Happy Halloween!

On Monday Goethe School will celebrate Halloween! The assembly for first grade is from 9:05-10:05 AM, and the parade is from 10:05-10:25 AM. Our class party will be in the afternoon from 1:30-2:20 PM. I would welcome one or two parent volunteers for the party!

The students may bring Halloween treats to share with the class. There are 16 students in our class, so if you bring something please make sure there is enough for everyone. All students should bring a bag to collect treats (if you do not have a special treat bag, a regular grocery bag is fine).

Have a wonderful weekend and a happy Halloween!

Writer's Workshop Celebration

Tomorrow is our writing workshop celebration! The wonderful authors of room 404 have finished their first published stories, and we are eager to share them! Family and friends are invited to come to our classroom at 1:40 PM tomorrow to read our stories and enjoy some refreshments.

Please remember to sign in at the security desk before coming to our room. If you arrive early, please wait at the security desk until 1:40 PM when our student messengers will come to invite you in.

Thank you and I hope to see some of you tomorrow at 1:40 PM!

Field Trip Chaperones

We are in need of 2 more parent chaperones for our field trip to Wagner Farm this Thursday! Chaperones ride in the bus with us and are admitted to the farm for free. Please contact me if you are available to join us!

If you have not yet brought in your money or permission slip, please do so right away. I need to know final numbers so we can make alternate arrangements for students who cannot come. I am really hoping that everyone will be able to participate!

Goethe's New Wiki Space

In case you missed it in the newsletter this week, Ms. Simensen in the technology lab has created a Wiki Space for parents, teachers, and students to communicate. The site will be used for general communication for the entire Goethe community until the new Goethe website is created.

http://goethetech.wikispaces.com

Reminders and Upcoming Events

A lot of exciting things are coming up, so I wanted to post this bulletin with some reminders and some new information!

Progress Reports

Please sign and return the bottom part of the form so that I know you read it. If you would like to meet with me to discuss your child’s mid-term grades, please email or call me to make an appointment.

Field Trip

Please fill out the field trip permission form (sent home Wednesday) and return by Friday. Please also bring $14 for the field trip. If you have family circumstances that prevent you from being able to pay, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss options. All students must be present at school that day at the usual time (8:40 AM).

Field Trip Chaperones

Three parent chaperones may come on the field trip with us for free. Please contact me right away if you are able to volunteer!

Writing Workshop Celebration

We are almost finished our first writing unit, and we will be ready to publish and celebrate next week! Family and friends are welcome to join us for our author’s circle and refreshments on Wednesday, October 19^th at 1:40 PM!

Fall Festival

Come celebrate the fall season at Goethe School this Saturday from 11 AM to 3 PM. I will be manning the photo booth and would love to see you all there!

Progress Reports

Today the first grade teachers sent home progress reports for the first quarter. As you look at your child’s grades and discuss them with him or her, please keep in mind the meaning of each letter grade.

• A means that your child’s work is consistently exceptional. Unlike in the past, A’s will not be given to very many students. We are trying to set the proper expectations now so that there is not such a big change when the students get to second or third grade. It is a common misconception that anything less than an A means a child either has not been working hard or is doing poorly in school. This is not necessarily the case. 

• B means that your child’s work is usually excellent. This is work that exceeds the standards.

• C means that your child is meeting the standards, but is making some errors.

• D means that the student is behind the average group. Please make sure to spend extra time working with him or her at home in these areas.

This understanding of letter grades will be particularly true for writing, as you can see on the writing rubrics that are also being sent home today.

Some of the assignments given in reading are completed with partners or with teacher assistance, so the reading grades are representative of your child’s in class work rather than only his or her reading level. Please note your child’s Fountas and Pinnell reading level (sent home today) for a broader view of your child’s reading performance. I also sent home a chart to show the reading level expectations for September, February, and May, when we do our testing.

I hope this helps you to better understand your child’s progress report. I also encourage you to check the online Parent Portal to see each of your child's individual grades and the average percentage they received. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Pumpkins Everywhere!

This week we started our science unit on plants. Today we had lots of fun dissecting a pumpkin to see what is inside! We found the pulp (the thick edge part that people eat), the fibrous strands (the stringy stuff inside), the seeds, and the empty space in the middle! Then we made our own pumpkins that are now hanging in the hallway so all the other Goethe students can see what's inside a pumpkin!

Tomorrow we will split open some lima beans and record what we see!

Homework Packet

The first homework packet was sent home today! Please make sure to work with your child every night for 10 minutes of reading, 10 minutes of math, and 10 minutes of writing! The packet is always due on the last school day of the week.

Thank you!