Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 30th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Thursday, December 17th—Christmas Party (pm)

-Friday, December 18th—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 (To: a girl  From: Mrs. Brinks).  Our party will be held Thursday, December 17th in the afternoon.

BRRR: 

I’ve been very impressed with how quickly and independently the students have been getting dressed and undressed @ recess—Way to Go!  Please be sure to label all items, as we have several duplicates of mittens and boots:)  Also, please remember to pack shoes for the classroom; I don’t let the students wear their boots in the classroom because we spend a lot of time sitting on the floor and we try to keep it clean and dry:)

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.

· 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.

· High-Frequency Words—and & but—Write the words and & but, then have your child trace them. Have your child search for them and circle their sightwords in the 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—Nn—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 play several games that involve ordering numbers.  We will also learn a new game called ‘Monster Squeeze’ which involves identifying a mystery number on a number line.  This is a game that students can also play on their ipads and is always a favorite!  The students will be bringing home their ‘Countdown to Christmas’ Chains to hang up at home and help them keep track of how many days until Christmas:)

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 senses of sight and hearing this week, as there are a lot of neat things to see and hear at Christmas time!

 Remember to return your

November Book-it Calendar!