Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 28th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Monday, December 19th—Delayed Start

-Wednesday, December 21st—1/2 Day, Pajama Day, Sing-a-long, Christmas Party

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Sophia Kline.  Sophia likes to eat cheese and PB&J; her favorite movie is The Diamond Castle and her favorite book to read is the Bible. Her goals for this year include learning how to read, which she is well on her way to accomplishing, and riding her bike without training wheels. Congratulations to Sophia on being our Student of the Week!

THANK YOU:  

Phew! Last week was a busy week of learning and fun! Special thanks to Mrs. Nelson, Mr. McCrimmon, and Mrs. Grill for coming in to help out—I couldn’t have done it without you!! :)  Also, thanks to everyone who provided food and supplies! I’ll try to post some photos of our feast on the classroom blog this week.

BRRR: 

I’ve been impressed with how quickly and independently the students have been getting dressed and undressed for recess—Way to Go! Please be sure to label all items and please be sure 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:) Students are welcome to leave a pair of shoes in their locker to keep at school if that is easier.

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 $3.00-$5.00 and send it to school wrapped and labeled with who it is FROM (To: a girl From: Mrs. Brinks).

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about the places we visit in our neighborhoods and communities. Here are some activities that you can do to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—routine & neighborhood—Talk about a routine you have in your family; use the words first, next, then, & last.

· Sightwords—go & in—Take turns using go and in in a sentence. 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, & last.

· Phonics—Letter Cc

· 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.

WRITING:  

This week we will edit our November Journals and bring them home to share. We will 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 work on identifying and sorting objects and shapes according to various attributes (shape, color, size, thickness, etc.). We will collect classroom data about everyone’s favorite color. We will introduce the calculator app and 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.

 Please be sure to return your

November Book-it Calendar

Important Reminders

We have an exciting week of learning and fun coming up this week!

A couple of reminders:
-Please be sure to send in your potato tomorrow (Monday)
-Please look over the Thanksgiving Sign-Up sheet for items you volunteered to provide and which day they are needed - some are needed on Monday and others by Wednesday:)
-Parent volunteers for Monday, I'll need you by 12:15 but you are welcome to come early and have lunch with your child.
-Parent volunteers for Tuesday - I'll need you by 8:15 to begin helping students wash and cut up the veggies.
-Parent volunteers for Wednesday - I'll need you by 1:00, but you are welcome to come earlier.

Please be sure to send your child with all of their warm outer clothes for recess - looks like Winter has arrived!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  It's going to be a great week!

Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 14th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Tuesday, November 15th—No School/Deer Day

-Monday, November 21st—Delayed Start & Kindergarten Thanksgiving Activities (pm)

-Tuesday, Nov. 22nd—Cutting up our Veggies (am)

-Wednesday, Nov. 23rd—Our Feast (pm)

-Thursdays, Nov. 24th—No School—Thanksgiving

-Friday, Nov. 25th—No School

-Saturday, Nov. 26th—PTO Craft Show

CONFERENCES: 

Thank you for taking the time to come in a meet with me for conferences.  I really enjoyed meeting with each of you and I am confident that together we can build a great academic foundation for your child:)

FRIENDSHIP SOUP: 

In celebration of Friendship and Thanksgiving, we will be making and sharing Friendship Soup together next week. As in the story of Stone Soup, everyone will bring in an item to contribute to our soup and then work together to create a delicious meal. On Monday, we will be trading among the Kindergarten classes to obtain all of the ingredients we need for our soup. Please remember to bring your ingredient (a potato or barley) by next Monday.

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about sounds we hear in our neighborhoods and communities. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be learning:

· 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.

· Sightwords—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 or junk mail.

· 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—Letter 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: 

Last week was a beautiful week to take a nature walk! We’ve sketched, labeled, and written about our nature items. This week we will finish our books by ‘zooming in,’ editing & revising, and adding a ‘WOW cover,’ as we continue to practice writing like Scientists.

MATH:

This week we will play several games that involve ordering numbers. We will 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! We will also incorporate several Thanksgiving activities into our math tubs this week.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will read several informational texts related to the Pilgrims and learn how they endured many hardships. We will also compare and contrast their lifestyles then, to our lifestyles now. We will continue to discuss wants, needs, and fair trades as we prepare to make our fair trades for our friendship soup ingredients next Monday. With the opening day of deer season, we will also be talking about Gun Safety. We met Eddie Eagle who teaches children what to do if they ever find a gun lying around: Stop, Don’t Touch, Leave the Area, Tell an Adult!

Thanksgiving Sign-Ups

Here's a list of supplies, as well as volunteers, for our upcoming Thanksgiving activities.  Thanks for your willingness to help out and provide for our Feast:)

Parent Teacher Conferences

I'm looking forward to meeting with many of you tomorrow afternoon/evening to discuss your child's successes so far in Kindergarten, and to plan together what we can do to ensure their continued growth  Dismissal is at 11:55 tomorrow for students and lunch will NOT be provided.  Below is the schedule as a reminder of who is scheduled for what times.  Our 15 minutes together is precious, so I'll do my best to stay on schedule.  Please bring any questions and/or concerns that you may have. I'll have sign-up sheets for upcoming special days for you to look over, as well as many highlights from our year together so far. :)

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule

 Mrs. Brinks – Kindergarten

November 10, 2016

Time	Parents of:
1:00	León
1:15	Sophia
1:30	Wyatt
1:45	Justin
2:00
2:15	Easton
2:30
2:45	Brady
3:00	Riley
3:15	Delainee
3:30	Dane
3:45	Grace
5:00	Levi
5:15	Mylan
5:30	Gage
5:45	Karen
6:00	Aubrie
6:15
6:30	Dylan
6:45
7:00	Zane

Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 7th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Thurs. Nov. 10th—1/2 Day/Parent Teacher Conferences from 1:00-4:00 & 5:00-8:00

-Friday, November 11th—Half Day/Veteran’s Day

-Tuesday, November 15th—No School/Deer Day

-Monday, November 21st—Delayed Start & Kindergarten Thanksgiving Activities (pm)

-Tuesday, Nov. 22nd—Cutting up our Veggies (am)

-Wednesday, Nov. 23rd—Our Feast (pm)

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Zane Geeseman. Zane enjoys riding his horse Mickey and competing in rodeos; he is a true cowboy at heart!  He likes to eat Doritos, steak, & lunchables. He aspires to be a cowboy and a football player when he grows up. Congratulations to Zane on being our Student of the Week!

CONFERENCES:  

I am looking forward to meeting with each of you this week for conferences.  In addition to discussing your child’s progress, we will look ahead and discuss how to support their next steps to learning.  We have some very exciting things coming up as we look to the future!  Please be sure to return your yellow conference slip so that I can make adjustments in times if needed. :)

Y-TIES:

Mrs. Sluiter, our PE teacher, is offering this opportunity for you to order these kid-friendly laces. These are great to put in laced shoes, but do not require students to tie their shoes. If your child has laced shoes, I would highly recommend them, especially with winter coming and the constant switching between boots and shoes:) Please check your child’s folder for their yellow order form.

READING:

This week our class will be focusing on the rules they follow at home and in school. Children also will be reading stories about the laws people follow in their neighborhoods and communities. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—cooperate, rules—Make a chart of the rules your child follows. Encourage your child to think about the ways we cooperate, or work together with others.

· Sightwords—to & it—Fill a small pan with shaving cream. Have your child write the words in the shaving cream each time you use the word in a sentences—a great activity to do in the tub:)

· Category Words—action words—Encourage your child to think of laws and rules to follow at home, at school, and in the community.

· Phonics—Letter Ii—Help your child think of words that include the letter I, write the words on paper and have them underline the letter i.

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will introduce Chunky Monkey—he helps us read and write by identifying ‘chunks’ or ‘word families’ that we know within words. We will be using Chunky Monkey to read and write words with the chunks—ig, it, in, & ip.

WRITING:  

This week we will continue to write like Scientists; we will go on a listening walk and collect some things from nature to bring back to the classroom to observe, sketch, and write about. We will also be writing about something we ‘want’ and what we would be willing to ‘trade’ for it.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:  

This week we will learn about one of our important responsibilities as a citizen—voting. We will exercise our ‘democratic right to vote,’ as we vote for a special treat that we will have later in the week. We will also begin our Social Studies Unit on Market Economy as we learn the difference between ‘a want’ and ‘a need’ and discuss the importance of making a ‘fair trade.’ In observance of Veteran’s Day, we will learn about how we can show honor and respect to our veterans.

MATH:

This week we will work on ordering numbers from smallest to biggest and look for patterns. We will also be graphing our vote and interpreting the data.

I will be out of the classroom Wednesday morning to meet with the gentleman from the Michigan Department of Education for a follow-up from our on-site review.  I don't like stepping away from the classroom, but this is a worthy cause and I know the students will be on their best behavior for our substitute:)