Monday

Homelink 2.6 and read "Soccer" on pages 120-133 in basal. Make sure to return basal on Tuesday a.m. You can orally answer questions on page 135.

Daily Daisy for week of September 21

Daily Daisy
Vol.
17
No.
5
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: September 21, 2009
Monday Today we have Computer Lab and P.E. Please have your child wear tennis shoes to school. Students do not need an extra pair of shoes at school for gym. Basal readers will be sent home this evening. Your child needs to read "Soccer" on pages 120-133. You can discuss the questions on page 135 to help your child with story comprehension. Please make sure to return basals to school on Tuesday a.m. Homelink 2.6
Tuesday Today we have library. Homelink 2.7. Read for 10 minutes.
Wednesday Today we have music and Reading Buddies with Mrs. Woods language arts students. Homelink 2.8. Read for 10 minutes.
Thursday Today we have P.E. Wear tennis shoes to school. Homelink 2.9. Read for 10 minutes.
Friday Today we have music and Mini Economy Store.
Other News:
Language Arts - Your child will bring his/her basal home every Monday and have an assignment to read the story for the week. This week the story is "Soccer" on pages 120-133. Please make sure your child returns their basal every Tuesday a.m. If your child did not get a chance to read it, let me know and they can take it home the following night and return the next day. Your child should practice so that they can read the following words by sight: jump, not, up, down, to, it, yes, over, ride, run, be, come, that, on, good, very, help, use, now. If there are still some kindergarten sight words that your child has not mastered in reading and spelling, please frequently review the words with your child so they can remember. Sight words are to be learned by sight which is done by repetition, repetition, repetition. Sight words are not to be sounded out. We will also be working on blends, digraphs, questions, and exclamations.
Math - We have begun studying Unit 2 in our Everyday Math program. I sent home the Homelinks for the entire unit last week. Remember.... these are to be done at home with a parent so they don't need to be returned to school. If a Homelink tells you to bring something into school, disregard it. This week we will be focusing on telling time to the hour and exchanging pennies for nickels and dimes.
Writing - Many of us are in the revision stage of our "When I was Little" writing. The next step will be editing, and lastly rewriting and publishing. I know you will be happy with the process and will be awaiting the final product.
NWEA MAP TESTING - Yeah! We are done! It will be exciting to see their growth when we take it again in December.
If you need to contact me, please do not use my voicemail because I never check it. You can call and leave a message with Mrs. Stuckey or Mrs. Colborn for me to call you after school. You can also email me at jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us. or just send in a note with your child. You can also check out two different blogs. I am going to take a vote in a couple of weeks to see which one is viewed more, if any. Then... I will only keep one active. http://staff.phmschools.org/jmcgann or www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! GO ND!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Thursday

Math Homelink 2.5 - Read for at least 10 minutes. We have another NWEA MAP test tomorrow so please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast. Bryce, Erica, Sean, and Jonah will our Star Attractions on Friday.

Wednesday

Math Homelink 2.4 - Read for at least 10 minutes. We have another NWEA MAP test tomorrow so please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast. Please check www.macmillanmh.com for extra activities for our basal stories. Click on Student Resources and choose state as Indiana. You can then click on first grade book 1 and have lots of options.

Tuesday

DON'T Forget we are NWEA MAP testing this week. Please help your child to be as successful as s/he can by making sure they get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

Math Homelink 2.3 - Read for at least 10 minutes. Also.... Check out two websites for extra help www.studyisland.com and www.starfall.com. We have another NWEA MAP test tomorrow so please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast.

Wednesday - Don't miss the PTO Meeting Wed. Sep. 16 at 10:00 a.m. with an Art Smart meeting immediately following.

Thursday - Welcome Back Picnic and Game Night at Northpoint from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Box Top and Campbell's Labels for Education Collection has begun. Clip, Snip, and Send in to raise money for the school.

Daily Daisy for week of September 14th Vol 17.4

Monday Today we have Computer Lab and P.E. Please have your child wear tennis shoes to school. Students do not need an extra pair of shoes at school for gym. Basal readers will be sent home this evening. Your child needs to read "Pet Tricks" on pages 90 - 103. You can discuss the questions on page 105 to help your child with story comprehension. Please make sure to return basals to school on Tuesday a.m.
Tuesday Today we have library. NWEA MAP Testing 8:05-8:50. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast to help them to do their very best.
Wednesday Today we have music and Reading Buddies with Mrs. Woods language arts students.NWEA MAP Testing 8:05-8:50. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast to help them to do their very best.
Thursday Today we have P.E. Wear tennis shoes to school. NWEA MAP Testing 12:00-12:50. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast to help them to do their very best.
Friday Today we have music and mini-economy payroll. Star Attraction presentations from Bryce, Erica, Sean, and Jonah. NWEA MAP Testing 10:00 - 10:50. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast to help them to do their very best.
Other News:
Language Arts - Your child will bring his/her basal home every Monday and have an assignment to read the story for the week. This week the story is "Pet Tricks" on pages 90 - 103. Please make sure your child returns their basal every Tuesday a.m. If your child did not get a chance to read it, let me know and they can take it home the following night and return the next day. Your child should practice so that they can read the following words by sight: jump, not, up, down, to, it, yes, over, ride, run, be, come, that, on, good. If there are still some kindergarten sight words that your child has not mastered in reading and spelling, please frequently review the words with your child so they can remember. Sight words are to be learned by sight which is done by repetition, repetition, repetition. Sight words are not to be sounded out.
Math - We have begun studying Unit 2 in our Everyday Math program. I sent home the Homelinks for the entire unit last week. Remember.... these are to be done at home with a parent so they don't need to be returned to school. If a Homelink tells you to bring something into school, disregard it. This week we will be focusing on number grids, number lines, and complements of 10. You can practice these skills with your child at home by playing Rolling to 50 (sheet sent home on Friday) and Two Fisted Penny Addition(on Homelink 2.3).
Writing - We did not get to our special writing project this week. We will be working on it this week. I will make sure to return the pictures next week. I know some of the students were a little worried that they wouldn't get them back. They should be returned no later than next Friday.
If you need to contact me, please do not use my voicemail because I never check it. You can call and leave a message with Mrs. Stuckey or Mrs. Colborn for me to call you after school. You can also email me at jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us. or just send in a note with your child. You can also check out two different blogs. I am going to take a vote in a couple of weeks to see which one is viewed more, if any. Then... I will only keep one active. http://staff.phmschools.org/jmcgann or www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! GO ND!

Thursday

Homework is to read for at least 10 minutes. We haven't started Unit 2 yet in math so Homelink 2.1 isn't assigned yet. We learned about different kinds of sentences and baby animal names today.

Wednesday

I have sent home the Math Homelinks Packet for Unit 2. It begins with Homelink 1.14 which is a parent letter. Please read for important information about our math. Please complete "Growing Up" Homework sheet and discussion with your child and return tomorrow.

Tuesday

Homework for today is to read "I Am A Big Kid" on pages 68-77. Students should also practice reading and writing: be, run, and ride. Math Homelinks should be completed for this unit.

Daily Daisy
Vol.17 No.3
Activities and Events for the Week of: September 7, 2009
Monday No School today! Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.
Tuesday Today we have library.
Wednesday Today we have music and Reading Buddies with Mrs. Woods language arts students.
Thursday Today we have P.E. Wear tennis shoes to school.
Friday Today we have music and mini-economy payroll. We will have our selection assessment over our basal story and a spelling/recognition assessment for kindergarten sight words today.
Other News:
Language Arts - Your child will bring his/her basal home on Tuesday and have an assignment to read the story for the week. This week the story is "I Am a Big Kid" on pages 68-77. Please make sure your child returns their basal on Wednesday a.m. If your child did not get a chance to read it, let me know and they can take it home the following night and return the next day. Your child should practice so that they can read the following words by sight this week: run, ride, be.
I did not get the opportunity to test the kids on their recognition or spelling of kindergarten sight words. I will try to complete this week. We will also be working on complete sentences, correct word order, story structure, and sequence of events. We will also be working on abc order and correct letter formation.
Math - This week your child will be assessed orally on how far they can correctly count by 1's to 130, and also 2's, 5's, and 10's to 130. They will be assessed by paper and pencil on their knowledge of number recognition, number writing, and 1 before and 1 after.

Tuesday

We had a very busy Tuesday. We worked on alphabetizing, writing sight words, and writing complete sentences. In math we are continuing to practice writing numbers correctly, make tally marks, and work on calendar and thermometer skills.

Monday

We had a very busy day. We learned how to use our word boxes. That was exciting for the boys and girls. We had more practice with alphabetizing and sequencing numbers, letters, and parts of a story. We also practiced writing numbers. We went to the computer lab today and worked on Study Island - math. Don't forget pictures are taken tomorrow. If you haven't already done so, make sure to send in the payment envelope.

Daily Daisy for week of August 31, 2009

Monday Today we have Computer Lab and P.E. Please have your child wear tennis shoes to school. Students do not need an extra pair of shoes at school for gym.
Tuesday Today we have library. SCHOOL PICTURE DAY! Make sure you send in the order form and payment to Van Gogh Photographers if you haven't already done so. If you need another one, let Mrs. Stuckey know.
Wednesday Today we have music and Reading Buddies with Mrs. Woods language arts students.
Thursday Today we have P.E. Wear tennis shoes to school. I will be individually assessing each child today using the DIBELS. I will let you know as soon as possible how your child scored.
Friday Today we have music and mini-economy payroll. We will have our selection assessment over our basal story and a spelling assessment for kindergarten sight words today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADRIANNA! We will not have Art Smart or Mini Economy Store today! Sorry.
Other News:
Thanks to all who showed up for Parent Information Night. It was nice to see all of you. If you could not attend, please make sure to read through the packet of information that will be sent home with your child today and let me know if you have any questions.
SORRY! - I mistakenly put September on the calendar for Art Smart and Mini-Economy Store, however, we will not start either of those programs until October. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Language Arts - Your child will bring his/her basal home every Monday and have an assignment to read the story for the week. This week the story is "I Can! Can You?" on pages 44-55. Please make sure your child returns their basal every Tuesday a.m. If your child did not get a chance to read it, let me know and they can take it home the following night and return the next day. Your child should practice so that they can read the following words by sight: jump, not, up, down, to, it, yes, over. If there are still some kindergarten sight words that your child has not mastered, I will let you know by writing them in their binder. We will also be working on complete sentences, correct word order, story structure, and sequence of events. We will also be working on abc order and correct letter formation.
Math - This week we will be working on writing numbers 1 - 9 correctly; counting orally by 2's, 5's, 10's, and 1's; temperature; and one more one less number stories. We will continue to work on making tally marks, too. You can play Rock, Paper, Scissors with your child and keep track of who wins on a tally chart. They also learned how to play TOP IT. This would also be a fun game to play with a deck of cards 1-10 and also be practicing more or less.
If you need to contact me, please do not use my voicemail because I never check it. You can call and leave a message with Mrs. Stuckey or Mrs. Colborn for me to call you after school. You can also email me at jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us. or just send in a note with your child. You can also check out two different blogs. I am going to take a vote in a couple of weeks to see which one is viewed more, if any. Then... I will only keep one active. http://staff.phmschools.org/jmcgann or www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

Daily Daisy

Daily Daisy
Vol.
17
No.
1
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: August 16, 2009
Monday Today we have computer lab and P.E. Please have your child wear tennis shoes to school. Students do not need an extra pair of shoes at school for gym. If they wear tennis shoes to school, they can go directly to gym. This helps out a great deal because we don't spend a lot of time changing in and out of shoes. Three Favorite things in the brown bag that characterize your child are due today.
Tuesday Today we have library.
Wednesday Today we have music. FIRST GRADE PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday Today we have P.E. Please have your child wear tennis shoes to school. Students do not need an extra pair of shoes at school for gym. If they wear tennis shoes to school, they can go directly to gym. This helps out a great deal because we don't spend a lot of time changing in and out of shoes. Ronald McDonald is coming to visit Northpoint's Kindgergarten and first grade students to talk about friendship.
Friday Today we have music.
Other News:
WOW! It has been a wonderful first three days of school. I have really enjoyed getting to know your children. Please help your child to complete their bag homework and return on Monday. This will also be a way to get to know each other. I have also attached a getting to know your child information sheet. Please complete it and return to me on Monday.
SNACKS/BIRTHDAY TREATS – Our lunch time is in the middle of the day, therefore, we will not have a scheduled snack time in the classroom. We do have a water fountain in our classroom, however, if your child feels they need more hydration during the day, they can bring in a water bottle from home. Again, as long as it is not disruptive to their learning, they can keep it at their desk and enjoy it when they need it. Please make sure it is clearly marked with their name and has a pull top lid that can be closed. We will not celebrate birthdays with food. Feel free, however, to send in pencils, erasers, party favors, donate a book or game to the classroom, or make arrangements to come in and read to the class, etc. for your child to pass out to their friends.
DAILY AGENDA AND TAKE HOME BINDER - Your child needs to take home his/her black binder with their planner in it every day. Please check it for any messages and review any work that has been completed. The binder needs to be brought back to school every morning. We will be starting our mini-economy next week. If your child forgets his or her binder, there will be a mini-economy fine.

- more on back-


MINI-ECONOMY – Our classroom will be participating in mini-economy this year. Each student will be assigned a class job. At the end of each week, students will receive $1.25. I hope to have a store each month for the children to spend their earned mini-economy money. You can help by sending in any donations for the store. Items such as pencils, stickers, stuffed animals, cars, paper, Happy Meal toys, left over birthday gift bag items, etc. Just send the items in marked mini-economy. If we get enough donations, we will have one each month. Students also receive stars for exceptional behavior and on payday can exchange each star earned for $0.25.
KEEP YOUR STICKS AND DON'T LOSE YOUR MARBLES Students start out each day with 3 sticks. If they choose to make an inappropriate choice with their behavior, they will be asked to remove a stick. Fines for sticks will be 1 - $0.25, 2 sticks $0.50 and 3 sticks $1.00. At the end of the day, any student that still has 3 sticks will be able to put a stone in our class basket. When the basket is full, we will get an extra recess. They also get stones for compliments and exceptional behavior.
Parent-Information Night – Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. I will have a lot of information about procedures and curriculum for you. I will also have sign-up sheets for volunteering in the classroom. Currently, I know I will need at least 1 parent each day Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the classroom during our guided reading/centers time which will be from 9:50-10:50 a.m. and in the afternoons for math centers.


If you need to contact me, please do not use my voicemail because I never check it. You can call and leave a message with Mrs. Stuckey or Mrs. Colborn for me to call you after school. You can also email me at jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us. or just send in a note with your child. Also... if you email me, it may go to my junk mail file the first time. If you do not receive a response, assume I did not receive it or haven't retrieved it from junk mail and let me know via note or phone call. After I have opened it and marked your email as a trusted address, it will come to me automatically.

Also... you can view our Daily Daisy on line by going to the Penn Harris Madison home page at www.phm.k12.in.us and then click on the following links: Our Schools, Northpoint Elementary, Staff Homepages, and then Mrs. McGann's Room 6 First Grade. I also have other resources that may help your with activities to enrich your child at home.
HAVE A SUPER WEEKEND!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
27
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: March 9 - March 13, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. This is a review week in reading. Basals will not be sent home. READ! READ! READ! Scholastic Book Fair begins in the IMC and continues until Friday.
Tuesday Today we have music. READ! READ! READ! READ!
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students. READ! READ! READ! READ!
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. READ! READ! READ! Mark your calendars: Today is the day to vote for NORTHPOINT between 5-7:00a.m. WSBT Morning Show will flash the phone #'s needed to vote for Northpoint or you can vote online at WSBT.com. WSBT will visit the winning school that day around 10:00 a.m. They will do a story highlighting the winning school for that eve. on the 5:30 p.m. news. Tell all your friends and relatives to call, too! GALAXY GALLERY from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Friday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a Unit 4 Test in Reading. END OF THIRD GRADING PERIOD! MINI ECONOMY STORE TODAY!
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts
This week we will be reviewing for our Unit 4 Reading Assessment. An excellent way to help your child study the concepts in Unit 4 is to log onto www.macmillanmh.com/indiana/students. If you haven't already, you can set up your own password and be able to log in everytime using that username and password, but you will first need to use an access key which is AG3592293. There are leveled readers, practice books, vocabulary and spelling practice, research and inquiry, etc. Anytime spent on the website counts for minutes in the I LOVE TO READ contest.
Math We are reviewing time and money at the beginning of the week and will start Unit 6 later in the week. When we begin Unit 6, I will send home the HOMELINK packets.
I LOVE TO READ - Wow! We have already read 3,840 minutes!!!! I will add on the 60 minutes each day that we are in school per child at the end of the contest for the reading that we do in school. We will have many incentives along the way. On Friday, if we are able to read more than 3,840 minutes, we will get to go bananas and chew sugarless gum in the classroom. Can you believe it? Isn't that crazy. We will also get to monkey around for an extra 15 minutes on the playground, if we achieve that goal.

Log onto WSBT.com for official contest rules and prizes. In keeping with the Northpoint theme of GOING BANANAS for BOOKS and trying to be different and creative, I tried to come up with a new incentive. I have participated in this contest every year. It has made an incredible impact on the students and so many have improved their reading skills just by reading, reading, reading. I told the boys and girls in our class that we would have a FIRST GRADE FAMILY JUNGLE NIGHT on a Friday after school (TBD at a later time), eating Banana Splits, having popcorn, and watching a movie outside on a big screen if they are the first grade class with the most minutes of reading.

- more on back-


Study Island - Don't forget to log onto www.studyisland.com to work on first grade skills at home. Time spent on this website also qualify for minutes on the I LOVE TO READ contest.


Time for Kids - www.timeforkids.com also counts for the I LOVE TO READ contest.


CONGRATULATIONS to GEOFFREY LADUE! He is the first grade Northpoint Winner in the Zaner Blosser Handwriting contest. His submission will now be headed to the NATIONAL level for competition. Good Luck, Geoffrey!

PUBLISHED BOOKS - Reminder that most everyone has brought or will soon be bringing home their rough draft of their ABC book for revision, review, and editing. Please make sure to go over the rough draft with your child... marking corrections directly on the draft and returning to school. Your child will then make the corrections and we will print it on the special publishing paper. Lastly, your child will bring home a PUBLISHING KIT that you will need to complete the illustrations and cover. There is a page of directions in the kit. This book is free, but if you want to order more, you can do so on the order form that is in the packet. COMPLETED PACKETS need to be completed and returned by MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2009!

WEB FILES PERFORMANCE - Rescheduled for Wednesday, APRIL 22, 2009 in the LGI.

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A Fabulous Weekend!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
25
Week Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: March 2 – March 6, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. Basal readers go home tonight. Please have your child read Little Rabbit, and make sure basals are returned on Tuesday morning. READ! READ! READ!
Tuesday Today we have music. READ! READ! READ!
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students. READ! READ! READ!
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. We will be working hard typing our ABC book entries in Star Office Writer. READ! READ! READ!
Friday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a selection assessment over Little Rabbit. READ! READ! READ! Don't forget to turn in raffle tickets for today's first raffle.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts
This week's basal story is Little Rabbit . We will be working on the following skills: contractions; summarizing; and y as a vowel (long e). Please review the orange homework sheet for more information.
Published Books – Many students are completing their ABC books. When they do, they will bring it home for revising and editing with a parent. If your child brings home a copy of their ABC book, please go over it with them and help them mark any corrections. Return it the next day so your child can complete the revisions. Finally... your child will receive the kit to complete their ABC book illustrations (photos can be used and are highly recommended). Book kits need to be completed and returned by Monday, March 23. You can use photos as long as they are secured to the paper and not raised. Stickers can also be used if they are flat and smooth on the paper. The original draft is free. If you want more than one, you will have to pay $17.95 each. I will send home order forms with each kit.
Classbooks are not free. I will be sending home a separate order form for those. The Classbook will be an acrostic name poem for each child. Your child will be bringing home a page for illustrations, but it will be on the back of another student's poem because of the way the books will be assembled.


- more on back-


I LOVE TO READ Challenge – Going Bananas for Books. Don't forget to read, read, read, and record every minute of reading for the WSBT's Reading Challenge. Please fill out and complete a yellow ticket for every 60 minutes of reading your child completes. Every Friday during the month, we will have a raffle. You will still need to complete the March reading calendar in the planner. Unfortunately, I made a mistake... the program was to be from March 2 to March 28. I didn't realize that so.... we will end the contest on the 27th to make up for it. Sorry for the inconvenience. You can log onto www.wsbt.com for the complete set of rules and contest guidelines.
Math We will be beginning Unit 6 in Everyday Math. I will be sending home the packet of HomeLinks this week. The Homelinks serve as a resource to communicate what we will be learning in math.
Old Leggos - If you have any old legos that you would like to get rid of, the Let There Be Light Program needs them. There are boxes labeled with color names in front of the office. Students can bring them in and put them in the corresponding box to help with this program.
Web Files Performance - Web Files performance has been rescheduled for April 22. Mrs. Kahl, Mrs. Ladue, Mrs. Meade, and Mrs. Koch will be working together to complete the scenery. If you would like to help, please contact one of them.
Study Island - Don't forget to try out www.studyisland.com to work on first grade skills at home.
Time for Kids - www.timeforkids.com has a wonderful web site that has fun games and up to date current events that are grade level appropriate.

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A Fabulous Week!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Daily Daisy will be sent home tomorrow! Sorry for the inconvenience...Sick children at home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. SEUSS!
Homework is to READ, READ, READ!
Don't forget to turn in Feb. Reading Calendar

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Due to circumstances beyond our control, THE WEB FILES performance has been postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday, April 22 in the LGI at 6:00 p.m. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Raffle coupons sent home today. I LOVE TO READ DOESN"T START UNTIL SUNDAY! Homework is Chapter 5 Review. Please have your child complete and return to school tomorrow. We will go over it before the test tomorrow.

CHANGE IN SCHEDULE!
We will not have the Unit 5 Math Test until Friday. Your child needs to complete the pages in his/her math journal and return on Thursday with a parent signature. Read Meet Ben Franklin in basal (84-101) and return on Tuesday.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
24
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: February 23 - February 27, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. Basal readers go home tonight. Please have your child read Meet Ben Franklin on pages 84-101, and make sure basals are returned on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday Today we have music.
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students.
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. We will be working hard typing our ABC book entries in Star Office Writer.
Friday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a selection assessment over Meet Ben Franklin. Star Attraction for Kaylene, Geoffrey, and Dominic. Please make sure to have their All About Me posters completed and turned in by Friday so they can share.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts
This week's basal story is Meet Ben Franklin. We will be working on the following skills: summarizing; making inferences; see and saw; long e spelled ea and ee Words to know are: friends, kind, by, far, knew, house, curious, idea. Oral vocabulary is investigate and curious.
Math We will be reviewing Unit 5 concepts on Monday and have a review on Tuesday. Students will take an assessment on Unit 5 on Wednesday. Please make sure to go over the review and pages from their workbooks on Tuesday evening. Using Study Island and playing games (making sure they listen to the explanations) on Comparing and Ordering Numbers, Model Addition, Model Subtraction, and Number Patterns are topics that would be helpful to master before the test on Wednesday. Also... even if a student passed the topic, they can continue to play a game on that same topic for further practice.
Pennies for Peace - We are still collecting pennies to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Old Leggos - If you have any old leggos that you would like to get rid of, the Let There Be Light Program needs them. There are boxes labeled with color names in front of the office. Students can bring them in and put them in the corresponding box to help with this program. We only have about 5 so far.
Web Files Performance - We will have a dress rehearsal for the first grade students on Wednesday, March 11. An evening performance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. Students who are cast members need to be here by 5:30 p.m. WE NEED SOMEONE WHO IS AN ARTIST TO DO THE SCENERY. IT IS ONLY 2 Weeks Away!
Study Island - Don't forget to try out www.studyisland.com to work on first grade skills at home.
Time for Kids - www.timeforkids.com has a wonderful web site that has fun games and up to date current events that are grade level appropriate.

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A Fabulous Weekend!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Homework is Homelink 5.12
We are working hard on quick recall of addition and subtraction facts and finding number patterns with the rule boxes. Staff vs. Students Basketball game today.

YOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY NEPHEW JUST CAME IN WITH HIS DIPLOMA FROM BETHEL COLLEGE. I'M SO EXCITED AND THRILLED!

Homework is to complete the math packet of comparisons, difference, and rule boxes. It needs to be brought back to school Thursday completed.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
23
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: February 16 - February 20, 2009
Monday No School Today - Enjoy your Presidents' Day!
Tuesday Today we have music. Basal readers will go home tonight. Your child needs to read Stormy Weather on pages 68-75. Please make sure basal reader is returned on Wednesday morning.
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students.
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. We will be working hard typing our ABC book entries in Star Office Writer. Staff vs. Students Basketball Game in the Gym after school.
Friday Today we have P.E. Please wear or bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a selection assessment over Stormy Weather. PTO sponsored event at Strikes and Spares.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts
This week's basal story is Stormy Weather. We will be working on the following skills: rereading; comparing and contrasting; verbs go and do; and long a spelled ay and ai. Words to know are: warm, sound, cold, know, great, their, extreme, predict. Oral vocabulary is condition and forecast.
Math We will be working on number patterns, rule boxes, and in/out tables this week.
Pennies for Peace - We are still collecting pennies to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Old Leggos - If you have any old leggos that you would like to get rid of, the Let There Be Light Program needs them. There are boxes labeled with color names in front of the office. Students can bring them in and put them in the corresponding box to help with this program.
Web Files Peformance - We will have a dress rehearsal for the first grade students on Wednesday, March 11. An evening performance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. Students who are cast members need to be here by 5:30 p.m.
Study Island - Don't forget to try out www.studyisland.com to work on first grade skills at home.
Time for Kids - www.timeforkids.com has a wonderful web site that has fun games and up to date current events that are grade level appropriate.

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A WONDERFUL 3 Day Weekend!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

No Homelink
Don't forget Pennies for Peace.
We watched Brandon's homecoming on WNDU and Fox 28. We also learned about a fun game at WWW.timeforkids.com. Don't forget to bring Valentine's for everyone tomorrow!

No Homelink
Students can complete the Handwriting sheet and return tomorrow if they want to be entered into this National contest.

No Homelink
Students are to read June Robot Cleans Up on pages 36-53 in their basals. Please make sure to return basals on Tuesday morning.

Don't forget Tuesday is a PBA day. Students have late arrival at 10:10 a.m.

No Homelink Tonight!
Scholastic Book Orders for February due tomorrow online and in the classroom.
Please send in pennies for Pennies for Peace and pop tabs for Children's Hospital. If we are top class, we get a Camp Under (poptabs) and chewing gum (pennies).

No homelink tonight. Read! Read! Read!

Homework is Homelink 5.10.
Scholastic Book Orders for February due Friday, February 6 on line and in the classroom.

Dear Parent,

I wanted to remind you that you can place your Scholastic Book Club orders online.

This month’s offers are filled with great books and software at terrific values. Here are a few that I am sure you won’t want to miss:

Margie Palatini's Bad Boys Get Cookie!
The Night Sky
Thump, Quack, Moo
Looking for Leprechauns (Ready Freddy series)

To order online, go to the Web address below and enter our class’s personalized user name and password.
 
www.scholastic.com/parentordering

Class User Name: mrsmcgann
Password: booksarefun

Remember, placing your online credit card order is completely safe and secure.

If you are ordering from Science and Math Amazing Discoveries Grades 3-6 Winter/Spring 2009 or Kids' Picks Favorite Topics and Best-Loved Books for grade K-6 February 2009, you will have to send in the printed flyer order form. I can only put 5 flyers a month on the website.

Plus, when you shop online, you can take advantage of exclusive online-only offers and choose from an expanded selection of books and software. Of course, you can always use the printed flyer instead and have your child hand in a Book Club order form and payment at school.
 
Thank you for continuing to help our classroom earn FREE books and learning materials. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
 
Sincerely,



Mrs. McGann

Don't forget to total minutes of reading and sign on page 67 in planner for January and return as soon as possible. YUM! Pizza!
Homework is Homelink 5.9 and to read Pelican Was Hungry on pages 10-25 in basal. Please make sure students return their basals tomorrow. Revised Daily Daisy sent home today. I had the wrong unit.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
21- Revised
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: February 2 - February 6, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please bring tennis shoes to school. Ronald McDonald is coming this morning for a special reading presentation. Homelink 5.9. Basal readers will go home tonight. Your child needs to read Pelican Was Hungry on pages 10-25. Please make sure basal reader is returned on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday Today we have music. Homework is Homelink 5.10.
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students. Homelink 5.11. We will be viewing the entries in the Science Expo after lunch today. If you would like to see all the wonderful projects, feel free to come between 3-5p.m.
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. We will be working hard typing our ABC book entries in Star Office Writer.
Friday Today we have P.E. and Art Smart. Please bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a selection assessment over Pelican Was Hungry.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts Try the online Macmillan site to enjoy activities related to this Unit's skills at Www.mcmillanmh.com/indiana/students. I have also attached a letter that explains how to log in and what access code you need to use to view leveled readers on line.
This week's basal story is Pelican Was Hungry. We will be working on the following skills: rereading; inference; main idea and details; was and were. Sight words for review are: saw, opened, soon, every, any, sparkled, floating.
Congratulations to Elly Cleland. She is our January Showcase Writer. She wrote an awesome letter to her grandfather who is a fire fighter. The entire class did a phenomenal job writing letters to everyday heroes such as military, police, and firemen. Many children wrote to a family member that was their hero because of being in the military, police, or firefighter. If your child did, could you please make sure the intended recipient gets the letter? If your child does not receive it one, they wrote a general letter and it will be delivered to members of the military (my nephew, Brandon, who is in Afghanistan); the local fire station and local police agencies.
We will be working hard on completing the typing for our ABC books. If your child has not completed an entry for any of the letters, their journal will be sent home to complete. We will then keep the journals at school so they are here for typing.
We also learned a new acronym for the writing process. Ask your child about PWREPS and color editing.
Next, we will work on individual acrostic name poems for our classbook.

Math We will continue working on Unit 5 in math and focusing on place value and fast recall of addition facts. Homelinks for Unit 5 have been sent home. Remember Homelinks will be assigned as we go through the unit. They do not need to be returned to school. If your child is experiencing difficulty in completing any of the Homelinks, please let me know.


- more on back -
Published Books Our class will be completing a classbook that you can purchase a copy of for about $18.00. Each student will complete an acrostic name poem about themselves and an illustration page. All poems will be compiled for a classbook. The classbook is not free. You will have to pay to receive a copy. However, it is money well spent for a keepsake of their first grade experience. In addition, each child will complete their own personal ABC book. This book will be bound complete with a hard cover. The first copy is free! YEAH! Free! You can, however, order additional copies. I have several copies from years past available for your review in our classroom.

Web Files Peformance - We will have a dress rehearsal for the first grade students on Wednesday, March 11. An evening performance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. Student who are cast members need to be here by 5:30 p.m.

Needed:
Help with Scenery and Costumes for The Web Files. Come on.... you know you have some talent that you would like to share! Thanks to Eileen Ladue and Mary Kahl for volunteering. There is still time to volunteer.
We also need large (gallon) zip loc bags.

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A GREAT Weekend!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Homework is to write entries for letters Y and Z in writing journal for ABC books. Please make sure writing journals are returned daily.

Homework is to write an entry for letter X in writing journal for ABC books. Please make sure writing journals are returned daily. We played some math games and explored some math sites on the internet, but we did not have a formal math lesson today so there is not a Homelink for tonight.

Homework is to write an entry for letter W in writing journal for ABC books. Please make sure writing journals are returned daily. Volunteer needed to trace student silhouettes. Contact Mrs. McGann if you are interested and can help. Skate Night 6-8p.m.

Homework is Homelink 5.6 and to write an entry for letter V in writing journal for ABC books. Please make sure writing journals are returned daily.

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
20
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: January 26th - January 30th, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please bring tennis shoes to school. We will have a review this week and a test on Friday over Unit 3 in reading. Homework is Homelink 5.6 and to write an entry for ABC book for letter V. Skate Night 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday Today we have music. Homework is Homelink 5.7 and to complete Letter W entry for ABC book. Skate Night 6:00- 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students. Homelink 5.8 and Letter X entry for ABC book.
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. Homework is to write entries for Letters Y and Z for ABC book.
Friday Today we have P.E. and Art Smart. Please bring tennis shoes to school. UNIT TEST in reading for Unit 3 today. If your child has not completed entries for all letters A-Z, they will need to do that over the weekend and return on Monday. The students are busily typing their entries.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts Try the online Macmillan site to enjoy activities related to this Unit's skills at Www.mcmillanmh.com/indiana/students. We will review comprehension and spelling skills for Unit 3 and have an assessment on Friday. We will have centers this week so if you are a volunteer, please plan on coming on your scheduled day. We will be working on writing letters to thank everyday heroes this week. The letter with the best sentence fluency will be chosen for this month's Showcase Writer.
After completion of the entire alphabet for ABC books, we will be working on acrostic name poems for our classbook.
Math We will continue working on Unit 5 in math and focusing on place value and fast recall of addition facts. Homelinks for Unit 5 have been sent home. Remember Homelinks will be assigned as we go through the unit. They do not need to be returned to school. If your child is experiencing difficulty in completing any of the Homelinks, please let me know.
A permission slip will be sent home for Math Facts in a Flash. If you are interested in borrowing a computer program called “Math Facts in a Flash”, sign and return the permission, and I can make sure you get a copy. You can keep them until the end of the year. If it is not returned, you will need to pay $39.00 to replace. Great practice.
Published Books Our class will be completing a classbook that you can purchase a copy of for about $18.00. Each student will complete an acrostic name poem about themselves and an illustration page. All poems will be compiled for a classbook. The classbook is not free. You will have to pay to receive a copy. However, it is money well spent for a keepsake of their first grade experience. In addition, each child will complete their own personal ABC book. This book will be bound complete with a hard cover. The first copy is free! YEAH! Free! You can, however, order additional copies. I have several copies from years past available for your review in our classroom.

100th Day of School Celebration - We had a busy and very exciting day. There were several activities that some students did not have the time to finish. I have sent them home for completion at home. These are fun activities that you can do with your child to continue the 100th day celebration at home. They do not need to be returned. I did, however, want to make sure every child had the opportunity to complete all the activities. The Domino Train is an excellent higher order thinking activity that can definitely be a fun activity for the whole family. Directions as well as the master were sent home.

Needed:
Help with Scenery and Costumes for The Web Files. Come on.... you know you have some talent that you would like to share!

Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A GREAT Weekend!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Weekend Homework is to write 3 sentences for letters S, T, and U in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned on Monday.

Homework is Homelink 5.5. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter R in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow. Tomorrow is our 100th Day of School! Only 80 more to go!


Crazy Hair/Hat Day on Friday, January 23rd. Stars in Service is sponsoring Crazy Hair or Hat Day. For a $1.00 donation that will go to Riley's Children's Hospital, your child can participate! Don't forget to save those pop can tabs as well!

Homework is Homelink 5.4. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter Q in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow.

Homework is Homelink 5.3. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter J in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow. In case of school closing, please continue each day with an entry for the next letter in the alphabet for their ABC books.

Homework is Homelink 5.2. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter I in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow. Mid Year Math Review was not homework. It was sent home for optional practice. In case of school closing, please continue each day with an entry for the next letter in the alphabet for their ABC books.

Homework is Homelink 5.1. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter H in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow. Please continue to remove pop tabs and return to school for Riley Childrens' Hospital. Also... don't forget to do the same with Campbell's labels and Box Tops. Every bit helps!

Daily Daisy
Vol.
16
No.
19
Weekend Edition
Published
Almost Weekly
Activities and Events for the Week of: January 12th – January 16th, 2009
Monday Today we have P.E. Please bring tennis shoes to school. Students need to read Gram and Me in their basals. Please make sure to return basals to school on Tuesday. Due to NWEA Map Testing this week, we will not have centers this week. We will be celebrating Sydney and Ben's star attraction today because we did not have the opportunity to complete on Friday. Homework is Homelink 5.1 and to complete ABC book writing entry for letter H.
Tuesday Today we have music. NWEA Map Testing begins at 8:05 a.m. PTO Dance 5:30-7:00 p.m. Homework is Homelink 5.2 and to complete ABC book writing entry for letter I.
Wednesday Today we have library and reading buddies with Mrs. Woods' fourth grade language arts' students. We will be beginning practice for the next play, “The Web Files” by Margie Palatini. NWEA Map Testing at 8:05 a.m. Homework is Homelink 5.3 and to complete ABC writing entry for letter J.
Thursday Today we have music and computer lab. NWEA Map Testing at 8:05 a.m. Homework is Homelink 5.4 and to complete ABC writing entry for letter K.
Friday Today we have P.E. Please bring tennis shoes to school. Selection Assessment today for Gram and Me. NWEA Map Testing at 8:05 a.m. Scholastic Book Orders due online and in the classroom today. Homework is to complete entries in ABC book for L, M, N, and O over the weekend.
Other News:
Reading/Language Arts Our basal story is Gram and Me. We will be focusing on 3 letter blends, contractions, character/setting, adding -ed and -ing to base words. Try the online Macmillan site to enjoy activities related to this weeks skills. Www.mcmillanmh.com/indiana/students. Sight word practice for this week: say, says, about, give, read, were.
We will be writing about our imaginary snowmen/women this week. Please also continue to have your child complete 3 sentences for each letter of the alphabet every night and returning their writing journals. After completion of the alphabet, we will be working on acrostic name poems for our classbook.
Math We will begin working on Unit 5 in math and focusing on place value and fast recall of addition facts. Homelinks for Unit 5 will be sent home on Monday. Remember Homelinks will be assigned as we go through the unit. They do not need to be returned to school. If your child is experiencing difficulty in completing any of the Homelinks, please let me know.
A permission slip will be sent home for Math Facts in a Flash. If you are interested in borrowing a computer program called “Math Facts in a Flash”, let me know and I can make sure you get a copy. You can keep them until the end of the year.
-continued-
NWEA Map Testing- We will complete our NWEA Map Testing this week Tuesday through Friday. Please help your child to be as successful as possible by making sure they get a good night's sleep and a good healthy breakfast each day. We have our testing first thing in the morning so it is also important that your child is on time to school. Thanks so much.
Published Books Our class will be completing a classbook that you can purchase a copy of for about $18.00. Each student will complete an acrostic name poem about themselves and an illustration page. All poems will be compiled for a classbook. The classbook is not free. You will have to pay to receive a copy. However, it is money well spent for a keepsake of their first grade experience. In addition, each child will complete their own personal ABC book. This book will be bound complete with a hard cover. The first copy is free! YEAH! Free! You can, however, order additional copies. I have several copies from years past available for your review in our classroom.
Needed:
Help with Scenery and Costumes for The Web Files. Contact me if you are interested. Empty band-aid boxes...actually, we can used the filled ones, too. It is amazing what a band-aid cures!
-cleaned out small mouth ragu or pickle jars
-hand sanitizer
-kleenexes
-glue sticks
I LOVE TO READ IDEAS????
February is the WSBT I Love to Read Challenge. The entire Northpoint family will be participating. There will be several activities and fun planned school-wide. The focus of February will be to read, read, read, and then read some more. In years past, I have kissed a pig, been slimed by disgusting concoctions, and had the class at my home for a movie for a reward for meeting our classroom goal. If anyone has any creative ideas for our classroom goal, I would welcome it.
Email: jmcgann@phm.k12.in.us Blog: www.mcgannsminutes.blogspot.com
HAVE A SUPER WEEK!
**Activities and Events are tentative and subject to change.

Weekend Homework
Students need to write their 3 sentences for their ABC books for the letters E, F, and G. Please make sure to return their journals on Monday. Daily Daisy will not be printed until Monday. However, you can view it on the blog later this weekend.

Blue Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? America ns who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is: 'We need
your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday.

Due to MAP Testing next week, we will not be having Fundations groups or Guided Reading Centers. This means there will not be a spelling test, and we will not need volunteers during center times.

Homework is to complete the math review for Unit 4. We will have a test tomorrow. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter D in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow. WEAR BLUE tomorrow and every Friday until all troops are home to show support.

Homework is to complete the bar graph using the data for first grade heights. We did one in school today with our own heights. The students really enjoyed it. Homework is also to write 3 sentences for letter C in writing journals. Please make sure writing journals are returned tomorrow.

Homework is Homelink 4.12 and to write 3 sentences about a trait, adjective, favorite place, family member, friend etc. for the letter B in their writing journals. Please make sure writing journals go home each night and are returned each morning. Some still need to turn in Dec. reading calendars. Thanks!

Scholastic Book orders for January are due on-line and in the classroom by Friday, January 16th. Don't forget you can go online at www.scholastic.com/parent ordering. Class User Name: mrsmcgann and Password: booksarefun.

Published Books

Very soon we will be beginning to work on our individual and class published books. You will have the opportunity to purchase our class book. Each student will have his/her own page that they have authored and illustrated compiled into a class book. The books are wonderful. Each class book costs about $18.00 (shipping and handling included). We will each be completing our own poem about ourselves and then illustrating it or providing snapshots, etc.

In addition, we will be completing individual books that will be “The ABC's of Me” books. Students will complete at least 3 sentences for each letter of the alphabet that describes something about himself or herself. For example: “R is for running. I love to run, run, run! I have completed 2 marathons which were 26.2 miles each. “ I do not want the children to put something down that begins with a letter that doesn't have anything to do with that student. For example.... “Z is for zipper. I like zippers.” I want it to be about them! It can be a person, place, or thing that is special for that child, defines his or her personality, or a special event that the child enjoys.

Each day, students will be assigned one letter in the alphabet. They will need to write 3 sentences about that trait, characteristic, or favorite. They will need to return their writing folder each day with your initials. When we have completed the alphabet, I will send their first drafts home for your to help review/revise/edit with your child before printing them on the special paper that the publisher requires. I will also send home their final manuscript when they are finished for you and your family to complete the illustrations. The illustrations can be digital pictures that are printed on the paper or rubber cemented down. Scrap booking type stickers and embellishments also work as long as they are flat, not 3-D. The covers will also be sent home to complete and design the cover page with title. Each student will receive their original individual book for FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah! However, if you want more than one, you will have to pay about $18.00 for each additional copy. If you aren't familiar with these books, let me know and I will send a sample copy from previous years home with your child for you to view and then return. They make awesome keepsakes and wonderful gifts for family members.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks so much for your help.

Sincerely,



Jodi McGann

Welcome Back!
Homework is HL 4.11
and to write 3 sentences about a trait, adjective, or favorite of themselves.
Please also total and sign December reading calendars on page 55 and have students turn in.