Different classes in our school voted and they thought his Tom was the best hidden.  Now, I personally think that EVERYONE did such a great job, you are all winners! I hope that you had fun working on the project with your firstie!

We are continuing to improve in our reading.  Please continue to read with your firstie every night…at least 20 minutes.  I know that I say this over and over, but the more that they practice, the better they are going to be.  When we read we talk a lot about what is going on in the story. We look at the pictures, we look for a pattern in the story, we look for anything that gets repeated.  We also have started noticing other things in stories that we read; like quotation marks and contractions!  We you come across these things, point them out and help your firstie to notice them too.  Happy reading!

Our Math test for “Topic 5” was today and as I am grading the tests, I can say, that I am pleased.  Our next chapter will be about subtraction…taking away.  Practice at home….even with everyday items or little stories. 

Continue to go through our speaking parts at home, as we will at school as well.  The goal is that the parts will be memorized so that no papers will be needed.  We are also learning songs, so if your firstie comes home singing, embrace it! J

Just a reminder about the donations for Wellspring Lutheran Services….if you are able to donate, please do so by Wednesday, so that I can go shopping.  We are going to have a little wrapping party on Friday, but because Wellspring has requested to not actually wrap, we are going wrap the gifts in tissue paper and put them in gift bags.  I will be bringing in some cookies and hot cocoa too! I want the kiddos to understand that they are helping other kids by giving these gifts.

Have a great week!

Miss Gallagher