Friday's Lunch

McBain Lunch Bunch

2 hrs · 

February 1- Lunch will be Hamburgers with Seasoned Fries. Next week will look a little different too, so please check back to see what next week will be. Going to try to incorporate some of the “extra” food we have in stock. Thank you all for understanding!!!

Quick Updates

Hi - I hope you are all staying warm!  I hesitate to post my weekly newsletter updates because we haven't been at school to cover any lessons yet and I'm not sure what the rest of our week holds:)
Here are a few things I did want to pass along . . . .

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Fri. February 8th—JR4H Envelopes Due - keep collecting those donations

-Mon. February 11th—Dental Presentation

-Thurs. Feb. 14th—Kindergarten JR4H @ 10:00

-Thurs. Feb. 14th—Valentine’s Party @ 12:30

THE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL:

The 100th day of school is fast approaching!  We’ve had 96 days so far, so we should get there next week? We have several fun activities planned in the classroom and we will visit 2nd grade classrooms to view their 100th Day Collections.  For Kindergarten, we are encouraging our kids to have some fun and dress up like they are 100 years old. So start rummaging through your closets and get your outfits ready:)

RAZ KIDS:

      The students have started reading ‘good-fit’ books on their ipads in the classroom. I’ll be sending a letter home with information about how you can access it at home—it is a great resource for young readers! The school generously pays for the subscription, so it is free to our families. You can download the app on a phone, ipad, or tablet, or access it through a computer.  It DOES require an Internet connection.  As they read books, they will move up levels. An important rule that I teach the students is that they have to listen to each book twice, then read it independently twice, and finally take the quiz - we call it the '5 finger rule' - Listen, Listen, Read, Read, Quiz (for those on levels with quizzes). Also, as an incentive, they earn stars to build their rocket ship and robot. I don't let them spend their starts at school, BUT this is something they CAN do at home with the stars they have earned. Once you receive your letter, if you have any issues logging in or navigating the site/app at home, please let me know.  Also, if your child passes a level at home, please remind them to let me know:)

HELPERS:

Once we return to school, I will adjust the daily helpers by doubling up each day, so whoever the scheduled helper is, will be the helper + someone who missed their day:) These things are VERY important to Kindergartners!!

PARENTING RESOURCE: 

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Daniel Tiger on PBS Kids, but did you know that there is a FREE app for parents?  It is called Daniel Tiger for Parents.  It includes a menu of topics that young children often struggle with, along with short video clips, strategy songs, & talking points to work through social-emotional issues that young children face. :)

 Please send in an empty cereal box by Thursday &

be sure to return your child’s library book on or before Friday:)

Snow days are a great opportunity to work on those Valentines:)

Lunch Change Next Week

McBain Lunch Bunch

January 24 at 8:38 AM · 

Happy Thursday everyone!! We need to change things up just a little. Next week Wednesday, January 30 we will be swapping out Bosco stick day for Popcorn Chicken Day. So then on Tuesday, February 3, we will have the Bosco sticks. Hope this doesn't confuse too many people and thank you for understanding once again!!!

Hats, Hats, Hats!

Special Thanks to Mrs. Isanhart for using her time and talents to BLESS all of the Kindergartners with these hand-made hats!  The kids were so excited!

Newsletter Updates - January 21

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wed. January 23rd—NWEA Testing—Math

-Fri. February 8th—JR4H Envelopes Due

-Mon. February 11th—Dental Presentation

-Thurs. Feb. 14th—Kindergarten JR4H—10:00

-Thurs. Feb. 14th—Valentine’s Party @ 12:30

STUDENT OF THE MONTH:

Our new Student of the Month is Braelyn Hinton. She’s sweet and kind, yet determined and a go-getter! Her favorite color is purple and he likes to eat rice cakes; she enjoys coloring & loves her pets. This year she wants to learn how to read, which she is well on her way to accomplishing, and when she grows up, he wants to be  . . . a teacher.  Congratulations to Braelyn on being our Student of the Month.

READING: 

*This week we should be back on track

This week our class will be focusing on plants and what they need in order to grow, such as water, food, and air; we will read several stories about gardens. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—require & plant—Talk about things that living things need/require in order to live and grow.

· Sightwords—my & at—Encourage your child to say sentences using the words my and at. Record the sentences on paper and leave a blank where the words should be. Then have your child write the words in each space.

· Category Words—size words—Take turns describing things according to size and/or practice sorting household items according to size.

· Phonics—Letter Hh—Play a rhyming game; for example, what word starts with h and rhymes with pen? (hen). Provide clues as needed.

· Comprehension—Character, Setting, & Events—Have your child think of a favorite story. Then ask questions about the main characters, where the story takes place, and what events happen at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will introduce a new comprehension strategy— Repair Bear—who reminds us to stop while we are reading and check to see if we are understanding what we are reading. If not, we need to go back and reread.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will continue to study Motion; the students will begin the Engineering Process of planning and designing their own ramps.  We will read several texts related to freedom and equality in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. We will also begin learning about what animals do in the Winter time.

MATH: 

This week we will work on making combinations for ten, practice writing our numbers 1-20, and work on graphing our favorite activities at school.  We are beginning to learn about 3D/solid shapes—cubes, spheres, cones, & rectangular prisms.

WRITING: 

This week we will begin a new pattern book that reflects a see-saw structure. We will create a class book about things we can and cannot do in the Winter and then write our own books about things we like and do not like.

 Please send in an empty cereal box  - 

we will decorating them at school for our Valentines:)

Class List for Valentines

Valentine's Day is a few weeks away, but I wanted to get the class list out because I know it takes a while for Kindergartners to write out their Valentines.  This is a great way for your child to practice handwriting at home!  I've included a list of the adults who work with students in our classroom.  Please don't feel obligated to send in Valentine's for the adults, but some students may want to give them one, particularly if it is an adult they work with each day. 

Also, please send in an empty cereal box for your child to decorate at school for their Valentines.

Valentine's Party & Jump Rope for Heart Sign Up

January 14th - Newsletter Updates

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Mon. January 14th—DIBELS Testing

-Wed. January 16th—NWEA Testing—Math

-Wed. Jan. 16th—Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off

-Fri. January 18th—Homecoming Game

-Mon. January 21st—Delayed Start

READING:

Due to our snow days, we will still be reviewing for a couple of days this week and finishing up this set of stations; on Wednesday we will begin our new unit for reading:)

This week our class will be focusing on plants and what they need in order to grow, such as water, food, and air; we will read several stories about gardens. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—require & plant—Talk about things that living things need/require in order to live and grow.

· Sightwords—my & at—Encourage your child to say sentences using the words my and at. Record the sentences on paper and leave a blank where the words should be. Then have your child write the words in each space.

· Category Words—size words—Take turns describing things according to size and/or practice sorting household items according to size.

· Phonics—Letter Hh—Play a rhyming game; for example, what word starts with h and rhymes with pen? (hen). Provide clues as needed.

· Comprehension—Character, Setting, & Events—Have your child think of a favorite story. Then ask questions about the main characters, where the story takes place, and what events happen at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will introduce a new comprehension strategy— Repair Bear—who reminds us to stop while we are reading and check to see if we are understanding what we are reading. If not, we need to go back and reread.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will continue to study Motion, as we investigate steep and shallow ramps.  We read several stories about dressing for this cold Wintry weather, as well as several narrative stories related to snowmen.

MATH: 

This week we will play Top it with numbers 1-20.  We will explore numbers 1-100 using a Number Grid and the Counting Board App, as we look for number patterns. In addition, we will begin working on ADDITION :)

WRITING: 

This week we will work together to draw a Snowman using rhyming words and then the students will create their own Punctuation Snowman and write about it. We will also begin a new pattern book that reflects a see-saw structure.

Please be sure to return your

Library books on or before Friday,

if your child took theirs home:)

January 7th - Newsletter Updates

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wed. January 9th—NWEA Testing—Reading

-Mon. January 14th—DIBELS Testing

-Wed. January 16th—NWEA Testing—Math

-Mon. January 21st—Delayed Start

JANUARY ASSESSMENTS: 

We will be going to the computer lab over the next couple of weeks to complete our NWEA computer-based assessment which monitors student growth in both Reading & Math.  Students will also be screened using DIBELS (letters, sounds, segmenting, & blending) to monitor their progress in Reading.  Please make sure your child is well rested and encourage to always do their best at school. Later this month we will begin assessing many skills in Reading, Writing, & Math for Report Cards, which will come home in February. 

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will continue to study Motion, as we investigate steep and shallow ramps.  We will read several stories related to Winter, snow, and discover the unique features of snowflakes.

MATH: 

This week we will learn about capacity, practice counting by 10’s, and play Top it with numbers 1-20.  We will also explore numbers 1-100 using a Number Grid and the Counting Board App as we look for number patterns.

WRITING: 

This week we will wrap up our pattern book titled I Can which has a twist at the end.  We will also complete a  journal about playing outside in the snow using adjectives in our sentences. We will work together to draw a Snowman using rhyming words and then the students will create their own Punctuation Snowman and write about it.

READING: 

This week our class will be reading about how a community changes their environment—such as by building roads, playgrounds, and community gardens—to improve it. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—community & improve—take a walk or drive around your community. Point out ways that the community is working hard to improve.

· Sightwords—review—We have introduced 15 sightwords so far this year; please practice reading and writing these first 15.

· Category Words—position words—Play Simon Says using position words such as up, down, over, under, front, back, between, etc.

· Phonics—Review Letters Ii, Nn, Cc, Oo, & Dd—give your child some words to sound out and write that have these letters at the beginning, middle, or end of the word—pot, lid, not, dip, etc.

· Comprehension—Key details in sequence—Read a short story to your child. Then ask them to retell the story in order using the words first, then, next, & last.

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will introduce a new comprehension strategy— Digger Dog—who reminds us t o dig for the ’big idea,’ the most important details, and the author’s purpose in the texts that we read.

· Reading Milestones—This week we will begin shopping for ‘good-fit’ books to add to our book boxes and soon the students will be begin bringing Reading Folders home with books to read as well.  It is so exciting to see the students take off in their reading!

Please be sure to return your December Book-it Calendar 

and your child’s blanket for rest time. :)