Hello Everyone! As we work on report cards and get the room ready for December, new units in reading and math, and general clean up from the week, we have been reflecting on how far all of your children have come since those first weeks of school! We are so grateful for every student in our class and for the support you all provide at home. The kids are all making great gains, and we are excited to continue sharing those gains every month with either notes home, conferences or report cards. On Wednesday, your child will bring home his or her first kindergarten report card. Please look through it with your child. There will be a note included that explains the grading system. The information will come home in a white envelope. Please remove everything from the envelope, then sign the envelope along with your child and return it to school. We will use the same envelope to send home the Trimester 2 report card in March. Thank you! In math, we have been working on 2-D and 3-D shapes. We are noticing that many kids are still struggling with identifying some of the shapes we are focusing on. If possible, please look for opportunities to find and have your child name the following shapes for extra practice: rectangle, triangle, square, circle, oval, hexagon, cylinder, cone, cube and sphere. Thanks for your help!
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As we get into our school routines, we have been easing the kids into their homework schedules. We started with just the Reading Calendars (read at least 10 minutes daily and record on the yellow calendar), and last week (November 5th), we began our Word Bird (sight word) homework. When the second trimester begins in December, we will add math homework 1-2 times a week (to be determined) and reading homework on Wednesdays. Some homework tips/reminders: READING CALENDAR -this is due at the end of each month. The minimum total of minutes read is 300, and the calendar needs an adult signature. -reading with someone, to someone or something (family member, loved one over FaceTime, stuffed animal, pet...), listening to an audiobook or a story on the computer or other device all count towards reading minutes. Even time spent working on sight words count! -all the children who return their reading calendars with 300 or more minutes by the due date get to participate in a Reading Calendar Reward (October calendars earned time playing Bingo in the cafeteria Friday morning!) -kids who turn in at least 6 reading calendars with 300 minutes or more by the end of the school year will earn a special medal! WORD BIRD/SIGHT WORDS -every Monday we have school, 3 new words will come home. -words can be kept in the Word Bird's pouch (or wherever you see fit). -depending on your child's needs, they can work on reading the words, finding them in the books they read, spelling them and/or writing them in sentences and stories. -please date and initial the envelope that contains the words ONCE each week, and send the envelope back the next day, by Friday at the latest. Thank you for helping us prepare your young learners for future success! Your support at home really makes a difference! Brr!!! With the arrival of snow and VERY cold weather, we would like to share some reminders and tips.
It is important to know that the kindergartners go outside for recess EVERY DAY, unless the temp or windchill is below zero at 11:00AM. With this information, we ask that you please send complete, weather-appropriate gear for your children every day they come to school. (Winter coat, mittens/gloves that ideally are waterproof, hat/earmuffs/earband, boots...) Now for some tips from our experience as parents and teachers. :-) *Label EVERYTHING! We have a SIGNIFICANLTY better chance of finding lost items when there is a name on the item. (Fabric paint or permanent markers work GREAT!) *Always send spare shoes-it is NO FUN to wear winter boots all day long, and the kids often can not participate in PE without appropriate footwear. *Consider labeling a reusable bag (grocery stores sell them) for your child to bring their winter gear to and from school in (items get very wet at recess, and can make homework and school papers hard to read when all packed together!) *PRACTICE! We have talked with the kids about this...at home, they may have extra help getting everything on, buckled, zipped and tied. At school, however, there are many more kids to help, so the kids who are independent will usually get outside faster! We suggested making it a game-"How quickly can you get ready?" Time your child a few times over the course of a few days to see if their speed increases. :-) They can even practice packing their things in their snow bag and/or tucking hat and mittens/gloves in their sleeve when not in use. Thanks for your help! Monday we started talking about the group plan. In our story, Evan, Ellie, Jesse and Molly take a trip to the farm to make an apple pie and ice cream. They learn the difference between following their own plan versus the group plan. When one person followed his/her own plan, the group could not accomplish their goal. When they worked together and followed the group plan everyone felt good and they ended up with delicious treats to share. In our group we use illustrations to show everyone thinking about the group plan together versus a person who is thinking about his/her own plan. We talk about “the plan” as a way to help children know what they are expected to think about and do when they are working in a group. When everyone is following the plan, we are all thinking about each other. When we all think about each other, everyone feels good. We have attached a PDF of a family letter explaining more about the group plan, and we will work on this concept with the kids daily for the remainder of the week as well as occasionally throughout the year. Feel free to use similar language at home when you child(ren) is/are (or is/are not) following the group plan. :-)
Thank you to all the parents who were able to help as shoppers or volunteers for our Fall Party. The kids had a BLAST! |
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