Week of October 31- November 4, 2016

Happy Halloween! The children have been very excited about the holiday. It won’t be long before we are celebrating again for Thanksgiving!

Reading: “Animal Babies” will be the story we are reading this week. This informational text will discuss the special animals that live in grasslands with their babies. Determining the main idea in a story is the reading skill we will use to develop comprehension. Adjectives for colors and shapes will be introduced. The amazing words presented in the story are: calf, cub, joey, grassland, pup, and foal. Three new sight words will be introduced: we, my, and like.

Phonics:  Pp is the letter of the week. The sound we will focus on is /p/ as in penguin. We will practice the sound in the beginning, as well as at the end of words. We are learning to blend letter sounds to read words.

Math: Topic 2 will start this week. The lessons will help us learn how to compare and order numbers 0-5.We will start by comparing groups to see if they have more, fewer, or the same amount of objects. Please continue to practice writing the numbers 0-20 at home.

Reminders:

-We do go outside during recess for 30 minutes each day unless it is raining. The days are becoming much colder. Please make sure you have your child dress appropriately for the weather.

-Please review the letters of the alphabet, the letter sounds, and sight words daily.

-Please practice counting to 100. Other skills to practice include syllables and rhyming.

Specials:

Monday: music   Tuesday: computers   Wednesday: book exchange   Thursday: Art   Friday: Gym

Have a pleasant week!

~ Mrs. Green

Week of October 24-28, 2016

Reading: “Nature’s Spy” is this week’s nonfiction story. It teaches us how we can appreciate the world around us when we look closely at the natural environment. We will discuss setting throughout the week and proper nouns will be introduced. Our amazing words are: discover, nature, spy, acorn, pod, and pattern. We will continue working with the sight words have and is.

Phonics: The letter for the week is Ss. The sound is /s/, as in sun. This sound will be taught in the beginning and the end of words.

Math: Numbers 1 through 5 will be completed in Topic 1 this week. We are counting, reading, and writing the numbers in different arrangements. Please practice writing these numbers at home as well.

Science: We will be exploring pumpkins this week. Stories, diagrams, and pumpkins will be used to explore the parts. Gourds will be used to compare weights and seeds will be used for counting.

Reminders:

~The PTO vendor show is this weekend. It will take place on Saturday from 12:00-6:00pm in the gym.

~Party money is greatly appreciated! Please send in your $5.00 contribution if you have not already done so.

~Monday starts Red Ribbon Week. Please refer to the October calendar for daily themes.

~Picture re-take day is Tuesday, October 25^th.

~The Halloween Parade will held be on Friday, October 28^th at 2:00pm. Kindergarten will lead the parade through the Spartan Stadium in front of the home bleachers. Costumes should not be worn to school. Children may bring their labeled costumes to school in a labeled bag in order to prevent lost items. We will have a limited time for a large group of children to get dressed. Therefore, it is advised to keep the costumes simple.

~Please continue to practice sight words daily. Also take some time to practice the following skills: letter and sound identification, rhyming, syllables, counting to 100, and writing numbers 0-20.

Specials:

Mon. Music          Tues. Computers          Wed. Library          Thurs. Art

Have a super week!    ~Mrs. Green

Week of October 17-21, 2016

Reading: We have completed the first Unit in our Reading Series. “Look at Us” is the Title of Unit 2. Each week we will discuss how plants and animals are unique. “Flowers” is the first story. This nonfiction book explains variations of flowers and labels their parts. We will use the compare and contrast skill to make connections between two subjects in a text. Nouns for more than one are presented in the story. The amazing words unveiled are: seeds, buds, bloom, fruits, stem, and petals. Sight words to focus on are: have and is.

Phonics:  Aa is the letter to concentrate on. Words with the initial and medial /a/ sound will be taught (example: alligator, mat). The long /a/ sound will also be presented (example: ate, same). Segmenting (breaking apart words into sounds), blending (combining sounds to read words), rhyming, and syllables are still being taught. Please practice these skills at home.

Math: We are starting a new Topic in Math as well. Topic 1 will focus on Number Names and Counting. Numbers 1 through 5 will be read, written, and counted in different arrangements.

Reminders:

-The school-wide book fair will take place on Monday evening in the library from 4:00-7:00pm. Our class buying day is Wednesday, October 19^th. Please remember to label envelopes before sending money to school.

-We are collecting money for parties that will take place throughout the year. Please send in your $5.00 if you have not contributed yet.

-It is very important to practice sight words daily. This repetition will help your child learn the 96 required sight words, leading them to become a more fluent reader.

-Practice counting and number writing.

Specials:

Mon- Music   Tues- Computers   Wed- Book Exchange (no new books this week)   Thurs- Art   Fri- Gym 

Have a super week!  ~ Mrs. Green

Week of October 10-14, 2016

     Fall is in full season. Everyone really enjoyed the Fall Festival. It was a great opportunity for the students and I to share some social time together. I appreciate your contributions that helped make this day a big success.

     The students also participated in themed days throughout the week, ending with a Pep Rally on Friday. These events help build Spartan Spirit. This spirit creates a positive attitude that encourages the students to try their best.

     This week’s Reading story is called “Dig, Dig, Digging.” The concept book will explore how vehicles, as machines, help with different jobs to get work done. To build comprehension, we will classify and categorize information in a story. As we read, we will learn that places and things  are also nouns. The amazing words for the week are: scooping, swooshing, squelching, gobbling, spinning, and rumbling. We are still working on the sight words: a and to.

Our Phonics letter of the week is Tt. We will focus on the initial and final /t/ sound, as in turtle. We are also continuing practice on syllables, rhyming, letter sounds, and blending.

Math lessons will build upon analyzing, comparing, and composing shapes. When this topic concludes, we will begin lessons on number names as well as counting.

Reminders:

-As always, continue to practice letter names and their sounds along with sight words daily.

- Students do not have school on Monday, October 10^th.

-Wednesday, October 12^th is a two-hour data delay. These are non-rotation days. (The students will not have special). Students are also encouraged to wear blue to stop bullying on this day.

- On Thursday, October 13^th there will be a drug awareness presentation geared toward kindergarten students. If you wish to have your child excluded from this event, please send a note to school.

Specials:        Tuesday- Library               Thursday- Art             Friday- Gym

Have a terrific week!

~ Mrs. Green

Week of October 3-7, 2016

Reading: “Smash! Crash!” is the title of this week’s story. The characters in this fantasy are vehicles that interact with each other. This selection will encourage students to discuss activities they do with their friends. To build story comprehension, we will focus on characters. Nouns will also be introduced this week. The amazing words presented are: signals, dud, proper, pirates, perfect, and fabulous. New sight words will be taught: a and to.

 Phonics: We are beginning to focus on individual letters and sounds. The first sound we will learn is /m/, which is made by letter Mm. We will practice initial sounds, ending sounds, blending, and discriminating words that contain the same sound.

 Math:  We just began Topic 16 (Analyzing, Comparing, and Composing Shapes). Lessons will include objects that are the same size and same shape, making shapes from other shapes, comparing solid figures, and building with solid figures.

Reminders:

- Please complete homework, practice letters, and review sight words daily.

- Spirit week will accompany North Schuylkill’s homecoming. Please check your child’s folder for special events.

* Thursday, October 6^th is the Kindergarten Fall Festival. Socks and sneakers would be the best footwear for this event!

* Monday is Day 4 on the rotation schedule!

  Have a “fabulous” week!

~ Mrs. Green