Dec. 16-19

Dec. 16-19

Hello Families,

This week is going to go quickly!!!! We will not have centers this week.  Students are ready for the holidays and have a lot of energy!!  We will be doing lots of fun activities and continue to explore our winter theme and talk about how animals adapt in the winter.

Math: We will be continuing our CGI (word problems) using subtraction and finding the missing addend.

www: with

 Our winter party will be on Thursday at 9:30-10:40.  Students can wear their pajamas on Thursday.

There is no school on Friday, Dec. 20.

School will resume on Tuesday, January 14.

When we get back, we will continue our theme on winter animals and their adaptations.  We will have a few owl and penguin projects.  Besides winter animals, we will discuss Martin Luther King, Jr. and how we treat everyone fairly.  We will read a poem "The Crayon Box that Talked"by Shane DeRolf.  It talks about how every crayon is unique and special.  "And when we get together the picture is complete!"

Have an amazing and relaxing break and I will see you next year!!!

Hello Families,

This week, we will be finishing up talking about the different gingerbread stories and having a hunt to find one that escapes from our room!!!!(Shhh, please do not tell them) . We will finish up our gifts to our buddies and making them special cards. We will be talking a lot about how to be kind and mindful of others.  The class is getting excited about the holidays! Please remind them that we still need to be nice and respectful to peers and faculty.

We are starting our "stick it to hunger" fundraiser to raise money for people in need.  We will be sticking the principal to the wall next Wednesday,Dec.18.  More information and details will be sent home soon.

Word Wall Words: come, as


In writer's workshop, we just finished our narrative writing piece and will read it with our friends. Our next writing will be on informational text.  We will be writing "How to" books. 

In math, we will be doing a couple of word problems  and solving using  2 different strategies.  We will counting to 100 by 2's, 5's , and 10's.  We are also talking about place value.

REMINDERS:
No Centers next week
Winter party on Thursday, December 19
No School on Friday, December 20

Have a super week!

Hello Kindergarten Families,

          I look forward to meeting with all of you this week to discuss your child's progress.  It is regular schedule for all Kindergarten and No Centers until after Thanksgiving break.  Centers will will resume the week of Dec. 2.

Here is a peek at our week:

A butterfly expert that raises monarch butterflies will be bringing her butterflies and the different stages of the butterfly to show the Kinder classes.  She is so excited to share with our class and have them understand how important butterflies are to our environment.

         

 Words of the Week:  review

In Math, we will continue looking at solid and flat shapes.  Please point out real world solid and flat shapes when driving or walking around town.  Please work on counting and writing numbers to 10 and beyond.  

In Writer's Workshop, students will be editing and publishing a story this week.  We will celebrate on Tuesday, Nov. 26th.  Students will bring in a stuffed animal to read their story to and read them to their buddy class.

          Star of the Day:  

                I will be sending a note home today about our new assignment for Star of the Day. This is not a stuffed animal share.  Please have your child bring in either a picture, award, souvenir, trophy, etc. that is a special moment or event that they can explain and share.  Please return as soon as you can.  

Reminders: 

Regular schedule for Kindergarten next week!

No centers until Dec. 2

Spirit day: Wednesday, Nov. 20 (sports day)

Have a great week!  

Hello Kindergarten Families,

Conferences are coming up!  Please arrive 5 mins early so that we can start on time and end on time.  Thank you for all of your support this year!  I'm looking forward to another fun trimester with this adorable and sweet class! I will be sending home your conference time reminders in their folders on Tuesday.

No School Monday, Nov. 11.

Language Arts:  We are continuing to blend and segment sounds to make words.  You can do this at home or in the car.  Ask them to sound out the words, For example, you say, "cat" and then they repeat with only sounds (C-A-T).  Then you can say the sounds (C-A-T) and they say the word.  Besides blending and segmenting, we are reading nonfiction books on butterflies and discussing the different stages of life cycle.  We will read the Very Hungry Caterpillar and talk about how Eric Carle, the author talks about time.  We talked about how long a butterfly lives  from egg to butterfly.

We will be beginning to talk about Thanksgiving.  We will discuss things that we are thankful for and how we can say thanks to people who have helped us.  We would like to give a big thanks to all of the families for the support in the classroom with donations to class funds, parent help for centers and parties, and supporting our school with fundraisers! 

Handwriting: We are finishing up our last handwriting letters of the alphabet and will begin reviewing how we write letters in modeled writing. Some students are still needing practice in writing letters of their name.  We have started writing sentences using capital at beginning of the sentence and having spaces between words.  This is something we will continue to practice.  We will be using different types of paper to show them where the letters should be on the lines.

Words of the Week:  play, here

In Math, will start doing our "Number of the Day" poster to strengthen our math strategies.  We are studying solid shapes now, and the students will go on a "shape hunt".  Please continue to practice number writing, and remember, reversals are normal at this age.

In Writer's Workshop, we will continue writing about "first moments".  We  are learning about how to write a story and what it needs to be a story.  Students will continue stretching out words and writing down the sounds that they hear.  Students will pick one of their stories to finish the writing process of editing and then publishing their piece.  We will celebrate in a couple weeks with our buddies.

Reminders:

No school Monday, Nov. 11.

Conference Week: November 18-22

Thanksgiving break Wed. Nov. 27-29

Morning Assembly: Dec. 4

Have a fantastic three day weekend!

Hi Kindergarten Families,

What a crazy week!  Thank you to all the families that came to help out at the Halloween party!!! It was a huge success! The costumes were amazing and fun was had by all!!! If you have any cute pictures could you please send them to me?  I have a few parents that couldn't attend who would like to see some.  Have a fun and safe Halloween tonight!

Here is what's going on in Kindergarten next week:

Word Wall Words: can, in

Writer’s Workshop: Students have made amazing progress with sounding out words.  Remember, the goal is not for their sounded-out word to be spelled correctly, but for them to begin writing the sounds that they hear in each syllable.   

Art/Science: We will study the life cycle of butterflies and learn facts about butterflies.  

Reading: By now students should know most of their letters and sounds as well as being able to identify the names of the letters. Please be sure to review the alphabet letters and sounds if they are still struggling.  Some students are working on reading simple 3 letter words with “short a” and “short i” middle sounds (ie: cat, ran, bit, pin).  Please help your child practice these skills at home if needed. Students are working on reading with fluency, meaning that if they are slowly decoding (sounding out) each word in a sentence, they should go back to read the sentence smoothly again. Fluency builds confidence, motivation, and is an important step for comprehension. Please help support your child with this skill at home by having them read the paper books over and over again until they are reading them fluently and with confidence.  Please review elements of the story of each book they read.  We have focused on characters, setting, problem and solution.

Math: Students are learning how to solve problems using a variety of strategies which include tally marks, ten frames, number bonds, counting on, and drawings.   Please continue to practice number writing at home if your child is still writing some numbers backwards. 

We have been discussing positive behaviors in class and on the playground.  Please review these guidelines at home.  Students should be keeping their hands and body parts to themselves.  We have had a hard time understanding personal space and students are not liking others in their personal space. In class, we will review the definition of bullying which is when a student repeats the behavior after they have been asked to stop.   Thank you for your support in helping your child understand the importance of personal space!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Hello Families,


Another month is almost gone!  These students are so amazing.  Their growth in academics is incredible.  As I start to assess them for our conferences and report cards, they are blowing me away. 

This week, we have Halloween on Thursday.  We will have centers and party starting at 9:30.  If you are helping, please come around 9:15 to help set up centers and food.  Thank you for the support for the party and thanks to our room moms, Katie, Luzanne, and Erin for getting the Halloween party planned!  Students can not wear scary costumes with blood or weapons.  Please keep those for Trick or Treating at home. Halloween parade is at 10:45.

Conferences are next week Nov. 18-22.  We have our regular schedule.  However, we do not have centers that week. 

Reading: The class has starting reading books with short vowels please practice at home. In RTI, we will be reading the book The Lion and the Mouse.  Students will be asked to talk about characters and setting and cause and effect. 

www:  can, in

Math: We still are using number lines for counting on and back.  We will  introduce the number bond to organize our thinking. We are also working on writing number sentences.

Reminders:
*Halloween Parade 10:45-11:15, Party from 9:30-10:40
*No School on Friday, November 1
*Conferences are Nov. 18-22, please contact me if you don't have a time. I will send home a  reminder to confirm your time.
*No centers conference week and Halloween 
*Picture retake Tuesday , Nov. 5
*No school Monday, Nov.11 in observation of Veterans Day.

Have a great week and a safe Halloween!!

Hello Kindergarten Families,

Time is sure flying! It's hard to believe it's almost Halloween!  We have been having so much fun with our fall projects.  Here is a peek at next week:

Volunteering:  I still have openings for Centers help from 8-9 on Tuesdays.  Even if you can only commit one or two days per month, I would love to have you!

This week, we will be finishing up our "Wild Things theme"as well as our spiders, pumpkins, and bats.  I hope you enjoy playing the games with the pumpkin number line.  There are many other games you can find with a number line on Pinterest and other websites.
The next couple weeks, we will be getting "Career & College" ready theme. This is a school-wide/district wide theme that will be talked about throughout each grade level.  We will be reading Oh the places We'll Go by Dr Suess.  This will open up discuss on what we want to do in the future and what we need to do now to prepare for the future.  We will talk about different careers and paths such as schools that are focused in one area like "engineer" .  This is great time to talk about it at home and what you did to get the job you have too.

word wall words: have


Math: In math, students are coming up with many strategies to solve math word problems.  We have talked about drawing a picture, counting on or back, using a number line or a ten frame and at the end we want the "dessert" which is the number sentence that explains what we did to solve it.  In counting collections, we are starting to group our collection in 2's, 5's, and 10's besides counting by 1's.  You can have them practicing counting collections at home.  If they have a collection have them put them into groups and count them in their groups.


Halloween:  We will have Halloween parade on Thursday, Oct. 31.  It will begin  at 10:45am and end around 11:15 on our upper quad.  Costumes should not have blood and please keep the weapons at home.  Our centers and party will be from 9:30-10:40.  Our room moms sent out a sign up genius for the supplies they need. 

Conferences Nov. 18-21. We will not have centers that week.  Also, we will have the same schedule as normal.  School will start at 7:52 and end at 11:25 on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday.  On Wednesday we will have a restructured day and get out at 12:20.    If you don't have a conference time, please be sure to stop by the classroom for a time or send me an email.

Wish List/Donations:

Crayola twistable crayons
clean up wipes for desks
baby wipes
paper towels
paper plates
gummie bears or sour patch kids
Amazon gift cards
Prize box items
Leveled books for our classroom library

Have a fantastic week!

October 14-17

October 14-17

Hi Kindergarten Families,    

Help Wanted!  I am in need of a Room Parent/Parents.  The  job of Room Parent is to help plan and coordinate and plan class parties and activities, and collect donations for our classroom fund.  Please let me know if you might be interested. Last year, I had two Room Parents so it is a job that can be shared. Halloween is quickly approaching and I would love some help!

Hope to see you at the  Harvest Festival tonight from 5-9!

The new "Star of the Day", this round is about "bring a stuffed animal".    You can put it in a bag with your child's name and 3 clues and return to school.

Reading:  In centers,  we have one more book with sight words and then we will be starting short vowel sounds.  The first book is "Nat at Bat".  Again, please read at home.  Also, when you read at home find books that are at your child's comfort level (Meaning that they can read it with only making a few errors). If not reading yet, have them use a book and tell their own story using the pictures.  Many scholastic books have books that are easy readers and you can find them on their website. As you read together at home, students can locate sight words in books that you read together and talk about characters and settings.  

New Theme: “Monsters and Wild Things”! Our book we will be reading is “Where the Wild Things Are”.  This theme is a great way to discuss the concepts of “Fiction” vs. “Non-Fiction” which we will be comparing through a variety of books and charting the differences between each genre. We will also talk about the “characters”, “setting”, “problem” and “solution” in each book that we read. While reading with your child at home, please ask them to identify these story elements in their favorite stories. 

Art/Music/Science:  We will be finishing up our facts on bats and spiders.  Last, we will be making our own bat. We also have an art teacher that will be coming weekly to our classroom on Thursdays.

Word wall words of the week:  "you", "for"

Math: Students will practice counting forward and backward within 20 using the number line and “counting collections”. They will continue to practice a variety of math strategies with partner collaboration to solve word problems and number sentences.  They are using a number line to tell addition/subtraction stories in class.  

Upcoming Events:

October 16 Spirit Day-Matching Day-Find a friend or two to match outfits!

October 16-Piggie Pie Play

October 31-Halloween Parade for Kinder only will be at 10:45 in the upper quad. Families welcome to come and watch! Halloween Party-9:30-10:30 in our classroom.

Have a great week!

  

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten this week:

    

Thank you to all of the parents for driving on the field trip.  What a fun day! 

Art/Music/Science: Students will learn songs and create art projects that is focus on classic Halloween animals such as, bats and spiders! 

Reading: We will begin a new series of take-home readers that focus on sounding out simple 3-letter words. The first book is called “Nat at Bat” and it teaches the "-at" word family which includes words such as cat, hat, bat, and sat. Listen to your child read these books each night until they can read them fluently. If you feel that your child needs additional practice, ask them to write a list of as many words as they can that rhyme with "cat" (or whatever the “word family” focus is that week).  In Readers' Workshop we have been working on reading with partners by sitting side-by-side and holding a book in the middle while taking turns reading.  

Math: Our math centers will focus on number sense to 10. Math games will include number lines, ten-frames and a “Which bug will win"game.  We will start word problems next week in which students will use different strategies to solve addition problems.  They will explain their reasoning with the class.  Please continue to practice writing numbers 1-10 correctly at home.  

Sight Words of the Week:  "look"  review: I, like, see, a, the, to, my, go, at, is, and, up, down

Our school's Harvest Festival is this Friday, October 11^th from 5:00-9:00. This is SUCH a fun event! I hope to see you there!  We could still use volunteers to make this night a success!  Please sign up to bring a baked good for our cake walk.  It is the most popular booth.

We still need toilet paper rolls for our bat project in a week!

Dear Families,

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

Art/Science/Theme: We will begin our new theme: Pumpkins! Students will learn about pumpkins through a study of the pumpkin life cycle.  We will also compare pumpkins to apples.  We will observe and investigate if a pumpkin will sink or float.  Students will dissect the pumpkins and study the inside of a pumpkin.

Language Arts/ Writers Workshop: We will focus on the beginning, middle and end of stories as well as the problems and solutions. Students are working on adding more details to their pictures and words.  We will be introducing two different strategies to help students sound out words while writing:  “Ghost talk” is when you stretch a word out very slowly and write each sound that you hear (ie” “cccaaattt”). “Robot talk” is when you quickly say each sound (ie: “c-a-t”).  Ask your child to show you these strategies and try using these terms to help your child with writing words at home.

Handwriting: c, a, o  We will start our magic c letters.  We talk about these 8 letters begin like a magic c.  When they write their name if they have a magic c letter make sure they start like a c first and then continue the letter.

Math: Number Order of 1-10. Keep an eye out for your child’s Pumpkin Number Line and use this at home to help your child practice Number Recognition and Number Sense (ie: “Can you point to the number ___ on your number line?” or “What number comes before/after ___?”).  Besides the number line, students will be introduced to number bonds to help them understand information given to them in the word problems.  

Word wall words of the week: up, down  

As a reminder for safety purposes, please make sure that your child is going directly to the playground in the morning and not waiting unsupervised by the classroom door or in the hallways. 

RTI has started and we are still figuring out what group each child should be in to be comfortable at the work load as well as reading level.  Sometimes, students are reading books but elements of story structure or comprehension might be a struggle.  We always want to make sure students are never frustrated but feel challenged in their reading group.  

In RTI, all groups read the same book and focus on the same comprehension skill however it might be presented differently.  This week, we will be reading informational text on pumpkins and identifying facts.  Besides reading a book whole class, we are in small groups working on independent reading skills.  Some students need practice identify letter names and sounds, some need blending and segmenting skills, and some need to practice sight words.  These are all things that you can practice at home when reading with your child daily.

Conferences: If you haven't signed up for a conference time in November, please email me or stop by the classroom so we can schedule it.  

Drive for Schools:   All proceeds go to our school and you have a chance of winning prizes each week.  If all families gave $25.00  we would pass our goal.  The money raised go toward our supplies (paper, pencils, folders, paint, glitter, etc.)  Besides supplies, it pays for our RTI teachers and support staff.  We couldn't do it without your support!  Thank you!

Reminders : 

Toilet paper rolls: Please save and send in empty toilet paper rolls for our "bat" project.  

Field Trip:  Gizdich Ranch,Wednesday, October 2.  (If you have not turned in your child's permission slip, please be sure to turn it in ASAP.)  I have extra ones in the classroom if it was misplaced. Every student needs to have a car seat for the field trip.  Please label your car seat and drop off and pick up in front our classroom.  We are leaving at 8:15 a.m. and returning 11:45 am.

Harvest Festival: Friday, October 11, We need volunteers for the Harvest Festival.  If you could give one hour during the festival, it would be helpful!!!! Thanks!

Wish List:

Twistable Crayola Crayons

Prizes for Prize Box

Amazon Gift Cards (for many of our projects, we order items on Amazon)

Have a great week!

Sept. 23-27

Sept. 23-27

Hi Families!

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

Our first field trip is coming up in a couple of weeks, October 2, 2019.  Please make sure you have a booster seat with your name and leave it in front of the class window that day.  Also, students need a sack lunch and sweatshirt.  We will be leaving at 8:15 am so please be here on time.  Thanks!

Art/Science/Theme: We will finish up our unit of Apples with a fun lesson about Johnny Appleseed. This week students started making a seasonal apple tree project. It is truly one of my favorite apple projects. The children are having so much fun learning about the apple life cycle through the four seasons while working in many different art mediums. We will  also weave our apple theme into math with an introduction to addition with apples! To conclude this engaging apple unit, we will celebrate our learning with an Apple Party on Friday!

Math: Students will continue learning about “5 frames” and “10 frames”.  They are also learning the concept of subitizing, which is the ability to see a small amount of objects and quickly know how many there are without counting (such as memorizing the amount of dots on a dice). Students will play math games at centers with race to 5, spill 5 beans, and recognizing numbers.

Word of the Week: “is, and”.  Students will practice writing an “I like to _____.” sentence.

Handwriting Focus Letters: W, E, Z

Next week we will continue the concept of the growth mindset. We  will talk about how the brain is a muscle and how we need to exercise it in order for it to grow. One way to do this is to have a keep on trying attitude and  to never give up. If we stop trying our brains wont grow to it's super max potential! In kindergarten, we are learning how to exercise our brains and if we don't know how to do something we can use the term, "I can't do that, YET!". In the following lesson, we will discuss the difference between a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. 

RTI  began  on Wednesday , September 18th.  As we discussed at Back to School Night, RTI (Response to Instruction) is our school-wide leveled reading program.  This program is designed to meet the specific reading needs of each child.  Students will move from group to group according to their ability, needs and growth.  A note was sent home in each student’s folder letting you know who your child’s RTI teacher will be during this time.  There will likely be a few changes throughout the next few weeks as we really get to know your child’s specific reading skills so we might move them to different groups accordingly and we will inform you of these changes as they come up.

Lexia- We have started doing the Computer Program called Lexia Core 5 in our computer lab.  This is a great way to help your child at home with phonics skills.  I sent a login card at Back to School night but if you have misplaced it please be sure to let me know and I will send another with instructions to get on at home. It's probably best to have them just do about 15 minutes per session a few times a week.   

Have a great weekend!

Sept. 16-20

Sept. 16-20

Dear Kindergarten Families,

We had a very fun week!  Thank you so much for all of the classroom donations! We are set with tissues and wipes for a while.

Next Friday, September 20th is movie night! Show time is approximately 7:15 pm. This year, Rio will be showing  Disney's Aladdin. Come early and bring a picnic. Enjoy mingling with your Rio family. Low lawn chairs and blankets are recommended. It's sure to be a great time for all!

 Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

We are excited to have parent volunteers begin assisting in the classroom! Don’t forget to check in at the office to get a visitor sticker before coming to the classroom at 7:55. 

Art/Science/Math:  Students will be using apples to practice the concept of sorting, counting and tasting different colored apples, and graphing which flavor they like the most.  They will learn about different types of graphs through this investigation. Also,  we will be studying the life cycle of an apple tree as well as learning about the different stages that an apple tree goes through during the seasons. 

Friday is the first day of Fall and we will be discussing what happens during this season as we go for a “Fall Walk” around the school looking for signs of Fall. 

Math:  Besides using a variety of graphs with apples, we will be working on different strategies for solving word problems.  First, we start with using manipulatives (counting bears).  Then, we will use white boards to draw pictures to represent addition and subtraction equations.    At home, you can do this by using fingers as well.  

One example: Mary went apple picking.  She picked 2 apples.  How many more would she need to pick to have 8 apples?  (Please use names of people you know to picture that person doing the action).  

There are about 14 different ways to word the word problems. 

Handwriting focus letters: K,P

Words of the Week: go,at

Reading: We will begin reading the small paper books that focus on sight words in our centers.  When we send these books home, please have your child read them to you until they can read them fluently. 

Writer’s Workshop:  We will learn how "Writers Write".  We have looked at stories to compare how writers talk about their experiences. We are talking about our own experiences.  Please go over past experiences that have had an impact on them.   Then the next step will be having them write/draw beginning, middle, and end to a story.  Please think about trips, first times , happy moments, surprise moments, etc.  

Mind Up:  We will begin our brain-focused strategies.  It builds self-confidence and friendship learning skills.  

Have a great week!

Wish List:

Stickers
Prize Box Items
Play-doh accessories like rollers and cookie cutters...

Sept. 9-13

Sept. 9-13

Hi Kindergarten Families!

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

New Theme: Apples! Throughout this theme, students will learn about graphing, measuring, sorting/patterning, colors, and the life cycle of an apple. We have sent out an apple to decorate, and put the date due as of Monday, Sept 16^th.  We will be sharing the apples daily when they come in. They are displayed on our Apple Orchard tree in the back of class.

Word of the Week:  to, my

Students will practice writing an “I like my ______.” sentence with their own ending word. Whichever word they decide to write at the end of sentences will be sounded out to the best of their ability. It is normal at this stage of writing for students to write only 2 or 3 sounds in each word and that's all that we want them to write for now. For example if they want to write the word "school" and they only hear the sounds "scl”- that's great! We want them to feel successful in hearing and writing the main sounds of each word. Also, when they're writing at home, please remind them to use "bunny ear finger spaces" between words, a capital first letter and a period at the end of the sentence. Of course we are just at the very beginning stages of writing, but it is always good to keep these things in mind :)

Math Focus: counting (1:1 correspondence), writing numbers correctly and patterns.  

Handwriting Focus Letters: b, r, m, n 

Thank you to everyone who signed up at Back to School Night to volunteer in our classroom! Centers will begin the week of September 16^th  from 8:00-9:00.  Please remember to go to our school’s office to get information about being fingerprinted and getting your TB test prior to this date.  If the school already has this information on file from previous years, then you’re all cleared to volunteer! 

If it is your day to come in, please arrive by 7:55, sign-in at the office and get a visitor sticker, then come to our classroom to organize homework folders and to see what Center activity you are leading that day. If you are ever unable to attend, it is very important that you find a replacement (send out a group email asking for a sub) or let us know in advance because the lessons that we plan rely heavily on adult leadership/supervision.  Thank you in advance!!

Friday, September 20th is Free Movie night at our school with free popcorn.  Please join us in celebrating and getting to know new families at our school.  You can bring picnic or snacks, chairs, blankets, etc.  

Important dates:

Movie night- Friday, September 20

Picture Day- Friday, September 20
Run for Rio-September 15

Field trip- Wednesday, October 2

Classroom Wish List:

Hand Sanitizer
Clean-up wipes
Tissues
Ziplock bags large and small
Playdoh & playdoh tools
blocks
Do-a-Dot paints
Fake food for our kitchen
Crayola twistible crayons

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!