Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Welcome to 1st Grade!

Hello Families,
     Welcome to 1st Grade! My name is Leslie Steele and I will be your student's teacher this year. 1st grade is the BEST grade because of all the amazing learning and growth that occurs. I am thrilled to meet your students and get rolling on this school year.

     This will be my 8th year teaching 1st grade! This is my 3rd year at Hawthorn Academy. I have taught in both public and private school settings in Utah and in Chicago where I attended school to receive my Masters degree in Elementary Education. I believe that education involves 3 key players:  me, you, and your student. Together, we can achieve great things. I have been married to my husband AJ for two years (he is a teacher also!) and we enjoy hiking, cooking, reading, and traveling. 

     Please note the school supply list on the school website. Here is a link:
I would LOVE to have these supplies at Back to School Night so I can sort them prior to the first day. Please do not label anything as our supplies are communal. 

I will have a volunteer sign up available at Back to School Night. I always need help Monday and Friday mornings, as well as some Learning Center helpers throughout the week. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. Let's make this the best year ever! Enjoy the remaining bit of summer. ​

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Spring is just around the corner....

Hello Families,
     Did you know there are only 48 days left in 1st grade this year? I can hardly believe it! Spring break is right around the corner.



Here are some things to note:
1) We planted our grass seed this week! Thank you to those of you who donated supplies for this project. The kids are really excited about it.
2) Next week there is NO SCHOOL Friday the 25th for a teacher work day. Thursday is the last day of the quarter and grades will be locked by Friday. We have the entire next week off for spring break.
3) There will still be homework and spelling next week. The test will be on Thursday.
4) Thank you for supporting your student. PLEASE help them to remember to bring in their homework, folder, and reading calendar each week.

Have a great weekend!

Sunday, February 7, 2016

February Updates

Hello Families,
   1. Valentine's Day is coming and we will celebrate with a party on Friday. The room moms sent out some info about that. Please remember each student is to bring in a valentine for every student in our class. For a list of names, please see my blog post a few weeks ago.
2. Thanks to those that counted out 100 legos for our class 100 day celebration. We had a great day celebrating all things 100!
3. Please note that the 1st grade IB leadership award requirements must be completed by May. Many students have begun checking items off already. For a complete list of requirements, see the Hawthorn website, then "get involved," then "IB Leadership."
4. Please remember that to get full 15 points for homework, students must complete 1) their book report 2) their math sheets and 3) turn in homework folder with initialed reading calendar. Thank you for supporting your student.
5. Conferences are fast approaching! Mark your calendars for the first week of March. Sign ups will be available soon.
6. Information went out about the "Unfundraiser" that Hawthorn is doing. The winning class earns a pizza party and the 1st graders are motivated to earn it! Please see HOPE resources for more information.
7. I am working with Scholastic.com on a glitch with their ordering process. In the meantime, should you place an order with scholastic.com, please email me and let me know so I can "push the order through" on my end. Thanks so much!

Have a great week!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Legos and Valentines

Hello!
    Things in 1st grade are going well and we are moving right along. I was very pleased with the book reports submitted this week. Keep up the great work! There are still about 5 students who have not been turning in homework. Please help your child develop good student habits and do their homework and reading calendar each evening.

The 100th day of school is coming up!! In celebration, we have a whole day of fun activities all dealing with the number 100. If your student has Legos at home, would you consider letting us borrow some for a building activity? We are in need of bags of 100 legos in each bag. Please label your child's name on the bag and make sure the bag has exactly 100 in it. If you can help, please bring in bags by this Friday. Your student will receive the legos back once the activity ends. Thank you!



Our Valentine's Day Party is coming up on Friday, February 12th. Our room moms are hard at work planning a fun party for us. Please have your student bring in a valentine for EVERY student in the class. Here are the student names for labeling purposes:

Mya
Presli
Jayden
Kenley
Leo
Eva
McKenna
Arin
Easton
Joe
Treasure
Collin
Jessica
Rachel
Dominic
Jaiun
Richie
Cris
Izzie
Berkley
Amy
Jackson
Aurora
McKay
Destiny
Marlie

Have a great week!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Welcome Back!

Hello families!
   Welcome back to school for 2016! We're getting into a good groove and the kids are ready to tackle their new tasks.
Here is some news:

1) I have issued the class a challenge! If every student brings in their homework folder and completed reading calendar on Fridays, each student will receive a special pencil!
2) Please make sure your student wears proper winter clothing each day. It's chilly out there!
3) I am sending home some Scholastic book order catalogs tomorrow. If you'd like to order, go to scholastic.com and order. Our class code is KGKTL.
4) The quarter ends next week! There is no school on Friday the 15th or Monday the 18th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Thanks for all you do to support your child.