First Grade News

Dear First Grade Families,

Greetings during this beautiful fall season! I trust this message finds you all in good health and high spirits. Our young learners are thriving as they come together to build a strong sense of community. It's been a delight to witness their collaborative efforts. Soon, the first graders will collaborate with their sixth-grade buddies again. Their second collaborative project will be making scarecrows on Thursday, October 29th.

Our recent Open House event was a resounding success, and it warmed my heart to witness the children's enthusiasm in sharing their classroom, projects, and newfound knowledge with you.

There have been some questions about our specials schedule. I have it posted in each of these newsletters. I have placed it immediately below this note.

Please take note of the following important dates:

October 23rd: Please send in your child's scarecrow outfit by October 23rd..

October 29th: Creating scarecrows with sixth-grade buddies.

October 30th: Halloween Costume Parade at 9:15 A.M.

November 4-6, 2026: Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled from November 4th to the 6th. During these three days, all students will have early dismissal at noon. Conferences are slotted for twenty minutes each, so kindly ensure punctuality to maximize our discussion time regarding your child's progress and any concerns you may wish to address. If more time is needed, I'll happily arrange an additional meeting at your convenience.

November 11, 2026: Please be aware that there will be no school in observance of Veterans Day.

This October we have four special birthdays. Check out who turned seven this month at the end of this newsletter.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Warm Regards,

Laura DuPree

The first-graders began the second unit in our Bridges Math curriculum. They especially have had fun exploring dominoes and using them to add and compare sums.

Try playing Domino Top Draw with your child. Below are the directions and pictures of the children playing.

Please help your child practice learning how to read and write these words. Currently, your child is working on the words in unit 2 & 3.

First-graders reviewed and learned lowercase letter formation; below is a "Letter Formation Guide."

Children will continue to practice letter-sound naming skills. It is essential for children to be able to rapidly associate letters with letter sounds to help their reading skills improve. Below are the alphabet letters, each with a picture with a "keyword." Practice having your child name the letter, say the keyword, and say the sound each letter makes.

Our first graders have been exploring the many reasons why they need to learn how to write. One of the reasons being to send letters or create cards. To put their skills into practice, they created thank-you cards for the Horace Mann Company whose generous donation helped purchase the beautiful new carpet in our library—a special space where students gather each week to read to Lena and explore books.

Happy Birthday to Autumn, Lane, Tyler, & Jordyn!

Here's what Autumn had to say to these questions:

What did you learn when you were six ? "I learned how to ride a horse."

What do you want to learn now that you're seven? "I want to learn how to skateboard."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a police officer."

Here's what Lane had to say to these questions:

What did you learn when you were six ? "I learned how to build Legos all by myself."

What do you want to learn now that you're seven? "I want to learn more about sea creatures from the past like megalodons."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a zookeeper."

Here's what Tyler had to say to these questions:

What did you learn when you were six ? "I learned how to ride my skateboard and write lowercase letters."

What do you want to learn now that you're seven? "I want to learn how to do karate, like my friend Odin."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a skateboarder."

Here's what Jordyn had to say to these questions:

What did you learn when you were six ? "I learned how to ice-skate."

What do you want to learn now that you're seven? "I want to learn how to do a back handspring."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a gymnastics coach."

Early Childhood & Special Needs

Email: Ldupree@hr-k12.org
Website: https://www.newhingham.org
Location: 30 Smith Road, Chesterfield, MA
Phone: 413-296-0000