March 7, 2008

Dear first grade families,

Once upon a time there was a class of first graders that attended ASB School….As you can see fairy tales and their features are everywhere. The children have spent the last few weeks reading, examining and discussing fairy tales. The characters were “interviewed” and we discovered where they lived and what they liked to do. Who do you think lives in a house made of bricks? Can you guess who likes to clean with the animals and 7 dwarfs? Who likes running away from animals that try to eat them?

We will head into spring with Lent and Easter being our focus. The first graders are making a Stations of the Cross prayer book. As each station is introduced the children learn about the journey of Jesus as He showed His love for us.

Listening and following directions is a critical part of the first grade day. As teachers, we find that sometimes the children listen to the first part of the directions and then don’t attend to anything else. We ask the children to restate the directions before they get started. We encourage you to give your child directions that have multiple parts. We are working on this in the classroom, with the children individually and in the large group setting.

Along with verbal directions, the children are also expected to follow simple written directions. Directions and phrases your child should become familiar with are:

v color

v draw a line under

v draw a line to

v match

v find something

v complete the

v underline

v circle

The first grade has 3 field trips scheduled for the spring.

Frye Art Museum

1B: Tuesday, April 1^st morning

1A: Wednesday, April 2^nd morning

Camp Long Pond Investigation

1A: Tuesday, May 6^th morning

1B: Thursday, May 8^th morning

Center for Wooden Boats

1B: Wednesday, May 28^th afternoon

1A: Thursday, May 29^th morning

Super Stars: Ellie S. and Jane

Reminder: Please do not drop off your student before 8:20 AM. Students who arrive earlier will go to Extended Care.