11/11-11/15 First Grade Weekly Newsletter

Dear First Grade Families,

I hope everyone is doing well! Here’s a look at what’s coming up for the week of November 11-November 15. Please make sure to read all the important information below to avoid any questions that may already be addressed. If you missed last week’s email, you can find updates on my school blog: First Grade Blog.

As we conclude the first trimester, I want to express my immense pride and gratitude for the remarkable progress our first graders have made over these past months. As we start second trimester, I am excited to witness their continued growth and achievement I have no doubt that they will continue to excel, and achieve even greater milestones in the coming trimester.

Deadlines:

• November 8: Field Trip Slip and $27 Fee due
• November 15: Saint Plate Project (Templates & instructions sent home)

Monday, Nov. 11

No School, Happy Veterans’ Day! Enjoy the 3-day weekend with your families. Thank you to all our veterans for their incredible service to our country!

Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Vision To Learn (VTL) will give your child a chance to have their vision-tested on campus. If they FAIL the exam, your child will be fitted for a FREE pair of glasses in January 2025.

La Brea Tar Pits – Tuesday 11/19

• The student fee will be $27 to help cover the cost of the bus (Mr. Aguilar should have sent an invoice).
• A parent letter will be sent home tomorrow along with a permission slip.

1st Trimester Grades & Missing Assignments

I will be finalizing our 1st trimester grades by Wednesday, Nov. 13. If your child has any missing homework, projects or classwork that were sent home, please turn it in by Tuesday, Nov.12. After this day, I will not be accepting any late work. All grades are updated in a daily manner so parents are more aware of their child’s progress. Please check Gradelink for more updated grades.

I kindly request to avoid waiting until the end of the trimester to address any missing assignments or incomplete work. Timely submissions significantly impact my ability to finalize and accurately assess grades within the given deadlines.

Awards Ceremony

Our 1st Trimester Awards Assembly will take place in the hall on Wednesday, 11/20, starting at 8am. Grades K-4 at 8am in the Hall, and Grades 5-8 at 9am in the Hall.

Awards

I will be sending out direct emails to all families of our awardees by Monday, Nov 18. For a student to receive a Citizenship award, a student must earn A’s (Outstanding = 92-100%) on both work habits and behavior grades. Therefore, students’ daily behavior, participation, attendance, assignments, projects, ST MATH AND AR goals and work habits are IMPORTANT factors in receiving an award.

Students are not eligible for a Citizenship award each trimester if they have one of the following:

• 5 tardies
• 5 unexcused absences
• 5 unexcused early leave
• 3 conduct slips
• 3 effort slips
• 3 detentions
• ST Math and AR goals are not reached

Please know that if your child doesn’t earn Citizenship this trimester, there’s still a chance to earn it in the next two trimesters. 

Grading Scales (from 1st grade syllabus)

● O= Outstanding (93% and above)

● G= Great (85%- 92%)

● S+ = Satisfactory (80%-84%)

● S= Satisfactory (75%- 79%)

● S- = Satisfactory (74%-70%)

● NI- Needs Improvement (69% and below)

● IC= Incomplete (Excessive absences and missing assignments)

Focus of the Week:

• Math: Understand Add to and Take From Problems
• Reading: Main Idea and Details
• Word Study: l-blends (bl, pl, sl, gl, cl, fl)
• Grammar: Prepositions
• Religion: Sign of the cross, Our Father, Hail Mary
• Science: Animals

Tests

Friday

• Sight Word Test

2ndTrimester Expectations

Friday, Nov 15 is the start of our 2nd trimester. This is an exciting time, but it is also a time when our expectations grow to further our preparations for the next grade level. Here are some of the expectations that I am looking out for

1. Writing Skills

• Handwriting: Students should be able write legibly.
• Sentence Writing: Write a sentence on a given topic.
• Grammar and Mechanics: Use correct punctuation and capitalization. Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with appropriate punctuation (period, question mark, or exclamation mark). Emphasis is placed on creating complete sentences and coherent thoughts.

2. Reading and Comprehension

• Fluency: Improve reading fluency by reading aloud with accuracy and appropriate expression.
• Comprehension: Answer questions about the main idea, details, and sequence of events in a story. Students should be able to summarize a text and explain character motivations and story outcomes.

3. Math Skills

• Addition and Subtraction: Master reading word problems and using key words to add or subtract.

4. Personal and Classroom Responsibilities

• Homework Responsibility: Submit homework independently by the deadline without reminders.
• Organizational Skills: Keep personal belongings and supplies organized. Students should bring their own supplies and take responsibility for their learning materials.
• Listening and Following Directions: Actively listen during instructions and follow directions promptly
• Preparedness: Come to class prepared with all necessary materials, as well as an organized workspace.

I am encouraging all students to meet these expectations every day, and it would be helpful if you could also encourage your child to work with these expectations at home too!

Amazon Wishlist:
As we continue this exciting school year filled with learning and growth, I want to share an opportunity to enhance our classroom experience. I have created an Amazon Wishlist with items that will benefit our students’ educational journey. You may check out the link below and help replenish our classroom needs:
Amazon List

Upcoming Events:
For more details, please refer to the [school calendar here].

• November 11– VETERANS’ DAY HOLIDAY, NO SCHOOL
• November 12 – Vision to Learn on campus for screening at 8:30 am (everyone gets screened for FREE eyeglasses, except the opt-outs, form was due 10/4)
• November 14 – BMX show for all qualifying families from Chocolate Sale, End of 1st Trimester
• November 18 – Poinsettia PRESALE ends for 8th grade fundraiser (pick up on 12/6 after school or 12/8 at 8th grade bake sale at church)
• November 18 – First Grade Thanksgiving Party
• November 19 – First Grade Field Trip (La Brea Tar Pits and Museum)
• November 20 – 1st Trimester Awards Ceremony (not in the church), report cards go home K-4 at 8am and grades 5-8 at 9am in Hall (2 sessions)
• November 25-29 – Thanksgiving Holiday
• November 22 – All School Ice Skating Annual Event (8th grade fundraiser)
• November 25-29 – Thanksgiving Holiday

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you & God Bless!

Warmly,
Ms. Catbagan