Can you believe that we finished our first complete week of kindergarten?! Please make sure your student is well-rested for this big adjustment. We eat a snack two times a day. Would you mind packing your child at LEAST two snacks? You can pack more. If your child is buying lunch, PLEASE still pack at least two snacks. When I say “buying lunch,” I mean getting lunch from the school.
Would you please keep toys at home? Toys from home distract students, and the toys get lost. So please make sure your child does not bring any toys to school. EXCEPT for this Tuesday, please send in an item your child can draw on Tuesday.
Next week we will begin a new writing unit titled “Show and Tell Writing.” We will start our unit by bringing in one object from home. Then, students will be sharing, drawing, and writing about their objects.
We will begin using our headphones every day for literacy and math centers. If your child does not have headphones, please send them in.
We will start iReady testing in October.
I usually send home poetry notebooks home on Friday. So they are going home today.
Recess
We go outside for recess every day and an extra hour on Thursday unless it is raining or below zero degrees. After that, your child may not stay inside. During breaks, I have meetings with the other kindergarten teachers. Please dress for the weather. It would be a good idea to look for hats, gloves, snow pants, and boots right now before it gets too cold and they sell out. Please label EVERYTHING! Hats, gloves, coats, boots, and snow pants all look the same. Please put your child’s name EVERYTHING!!
Math:
Next week we will continue to focus on counting, sorting, number sense, and subitizing. Subitizing can ‘see’ a small number of objects and know how many there are without counting. Subitizing is what tells you what number you roll on a six-sided dice – most adults no longer have to count the pips after playing board games for a while. Teen numbers can confuse many kindergartners; just counting the teen numbers is not the same as understanding that 10+3 is 13 or 1 ten and three ones is 13.
This week we worked on shapes and how to make shapes. FYI– students need to know the difference between a hexagon and an octagon. Students will be asked to draw a hexagon on the first quarter math test.
Reading
After testing each student on their letters, I am happy to announce that most students know the names of their letters. Therefore, we will begin by listening for the beginning letter sound and putting that sound with a word. For example, “River begins with “r” like in rabbit and red.” Students are still learning how to read color words and look at the first letter to identify the color. Students who know the first letter in words are working on identifying the middle and ending sounds of words.
These are pictures of us retelling the Little Billy Goats Gruff!
Writing
We are learning that our picture tells a story, and we are writing about things we know. I introduced a writing checklist. This checklist lets students know if they followed the writing lessons. Some days I keep the writing at school, and other days I send the writing home. If I worked with your child on writing, I used a different color pen or wrote my initials on the paper.
Phonics
We studied syllables and letter sounds; next week, our theme will be All about Rhyming. Students who have well-developed phonological skills learn to read with more success. These abilities are essential in learning about the language and provide the foundation for understanding the sound-print connection. The better the rhymer, the better the reader!
Spelling- Heart Words
Would you please study your snap words? Many students do not know how to read and write these words. I did not send home a new set of talks this week. Would you please keep on practicing these words? They are essential words that will help your child read and write!
A
Me
The
Yes
No
I
Can (we have not studied this word yet)
Social Studies
We celebrated Constitution Day last week by learning about the flag and making a flag. We continued to practice what it means to be a good student. We talked about our classroom rules and came up with a classroom mission statement that we say every morning. (This is part of the Leader in Me)
Science
We began our science unit on Thursday. First, we learned what scientists look like. Next week’s theme is the five senses, and we will learn how the senses help us as a scientist. Would you please help your child understand what the word “obserb” means?
Our Classroom Mission Statement
We raise our hands to speak,
And work quietly at our seats.
We keep our bodies to ourselves,
And use voices soft and sweet.
We keep our classroom clean,
and we are helpful never mean.
Dates:
Monday– Picture Day
Tuesday- Half Day!
Please send in $10 for Bagel Money. There is only one time of the year that you can buy bagels. Once money is due, you cannot order bagels. You will receive 6 bagels throughout the year.
