Ms. Heineberg's class at Toca da Raposa

Biologist Demis took us for a hike in Mata Atantica. He teaches one student about a plant feature and then has that student teach the rest of the group. It was amazing!

Breakfast!

Learning About Plants

First graders are learning that  all living things have life cycles. They are also learning about each part of the plant and its job or function.

Today we read Sunflower Life Cycle and observed an actual sunflower. Students were able to see the stem, leaves, buds and even some nectar in the flower!

Field Trip Tomorrow

Hi Parents,

Here are a few reminders for tomorrow's field trip. 

• Students should not bring backpacks or water bottles to school on the day of the field trip.They may bring a hat or cap, free hands please.
• Please apply sunblock and/or insect repellent before they leave the house in the morning. 
• Please wear old and comfortable clothes and shoes. Long pants are recommended due to the hike in the Mata Atlantica and the flour slide.
• Students should arrive at 7:15 am at the student center and meet their teachers there. They should not go down to the classrooms! We will be boarding the buses at 7:20am and the buses will leave the school at 7:30 am. 
• We plan on arriving back at school around 2:20. Dismissal will be at regular time, 3:05.

Regards,

The First Grade Team

Lower School Update - February 26, 2018

Family Movie Night

Mark your calendars, our next Family Movie Night will take place on Friday, March 9. Food and drinks will be sold at 5:00 pm, the movie start at 6:00 pm on the field. As we will be sitting on the field, please bring a blanket to sit on and warm clothes if the weather is cool. Also, just a reminder that there is no food or drink permitted on the field. An RSVP email will be sent out this week for families to confirm attendance.

The Eagle Way

The Eagle Way has joined after school activities! During the first semester of this school year, you and your children hopefully noticed our division-wide emphasis on The Eagle Way. A natural progression in the growth and development of The Eagle Way happened last week when Athletics Director Rob Switzer, Mr. Boisjoli, and Ms. Beckley met in person with our after school activity leaders to introduce them the The Eagle Way and to Graded’s Child Protection Handbook. Your child’s well being at school is one of the most important things we take care of and we are working to make sure it extends to all parts of his/her day.  

Congratulations to this week’s “Golden G” class winners who were recognized at this morning’s Nest assembly for working together and following The Eagle Way: Phelane’s Pre-primary class and Ms. Ziegert’s 2nd Grade class

Grandparents and Special Friends

During our next round of Learning Community assemblies we are extending the invitation to more members of the community. We encourage grandparents who live in Sao Paulo (or are visiting) to join us. If your child’s grandparent is not here, or unable to attend, we welcome you to invite any other relatives or friends to visit. Of course, parents are always welcome as well! After the assembly, all guests will have the opportunity to stop by the classroom for a short activity. We look forward to many visitors to share our learning with!

Celebration of the World

Our annual celebration of the different cultures at Graded is coming in April. It is always an enjoyable day of culture, food, and fun. Please mark your calendars!

Upcoming Important Dates

Feb 27	- 1st Grade Field Trip: Toca da Raposa - Parent Coffee (8:30 am Auditorium)
March 6	PTA Board Meeting (1:00 pm Room E12)
March 9	- LS Community A Assembly (8:15 am Auditorium) - Family Movie Night (Food and Drinks 5:00 pm Student Center, Movie on Field 6:00 pm)
March 13	PTA Book Club (1:00 pm Room E12)
March 16	LS Community B Assembly (8:15 am Auditorium)
March 19/20/21	3rd Grade Field Trip: Republica do Lago
March 20	- 2nd Grade Field Trip: Toca da Raposa - Parent Coffee (8:30 am Auditorium)
March 21	Half day of classes (students dismissed at 11:30am)
March 22	4th Grade Trip To Santos
March 23	LS Community C Assembly (8:15 am Auditorium)
March 24	Graded Run Against Cancer
March 30	No School: Good Friday
April 3, 4, 5	Student Led Conferences (half day of classes, students dismissed at 11:30 am)
April 7	Celebration of the World
April 10	PTA Book Club (1:00 pm Room E12)
April 13	LS Community D Assembly (8:15 am Auditorium)

Around the Lower School

Ms. England's Class Spelling

In spelling this year we've been identifying our spelling patterns and practicing our spelling words. Now that we have the hang of sorting our words by patterns we've begun taking quizzes at the end of the week to check for two of our understandings. First, that we know how to spell our words, and secondly, that we can identify in which spelling patterns our words belong. This is reflected in the marking of our assessment. Ms. England checks to see if we spell the word correctly and if we have the word under the correct header. As the sorts become trickier, you might notice we have an oddball header that can be shown with the word 'oddball' or with a '?' Turns out in the English language a LOT of words don't fit into their sound pattern. The words that fall into the oddball header are some of those tricky words that like to break the rules.

Above is an example of what an assessment looks like if the person really know her stuff! She spelled all the words correctly and was able to sort the 'ch' words into the 'ch' column, the 'sh' words into the 'sh' column, and so on. This person can hear the difference between the 'ch' and 'sh', and between the 'th' and 'd' sounds!

Above is an example of an assessment where the person is not as confident in the spelling patterns.You can see that Ms. England drew arrows to show where two of the words should have been in different columns. Also, she circled the areas where the person made a mistake in spelling the words. However, she did underline and put a check above where the person spelled the part of the word with the pattern correctly. 

This person will get more chances to practice, and Ms. England will continue to work with her on these patterns. 

The assessments are only used as a guide for Ms. England to check and see if we really understand our spelling patterns. When she sends them home you can see how hard we've been working, and you'll know the spelling patterns we've been studying in class. However, please remember that we are in different "just right" groups for us, so not everyone has the same spelling patterns. If you have any questions Ms. England will be happy to speak with you. 

Eva Furnari e o mundo das rimas.

Este mês, nas aulas de Português, estamos nos dedicando ao projeto “Não Confunda”, tendo como mentora a autora Eva Furnari. Neste projeto, além de conhecer melhor a autora, sua obra e seu estilo de escrita, também  fazemos um intenso trabalho de análise e reflexão sobre a língua, a partir das rimas.

A rima propicia, através de brincadeiras, a possibilidade de análise da relação entre as partes sonoras na escrita de diferentes palavras.

Este tipo de análise é fundamental para que as crianças avancem na conceitualização da escrita.
Para perceber essas semelhanças, a criança é inserida neste contexto por situações de oralidade e, depois, por meio da leitura e da escrita. Leituras, brincadeiras e jogos nutrem o repertório das crianças que podem expandir seu vocabulário e, consequentemente, oferecer a base para que passem a pensar a respeito de novas rimas e sobre a escrita convencional de novas palavras.

Com isso, em aula, lemos textos de diversos gêneros que contenham rimas, como poemas, parlendas, cantigas, contos ou mesmo títulos inteiramente dedicados a elas, como os livros “Não Confunda”, “Você troca”, e “Assim Assado”, de Eva Furnari.

Além de nos propiciar esta reflexão, as obras desta autora nos permitem um momento de diversão pela observação de suas ilustrações e pela maneira como ela brinca com as palavras.

Caso queiram saber mais sobre a autora e sua obra, vale a pena visitar o site www.evafurnari.com.br

Em casa, além de explorar o site e ler outras obras da autora, sugerimos, também, que vocês brinquem de rimas em português. Vocês podem ouvir músicas e tentar descobrir rimas, pensar em palavras que rimam com objetos que estão a sua volta, inventar músicas e poemas, encontrar o maior número possível de rimas em livros que as crianças consigam ler, etc.  Essas brincadeiras, além de contribuírem para o desenvolvimento da linguagem oral, da leitura e da escrita de seus filhos, também renderão boas risadas. Bom divertimento!

Curriculum Update: What's going on in First Grade

Literacy: In Reader’s Workshop students are working on building their fluency and comprehension skills. During Writer’s Workshop students continue to work on opinion writing and convincing their readers to take their opinions.

Math: We will continue to develop automaticity with basic addition and subtraction. Strategies such as doubles, doubles plus one, and doubles plus two will be reviewed. As we move into unit 6, we will also review coin values, measurements, and time.

Social Studies: Students are continuing to learn about the community helpers at school and how they are important. Also they are working on more ways they can be helpful at school.

Science: Students are learning about the life cycle of a plant and about the parts and jobs of the plant. Students will be able to apply their knowledge during a hike through Mata Atlantica at Toca da Raposa.

Portuguese PLA:  Continuamos nosso estudo de rimas a partir dos livros da autora Eva Furnari. Nosso foco a partir de agora serão as rimas compostas por um substantivo e um adjetivo, como em "Não confunda picolé salgado com jacaré mimado".

Portuguese PAL: Students were excited writing and sharing about what they did on the Carnaval break. For the next weeks, we will dive into the book “Não Confunda” by Eva Furnari, work with rhyming words and make new rhymes.