Parent Letter 20/09/2010

                                                                                                                        20 September, 2010

Dear P1 Parents,

This is a short note at the start of our second (busy) week together in P1. First, I want to thank you for being patient in my arrival and for the wonderfully warm welcome to ISM, Arusha and Tanzania. Thanks also to Ms. Ilona for helping set this up for a smooth transition for students. I am grateful to be here and feel privileged with the opportunity to work with your child. I will aim to send a letter home at the end of every two weeks in efforts to share with you what we are doing in class and inform you about upcoming events/activities.

The following is a short overview of what we have been and are currently learning in P1:

Literacy: Last week students worked with repeated text and had a go at being authors of this genre of writing. Students also shared with me their understanding of high-frequency words and spelling. This week we will work on beginning sounds and rhyming words while talking about how we can use classroom resources to help us in our reading and writing.

Math: The focus in Math has been on using pictographs or bar graphs to answer questions and organize information. Graphs have been made showing which animals students like best (lions or tigers), how many people are in our families, how we get to and from school, and what sports we like best (stop in our classroom to see them). Last week we made a graph with our shoes! We are using the words ‘more than’, ‘less than’ as we evaluate our graphs. We will continue using these words as we begin looking at measurement and compare and order length and height.

POI:  Our Program of Inquiry unit (Me and My Family) will wrap up this week. We will conclude this unit by sharing an artifact (an object) with some significance to your child and its connection to his/her family. This may be any item: a piece of clothing, a trinket or charm, a picture or short story. Students will be sharing this item with the class over the next few days. Please have your child bring in something or talk through a story with them.

This week we will also be talking about and comparing how our families celebrate birthdays. It would be great if you would take time to talk with your son/daughter about how your family celebrates. Our next unit is entitled “Tales and Technology” and looks at structures, materials and the design cycle. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments or ideas.

The best way to make contact with me is through email.

I sincerely look forward to getting to know your child.