Week 22 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who volunteered in our classroom this week! Here is the sign up for next week.
  • Scholastic book club orders are due February 28th! Scholastic is doing an amazing deal where our class gets 100 extra points towards books for every $10 order this month.
  • Our Valentine’s Day party will be this Friday from 12:30-1:45 pm. Part of our Valentine’s celebration will include passing out cards for our classmates. To make it fun and easy for everyone to do, please follow these instructions:
    1. Have your first grader sign his/her name on each card.
    2. Please do NOT have them write who the card is for. Leaving the “to” section blank will make it easier when it comes time to pass out our cards. 
    3. Have your first grader make enough cards for all 22 students in our class. 
    4. Send the cards into school by Wednesday, February 12. 
  • Kids Heart Challenge will run until February 28th!

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to Tinley for always standing back up!

Shoe Tying Club – RJ got an award for joining the shoe tying club!

Lost Tooth Club – Emma got an award for joining the lost tooth club!

Birthdays – This week we celebrated Tinley’s birthday and Emma and Alyssa’s half birthdays!

Mystery Reader – This week Tinley’s grandma surprised us as a mystery reader. She read That’s My Cake, a special book about Tinley and her sister.

 

OUR LEARNING:

Reading –  Students were assigned new reading partners this week! They enjoyed reading with their new reading partners. We learned that reading partners work together to solve hard words.

Writing – Students published their book reviews and began sharing them with the class on Friday. Students will continue sharing this week!

Math – Students worked so hard on our Unit 4 math test! These will come home this week. On Tuesday, we will begin new math rotations with Miss Hutchison and Miss Garrison.

Word Study – Students learning that building words in just like construction! Words are built by all different word parts. First graders enjoyed exploring building new words with cubes that had word parts on them.

 

Global School Play Day – What a fun day! Students learned problem solving skills, creativity, independence.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, February 10th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Mrs. Kuiper
  • Tuesday, February 11th
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Olivia
  • Wednesday, February 12th
    • ART
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Alyssa
  • Thursday, February 13th
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Tinley
    • Celebrate Emma’s Half Birthday
  • Friday, February 14th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Lila
    • Celebrate Allison’s Half Birthday
    • Valentine’s Day Party 12:30-1:45 PM

Kids Heart Challenge

Information about Kids Heart Challenge will be coming home with students this week.  Please note that this fundraiser is for the American Heart Association, it does also helps us get P.E. Equipment for GT.  The Kids Heart Challenge Fundraiser is done ONLINE (see link below) and will be open from February 6 until February 28.

When your child joins Kids Heart Challenge (formerly Jump Rope for Heart) they will hear from kids with special hearts and raise funds to help those born with heart defects.  Students learn about taking care of their own heart through fun challenges and activities for physical, social and emotional health.

Get online and register your student today:

http://www2.heart.org/goto/georgetownhudsonville

Please note that thank-you prizes earned by students will be handed out when they come to P.E. class.  Some prizes need to be ordered when the fundraiser is over and will be delivered sometime in March.  Any money donated after Feb. 28 will not earn prizes.

Week 21 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who volunteered in our classroom this week! Here is the sign up for next week.
  • We will be celebrating Global School Play Day on Wednesday, February 5th. On February 5th, your child is invited to bring a toy or game to share and play with during part of our day that we are designating just for playing together. As you help your child decide what to bring in, please keep in mind these things:
    • 1. The toy or game needs to be school appropriate.
    • 2. It should not be an electronic gadget.

    • 3. Students will need to share what they bring in with others in our class.
    • 4. If it is a very special or expensive toy, it should probably stay at home.
    • 5. Students should be able to play the game without adult help.Toy Ideas:

      Puppets, stuffed animals, dolls, board games, puzzles, blocks, legos, cars/trucks

      Please email me if you have any questions on what is or is not allowed for play day!

CELEBRATIONS:

Mystery Reader – This week Kinsman’s mom surprised us as a mystery reader. She read Gruffalo.

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  We began a new reading unit this week. Students learned that they are the boss of their reading! This means that when they come to a hard word, it is their job to use their tools to figure it out.

Writing – Students began writing book reviews on their favorite books in their book boxes. We will be publishing these when we return from mid-winter break.

Math – Students worked on adding tens and ones together. Our test for this unit will be next Friday!

Word Study – Students worked on writing their last names this week. From this point on, students will be required to write their first and last name on every paper in first grade.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, February 3rd
    • NO SCHOOL
  • Tuesday, February 4th
    • NO SCHOOL
  • Wednesday, February 5th
    • PE
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Kashen
    • Toy Day
  • Thursday, February 6th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Carter
    • Celebrate Emma’s Half Birthday
  • Friday, February 7th
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Miyah

Week 20 Highlights!

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who volunteered in our classroom this week! Here is the sign up for next week.
  • Scholastic Book Club orders are due January 31st.
  • The annual P.E Apparel sale is officially open and will be open until January 29, 2020.   If you are interested in buying any apparel, you must order online.  The link is: https://bit.ly/30fOoh0

    Here is the design and colors available:

    Please contact Mrs.  Nienhuis or Mrs. VanKoevering if you have any questions.

    616-797-9797 ext. 7460

    tnienhui@hpseagles.net or mvankoev@hpseagles.net

    Thanks so much for your help!

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to Alyssa for always doing what is right!

Mystery Reader – This week Charles’ dad surprised us as a mystery reader. He read an Elephant and Piggie book, Let’s Go for a Drive!

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  Students continued to learn about the characters in their books. We focused on how characters change throughout stories!

Writing – Students continued writing reviews! They worked on using a persuasive tone, using comparisons, and asking questions at the beginning to hook the reader.

Math – Students solved story problems with groups of ten and worked on comparing two digit numbers.

Word Study – Students learned how to read and write contractions! To celebrate the end of our unit, we played some word games.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, January 27th
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Bryson
    • Celebrate Tinley’s Birthday
  • Tuesday, January 28th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Elise
  • Wednesday, January 29th
    • STEAM
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Charles
  • Thursday, January 30th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: RJ
  • Friday, January 31st
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Dominic
    • Early Release
    • Book Orders Due

Week 19 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Please send me your child’s winter sports schedules! I would LOVE to come and watch!
  • Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who volunteered in our classroom this week! Here is the sign up for next week.
  • Scholastic Book Club orders are due January 31st.
  • The annual P.E Apparel sale is officially open and will be open until January 29, 2020.   If you are interested in buying any apparel, you must order online.  

    The link is: https://bit.ly/30fOoh0

    Here is the design and colors available:

    2020 PE APPAREL LINK-01.jpg

    Please contact Mrs.  Nienhuis or Mrs. VanKoevering if you have any questions.

    616-797-9797 ext. 7460

    tnienhui@hpseagles.net or mvankoev@hpseagles.net

    Thanks so much for your help!

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to Olivia for being a rainbow in someone else’s cloud!

Mystery Reader – This week our class had TWO mystery readers! Mrs. Kuiper’s sister, Miss Natalie, surprised us on Thursday and RJ’s mom surprised us on Friday!

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  Students learned all about the characters in their books and studied the difference between inside traits (kind, funny, sad) and outside traits (tall, brown hair, freckles).

Writing – Students continued writing reviews, this week reviewing the best restaurant and school subject.

Math – We continued working on place value, focusing on addition with teen numbers, and doubles (2+2, 3+3) up to 10.

Word Study – Students learned new snap words with the ‘ould’ ending (could, should, would).

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, January 20th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Kinsman
  • Tuesday, January 21st
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Will
  • Wednesday, January 22nd
    • ART
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Allison
  • Thursday, January 23rd
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Emma
  • Friday, January 24th
    • MUSIC
      Star of the Day: Colton

Week 18 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Please make sure that you are sending your child with a winter jacket, snow pants, hat, mittens, and snow boots each day! Even without snow on the ground, it has been very cold outside.
  • Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who volunteered in our classroom this week! Here is the sign up for next week.
  • Scholastic Book Club orders are due January 31st.
  • See Mrs. Reagan’s blog for more information on PK/K registration for younger siblings for the 2020-2021 school year!

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to Charles for always being up for a challenge!

Birthdays – This week we celebrated Bryson and Elise’s birthdays!

Shoe Tying Club – Elise got an award for joining the shoe tying club!

 

Mystery Reader – Elise’s dad surprised us on Friday as a mystery reader. He read Mahalia Mouse Goes to College and Baby Elephant Goes to Work, a story he wrote for Elise! We loved hearing the stories!

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  Students reviewed and practiced reader’s workshop expectations, practiced doing some 5 finger retells, worked on close reading, and began setting goals with Mrs. Kuiper. Be on the lookout for goal sheets in blue folders throughout the month of January!

Writing – Students began writing reviews in our new unit. They picked the best item in their collection and persuaded their readers with an introduction, 3 reasons, details, and a conclusion.

Math – We began our math switch where students visited other 1st grade classes for individualized math instruction. This week we worked on place value and compared teen numbers with > and < signs.

Word Study – Students learned that each syllable in a word needs a vowel. This translated to writer’s workshop where students clapped to separate syllables and made sure that each one had a vowel.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, January 13th
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Kennedy
  • Tuesday, January 14th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Evelynne
  • Wednesday, January 15th
    • PE
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Jacob
  • Thursday, January 16th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Aaron
  • Friday, January 10th
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Kinsman

Week 17 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Thank you so much for the generous cards, gifts, and love! I feel incredibly thankful to have the best job in the world. Teaching your children is such a blessing. I have been enjoying my holiday break spending time with family and friends. I hope that you and your families have had time to relax and make memories together as well!
  • For our next writing unit, students will need to bring in a special shoebox on Tuesday, January 7th. A paper copy was sent home on Friday, but here is the digital copy as well: [embeddoc url=”https://emilykuiper.edublogs.org/files/2019/12/Shoebox-Collections-1.pdf&#8221; download=”all” viewer=”google” ]

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – Last week’s quote went to Allison for always choosing kindness!

Birthdays – Last week we celebrated Jacob and Carter’s birthdays and RJ’s half birthday!

Mystery Reader – Kashen’s mom surprised us on Thursday as a mystery reader! We loved hearing the story!

Holiday Party – Thank you to all of the parents who helped make our holiday party a success. We had so much fun!

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  We wrapped up our nonfiction unit in reading! Students enjoyed learning so much about the world around them by reading nonfiction texts.

Writing – Students published their nonfiction chapter books! They all worked SO hard on their books. Mrs. Kuiper is holding on to these until the end of the school year.

Math – We began an introduction to place value. Students worked on identifying numbers in the tens and ones place. When we return to school next week, students will be participating in a math switch where they will visit other 1st grade classes for individualized math instruction.

Word Study – Students learned some new snap words that we added to our word wall.

Social Studies – We traveled to Sweden, Mexico, America, and France. We learned all about holiday traditions in those countries.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, January 6th
    • School Resumes
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Olivia
    • Celebrate Bryson’s Birthday!
  • Tuesday, January 7th
    • STEAM
    • Star of the Day: Alyssa
  • Wednesday, January 8th
    • MUSIC
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: Tinley
  • Thursday, January 9th
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Lila
    • Celebrate Elise’s Birthday!
  • Friday, January 10th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Alesha

Week 16 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • Our class will be visiting the Penguin Patch holiday shop this Wednesday, December 18th. If you would like your child to shop at the holiday shop, please send his/her $ in a labeled envelop.
  • Our classroom holiday party will be on Thursday, December 19 from 12:30-1:45 pm. Parent volunteers, be on the lookout for an email from me with confirmation details!
  • Please email me your child’s winter sport scheduleso I can come cheer him/her on!

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to Evelynne for always caring for her classmates.

Mystery Reader – Charles’ mom surprised us on Thursday as a mystery reader! She read The Itchy Book. We loved hearing the story!

Holiday Program – It was such a joy to watch your children perform at the holiday program! They did amazing. Here are some class photos from the evening.

OUR LEARNING:

Reading–  We continued learning about nonfiction texts. On Friday, our 4th grade buddies came to help us with a text feature scavenger hunt!

Writing – Students continued working on nonfiction stories this week! Wow, your kids know so much about different animals, places, holidays, sports, and so much more.

Math – We wrapped up unit 3 on story problems! Students did amazing on the tests which will be sent home later this week.

Word Study – This week students learned that digraphs can come at the end of words, too!

Social Studies – This week we traveled to Australia, India, Germany, and the Netherlands. We learned all about holiday traditions in those countries.

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, December 16th
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Carter
    • Wear Green/Red Day
  • Tuesday, December 17th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Miyah
    • Holiday Hat Day
  • Wednesday, December 18th
    • STEAM
    • Penguin Patch Holiday Shop
    • Star of the Day: Dominic
    • Cozy Scarf or Socks Day
    • Celebrate Jacob’s Birthday!
  • Thursday, December 19th
    • MUSIC
    • No Star of the Day
    • Class Holiday Party
    • Pajama Day
    • Celebrate RJ’s Half Birthday!
  • Friday, December 20th
    • PE
    • No Star of the Day
    • Holiday Sweater/ Shirt Day
    • Celebrate Carter’s Birthday!
  • Monday, January 6th
    • School Resumes
    • Art
    • Star of the Day: Olivia
    • Celebrate Bryson’s Birthday!

Holiday Program

Our first graders are so excited to perform for you at our annual school holiday music program on Thursday, December 12, 2019! Here are ALL of the details you need to know about the event.

Where is the program? The holiday program is held at Fair Haven Ministries just down the road from Georgetown Elementary at the corner of Baldwin Street and 28th Ave.

Why is it held at a church?  Our elementary schools have grown so big that we need a big space to perform!  We are too big for the High School or Freshman Auditoriums.  Fair Haven seats about 1500 and graciously allows Hudsonville schools to rent their auditorium for our performances.

What time do students need to be there?
Students need to report to their assigned classroom 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM.

  • 6:30 – 7:00   K-2nd     (Students report at 6:15)
  • 7:45 – 8:15   3rd-5th   (Students report at 7:30)

It is very important not to be late so teachers have enough time to line students up in their riser orders, pass out props and make sure everyone who has a special part is accounted for. Please do not send your child to the classroom unsupervised or prior to their scheduled time.  Please keep their coats with you.

Where does my child need to go when they get to the church?
There will be signs directing you to your child’s classroom.
Below are the room assignments by grade along with a map of the rooms.

  • K and 5th – Family Life Center 
  • 1st  and 3rd –  100 Wing
  • 2nd  and 4th –  400 Wing

How long will the program be?  Each group will perform for about 30 minutes. There will be 45 minutes between the two programs for K-2nd grade students to leave and upper elementary students to arrive for the next program.

What order are the grades singing? The grades are singing in order of age: Kindergarten perform first, then 1st/2nd grade, then 3rd grade and finally 4th/5th grade.

Can we save seats earlier in the day? No. The only reserved seats will be marked off and are for the directors, students and teachers. Seating is first come first serve when the doors open.

PLEASE be respectful and courteous to other families. Everyone wants a good seat and we will do our best to fit everyone into the auditorium.  Please try to keep young children on your laps and not to take up unnecessary seats in order to leave more space for others.

Is food or drink allowed in the church? Absolutely no food or drink is allowed in the church. This is strictly enforced.

Do the students need to wear anything special? No. Most students love to dress up and will wear special holiday dresses or outfits, but there is no requirement. The exception to this is if your child has a special part. Some parts require special costumes. Many costumes are provided, but some may have to be brought from home. If your child has a special part, they should have brought home a “congratulations” letter that would say if they need to wear or bring anything special. Please note that if your child has a special part that requires a costume, they will NOT have time to change in between songs and will need to wear their costume for the entire performance.

How do students get special parts? For most parts, students audition during the school day. Sometimes simple parts are randomly chosen by pulling a class number from a jar or assigning my ipad to randomly pick a name. I also keep track of every student who has ever had a Christmas program part from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Whenever possible, I try to give parts to students who have not ever had parts or who have not had parts in the past couple years. Typically, I will have about 50-100 students audition for one part! I narrow the students down to about 20 and put those names in a bowl and draw a lucky winner. Although I would love everyone to have a part, having almost 600 students and only a handful of parts each year is very difficult. I discuss this with the students and they realize everyone cannot have a solo part, but that EVERY single person is important to the success of the program. Most songs have special props or motions that involve everyone as well.

How do we order a DVD of the performance? WCET TV records the performance each year.  They sell DVD’s for $15.

Please fill this form out and return to office.Holiday DVD Form 2019

Who do I contact if I have questions? Please email Mrs. Bretz at abretz@hpseagles.net.  This is usually the fastest way to communicate with me- especially the day or two before the program.   I am often out of my classroom during dress rehearsals so phone messages are not always able to be checked.

Week 15 Highlights

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

  • If you would like to volunteer in our classroom this week, please sign up here! We only had 1 out of 10 slots filled last week. Amazing volunteers like you help our students to grow as readers!
  • If you signed up to bring in gingerbread house supplies, please make sure to send it to school with your child by Tuesday, December 10th at the latest! That is when we will be building our gingerbread houses. Thank you so much for all of the donations we have already received.

CELEBRATIONS:

Quote of the Week – This week’s quote went to RJ for exploring the world as a reader!

Shoe Tying Club – Alesha got an award for joining the shoe tying club!

Birthdays – We celebrated Charles’ 7th birthday this week!

Mystery Reader – Colton’s grandma surprised us on Friday as a mystery reader! She read Steam Train, Dream Train and Quiet Wyatt. We loved hearing the stories!

OUR LEARNING:

Reading– This week we continued our non-fiction unit. Students worked on strategies to solve hard words in their non-fiction books.

Writing – Students learned how to make a table of contents for their books and used comparisons to describe details in their books.

Math – We worked on solving mixed addition and subtraction story problems. Look for your child’s quick quiz from Thursday in their blue folder.

Word Study – This week students learned that blends don’t just come at the beginnings of words, they can also come at the ends of words.

Social Studies – We began our Holidays Around the World unit! Students received a suitcase and passport to prepare for our adventure on Monday. This week we traveled to Greenland, Israel, and England. Be sure to ask your child what they learned!

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Monday, December 9th
    • PE
    • Star of the Day: Elise
  • Tuesday, December 10th
    • ART
    • Star of the Day: Charles
  • Wednesday, December 11th
    • STEAM
    • Library
    • Star of the Day: RJ
  • Thursday, December 12th
    • MUSIC
    • Star of the Day: Dominic
  • Friday, December 13th
    • PE
    • Early Release
    • Star of the Day: Kashen

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