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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 38

6/5-6/9

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Friday, June 9 is the last day!

Reminders for the last day of school:

  • Dismissal at Elementary is from 12:15-12:40 PM.
  • Dismissal at Middle is from 12:15-12:30 PM.
  • There is no after school care.

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Dear families and carers,

The zoo was lots of fun, and our kids impressed us with their excitement and knowledge of habitats. Next week will continue to be exciting with end of school year activities:

  • Field day is on Monday, see the next slide for more information.
  • Step-up-day on Tuesday, students will welcome the Kindergartners to the 1st grade classroom, and
  • Our rising 2nd graders will step up on and explore the 2nd grade classroom on Wednesday
  • .Thursday morning we’ll be having a breakfast party as a way to celebrate the completion of this important and eventful school year.

Click this link for the SignUp Genius.

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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Field Day Needs

  1. Sunscreen
  2. Hat
  3. Wear a bathing suit under clothes.
  4. Towel
  5. Extra set of clothing!
  6. Water shoes (closed-toe) or extra pair of shoes

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Field Day Needs

  • Sunscreen
  • Hat
  • Wear a bathing suit under clothes.
  • Towel
  • Extra set of clothing!
  • Water shoes (closed-toe) or extra pair of shoes

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Important Dates

  • Thursday, June 8th: 5th grade parade
  • Thursday, June 8th: End of the Year Breakfast Celebration
  • Friday, June 9th: 8th Graduation, early release, and last day of school!
  • Wednesday, Aug 16th: FIRST DAY of 2023-2024 School Year!

Link to Exploris 22-23 Calendar

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1st Grade Wishlist

Your generosity has given books, STEM activities, and supplies to our students and class! Thank you to all who have been so kind and generous! Amazon Wishlist

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First Grade Class Promises:

I promise to be kind.

I promise to be safe.

I promise to try my best.

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Contact Information

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Desmond

dlanclos@exploris.org

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For All Class Blogs

Please consider supporting our Exploris Food Pantry. All donations directly benefit families within our school community.

Shop from your favorite store and drop things off on campus OR shop online and have things delivered right to our door. Either way, we appreciate you and your donation!

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The Polar Group

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The Marine Group

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The Grassland Group

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The Freshwater Group

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The Desert Group

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School wide emails

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  • Send it to Deb and/or post it in chat
  • Tag it with the location/description
  • Watch for any kids on our “do not publish” list for sharing pictures
  • Deb will get it shared on Instagram, Facebook, etc!

Got a great picture to share?

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Carpool Reminders:

At Elementary carpool, please do NOT enter the line until a staff member takes your name! That way your scholar will be ready and waiting for you.

At Middle, scholars can NOT enter or exit cars on the sidewalk or street. All exits and and entrances to vehicles must be from a stopped car in the Ugly Monkey parking lot.

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Attendance

School attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s education!

We are here to support your family in any way we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out to leadership@exploris.org and/or counselor@exploris.org if you have any issues getting your scholar to school each day.

Exploris is required by state law to send attendance notification letters home when your scholar is absent for 3 days, 6 days, and 10 days (total, not necessarily consecutive!). Please know that communicating with us is the best way to help us help you!

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The Exploris School

At Exploris staff are trained in the practices of Responsive Classroom. What does this mean?

  • Partnering with families—knowing them and valuing their contributions—is as important as knowing the children we teach.
  • To learn more about Responsive Classroom please click here

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Exploris (k-8) is a nut free school

This year we have multiple students at both campus who have severe nut allergies. Please see the email message from Exploris Leadership with details and resources for ideas about what to pack instead of peanut/tree nut items.

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 1

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Dear parents and carers,

This week was short, but eventful. Our first graders reviewed procedures, made new friends, and got used to the classroom. Over the next few weeks we’ll continue to practice the class and school promises, in preparation for the serious reading and math (expedition and writing) work to come.

First grade is a very exciting year. Phonics lessons move from simple letter sounds to phonemic awareness, at which point reading fluency begins to take shape. Math concepts become more robust. Growth is immense!

We are loving our class, and excited to help them learn! Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Love,

Team 1: Daniel, Lyndsey, and Martha

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Some parents have reached out with questions about how their kids are doing in regard to learning and social emotional growth. As teachers we often refer to the book Yardsticks to help us plan for, and understand our students. Here are a few examples of typical developmental milestones.

  • At age 5 kids learn best and express thoughts through active play and hands on exploration. Lots of physical activity is needed.
  • At age 6 kids are very curious, motivated and like to take on jobs and responsibilities. They love to be outdoors. Whether to learn a game, play at recess, go on a field trip or check the weather. Criticism can be traumatic.
  • At age 7. Muscles are sometimes tense, but coordination improves for fine and gross motor skills. 7 year olds need support for sustained and quiet work periods, and they work well in discovery centers.

Email mparkerson@exploris.org to borrow a school copy.

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Play Based Learning

We love Exploris for many reasons, but teachers especially love that instead of a canned curriculum, we use research based practices to guide instruction. Aligning best practices, and adherence to the North Carolina standards give children an educational experience that allows them to grow into thoughtful, well- rounded, and engaged learners.

Play Based Learning What it Is and Why It Should Be Part Of Every Classroom

Time to Play: Recognizing the Benefits of Recess

*We couldn’t help but notice that 2nd article mentions Japan where we have our sister school Shinonome at Hiroshima. In Japan, students receive 5-10 minutes of play for every hour of learning. The Japanese understand the importance of play for children, which is a factor often minimized by American education.

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 2

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Dear parents and carers,

We have had a busy and exciting week 2. Students have been exploring their learning environment, practicing alphabetical and number order, and counting using tallies and tens frames. Our handwriting time has been helpful in giving us confidence for writing bigger words. In Expedition, we’ve been learning about and practicing kindness.

One of the best things about Exploris is that we spend a lot of time active and outside. Please be sure to send scholars with a refillable water bottle and 2 snacks so that they are hydrated, nourished, and ready to learn.

Have a great weekend!

Team 1

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Dear parents and carers,

What a great week! We’re having so much fun in learning; playing games using tens frames, writing and sharing about our favorite things, and practicing our reading fluency with the poem Taxi Cat! Make sure to ask your student about the book, Wordy Birdy, too. It’s become a new class favorite.

We’ve added a reminders slide this week in the hope that it’ll prepare everyone for school next week.

Have a great long weekend! Love,

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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Elementary Curriculum Night is Thursday!

  • 4:30: Grade-levels provide an online Google Meet presentation
  • 5:15: Grade-levels provide an in-person classroom presentation
  • EC, Student Support, Global Arts and Admin available in movement space from 4:45 to 5:15

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Schedule

Morning Meeting

ELA

Snack/Recess

Extension/Intervention

Math

Lunch

Quiet time

Expedition/Read Aloud

Global Arts

Recess

Dismissal

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From Our Counseling Team:

Welcome Back Families! We wanted to take a moment to introduce our team and let you know what services we provide. Please click on the link below to find out more.

Have questions: email counselor@exploris.org

Counseling Team

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 4

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Carpool and Late Arrival Reminders!

  • Caregivers, please help us be friendly neighbors and refrain from idling in front of nearby driveways during carpool.
  • When parking on Swain St., only use the side closest to campus. Parking on the other side of the street causes delays, congestion and accidents.
  • When arriving after carpool, check your student in at the front office. If going to the K-2 building, please say goodbye at the entrance and do your best not to walk into the building.

Thanks for your partnership and support! -Ethan

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Dear parents and carers,

So many fun things going are on at Exploris! Tomorrow is the elementary school’s clean up day, and orders have begun for spirit wear. Picture day has been scheduled, and Hot lunch has been a hit (as of now only Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays). Make sure to order by noon the day before to ensure your child gets a hot lunch.

We have completed mclass testing and are moving onto the NCENSI math assessment. Results of testing will be shared at parent/teacher conferences. We will use the data collected to instruct, and will need time to work with students before we can share an overall picture of your child’s learning.

Towels are in backpacks for cleaning. Please re-send them on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 5

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Dear parents and carers,

So many fun things going are on at Exploris! Tomorrow is the elementary school’s clean up day, and orders have begun for spirit wear. Picture day has been scheduled, and Hot lunch has been a hit (as of now only Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays). Make sure to order by noon the day before to ensure your child gets a hot lunch.

We have completed mclass testing and are moving onto the NCENSI math assessment. Results of testing will be shared at parent/teacher conferences. We will use the data collected to instruct, and will need time to work with students before we can share an overall picture of your child’s learning.

Towels are in backpacks for cleaning. Please re-send them on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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September 19th- 22nd All Grades!

Each year, thousands of schools and youth organizations nationwide participate in the call-to-action week to celebrate the importance of Trusted Adults and Upstanders in their community.

The Counseling Team will be working with students to plan activities for the week. We will communicate with teams about ideas for each day very soon. For more information on the type of activities we have planned click here

Information Guide for Families

Want to take a look at all the resources we have and plan for some addition extension activities

Click Here

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 6

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Dear parents and carers,

Monday is a holiday, and Tuesday will be our first Flex Day of the year. Your student will be coming home with a Flex Day Choice Board in their backpack (also attached to the email). Scholars need to complete 4 of the 6 boxes, their choice. Work will need to be sent back on Wednesday (you can email us a picture too!) for your student to be marked present for the day.

We are noticing some confusion around the protocol for sick kids. If your student has been well without meds for 24 hours they may return to school. Covid test results must be sent to us, so that kids can enter the classroom. Please send Covid results to Team 1 as well as laveritte@exploris.org so that everyone is aware.

Have a great long weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 7

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Dear parents and carers,

Next week is Fall Break.

When we return, we’ll begin our 8th week of school!

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Have a great week!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 9

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Dear parents and carers,

This week was a short week but a busy one! We are excited to be back in school next week for a full week and get back into our routine. Please be on the lookout for an email about Teacher conferences that will happen on Friday, October 28th.

Have a great week!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 1

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Parent Conference Info

Parent conferences are happening next Friday, October 28th, 2022. We will be 100% virtual on Google Meet. If you are unable to attend, please send your crew teacher an email to schedule another time.

Martha’s Sign Up Genius Martha’s Google Meet

Daniel’s Sign Up Genius Daniel’s Google Meet

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 11

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Dear parents and carers,

Week 11 will have us continuing our investigations of shapes, moving from fractions of 2d shapes to identification of 3d shapes. Our students have shared that they’re loving small reading groups (called Planet Groups), where both intervention and extension takes place. And, we’ve begun our investigations into cultural and community traditions. Please talk with your 1st grader about family traditions that you might celebrate or enjoy. We share traditions every day, while discussing how they help build communities..

MClass data sheets will be sent home in backpacks on Monday, Tuesday folders on Tuesday, and towels will be sent home on Thursday.

Finally, volunteers are still needed for Explorations. Please reach out to Ms. Karen if you are available to help.

Have a great week!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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Reminders

  • Students need 2 snacks and a refillable water bottle
  • The school day begins at 8:30. If late, please check in your student at the office, walk them to the k-2 door, and they can walk themselves to class. :)
  • If your student is absent, or goes home early because they feel unwell, email Team 1 a picture of their negative Covid test.
  • Check backpacks for towels, and send back on Monday.

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Halloween is Monday!

For all grades:

  • No costumes with full face masks or pretend weapons
  • No candy with peanuts or tree nuts (almonds, cashews, etc)
  • We reserve the right to ask a student to change if their costume for the day becomes distracting to the learning environment

For primary grades (k-1) No costumes; they are often difficult for our little ones to remove and can lead to bathroom accidents. Simple items that don’t impede their day are fine

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 12

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Dear parents and carers,

Week 12 will continue our studies of shapes, parts of stories, diversity and culture. It will be a short week with Veteran’s Day happening Friday.

We’re asking that all messages regarding absences, tardies, and Covid tests be sent to Team 1, so that all teachers are aware. It will save us lots of time if teachers are all on the same page.

Explorations are still not fully staffed. Even if you can only volunteer for one afternoon, it will ensure that teachers have the time to plan for students, and the tradition can continue.

Have a terrific weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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Reading; Phonemes, Trick Words and Spelling Rules

At conferences, many parents asked about sight words, which we now call trick words. They are tricky, because they do not follow typical phonics rules (sounds of letters).

The words we’ve learned so far this year are: the, a, and, is, his, of, as, has, me, he, we, be, and she. While we normally ask students to tap out the sounds in words, we do not do this with trick words. Kids can practice by writing them (in the sky or on paper). You can help by pointing them out in text you see. Flash cards are ok, too!

For the past two weeks we’ve been studying digraphs. The next few weeks will have us covering the bonus letter rule; ll, ff, ss and sometimes zz. We do this with letter tiles, white board practice, paper and pencil practice, and in small groups.

We no longer use leveled readers, instead we focus on phonics, phonemes, and books called decodable readers that give kids practice with the rules we are examining. Please reach out if you’d like more information. You can also google Science of Reading.

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 13

11/14-11/18

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Dear parents and carers,

This will be our last full week before Thanksgiving break. 1st grade will continue studying the bonus letter spelling rule, and finish up our exploration of shapes. Our investigation of cultures and community will continue through the winter.

Thanks for everyone’s patience last week during carpool. We have been short staffed due to illnesses, resulting in some lags at dismissal. As a reminder, please do not enter the driveway until a staff member has taken your student’s name. Walk up names are taken by a staff member at the K-2 steps.

Have a great week,

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 14

11/28-12/2

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Dear families,

Happy Thanksgiving!

When we return (11/28) it will be week 14!

Gobble Gobble!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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Some pictures of the fun we had this week.

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 15

12/5-12/9

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Dear families,

Week 14 had us learning a new spelling rule (glued sounds /an/ and /am/), sentence writing (listening and analyzing through dictation), diving into new math concepts (number bonds), and community letter writing (thank you’s to our mail carriers). Our work in Expedition had us investigating the many people who make up our community, and how everything starts with one…. “me.” The concept of “me and my responsibility” is being discussed daily, and problem solving through collaboration is helping us manage our feelings and emotions. It’s exciting work!

We love hearing the things your kids share about school when they are at home. Please feel free to reach out and share!

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 16

12/12-12/16

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Dear families,

Next week will be a fun one with a little review, and a lot of reflection and goal setting for the new year. On Thursay, we’ll kick off our Winter Break with a Winter Solstice Celebration/It’s Not Goodbye Daniel party. Kids are invited to wear pajamas and bring their stuffies. The Sign Up Genius is live!

Have a terrific weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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Daniel to Connected World

With mixed emotions, I am transitioning from the 1st-grade team to the Connected World position in Global Arts. We plan to make the staffing change in January so there is time to smoothly incorporate a new staff member onto the 1st-grade team.

1st grade is in great hands with Martha and Lyndsey. I will help support them until a third person is chosen. I love being your children's teacher and can’t wait to work with them in Connected World!

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Team One

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 16

12/12-12/16

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Dear families,

Next week will be a fun one with a little review, and a lot of reflection and goal setting for the new year. On Thursday, we’ll kick off our Winter Break with a Winter Solstice Celebration/It’s Not Goodbye Daniel party. Kids are invited to wear pajamas and bring their stuffies. The Sign Up Genius is live!

Have a terrific weekend!

Team 1: Martha, Daniel, and Lyndsey

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 17

1/3-1/6

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Happy New Year 1st grade families and carers!

We’re starting 2023 off strong with a brand new 1st grade team. Lyndsey is officially taking over the crew teacher role for Daniel and we welcome our new teaching partner, Desmond! Desmond is a graduate of UNC Charlotte, and comes to us with lots of experience in education. We are so excited for him and the students to get to know each other!

Academics we’ll be working on this week:

Expedition- launching (pun very much intended) our From the Sun to the Stars (Space!) unit

Math- reviewing and choosing strategies to solve words problems (addition to 20)

ELA- identifying and writing about nouns (person, place, thing, and idea)

Please send kids tomorrow with a water bottle, a change of clothing, and a clean towel.

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 18

1/9-1/13

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Dear families and carers,

Our short week back was full of fun and learning! The students have really enjoyed getting to know our new Teaching Partner, Desmond and our new batch of Elementor friends from the Exploris Middle School. We’re super excited to get back to school on Monday where we’ll tackle some new concepts. Thank you to everyone who sent in supplies, you are so appreciated!

Academics this coming week:

ELA- Plural nouns, base words and suffixes.

Math- Continuing strategies for addition and subtraction to 20. Solving word problems and showing your thinking.

Expedition- Continuing our unit on space! Last week we completed a KWL chart (Know, Wonder, Learn) chart and we discovered that this group of 1st graders already has a TON of background knowledge. We constructed a book about the phases of the moon and will be filling out the booklets at school this week.

Friendly reminder: hot lunch orders must be placed by noon the day prior. Please check with your student about their food preferences, we are noticing many students with hot lunch are refusing to eat what has been ordered for them.

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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Dear families and carers,

Portfolio Conferences are being held virtually, next Friday, February 17th. These conferences are student led.

Martha’s SIgn Up Genius

Lyndsey’s Sign Up Genius will be sent early next week.

Mclass data will be sent home in Tuesday Folders for you to review. If you would like to meet with your child’s crew teacher to review your child’s progress, we are happy to set up another meeting at another time.

Monday is the 100th day of school, and Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. See the next slide for information.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 19

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Moon Phases Collaborative Review

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 20

1/23-1/27

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 21

1/30-2/3

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 22

2/6-2/10

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Dear families and carers,

Ms. Lyndsey will be out of town next week. Please email any and all correspondence to Martha and Desmond; Team 1 @ teachers-1@Exploris.org.

Next week will begin our preparation for Winter portfolios. Portfolios will be held virtually, and students will present their work to anyone invited to their time slot. Once Ms. Lyndsey returns we will send out SIgn Up Genius invitations.

Lots of kids have been coming to school without water bottles and snacks. Please remember to send water, and 2 snacks for morning and afternoon. We also need Covid results upon return from any absence where we don’t hear from you, or in the case that your child is ill.

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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Space Expedition

Students examining the sun, Earth’s rotation, day and night.

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Academics this coming week:

ELA- Glued sound /ng/, characters, setting, and main events in literature.

Unit 7 trick words: put, two, try

Math- Subtraction on a number line and vertical subtraction

Portfolio Prep - Portfolios will be held virtually. Students will spend next week preparing for their presentations.

Social Emotional Learning - Big problem versus little problem

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 23

2/13-2/17

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Dear families and carers,

Friendly reminders: hot lunch orders must be placed by noon the day prior. Please check with your student about their food preferences, we are noticing many students with hot lunch are refusing to eat what has been ordered for them. Students need a weather-appropriate change of clothes, it’s muddy outside and mud happens ;-)

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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100th Day of School and Valentine’s Day Celebrations

For the 100th Day (Monday)

On Monday, please send in 100 of something that your student can share. It can be pennies, marshmallows, or something else that we wouldn't expect! Be creative!

For Valentine's Day (Tuesday)

-We will exchange Valentines in Class

-You may also send in sweet treats, pencils, erasers, little toys, etc with your child’s Valentine. REMEMBER, though, that we are nut free!

Students may bring in valentine’s to school on February 14, 2023. We will pass them out that afternoon. We have 35 Students.

PLEASE!!!

-DO NOT address the valentine to any particular person

-DO sign your name in the “from” space

e.g. To: ________________

From: Martha

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 24

2/20-2/24

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Dear families and carers,

Portfolios were fantastic! We loved seeing all of the kids present their work, and we’re so proud of their growth. Week 24 is going to be fun-filled. On Thursday we’re embarking on our first field experience to space! Please see the next slide for information.

Academics this week:

ELA- Blends, informational texts vs narrative fiction, segmenting/blending/spelling words with 4 syllables

Math- Solving unknown addend problems with addition strategies and changing to a subtraction problem, understanding the relationship between addition and subtraction

Expedition- Finishing up our space unit! How earth’s orbit around the sun causes the changes in seasons.

Have a great week,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 25

2/27-3/3

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Key dates to remember:

REGISTRATION IS OPEN: Register on MYBOOSTER.COM

Event Day - 03/02/2023 (in the afternoon @ the ES campus)

BOOSTERTHON

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Dear families and carers,

Next week is a short one with no school Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday begins our third trimester, with 12 more weeks of school. We’ll begin the week with our measurement and data unit, and continue with our study of earth materials. Please send your student to school with a rock that we’ll use for both investigation and decoration.

We are just about out of Clorox Wipes and tissues. Please send your child in with one of each to get us through the end of the school year.

Academics this week:

ELA- R-controlled vowels and /r/ blends

Math- Measurement and data

Expedition- Earth Material Investigations

Have a great week,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 26

3/6-3/10

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 27

3/13-3/17

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Dear families and carers,

Next week we will be collecting data on our rocks from home. If you haven’t sent your child in with their rock, please do so on Monday.

Also, please continue sending in Clorox Wipes and tissues. Thanks to those who already sent theirs in.

Academics this week:

ELA- R-controlled vowels and /r/ blends

Math- Measurement and data

Expedition- Earth Material Investigations

Have a great week,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 28

3/20-3/24

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Dear families and carers,

Week 27 was terrific. The kids have done so much great work, learning new content and having lots of fun. We especially enjoyed celebrating St Patrick’s Day with some collaborative Lucky Charm graphing and a leprechaun directed drawing. Thanks to everyone who sent in supplies!

Academics this week:

ELA- long vowel sounds and vowel teams, informational research and writing

Math- Time

Expedition- Earth Material Investigations

Have a great week,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 29

3/27-3/31

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 30

4/10-4/14

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Dear families and carers,

We hope you had a great Spring Break, and have an easy morning tomorrow!

This week will be short, but busy as we’re starting brand new units in all core subjects. Please be on time in the mornings, since this important part of the day is when students play, talk, collaborate and learn in groups of their peers. It’s a soft start to the day, and we are finding that kids who participate are better able to manage.

It’s time to switch out changes of clothing. Please send in a new bag for your child’s tote.

Academics this week:

ELA- Open and closed syllables

Math- Place value

Expedition - Natural resources (Earth day is coming!)

Have a great week,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 31

4/17-4/21

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Dear families and carers,

Next week will be much like this week as learning objectives will continue. Please make sure to send in spare clothes, and a poncho if your child doesn’t have one. Many will be coming home with wet clothes in a bag today, and possibly borrowed clothes if they didn’t have their own in their totes. The rain was something else!

FYI. If you are purchasing lunches, please check in with your child about how they are liking their lunches. We are finding that many are not fans of the Thursday tortilla, and the the smoothies are enormous. Also, if you order a smoothie that is all they receive for lunch.

Academics this week:

ELA- Open and closed syllables

Math- Place value

Expedition - Natural resources (We will be celebrating Earth Day next Friday)

Sincerely,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 32

4/24-4/28

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Dear families and carers,

Monday begins of our end of the year testing for math and ELA. Our students are familiar with the process, and it’s one-on-one, so no need to worry. Tuesday will be a lockdown drill (email from Ethan), which we hope does not cause concern.. We plan on discussing it Monday, but hope that parents and carers will communicate about it at home, so our 1st graders feel prepared.

Please make sure to look at the admin slides beginning here. There’s lots of new information.

Academics this week:

ELA- Vowel teams

Math- Place value; comparing and 10 plus/10 less

Expedition - Caring for our natural resources

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 33

5/1-5/5

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Dear families and carers,

Testing continues, and we’re so proud of the growth we’re seeing. Students are really enjoying making connections to nature both in the garden, and through our studies of natural resources. Please keep sending in a change of clothes, and make sure students have a water bottle. Springtime is muddy, and the weather is getting hot.

Academics this week:

ELA- More vowel teams

Math- Place value; 10 plus/10 less and 1 more/1 less

Expedition - Caring for our natural resources, learning about soil

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 34

5/8-5/12

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Dear families and carers,

It’s really beginning to feel like Spring! This week we investigated soil in the outdoor classroom. Check out the pictures, we had a lovely time in the garden.

We have some big, fun news: First grade is going to the Zoo on 5/31 to wrap up our unit on habitats! Check the next slide for details.

Next week we will dive deeper into our money unit, and wrap up vowel teams. Expedition continues to be a big hit with the kids. Portfolio prep is on the horizon as well. Stay tuned for invitations to student led presentations.

Academics this week:

ELA- More vowel teams - ee and ea

Math-Money

Expedition - Habitats

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 35

5/15-5/19

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Dear families and carers,

Next week, students will be present on campus Monday through Wednesday. Thursday will be a flex day. Portfolio conferences are being held virtually on both Thursday and Friday. Please sign up 24 hours in advance of your appointment and make sure you find a time with the correct crew teacher, links below :-)

Lyndsey’s Sign Up Martha’s Sign Up

On Monday we will be assessing kids on their knowledge of money, specifically coin values (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters). If you could review coins with your kids this weekend, it will give them confidence on Monday.

Academics this week:

ELA- More vowel teams - oo, oe, ue

Math-Money assessment

Expedition - Habitats

Have a great weekend!

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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1st Grade Newsletter

Week 37

5/30-6/2

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First-grade Zoo Trip

Date: May 31st

Time: Bus leaves Exploris at 8:30 am sharp and we will return by 3pm. Students need to be at school by 8:00.

Location: The North Carolina Zoo

Transportation: All students will ride to and from the zoo on the chartered bus. If family members are joining us there, you are welcome to drive your student home from the zoo. You will need to sign them out with us at the end of the day, and sign a waiver before leaving.

Cost: $0.00 Student transportation, admission, and lunches are covered by several grants. If family members are joining us there, they will need to provide their own transportation, cover the cost of admission for themselves, and buy a lunch inside (if you want to eat with the group).

WE’RE GOING TO THE ZOO, YAY! Excitedly yours,

Team 1: Lyndsey, Martha and Desmond

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