Holiday Homework

I hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and healthy break!

Just a reminder, I sent home a sheet of 'Holiday Homework' in the big Manila Envelope with some fun ideas to keep your child connected to what we've been working on at school over break.  This is optional, but I thought I'd send out a reminder now that the busy Christmas week is behind us and you might be looking for a few things to keep your child busy this week:)

I've updated the video links on my blog.  The Have Fun Teaching Video Link has several great phonics videos.  You will also find a link to Starfall.com & abcya.com - two great sites that the students are very familiar with.

Students who complete and return their Holiday Homework sheet will receive a trip to the 'Prize Box.'

Enjoy your break!

Mrs. Brinks

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 15th

*The elementary Christmas Program does NOT include Kindergartners, but we typically have a Kindergarten Program in the Spring!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Thursday, Dec. 18th—Christmas Party

-Friday, Dec. 19th—Pajama Day for Kindergartners, Sing-a-long @ 9:00, & Movie

CHRISTMAS GIFT EXCHANGE:

For our class Christmas party we are planning to have a gift exchange. We are asking that girls bring a gift for a girl and boys bring a gift for a boy. Please select a gift that is between $3.50-$4.00 and send it to school wrapped and  labeled with who it is FROM.  Our party will be held Thursday, December 18th in the afternoon.

PAJAMA DAY: 

This Friday we will celebrate our last day before break in our pajamas.  Students are welcome to wear their pajamas and slippers in the classroom. We will still be going outside for recess, so please be sure to send along boots and snow pants.

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK: 

On Friday the students will bring home an envelope of ‘goodies.’  In this envelope you will find the January Snack Calendar, January Book-It Calendar, special booklets that your child has made and can read, as well as a sheet explaining some fun Holiday Homework that they can do over break if they choose.

READING: 

This week we will continue to work on the Letter Cc and the sightwords go & in.  Many of our literacy stations will focus on Christmas learning activities, as we continue to work on color words, sightwords, rhyming, retelling, and handwriting. 

WRITING: 

This week we will complete several journals  related to Christmas, including drawing a map for Santa to find our houses.  Students will be bringing home their December Journals to share with you on Friday.

MATH: 

This week work on adding and subtracting within 10, using cube trains.  We will also be creating a ‘favorite color graph’ online and practice interpreting the data that we collect.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will be reading several stories related to Christmas, as we anticipate it’s arrival:)  The students are enjoying baking holiday treats and goodies in our classroom Bakery Shop.

*I will send blankets home on Friday to be washed over break:)

Thank you for sharing your children with me each day; what a true blessing they are! I wish your family a very Merry Christmas filled with joy, hope, love, and laughter!

~Sherry Brinks  

Christmas Party Sign Up

Christmas Party

24 Plates  - Maisie

24 Napkins—Grace

24 Cups—Mason

1 container of Raspberry Sherbet—Charlie

1 container of Raspberry Sherbet—Charlie

2 Liter Bottle of 7-Up—Brooklyn

2 Liter Bottle of 7-Up—Wesley

24 candy canes—Avallina

Finger Jello—Josh

Snack Mix—Xander

Cheese—Akira

Crackers—Chance

Parent Volunteers—Thursday, December 18th (pm)

Heidi Heuker

Jenni Kirt

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 8th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wednesday, Dec 10th—Library

-Monday, Dec. 15th—Delayed Start

-Thursday, Dec. 18th—Christmas Party

-Friday, Dec. 19th—Pajama Day for Kindergartners, Sing-a-long, & Movie

CHRISTMAS GIFT EXCHANGE:

I know many of you are beginning your Christmas shopping. For our class Christmas party we are planning to have a gift exchange. We are asking that girls bring a gift for a girl and boys bring a gift for a boy. Please select a gift that is between $3.50-$4.00 and send it to school wrapped and  labeled with who it is FROM.  Our party will be held Thursday, December 18th in the afternoon.

READING: 

This week our class will be reading stories about the places we visit in our neighborhoods and communities. Your child will talk about these places and the people we see and visit there.

Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing.

Word Workout

· Vocabulary: routine, neighborhood Talk about a weekend routine in the neighborhood. Use the words first, next, then, and last.

· My Words to Know

High-Frequency Word: go Write the word go in the air. Ask the question: Where do you like to go? Invite your child to complete the sentence: I like to go to the ___.

Category Words: sequence words Play a game called “What are we going to do?” Encourage your child to use sequence words such as first, next, then, and last.

Phonics: c Play a rhyming game and invite your child to guess words that begin with the letter c. If your child does not guess the word, give another clue. Then make a list of the words your child guesses correctly. Read the list together.

Comprehension: character, setting, events

Guide your child in telling a story. Ask your child to think of the characters in the story, where the story takes place, and what events will happen. As your child tells the story, write it down.

WRITING:  

This week we will continue to learn about pattern books and practice writing our own pattern books about things we like.  We will complete a journal page about 1 thing we would like to GIVE for Christmas, and we will continue to work on sounding out our words, writing the sounds we hear, and putting spaces between our words while writing.

MATH:  

This week we will work on probability as we discuss things that are certain, possible, and impossible to happen and students will conduct their own probability experiments and tally their data. 

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:   

This week we will continue our Social Studies unit on families , since the Holidays are all about spending time with our families and caring for each other. We will also continue our Science Unit on the 5 Senses. We will be reading several books about the senses of hearing, touch, and taste and conducting several experiments related to these senses.

WINTER CLOTHES: 

The students are doing a fantastic job of getting dressed and undressed quickly for recess! PLEASE be sure to send EVERYTHING to outfit your child for recess.  Also, please be sure to pack shoes for the classroom, that you child can take on and off independently:)

*Remember to return your

Library Books by Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Photos

Last week was a busy week, and we have a lot of great photos to show for it!  I am putting just a couple on the blog, but will have more to share later:)

Our Reenactment of "The  Feast" with Friendship Soup

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 1st

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Friday, Dec. 5th—Mobile Dentist

-Wednesday, Dec 10th—Library

-Monday, Dec. 15th—Delayed Start

-Thursday, Dec. 18th—Christmas Party

-Friday, Dec. 19th—Pajama Day for Kindergartners, Sing-a-long, & Movie

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Grace Bronkema. Grace enjoys reading, watching Frozen, fishing, arts & crafts, and riding her scooter.  Her favorite place to go is to the beach; and when she grows up, Grace aspires to care for animals as a Veterinarian. Congratulations to Gracie on being Student of the Week!

CHRISTMAS GIFT EXCHANGE:

I know many of you are beginning your Christmas shopping. For our class Christmas party we are planning to have a gift exchange. We are asking that girls bring a gift for a girl and boys bring a gift for a boy. Please select a gift that is between $3.50-$4.00 and send it to school wrapped and labeled with who it is FROM.  Our party will be held Thursday, December 18th in the afternoon.

READING: 

This week our class will be reading stories about sounds we hear in our neighborhoods and communities. Your child will experiment with ways to make sounds.

Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing.

Word Workout

· Vocabulary: listen, volume Go outside together and invite your child to listen to the sounds in your neighborhood. Talk about what makes the sound. Describe the volume of the sound.

· My Words to Know

High-Frequency Words: and & but. Write the words and & but, then have your child trace them. Have your child search for and circle the words and & but in a newspaper.

Category Words: sound words Sit outside together and listen for different sounds. Ask your child to identify what is making the sound. Have your child describe the sound.

Phonics: n  Search for objects that begin or end with the letter n, such as nails and pan. Write the words on sticky notes and have your child put the notes on each object.

WRITING:  

This week we will edit our November Journals and bring them home to share. We will begin our December Journals by writing about our families.  We will also begin a new unit for Writing that teaches us how to write pattern books; we will begin by writing about things we see.

MATH:  

This week we will continue to practice identifying and ordering numbers on a number line. We will also work on measuring length using various manipulatives and practice adding and subtracting within 5.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:  

This week we will be reading several books about families, since the Holidays are all about spending time with our families and caring for each other. We will also begin our Science Unit on the 5 Senses. We will be reading several books about the sense of sight and smell this week, as there are a lot of neat things to see and smell at Christmas time!

BRRR:  

Please be sure to send everything to outfit your child for recess, as we will be going outside on most days.  Also, please remember to pack shoes for the classroom :)

*Remember to return your

November Book-it Calendar