Hutchings Hurricane Hustle

Reminder:  Last day to turn in donations for the Hutchings Hurricane Hustle is Monday, October 18th.  The all school hustle will be on Friday, October 22nd.  We will all be walking from our school to Latson Rd. and back.  Our class is currently in 2nd place overall and we would love to be in 1st place after Monday.  Last year, we won our Bounce House Party for being the class to turn in the most donations....so keep it up:)  The students are very excited about this!!

Thanks for all of your support!
Ms. Benear

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

Just an FYI.....

Parents who wish to be on the PTO email list (to receive PTO newsletter and information) should contact Cathy Shields at hutchingsptoinfo@sbcglobal.net.  Also, parents can view PTO information through Facebook (search “Hutchings Elementary”).

Mystery Items Needed

I am setting up some literacy bins where the children will have a chance to read and write while practicing "real world" activities such as grocery shopping, bank, etc. To get these bins set up I need many interesting items. Please look around the house and see if you have any of the items below. If you wish to donate an item to the class simply send it to school with your child! THANK YOU so much in advance for your help:)

Bank Box Items Needed...
play money, lock box, deposit slips, purses, wallets, pads of paper

Construction Box Items Needed...
tape measures, hard hats, blueprints, small hammers, levels, tool aprons,small screw drivers, scraps of wood, pads of paper

Florest Box Items Needed...
Plastic or Silk flowers, green stem wrap, plastic vases, gift cards, tissue paper, small baskets, pieces of plastic foam

Grocery Store Box Items Needed...Plastic fruits and veggies, small empty food containers, small grocery bags, play money, cash register, plastic foam meat trays with pictures of meat glued on them and covered with plastic wrap, box of coupons, purses, used gift cards for credit cards, newspaper grocery ads

Hospital Box Items Needed...
Adhesive bandages, cotton balls, stethoscopes, gauze, face masks, white jackets, doctor's bag (kit), prescription note pad

Office Box Items Needed...Paper clips, paper, cool pens, envelopes, old laptop computer, note pads, sticky notes, telephone

Restaurant Box Items Needed...
Tablecloths, cloth napkins, menus, flower vases and plastic flowers, silverware, plastic plates, plastic glasses, trays, water pitchers, notepad

Post Office Box Items Needed...
Small mailbox, envelopes (lots of different sizes), fake stamps, small boxes, packing materials, notepad

Any other items you think may work well in the above boxes...please feel free to send them in:)

Also....I am in need of some Beanie Babies to teach reading strategies!  Beanie Babies (or any small stuffed toy) needed...
hippo
snake
frog
lion
fish
eagle
monkey

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR DONATIONS....THEY ARE MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

Howell Highlanders Love To Volunteer

If you are planning on volunteering in our classroom at any time throughout the year as a parent helper, a mystery reader, during a holiday party or on a class field trip you need to fill out the proper paperwork in the office.  You must fill out a criminal history file search authorization packet.  These forms are good for two years, so if you have filled one out for Hutchings before, but it was longer than two years ago, we need you to fill it out again.  If you filled one out last year, you should be good to go for the year.  I know this may be a pain, however, I think we would all agree that it keeps all of our children safe here at school.  So I think it is well worth your time:)  If you would like me to send home a form for you to fill out, just send me an email and I will be sure to get you one.  Just send it back to school with your child and I will take care of it from there!  Thanks so much for keeping us all safe!!!

News From Room 1110

Parent Helpers

Parent Helpers will start in our classroom the week of October 18th:)  Parent helpers will assist our class with reading and writing small groups, math skills, getting classroom materials and supplies ready, putting student portfolios together, etc. I will be sending home a parent helper schedule very soon...it will be a generic month calendar that we will utilize for the entirety of the year.  Please let me know if you have any questions or do not see your name on the calendar and would like to volunteer!

Reading Groups

We shave tarted daily reading groups in class.  Your child will be meeting with me every day for reading instruction in a small group setting.  Each day your child will be receiving a new leveled book based on their current reading level.  Inside thier take-home reading bags will be their new reading book for the day, a blue GO MAP and a white bookmark.  The blue GO MAP is for you to use to ask your child questions about the book after they have read it to you.  They may not know all of the components of the GO MAP yet, but feel free to help them out with it at this time.  The white bookmark will list the book they should have for each day along with the reading objective we focused on during reading instruction. Please question your child on the reading objective of the day, to be sure they understood the concept.  More to follow.......

Text Talk

We have started Text Talk, a reading comprehension/vocabulary program.  Every Monday, we read a new book, stopping at each page and talking about the text and what is happening in the story.  We reread the story again every Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday we learn three new vocabulary words and practice using them in context.  On Friday, we take a practice quiz so the students can see which words they learned form the week.  I encourage the students to use the new vocabulary words in their writing and in their language.  I will work on posting the six vocabulary words each week so you can also encourage your child to use the words at home....the students are really excited about thier "big" words and love trying to use them!  It is such an amazing program and the students love it!

Ruby the Copycat

coincidence

loyal

bitter

murmured

recited

sensitive

Math

Our first math test went great:)  The students did a great job following along as I read the test to them and filling in their own answers!  You should be very proud of them!  We are currently on Unit 2 - The Everyday Uses of Numbers.  We are focusing on using number grids, learning our telephone numbers, labeling numbers with units (books, elephants, crayons, tally marks, $,etc), telling time to the hour, pennies and nickels, addition and subtraction number models and number stories. Our Unit 2 test will be Thursday, October 14th...the students should be prepared to count and write tally marks, count and add up a combination of nickels and pennies, draw the hour and minute hands on a clock, add and subtract 1 and 0 from a number and count by 2's and 5's.

Mystery Reader

We are still in need of mystery readers on Fridays.  Please email me if you would like to surprise our class and read to us!  It is at 12:45pm on Fridays and only takes about ten-fifteen minutes.  Please consider this as the students are loving trying to guess who the mystery reader of the week is:)

Writing Workshop Portfolios

We write everyday in class during writing workshop time.  This is where we practice our writing skills such as using spaces between our words, writing from left to right, starting each sentence with a capital and ending it with a punctuation mark, stretching out our words, etc.  The students keep all of thier writing pieces in their green writing folders at school.  Once a month, at the end of the month, the students will be bringing home their green writing folders and reading all of their writing pieces to you at home.  Together you will choose their "best well-written" piece and send back only that piece.  All the remanining writing samples are for you to keep at home.  We will then publish their best piece in class and keep for their 1st grade portfolio.  Please be sure to return your child's best writing piece inside their green writing folder to school the next day. Thanks for all of your help:)

Poem of the Week

Every week, we will have a new poem to learn in class.  We will also focus on a new word family that coincides with the poem of the week.  I will work on posting the poem of the week each week so you can encourage your child to practice the poem at home and teach you the words:)

Fire Safety Poem

Listen now, this is no joke,
Before a fire, there's always smoke,
If you smell it, go outside,
Never find a place to hide,
Stay down low and crawl away,
Fire trucks are on the way.

I think that it is for now....as always, stay tuned as there is always more to follow:)  Thanks again for all of the continuous support you provide your child at home.....education is all about making connections between school and home!  It sure does take a village to raise a child....I am thankful for all of you!

Ms. Benear :)

Curriculum News

 

 

 

Math: Homelinks are coming home daily to review the concpets we are learning in class.  The only time you will not see a homelink is when we have a math test that day in class We have our first math test this Friday, September 24th going over writing the numbers 1-6, writing tally marks to desrcibe a number and continuing a counting pattern.  We have been playing lots of partner and group games during class to learn these concepts. Ask your child to teach you how to play "Monster Squeeze" or "Top-It"!  Please be sure to help your child remember to turn in their homework every day as they will earn a point on Powerschool for each turned in homelink.

Science: We have started our Weather Watchers unit that will take us through January.  We have been observing the weather using four of our five senses.  We've already had the opportunity to do our rain lesson and used a rain guage to measure the amount of rainfall on our first rain during school.  Please talk with your child daily about the weather to help them continue to be great weather watchers:)

Social Studies: We have been learning how to get along with others during our first social studies unit.  Ask your child to sing the "Getting Along With Others" song we have been practicing in class.  We get along with others by talking, listening, sharing and taking turns!

Handwriting: Just a reminder that we are using the HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS handwriting program. To get a better idea of what the children are learning you can go to their website... http://www.hwtears.com/. I will also be sending home a "cheat sheet" for you so you know the language we use here at school to write letters. The children should be writing their letters between the two bottom lines on their paper. We will be practicing at school not just writing the letters using the lines during handwriting time, but all of the time.

Spelling: Soon I will begin sending home individualized spelling words for each child in the class. At this time I will not be testing children on the same words as some children are more confident with spelling than others. I will send home your child's list each Monday along with ideas to help with spelling practice. The words I choose will come from your child's writing so they are words tailored to them and words that are important to them as individuals. Your child will have five words to practice. We are practicing here at school, but please practice at home also. I will post a list of spelling practice ideas here on the blog. The children have a blast and really learn their words! On Friday, I will ask the children to write down their words. If they have been practicing...they should be able to write each word on the line. If they are struggling to remember though, I will surely help them!

Reading: I will begin testing the children next week to find out where everyone is with reading. After that I will group the children according to reading level and meet with each group for 15 minutes each day. The children will have reading homework each night. Your child will bring home a reading bag with the book they are to read at home. Please be sure the read the book with your child and initial his or her chart to show that he/she read to you. Most of the time your child will have already read the book in class. Sometimes we will not have time to read the book before sending it home. Please be sure to read the books each night! The reading should take no more than 10 minutes. If it is taking too long or the child is struggling, please stop and send me a letter. I don't want homework time to be a terrible time, I want it to be a time where your child shows you what he or she has learned that day!  Reading groups will begin next Monday!

Writing: During writing time each day I will meet with a group of children to work on certain writing skills. I will periodically send home a paper telling you what we are working on. The children are really working hard during writing time. They are working on starting with a capital, ending with a period, leaving spaces between the words and utilizing both capital and lowercase letters. 

Oral Language: Each week the children will be participating in many different oral language activities. Together we will learn about the "Monster of the Week" on Monday. On Tuesday, the children will guess what is in the Mystery Bag. This bag may be sent home with a child, so if it is just put an small item into the bag and send it back to school. The item will be sent home that day! On Wednesday, the children will work together in small groups on listening skills. These groups are called Buzz Groups. On Thursday, the children will ask yes or no questions and a child will try to guess the picture on their HEADBAND without looking! On Friday, the children will work on Listening skills by participating in a listening activity. This sill be sent home each Friday!

The Daily Five: We have been working very hard on the Daily Five the first two weeks of school. The children have learned how to independent read and buddy read. We will begin learning how to listen to reading, work on writing and word works.  We will do the daily five every day in school to help increase reading comprehension and fluency among the students.  The students will have the opportunity to complete each part of the daily five every day while I will be pulling out reading groups to individualize reading instruction.

Text Talk: I have started a reading program that works on comprehension and vocabulary building.  Each week, I read a story to the class, stopping after each page and checking comprehension to teach the students how to "think" when they read.  I will then teach them 6 BIG WORDS that showed up in the story and the students try to use them in their reading, writing and speaking:)  Please be sure to ask your child about their new vocabulary words at home

 

That's it for now...but I will keep you posted on new curriculum updates we are working on in class:)  As always, thanks for sharing your child with me this school year.  We are off to a great start!!

Scholastic Books - Online!!

Scholastic Web Address : www.scholastic.com/bookclubs

Ms. Benear's Class Activation Code : GTRMM

Now it's easier than ever to find the right books for your child — and help us earn FREE books for our classroom library at the same time! With new online ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs, you can choose from a much wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card. Best of all, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent places their order online. It's so simple! Here's how it works:

SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Don't have a User Name and Password?" link, then register for your own username and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.

SELECT the books you'd like to order from over 500 titles available online...and take advantage of online-only specials and discounts.

SEND your order to me online by the due date. Books will be delivered directly to our classroom, as always.

REVIEW your order prior to sending it to me to be sure that you have all of your favorite book titles on your list.

Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer. But why not experience for yourself how convenient it is to order online? Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure. Plus, our whole class benefits thanks to the FREE books we'll earn with every parent online order. Thank you in advance for your book orders and for adding books to our classroom library! :)