Dear Parents,

Happy Wednesday!  Whoa! What a blustery day is has been…..but we still plan on going outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine! 

Has your firstie told you what we are learning about in Religion class?  We have been learning about Moses and how he helped to free the people of Israel (God's people) from slavery.  Moses asked the Pharaoh over and over again to let them go and each time Pharaoh refused.  And when Pharaoh refused, God sent plagues to the people of Egypt.  There were plagues of water turning into blood, and darkness all the time, and sickness, and swarms of flies, etc….each plague was bad, but the last one was the worst.  God told Moses to kill a spotless lamb and take the blood from it.  Then they were to use the blood to paint it on the door frames of Israelites’ houses.  When they did that, they were protected from the angel that God sent to kill all of the first born sons.  The angel passed over the home of the Israelites and God saved them…..the Passover.  We celebrate the Passover because Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.  He was spotless and pure, and He shed His blood and because of that WE are saved!  As a reminder of that awesome gift, the firsties “painted” our door frame with blood too! 

If you get a chance to, check out the firsties’ artwork in the hallway by the Gym…it is SO NEAT!  

 

How are the math flash cards coming along?  The goal is try to have the firsties NOT rely on their fingers but rather practice mental math and knowing those math facts.  The more that they practice, the more they will have those math facts at their fingertips.  Please keep practicing at home (and it doesn’t need to be more than a few minutes at a time…!) Thank you for continuing to work on this at home. 

I had 5 firsties not get their homework done again last night.  Parents….PLEASE check your kiddo’s folders EACH AND EVERY NIGHT.  PLEASE help your kiddo make sure that their homework is completed EACH AND EVERY NIGHT.  They are learning and they are learning to become more responsible and more independent and they need your help with this.  

The Harvest Dinner is THIS SUNDAY!  It is also Reformation Sunday! Hope to see you at church and/or the Harvest Dinner. 

Blessings on the rest of your week!

Miss Gallagher

Dear Parents,

7 students.  I had 7 firsties out of 12, NOT complete their homework last night!?!? How disappointing is that?  Those that didn’t complete their homework last night lost their entire recess today and I have to tell you that I hate to do that, but  7 students not completing their homework, I believe warranted it. 

Homework should be completed outside of class, whether that is at home or at After School Care, and then brought back to school the very next day.  Again, please check your firstie’s homework folder, each and every day for homework and/or important notes.  Thank you for your help with this! 

Don’t forget to send in extra clothes for your kiddo (especially if they have already used their extras)….including socks, pants, a shirt or sweatshirt, and underwear.  Accidents happen, I want them to be prepared…just in case!  Thank you!

Last week we created our own little stained glass window!  The firsties colored the pictures and then I rubbed olive oil on the back side of the paper and it seeped into the paper to make the stained glass effect. So neat (and what an awesome reminder!)!

 Has your firstie told you about our Pen Pals?  We are writing to the first grade class at St. John’s Lutheran School in Fort Wayne, Indiana (the first grade teacher there is a college friend of mine).  Our firsties are doing SUCH a good job of writing their letters!  I am hoping to send them out by the end of the week and hopefully we will get some return letters soon.  There are 20 students in the other class, so some of our firsties had to write more than one letter (but I reassured them that they will get two letters BACK).They are so excited! 

Just as a reminder, the Bonfire and Soccer games that were cancelled last weekend are still on for THIS weekend.  Hope to see you there!  

Spelling practice test is tomorrow and make sure your firstie is practicing reading out loud, their Take Home Stories.  

Blessings on the rest of your evening!
Miss Gallagher

Dear Parents,

We have had a lot of happenings in our classroom and I just wanted to share with you a few of the different things!

We have been learning about verbs and adjectives!  Please ask your kiddo about this!  Ask them to tell you what a verb is and ask for your firstie to tell you what an adjective is (and I will be crossing my fingers remotely that they tell you the correct thing…) The firsties were given the choosing a verb, an action, that they like to do, and using pipe cleaners, create that action.  They did a good job!  Check it out!  

Tomorrow we will be making “emotional pumpkins” to practice our adjectives! (Stay tuned for pictures of them!)

Did they tell you about our "magic word" activity?  Let's just say if you use a white crayon and then color over it with a marker.....it is MAGICAL! (You should have heard their gasps!)

In Religion we have been learning about Joseph (the one who was loved most by his father Jacob and was also give a beautiful color of many different colors).  There were many bad things that happened to Joseph and yet God turned all of those things around for good.  He was loved by his father, but his brothers were so jealous of him, they wanted to kill him.  He wasn’t killed, but instead was sold as a slave.  God gave him the ability to interpret dreams and so when the Pharaoh began to have strange dreams, Joseph was able to explain them to him and he made him a prince.  Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt in search of food, Joseph was able to help them out and forgive them.  God used many bad things and turned them into good.  I sometimes wonder about the patience they must have had back then….the PATIENCE!  I get impatient if I have to stand in line longer than a few minutes. Thankfully God loves me!  Do you have bad things going on in your life?  Are you impatient?  Pray to God!  Talk to Him!  He wants to hear our frustrations and struggles!  Will He take them away in the snap of His fingers?  Probably not.  BUT He wants us to remember that He loves us like crazy and will never leave us.  He wants us to remember that He can use bad things for good...for our good. 

The soccer games and hayride/bonfire has been cancelled for this week and is rescheduled for next week!  Hopefully the weather will be better for us and we will be able to enjoy the beautiful fall that God gives to us.  (Fall is my FAVORITE!!! Crisp air, crunchy leaves, football games, pumpkins, apples, sweaters….I LOVE it ALL!!!)

How are the Math flash cards coming along?  Remember you don’t have return them for a few months!  I want the firsties to have a good grasp of addition and subtraction facts; I want the firsties to have them at their fingertips.  Work on them at home please! 

Remember that Take Home Story bags are due tomorrow!  Thank you for helping your kiddo remember! 

Did you see the message from Mrs. Friebe?  We have a possible lice outbreak.  Please check over your kiddos!  Thank you!

Blessings on the rest of your evening and Friday! 

Miss Gallagher