Spelling Practice!

Check out https://www.spellingcity.com/ahs2006/ to practice spelling words for this week!

September Happenings

We have been studying many things in the month of September. Adjectives and community helpers are two that we have recently discussed. We decided to combine both into a lesson. Students broke up with a partner and went around the room describing different community helpers with adjectives. It was a fun, cooperative learning experience for everyone!


Look at their work!

Welcome Back!

Wow! The summer went by quickly, didn't it?
I would like to welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year! I am looking forward to another successful year in first grade!

One Hundred Days And Counting!

It has been a very busy year so far! As you can see, my name has changed. I got married back in October. The children are getting used to calling me by a different name now. 

We have learned many things this year. In reading, we are quickly becoming outstanding readers! We recently have been focusing on comprehending what we read and applying it to our lives. 

In math we have learned how to add, subtract, place value, and most recently, graphs and charts. 

If you are interested in working on any of these skills outside of the classroom, here are a few websites:

www.readinga-z.com  ( you can try the free trial)

www.abcmouse.com

www.mathabc.com

Thank you for sharing your child with me! We are having a great year and I look forward to the last few months of learning!

Mrs. Qualls

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.

Read to Succeed!

Next Thursday, March 7, we are having a Family Literacy Night. The activities will start at 6 p.m. We will start with the reading of my book, KatyBug the LadyBug: The Day She Lost Her Dots.There will be many reading activities to do in classrooms throughout the Elementary School. We would love to have your family join us!

Also, we will be having a School-Wide Read-in Day on Friday, March 8. This will be during the regular school day. Each class will revolve the day around reading in some special way.

Read, Read, Read!

Fish Tails

I would like to introduce our new class pets, Sonic and Nala. The class voted for a girl name and a boy name. Sonic and Nala were pretty shy at first, but are now getting used to the new first grade environment. We would like to thank Angie ( a student's Nana) for donating everything to our classroom. The kids are really enjoying them!

One Hundred Days Smarter!

It was a fun day in First Grade! We counted to 100 by twos, fives, and tens. We ate one hundred snacks and read several books throughout the day. The students also brought 100 items from around the house for a guessing game. The first 100 days of school have flown by! Now it's time to get ready for the Valentines day party!

The B Stands for Beatrice

http://juniebjones.com/


Here is another fun site for students to do during center time. We have started to read the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park. I thought this would be a good website. The students seem to be enjoying the series!

Mock Election and Veteran's Day

Our class participated in a mock election on November 6. Mitt Romney won with 17 votes over Barack Obama with 6 votes. It was a fun experience for the students and they learned the basic concepts of voting.

Sherry Kennedy came to speak to the first grade and inform them about the military. They were given poagie bait, dog tags, camo bracelets, and a Veteran's Day worksheet. We appreciate her coming in to talk to the students. We also appreciate all of our veterans! Happy Veteran's Day!

Pumpkin Patch Trip

In October, we went to the McWilliams Pumpkin Patch outside of West Plains. We went on a train ride, played in the barn, did the animal maze, and went down the big slide. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time!

Fire Safety Month

The Alton Fire Department came to visit us this week! We learned about fire safety and were able to see the fire hose spray water.

Apple Picking Time!

Johnny Appleseed's Birthday was celebrated at Alton Elementary on September 26, 2012. The students got to meet Johnny and listen to him read a story. I read "The Little Red House" to the class and showed the special star inside the apple.We had an apple dip tasting activity and graphed our voting data. Marshmellow fluff was the big winner! Thank you to all of the parents who sent apples to school with their children. We were able to use them for many activities.

The star inside "The Little Red House".

 

Johnny Appleseed tells a story to the students.



Our graph of the voting results!

 

Like Pigs in Mud

We have been reading and learning about pigs this week and decided to make pig mud during science time. It was 2 cups of cornstarch, 1 cup of water, and food coloring. The kids loved it. I think their favorite part was seeing Miss Russback get her hands in it and mix it together. :)