First Grade Has Spring Fever

Hello 1L family and friends!

I am so pleased to wish you a happy and healthy spring season! As spring
break nears, I have a lot of fun activities planned for your children both in
and out of the classroom. Because fourth quarter is rapidly approaching, I
assure you we will work together to begin preparing your children for
second grade transitions. As a parent-teacher partnership, we will do so by
engaging your children in the best learning environment possible as they
complete developmentally appropriate and exciting activities. With that
said, I put together our Spring Fever newsletter to house important
dates, nurse notes, April curriculum plans, birthday celebrations, a kids
kraft, community corner, and the parent page. I would like to note that I
will have our classroom website updated with all of this valuable
information before spring break.
As always, thank you for your continued support this year as a new teacher
of the L.E.S. staff and faculty. My passion continues to grow for early
childhood, and I have you and your children to thank. Feel free to contact
me for any questions, comments, and/or concerns!
Best regards,
Miss Leechalk

Tentative April Curriculum

Listed below are some of the spring themed content areas we will be
covering over the course of the next few weeks. In regard to specials, see
attached calendar:

Science: Life Cycles with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Social Studies:
o Geography: Earth Day, Monday, April 22
Art/Music/Movement: Rhythm and Patterns
Math: Adding and Subtracting Double Digits
Language Arts: Mastery Level Sight Words
o Reading/Writing: Story Elements

Please be patient and work with your children on a daily basis

to ensure their continued success at home and in the classroom.
We are a team; we are a family.

Parent Page
At a recent workshop our administration shared Your Childs
ABCs. I feel they are way too powerful to not share. Please read
carefully and feel free to pass on!
A ccept you childs limitations, but do not resign yourself to future
limitations.
B uild their confidence.
C ooperate with, rather than reject programs designed by professionals.
D irect their attentionperhaps a little extra on your part will improve
listening, understanding and response.
E xpect them to require more than the usual amount of time for almost
everythingmake allowances for time.
F orget about unfair comparisons of school progress with children of
friends, sisters, brothers, relatives, and neighbors.
G overn his/her discipline at home by that expected of siblings
permissiveness is not a kindness for your child. They will resent peers now
and you later.
H elp them to take pride in doing those things they can do well.
I nstitute a regular, normal program of outside activities, maybe that they
can excel in other than school activities.
J ohnny can learnyour school will be glad to make recommendations for
special helpask how you can help too.
K eep directions simple.
L et your child set their own pace in new learning situations at home.
M ake certain that you stand ready to help them at all times.
N ever give up hope for possible progress.
O pen every possible door for development.
P atience and perseverance are two attributes necessary for all parents.
Q uietall children need some.
R equest and read available materials concerning your childs particular
problem.
S ocial acceptance is highly important to your childs welfare outside the
home.
T each the concrete rather than abstract.
U nderstand the importance a routine plays in your childs life.
V erbalize as little as possiblequite simpledont talk too much.
W atch your language, your meanings, and choice of words.
X -ray your own state of mind. You will find that your child will present an
ever challenging personal problem to you as a parent and have a
Z est for life and living that must not be denied that child. Make them have
a good feeling.

Parent Volunteers and Donations Needed

Parent/family volunteers are always welcomed in my classroom. As long as
Upcoming
you areBirthdays
in good health, contact me ahead of time if you would like to help
out in the classroom. The first grade staff and I absolutely love when we
have extra help prepping materials and preparing hands-on activities.
April 6
Tanner Julian
April 11
Jessica Mowry
We are still looking for 2-3 additional family volunteers for the Spring
April 22
Andrew Johnson
Celebration Party on Friday, April 12. Contact myself, or our party-parent
May 23
Paisley DOnofrio
liaison, Mrs. DOnofrio if you have any questions and/or ideas for our
celebration! b.donofrio@gmail.com

Please save empty water bottles for your child to bring in for a future art
project! Send at least two empty water bottles into school with your child
by April 15.

Nurse Notes

Healthy Diet Practices

Upcoming Young
Parent
Readersdiets
andneed
Snack
Provider
Dates:
children's
special
care and
planning to ensure the
April 5development
@ 12:45
Mrs.
Julian
of strong minds, bodies, and emotions. In turn, proper
April 11
@ 1:00contributes to daily
Mr. and
Mrs.
Mowry
nutrition
good
health
and protects against every day
April 22
@
1:00
Mrs.
Johnson
illness that floats through the air.
May 23 @ 9:45
Mr. and Mrs. DOnofrio
Early food and eating experiences are the foundation for the formulation of
attitudes about food, eating behavior, and consequently, food habits.
Unhealthy foods will not be served to children during school hours. With
that said, only healthy snacks will be accepted to disperse to students
when brought in from home. For more information on healthy eating, visit
http://www.nemours.org/ .

Community Corner

Want to getAllergies,
your children
involved
community
Colds,
and in
Flu
Oh My!sports? Go the
http://www.latroberecreation.org
or visit
City
Hall
register
Please do not send your
childLatrobe
to school
with
a to
temperature
of 100 degrees
for the spring/summer!
Registrations
are
being
held
now;
dont
delay!
or greater. If your child is sent home with a fever, do
not send him/her
back to school the next day. Our district policy states that a child must be
free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to
school. Children who have been diagnosed with STREP throat may return
to school 24 hours after receiving the first dose of antibiotics unless
he/she is still running a fever. Any child with a contagious disease that is
spread by coughing, sneezing or touching should stay at home.
Please remind your child to cover their cough by using a tissue or coughing
into their upper sleeve or elbow, not into their hands. Place used tissues in
the wastebasket. Washing hands with soap and water or cleaning hands
with alcohol based hand cleaner (when soap and water are not available)
helps to prevent the spread of diseases.

Contact Information

If your child requires medication to be administered at school, please

Ligonier
Street
b.leechalk@setonhill.edu
contact Nurse1501
Schaus
for instructions.
Do not send
medication to school if
Latrobe,
PA
15650
you have not contacted the nurse in advance.
11leecbroo@glsd.k12.pa.us
724-539-9779 ext: 115

Peace Table: Tito the Tattling

Tiger
By the time children are school-age, children begin to be faced with
obstacles they may not know how to overcome. Some turn to tattling as an
attention-seeking tactic, when all they want is to help. My fellow
colleagues and I have seen the number of tattling scenarios grow. With
that said, through the implementation of Tito the Tattling Tiger, we can
work as a team to put these concerns at ease. Tito is our new classroom
pet. His home is located at the peace table where students may visit to
write down and share with Tito any tattling urges they may have. Students
are given the option to bring in any tattling notes from home, too, to share
with Tito. Students are visually reminded that, If anyone is hurt, please
dont delay. See your teacher, to make sure everyone is okay.

Kids Kraft
Spring Blossom Tree
Supplies Needed:
Light colored construction paper
Dark water-base paint
Paint brush
Microwavable popcorn
Microwave
Glue
Steps to Create:
With the help of a parent, first paint your hand from the wrist up.
Second, stamp your hand from the wrist up on the bottom of
construction paper. Make sure your fingers are spread apart. The
stamp should look like a tree. Wait until dry.
Third, while you wait for the pain to dry, microwave popcorn for 2
minutes and 30 seconds. Once popped and cool, glue pieces onto
the tree branches (finger stamps).
Last, put your blossom tree on display and enjoy the rest of your
popcorn!