Holiday Reminders!

Friendly Reminders………

Book Exchange

We will have a book exchange on our last day of school before break, Friday Dec. 19. Each child is asked to wrap one of their gently used books, one that they no longer want, to exchange with another student. Girls should label their gift “Girl” and sign their name and the same procedure for boys. Girls will draw a girl’s name and boys a boy’s name.

Please send them in ASAP!!!

Letters to Santa

Tune in to WELY radio! Our class will have their letters to Santa read on..........................

**Wednesday, December 24th**

7:10 am and again at 6:10 pm

Winter Music Program

Our winter program is Thursday, December 18 at 1:15 pm in the Washington Elementary Auditorium.  You are welcome to pick up your child after the program.  Please sign your child out with me in our classroom (Rm. 24) following the program.  

Happy Holidays!!

~Mrs. Skustad

Paw Pride Pajama Day!!

Show and Share--Gecko!

Halloween Vocabulary Parade and Party Fun!!!

Math Lesson on Graphing Skittles!

Farm Field Trip Highlights

We had a great day at the farm.  We learned a great deal about horses and even went on a Halloween Candy Hunt on the hill!!!  A big thanks to the Birchhill Farm.

Paw Pride Fall Festival

A note from Mrs. Oelke.....

This afternoon our students celebrated our Paw Pride Behaviors by participating in a school wide celebration event that was designed and facilitated by our 5th grade students and staff.  The leadership that our 5th grade students demonstrated was outstanding!  Our students worked together in teams consisting of kindergarten students up through 5th grade students.  Some of the events included an egg toss, football toss, a crab walk, hot potato, and a large game of telephone.  Ask you child about their afternoon at Washington Elementary.

We continue to work on Paw Pride Behaviors in all areas of our school!

Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe and Be Cooperative!

Thank you for your support and have a great weekend!

Birchhill Farm Field Trip- Oct. 15

1st Grade Birchhill Farm Field Trip

The first grade class will be going to the Birchhill Farm (2231 Robich Rd.) just 2 miles outside of Ely for a farm tour.  The students will have an opportunity to see a small farm with several horses, barns, chicken coops, chickens, dogs and cats.  There will be a demonstration of how to saddle, ride and care for horses and an egg collecting in the coop.

We will be going on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 from 1:15 pm -2:30 pm.

* Please dress for the weather: snow pants (if needed), good boots, a warm coat, hat and mittens.

* All students must have a signed permission slip to participate.

We need a few adult chaperones for this field trip.  If you are interested please sign up below.

It should be a great day on the farm!

Mrs. Skustad and Mrs. Beymer

1st Grade Teachers

Please sign and return no later than Monday, October 13, 2014.

***********************************************************************************

_____________________________ has my permission to take the bus to tour the

           student’s name                          Birchhill Farm on Wednesday, October 15, 2014.

Parent Signature _____________________________________Date__________________

************************************************************************************

_____ Yes, I would like to chaperone this event.  (Please be at the school on 10/15 by 1:00 pm.)

Name (please print): ____________________________

Phone Number: ___________________

Bear Head Lake State Park Field Trip

Science Nature Walk

We were using our 5 senses to explore our natural environment. The crab apples and plums were amazing!

Show and Share in 1st Grade!

Bear Head Lake State Park Field Trip!!

1st Grade                  

Bear Head Lake State  Park

Nature Scavenger Hunt Field Trip

We will be going on a Nature Scavenger Hunt!  Students will take a 30 minute bus ride to the Bear Head Lake State Park just West of Ely.  Students will be given a list of natural things to find and notice as we walk some of the trails and participate in a few team building games along the way.

We will be going on  Friday, September 26 from 8:00 am-12:00 pm.

** Please have your child dress for walking in the woods and the weather.

Please bring the following:

backpack, full water bottle, a healthy snack, and appropriate gear (walking shoes, coat, hat, mittens).

We need a few adult chaperones for this field trip.  If you are interested please sign up below or contact us.  

It should be a great day!

Mrs. Skustad and Mrs. Beymer

1st Grade Teachers

(Cut, sign and return no later than Monday, September 22, 2014.)

All students must have a signed permission slip to participate.

*****************************************************************************

_____________________________ has my permission to take the bus to Bear Head Lake State Park  

              student’s name                              on  Friday, September 26, 2014.

Parent Signature _____________________________________Date__________________

_____ Yes, I would like to chaperone this event.  (Please  be at the school on 9/26/14 by 7:50 am.)

Name (please print)_______________________Email or Phone#:______________

Welcome To Our 1st Grade Class!!!

Welcome to 1st Grade!!!!!

Dear First Grade Parents and Students, I am so excited to have you in my class!  We are going to have a great 1st Grade year.  We will have fun getting to know each other, learning to read better, playing math games, and going on a few exciting field trips!                              Your 1st Grade Teacher,                              Mrs. Kelly Skustad

September 2, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child and make this a successful year.   Here are a few reminders that I wanted to share with you to make the transition to first grade a bit easier.

Reminders from the Principal

*  When visiting the school, be sure to use the front entrance and check in at the main office.

*  Supervision on the playground in the morning begins at 7:45 a.m., please do NOT drop off your child before 7:45 a.m.  Also, there is NO supervision after school on the playground.  Please plan accordingly.

*  Be sure to call the office by 8:30 a.m. if your child is absent

*  Please be sure that you communicate regularly with me and your child about after school plans.

*  Be sure to send your child dressed appropriately for the weather.

Snack Time/ Water Bottles- approx. 10:10

Your child needs to bring a nutritious snack daily (i.e. crackers, cheese, fruit, veggies, nuts, etc.). Please avoid snacks high in sugar.  No candy please.  The Graham Crackers from the supply list will be stored and used when someone has forgotten their snack. Students are only allowed to have water at school.  Your child will bring their water bottle home each night, then please send it full of water in the morning.  Thanks!

Recess and Lunch- 12:00 to 1:00

Recess takes place the first 30 minutes, then the students will go directly to the High School Cafeteria for lunch.  K-2 students DO NOT have access to ala cart items, however they may purchase milk.  K-2 students DO NOT have access to the microwaves, so please plan accordingly.  If your child will be having the school lunch, a lunch money drop box is conveniently located in the hallway outside the general office.

Bus Information

Bus students will always be sent home on the bus, unless the child has a note from you explaining the change.  All students not taking the bus will be dismissed through the west doors just down two flights of stairs from our classroom at 2:50.  If you are picking your child up after school please pick them up in the playground parking area.  For safety reasons, only students who are taking the bus are allowed to exit the school through the front doors and into the bus circle.  

News and Announcements

I will be sending a weekly newsletter home on Friday that will include the weekly spelling words and important announcements.  Please mark your calendar now for a special meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 5-7 pm..  This meeting is for all parents/guardians to learn about our school-wide Paw Pride program and the 1st grade program.  Please bring any questions and concerns you might have.

If you have any questions or concerns please send a note to school with your child, email me at kskustad@ely.k12.mn.us or, call/text me at 218-235-9474.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kelly Skustad

1st Grade Supply List

1 - Pocket Folder 1 - 1 inch binder with inside pockets Pencil Box School Scissors Small water bottle with lid Gym Shoes 4- Glue Sticks 2- Large Erasers Paint shirt (large old shirt) Old Sock (use as eraser for dry erase marker)

Empty Shoe Box Backpack (no wheels - lockers are too small) Box of Kleenex for class supply Box of graham crackers for class snack supply Daily Snack *1 set of head phones, please label and place in a large ziplock (no ear buds please)

Thank you and Welcome to 1st Grade!!!

Lunch Menus- June 2, 3

Monday, June 2nd
Monday:
Breakfast:  Pillsbury Frudel (Apple or Cherry)
Lunch:  Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, Peas and Carrots, Assorted Fruit, Bread and Milk

Tuesday, June 3rd
Tuesday:
Breakfast:  WG PB&J grape or strawberry
Lunch:  Assorted Pizza, Garden Salad w/dressing, Tomato/Baby Carrots/Broccoli, Fruit and Milk

Track and Field Day!

Butterfly Release!

We released our Painted Lady Butterflies today!!!

We Feel HAPPY!!!!!

Sports Dress Up Day!

More February Fun!!!

100th Day of School Hats!

Walk to the Ice Sculptures!

Just Basking in the Sun for a Moment!

February Photos!

Show and Share: Spy Kit!

Valentine's Day Monster Boxes

Valentine's Day Monster Boxes

Valentine's Day Monster Boxes

We will miss our friend!  Good Luck in Duluth!

1st Grade Bird Count

Valentine's Day and 100th Day!!!

                                                                                          

Thursday, February 13th, 2014

Valentine’s Day Exchange

We will be making our own, creative Valentine’s Boxes next week during school.  Please send in 1 or more of the following to create our boxes (clean..oatmeal container, cereal box, large kleenex box, or shoe box).  If you have a few in your recycling..please feel free to share extras.  Please send the box in by Tuesday! Thanks.  

Students are invited to exchange Valentines with all of their classmates (17 students and 1 student helper).  Please send your child’s valentines in a labeled baggie or box by Thursday, Feb. 13th.

Here is a list...

Kohner Hannah Evie

Caid Bella Maggie

Peyton Valarie Gabby

Rylee Morgan Milo

Maddy Janae Eli

Silas Henry (Student Helper: Matthew)

Thursday, February 20, 2014

100th Day of School

We will be celebrating the 100th Day of School on Thursday, February 20th by having everyone decorate a white cap with 100 things.  Some ideas from the past are 100 safety pins, hot glue 100 sequin pieces, using bright colored markers draw 100 stars or 100 stickers.  Be creative!!!  Please complete this project at home with your child and return the hat before or on the 100th day of school (Feb. 20, 2014).  Have fun!!!

If you have any questions, feel free to text, call or email me.

Happy February to you all!!!

Mrs. Kelly Skustad

Due to our short school week, we are not working on Unit 3, Week 3 in Reading.  We will NOT have a spelling test this week.  We will continue our Reading Unit 3, Week 3 next week and have our next spelling test on Friday, Feb. 7th. 

 Thanks!!!

Bag Books!

1st Grade Bag Books Program

Yesterday (Jan. 9th) we started our “Bag Books” program.  We have expanded our reading skills and are ready to spark more interest in reading by using a variety of books and creating some new reading challenges.  Every Monday through Thursday your student will bring home a book in a zip-lock bag to read.  This reading time should last at least 10 minutes each day, more if your student is willing and able.  Students read to someone, record the book on the calendar, and then return it to school the next day and get a new book.

Your student will pick a book out from the selection in the classroom.  The goal is to have students read from a wide variety of books and to be challenged enough to create interest in reading but not frustration.  Allowing them this choice can help promote their interest in reading.  Other books from a library or home collections may be used and recorded on the monthly calendar.  Lengthy books or chapter books can be used for several days of reading.

Please help your student fill out the calendar by writing the title of the book and return the calendar and book daily.  The calendar will act as a record of the reading choices for the month.  Our local Dairy Queen restaurant provides certificates as incentives for reading for the whole month.  On the last day of each month students will receive their certificate.

Every student is expected to read daily.  This can be a fun time for your student to show you what they have learned.  Studies show that children need to practice reading to become fluent and can be more motivated when someone is listening.

If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you for your assistance and enjoy spending this time with your student!

Mrs. Skustad