What's Happening in First Grade?

Ask your child the following questions to review what we learned last week!

Writing:

What do you know about poetry?

Reading:

What are compound words?
Can you name the following compound words?

Vocabulary:

What do you know about the words prey, bad-tempered, ridiculous, and surroundings?

Math:

How much money do you see?

Things to Know:

Spring fun is here! As the weather gets warmer, I would LOVE to take as many opportunities as possible to get the kids outside. If you have a beach towel available that you'd be willing to let your child keep in his/her locker until the remainder of the year, it would make a great sitting spot for picnic lunches, reading outside, or any other lesson we might bring outside. :-)

Parent Input Form for Class Considerations:

*Please see the following from Mrs. Huettl

It's that time of year when schools start planning the "master schedule" (who teaches what grade/subject and when) as well as putting class lists together for the following school year. Let me start by saying that as parents you do not need to do anything regarding this process. If your child is currently enrolled at Somerset, he/she will be assigned to a class for the 2021-22 school year. That being said, we are a team, and if there is information you would like us to consider we want to give you that opportunity.

Your input regarding your child is always welcome. Should you desire to provide additional input, please complete this OPTIONAL form by Friday, May 14. Please do not feel obligated to complete this form or send me an email about your child's learning style or preferences. Rest assured that EVERY child matters, and every child's information physically passes through my hands and is carefully considered by our team throughout the process.

Teacher assignments will be announced in mid-late August.

Walk to School Day-Wednesday, May 5:

Wednesday, May 5 is National Walk to School Day! We have partnered with our district Transportation Department to organize a way for our students to “walk to school” on Wednesday morning, May 5.

All school busses will complete their normal routes, and then drop students off at the bike path on the corner of Brookside Lane and Laura St. (behind the school). Somerset staff will line the bike path to chaperone students as they walk up the bike path to the school, entering at the rear recess doors.

If your child is typically dropped off in the morning, you may still use the parking lot to drop your child off. If you would like to participate in the walk to school, we ask that you drop your child off on Laura Ct. (off of Sylvandale Rd.). The walking path is at the end of Laura St. as it turns into Laura Ct. We will have staff available to chaperone walkers from this side of the path starting at the bridge over the creek. Please stay away from the intersection of 1st Ave. and Laura St. as this is the path our busses will be taking.

Questions? Feel free to contact Libby Huettl, libby.huettl@isd197.org

Animals 2x2: For our final science unit, we will be learning about the life cycles of animals! We will also be comparing and contrasting two species each week. We are fortunate to have been able to partner with a farm in Owatonna for the past few years. We usually hatch only chicks in first grade, but our friend Farmer Bailey wanted us to have an extra exciting science unit this year. She also had ducks and turkeys lay eggs for the first time this year and she was kind enough to share them with us! We kicked off the unit TODAY by incubating 12 chicken eggs, 12 duck eggs, and 9 turkey eggs- WOW!

Week of April 26: Frogs vs Toads & incubate eggs
Week of May 3: Ladybugs vs Beetles
Week of May 10: Chicks vs. Ducks
Week of May 17: Chicks Hatch! & All about Turkeys
Week of May 24: Ducks and Turkeys Hatch!
May 28th: Animals return to Farmer Bailey

Somerset E-News: For some reason, the E-News can default to the spam folder of an email address. This email is sent out every Friday afternoon and contains information about special events and things to know. You can find the latest E-News HERE. If you haven't been receiving it, check that spam folder!

Skip-Counting: Don't forget to encourage your child to practice skip counting! We've been singing songs and dancing to skip counting all week. Want to support your child in skip-counting at home? Try some of these ideas!