Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 27th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Friday, December 15th—PAC Family Movie Night

-Monday, December18th—Delayed Start

-Wed., Dec. 20th—Christmas Party—afternoon

-Thurs., Dec. 21st—Sing-a-long, Pajama Day, & 1/2 Day

-Dec 22-Jan 2—Christmas Break

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Justin Johnson. Justin enjoys coloring and building with Legos, and he loves to play tractors. His favorite movie is Lego Batman and this summer, he got to ride his first rollercoaster! His goals for this year include staying on green all year AND learning to read—which he is doing a terrific job at each of these so far! Congratulations to Justin on being our Student of the Week!

NEW STUDENTS:

Last week we welcomed Sammuel to our classroom and this week we welcome another new student—Jaiden. The students have been very helpful and friendly and are excited about these new friends.

THANK YOU:

PHEW! Last week was a busy week of learning and fun! Special thanks to Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Pluger for coming in to help—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 with 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 them 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:  

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 with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing.

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

· Sightword—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 them to think of the characters in the story, where the story takes places, 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 be studying our 5 Senses, since there is so much to see, smell, taste, touch, and hear at Christmas time.

I will send blankets home at the end of the week to be washed. 

Also, please be sure to return your November Book-it Calendar

Thanksgiving Activities - Sign Up

Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 13th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Tues., Nov.14th—Thanksgiving Meal for Hot Lunch

-Wed., Nov. 15th—No School—Deer Day

-Friday, Nov.17th—K Thanksgiving Activities—am

-Monday, Nov. 20th—Delayed Start

-Tuesday, Nov.21st—Cutting Up Veggies—am

-Wednesday, Nov. 22nd—Stone Soup Feast—pm

-Thursday, Nov.23rd—Thanksgiving

-Friday, Nov. 24th—No School—Thanksgiving Break

-Saturday, Nov. 25th—PTO Craft Show

PARENT TEACHER 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:)

STONE SOUP:

In celebration of Friendship and Thanksgiving, we will be making and sharing Stone Soup together next week. As in the story of Stone Soup, everyone will bring an item to contribute to our soup and then work together to create a delicious meal. On Friday, 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 head of cabbage, an onion, or a bag of baby carrots) by this Thursday.  I’m attaching the other sign-ups to the newsletter as a reminder for those of you who graciously signed up to provide supplies and food for our feast and festivities.

WINTER DRESS:

It looks like the cold weather is here to stay! We go outside 3 times a day, so please be sure to send your child with everything they need to stay warm outside. Please send them to school dressed for recess, as they go outside first thing in the morning; also be sure to send in shoes for them to wear in the classroom.

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about the 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 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 and describe the volume of the sound.

· Sightword—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 to different sounds. Ask your child to identify what is making the sound and ask them to 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 we took a nature walk and then sketched, labeled, and wrote about the items we collected. This week we will continue to practice writing like Scientists as we practice zooming in with our pictures. We will also complete a couple of journal pages—we will write about something we ‘want’ and tell about what we would be willing to ‘trade’ for it; we will also write about a ‘safety tip.’

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 the next 2 weeks.

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 lifestyle now. We will continue to discuss wants, needs, and fair trades as we prepare to make our fair trades for our stone soup ingredients on Friday. 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!

Newsletter Updates for the Week of November 6th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wed., Nov. 8th—Return to the Book Fair to Buy

-Thurs., Nov. 9th—1/2 Day—Parent Teacher Conferences from 1:00-8:00

-Friday, Nov. 10th—1/2 Day

-Tues., Nov.14th—Thanksgiving Meal for Hot Lunch

-Wed., Nov. 15th—No School—Deer Day

-Friday, Nov.17th—K Thanksgiving Activities—am

-Monday, Nov. 20th—Delayed Start

-Tuesday, Nov.21st—Cutting Up Veggies—am

-Wednesday, Nov. 22nd—Stone Soup Feast—pm

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Camren Kamphouse. Camren is kind-hearted, loves sports & math, and is very good at remembering things. He enjoys watching Wild Kratts, Curious George and The Swiss Family Robinsons. This year his goals include becoming a good athlete & hunter and to learn a lot in school - which he is doing every single day! Congratulations to Camren on being our Student of the Week!

PARENT TEACHER 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 talk about how to support their next steps in learning. Please be sure to return your orange conference slip so that I can make adjustments in times if needed:)

READING:

This week our class will be focusing on the rules we follow at home and in school. Children will also 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 them to think about ways we cooperate, or work together with others.

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

· Category Words—action words—Encourage your child to think of laws and rules to follow at home, 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 Strategy—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 be visiting the Butterfly Garden to see what changes have occurred now that it is Fall.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

We will 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 biggest to smallest and look for patterns.

Dismissal on Thursday & Friday is at 11:35; lunch will NOT be served.

You are welcome to pack your child a healthy snack for them to have in the classroom.