February is almost here...

...and with it comes 2nd Trimester Progress Reports.  Many of you will not be hearing from me, which is a good thing.  It means that your children are currently making Proficient marks or higher on all grade-level objectives.  The month of February will bring some exciting events.  Groundhog's Day, President's Day, the 100th Day of School, and Valentine's Day are all special days to celebrate in February.  Please help by discussing these holidays at home, and practicing skills such as counting to 100, making Valentine's Cards for friends and family, and taking some time to learn about some of the great President's of the Past.  This will give the children some background knowledge they can share with their friends in the classroom.

As January starts to slip away from us, let's reflect back on some of the great activities we have worked on: celebrating the season of Winter, learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, exploring Life Science and Animal Habitats in particular.  Kindergarten has been exploring Measurement in the area of Math, and 1st Grade has continued to expand their Subtraction skills. We have read and discussed our Neighborhoods, and learned about some important people that help to make our neighborhoods a safe community.  1st Grade has also been learning how to improve their writing by practicing contractions, as well as action verbs in both past and present tense (ie. jumped/jumping) and singular or plural tense (ie. I am/ They are; I was/ They were; etc.).  I am very happy with the work my class has been producing, and want to thank all of you for working so closely with your children at home.  We are definitely getting them started on the right path for a successful academic future.  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!

Welcome Back Everybody!!

As you can tell, I've made some modifications for the blog to welcome in the new year.  It will be my goal to update the look of the blog each month to celebrate the mood of the season.  Hopefully everyone is well-rested and had a wonderfully LONG Winter Vacation.  Now that we are back to school, I've already begun testing again in preparation for the 2nd Trimester Report Cards.  I must admit that everyone is doing very well and have obviously been practicing at home.  Keep reading and writing daily.  Work on letter sounds and sounding out words you do not know.  If you haven't learned all your Sight-Words yet, now is the time to really hit that hard.  The 2nd Trimester goes fast, and before you know it we will be in the Spring and getting everyone ready to transition into 1st or 2nd grade.  Thank you to everyone for you generosity over the holiday.  I felt extremely spoiled and probably put on a few pounds with all the goodies you gave me.  Skylar loved it though!!  Take care and I will check back in soon!
-Mr. Linnet