| August 25th
Ms. Ferguson’s Newsletter
What a wonderful beginning to the school year! First of all, I want to
thank Faryl Freeman and Kristi Holmes for volunteering to be our room moms.
I know it can be time consuming and I appreciate their time and effort that
is being put into uniting our class. I am enjoying getting to know all of
your children and I truly hope that they are enjoying 1st grade. I am very
impressed at how well things have gone. Please help our school day start
off smoothly by making sure your child arrives at school no later than 7:50
a.m. so that he/she has time to unpack and complete the morning work.
We began our first unit of study on Georgia this past week. The kids have
enjoyed learning various facts about our state. We have participated in
some fun activities to support our unit of study. Last week, we competed
in “peaches on a spoon” relays for our Fun Friday. You can view pictures on
our website at http://teacherweb.com/GA/SarahSmith/Ferguson. Please review
sheets, paper books and art items that contain information about our state.
These come home periodically in your child’s backpack. We will have a
Georgia social studies test at the end of the week. I believe that studying
Georgia is a great way to begin our year because it helps us transition into
learning about other states, countries and cultures. Our next thematic unit
will be the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains.
I have spent these last two weeks getting to know your children and I have
begun my individual assessments. I’ve discovered many strengths and areas
that need improvement. I will use this information to set expectations for
each child. I look forward to watching your children advance and grow.
First grade is a big year for the students academically and I really enjoy
the challenge of teaching this age. I look forward to seeing your children
progress throughout the year.
In math, we are moving right along. We will complete Chapter 1 this week
and have our test on Friday. Please look for your child’s math journal
pages to come home stapled together on Wednesday or Thursday. While you’re
studying, please focus on any missed problems from the journal pages. Make
sure that he/she has mastered the skill. A completed review sheet will be
coming home on Thursday and you can also use this to study with.
Reading and writing are a big part of our day. Please make sure your child
is reading to you for at least 10 minutes each night. I recommend doing
this long before bedtime, as kids are often exhausted by the end of the
day. My goal is for your child to love reading and if you can set aside a
time before or right after dinner it may aid in their enjoyment. It is also
crucial for parents to continue reading to children throughout the first
grade year. Comprehension questions and story elements can be talked about
during this time as well as when they’re reading individually.
Our phonics program at Sarah Smith is called SMART Phonics. This is a
unique program that I believe is very successful in teaching children how to
read and improve the fluency of children who are already reading. Right
now, we are reviewing cononant sounds. We will not begin speling tests
until we introduce vowels. This will be in late September or October. I will
talk more about this program at Open House and will be happy to answer any
questions you may have then.
Please remember that Open House is Thursday, August 28th at 6:30 pm. The
night begins with everybody in the auditorium. The 1st grade teachers will
discuss some grade level topics. This will be followed by a meeting in each
classroom. While it’s not a time to talk about student’s individual
progress, it is a time for me to go over our curriculum and procedures in
more depth. I will also have a Parent Reader and other classroom volunteer
opportunities posted for you to sign up for. This is a very important
evening, so I hope all of you will be able to attend. I look forward to
seeing you!
Sarah Smith is now an official International Baccalaureate (IB) school. We
are focusing on the student profiles and attitudes. To help students stay
focused on each characteristic, I will choose two star students every other
week based on these profiles. Our first star students are Sullivan Holmes
and Jackson Dollar. They demonstrate the IB profile of “principled” because
they’re always trying to do the right thing in class. Sullivan and Jackson
set a great example because they’re honest and make sure that they’re best
work is completed on time. Way to go Jackson and Sullivan!
I want to thank you for the opportunity to work with your child this year.
I look forward to working with you as partners so that we will help your
child reach their potential in first grade. Also, please remember to
support Sarah Smith by joining PTA.
Many thanks!
Katie Ferguson
Dates to remember:
August 28 – 1st grade Open House
August 29 – Spirit Day
September 3 – Labor Day
A few reminders:
• The school store is open every Tuesday and Friday from 7:30-8 am
• Saly Foster is due Sept. 19th to your oldest child’s teacher. PTA
has decided that we are only doing the SF fundraiser every other year, so
stock up now since next year we won’t participate
• Please return the blue Federal Aid form and clinic form to me
tomorrow, if you haven’t already
• I am trying to figure out which day works best for our schedule to
attend the Media Center. As of now, we’re going to try Wednesdays for
library. Please have your child bring his/her book back on or before
Wednesday of each week
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