March definitely came in like a lion....which is leaving us with a soggy month.  The kids need to have all their snow gear but it is getting quite wet.  An extra pair of socks in their backpack is a good idea.  No matter where they go there are endless possibilities of getting soaked.

We have just finished learning about American symbols.  The kids chose which symbol they wanted to research and I set up some on-line sites for them to use.  They shared out with the rest of the groups and made some fun projects to report out what they learned.  We are now focusing on "Where we Live" and "Maps".

We normally start our "Rocks" science unit but have decided to wait until the end of March in hopes that the kids can actually find rocks outside.  

I am very excited to share reading and writing progress with you at conferences.  They are becoming so independent!

I will also be sharing the 5 Math tests we have taken during the past semester.  We have been working on fact fluency and facts up through 20 more then ever.  If you are looking for a car ride activity have your child count by 10s going backward and forward starting at random numbers.  This works for counting by 2's and 5's also.  Skip counting forward starting at the beginning is easy...challenge them to start anywhere up through 120.

I have had many inquire about the zoo.  Letters will be coming in April.
See you next week at Conferences!
Mrs. Heinitz

February

February is a short month but busy as usual!  

We are wrapping up our Water Unit with a fun Field Trip to Lakeside Lab.  Our class is going Feb. 19th at 12:15.  We get to explore the solid ice and see that the lake doesn't freeze all the way down.  We also get to see all the microscopic critters that live under the ice in Winter and Summer.

We have been looking at the 7 Continents along with Landforms and Forms of Water.  We decided to focus on "Mountains" since it is what we are least familiar with in Iowa.  The kids have come up with their own questions and we are having fun with all sorts of research to find out the answers!

Math is focused on Fact Fluency, Graphs, 3D shapes and continued use of strategies.

It has been wonderful the way the kids have improved on their reading!!  We read as much as we can all day long and are starting to incorporate many more comprehension lessons.  I have been reading lots of Fractured Fairytales and they love them!

We will have a Valentine's Day party on the 14th at 1:30.  I e-mailed instructions to do cards at home along with a class list.  If you need that again let me know!

Mrs. Heinitz

December

Happy Holidays!  I hope your Thanksgiving Break was wonderful. I love the month of December during school because it gives me the chance to be a kid again!  

We will start Monday with "Santa is Stuck" and do some comprehension, Math and projects that go along with that book.
Last year a little Elf on the Shelf came to our classroom to make sure we were being "good".  I hope we get one again...I am sure you will hear about it if we do :)

Our Holiday concert is already this week on Thursday, Dec. 5th.  I love seeing the kids all dressed up and ready to sing.

We will continue with our regular curriculum as much as possible. The kids will get new Spelling words tomorrow.  I didn't send papers home last week so there will be quite a bit this Friday.  

In Math we will be learning missing number in a subtraction problem which is quite challenging.  An example is 7 - ___ = 2.  We will continue working with 10s and 1s, fact families and missing addend.

Upon doing the Blog tonight I realize I am very behind in putting up pictures of the kids.  This is my goal in the next couple days so check back to see lots of fun pictures.

Hope to see you Thursday!  We will come back from performing and have an indoor recess so feel free to stop by and say hi if you have time.

Mrs. Heinitz

Happy November!  
Thanks to all the parents that helped with the Halloween Party.  The kids had a great time and I appreciate all your hard work.  Our next party will Christmas time.

We are going to Bank Midwest on November 5th.  Every year they invite us for a tour and present us with $200.  The money is saved until the class is Seniors and the kids pick a charity to give the money plus interest to.

We have 2 Fridays in November designated as "History Sharing" We will be studying the Past/Present in Social Studies.  I ask that the students bring items either from their past or from long ago to share.  Ideas are; baby items, old pictures, old things from Mom, Dad or Grandparents.  It is so fun to see what kids bring and they love learning about life long ago!

I am looking forward to visiting with all of you during Parent/Teacher Conferences on the 12th and 14th.  I have saved lots of work plus we are just starting an On-line report card system we can look at.

Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. Heinitz

October

It's hard to believe we have been in school for a month!  We have settled into a routine.  The kids have been working on Stamina and Independence so that our learning time can be used to it's fullest! If you are interested in volunteering in the classroom on a regular or semi regular basis please let me know.  I welcome any parent help!!

We are now doing Guided Reading, Word Work, Writing and Spelling daily.  You may have noticed a Spelling test coming home.  The kids are doing wonderful.  I don't usually send a list home to practice because we practice daily at school.  If, however, you would like me to send one to work on throughout the week just let me know!

Math in September has been spend working on fact fluency ( +, -) within ten, counting and writing to 120 by 1's, 5's and 10's, telling time to the hour and half hour, calendar and CGI.  A great activity for home would be to count starting at various spots.  For instance counting by 5's but starting at 35 or counting by 1's but starting at 22.  Writing 100-120 is tricky for lots of kids so that would be a great thing to practice too!

We have finished our insect unit and the kids were able to draw and tell the lifecycle of a butterfly and explain what makes an Insect.  We have done some cool recordings on the Blog to show this so please check it out!  They are loving seeing their Blogs and looking at comments.  We don't look at comments daily but try to as much as we can.  

We are starting our Unit on Plants and I am asking the kids to bring seeds to school this week.  I would prefer seeds from outside and in the kitchen rather then packages.  We will be collecting them all week and putting them on a poster.

This is Homecoming week and I will be posting lots of pictures of dress-up days, the pep rally and the parade.  Some parents like to join us at the parade on Friday so feel free!  My daughter is on the Homecoming Court so we are excited to cheer for her as she drives by!

Thanks for sharing your children! 
Mrs. Heinitz

Great First Week!

We had an awesome, busy and hot first week of First Grade!  I enjoyed getting to know the class and learning more about all the personalities.

Last week was all about learning new routines and getting to know each other.  The morning walk is a new way of starting school.  Please let me know if you have any questions about it.

This week we will continue to practice routines and try to start somewhat of a daily routine.  We are preparing to fully implement Daily 5 and CGI math within a couple weeks.

We are studying insects in Science and the kids are loving it!  We are lucky that Ethan found a Monarch caterpillar.  We are learning about the life cycle and are looking forward to seeing it happen right before our eyes!  Since it is cooling off I will plan a "bug hunt" for this week.

Check on the left of the Blog and you will see "Calendar".  This is where I will put our monthly activities, water list etc.  Check it at the beginning of each month.  Some parents have inquired about kids bringing their own water bottles to save on disposable.  I am all for that.  Let me know if you would prefer your child do this and then I will take you off the water donation list.  If some kids are still wanting the disposable I will use those names for bringing water.

Whenever I take pictures of the kids learning or doing special activities I will also put those on the left side of the Blog also.

Thanks for sharing your child with me!

Mrs. Heinitz

Welcome to First Grade!

My name is Karie Heinitz and I will be your child's First Grade teacher during the 2013-2014 school year.  First Grade is a year full of learning and adventure.  Bug collecting, plant growing, CGI math and READING are just a few of the fun things they can look forward to in the next couple months.  I plan on posting lots of information on the Blog such as schedules, calendars, pictures and news.  It would be beneficial for you to become a member, therefore you will receive an e-mail when I update.  

Please click on all the subjects on the left hand side - they have important information and I will be adding more soon!

I am looking forward to meeting all of you and am ready to get another awesome year started at SLES!