Quick Updates for the Week of April 27th

I apologize for not sending out an in-depth newsletter this week, but due to Kindergarten Round Up, I simply ran short on time:)  Here are a couple of quick things for the upcoming week:

*Letters - Qq & Jj
*Sightwords - here & me

*I am sending the May Snack Calendar home tomorrow along with the following note:

Dear Parents,

As you know, we have been learning about Motion in Science.  We’ve been talking about different things that move and how they move.  Please help your child pick out a toy from home that moves (push, pulls, rolls, spins, etc.) to bring to school by Wednesday, April 29^th .  We will use it for our Science lesson and then send it back home that day.

Thanks so much,

Mrs. Brinks

Looking forward to a great week!

Track & Field Change

The K-1 Track & Field Date is now changed to Tuesday, June 9th - pm.

Save the Dates

With the end of the year approaching and schedules filling up, I wanted to give you some important dates that you might want to plan for:

-Friday, May 22nd - Fun to Be Fit @ 1:30
*CORRECTION-Thursday, May 28th - Kindergarten Program @ 1:30
-Tuesday, June 2nd - Fieldtrip to Kettunen Center - all day
-Tuesday, June 9th - K-1 Track and Field Day - pm

*Mark your calendars & look for more information to come:)

Yearbooks Available

A note from Mrs. Hill . . . . 
Please let parents know that I do have a few extra Yearbooks available, if anyone still wants to purchase one.  The cost is $16, and any checks should be made payable to Judy Gilde.

Newsletter Updates for the Week of April 20th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wednesday, April 22nd—Next Visit to the Library

(Mrs. Eisenga adjusted the schedule for Spring Break:)

-Wednesday, April 22nd—Earth Day

-Saturday, April 25th—Kindergarten Round Up

-Book Fair - May 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22

-Friday, May 22nd—Fun to Be Fit

STUDENT OF THE WEEK: 

Our student of the week is Maisie Grames. Maisie enjoys doing arts & crafts and playing with her dolls.  She also enjoys being outside: swinging, swimming, and riding her bike.  Her favorite place to go is to Grandma Linda’s house and when she grows up, Maisie aspires to become “an animal doctor.” Congratulations to Maisie on being Student of the Week!

READING: 

This week our class will be reading stories about different kinds of animals and the habitats in which they live. Children will discover that animals live in caves, dens, burrows, trees, forests, deserts, and oceans.

· Vocabulary: habitat, wild - Brainstorm a list of wild animals and the habitats, or homes, in which they live.

· High-Frequency Words: said, want - Gently write the words said and want with your finger on your child’s arm. Then have your child to use each word in a sentence as you record the sentences on paper.

· Category Words: animal homes 

· Phonics: x,  -  Play a rhyming game. Say, I’m thinking of an animal that rhymes with box. (fox) Then write the word fox. Have your child circle the letter x. Repeat the activity with letter v.

· Reading Folders—We are back on track!  Book-it is finished for the year, BUT students are now working towards earning a subway certificate, which will be presented once they have read 20 take-home books:)

WRITING: 

This week we will complete journals related to motion & Earth Day.  We will also read several mentor texts, as we discuss the characteristics of How-to Books and begin to think about writing our own How-to Books.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will continue our Science Unit on Motion. We will be learning about forces and the different ways that things can move.  In observance of Earth Day, we will be reading several informational texts about the Earth and discuss & write about how we can take good care of our planet.

MATH: 

This week we will continue to work on 'dividing' and identifying equal halves.  We will also look at some different tools that we use to measure time and practice telling time to the hour.  We will continue to practice skip counting by 10’s, 5’s & 2’s.  Our Hall of Fame is up for Counting by 2’s, so keep practicing!

BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS: 

I am looking for volunteers to help out with our annual Book Fair.  If you’d be willing to help out an afternoon please let me know.  The dates and times are as follows:

-May 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22—11:30-3:00

-May 14 & 21—3:00-6:00

FUN TO BE FIT SHIRTS: 

Mrs. Kelley is still collecting T-shirt orders for Fun to Be Fit; if you’d like to purchase a shirt, please send your order form and payment in ASAP.  All students will be participating in the event, ordering a shirt is completely optional:)

Volunteers Needed for the Book Fair

Dear Parents (and Grandparents),                                                                   

The PTO is looking for volunteers to help with the upcoming Book Fair. 

We are seeking volunteers to help students browse and purchase books on

May 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, & 21 from 11:30-3:00 pm.  The Book Fair will be set-up in the Library and students will come down with their entire class - - so the more volunteers we have to help, the smoother it will go.  If you’d be willing to help out for an afternoon (or partial afternoon) please let us know.

We are also extending our hours on Thursday, May 14^th & Thursday, May 21^st from 3:00-6:00 pm so that families & community members can browse and shop.  The book fair will also be open Friday, May 22^nd  from 1:00-3:00 pm for families to browse after the Fun to Be Fit event.  We are looking for volunteers to run the fair during these extended hours as well.

If you’d be willing to help out with the Book Fair, please contact Sherry Brinks atsherrybrinks@gmail.com (231-825-2021 or 231-884-9566)

Thanks for supporting your PTO!

March Book it Calendars

Just a quick reminder to turn in your March Book-It Calendars - March is the final month for Book-it!

I have 1 mystery Book-it Calendar.  One student returned their Book-It Calendar the day before Spring Break without a name. I've asked the students and they don't remember, so, if you think it could belong to your child, please let me know.  I have issued certificates already to the following students - Grace, Jack, Olivia, Maisie, Mason, Clayton, Xander, Landon, Akira, & Charlie.

Also, please be sure to return your child's report card envelope one last time:)

Ice Skating Photos - I have lots of great photos from our ice-skating trip; however, way too many to try to put up on my blog.  I've printed some to post on the bulletin board outside of our classroom, which will be up by the end of the week.  Stop in and check it out!

Kindergarten Round-Up Input - I send home a pink survey today with your child.  If you have any helpful input to share with next years' Kindergarten parents, please return them to me or the elementary office by Monday, April 20th.

Thanks,

Mrs. Brinks

Newsletter Updates for the Week of April 13th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wednesday, April 15th—Next Visit to the Library

-Monday, April 20th—Delayed Start

-Wednesday, April 22nd—Earth Day

-Saturday, April 25th—Kindergarten Round Up

HAPPY SPRING!

I hope you had an enjoyable Easter & Spring Break!  Let’s hope that Spring is here to stay!  Please be sure to watch the weather and dress your child accordingly.  I would suggest layers so that they can start the day off with a heavy coat and hopefully end the day with a jacket or sweatshirt:)  It is hard to believe that we only have a couple months of school left! It really is amazing to look back to September and see how much the students have grown!  :)

ICE SKATING: 

I was absolutely impressed by the students’ skills & stamina for ice skating—they ALL did a fabulous job!  Special thanks to the MANY volunteers who showed up to help out—this trip couldn’t have been a success without ALL of your help!  I am hoping to have pictures to share soon!

  

READING: 

This week our class will continue reading stories about different kinds of pets and how to care for them. Children will learn about grooming, feeding, walking, and caring for pets.

· Vocabulary: responsibility, train - Talk about the responsibilities associated with caring for pets, as well as how people train pets.

· High-Frequency Words: they

· Category Words: pets - Play a game of “Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down.” Ask your child to show thumbs up if what you say is true, and to show thumbs down if what you say is not true. For example, A dog can be a pet. (thumbs up)

· Phonics: Ww & L blends—bl, sl, fl, cl, gl, pl—we will practice reading and writing words with these letter combinations.

· Reading Folders—Before break I was busy completing running records with all of the students to asses their growth in reading.  I’ve adjusted their reading folders and book boxes to reflect their growth, and this week the students will be shopping for new good-fit books.  Therefore, they will not be bringing home their reading folders until the end of this week, when everyone has had an opportunity to shop:)

WRITING: 

This week we will begin our April Journals -  writing about what we did over Spring Break and our favorite baby animals.  We will also be laying the groundwork for our next Writing Unit—writing How-to books.

MATH: 

This week we will continue to work on identifying coins—pennies, nickels, and dimes.  We will practice making fair exchanges as we count by 1’s, 5’s, & 10’s.  We will also continue to work on skip counting by 2’s, which is a very hard skill for Kindergartners—the goal is for them to be able to count by 2’s to 30 by the end of the year.  We will also continue to work on addition, as well as comparing numbers, and dividing groups in half.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will begin our new Science Unit on Motion. We will be learning about different forces—pushes, pulls, gravity, wind/air, and their effect of objects.  We will conduct many hands-on experiments related to motion and forces this week.

Please be sure to return your child’s library book

on or before Wednesday!

Spring Break Adventures

Tomorrow we will be writing about what we did over Spring Break. 

We will focus on using verbs (action words). 

 I will be sharing these action photos with the students, as I describe my zip-lining adventures:)