9/ 4 /2026

💡ANNOUNCEMENTS

Students will have an opportunity to visit the school library with their class throughout the school year. Our class's library day is on Thursday. Students are responsible for the proper care and safe return of all items borrowed. Parents/guardians are responsible for overdue, lost or damaged materials. Students may checkout a maximum of 1 book at a time and must return materials within 14 days of checkout. Books may be returned to the classroom.

💡DATES TO REMEMBER

• Friday, September 4th, Early dismissal at 12:30 (R&R Weekend)
• Monday, September 17th - 
  No school (Labor Day)
• Tuesday, September 8th - start of Reading Bags (leveled reader and sight words)
• Tuesday, September 8th - start of Reading volunteers (see sign-up on teacher page)
• Wednesday, September 23rd - 
  Early dismissal at 12:30 (Teacher In-Service)
• Friday, October 2nd - Early dismissal at 12:30
• October 5th - October 9th - No school (FALL BREAK)

💡REMINDERS:

1. The scholars should bring the following daily:

• Water bottle with name
• Healthy and dry snacks in front pocket
• Take Home folder (please make sure they empty it at home)

2. Bring the following if you haven't yet:

• Reading bag from Kindergarten (If you're new to Archway, please purchase one from the school website: https://archwaychandler.greatheartsamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/05/2026-2027-Consumables-1st-Grade-1.pdf.
• Parent questionnaire
• Literature books (Owl at Home, Bargain for Frances, My Father's Dragon, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Frog and Toad)

3. Please review the Driveline procedure here: directionsforparentsdrivelin.docx We have also attached the file in the resources on the right side of this webpage.

💡WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS WEEK:

📕 LITERATURE / GRAMMAR: We listened to the stories of Tom Thumb, Thumbelina and Issun Boshi, and used a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the stories. We also continued to practice identifying and capitalizing proper nouns of people.

📕 SAYINGS: 

• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.                          
  
• Fish out of water

📕 POETRY: 

Work

by Anonymous

Work while you work,

Play while you play,

This is the way

To be happy each day.

All that you do,

Do with your might,

Things done by half

Are never done right.

Hearts are like Doors

by Anonymous

Hearts, like, doors, will open with ease.

To very, very little keys.

And don't forget that two of these

Are "Thank you, sir" and "if you please!"

Hope 

by Langston Hughes

Sometimes when I’m lonely,

Don’t know why,

Keep thinkin’ I won’t be lonely

By and by.

Don’t Worry if Your Job is Small (Mighty Oak)

by Anonymous

Don't worry if your job is small, 

And your rewards are few. 

Remember that the mighty oak, 

Was once a nut like you.

📕 READING: We will welcome parent volunteers for reading on September 8th. Use your teacher's sign-up to volunteer to read with the students (see link in your teacher's page on top). 

Reading Homework with reading bags and Reading Logs will start on September 8th. Please spend 20 minutes each night reading with your child, and fill out the Reading Log. This includes sight words practice.

Sight Word Bookmarks will be on a ring in your child's reading bag or listed on one sheet. We will be testing for sight word knowledge once a week. During this time, we will be moving students to the next sight word list if they have mastered the previous one. (Please do not mark off sight words at home- we will do this in class). 

📕SPALDING: We have been learning our first phonograms until or. Check out the Spalding resources on this website to review letter formations, spelling/Spalding rules and phonogram list. 

Our spelling words this week have the following rules applied to them:       

        rule 4: Vowels say their name at the end of a syllable

        rule 17: Double f, l, s after a single vowel that says its short sound     

📕 MATH: We wrapped up our unit of numbers 1-10, and took a Chapter Test. We will start with our unit on addition on Tuesday, and will learn different ways to add. Please practice each students addition facts - especially with the Rocket Math pages that are brought home.  

📕 HISTORY: We learned about Mesopotamian writing "cuneiform" and made our own clay tablets. We also learned about how city life was like then for families, children, rulers, and other jobs. We made puppets of people in Mesopotamia and played with them.

 

📕 SCIENCE: We continued talking about our unit of the sun, moon, and stars. In our latest lessons, we discussed what is true about the moon's appearance in the sky. Students viewed time lapse videos that lead into discussions about the moon's movement, best time for viewing, and shapes. We also looked at a website that gave us information like sunrise, moonset times. I told the scholars that I would send the website so they could check it out at home. The website is as follows:  https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/usa/chandler. Next weeks discussions involve the phases of the moon.

Have a great long weekend!

1st Grade Teachers                                                                                  

8 / 28 / 2026

💡DATES TO REMEMBER

• Mon, August 31st - start of Spalding Homework
• Friday, September 4th, Early dismissal at 12:30 (R&R Weekend)
• Monday, September 7th - 
  No school (Labor Day)
• Tuesday, September 8th - start of Reading Bags (leveled reader and sight words)
• Tuesday, September 8th - start of Reading volunteers (see sign-up on teacher page)
• Wednesday, September 23rd - 
  Early dismissal at 12:30 (Teacher In-Service)
• Friday, October 2nd - Early dismissal at 12:30
• October 5th - October 9th - No school (FALL BREAK)
• Monday-Tuesday, October 12th-13th - Parent Teacher Conferences

💡REMINDERS:

1. The scholars should bring the following daily:

• Water bottle with name
• Healthy and dry snacks in front pocket
• Take Home folder (please make sure they empty it at home)

*Each scholar should have brought home a small, pink, backpack-shaped checklist of the things they need to bring to school every day. We asked the scholars to keep it in the send back side of their take home folder to remind them. Please allow your child to get these things together each evening as we are trying to teach the virtue of responsibility.

2. Bring the following if you haven't yet:

• Reading bag from Kindergarten (If you're new to Archway, please purchase one from the school website: https://archwaychandler.configio.com/)
• Parent questionnaire
• Literature books (Owl at Home, Bargain for Frances, My Father's Dragon, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Frog and Toad)

3. Please review the Driveline procedure here: directionsforparentsdrivelin.docx. We have also attached the file in the resources on the right side of this webpage.

**Complete an ESEA Form for each of your enrolled scholars for the 26-27 School Year TODAY!

• Log in to your Parent Portal
• Select ESEA Form - Complete all fields and don't forget to sign!
• Repeat for each enrolled scholar.

       We are grateful for your partnership!**

💡WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS WEEK:

📕 LITERATURE / GRAMMAR: We listened to the fairy tales of Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin and some of the Puss and Boots story this week. We learned how to retell and sequence stories, how to answer and write in complete sentences, as well as how to identify proper and common nouns.

📕 SAYINGS: 

• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
• Fish out of water 

📕 POETRY:  

Hearts are like Doors

by Anonymous

Hearts, like, doors, will open with ease.

To very, very little keys.

And don't forget that two of these

Are "Thank you, sir" and "if you please!"

Hope 

by Langston Hughes

Sometimes when I’m lonely,

Don’t know why,

Keep thinkin’ I won’t be lonely

By and by.

Don’t Worry if Your Job is Small (Mighty Oak)

by Anonymous

Don't worry if your job is small, 

And your rewards are few. 

Remember that the mighty oak, 

Was once a nut like you.

 

 📕 READING: We will welcome parent volunteers on September 8th. Use your teacher's sign-up to volunteer to read with the students (see link in your teacher's page on top of blog). Please send your child's reading bag by Monday, August 31st if you haven't done so. 

📕 SPALDING: We have been learning/reviewing our first phonograms until 'or'. Check out the Spalding resources on this website to review letter formations, spelling/Spalding rules and phonogram list. We practiced jobs of silent final e:

                  Job 1: Vowels say their name at the end of a syllable.

                Job 2: English words don't end in v or u.

                Job 3: C and G will say their second sound.

                Job 4: Every syllable needs a vowel.

                Job 5: No job (silent final e does not do anything, it just has to be there).

Next Friday, September 4th, we will start with Spelling Test of the 30 words we will learn next week and 20 phonograms up to 'or'. Kindly guide your child in their Spalding Homework and review all phonograms. 

📕 MATHEMATICS: We practiced how to show numbers 1-10 in number bonds! We are having a Chapter Test next week about writing, ordering, and comparing numbers, as well as and showing them into number bonds.

📕 HISTORY: We learned about timelines and created our own timeline of past, present and future. We also learned how history is defined, and some words we need to know as we study history. We created a vocabulary foldable about that. Then, we went back in time all the way to Mesopotamia - the oldest ancient civilization. We learned about its geography and why the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were important for their civilization.

📕 SCIENCE: This week we continued learning from our unit of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.  The class created a visual that corresponds to the observations made of the sun appearing to move across the sky. The students wrote/drew in their journals about how the earth takes 24 hours to complete one full rotation on its axis. Scholars also had fun using their bodies to represent the Earth and modeling different positions at varing times of the day to display sunrise, day, sunset, and night.

Have a great weekend!

1st grade teachers

8 / 21 / 2026

Thank you for coming to Curriculum Night! 

💡DATES TO REMEMBER

• Mon, August 24th - start of Math Homework
• Mon, August 31st - start of Spalding Homework
• Friday, September 4th, Early dismissal at 12:30 (R&R Weekend)
• Monday, September 7th - 
  No school (Labor Day)
   
• Tuesday, September 8th - start of Reading Bags (leveled reader and sight words)
• Wednesday, September 23rd - 
  Early dismissal at 12:30 (Teacher In-Service)
• Friday, October 2nd - Early dismissal at 12:30
• October 5th - October 9th - No school (FALL BREAK)
• Monday-Tuesday, October 12th-13th - Parent Teacher Conferences

💡REMINDERS:

1. The scholars should bring the following daily:

• Water bottle with name
• Healthy and dry snacks in front pocket
• Take Home folder (please make sure they empty it at home)

*Next week, the students will bring home a small backpack-shaped checklist of the things they need to bring every day. These hot pink backpacks will be kept in their purple take home folders to remind them of their responsibilities. We let you know during Curriculum night when they will bringing homework (Spalding homework, reading bag and Math workbook). 

2. Bring the following if you haven't yet:

• Reading bag from Kindergarten (If you're new to Archway, please purchase one from the school website: https://archwaychandler.greatheartsamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/05/2026-2027-Consumables-1st-Grade-1.pdf)
• Parent questionnaire
• Literature books (Owl at Home, Bargain for Frances, My Father's Dragon, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Frog and Toad)

3. Please review the Driveline procedure here: directionsforparentsdrivelin.docx We have also attached the file in the resources on the right side of this webpage.

💡WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS WEEK:

📕 READING: In September we will welcome parent volunteers into the classroom and begin daily reading and sight word practice at school and at home.  Until then, we encourage you to continue reading with your child at home. If your child was at ACC in Kindergarten, please send in their reading bag. If you are new to the school, please order one through our school website (link above). Use your teacher's sign-up to volunteer to read with the students (see link on your teachers page).

📕 LITERATURE / GRAMMAR: We continued our Fairy Tales Unit with Jack and the Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty. We've been learning how to write/copy sentences in our blue journals, and retelling stories in our own words. Ask your child to retell the stories to you! It's amazing the recall they have. We have also been learning that nouns are names of persons, places, things or ideas. We differentiated common and proper nouns, and learned which one to capitalize.

📕 POETRY: 

Hope 

by Langston Hughes

Sometimes when I’m lonely,

Don’t know why,

Keep thinkin’ I won’t be lonely

By and by.

Don’t Worry if Your Job is Small (Mighty Oak)

by Anonymous

Don't worry if your job is small, 

And your rewards are few. 

Remember that the mighty oak, 

Was once a nut like you.

📕 SAYINGS: 

• Fish out of water 

📕 SPALDING: We have been learning/reviewing our first phonograms until 'oi'. Check out the Spalding resources on this website to review letter formations, spelling/Spalding rules and phonogram list.

📕 MATHEMATICS: We continued to learn about our numbers 1-10, particularly comparing them and telling what 1 less or 1 more that number is. You can help reinforce this at home by playing number guessing games or arranging items in tens frames.

📕 HISTORY: We talked about our state, our country, and the rest of the continents in the world! We wrapped up our Geography unit and finished our Me on the Map books. 

📕 SCIENCE: We continued to study our unit about the sun, moon and stars. We talked about how the sun changes positions in the sky and how it appears to move from the east to the west.

Have a great weekend!

1st Grade Team 

8 / 14 / 2026

The first week of school has been outstanding! :) 

We had a lot of fun getting to know your children.

 

💡DATES TO REMEMBER

• Wednesday, August 19th - 6:30 to 8 pm- CURRICULUM NIGHT - parents only
• Tuesday, August 25th - Picture Day
• Friday, September 4th - Early dismissal at 12:30 (R&R Weekend)
• Monday, September 8th - 
  No school (Labor Day)
   
• Wednesday, September 23rd - 
  Early dismissal at 12:30 (Teacher In-Service)
• Friday, October 2nd - Early dismissal at 12:30
• October 5th - 9th - No school (FALL BREAK)
• Monday-Tuesday, October 12th-13th - Parent Teacher Conferences

💡REMINDERS:

1. The scholars should bring the following daily:

• Water bottle with name
• Healthy and dry snacks in front pocket
• Purple Take Home folder (please make sure they empty it at home)

2. Have your child bring the following if they haven't yet:

• Reading bag from Kindergarten (If you're new to Archway, please purchase one from the school website: https://archwaychandler.greatheartsamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/05/2026-2027-Consumables-1st-Grade-1.pdf)
• Parent questionnaire
• Literature books (Owl at Home, Bargain for Frances, My Father's Dragon, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Frog and Toad)

3. Please review the Driveline procedure here: directionsforparentsdrivelin.docx We have also attached the file in the resources on the right side of this webpage.

    4. Athletic shoes should be black, white, or black and white. No other color on the shoes.     Soles should be white or gum colored. If you have already bought shoes with black soles, that is fine. Please ensure future pairs of show do not have black soles. They mark up the MPR and gym floors.

    5. Please ensure that hair bows are white, navy, burgundy, ACC plaid, or black. They should be no wider than your palm. 

    6. The only two items allowed on backpacks are hand sanitizer and Virtue Tags. The reason for this change is that many items were toys and distracting. 

 

💡WHAT WE ARE LEARNING THIS WEEK 

📕 READING / LITERATURE: In September we will welcome parent volunteers into the classroom and begin daily reading and sight word practice at school and at home.  Until then, we encourage you to continue reading with your child at home. If your child was at ACC in Kindergarten, please send in their reading bag. If you are new to the school, please order one through our school website (link above).

For the first unit in Literature, we read some fairy tales and practiced how to retell the stories. This week, we read Rapunzel, The Princess and the Pea, and The Frog Prince.

📕 SPALDING: We learned the first 20 phonograms. We also sent home their writing practice sheets they can continue practicing at home.

📕 MATHEMATICS: We started this week with an assessment of their math skills. Our first lesson was reviewing how to count on to 10 or count back from a number as well as telling number stories. We sent home a letter about this chapter so you know how we teach our math skills in class. We are also having Math homework in first grade. This will be explained further during our curriculum night.

📕 HISTORY: In the first two weeks of the year, we start with a unit on Geography. Students listen to the book Me on the Map being read, where they learn about how maps work. This week we drew maps of our bedroom, house, street and town. Next week we will focus on our state of Arizona. You can help reinforce this at home by studying the map of your community.

📕 SCIENCE: Students are learning about the sun, moon, and stars in our first unit. The big question we are asked is "How do the sun, the moon, and stars appear to change position in the sky? We talked about how the sun appears to move across the sky. We also identified patterns in where the sun is located in the sky throughout the day. The scholars were asked to make predictions about daytime and nighttime.

Thanks so much for all you do. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend!

1st Grade Team