DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Friday, January 27—Library
-Friday, January 27—Report Cards Sent Home
-Friday, January 27—Book Orders Due
-Friday, February 3—Smokey the Bear Visits (10:00)
SLEDDING PARTY: Even with the cold temperatures, the Sledding Party was a success! Special thanks to Mrs. Bell & Grandma Farr for coming in to help give pushes down the hill and warm us up with hot chocolate!
LIBRARY: Our next visit to the library will be THIS Friday, January 27th. Please be sure to return your child’s library book, so that they can check out a new one.
SMOKEY THE BEAR: Smokey the Bear is coming to visit our classroom on Friday, February 3rd at 10:00. He will be here to talk about Fire Safety/Prevention and the importance of taking good care of our wildlife and natural resources.
REPORT CARDS: Report cards will be coming home this Friday with students. At this point in the school year, Kindergarteners are expected to recognize and name all of their uppercase and lowercase letters and know 80% of their sounds to be at grade level. We have introduced 15 sightwords so far and students who have mastered 80% of those are at grade level. As indicated on the report card, a √ means they ‘meet the standard’ and any areas that your child receives a — or √— are areas that they need to work on. I am always happy to discuss your child’s progress as we won’t have a chance to ‘formally’ meet for conferences until the beginning of March.
**Please note: you will be receiving your child’s DIBELS and AIMSWEB results in a couple of weeks, as they are still finishing up with assessing the students.
READING: This week we will finish up the letter Nn and then start working on the letter Ii. Our sightwords this week are my & we and we will be working with the word chunks: ip, in, it, ick, & ig. Our focus book this week is Ginger and we will work on predicting, comprehension, vocabulary, and determining cause and effect relationships. We will continue to work on blending sounds and segmenting words, rhyming, and retelling The Mitten. This week students will begin picking their own ‘Good-Fit’ books to put in their book boxes for Read-to-Self time—this is a very exciting milestone!
WRITING: This week we will use the book When Sophie Gets Angry to give us ideas for writing about things that make us angry and things that make us happy. We will also do some guided writing activities together so that we can practice starting our sentences with a capital letter, putting spaces between our words, and including an ‘end mark’ at the end of our sentences. We will finish the week with a Type 3 writing where students will write about 3 things to do in Michigan in the Winter. I’ve been very impressed with the students’ growing stamina for writing and their increasing independence for sounding out their words!
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: This week we will begin our Social Studies unit: Me on the Map. Students will practice identifying the country, state, and city that they live in using maps and globes.
MATH: This week we will introduce the DIME and practice counting by 10’s. We will also be working on ABB patterning and making a fair trade by trading 10 unit cubes for a rod of 10.
THANK YOU VIDEO: Check out the thank-you video to our School Board Members—you can find it on the McBain homepage—www.mcbain.org. Our class is featured at the end of the video saying our ‘thank-you.’
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Newsletter Updates for the Week of January 16th
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Thursday, January 19th—1/2 Day of School (11:55)
-Friday, January 20th—1/2 Day of School (11:55)
-Friday, January 20th—Sledding Party
-Friday, January 27th-Report Cards Sent Home
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Baylie Eisenga. Baylie enjoys playing outside, taking walks with her family, and riding her bike. She also enjoys playing video games, playing with Barbies, and dressing up. She is a family-girl; she likes spending time with her grandparents and her favorite place to be is home. When she grows up, Baylie would like to become a nurse. Congratulations to Baylie on being student of the week!
SLEDDING PARTY:
The Kindergarten classes are planning a sledding party for this Friday, January 20th from 10:30-11:30 on our playground. We will enjoy a time of sledding together and then come inside and warm up with some hot cocoa. We could use a couple of parent/grandparent volunteers to help push and pull kids outside, as well as a couple of volunteers to stay in and prepare our hot cocoa. If you would be willing to come in and help out, please let me know. The 20th is a half day of school with dismissal at 11:55.
HALF DAYS:
As you know, this Thursday and Friday are half days, with dismissal at 11:55. Lunch will NOT be served on these two days. I am asking the snack providers on these two days (Brenden & Kasey) to still bring in 2 snacks as usual. We will have our normal morning snack and then a second snack right before dismissal to hold students until they get home for lunch. I know this is inconvenient for young Kindergartners.
READING:
This week we will finish up the letter Pp and then start working on the letter Nn. Our sightwords this week are me & look. Our focus book is No, No Titus! and we will be using the Comprehension Strategy—Jabber the Reteller—to recall and retell important elements from the story. We will be playing several games to review all of the sightwords we have learned so far this year and we will continue working on blending sounds and segmenting words. We will also read the story Snowmen at Night and do some predicting and retelling with the story during our literacy stations. Later in the week, we will learn about ‘Good-Fit’ books and how to PICK a ‘Good-Fit’ book that matches our interest and reading level. This is so exciting because next week, students will begin picking their own ‘Good-Fit’ books to put in their book boxes for Read-to-Self time!
WRITING:
This week we will use the book The Mitten to work on Organization and to give us inspiration as we write about mittens and hibernating animals. We will also complete a Type 3 writing about a snowman later in the week. On Monday, we will be reading about Martin Luther King Jr. and his important dream of equality, freedom, & fairness. Students will be writing in their journals about their own dreams for the world. We are also starting to work on reading and writing our last names.
MATH:
This week we will have only 3 days of math because of our two half days. We will be working on grouping pennies, as well as trading up: 10 unit cubes for 1 rod of ten. We will also continue to work on telling time to the hour and begin learning about 3-D/Solid shapes.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will continue our study of Winter. We will be learning about what different animals do during the Winter. We will be reading several books about hibernating & migrating animals, as well as animals that remain active in the Winter. Students will also practice their detective skills by trying to identify who or what might have made various tracks in the snow.
-Thursday, January 19th—1/2 Day of School (11:55)
-Friday, January 20th—1/2 Day of School (11:55)
-Friday, January 20th—Sledding Party
-Friday, January 27th-Report Cards Sent Home
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Baylie Eisenga. Baylie enjoys playing outside, taking walks with her family, and riding her bike. She also enjoys playing video games, playing with Barbies, and dressing up. She is a family-girl; she likes spending time with her grandparents and her favorite place to be is home. When she grows up, Baylie would like to become a nurse. Congratulations to Baylie on being student of the week!
SLEDDING PARTY:
The Kindergarten classes are planning a sledding party for this Friday, January 20th from 10:30-11:30 on our playground. We will enjoy a time of sledding together and then come inside and warm up with some hot cocoa. We could use a couple of parent/grandparent volunteers to help push and pull kids outside, as well as a couple of volunteers to stay in and prepare our hot cocoa. If you would be willing to come in and help out, please let me know. The 20th is a half day of school with dismissal at 11:55.
HALF DAYS:
As you know, this Thursday and Friday are half days, with dismissal at 11:55. Lunch will NOT be served on these two days. I am asking the snack providers on these two days (Brenden & Kasey) to still bring in 2 snacks as usual. We will have our normal morning snack and then a second snack right before dismissal to hold students until they get home for lunch. I know this is inconvenient for young Kindergartners.
READING:
This week we will finish up the letter Pp and then start working on the letter Nn. Our sightwords this week are me & look. Our focus book is No, No Titus! and we will be using the Comprehension Strategy—Jabber the Reteller—to recall and retell important elements from the story. We will be playing several games to review all of the sightwords we have learned so far this year and we will continue working on blending sounds and segmenting words. We will also read the story Snowmen at Night and do some predicting and retelling with the story during our literacy stations. Later in the week, we will learn about ‘Good-Fit’ books and how to PICK a ‘Good-Fit’ book that matches our interest and reading level. This is so exciting because next week, students will begin picking their own ‘Good-Fit’ books to put in their book boxes for Read-to-Self time!
WRITING:
This week we will use the book The Mitten to work on Organization and to give us inspiration as we write about mittens and hibernating animals. We will also complete a Type 3 writing about a snowman later in the week. On Monday, we will be reading about Martin Luther King Jr. and his important dream of equality, freedom, & fairness. Students will be writing in their journals about their own dreams for the world. We are also starting to work on reading and writing our last names.
MATH:
This week we will have only 3 days of math because of our two half days. We will be working on grouping pennies, as well as trading up: 10 unit cubes for 1 rod of ten. We will also continue to work on telling time to the hour and begin learning about 3-D/Solid shapes.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will continue our study of Winter. We will be learning about what different animals do during the Winter. We will be reading several books about hibernating & migrating animals, as well as animals that remain active in the Winter. Students will also practice their detective skills by trying to identify who or what might have made various tracks in the snow.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Pizza Party
Our pizza party is scheduled for this Friday, January 6th. We will be having pizza and juice for our afternoon snack. Yummy, Yummy!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Newletter Updates for the Week of January 3rd
Happy New Year!!!
WELCOME BACK:
I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful break with family and friends. Before break, I had students bring home their pillows and blankets so they could be washed over break. Please feel free to send these items back to school. As our year progresses, we will spend less time resting and more time reading during our ‘rest time,’ but many students still enjoy the comfort from home during this quiet time of our day.
PIZZA PARTY:
We did it! Our class took first place for the most box tops/labels collected! We are looking forward to celebrating with a pizza party, compliments of the PTO. Thanks to all who contributed and sent in labels & box tops. Keep sending them in, as a second drawing will take place at the end of the school year.
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Kasey Shank! Kasey enjoys being outside and playing soccer and baseball. His favorite place to go is camping with his family. When he grows up, Kasey wants to continue to play soccer and baseball and he aspires to become a pilot. Congratulations to Kasey on being Student of the Week!
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Monday, January 9th—Delayed Start
-Friday, January 13th—Library
-Thursday, January 19th—1/2 Day of School
-Friday, January 20th—1/2 Day of School
-Friday, January 27th-Report Cards Sent Home
BOOK IT:
Please remember to return your child’s December Book-It Calendar so that I can award pizza certificates. I am attaching a January
calendar if you’d like to participate in Book-It for January.
ASSESSMENTS: The end of the marking period is fast approaching; we will be assessing many skills and concepts during the next few weeks. Students will also be reassessed on DIBELS (letters & sounds) and AIMSWEB (math concepts) to monitor their progress. Please be sure that your child is well rested and remind them to ‘always’ do their best at school. Report cards will be sent home Friday, January 27th.
READING:
This week we will be working on the letter Aa as well as the sightwords in & it. We will be reading the book Bunny Cakes as we work on predicting, comprehension, and vocabulary. This week we will also practice identifying ‘cause and effect’ relationships. Since Aa is a vowel, we will introduce Stretchy Snake & Chunky Monkey and use these two Accuracy Strategies to blend individual sounds into words and identify word chunks(at, an, & am) in words.
WRITING:
This week we will begin our January Journals as we write about a goal for the New Year, practice drawing detailed snowmen, and write about what we’d like to do on a ‘snow day.’ To help students become more confident writers, I am encouraging them to use the sightwords they know and to practice sounding out words; writing all the sounds that they hear (Stretchy Snake). We are really working on developing a positive
attitude for writing—I can do it!
MATH:
This week we will be working on writing our numbers 1-10 and ordering numbers 1-30. We will also be practicing our patterning, sorting, and
sequencing skills in preparation for Report Cards. We will be reviewing the 4 basic shapes and practice our oral counting skills (goal = 1-50).
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
In Science this month, we will be learning about the Season of Winter: dressing for the weather, snow, snowmen, and animals in the winter. In Social Studies, we will introduce maps & globes and learn about ‘where we live’ using maps and globes. We will also be learning about ways to keep our bodies healthy and the importance of making healthy choices.
WELCOME BACK:
I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful break with family and friends. Before break, I had students bring home their pillows and blankets so they could be washed over break. Please feel free to send these items back to school. As our year progresses, we will spend less time resting and more time reading during our ‘rest time,’ but many students still enjoy the comfort from home during this quiet time of our day.
PIZZA PARTY:
We did it! Our class took first place for the most box tops/labels collected! We are looking forward to celebrating with a pizza party, compliments of the PTO. Thanks to all who contributed and sent in labels & box tops. Keep sending them in, as a second drawing will take place at the end of the school year.
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Kasey Shank! Kasey enjoys being outside and playing soccer and baseball. His favorite place to go is camping with his family. When he grows up, Kasey wants to continue to play soccer and baseball and he aspires to become a pilot. Congratulations to Kasey on being Student of the Week!
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Monday, January 9th—Delayed Start
-Friday, January 13th—Library
-Thursday, January 19th—1/2 Day of School
-Friday, January 20th—1/2 Day of School
-Friday, January 27th-Report Cards Sent Home
BOOK IT:
Please remember to return your child’s December Book-It Calendar so that I can award pizza certificates. I am attaching a January
calendar if you’d like to participate in Book-It for January.
ASSESSMENTS: The end of the marking period is fast approaching; we will be assessing many skills and concepts during the next few weeks. Students will also be reassessed on DIBELS (letters & sounds) and AIMSWEB (math concepts) to monitor their progress. Please be sure that your child is well rested and remind them to ‘always’ do their best at school. Report cards will be sent home Friday, January 27th.
READING:
This week we will be working on the letter Aa as well as the sightwords in & it. We will be reading the book Bunny Cakes as we work on predicting, comprehension, and vocabulary. This week we will also practice identifying ‘cause and effect’ relationships. Since Aa is a vowel, we will introduce Stretchy Snake & Chunky Monkey and use these two Accuracy Strategies to blend individual sounds into words and identify word chunks(at, an, & am) in words.
WRITING:
This week we will begin our January Journals as we write about a goal for the New Year, practice drawing detailed snowmen, and write about what we’d like to do on a ‘snow day.’ To help students become more confident writers, I am encouraging them to use the sightwords they know and to practice sounding out words; writing all the sounds that they hear (Stretchy Snake). We are really working on developing a positive
attitude for writing—I can do it!
MATH:
This week we will be working on writing our numbers 1-10 and ordering numbers 1-30. We will also be practicing our patterning, sorting, and
sequencing skills in preparation for Report Cards. We will be reviewing the 4 basic shapes and practice our oral counting skills (goal = 1-50).
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
In Science this month, we will be learning about the Season of Winter: dressing for the weather, snow, snowmen, and animals in the winter. In Social Studies, we will introduce maps & globes and learn about ‘where we live’ using maps and globes. We will also be learning about ways to keep our bodies healthy and the importance of making healthy choices.
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