Dear First Grader,

Hello! Can you believe you will soon be a first grader?  Guess what?  You are going to have two teachers, Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Putnam.   Mrs. Mason will be with you in the mornings to teach you reading, writing, spelling and phonics.  Mrs. Putnam will be teaching you math, science, social studies and computer lab in the afternoons. We are excited to begin the new school year with you!  To help you get ready for your first day of first grade, we thought you might like a checklist of the supplies you can begin to gather and bring to school on Tuesday, September 6th.

1.) 1½ inch hard cover 3-ring binder
2.) notebooks (1 spiral, 1 composition)
3.) 1 pencil box 5”x8” (not a pouch)
4.) 1 box of 24 crayons (only 24 please)
5.) A large backpack (without wheels)
6.) A healthy snack and lunch (daily)
*Most of these items can be found at the dollar store. J

If your family is able to provide any of these additional classroom supply needs, it would be greatly appreciated!
Classroom Needs: (not required by all students)
Kleenex
3”x 3” sticky notes
Yellow #2 pencils **

**Please, no fancy pencils or personal pencil sharpeners.  All pencils will be shared with the class.

We are looking forward to meeting all of you at our Open house on Tuesday, August 30 from 6:00-7:00pm. 

Remember, school begins on Tuesday, September 6th and it will be a full day.  Come prepared with your ideas and smiles!
   Sincerely,  Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Putnam

                                                           6-8-16

Dear Families,

        We wanted to express how much we have enjoyed this school year.  Working with your children has been a highlight in our teaching careers.  This particular group of children holds many great qualities.  They are very kind, generous, and eager to learn.  What more could a teacher ask for?

        When the year started most could not read or write a sentence, count to one hundred, or tell time.  We are very proud of their hard work and determination.  It was really those two attributes that allowed them to succeed.  Working with them on a daily basis was a joy!  It always amazes us how much they learn to do in first grade!

        Thank you for all of the wonderful parent support you gave to your child and to us.  It is truly appreciated and does not go unnoticed.  We could not have done it on our own and been as successful!

        We encouraged the children to continue their learning over the summer.  Please consider the following ideas:

1.)   READ! READ! READ!  The public library, Schuler Books, and Barnes and Noble all offer summer reading programs that are both fun and motivating.  Also, check out a book title generator based on a book your child loved.  Go to http://yasiv.com, type in your favorite book title, and it will generate a web of book suggestions with a synopsis of each.

2.) Your child should WRITE!  This can take any form—thank you notes, journal writing back and forth with you, lists, stories, pen pal letters—whatever is motivating for your child!

3.) Your child should keep up their MATH skills!  Work through the summer math packet that was sent home to review the skills taught this year.  Studying basic facts is important as well.  There are many apps available for ipods, ipads, and iphones.  Here are some online sites and apps that are great tools for practice:

-        abcya.com

-        www.mathplayground.com

-        www.ixl.com (accounts are active through June 30)

-        Apps: monster math, sushi math

We hope these ideas are useful to you.  Thank you for sharing your sweet children with us this year, we have truly enjoyed learning and growing together.

Warmly,

Jennifer & Kelly