Week of September 25, 2017

Reading: “Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip” is our new story. This story is used to discuss how people in a community cooperate. In order to build comprehension, we will learn how to classify and categorize. This will help us understand how things are alike in a story.  This week’s Amazing Words are: bakery, park, library, fire station, post office, and chaperone. We will be reading the sight words: I, am, at, the, little, yes, and no.

Phonics: We are focusing on beginning sounds in words this week. We will also keep practicing breaking words apart into syllables, as well as blending syllables to make words. Rhyming is being taught daily. The letters of the week are: Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, and Zz.

Math: Please review the 2D shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon; along with the 3D shapes: cylinder, cone, sphere, cube. Topic 14 will be tested this week. Students will need to identify these shapes. They will also need to determine what shape is found on the flat surface of a 3D shape.  The next topic in math will teach the location and position of shapes.
Science: We will discuss how we observe things to learn about the world around us. We will be observing apples for the start of fall.

Reminders:
- Please remember to check your child’s folder EVERY night. 
- Sight words should be practiced daily.  Also practice letter names and sounds.
- September reading logs (from the book buddy pocket of your child’s folder) are due Friday, September 29th. 15 books are the goal!
- October 5^th will be the Fall Festival. Please send in your $3.00 donation ASAP if you have not done so. Thank you to those who already contributed!
- Monday is Day 9 on the rotation schedule. 

Have a wonderful week!

~ Mrs. Green

Week of September 18-22, 2017

 “Plaidypus Lost” is our Reading story for the week.  This is a fictional story that discusses how families cooperate. Comprehension will be taught using the early literacy skill of sequencing. This skill helps us determine the order in which things happen in a story. Our “Amazing Words” for the week are: platypus, around, lost, found, market, and groceries. The new sight words taught will be the and little. Letter  recognition will include: Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, and Ss. Phonics will focus on initial sounds and sound discrimination.

Topic 14 will be continued in Math. We are identifying and describing shapes. Our focus will be on rectangles, squares, circles, triangles, and hexagons. Knowing these shapes will lead us to learn about solid figures (cone, cylinder, sphere, cube) and flat surfaces.

Reminders:

-Please remember to check folders daily. The “return” items should be sent back promptly. The “Keep” items should be removed from the folder immediately. (Extra papers that are left cause confusion when trying to organize ourselves). Review the schoolwork with your child to reinforce the concepts.

-Please practice sight words daily. Repetition leads to mastery!

-Continue to review your child’s 5 digit number. This is an important tracking number for school information.

-The PTO will be hosting a Fall Festival for Kindergarten on Thursday, October 5^th. An individual $3.00 donation will be appreciated in order to provide a fun-filled day for your child. Please send in your donation if you have not already done so.

-There will be a meeting for those interested in helping out with the Fall Festival on Tuesday, September 19^th. It will take place at the Chill Out restaurant beginning at 6:30pm.

Thanks for your cooperation. Have a great week!    

~ Mrs. Green

Week of September 11-15, 2017

Congratulations to you and your child! You have made it through the hardest part of kindergarten. The first two weeks can be tough when transitioning into the school setting. Everyone seems to be handling the adjustment well. The children are becoming more familiar with the rules and procedures. I am pleased with their progress!

     The title of this week’s Reading story is “We Are So Proud.” It is a fictional story that will discuss how children work and play together. The comprehension skill that will be introduced is setting (the time and place of a story). The amazing words in the story are: proud, cooperation, float, preparation, creation, and guide. The sight words we are working on are I, am, a, to, the.

  The Phonics skill to focus on will be syllables (word parts). This skill is introduced by clapping out parts of a word.  We will also visit the letters: Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, and Nn.

     In Math we will continue to sort, classify, and categorize data. Our test will consist of identifying same/different, comparing and sorting objects according to their attributes (color, size, shape, kind), and graphing objects in order to answer questions. After Topic 13 is assessed, we will move on to Topic 14. These lessons will teach the students how to identify and describe shapes. We will start with rectangles, squares, and circles. 
Reminders:

~ School pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 12^th. All students will be photographed and required to follow the school dress code. If you choose to purchase a package, payments are due by Tuesday morning.

~ Wednesday, September 13^th is a Data Delay. There will be no special class.

~ Students are permitted to donate $1.00 for a Spartan Dress Down Day on Friday, September 15^th.

~ The Fall Festival Meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 19^th.

~ Please remember to check your child’s folder EVERY day. Remove the “left at home” items. Review the concepts that were taught. Check the “right back to school” items. This side of the folder contains papers that should be returned promptly. When sending a note or paperwork to school, please place it in the “return” side of the folder.

~ Please continue a daily review of list 1 sight words found in your child’s folder. There will be an assessment on these words during the week.

~ Continue to practice your child’s 5-digit number. They use this daily in the cafeteria. It is also used to log in to computers and check out library books.  

This week’s specials:  Monday- Music        Tuesday- Guidance       Thursday- Gym        Friday- Art

 I appreciate your support. Have a great week!   

 ~ Mrs. Green

Week of September 5-8, 2017

We had a terrific first week of kindergarten! These first few weeks are a huge transition for your child. It takes some time to learn the rules and procedures in our structured environment. The students are doing a wonderful job. We have an exciting year ahead!

We began Reading with the story, “The Little School Bus.” The children are enjoying the silly rhyming words in this animal fantasy. The animals in the story are used to introduce the concept of characters. There are six “amazing words” that accompany this story: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The first sight words to focus on are: I and am. We will take a closer look at the alphabet letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, and Ee this week.

In Math we are sorting, classifying, and categorizing data in Topic 13. The children are enjoying working together in small groups to sort objects according to size, shape, and color.

Reminders:

° Please remember to check your child’s folder EVERY day. Remove the “left at home” items and review the concepts that were taught. Check for the “right back to school” items. This side of the folder often contains important papers. Please return them promptly.

° Hooray! Everyone returned the beginning forms that were sent home. Thank you for being so prompt!

° Your child should continue to wear his/her bus tag to school. This helps to avoid confusion and keeps everyone moving in the right direction during the first few weeks in this new environment.

° It is very important for your child to learn his/her 5-digit number. Keep practicing this daily. Great job to those students who already know their number!

° School pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 12^th. All students will be photographed and required to follow the school dress code. If you choose to purchase a package, please send payments by Monday, September 11^th in the envelopes that were provided in your child’s folder.

Thank you for your cooperation and have a wonderful week!

~Mrs. Green

Week of May 15-19, 2017

Reading:  “Old MacDonald had a Workshop” is this week’s story. This animal fantasy answers the question, “What tools do you need to build things?” We will be reviewing characters and introducing prepositional phrases. The amazing words are: saw, hammer, file, drill, screwdriver, and chisel. We will concentrate on the following sight words: where, that, is, come, and go.

Phonics: Short and long vowel sounds are revisited, with the focus on Oo. The letter is reviewed in the beginning, middle, and even the end of words.

Math:  Measurement will be tested this week. Sorting, Classifying, Counting, and Categorizing Data in Topic 13 will begin.

Reminders:

~ Please continue to practice sight words daily. We are very proud of those students who met the 96 word goal! There is still time left  to catch up to them.

~Please return the Kindergarten Graduation form indicating if your child will be leaving after the graduation ceremony or staying in school for the day. (Also list the person who will be signing your child out.)

~Kindergarten Graduation is Tuesday, May 23^rd at 1:00pm in the high school auditorium. Please park in the lower lot of the school and enter through the gymnasium doors, which will be open at 12:45pm. 5 tickets will be sent home on Friday, May 19^th.

~ The Kindergarten Petting Zoo is scheduled for Thursday, May 25^th. Please remember to return the permission slip.

~ Carnival Day is Friday, May 26^th.

~ There will be no school on Monday, May 29^th for Memorial Day.

~ The last day of school is Monday, May 31^st!

Specials:

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

Have a great week!

Week of May 8-12, 2017

Reading: Our first story in Unit 6 is “Building with Dad.” This informational fiction book  tells how a school is built. We will practice how to compare and contrast to identify how things are the same and different.  The amazing words presented are: groundbreaking, foundation, water proof, trenches, welding, and gleaming. Sight words to focus on are: here, do, little, with, and what.

Phonics:  Qq and Yy will still be practiced this week. The vowels Aa and Ii are also reviewed.

Math:  Topic 11 will be completed and tested this week. These lessons break the numbers 11 through 19 into parts made up of ten ones and some further ones. Topic 12 will also start this week. Measurement is the focus. We will compare objects by length, height, capacity, and weight.

Reminders:

~ Please continue to practice ALL sight words daily. Time is winding down to reach the 96 word goal!

~ Review all letters and sounds. Students also need to name one word that begins with each sound.

~ Practice word writing regularly. Remind your child to use sight words, word families, colors, numbers, familiar names, etc.  

~ Also practice writing dictated sentences. Remind children to use a Capital letter at the beginning, finger spaces between words, and punctuation at the end. For words they do not know how to spell: have them sound out the word and write the sounds they hear.

Important Dates:

~ Monday, 5/8 is an extended school day. (Dismissal 3:45)

~ Monday, 5/8 is family buying night for the book fair.

~ Wednesday, 5/10 will be the Teens Against Tobacco “Kick Butts Day.”  Students should wear sneakers to take part in the outdoor activities.

~ Friday, 5/12 is the wedding of Qq and Uu. Students are encouraged to dress up for the big event!

~ Kindergarten Graduation will take place on Wednesday, 5/24 at 1:00pm. Each child will receive 5 tickets. Parking is available in the lower level lot at the high school. Doors will open at 12:45. Please use the gymnasium/auditorium entrance. Students should wear a white collared shirt with their hair down.  Your child may be signed out of school after the ceremony.

Specials:  Mon. Music        Tues. Computers        Wed. Book Exchange        Thurs. Art        Fri. Gym

Week of May1-5, 2017

Reading:  The title of this week’s story is “This is the Way We Go to School.” It is an informational fiction story that explains the ways children around the world get to school. Drawing conclusions is the comprehension skill taught this week. We will also revisit how to identify verbs as action words in sentences. Our amazing words are: cable car, horse-and –buggy, Metro line, trolley, skis, and vaporetto. The sight words to focus on are: where and come.

Phonics: This week presents two letters. Yy makes the /y/ sound, as in yak. Qq’s sound is /kw/, as in quilt.

 Math: Topic 11 starts this week. This unit decomposes numbers 11 to 19. The students will be using ten frames to break apart the numbers into parts that show ten ones and some further ones.

Reminders:

~ Monday, May 1^st is an extended school day. Dismissal will begin at 3:45.

~ Please continue to practice ALL sight words daily. The 96 word goal is definitely in reach!

~ The reading teachers will soon begin their end of the year testing. Remember, your child will be required to write dictated sentences. (They must use capital letters at the beginning, finger spaces between words, and punctuation at the end. For words they do not know how to spell: have them sound out the word and write the sounds they hear.)

     *They will also need to identify, write, and give the sound (along     

      with a word) for each letter of the alphabet. Another assessment

      will determine how many words can be written correctly in a 10

      minute time frame. Practice word writing regularly. Remind your

      child to use sight words, word families, colors, numbers, familiar

      names, etc.  

~ The Book Fair is this week. Parent buying night is scheduled for Monday, May 8^th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Our class buying day is Wednesday, May 10^th. If you are sending money to school, please place it in a labeled envelope.

~ Kindergarten Graduation will be held on Tuesday, May 23^rd at 1:00pm in the High School Auditorium.

Specials:

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