Dear Families,
We’ve had another exciting week in kindergarten! The classroom is buzzing with curiosity, laughter, and plenty of “a-ha” moments. Below, I’ve shared what we’ve been working on in each subject so you can better understand what your child is learning and how you can support them at home. Remember—you can always reach out to me if you have questions, wonderings, or want to celebrate your child’s progress.
✍️ Writing
This week, we began labeling our pictures. Currently, most students are writing only the first sound they hear in a word (for example, if they draw a dog, they might write “d”). This is precisely where they should be! Soon, we’ll stretch out those words together and begin adding middle and ending sounds.
How you can help at home:
- Please encourage your child to practice writing the first sound they hear when labeling their drawings.
- Review letter names and letter sounds daily—this builds a strong foundation for spelling and writing.
📚 Reading
We are learning how to retell stories and understand that we are all readers, even if we aren’t reading words yet. To bring stories to life, we acted out The Three Billy Goats Gruff—lots of giggles included! Now we are diving into Caps for Sale.
Another big focus right now is reading stamina. This means sitting with a book, looking carefully at the pictures, and staying in one spot. We’ll be tracking how long we can work together as a class, and our goal by December is to reach 15 minutes next week.
At home:
- Ask your child to retell a story in their own words after reading together.
- Celebrate their effort to sit and look at books—even if it’s just a few minutes at a time.
🔤 Phonics
In phonics, we’re focusing on vowels and practicing the sounds and writing for the letters M, S, T, R, N, and D. Each day we add a new letter to our knowledge.
At home:
- Practice saying and writing these letters.
- Play games like “I spy something that starts with /m/” to connect sounds to everyday life.
➗ Math
Math this week was hands-on and fun! We went on a number hunt around the classroom and continued practicing our counting. We also played math games such as “Count and Sit” and “Gotcha”—where I make a “mistake” and the students love to catch it!
At home:
- Count everyday objects (stairs, snacks, toys).
- Let your child “catch you” making silly counting mistakes—it’s a great way to boost their confidence.
🎶 Theme of the Week: Rhyming
We explored rhyming through books, songs, and even “shake breaks” to get our wiggles out. Rhyming is an important early reading skill, and your children had so much fun spotting word pairs that sound the same.
Next week’s theme: iReady – Trying Hard Things. We’ll begin our iReady assessments in reading and math. These tests are untimed and take about a week to complete. Unlike other tests, there’s no cutoff score—the goal is to see where each child is starting so we can track growth throughout the year.
🗓️ Important Dates
- Tuesday – No school in observance of Rosh Hashanah.
- Monday- Picture Day!
- October 1st – I will be out, and a substitute will be with the class while I celebrate Yom Kippur.
- October 2nd- No School in observance of Yom Kippur
🌟 Classroom Community & Routines
We are still practicing our classroom routines, especially learning how to work in centers. The children are becoming experts at cleaning up their centers; now, we’re working on doing our very best during independent work time. This practice allows me to meet with students individually for reading, writing, and math assessments and support.
🇺🇸 Constitution Day
This week, we also celebrated Constitution Day! We talked about the importance of the Constitution and why it matters to our country. The children learned about the American flag, its colors, and what the stars and stripes represent. We read a book together and had a thoughtful discussion about how the flag is a symbol of unity and pride. The students were very proud to share what they already knew about the flag and to learn some new facts, too!
💡 Snap Words Reminder
Last week, I sent home our first set of snap words (sometimes called sight words). I’ll continue sending new ones each week. Please practice both reading and writing these words at home. If a word appears for more than one week, it means we’re still working on it together in class.
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s learning journey! Every small effort at home makes a big difference in their confidence and growth at school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or want tips for supporting your child—my door (and inbox) is always open.
With warmth and excitement,
River Eubanks
