WOH For Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Writing. Writing. Writing WORKshop by Erika Alba, First Grade Teacher
“Okay my friends. See you next time,” says Mr. Franklin as he exits stage left and the 1st graders begin their chant.
“Writing. Writing. Writing WORKshop,” they chant and clap.
“Writing! Writing! Writing WORKshop!” This time with more enthusiasm.
“Writing!! Writing!! Writing WORKshop!!”
Yes, 1st graders, the time for our thrice weekly Writing Workshop following music class is upon us. While it began as a sometimes painful practice in handwriting, pencil grip, and a struggle to follow the conventions of English grammar, Writing Workshop has now become a favorite among 1st graders, allowing them to express themselves creatively through their new found superpower: writing!
In the fall, students worked towards mastery of COPS (Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, Spelling) in their writing. Although students are not expected to spell every word correctly, they learned to first attempt to sound out words using known grade-level phonics, and then circle the word and move on if they are unsure of the spelling. 1st Graders learned to “frame” each sentence, beginning with a capital letter and ending with punctuation. Students also learned to organize their writing, using their neatest D’Nealian handwriting, and utilize correct spacing.
In the winter, students learned to use Sequence of Events in their writing, telling events of a story in order, using time order words such as “first, next, then, last.” Students also worked on adding detailed illustrations to their writing to give the reader a peek into the writer’s mind’s eye.
Having mastered the art of telling a story in time order, 1st graders are now learning about adding vivid details to their writing in order to make a story more interesting.
For example: “The cat looked at the boy and then jumped at him,” I wrote on the board. I then asked the class, “How can we add vivid details to this sentence to make it more interesting?”
“The cat stared intensely at the boy and then leapt towards him,” wrote Lincoln.
“The cat stared at the boy and then pounced!” wrote Macie.
“The cat looked at the boy and then pounced ferociously!” wrote Gus.
The early days of Writing Workshop seem like a distant memory when viewing the accomplished work of the 1st Grade class. Students are eager to add additional detail and sentences asking for “More paper! More paper, please!” The 1st Graders at Hope Lutheran have worked diligently and their hard work has truly paid off. I am truly excited to see what the future holds for our newest authors. Next up: Opinion Writing!
Calendar of Events – Click Here
Wed. 4/14: 8:40 AM Online Chapel led by Mr. Mueller, Pastor
Thurs. & Fri. 4/15 & 4/16: Online Parent-Teacher Conferences / No School / ESC & Sand Dollar Club programs open
Wed. 4/21: 8:40 AM Online Chapel led by Mr. Kopecky, Youth Minister
Parent Teacher Conferences – April 15 & 16, 2021
Preschool student spring conferences are required and K-8 student spring conferences are optional. Conferences provide an opportunity to discuss how each child is performing, primarily cognitively but also socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Teachers will review MAP test results and parents/guardians will have the opportunity to ask questions.
This year, most conferences will be held with the homeroom teacher only, including middle school. All conferences will be held via the homeroom teacher’s Zoom and will be 20 minutes in length.
Please let us know in the office if you have any questions about parent/teacher conferences; we look forward to meeting with all of you!
ESC & Sand Dollar Club Open April 15 & 16
Our extended school care programs will be open during our parent/teacher conferences on April 15 & 16. Our ESC families will need to pre-register their students for these full days for staffing purposes. Prepay forms can be found on our website here. Thank you for your understanding.
Travel Reminder
For our families who traveled out of state over spring break and are now quarantining, please be sure you communicate your quarantine decision and COVID test result if applicable to both the school office at swallace@hopeseattle.org and your child’s homeroom teacher. As a reminder, quarantine options are:
- Upon return home, quarantine for 14 days
- Upon return home, quarantine and take a COVID-19 test between days 3-5; if test is negative and there are no COVID symptoms, quarantine will end after 7 days
Vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine. Thank you for your support and welcome back!
Financial Aid Information for 2021-22 Academic Year – Deadline April 30
We partner with School and Student Services (SSS) for our financial aid process each year. Instructions for applying for financial aid at Hope Lutheran School are available by visiting sss.nais.org/parents. Our school’s SSS code is 179833. The final deadline to apply for aid is April 30, 2021.
Lost and Found Items
We do have some coats, lunch boxes and water bottles in our lost and found bin. If your child is missing an item please ask them to look in the school lobby or ask for assistance from the office staff. Thank you!
Church Events – Click Here
Women’s Bible Study
Looking for a new way to get into God’s Word and meet some incredible women? Consider joining a new women’s Bible study on the book of Acts called “Believing Jesus”. It is an eight week study meeting on Thursday mornings from 9:00-10:15 on Zoom. Contact patramueller@hopeseattle.org for more information.