August 12, 2013

We had a great first full week of 1^st grade!  We are really focusing on remembering our rules and routines and reviewing some of the things they learned in kindergarten. The kids are doing a fantastic job!

Our first fundraiser starts today! Savings books are coming home. The cost is $20 and there is more information in the bag with the book. If you have any questions about it please let me know!

I am sending home our first book order today. This is a great chance to get books for your child at a great price. If you would like to order then please return the order form and cash or a check made out to Scholastic Books Orders by next Friday, August 24^th. You can also order online. The website address along with our class code is on the order form. 

I made a mistake in our beginning of the year letter. The cost of school lunch is $2.50, not $2.25. I apologize for the mix up. If you would like an application for free or reduced lunch, I have a few in the classroom, or you can pick one up in the front office.

The kids have been doing a fantastic job of remembering to bring their folders every day! Please keep it up! If your child does not have a face in their folder for a day it means they forgot to turn their folder in. I do remind them a few times but sometimes they still forget. 

Our first homework packet/spelling list will go home this Friday. It will be due, and the spelling test will be given the following Friday. Homework will start off as only a few worksheets, and the amount of worksheets will increase as the year goes on. Homework reflects what we have been working on in class and is not meant to be too time consuming or difficult. If your child struggles with homework, chances are they struggling in class as well. If you ever have any questions or concerns about homework please let me know!

If you ever have any questions or concerns about anything that is happening in class please let me know! You can send a note in your child’s folder or send me an e-mail at jcochran@lpatucson.org. I will typically get back to you within 24 hours.

August 5, 2013

Dear Families-

We had a great first two days at school! I am so excited to continue to get to know all my new first graders as the year goes on.

Dollar dress down day is this Wednesday, August 7^th. For those of you new to La Paloma, dollar dress down day is the first Wednesday of every month. This means that your students may wear an outfit of their choice to school that day if they bring a dollar to put towards our classroom fundraiser. Please make sure that school dress code still applies: no tank tops, short shorts, or open-toed shoes.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent in supplies! They are very much appreciated. If you have not sent in supplies, please at least send in the binder as soon as possible! Thank you also to everyone who returned the first day forms. If you did not, please do so as soon as possible! They help me so much!

I wanted to give you an idea of what our daily schedule is like and some things you can expect this year.

Our Schedule:

8:30-Breakfast and Journal

8:50-Calendar/Read Aloud

9:00-Phonics

9:45-Reading

10:50-Lunch

11:30-Read Aloud

11:45-Writing

12:15-Math

1:00-Partner Work

1:45-Recess

2:05-Science/Social Studies/Character

3:00-Read Aloud/Clean up

3:15-Dismissal

Our specials schedule:

 P.E.-Tuesday and Thursday

Music-Wednesday

Computers/Library-Friday.

I will send home a newsletter most weeks so please make sure to check your child’s folder. The La Paloma Link will also be sent home every week so please read that as well for additional school information. I will post my newsletters and spelling lists on my blog. The address is misscochranlpa.blogspot.com.

I will pass out homework on Fridays and it will be due the following Friday. It will be a packet of work and will get longer as the year goes on. It is not meant to be time consuming or difficult, rather it is a review of the concepts we have been learning in class. If your child is struggling with homework, they are probably struggling in class as well.

First grade is a challenging year. We are learning how to read and write at a higher level as well as learning a variety of math concepts. The absolute best thing you can do for your child is to read to them and have them practice their reading at home. Throughout the year I will send home tips on helping your child with reading at home. Although we read quite a bit at school, nothing can replace that extra attention at home.

We are very busy in first grade and are working all day! Please make sure your child is arriving to school on time and is not being picked up early. They miss valuable learning even if they just miss the first or last 30 minutes of the day.

Please make sure your child is not bringing any toys to school. They are a distraction and frequently end up lost or broken which causes problems. Thank you for your help with this!

Please make sure you are checking your child’s folder daily. Please take out any work or notes that are in their folders and please check their behavior calendar. Please leave their behavior calendar in their folder until the new one is put in.

If at any time during the year you are concerned about your child’s progress or have any questions about anything please let me know! I am more than happy to answer questions or talk with you about your child. The best way to reach me is via e-mail. My e-mail address is jcochran@lpatucson.org. I will get back to you within 24 hours. You can also send a note in your child’s folder, I check these daily.

May 13, 2013

I wanted to start off by saying how much I appreciated the teacher appreciation gifts. I hope you all know how much they meant to me and how thankful I am for them and for the chance to get to work with your kids everyday. I know your kids are the most important part of your lives so I’m grateful you trust me to work with them on a daily basis!

This is the last full week of school! I can’t believe it! This Wednesday is field day. Please have your child wear clothes they can get wet and dirty in. They can also wear a bathing suit under their clothes. You can send them with a change of clothes if you’d like, but it is going to be pretty warm that day so they will dry off quickly in the sun! Please make sure your child wears closed toe shoes, we will be running around and playing games. We are asking for donations of water bottles and orange slices, so if you are able, please send those in on Wednesday.

The last day of school is next Wednesday, May 22^nd. This is a half day with no after school so please arrange to have your child picked up by 11:30. I will be sending home report cards on Tuesday, May 21^st in your child’s folder. I know some kids aren’t able to come on those half days, so this way you will be sure to have your child’s report card.

If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. You can e-mail me at jcochran@lpatucson.org or put a note in your child’s folder. 

April 8, 2013

I hope you all had a wonderful spring break with your children! We are getting back into the swing of things and have a very busy 6 ½ weeks coming up!

The school year is winding down and the last few weeks will fly by. We are really going to be working to make sure everyone is ready for 2^nd grade. Please help with this at home by making sure your child is here, on time, every day and is reading nightly at home!

Book orders are going home today. If you would like to order please return the order form and money to school by next Friday, April 19^th. You can pay in cash or with a check made out to Scholastic Book Clubs. Almost every book order has at least one book for only a $1 as well as many other inexpensive books. This is a great way to get some books for your child to read over the summer!

AIMS test is next week. We do not take the AIMS test in first grade, but we need to be respectful of those who do, so please make sure your child is at school, on time, all of those days.

This Thursday we will be having a SPIN at school. It is from 6-7:30 and dinner will be provided. They will be going over some ways to help your child with math at home and going over the Lending Library. If you are planning on coming, please stop by the office and let them know so we will have enough food.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know. The best way to reach me is by putting a note in your child’s folder or e-mailing me at jcochran@lpatucson.org.

Have a great week! 

March 18, 2013

Spring break is coming up next week! Spring break goes from Monday, March 25th-Tuesday, April 2nd. I will see you all back at school on Wednesday, April 3rd. I hope you all have a wonderful and restful break with your children.

Order forms and packets for the cookie dough fundraiser will be going home on Monday. All the information about this fundraiser can be found in the packet. Thanks for your help with this!

Wednesday is another special dress down day. This one will go towards the school garden that they will be creating.

This Thursday is Skate Night at Skate Country.

Please make sure you check the Link for other school wide information!

Have a great week!

Here are the spelling words for the week:

1. who
2. what
3. when
4. where
5. why
6. pie
7. lie
8. field
9. niece
10. piece

Bonus Words:
1. spring break
2. Easter

March 4th, 2013

This week we will be doing Galileo testing all week. This is a test the kids are given a few times a year to see how they are progressing. Please make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and is at school on time every day this week. Thank you for your help with this!

Dollar dress down day is this Wednesday. If your child brings a dollar they can dress down!

Spring pictures will be taken on March 12^th. These do need to be prepaid. The envelope was sent home last week. If you pay for your child to get their picture taken they can wear whatever you choose for the pictures. If you have not paid for pictures, your child will not have their picture taken and will need to wear their uniform. 

Don’t forget about the Run, Walk, Roll event coming up on March 16^th! If you have not already signed up we’d love to have you participate. Registration is happening online at LPARun.org. It is $12 for an individual, $20 for a pair and $40 for a family if you register before the race. The prices increase slightly on the day of the race. You can also get pledges in the amount of the entry fee rather than paying the entry fee. Please let me know if you have any questions about this! It should be a lot of fun and I hope to see a lot of you there. 

We have homework again this week. Please make sure your child is completing their homework and turning in their packet on Friday. The kids should be completing the homework in their own handwriting. Everything in the homework packets is concepts we have covered in class. If your child is struggling on their homework, they are probably struggling in class as well. If you are ever worried about your child’s progress please let me know and we can talk or set up a conference. 

Friday, March 15^th will be the last day of the quarter. This means report cards will come home and it will be a ½ day with no after school. Please make sure your child is picked up promptly at 11:30! Our spring break will be from March 25^th-April 2^nd.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know! The easiest way to reach me is at jcochran@lpatucson.org. You can also send a note in your child’s folders, I check these daily. I will do my best to respond within 24 hours.