1st Grade Activites

1st Grade Activites

          Happy Summer
           First Graders!

Check this site every week during the summer for lots of updates.The next update will be Mon. Aug. 30. Look for a fun activity that you can do!

August is flying by and summer is almost coming to an end. If you're like me, you can't wait until the first day of school. Well....it will be here before we know it but to keep you having fun as you are learning, try this site: http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/student.cfm
Scroll down to the Pre K - K game area. Play all the games and email me and let me know which game is your favorite. If you're up for a challenge, try some of the first grade games!

Wow....it's August 16th already. Every day I look at the calendar and get so excited that I will be meeting all of my new first grade friends very soon. I hope you are enjoying every minute of this summer. Don't forget to review all of the things that you learned in Kindergarten. It's a good idea to practice writing your name, the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 to 10. Are you looking for a fun way to review the letters and their sounds? Go to www.starfall.com. Click on the green arrow in the first box that says ABC's. Click on every letter and have some fun. To keep the fun going, keep clicking on the letter or picture that sparkles. Email me and let me know which letter is your favorite!

Hello Everyone! It's already the second week of August! Are you enjoying your summer days? Most of the time we have great days, but every once in awhile we have a bad day. Judith Viorst wrote a super story about a boy named Alexander. The book is called "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Really Bad Day." Would you like to hear this story? Go to www.barnesandnoble.com. Click on "Kids" on the top row. Click on "Online Storytime." Let the story load on the screen. Enjoy the story. Email me and let me know if you ever had a day like Alexander's day.

Wow! It's August! Our school days are coming very quickly! I can't wait to meet all of the new first graders and their parents. This is going to be a great year of learning! This week's activity is really exciting. Did you hear the great news from the Philadelphia Zoo? A new baby giraffe was born on July 17th. I was interested to learn that a baby giraffe is called a calf. Do you know another baby animal that is also called a calf? The baby giraffe is already 5 feet and 5 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. The baby giraffe already loves to jump around. There is one big problem! This new baby giraffe is a girl but she doesn't have a name yet. You can help to name the new baby giraffe. Go to www.philadelphiazoo.org. Scroll through the screens on the opening page until you see one called "It's A Girl!" Click on that screen and you can vote on one of the names. One of the choices is actually the name of one of our first grade friends! Isn't that exciting. After you vote, click on Zoo Kids at the top of the page. Then click on Fun Zone. As you start to read the paragraph under "check it out," click on the words "click here." There are lots of fun activities to try like an animal memory game, animal jigsaw puzzles and even some coloring pages and word searches. Have fun exploring the Philadelphia Zoo site. Email me and tell me what name you picked for the new baby giraffe.

Hello Everyone! This is last week of July. Are you like me? I'm really getting excited to meet everyone and start our new school year! But for now, are you up for a challenge? This one will really have you seeing colors! Go to www.mathplayground.com. Click on Logic Puzzles on the left side. Scroll down to the Rubik's Cube activity. Click on the arrows to move the rows. Have fun. Email me and let me know if you met the challenge.

Look out summer....you're going by too quickly! It's the week of July 19th already! Are you looking for a fun way to learn on a rainy day?
Try turning on the TV to your local PBS Channel. Here's the daily line-up: 7:00 Arthur
                                     7:30 Martha Speaks
                                     8:00 Curious George
                                     8:30 Sid The Science Kid
                                     9:00 Super Why!
                                     9:30 Dinosaur Train
                                   10:00 Sesame Street
                                   11:00 Clifford
                                   11:30 Word World
                                   12:00 Super Why!
                                   12:30 Dragon Tales
                                     1:00 Sid The Science Kid
                                     1:30 Barney
                                     2:00 Caillou
                                     2:30 Dinosaur Train
                                     3:00 Curious George
                                     3:30 Martha Speaks
                                     4:00 Word Girl
When you finish watching your favorite show, why not try some games and activities at www.pbskids.org.
Email me and tell me what show you are enjoying.

Wow! For the week of July 12, here's another fun adventure. Isn't it just wonderful to read a really fun book? Check out this website to hear a great story. Ask your parents to help you. Go to www.storylineonline.net
Make sure your speakers are turned on so you will hear the story. Click on "Harry, the Dirty Dog." Click on the picture of the book. Choose 512K Broadband. Enjoy the story.

The activity for the week of July 4th was a great one. Ask your parents to help you to get online to www.pbskids.org. You'll see a big wheel with all of your favorite PBS shows. Click on Curious George. Click on Games. Try them all and email me to tell me which game you liked the best.

The activity for the week of June 28th is lots of fun but you might need to check with your parents to help you to get online! Do you like to play Connect Four? Try the exciting internet version at www.mathplayground.com.
Once on the site, click on Logic Games on the left side. Scroll down to the Connect Four Game and have fun! Email me and let me know if you like playing the online version.

August 23, 2010
Dear Parents and First Grade Students,
        Wow! We are just a few weeks away from our very first day of school. Even though your child/children have already had school experiences, some children will still have questions and concerns about their new first grade experience. Taking time during these last weeks of summer to talk to your child/children can go far in easing any fears.
Start to discuss how first grade might be different than kindergarten. Let your child know that first grade will be very exciting. Every day will be filled with lots of hands on activities. Our classroom will be a joyful one.
     Now that it's mid August it's a good idea to start to get your child back on a school schedule. Start to make bedtime a little earlier each night and encourage your child to wake a little earlier each day. These simple and gentle activites will make the school transition so much easier. Drive by the school to build excitement. Give your chid the opportunity to practice packing and unpacking their school bag. Let your child try on their school uniform and test it out. Provide your child with some opportunities to practice writing their name, the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 - 10. Let me know if I can help ease any concerns with your child. There's a great book called "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn that you can read with your child if they might experience any separation anxiety.
Here are a few other things to consider:
** Your child will need to bring lunch for the first week of school. The Lunch Calendar is now posted on the name school page.
** Your child needs a small snack for our morning break. This starts on the first day of school.
** There is a morning and afternoon CARES program. The morning program runs from 7:00 A.M. to 8:15 A.M
and the afternoon program runs from 2:45 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. If you'd like more information about the program or would like to register your child, please call 215-295-4400 and leave a message for the CARES Director. The CARES Program is available on the first day of school if your child is registered.

Now that the Morrisville Public Library is open, hopefully it is on your weekly schedule. Spending time browsing for some special books to read can be an exciting adventure. What kind of books do you like to read. Email me and tell me what your favorite story of the summer has been so far!
Remember to read every day!!!!
     Don't forget to take some time to shop for the items on the First Grade Supply List. Walmart and Target have great sales going right now. Stock up now on the supplies that will need to be replaced throughout the year. Remember to get contact paper. We'll need it to cover lots of our books and copybooks.
     Our 2010 - 2011 Schoolwide theme is "Continuing The Journey - Sharing Our Stories." To get us started, Mrs. Mc Dowell is asking each student to send her a postcard from somewhere they visited this summer. These postcards will become part of a large hallway display. Send your postcard to :
     Mrs. Mc Dowell
     Holy Trinity School
     Osborne & Stockham Aves.
     Morrisville, PA 19067
I can't wait to see all of the postcards and hear your stories!

Remember to save your Box Tops For Education and Campbell Soup Labels.They are worth money for our school. Send them to school with your child. (Classrooms with the most Box Tops receive a special treat.)

One way to get books into the hands of our children is through the Scholastic Book Company. Scholastic offers great books at great prices. There are two ways to purchase: you may look through the paper book order form(It will come home the first week of school), complete it and send it in to school with a check to Scholastic or you can order online. I have already set up our classroom online ordering. If you'd like a sneek peek or would like to place an order, here is the procedure: Go to www.scholastic.com
                        Click on Parents
                        Click on book club orders
                        On the right side of the screen, click on
                               "don't have a username and password"
                        Our 5 digit code is GJWRH
                        Complete a short form with your name etc.
                        You're ready to go!!!
No matter which way you order, all books will be delivered to school. I chose a few different catalogs that you can order from to accomodate all levels...pre-reading to reading.
Our class will earn points for every book ordered. These points will be used to purchase more books for our classroom.

Mark Your Calendar!!
Here is our beginning school schedule:
Monday August 23      Contract Signing & Tuition Night 7:00
Wed. Sept. 8               Full Day For Grades 1 - 4
Thurs. Sept 9               Full Day For Grades 5 - 8
Fri. Sept. 10                Full Day For Grades 1 - 8
Monday Sept. 13        Opening Day Celebration
                                   (9:00 Mass, 9:45 Breakfast &
                                   School Tours, 10:30 Entertainment
                                   & Prizes) All are invited!!!
Friday Sept. 24           Noon Dismissal - Faculty Meeting

          Check this site every week to see what new things have been added. You can email me at kgabriel329@comcast.net. I look forward to hearing from you. First Grade will be here before you know it!
Happy Summer!

Love, Mrs. Gabriel

                              Holy Trinity School
                                  First Grade Supply List
                                2010 – 2011 School Year
June 2010
Dear Parents,
     First Grade is going to be an exciting adventure for your child. Listed below is a list of supplies that your child will need to bring on the first day of school.
*** Schoolbag (labeled with name)
*** 24 pack of crayons
*** Pack of Thick Markers (classic colors)
*** Pack of Thin Markers
*** 4 Glue Sticks
*** (4) 4 Ounces of Elmer’s Glue (washable)
*** Pair of Safety Scissors
*** 5 Sharpened Pencils
*** 300 (3 X 5) Index Cards (lined or unlined)
*** 12 inch ruler with inches & centimeters
(Some of these supplies like crayons, glue, glue sticks and markers will need to be replaced during the school year. It’s a good idea to stock up with the summer sales.
Students will have many workbooks and copybooks that will need to be covered in contact paper. Summer is a great time to find contact paper on sale. Students will
be required to come to school every day with sharpened pencils. You might also want to pick up a pencil sharpener for your home.)
Things to bring the first week:
(These supplies will get us started.)
*** Box of 25 sandwich size Zip Lock Bags
*** Box of Tissues
*** Container of Baby Wipes
*** Roll of Paper Towels
(Purchased through school stationary fee: copybooks, a pencil case, folders and a theme tablet.)
We’ll also use lots of magazines for projects in school. Please start to save magazines throughout the summer.
Thanks so much!!!!
Mrs. Kathleen Gabriel