Dear Families,
I want to begin by apologizing for the delay in this week’s newsletter. I was very sick for the last two weeks and completely lost my voice. As you can imagine, that made teaching kindergarten quite an adventure! I’m finally feeling much better and so grateful to be back with the students. Thank you for your patience and support.
Writing
This week in writing, students continued working with their partners and practicing stretching out words to listen carefully for each sound. This skill is one of the most important foundations for reading and spelling success. When children stretch out words, they learn to connect sounds to letters, helping them become independent and confident writers.
We have now covered every letter of the alphabet and the sound each one makes. Students are becoming very good at identifying the first sound in a word, which is a major milestone for this time of year.
How you can help at home:
- Ask your child to slowly stretch out a word, like “dog,” and listen for each sound: d–o–g.
- When writing, encourage your child to write the letters that match the sounds they hear, even if it’s not perfect spelling. For example, “boat” might be written as “bot” — that shows they are hearing and connecting sounds correctly.
- Keep practicing letter sounds daily. You can make it a fun car game or review them during dinner.
Next week, we will begin writing sentences using our snap words and stretching out unfamiliar words to spell them phonetically.
Reading
In reading, we began working on decoding skills, which means using letter sounds to read new words. We practiced pointing to each word as we read — this is why each child received a “witch finger” and a flashlight during small-group reading. These tools make it fun and help students focus on one word at a time.
We also started using our snap words in reading and writing. Snap words are words students should know automatically by sight, such as the, and, I, like, see, and my. Knowing these words by heart allows children to read more fluently and write complete sentences with ease.
How you can help at home:
- Read with your child every evening for at least ten minutes. Let your child point to each word as you read together.
- Practice snap words daily. You can write them on index cards or use magnetic letters on the refrigerator.
- Continue using iReady Reading at home each week. This program reinforces phonics and comprehension skills we practice in class. Without regular practice with snap words and iReady, students may fall behind in early reading fluency and confidence.
Next week, we will focus on retelling stories using the beginning, middle, and end, and continue practicing decoding new words by using their sounds.
Math
In math, we are reviewing counting, shapes, and story problems involving addition. Students are learning to listen carefully to story problems, visualize what is happening, and use pictures or objects to solve them. For example, if the story says, “You have three apples and your friend gives you two more,” students learn to represent that with drawings or counters to find the total.
We are also identifying and describing shapes by their attributes (sides and corners). Students should now be able to recognize and name circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, and hexagons.
How you can help at home:
- Count objects around the house or while driving. Try counting by ones, tens, or backwards from twenty.
- Ask your child to describe shapes they see around them. For example, “The window is a rectangle,” or “That clock is a circle.”
- Give simple story problems to solve together. “You had four cookies, and I gave you one more. How many do you have now?” Please encourage them to explain how they arrived at their solution.
Next week, we will begin exploring measurement and comparing lengths using terms like longer, shorter, and taller.
Poetry and Take-Home Materials
Poetry notebooks did not go home this week due to Halloween events and special activities. They will return next Friday. Please continue to review past poems when they come home again — reading them together helps build fluency, rhythm, and confidence.
Science
Next week, we will begin our new science unit on Weather. Students will learn how to observe and describe weather conditions, measure temperature using thermometers, and identify types of clouds. We will also begin keeping a simple daily weather journal to track changes.
If you’d like to support this at home, encourage your child to check the weather each morning and describe it using complete sentences such as “It is cloudy and cold today,” or “It is sunny and warm.”
Thank you for continuing to read, write, and count with your child at home. Your support makes a tremendous difference. I am so proud of the progress the class is making every single week.
Warmly,
River Eubanks
Kindergarten Teacher, Pleasant Lake Elementary
