Week 7: September 24th - September 28th

Welcome to another great week of learning in first grade. I hope you all had a relaxing long weekend and are ready for a new week. Here are some of the highlights from last week.

Peace Day Assembly

"What is peace?"

Grade one students measuring and observing their plants

Assembly & House Event School Bag Reminder:

Please parents continue to encourage your child to place their bag neatly on the colored tape for their class each Tuesday morning when we either have assembly or a house event.

1M - Blue

1S - Red
1C - Green

Help us to stay safe by placing your backpack in the correct spot!

What will we be learning this week?

Reading

This week our first grade readers will learn: 

Teaching Point 19  - Reading partners can push ourselves to think about the big things we learned from the books. Partners will ask each other why do you think that happened? What made that character say that?

For the remaining days of this week readers will be celebrating all the work they have done to establish good reading habits inside the classroom. Students will reflect on what it means to read with a buddy, what are helpful strategies to use when decoding and understanding tricky parts in our books, and how can we continue to build reading stamina so that we become strong readers. As part of our celebration each class will have the opportunity to visit a KG class to demonstrate what good readers do while they are reading to themselves and with a buddy. All the grade 1 students are excited to share their ideas with our younger learners so that they can become stronger readers at school and at home too.

Writing

This week our first grade writers will be learning how to follow an editing check list in order to publish our favorite small moment stories for our school community to read. First grade writers will be working hard all week to be ready to celebrate their personal narrative ("Small Moment" or "watermelon seed stories") on Thursday, September 28th. 

Each student is excited to show you how they have developed as a writer by using action, describing words, and even speech in their small moment stories.  We hope you will all be available to come and help your child celebrate their success as a 'small moment' writer.

Teaching Point 17 - Continue focusing on mentor texts and 'craft' moves that authors use to make their stories come to life.

Teaching Point 18 - Using all we know to revise our stories such as adding more details, speech, feelings and thoughts.

Teaching Point 19 - Editing with a checklist.
Teaching Point 20 - Publishing a favorite Small Moment story from our folder.

      Parents are invited 
Please come and listen to us read our chosen small moment stories.

When: Thursday, September 28
Time: 2:10 - 2:45
Where: In our classroom

Hope you can make it!

Math

Lesson  20 - Apply the commutative property to count on from a larger addend

Lesson  21 - Visualise and solve doubles and doubles plus one with 5 group cards.

Lesson  22 - Look for and make use of repeated reasoning on the addition chart by solving and analyzing problems with common addends.

Lesson  23 - Look for and make use of structure on the addition chart by looking for and coloring problems with the same total.
Lesson  24 - Practice to build fluency with facts to 10

Topic F Parent Tips

Mathletics

Your child's Mathletics account is activated and is a great way for our first graders to practice their math fluency and concepts that have been taught in the classroom. We recommend just ten minutes a day.
Reminder that there is a mathletics app you can download for your child to use at home. 

Science

During science this week students will continue to record the changes they see taking place outside in their garden. Emphasis will be placed on each student  making accurate measurements with rulers and labeling pictures and recording observations using scientific language. Students will also plant beans in ziplock bags and predict what will happen when they are taped to the classroom window? 

How to encourage your child to show empathy to others?

Empathy is at the heart of what it means to be human. It’s a foundation for acting ethically, for good relationships of many kinds, for loving well, and for professional success later on in life. And it’s key to preventing bullying and many other forms of cruelty. Empathy begins with the capacity to take another perspective, to walk in another’s shoes to perhaps feel what a lonely child is feeling on the playground or another child who is being bullied. It’s about perspective-taking and compassion. If you would like to learn more about how you at home can cultivate empathy within your child at school and in the home then please click on the following article for some great tips and suggestions:

Showing Empathy

Respect Celebration:

This Thursday, September 28th the Elementary School will be celebrating September's core value, 'Respect' by having a banner walk to celebrate each other's diversity within our community. The celebration will be taking place on the ES lawn from 2:40pm - 3:05pm. 

Important Dates

September 25 - Early Release Day - All students will be released at 11:30am there will be no ASA's on this day.
September 26 - House event, please have your child come dressed in their house colors on this day.

September 28 - Writing Celebration in each classroom from 2:10pm - 2:45pm.
September 28 - Health records due to the health office

If you have any questions or feedback for the first grade team please don't hesitate to contact us.

Your Partners in Learning

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)

Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

Week 6 September 17th - September 21st

Welcome to another great week of learning in first grade. This week will be a short week due to the Islamic New Year holiday on Thursday, September 21st.

Some of the highlights from First grade last week.

First Grade Planting.

Math Fluency Games

Talon welcomed us to assembly

Reading Partnerships

Assembly & House Event School Bag Reminder:

Please parents continue to encourage your child to place their bag neatly on the colored tape for their class each Tuesday morning when we either have assembly or a house event.

1M - Blue

1S - Red
1C - Green

Help us to stay safe by placing your backpack in the correct spot!

What will we be learning this week?

Reading

This week our first grade readers will be delving into more books with their reading partners. Each partnership will be helping each other with decoding strategies, and learning the different ways to talk to each other about their books, in particular how to help each other when you get to a confusing part in the story or a tricky word.

Teaching Point 15 - Students will learn that partners take turns sharing their books. They will learn the different ways they can read with their partner such as 'echo' reading, one read/the other read/ or chorus reading.

Teaching Point 16 - Students will learn that reading partners make sure each person doesn't miss anything in their books. They will learn to check each other for meaning in case they are confused.

Teaching Point 17  - Students will learn that partners help each other partner to understand tricky words or confusing parts.
Teaching Point 18 -  Students will revisit all the things they can talk to their reading partner about in their books such as funny parts, scary parts, sad parts or confusing parts.

Writing

First grade writers continue to work on their small moment stories: generating ideas, planning, writing, rewriting, revising and editing. During this time they are reviewing and writing sight words, and using punctuation (capital letters and end marks) to lend clarity to their sentences. Stretching an idea over several pages can be challenging, but in first grade the writers are learning that small moment stories can be elaborated upon by using descriptive language and by using details to describe time, place, character and feelings.

Teaching Point 13 - Students will learn that using capital letters and end marks helps their readers to understand and follow their stories.

Teaching Point 14 - Students will learn how to make their stories special using different 'craft' moves such as descriptive writing, different sized text, or using different shaped words to give meaning to their story.

Teaching Point 15 - Students will try out craft moves from model texts such as telling the exact actions of characters in their stories.
Teaching Point 16 - Students will try out different craft moves they learnt yesterday in their own writing.

Math

Lesson 16 - Find the unknown part to solve different number sentences.

Lesson 17 - Understand that 2 different pictures can equal the same amount. 

Lesson 18 - Continue to understand the equal sign by pairing equivalent expressions and constructing true number sentences.

Lesson 19 - Understand the commutative property where the same story with the same addends can be constructed in 2 different ways.

Topic E Parent Tips

Mathletics

Your child's Mathletics account is activated and is a great way for our first graders to practice their math fluency and concepts that have been taught in the classroom. We recommend just ten minutes a day.

Parent FYI you can also download the mathletics app onto your devices that your child can use at home. 

Science

During science this week students will continue to record the changes they see taking place outside in their garden. Emphasis will be placed on each student  making accurate measurements with rulers and labeling pictures and recording observations using scientific language. Students will learn more about the different parts of a plant and how to accurately draw a plant and label each plant part using rulers and the correct language.

How to encourage your child to get a good nights sleep?

A good night's sleep is incredibly important for children's health. In fact, it is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. These days with such busy schedules children are, at times, not getting enough sleep to perform to their fullest potential at school. 

Please click on the following article to read what you can be doing at home to encourage a good nights sleep for your child:
A Good Nights Sleep

Counseling Corner

Our guidance lessons are going to shift from the Skills for Learning unit to the lessons on Empathy. First grade are learning about their own feelings and the feelings of others which will help them to better control their emotions and be more accepting of their peers.  During guidance time we will be covering  Second Step lessons about understanding feelings and emotions.  Students will look at facial expressions, tone of voice,  body language and situational clues to better understand how others might be feeling.  Students will also be looking at  ways that they can  identify their own feelings by noticing physical clues that happen within their own body. We will also discuss different  strategies for managing feelings in appropriate ways.

We will do this through books, activities and lesson discussions.  This week we read “The Way I Feel” and role played different feelings to support the lesson.

Our Core Value this month is Respect, which fits in with our guidance lessons regarding respectful listening and understanding differences in emotions. You can help support their understanding of respect by asking questions such as:

1. How can you show respect for yourself?
2. How do you show respect for your friends?
3. It is also helpful if you share something that they do that you consider respectful.

Sincerely,

Dana Purpura

CAC School Counselor

dpurpura@cacegypt.org

Important Dates

September 19 - Peace day assembly at 8am in the main gym for all students, please wear white or last years Peace Day t-shirt if you have one, thanks!
September 21 - Islamic New Year holiday (No school for students)
September 25 - Early Release Day - All students will be released at 11:30am

September 28 - Health records due to the health office

If you have any questions or feedback for the first grade team please don't hesitate to contact us.

Your Partners in Learning

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)

Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

Week 5: September 10th - September 14th

Welcome to another great week of learning in first grade.

Assembly & House Event School Bag Reminder:

Please parents continue to encourage your child to place their bag neatly on the colored tape for their class each Tuesday morning when we either have assembly or a house event.

1M - Blue

1S - Red
1C - Green

Help us to stay safe by placing your backpack in the correct spot!

What will we be learning this week?

Reading

This week our first grade readers will continue to learn more about how reading helps us to grow. Students will learn that when we feel confused in our stories we stop and then try to make sense of what we've read, we don't let ourselves stay confused because we may miss something exciting in the story. Students in first grade will also learn about different ways in which they can talk to each other about their books focusing on similarities and differences and comparing what 'movie' each partner made of their book and how it matched the pictures and words.

Teaching Point 11 - Students will learn to stop and try and make sense of tricky parts in their books and not to stay confused. They will learn different strategies of how they can use the pictures and familiar words in their stories to make sense of what they have read.

Teaching Point 12 - Students will reflect on what their books taught them and how it made them think differently. They will ask themselves "how did it connect to my life?"

Teaching Point 13  - Students will work with reading partners to make a 'movie' in their minds. As each partner is sharing their 'movie' the other partner is thinking about what is happening with the pictures and words and weather this matches what their reading partner is sharing.

Writing

This week during writers workshop we will continue learning how to write small moment stories.

Teaching Point 9 - When writers bring their stories to life they tell them in small steps making sure they include all details.

Teaching Point 10 - Writers will learn how to bring their stories to life by including what their characters are feeling and thinking.

Teaching Point 11 - Students will learn how to make their stories come to life. They will unfreeze their characters by making them move and talk.
Teaching Point 12 - Students will learn how to use familiar words that they already know how to spell to help them spell new words that have the same familiar sounds.

Writing Folders

Last week students spent time decorating their writing folders with pictures they had brought from home. These pictures have been a great help to students coming up with their small moment stories and all the little details that happened that can help bring their stories to life. 

Math

5-group cards

Lesson 12 - Students will learn to solve add to stories to solve number problems using their 5-group cards to help.

Lesson 13 - Students will create stories that make equations that have the 'add to' part missing or the 'result' missing. Students will use number bonds and 5 group pictures to illustrate their understanding of their number stories they create for each problem.

Lesson 14 - Students will count on up to 3 more using numbers, 5-group cards and their fingers for tracking the change. Students will also learn to count on from the biggest number.

Lesson 15 - Students will continue to develop and build on from yesterday's learning.
Topic D Parent Tips

Mathletics

Your child's Mathletics account is activated and is a great way for our first graders to practice their math fluency and concepts that have been taught in the classroom. We recommend just ten minutes a day.

Science

During science this week students will review what we learnt with our expert gardner last week and come to a conclusion about what plants grow well in Egypt. Students will make a class graph of the different types of plants they would like to grow here at school and then each class will have the opportunity to plant their chosen plant outside in the grade one planting boxes. 
Our grade one scientists will each have a science journal where they will record all their findings, measurements and changes over the coming weeks to their class plants.

Questions for our plant expert

First graders reflecting on what they learned with plant expert 

Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal:

It has been noticed across Grade One that students are coming to school often tired and hungry. Please encourage your child go to bed early each night to get enough rest for school the next day and to eat a big breakfast each morning, as it can be a long wait till 10am when morning snack is scheduled. 

Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

With the unpredictable nature of our day to day lives, preparing and packing a healthy lunchbox can be a difficult task. Finding time to shop and prepare interesting and healthy meals for school lunches can be stressful. But the foods we send to school with our kids can contribute up to 1/3 of their daily intake of nutrients. So its important to pack a balanced snack and lunch to ensure they’re getting the nutrients they need throughout the day. Please click on the following link to learn more about fun recipes you can make for your child's lunchbox to ensure their nutritional needs are being met: healthy lunchbox ideas

ES Photo Week

During the week of  September 11- September 14 a professional photographer will photograph each student individually as well as take a class group photo. Parents will have the option of selecting one of the packages outlined on the envelope that will be sent home this week.

To order photographs, write your child’s name and class code on the envelope and check the package you would like to order. It is necessary to fill out a SEPARATE ENVELOPE FOR EACH CHILD IN YOUR FAMILY. Please include the money in the envelope and send it back to school in your child's take home folder before the day of their photograph.

1S - Monday, September 11

1M - Wednesday, September 13
1C - Wednesday, September 13

After School Activities Start This Week:

Parents this week sees the start of after school activities. We will be reminding students tomorrow during school time to please go to the lunchroom on their first day of their chosen activity and then every week after they will go directly to where their activity takes place to meet their teacher. Students who have production and swimming will go directly to the drama room and to the pool area.

A Note From Our Peace Day Committee:

Dear Parents,

The ES Peace Committee is planning a bake sale after school on Sunday, September 17th.  Our theme this year is “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.” We are trying to build peace through meaningful actions such as raising money for the National Cancer Institute. If you are willing to participate in this Peace Bake Sale, please let your son/daughter bring their baked goodies in the morning to the ES Office on Sunday, September 17th.  If you wish to help in the sale, this would be greatly appreciated. You can contact Basma Salem bsalem@cacegypt.org  to volunteer for the sale after school by the lawn area.

We are encouraging our students to eat healthy snacks so we expect goodies to follow the same criteria. (muffins, banana cakes or bread, cup-cakes or brownies without extra chocolate and sugar icing are the best choices). Items will be sold for 15 L.E. each.

Your contribution always makes a difference.

Thanks

The Peace Committee - PIPS (Partners in Peace)

Message From The Principal:

Principal's Coffee

September 11 @ 8:00 - 9:00AM

Elementary Hall

Agenda

• Welcome and beginning of year feedback
• Elementary PTO liaison 
• Challenge and Enrichment Specialist

"Come and meet Selena Gallagher, our new Challenge and Enrichment Specialist. Selena will share some information about our philosophy and approach to meeting the needs of our highly able learners, share some advice for parents about nurturing children's talents at home, and answer any questions you may have." 

Mark your calendars:

• Christy Curran reading writing workshop for parents, October 11
• Kg - Grade 2 reading and handwriting workshop, October 30 (repeated session from 16/17)

A Message From Girl Scouts!

 The Cairo council of USA Girl Scouts Overseas is delighted to announce that we will be hosting Grade 1 Daisies again this year!  Girl Scouts is open to all girls attending or affiliated with CAC. You don't have to be American or have previous experience with Girl Scouts.  Meetings are conducted in English and will reinforce the themes of leadership, adventure, and experience-based learning.  While Girl Scouts of the USA draws from American culture, we have adapted our activities to reflect the girls' experiences living in Egypt, and welcome input from girls from other nationalities.

For more information, please contact G1 Daisy troop leader Hilary Ayer at malaikainafrica@hotmail.com . Meetings will be Sundays twice monthly 6-7:25pm at the CAC ES library. First meeting is the 10th so don't delay!

Important Dates

September 10 -14 - ES Photo week
September 17 - Peace Day Bake Sale
September 19 - Peace Day assembly

September 21 - Islamic New Year holiday (No school for students)

September 28 - Health records due to the health office

If you have any questions or feedback for the first grade team please don't hesitate to contact us.

Your Partners in Learning

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)

Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

Week 4

Welcome to another short week in first grade. Hope you are all having a wonderful Eid break with family and friends. Last week we enjoyed our first house event. The students learnt their house cheer and then gave a great performance.

Red House practicing their cheer.

 
Thank you to all the first graders who put their bags so neatly before the house event. Please parents encourage your child to place their bag neatly on the colored tape for their class.
1M - Blue

1S - Red
1C - Green

Help us to stay safe by placing your backpack in the correct spot!

What will we be learning this week?

Reading

This week during readers workshop students will continue to build stamina and learn to be independent while they are learning how to be great readers.

Teaching Point 8 - Students will learn to make movies in their minds before they start reading a book. They look at the title, the pictures and the words and think about how the book might go.

Teaching Point 9 - Students will hold in their minds the movie they created. Then as they read they think, "Does each page match what I thought?"

Teaching Point 10  - Students will learn to look at the title and the pictures and think about the kinds of words they might see in the book.

Writing

This week during writers workshop we will continue learning how to write small moment stories.

Teaching Point 6 - Writers have partners that help them to be even better writers. Students will use their partners to help them plan by telling each other their stories, using the exact words they will write.

Teaching Point 7 - Writers go from being the writer to being the reader, and when they hear mistakes they fix that part.

Teaching Point 8 - Students will learn how to make their stories come to life. They will unfreeze their characters by making them move and talk.

Writing Folders

Thank you to all the first grade parents who have sent photos to decorate writing folders. This is going to assist the students greatly when thinking of ideas to write "small moment stories".

Math

5-group cards

Lesson 9 - Students will learn to solve math word problems by drawing, writing equations and making statements about the solution.

Lesson 10 - Students will learn to solve math word problems by drawing and using 5-group cards.

Lesson 11 - Solve math word problems with "change unknown" to practice counting on by drawing, writing equations and making statements about the solution.

Parent Tip Sheets - Module 1, Topic C

Mathletics

Your child's Mathletics account is activated and is a great way for our first graders to practice their math fluency and concepts that have been taught in the classroom. We recommend just ten minutes a day.

Science

During science this week students will come to a conclusion about what plants need to survive. 

They will continue their inquiry about how to grow plants in Egypt. On Wednesday we have an expert gardener visiting where students will learn about plants and get the opportunity to ask their questions.

Homework

Please help your child be organized and return their math homework this week Tuesday. We would love any feedback about how your child got on with their homework.

How did they feel about doing their homework?

Were they able to complete it independently ?

Also remember your child should be bringing a new reading book home each day. If this is not happening please let your classroom teacher know. The book may be a leveled book that your child can read or a classroom library book that they may ask you to read to them.

Parent tips for building good homework routines

Elementary Banners

Banners are due this week!

Students are invited to draw, paint, sew or image their self portrait on a banner provided by the school. The self portrait banners will be displayed around the Elementary school to celebrate each of us and our school community.
Please submit banners to classroom teachers by Tuesday, September 5.

ES Photo Week

During the of  September 11- September 14 a professional photographer will photograph each student individually as well as take a class group photo. Parents will have the option of selecting one of the packages outlined on the envelope that will be sent home this week.

To order photographs, write your child’s name and class code on the envelope and check the package you would like to order. It is necessary to fill out a SEPARATE ENVELOPE FOR EACH CHILD IN YOUR FAMILY. Please include the money in the envelope and send it back to school in your child's take home folder before the day of their photograph.

1S - Monday, September 11

1C - Wednesday, September 13

1M - Wednesday, September 13

Important Dates

September 5 - No assembly

September 5 - ASA session 1 schedules sent by email.
September 5 - Self portrait banners are due

September 6 - Sunday schedule (Please help your child be prepared if they have PE or swimming)

September 10 -14 - ES Photo week

September 21 - Islamic New Year holiday (No school for students)

September 28 - Health records due to the health office

f you have any questions or feedback for the first grade team please don't hesitate to contact us.

Your Partners in Learning

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)

Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)