FIrst Week of First Grade

Well...we did it!   We made it through the first week of first grade....and what a fantastic, amazing week it was!

I can tell you already that I'm going to have so much fun with this SUPER AWESOME group!  

The first week is always filled with learning routines and procedures.   The first big routine involves entering the classroom.  At North Star, we enter the rooms without talking.   At this point, we haven't worked out all the kinks...:)     Ideally (and it will happen soon!), the kids enter without talking, they hang up their bags and they get right to work.   They work on their Mad Minutes on the practice side.  After about 10 minutes, we test on the test side.   The expectation is that they get 30 correct in a minute.   The unfortunate part is that backwards numbers are wrong numbers in first grade so some of the kids are getting 30 but their numbers are backwards.

Right now, the ONLY homework they have each evening is to practice their Mad Minute.   In order to do that, they must bring their STAR BOOK home each night.  Please encourage this responsible habit.

We will ease into homework.  I would like to give them a little break when they get home.  I remember my daughter last year being completely exhausted after a long day of first grade.   Your child may be experiencing the same phenomenon.  He/She may also be more emotional than normal.   I have seen children break into tears at the slightest misstep.  I'd like to give them another week of just coming home and recuperating from the long day without a homework obligation besides Mad Minutes.

If you have not gotten a magazine rack for your child, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. They start gathering their reading materials that they will use during our reading time.  

Thank you again for sending happy and healthy children to school!
Carin