Good Morning!  

A few first grade updates...
1. Please send warm coats, hats and gloves with your child everyday. Our first recess is at 9:45 and it is still very cold out at that time.
2. Keep up the great work with the writing homework and sound bags! All of the hard work you are doing at home is paying off here at school.  I love to see the growth that everyone has made so far this year!
3. Book-It- continue reading each night and coloring in a stop watch. Do not forget that the October Pizza Hut certificates are only good for one month.
4. Today we will be reading a fun Thanksgiving book. We will begin talking about what our Thanksgiving traditions are and what we like best about Thanksgiving. We will begin planning our first grade feast as well. We will have another vote in our room.  I am interested to hear what the kiddos are going to choose for their main dish.  It will be up to them what we have for our feast. I will keep you posted as I will be asking for volunteers to help with our feast. We are planning this feast for next Tuesday, November 20. Our class goes out to recess at 11:20 and will come into the classroom to eat at 11:40.  Our plan is to have all of the food set up in one first grade classroom and all first graders eating together in the other room. More details will come home soon.
5. The Wellman Advance asked for our help this week. They asked us to think about what we are most thankful for so they could print it in the paper. I pulled each kiddo up to my table one at a time and asked them what they were thankful for. They all had great things to say.  Keep you eyes open for the Wellman Advance.
6. I will not be at school this Friday. Instead of trying to explain the process of exchanging writing homework and sound bags I have decided to have the kids keep the same word list and word bag until Monday. There is no need to send back these two items on FRIDAY. Please be sure to send them back tomorrow so that they can get a new list and sound bag before the weekend. 

Jolly Phonics:
We continue to plunge ahead with Jolly Phonics. We are learning multiple new vowel combinations and words that go along with them. We are distinguishing between ai and ay, ee and ea, oi and oy, as well as magic "e" who jumps over one letter to sprinkle magic dust on the vowel so he can say his own name. ;-)