Mrs. Friend

Don't forget to check out the PTA Thursday Memo! (click here)

JANUARY 30TH

Math Night is part of this Tuesday's math homework, but is is optional! January 31st come to Walmart on Johnson's Ferry Road from 5-8 p.m.  Grade level word problems will be given for the students to practice real life spending and problem solving skills.  Zaxby's will be doing a Tritt Night that evening and giving a free kids meal for every adult entree purchased!  Join us for Math Night!

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• We will now go to the Media Center on Mondays due to a recent schedule conflict. The students did not have time to check out books on Friday, but they can TOMORROW!
• Please remember to complete the parent survey that went home a few weeks ago. It is due February 10th. Please check the Tritt website for more info.
• Tritt's Annual Family Dance Night is coming soon...February 10th. Ella and I will be there! Check the Tritt website for more info. 
• Please check the Tritt website for more information regarding: the blood drive, heroes essay, Tritt receiving the Governor's Platinum award for achievement, toy donation, teacher appreciation week and more!
• Congrats to our very own Maddox Schneider! He placed in first grade for the bullying poster contest. Way to go Maddy!
• Our very first field trip is coming soon....February 9th we will go to the Ferst Theater to see a production of Henry and Mudge. No parent volunteers are needed for this trip since we have Mrs. Thomas. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• generate ideas and draft a story independently.
• revise and edit their writing for details, closure, capitals in the correct place, and periods in the correct place. 
• type a story in computer lab about Groundhogs Day. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction. 
• identify details/facts from nonfiction books. 
• read about our new American hero, Harriet Tubman. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with blends: qu, tw, k, and wh.
• complete sentences with the correct subject/verb agreement. 

CONTENT: The students will...

• review the location of the continents and oceans. 
• be assessed on continents and oceans. 
• begin our health unit on muscles. 

MATH: The students will...

• count bills to $20.00 and make fair trades. 
• begin our unit on fractions.
• identify and show equal shares, halves, and fourths. 
• continue to practice subtraction facts. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP AT HOME?

As you know Mouse made it home, and we learned about each continent while he was on his adventure. The students will be assessed on continents and oceans later this week. This unit can be difficult for some students especially locating the five oceans: Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern. Please review with you child. Below are come websites that might help. Thanks for your continued support!

Name the Continents

World Continents and Oceans

Continents and Oceans (no need to worry about Oceania)

Download Label_Continents

JANUARY 23RD

It's hard to believe that Friday will be the 100th day of school! WOW! There will be a special 100th day of school homework project in your child's homework folder. Make sure you read the front and back side of the letter. We cannot wait to celebrate!

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• This week is bully awareness week. I encourage students to participate in the bully poster contest. This a great opportunity to discuss bullying with your child. 
• Please return the report card envelope and signature card as soon as possible. 
• If your child has a case of head lice, please contact me as soon as possible so I can put forth preventative measures in the classroom and prevent the head lice from spreading to other students. 
• PARENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SURVEY: All parents will be received a Parent School Improvement Survey in their child's book bag.  It may returned anonymously to Tritt in the envelope provided (there will be a drop off location in the front lobby) or you may take a few minutes, respond to the survey which can be found at this link: http://www.cobbk12.org/sisurvey .  Please return all surveys by February 10, 2012.
• Heroes Essays are DUE February 9th. This project is optional. 
• Pizza Night has been rescheduled to this Tuesday. 
• Please check out the Tritt website for more information and upcoming events! Click here

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• use synonyms in their writing. 
• use voice in their writing.
• edit and revise for details, capitals, and periods. 
• continue to write by maintaining a focus, including a beginning, middle, end, and closure. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• sort, compare, and contrast fictional text and nonfiction text. 
• read "just right" nonfiction books. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify and brainstorm synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (opposites). 
• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with blends: br, dr, pr, and tr. 

CONTENT: The students will...

• continue to learn about and locate the continents and oceans through Mouse's adventures. 
• learn our global address from our continent to our city in order to bring Mouse back to Tritt. (where we live)

MATH: The students will...

• practice subtraction facts through fun games. 
• continue to count coins to $1.00 and make fair trades. 
• do various fun activities with the number 100!

WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?

Please, please, please continue to work on math facts to 18. Some students are having difficulty with subtraction. Please refer to the Math Magician website (click here) or check out this fun game (click here). Thanks SO much for your continued support at home. We really appreciate it!!!

JANUARY 17TH

Hope you enjoyed the three day weekend! Just some important information...due to schedule conflicts we will NOT begin our nonfiction unit this week. You are welcome to SKIP this Thursday's reading assignment in the homework calendar if you would like. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• There are several voluntary projects going on right now: the Bullying poster contest and the Heroes Essay contest. Forms will go home soon. I encourage ALL students to participate in at least ONE of the projects!
• THIS Tuesday is Papa Johns pizza night. Hmmm..I wonder if we can WIN? 
• Remember we will go to the Media Center on Friday this week!
• We will be rewarding the students if they met the class average of 16 on their December monthly behavior sheet. That includes almost everyone. 
• Please return the signature card signed and unsealed report card envelope as soon as possible. Also, please let me know if  you have any questions or concerns.
• Just a reminder, the Tritt's Got Talent Show is THIS Thursday at 6:30 (note the time change) at Pope High School Theater. Admission is FREE!
• Marked your calendars...our annual Wal-mart Math Night will be on January 31st. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• finish incomplete writing assignments.
• continue to select topics to write about and maintain a specific focus.
• include details and/or synonyms in their writing. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• make text to text connections to stories read aloud.
• compare and contrast two like stories. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with blends: fr, cr, gr, gl, and cl. 
• identify and brainstorm synonyms (words with similar meanings).

CONTENT: The students will...

• try to find our missing Mouse!
• follow clues left in letters from Mouse and use a map to locate which continent he is visiting. 

MATH: The students will...

• count coins up to $1.00. 
• make fair trades.
• practice addition and subtraction facts. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP AT HOME?

Practice and/or review coins. This website is great and will guide your child through different games depending on how well they do... click here. 

JANUARY 10TH

WELCOME BACK! We look forward to a wonderful 2012! As we ease our way back into learning, HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• Report cards will go home Friday. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. 
• A new homework calendar will begin on Tuesday. 
• We will add up PAW stamps and WOWs for the month of December. We may use the class average instead of each child's individual goal for our class reward. December was very busy, and several students did not meet their goal. 
• Look for the January calendar in the back of your child's folder on Tuesday. 
• Just a reminder, Monday, January 16th is MLK day and the students do not have school. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• focus in on one detail of a specific event or object. 
• use sensory details and descriptive words in their writing. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• review main idea and details of a fictional story. 
• retell details of a nonfiction story about Martin Luther King, Jr. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify and spell words in plural form by adding -s or -es to the end. 
• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with l blends: sl, bl, pl and fl. 

CONTENT: The students will...

• begin our unit on continents and oceans. 
• identify the names of the continents and oceans through a fun song. 

MATH: The students will...

• represent numbers to 100. 
• count coins to a $1.00 and purchase items. 
• work on addition and subtraction to 18. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP AT HOME?

READ, READ, READ! Your child benefits greatly from reading everyday! Whether it is five minutes or five hours, every little bit helps improve their love for reading and reading ability. Find what topics, characters, or genres of books your child LOVES. Check them out of the library or buy the books. Investing in your child's lifeskill of reading is something you will never regret! And remember, your child can learn A LOT from listening to you read aloud as well! As Thomas Jefferson once said, "I cannot live without books." TOGETHER we hope to instill that in your child!

DECEMBER 19TH

Happy last week before winter break, and it will be a busy one! We are just hoping to contain all the excitement over the approaching holidays. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• Homework this week is a geometry show and tell project. Please look for the form in your child's homework folder. Please follow the directions on the calendar. 
• Our holiday party is Wednesday. We look forward to seeing our wonderful volunteers at 11:30!
• Thursday is a school-wide pajama day. Your child can wear school appropriate pajamas and shoes. Feel free to pack a change of clothes if you think your child will want to change.
• A very specials thanks to all of you for a wonderful first half of the year. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• write an I Love... pattern book.
• write a holiday wish for this Thursday's Holiday Sing. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• listen to several holiday stories and create some crafty creations.
• make connections to stories read aloud. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• be assessed in spelling.

CONTENT: The students will...

• complete our unit on nutrition. 
• learn about the food plate (click here)
• be assessed on nutrition and the food groups. 

MATH: The students will...

• pose questions, tally data, and graph data.
• create a graph in the computer lab using the Graph Club program. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?

Have a wonderful break with your precious first grader! Take time to play and enjoy quality time together. 

STORIES ONLINE

DECEMBER 12TH

Thanks again for a wonderful birthday. The homemade cards were precious, the brownies were delicious, and the Target gift card is burning a hole in my pocket. Time to shop! Thanks a million for everything!

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• This week first grade will take a county developed checkpoint test in language arts and math. Please have your child to school on time Monday and Tuesday. The test will assess students on standards we have taught already and standards we will teach by the end of the school year. 
• Please remember to send your child to school with a small HEALTHY snack. 
• We will go to the library on FRIDAY! Remember those books!
• Our holiday party is Wednesday, December 21st. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers! We cannot wait to party!
• Thursday, December 22nd is a school-wide pajama day. Make sure your child wears appropriate shoes. 
• IMPORTANT! For Wednesday night's homework, students should complete the worksheet on capitalizing sentences and adding periods. They MUST rewrite the sentences. Please SKIP the assignment that is on the calendar for Wednesday. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• write a patterned book.
• write with correct capitalization and punctuation. 
• write about a topic of choice. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• make text to self and text to text connections to stories read aloud by the teacher. 
• retell details of a fictional story. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with s blends: sc, sn, and sw. 
  
• use a dictionary and look up words beginning with each s blend  

CONTENT: The students will...

• identify, describe, and create landforms: coast, deserts, plains, plateau, mountains, and valley. 

MATH: The students will...

• review, learn, and apply addition and subtraction strategies. 
• work on graphing data by: posing questions, sorting, tallying, graphing, and interpreting the data. 

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP AT HOME!

Please continue to work on those math facts. Please have your child practice by visiting this fun website: click here. 

DECEMBER 5TH

We had a great week back with the students. They were excited to be back, but worked hard! We look forward to three more weeks of learning. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• Wednesday is the LAST day to place a book order with Scholsatic. Click here to visit the website. You have to register and enter this activation code: HM3PY
• The lost and found will be donated on December 19th. It is astounding how many lost items are there. If your child has lost anything, please have them check the lost and found soon!
• Continue to send  your child to school in a warm coat so they can enjoy recess. 
• Monday is Chick-fil-a Night. I will not make it this time, but you can still come out and enjoy a delicious dinner that supports our school! Kids get FREE ice cream!
• Tritt's Got Talent Show is coming up soon. Check out the Tritt website for details. 
• Please consider donating to two great causes this season. There are several families Tritt is sponsoring and in need of specific items for the holidays. Check out the bulletin board by the office if you would like to help. Also, Tritt is accepting donations for our custodian and cafeteria staff for the holidays. A huge thanks to those that have donated already. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• will write a personal narrative on their favorite holiday. 
• include a beginning, middle, end, and closure. 
• include capital letters and periods in the correct place. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• review main idea and retelling details from the beginning, middle, and end of a fictional story read aloud. 
• be assessed on main idea and beginning, middle, and end. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning with s blends: sp, sk, and sm. 
  
• be introduced to a dictionary and will look up s blend words. 

CONTENT: The students will...

• review the character traits and contributions of Thomas Jefferson, Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark. 
• take an assessment on our famous American heroes. 
• begin our unit on landforms. 

MATH: The students will...

• create, compare, and contrast 3D shapes. 
• identify and locate 3D shapes in our enviroment. 
• identify and act out positional words. 
• take an assessment on geomerty and postional words. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP AT HOME?

Student must write with capital letters and periods in the correct place. This is often difficult for first graders to do AS they write. PLEASE have your child edit their work. They should locate every uppercase letter and determine if it is in the correct place. They should correct the mistake. Your child should do the same with periods. 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT...

Winter break will be here before we know it! Cobb County's break is December 23rd-January 9th. Mrs. Thomas and I would like to know if your first grader will be attending school now through the 22nd or if your child will be absent. Please leave a comment if your child WILL BE ABSENT any days this month, Please list the dates. We have several end of the quarter assessments to adminster and do not want your child to miss out or have to retain the information until after break. Thanks so much!

NOVEMBER 28TH

WELCOME back to early wake-ups, routine, structure, and learning. We hope you had a great week off. We were SO thankful to spend quality time with our family!

HERE'S WHAT YOU OUTTA KNOW...

• Remember you can purchase great books for amazing prices! Click here. You will need to register and use this activation code: HM3PY. If you plan to give the books as gifts, I can arrange with you to pick them up at school. 
• A few parents requested a book wish list because they wanted to donate books to the class. You can locate a wish list on the Scholastic book order website as well. You must register and login first. 
• Also, I created another wish list on Amazon if that is more convenient. Click here. 
• December homework will start on Monday, and we will count our PAW and WOW stamps on the November calendar as well. 
• Remember to check the lost and found and visit the Tritt website and PTA Thursday memo website for up to date, important information!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LEARNING...

WRITER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• be introduced to and use a writing/editing checklist.
• write a personal narrative story on a topic of choice. 
• write a beginning, middle, end, and closure. 
• edit and revise their story. 

READER'S WORKSHOP: The students will...

• retell the details of a fictional story and sort the details into the beginning, middle, and end. 
• take an assessment on retelling a story read aloud by the teacher. 

WORD WORK: The students will...

• identify, sort, spell, and brainstorm words beginning s, t, and the blend st. 
  
• edit sentences for correct uppercase letter at the beginning and periods at the end. 
• write sentences with correct uppercase letters and punctuation. 

CONTENT: The students will...

• continue to learn about the American hero, Thomas Jefferson including his contributions and character traits.
• rotate to each first grade teacher and learn about the contributions and character traits of William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, and Sacajawea. 

MATH: The students will...

• begin our unit on geometry.
• practice addition and subtraction strategies and discover how addition and subtraction are related.
• represent numbers to 100. 
• sequence the days of the week and months of the year.

HOW CAN YOU HELP FROM HOME?

PLEASE continue to work on addition and subtraction facts to 12. Remember the students must be fluent by the end of the quarter. They need all the practice they can get! Please visit the math magician website for online practice.