Weekly Update: October 23, 2026

  

We had another great week in first grade! 

Want to hear about our week? Ask your child the following questions:

Math: 

• What numbers are missing on these number lines? 

Reading:

• Can you read the following short vowel words? 

• Can you read the following Super Words?
• he
• she
• be
• we
• Can you read A Box for Russ to me? A paper copy of this book is in your child’s Take Home Folder. Have them practice reading this story at home!

• What connections do you have to the story, Matthew and Tilly? What happened in the story?

  

Writing:

• How does a sentence begin? How does a sentence end?
• The students listened to a text about bats. Together, we responded to the prompt “Describe what you learned about bats”.  We brainstormed the important details they learned. Finally, we wrote a paragraph together that included a topic sentence, 3 important ideas and an ending sentence. We also read an adorable Scholastic News about baby bats!

THINGS TO KNOW:

READ-A-THON:

The Read-A-Thon is in full swing! Just a few reminders:

This year’s theme: Magic Tree House series

Platform: PledgeStar – Reading Minute Tracking & Fundraising 

Our school-wide goals:

• 300,000 minutes read — that's just 20 minutes a day per student!

• $20,000 raised — that's approximately $50 per students

• 300 participants 

It's the students' job to READ and the parents' job to fundraise! We recognize that fundraising looks different for every family, and that's okay!

Important Read-a-thon Dates

• Thursday, October 29: Family Reading Night from 5:30-7:00pm

• Saturday, November 21: Read-A-Thon ends (final day to log minutes and collect donations)

• Tuesday, November 24: Closing assembly at 1:30 PM

Halloween:  

On Friday, October 30 we will be doing fall-themed activities throughout the day.  Students should leave costumes and candy at home.

Toys at School:

Please refrain from sending toys to school with your child. If they have any for an after school program, please remind them to keep them in their backpacks for the entirety of the school day. Thank you!

Library Books:

We have library time every Thursday afternoon. Please help remind your child to return their books on Thursday (or any day prior!) so they are ready to check-out books.

Homework Schedule:

Background Checks:

Background checks are required for all volunteers in District 197. That includes parent volunteers who go on field trips.  To get ahead of the game, I would suggest completing the Background Check Form right now if there is any chance you may volunteer this year! Then it is done. If you completed a background check last year, you need to complete a NEW one this year! Thank you! 

Important dates:

• October 29 - Picture Retake Day

• Oct. 29 - Family Reading Night - 5:30 - 7:00

• Nov. 2 & 3  - No School - Professional Development Days for teachers. 

• Nov. 21 - Read-A-Thon ends (final day to log minutes and collect donations)

• Nov. 24 - Read-A-Thon Closing Assembly

• Nov. 25 - 27 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

PICTURE TIME!😎

Have a great weekend!