Goodbye, Summer! Hello, First Grade!

Welcome back to Alton Elementary School! The summer flew by quickly once again. I am looking forward to a great year! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer.

First grade is a year for learning fantabulous things! This website will be a resource for students and parents throughout the school year. We have added another first grade classroom this year. I am very excited about this new change. It will be very beneficial to the students and teachers. More individual time with each student will be provided.


Thank you for sharing your child with me! I'm excited for another wonderful year in the first grade! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

The Weather Outside is Frightful, but Learning is so Delightful!

The phone calls keep coming. They inform us that we are, yet again, having a snow day. Here are a few ideas to help your child practice the skills we have been working on in class.

*Practice word wall words on the back of your newsletter
*Reread decodable books (if you have kept them)
*Practice subtraction and addition
*Practice words with short and long vowels
*Read a "Snowy" story. A good link to go to is http://creeksidelearning.com. It has several activities to go along with the story, " The Snowy Day."
*Bird watch (add and subtract birds in your very own yard)
*Read, read, read!!!
Please practice these skills with your child. It is very beneficial. Especially when the days keep passing by without school.
Enjoy! Have fun! I hope to see you soon!

McWilliam's Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again! We took our field trip to the McWilliam's Pumpkin Patch outside of West Plains. It was a beautiful day! The wind was a bit chilly, but at least the sun was shining! We saw several kinds of animals, pumpkins, and slid down a huge slide! For lunch, we stopped at the West Plains city park and had a picnic. Since we stopped at the park, we HAD to play on the playground for awhile too! Overall, it was a wonderful day!

Johnny Appleseed's Day!

Johnny Appleseed's Day was another success! We voted on our favorite apple (green, red, or yellow). We read the story of the little red house with no windows or doors with a star in the middle. The highlight of the day was Johnny Appleseed visiting and reading us a story!

Welcome Back!

Wow! The summer went by quickly, didn't it?
I would like to welcome you to the 2013-2014 school year! I am looking forward to another successful year in first grade!
Here is a poem that I wrote specifically for my ladybugs this year.


I am so glad that you are here.
I know we will have a wonderful year!
Reading and Math are two things we do.
Listening and learning the whole year through.
There will be homework and a few tests.
Just remember to always do your best!

Love,
Miss Russback

Frogs, Fish, and Feathers! Plus Ladybugs of course!

Summer School is here! I am so blessed that I have the opportunity to teach for one week in the summer this year! We are discovering new and old about frogs, fish, and ducks. I have a group of 15-20 coming each day to read, learn, and play!


On another note, I am interested in reading at area libraries this summer for summer reading programs. If you know of any that would like for me to come read my KatyBug book, please let me know! I am also starting to work on my new book in the series.


Here are a few educational links for the summer in order to help your child grow while not in school:

http://www.pbskids.org

www.scholastic.com/summer

www.abcya.com



Have a great summer!!!!! See you in the fall!!

Terra Nova Testing

It has been a busy two weeks here in the first grade! Yesterday, we finished our Terra Nova testing. The Terra Nova Test is a form of standardized testing at the end of the school year. The students were tested on Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science.

We worked very hard! I'm very proud of my students! :)

It's hard to believe that the school year is wrapping up. The rest of the school year will be very busy with awards days, field days, and end of the year celebrations.

More details will be given as the important events approach.