Sandra Tarantino

Tarantino's Tidbits May 5, 2008

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

May 5, 2008

  

In Our Classroom…

  This week’s spelling words are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, * months, *year, *twelve.

  In math we are continuing to learn about double digit addition and subtraction, while reviewing all first grade math skills.

 In science, we are continuing our unit about animals and also learning about plants.

 We are putting the “finishing touches” on our stories for our Class Writer’s Tea and we look forward to sharing them with you on May 19.

Congratulations: 

 To all of our students for meeting their Accelerated Reader Goals! And, a special congratulations to Clayton who was the TOP AR Reader in all of Still’s First Grade. Way to go Clayton!

Needed:

 We are in need of some more “treasures” for our Treasure Chest!

To Show Our Gratitude and Appreciation…

 Still’s Student Council needs your help to make their last project of the year successful! We would like to honor our military overseas by sending items our troops could really use. These are things we take for granted here in the

USA

that our troops don’t always have access to. First graders are asked to consider donating some of the following snack items: Hard candy, energy bars, trail mix, individually wrapped crackers/nuts, fruit chews, Skittles, Peanut M & M’s, cookies, Microwaveable soups, snacks, tuna or chicken packets, Chef Boyardee, instant hot chocolate, spiced tea or cider, drink mixes (Crystal Light, etc.), peanut butter/jelly (plastic containers), gum, mints. If you are interested in more information about this program, please visit the website:anysoldier.com. Thank you in advance for your kind generosity!

Upcoming Events:

Monday, May 19, at 10:05 Our First Grader Writer’s Tea, presented by our own Tarantino’s Terrific Kids!

 

Thank you parents!

A special thank you to all of you for your continued support!

As we all work together the children are learning and having a fantastic first grade year at Still. 

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

April 14, 2008

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In spelling and language arts we are learning about verbs.  This week’s spelling words are: eat, knock, skipping, running, sleep, whistle, whistling, point, pointed, paint.  Bonus words are: verbs, action.

     In math we’re learning about double digit addition and subtraction.

    In science our

Kennesaw

State

University

student,

Miss Kim, will be teaching several lessons about animals.

     We will also be reviewing for the CRCT.  You will see many papers marked CRCT review, please go over this work with your student.  We are also practicing good test taking skills, listening, focusing, and sometimes making your best guess when unsure which answer to select.

Upcoming Events:

Friday, April 18:  First Grade Field Day.  All students will participate.  Please be sure to have your child wear tennis shoes and sunscreen.  All parents are welcome to join us for this fun day!

Wednesday, April 23:  CRCT Testing begins and will continue through Friday of that week.

Later in May:  We are busy working on our Class book which we will share with you.  Details will be provided shortly.

Thank you parents!

A special thank you to all of you for your continued support!

As we all work together the children are learning and having a fantastic first grade year at Still. 

Tarantino's Tidbits March 25, 2008

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

March 25, 2008

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending various vowel combinations to sound out new words.  Our spelling words this week are: hopped, hopping, stopped, stopping, tripped, tripping, chipped, chipping, planned, planning, from, and eight.  It is important that the children can find the base or root word in these words.

     In math we’re learning about measurement. We will be having a test on measurement later this week. Also, please continue practicing addition and subtraction facts at home. There are several measurement websites you can use with your child. 

Extra Practice on Measurement

Beginning level

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/longer_shorter/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/heavier/

Grade level

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/length_strength1_clips/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/length_strength1_inches/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/length_strength1_centi/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/which_tool/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/pounds/

Advanced level

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/ounces_pounds/

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/choose_the_unit/

Proficient level

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/elab2004/gr3/22.html

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/length_strength3/

     In health we are learning about our teeth and how to take care of them.  We will be having a test on dental health this week.

Congratulations to our students!

We are proud of all of Tarantino’s Terrific First Graders!

We have two special recognitions this month!

Congratulations to Gracie for winning first place in Still Elementary’s Writing Fair for the First Grade!

Congratulations to Isabel for representing our class as Marc’s Terrific Kid!

Thank you parents!

A special thank you to Mrs. Kemp, Vanya’s mother, for coming into our classroom to teach us about

Russia

and to share a special Russian Easter story and treat. 

Thank you to Mrs. Dobb’s, Jerry’s mother, for our

St.

Patrick’s Day treat.

And thank you to Mrs. Tarnoff, Grace’s mother, who continues to come in twice each week to help our children with Accelerated Reader.

A warm welcome to:

Miss Susan Kim who will be working in our classroom daily for the next few weeks.  Miss Kim is a TOSS student at KSU.

And to Miss Reiko McSwain who will be in our classroom for several hours a week as a reading tutor.  Miss McSwain is also a KSU student.

CRCT Review and Practice:

During the next few weeks we will be reviewing for the CRCT.

Please continue to read and practice with your child as you see these materials come home.

Looking Ahead:

We are all looking forward to Spring Break from April 5-13.

Tarantino's Tidbits January 27, 2008

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

January 27, 2008

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and practicing the two sounds of ow. This week’s spelling words are: show, lower, throw, bow, shadow, brown, towel, crown, cow, they.  Bonus words: money, coin.

     In math we’re learning about money while we continue to practice addition and subtraction strategies.  Please continue practicing addition and subtraction facts at home. Please send in a baggy labeled with your child’s name, filled with 10 pennies, 10 nickels, 10 dimes, and 4 quarters.  We will use these to practice counting money in class. There are several money websites you can use with your child. 

Beginning Money:

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/money_build_robot/ 

Intermediate Money:

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/counting_money/ 

Proficient with Money

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/comparing_money/ 

     In writing we are working on winter and snow stories.  We hope you had a chance to read our Snow stories when you stopped by for conferences.

Six Flags Reading:

Your child brought home a Six Flag Reading form last week.  Please be sure your child is reading nightly to earn a free Six Flags Ticket.

Events to look forward to:

Thursday, February 7:  First Grade PTA Night

Tarantino's Tidbits January 14, 2008

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still

Elementary School

January 14, 2008

Happy New Year! 

It’s hard to believe that our First Grade Year is already half over.  The children have all grown so much!  During the next few months we will be working on many comprehension strategies in reading as well as practicing to be fluent readers.  We are learning many new math skills.

In writing this nine weeks we will be working on statements of information.  We will be learning about winter and weather in science and about

Canada

in Social Studies.

We were surprised last week with a new student who joined our class! Seana comes to Still Elementary from

Africa

.  We welcome him and his family!

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Spelling this week we are learning how to spell the long a sound using ay and ai.  Our words are: stay, day, play, may, tail, train, pain, you, that, it.  Our bonus word is winter.

     In math we are learning more addition and subtraction strategies as we practice our facts through 18.

Other Information….

Congratulations to this month’s Terrific Kid, Grace!

Congratulations to our whole class!  We have reached our 50% goal in AR!  Thank you to Mrs. Tarnoff for coming in twice each week to help us!

Items we need:

     Treasures for the Treasure Chest, thank you in advance!

Events to look forward to:

January 21:  Martin Luther King Holiday – No School

January 22- January 28 Conferences   I look forward to

                      meeting with each of you.

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

December 10, 2007

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and will be learning about long vowel words.  Please ask your child to tell you about the “magic e”, that can be very bossy!  This week’s spelling words are: read, beads, see, be, free, reading, seeds, tree, me, and green.  Our bonus word is December.

     In math we are working with place value, reviewing skip counting, and comparing numbers using greater than (>), less than (<), and is equal to (=).  Please continue practicing addition and subtraction facts at home.

     In writing we are working we are working on using  descriptive words.  Please stop by to see our holiday “sticker stories” displayed outside of our classroom.

     Our social studies lessons are focusing on the countries of North America, specifically

Mexico

.

Other Information….

Congratulations to this month’s Terrific Kid, McKinley!

Items we need:

     The First Grade will soon be making “Snowman Soup” to deliver to local hospitals for the holidays.  Please help us by sending in 20 individual packages of hot cocoa mix, 20 wrapped Chocolate kisses,

20 miniature wrapped candy canes, and 20 packages of miniature marshmallows.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

     Our Holiday Party is quickly approaching!  Please send in your child’s wrapped puzzle for their gift exchange by Friday.

Events to look forward to:

Thursday, December 20: Our

Holiday

Party 9:00-10:00

    

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

November 10, 2007

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and will be learning about long vowel words.  This week’s spelling words are: came, game, bake, cake, lake, gate, late, face, vase, ate, he, for, was. We have a pretest each Tuesday and a final test each Friday.

     In math we are working with place value.  We are showing numbers up to 100 as tens and ones.  Please continue practicing addition and subtraction facts at home.

     In writing we are working with transition words such as in the beginning, first, next, then, and finally.  We are writing about a story titled, Waltz of the Scarecrows.  We are also writing Thanksgiving letters to send to Grace’s dad, Captain

Tarnoff who is stationed in Iraq.

     We are taking part in a collaborative project with

Mrs. Mejak’s Seventh grade Computer Science class at

Lovinggood Middle School.  Our students have drawn pictures that the seventh graders will use to create a story.  We’re the illustrators and are very excited to read the author’s stories.

     Our Cultural Feast will be this Friday, November 16 from

10:30-11:30. Please contribute a special family favorite food or a holiday dish.  We are learning about and celebrating cultures this month.

Homework…

     Homework is coming home Monday through Thursday. 

Please continue to check and sign your child’s agenda nightly and go over all work that is sent home. 

Other Information….

Congratulations to this week’s Character Kid, Logan!

      Each Friday is Still Spirit Day!  Your child is encouraged to wear their orange First Grade Still t-shirt.

Events to look forward to:

Friday, November 16: Cultural Feast 10:30-11:30

Monday, November 19: Grandparent and Special Friend Day

November 21-23:  No school, Thanksgiving Holidays

    

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

October 29

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and will be reviewing all of the short vowel sounds. This week’s spelling words are: tent, foxes, trim, funny, add, cut, that, help, frogs, inch, of, and to.  We have a pretest each Tuesday and a final test each Friday.

     In math we are continuing to learn more addition and subtraction strategies.  We are also learning about shapes such as rectangles, triangles, hexagons, and pentagons.  Be looking for your child’s math center activity where the children will use these shapes in creating a jack-o-lantern.  They will also write sentences describing the shapes they used.

     In writing we will create a special Halloween Safety Book.

We will also be finishing our descriptive scarecrow stories.  If you haven’t had a chance to read our Pumpkin Sequencing

Stories displayed outside of our room, please stop by and read our work.

Homework…

     Homework is coming home Monday through Thursday. 

Please continue to check and sign your child’s agenda nightly and go over all work that is sent home. 

Other Information….

Congratulations to this week’s Character Kid, Sydney and to this month’s Terrific Kid, Gracie.

Our field trip to the

Chattahoochee

Nature

Center

was a most enjoyable and informative outing. We learned about the needs of plants and animals. A special thanks to

Mrs. Dobbs and Mrs. Tarnoff for helping chaperone.

Items We Need…

     We are in need of some small ziplock bags

     Individually wrapped healthy snacks

      Each Friday is Still Spirit Day!  Your child is encouraged to wear their orange First Grade Still t-shirt.

Events to look forward to:

Monday, November 5:  No School, Teacher Workday

Tuesday, November 6: No School, Teacher Workday

Friday, November 9:  Still Elementary’s Annual Veteran’s Day

                                      Breakfast

Friday, November 16: Cultural Feast

Monday, November 19: Grandparent and Special Friend Day

November 21-23:  No school, Thanksgiving Holidays

    

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

October 15-19

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and will be learning about short u as in umbrella.  This week’s spelling words are: up, cup, pup, nut, bus, jug, sun, sum, hug, *the, *of, *and. Our Bonus word will be pumpkin.  We have a pretest each Tuesday and a final test each Friday.

     In math we are learning addition and subtraction strategies.

We will be taking our 2^nd 9 week pretest on Tuesday. 

     In writing we are focusing on sequencing events.  We are using transition words, such as first, next, then, at last, and finally.  Check out our pumpkin stories which will be displayed outside of our classroom next week.

Homework…

     Homework is coming home Monday through Thursday.  Please be sure that your child is reading nightly for a minimum of 15 minutes.  It is also important that you continue to read to your child.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend some special time with your child while you model fluency in reading aloud.  All students should be reading and taking AR Tests. A special thank you to Mrs. Tarnoff, Grace’s mom, for coming in again this week to help us with AR.  Our next Weekly Behavior Report will continue include two weeks and will be sent home on October 26.

Other Information….

Congratulations to this week’s Character Kid, Fabricio.

Word of the week: Accountability: Being responsible for your decisions and actions, dependable..

      Each Friday is Still Spirit Day!  Your child is encouraged to wear their orange First Grade Still t-shirt.

Events to look forward to:

     October 17: Early Release

     October 22: Report Cards

     October 25: Chattahoochee Nature Field Trip (If you have

                           not returned your child’s permission slip,

                           please do immediately.)

    

TARANTINO’S TIDBITS

Still Elementary

October 1 - 5

                       

In Our Classroom…

     In Phonics we are practicing blending and will be reviewing short a and short i. This week’s spelling words are: add, wag, that, miss, six, ax, have, mix, inch, mitt. We have a pretest each Tuesday and a final test each Friday.

    Your child is often bringing home a small guided reading book for homework.  Please be sure that you listen to your child read this aloud and ask questions about the book. Our shared reading selection is titled “Little Elephant”. Genre: Informational Fiction.

     In math we are continuing or subtraction unit and will be taking a test soon.  Last week we practiced subtracting zero and taking apart combinations of 7, 8, 9, and 10.  This week will also focus on picture graphs and comparing numbers. Please practice subtraction facts to 10.  10-9=1, 10-8=2, etc.

Homework…

     Homework is coming home Monday through Thursday.  Please be sure that your child is reading nightly for a minimum of 15 minutes.  It is also important that you continue to read to your child.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend some special time with your child while you model fluency in reading aloud.  All students should be reading and taking AR Tests. A special thank you to Mrs. Tarnoff, Grace’s mom, for coming in again this week to help us with AR.  Our next Weekly Behavior Report will continue include two weeks and will be sent home on October 12.

Other Information….

Congratulations to this week’s Character Kid, Nick!

Word of the week: Justice/Fairness: correct, proper, and reasonable treatment of behavior and viewpoints of others.

      CoGat Testing:  CoGat testing went well last week.  The class worked very hard listening, thinking, and following directions.  A special thank you to Mrs. Dobbs, Jerry’s Mom, for sending in a special treat to celebrate our hard work on this test!

      Each Friday is Still Spirit Day!  Your child is encouraged to wear their orange First Grade Still t-shirt.

Events to look forward to:

     October 9:  Picture Retakes

     October 17: Early Release

     October 22: Report Cards

     October 25: Chattahoochee Nature Field Trip (Information

                           will be coming home soon).