Dear Families,

It is hard to believe we are already at this point in the school year. We have had such a wonderful year together, and I am so excited for our upcoming Sing and Share! This is always one of my favorite kindergarten events because it is truly a celebration of your child, their growth, and all the hard work they have done this year.

During Sing and Share, families will come into the classroom and watch the children perform songs, skits, calendar activities, and other fun classroom routines that have become such a special part of our year together. The children are so excited to show you what they can do! After our performance time, you will have the opportunity to sit with your child and look through their Leadership Notebook together. This is such a meaningful time to reflect on how much your child has grown academically, socially, emotionally, and personally since the beginning of kindergarten.

Please take time to celebrate your child, encourage them, and point out all the wonderful progress they have made. Many of the children are now reading, writing, solving problems, working independently, and showing leadership skills in ways they could not at the start of the year. This event is really about uplifting your child and helping them feel proud of all they have accomplished.

Please make every effort to attend this very special event. It means so much to the children when their families are here to celebrate them.

You may notice that our classroom looks a little more bare than usual. As we get closer to the end of the year, I have started taking things down and organizing materials for summer and next year. Even though the classroom may look different, the love, learning, and memories made here this year will always stay with us.

For many of the parents, this will also be one of the last times I get to see you before summer begins. While we still have Field Day on Friday, Sing and Share is really our special goodbye celebration together. Please feel free to take pictures, enjoy the moment, and celebrate this milestone with your child. I truly have loved getting to know your families this year, and I feel very grateful that I had the privilege of teaching your children.

This week in class, we learned about maps and why they are important. We talked about how maps help people find places, give directions, and understand the world around them. The children had fun exploring maps and practicing how to use them.

I also spent much of the weekend working on report cards and writing personalized comments for each child. It was wonderful to reflect on just how much growth each student has made this year. I am incredibly proud of every child in our classroom.

In math, we have continued working hard on story problems and subtraction. Subtraction is still challenging for many students, so we are practicing carefully solving problems, using strategies, and explaining our thinking. The children are making progress every day!

In reading, we are continuing to strengthen our decoding skills, identify the main idea in passages, and retell stories after reading. We are still focusing heavily on decoding strategies and sounding out unfamiliar words independently. The children are becoming stronger readers and more confident learners as they work together and support one another.

In phonics, we are continuing to practice letter sounds, blends, and digraphs as we wrap up many parts of our curriculum. Even though the school year is almost over, we are still learning and working hard every single day right up until the very last minute.

Thank you again for your support, kindness, and partnership throughout this school year. This class has truly been such a special group of children, and I have loved watching them grow into confident, caring, and capable learners. I will miss them very much.

River