9 / 18 / 2025




💡ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attendance and Absences at ACA

Regular attendance and arriving on time are essential for every ACA student’s success. Consistent routines build confidence and help students stay on track with their learning.

Excused Absences

According to Arizona law, excused absences include:

  • Illness or medical appointments
  • Mental or behavioral health
  • Bereavement or family emergencies
  • Homelessness
  • Military processing
  • Out-of-school suspensions

-Parents/guardians must call or email the school before 8:00 a.m. to report an absence. Without a message, the absence is recorded as unexcused. Students with chronic illness should contact the office for a chronic illness form.

-After an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to make up missed work. Each teacher will share their own policy and deadlines for completing assignments.

Unexcused Absences & Vacations

All other absences are considered unexcused under state law, including vacations. Please schedule family trips during school breaks.

⚠️ Important: Teachers will not provide homework or classwork in advance for unexcused absences such as vacations. Students are also not guaranteed make-up work for these absences.

State Requirements

  • Five or more unexcused absences = “habitually truant”
  • Missing more than 10% of school days (excused + unexcused) may result in a citation
  • Ten consecutive unexcused absences will result in withdrawal from ACA

Key Takeaways for Families

  • Always call/email before 8:00 a.m. to report absences
  • Excused absences = work can be made up
  • Vacations/unexcused absences = no work provided ahead of time
  • Consistent attendance is critical to your child’s academic success

💡DATES TO REMEMBER

  • 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
  • October 19th - 23rd - Hearing and Vision Screening
  • October 24th: Trunk or Treat (4:30–6:30 pm)
  • October 28th: Classical Character Day
  • November 8th: Mother Son Kickball (12 pm)

💡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 scholars empty it at home)


2. 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 LEARNED THIS WEEK 

 ðŸ“• LITERATURE / GRAMMAR: We continue our series on The House at Pooh's Corner. We read the chapter about Tigger not climbing trees, another about Pooh's invented game,  and another about Christopher Robin's notice.

 



We are starting our Owl at Home reading next week. Please bring the book to the class if you haven't done it yet!

 

📕 SAYINGS: 
  • Practice makes perfect  
  • If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
  • Fish out of water 

📕 POETRY: The students practice reciting and memorizing these every week. They will do a poetry recitation in front of the class on the last week of the quarter.

What are Heavy
by Christina Rossetti

What are heavy? Sea - sand and sorrow;
What are brief? Today and tomorrow;
What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth;
What are deep? The ocean and truth.

Flint 

by Christina Rossetti 


An emerald is as green as grass,

A ruby red as blood;

A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;

A flint lies in the mud.


A diamond is a brilliant stone,

To catch the world's desire;

An opal holds a fiery spark;

But a flint holds fire.


Work (Work While You 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 (The 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: Thank you to our first parent reading volunteers! We still have slots for the month. We need volunteers every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and most Friday's from 11:10 - 11:45. Check your teacher's page on top for the reading volunteer signup. 

Sight Word Bookmarks will be on a ring in your child's reading bag or in a binder sleeve. 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 introduced the rest of the first 70 phonograms this week. Continue practicing at home the phonograms they haven't mastered yet. 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:

                rule 7:  Job 1: e jumps over the consonant to make the vowel say its name

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

                             Job 3: e makes the g say /j/ and c say /s/

                             Job 4: Every syllable needs a vowel

                             Job 5: e has no job

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

                 rule 5:  i and y may say /i/ (long sound)  

                 rule 6:  y, not i, is used at the end of an English word

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

rule 18: Use 'ay' to say 'a' at the end of a base word, never alone 

                 rule 19: i and o will say their name if followed by two consonants

 Key:

                                                       new rules covered 
rules covered this week
rules covered in the past

📕 MATHEMATICS:  Students practiced addition facts. We learned about "true statements". Scholars reviewed addition concepts and they will take a test on Monday. Our next unit is on subtraction within 10. 

 
📕 HISTORY: We wrapped up our journey into the ancient world of Mesopotamia and put a stamp in our passport. We made our pop up ziggurats and listened to the story about King Gilgamesh.  
 

📕 SCIENCE:  This week we learned about two astronauts who were integral to the NASA program. They were Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson. The scholars also learned what stars are and different facts about the stars in the sky. 

Have a wonderful weekend.
1st Grade Team 



9 / 11 / 2026

💡ANNOUNCEMENTS

***From the Health Office (Nurse Spanbauer):***

Reminder to all parents/guardians that hearing and vision screening is coming up next month. If your child needs vision aids such as glasses, PLEASE send them to school with these, particularly during the week of screening. We want to eliminate any false vision screening fails. Please reach out to the health office anytime if you have any questions or concern and a big THANK YOU to everyone who is helping with our hearing and vision screening week.

Students will have an opportunity to visit the school library with their class throughout the school year. 1B and 1C's classes library day is on Thursday. 1A's library day is Wednesday. 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

  • Wednesday, September 16th - 
    Kingdom Meeting (wear Kingdom colors)
  • 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 scholars empty it at home)


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

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 LEARNED THIS WEEK 


📕 LITERATURE / GRAMMAR: We started our series on The House at Pooh's Corner. Ask your children to retell what they remember about the stories they have heard so far and what they think about the characters.

 

        📕 SAYINGS:  

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

 ðŸ“• POETRY: 

Flint

by Christina Rossetti


An emerald is as green as grass,

A ruby red as blood;

A sapphire shines as bright as heaven;

A flint lies in the mud.


A diamond is a brilliant stone,

To catch the world's desire;

An opal holds a fiery spark;

But a flint holds fire.


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 welcome parent volunteers for reading. Please see 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 have started. 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 in a binder sleeve. 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 introduced phonograms 46-56 this week, and spelling lists 4 & 5. Students will practice at home the phonograms they haven't mastered yet. 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:

                rule 7:  Job 1: e jumps over the consonant to make the vowel say its name

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

                             Job 3: e makes the g say /j/ and c say /s/

                             Job 4: Every syllable needs a vowel

                             Job 5: e has no job

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

                 rule 5:  i and y may say /i/ (long sound) 

                 rule 6:  y, not i, is used at the end of an English word

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

                 rule 19: i and o will say their name if followed by two consonants

 Key:

new rules covered 
rules covered this week
rules covered in the past

📕 MATHEMATICS: Students have been practicing addition facts 0-3 and different ways to add. We learned how to use numbers bonds in solving addition problems. . They also learned how to write an addition equation, switch the addends, and count on to solve an addition equation. 

        ðŸ“• HISTORY: We have continued our journey into the ancient world of Mesopotamia. In class, we learned about King Hammurabi and his code. We made our own classroom code that we kept in our room. We also discussed the importance of kings and queens during their time, and created our class Gate of Ishtar.

         ðŸ“• SCIENCE: In our Sun, Moon and Stars unit this week, we learned about the moon phases. We also drew pictures of the moon's phases in our science journal.

Have a great weekend.
1st Grade Team 



SaveSave

9/ 4 /2026

💡ANNOUNCEMENTS

Students will have an opportunity to visit the school library with their class throughout the school year. 1B and 1C's classes library day is on Thursday. 1A's day is Wednesday. 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