by Mr. River Eubanks

Newsletter – Global Play day-Groundhogs Day and Valentine’s Party Coming Up.

Hi Kindergarten Families,

What a full and busy week we’ve had in our classroom! I’m so proud of how hard the kids are working, and I’m excited to share what we’ve been learning together.

In writing, we are continuing to focus on using transition words to help our stories make sense. We are practicing using first, then, next, and last to sequence events. We are also working hard to make sure our writing stays on one topic. This is called a small moment story—writing about one small time in your life, not your whole day or many different events. For example, instead of writing about everything that happened at the park, we might write just about going down the slide one time. This is tricky work, but the students are making great progress and really trying to stretch their thinking.

After writing, we move into phonics. This week, we worked on word families, focusing on short i-CVC words (e.g., sit, pin, big, lip). We practiced reading, building, and writing these words to help strengthen our phonics skills.

In reading, we continue to work on decoding and blending—sounding out words and combining their sounds. This is a key focus right now, and many students still need substantial practice and support with this skill. Thank you for practicing reading and sounding out words at home; it truly makes a difference.

We also spent significant time on i-Ready this week. We are still not finished yet. Almost everyone has completed the reading portion, and students did quite well overall—nice job! Only one or two students have finished the math portion so far, so we will continue working on that. You can expect i-Ready results to be shared next week.

In math, we learned about shapes and practiced different ways to make 10, using numbers and objects to show our thinking.

In social studies, we learned about the past, present, and future. We spent extra time talking about how present means right now—not a gift you open! This is a concept we’ll keep reinforcing.

A few important reminders:

  • Wednesday is Global Play Day. This is a special day when students learn through unstructured play. There are no screens, worksheets, or lessons—just play! Through play, children build creativity, problem-solving skills, cooperation, communication, and social development. It’s a wonderful and meaningful day for learning.

  • On Monday, we will be celebrating Groundhog Day. It would be a huge help if you could talk with your child about what a groundhog is and what Groundhog Day is all about. A little background knowledge goes a long way and helps them feel confident during our class discussions.

Thank you so much for all your support at home. We truly work as a team, and I appreciate you more than you know.

Have a wonderful weekend,
River