Ms.

Burkes Classroom
Welcome!
Dear Families,
I would like to welcome all of you to Curriculum Night
at Middleton Elementary School. My main goal for this
evening is to provide you with information about the
first grade curriculum and classroom life in room 128. I
am looking forward to a great year.
Thank you for coming!
Margaret Burke

Daily Schedule

Browsing Baskets/Welcome Work

Morning Meeting

Math

Social Studies/Science

Word Work

Lunch

Recess

Read Aloud

Reading

Specials

PE X

Writing Workshop

Closing Circle/Prepare for Dismissal

Inside this issue:

D Library
a
R Using
e Technology
WBirthdays
r
L
u

Field
Trips

S Meeting
n Individual
Needs

F Homework
a
S Communication
p

Ms. Burkes Classroom

Page 2

Reading

Writing Workshop

One of the best things about teaching first grade is

watching six and seven year olds grow into readers.
The needs of each student and the Common Core
Reading Standards help to determine the direction for
instruction in our classroom. The children participate in
both whole group and small group lessons, and
engage in meaningful practice of the skills and
strategies they are learning during our reading block.

Writing workshop is always a favorite

time of day in room 128! At this time,
the children learn how to be thoughtful
and strategic writers. They will also
learn how to use writing as a tool for
learning across the day and throughout
their lives.

We will focus on the following reading themes in first

grade:

Readers Build Good Habits

Readers Use Strategies to Figure out Unknown

Words

Readers Think, Talk, and Write About Books and

Ideas

Readers Pursue Their Interests in Books and Other

Texts

Lunch & Recess

This year, we will be writing fiction, informational texts, poetry, fairy tales as
well as working on our handwriting.

Snack

Lunch and recess last for 35 minutes. The children

spend the first 25 minutes eating lunch in the
cafeteria. Lunch may be purchased in the cafeteria
or brought from home. Each month you will
receive the school lunch menu. The menu is also
posted on the Middleton website. Recess will
follow lunch and will last for 10 minutes . During
recess the children may engage in free choice play
on the playground. Your child will need to wear
gym shoes to recess each day.

You may send a healthy

snack to school with
your child each day. We
will usually eat our
snacks in the afternoon.
Please do not send nuts.

The cafeteria will provide you with a notice when

your childs account is under $5. You may send a
check made out to Middleton School or Skokie
School District 73.5. If your child is bringing lunch
money, please remind him/her to keep it in a safe
place. When you send money to add to your
childs account, please clearly label an envelope
with your childs name and Room 126. You
may also go online and electronically add more
money to the account. There is a link to do this on
the school website.

Please send a family picture to

school that we can keep in our
classroom throughout the year.
It will remind us of our loved
ones who will be proud of all
our hard work in
school each day!
I will return your
photo at the end
of the year.

Family Picture

Ms. Burkes Classroom

Page 3

Specials

Library and Technology

Each afternoon, the children will take

part in a special class. These classes are
art, gym, drama, and music. If you
would like to learn more about these
classes, our specials teachers will be in
the school library this evening. You
may also contact them at your
convenience.

Our class will visit the school

library once a week. Children
may check out three books and
one magazine. The books may
be kept for one week. Magazines are due back the next day.

Art: Ms. Michelle Beatrice

847/676-8053
Gym: Ms. Diane Pappas
847/ 676-8011
Drama: Ms. Stephanie Anderson
847/ 676-8054
Music: Ms. Angie Sylvester
847/ 676-8014

Birthdays
We love celebrating birthdays in room 128!
On your childs special day, he or she may
make a choice from the list below:

Choose a favorite song or game to play

with the class.

Bring a favorite book to be read by the

birthday child or parent.

Bring in a non-food item to share with

classmates such as pencils, erasers,
stickers, or bookmarks.

Share a special fruit or vegetable snack

with the class.

The boys and girls will also have

opportunities to use
technology to learn, practice
skills, create, and communicate
with others. We will use the
computer lab, iPads, and our
classroom computer and
Smartboard for projects and
activities. We look forward to
sharing news about our
classroom life and learning on
our class website and Seesaw
too. More
information to come.

Field Trips
Our trips will be integrated with the first grade
curriculum. They will be announced in
advance. Parent volunteers are always
welcome!

Meeting Individual Needs

Middleton School has many wonderful
support staff members who work with both
students and teachers to meet student
needs. Some times these teachers will
work in our classroom. At other times,
children will work outside of the classroom
during our intervention block.
Students will have opportunities to work in
groups, with partners, or independently to
pursue individual interests and to further
develop abilities and skills.

Ms. Burkes Classroom

Homework
Reading: One of the best things to do with your child is to continue reading and talking about
books you have read together. In first grade, the boys and girls will also bring home books to
read. These are books that your child should be able to read independently and will come
home in a bag along with a reading log. The purpose of the log is provide a place to share a
little thinking or to practice a reading strategy or skill that we are learning about in class. Book
bags, books, and reading logs should come back to school each day.
Word Wall/Spelling: The students will have ten words to learn how to read, write, and spell,
each week. Five words will be related to the pattern, word family, or spelling principle that we
explore each week. Five words will be commonly used words that children need to know. We
call these words our Word Wall words. I will send these words home at the beginning of each
week. On Friday, we will have our Word Wall Challenge.

Report Cards

Volunteering in the Classroom

Our report cards are distributed

three times per year. You will
receive your childs report card in
December, March, and June.

Please let me know if you are interested in

helping out in the classroom. We love having
you!

Conferences

book order coordination, field trips, writing

workshop, reading with small groups, special
projects, small group and individual support,
and sharing your expertise

Conferences are held twice a year in

November and February. All families
are encouraged to attend.

The areas of need include:

Contact Information
Communication
I look forward to sharing our learning
and news about classroom life
through newsletters, our classroom
website, and the Seesaw app.

You may contact me via e-mail, written notes, or a

phone call.
Email: mburke@sd735.org
Phone Number: 847-676-8039
If I am not available when you phone, please leave a
message and I will call you back as soon as possible. If
you must reach me immediately, call the office and they
will contact me.

*Important: Please let me know in advance if your childs

mode of transportation has changed from the usual. For
example, if he/she has a play date and is going to go home
with another parent, I will need to be informed in writing or
with a phone call. If I am not notified, I cannot release your
child to the parent.*