Newsletter Updates for January 3rd

Welcome Back! 

I hope you had a restful break with lots of great memories made!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Mon, Jan. 15th—Delayed Start—Theme—Integrity

-Thurs., January 18th—1/2 Day—Dismissal @ 11:35

-Fri., Jan. 19th—1/2 Day—Kindergarten Sledding Party—Dismissal @ 11:35

-Mon., January 22nd—Dibels Testing

-Fri., January 26th—Report Cards Home

BOOK-IT/HOLIDAY HOMEWORK:

Please be sure to return your child’s December Book-it Calendar so that I can award Pizza Hut certificates and their Holiday Homework, if they chose to participate:)

ASSESSMENTS:

The end of the marking period is fast approaching; we will be assessing many skills during the next 3 weeks for report cards. Students will also be reassessed on DIBELS (letters, sounds, segmenting, & blending) to monitor their progress. We will also be taking the NWEA computer-based assessment to monitor student growth in both Math & Reading.

SLEDDING PARTY:

We are tentatively planning our annual sledding party for Friday, January 19th,  but I am NOT telling the students until it gets closer in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.  We will go outside around 10:30, sled for a half hour with the other Kindergarten classes, and then come back inside for hot chocolate before going home at 11:35. I am looking for a couple of parents, or grandparents, who would be willing to come in around 10:15 and help. I could use a couple people willing to go outside and push kids down the hill AND at least 1 person to stay inside and prepare our hot chocolate. Please let me know if you are willing and available to help out!

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, as we will soon be assessing them.

· Category Words—position words—Play Simon Says using position words such as up, down, over, under, front, back, first, next, and last.

· Phonics—Review—Letters Ii, Nn, Cc, Oo, & Dd—Play a guessing game with your child. Ask them to think of things that begin with each letter.

· 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 to dig for the ‘big idea,’ the most important details, and the author’s purpose in the texts that we read.

WRITING: 

We will complete a couple of January Journals—writing about our new year’s resolutions and playing outside in the snow.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will be reading several stories related to Winter and snow. We will also be learning about the unique features of snowflakes and complete a STEM experiment related to snowflakes involving symmetry.

MATH: 

This week we will explore numbers 1-100 using a Number Grid and the Counting Board App. We will also practice finding different combinations for making 10, as well as identifying and writing our numbers 1-20.

Please be sure to return your child’s blanket for rest time.

  

Pajama Day

Hi Everyone,
Now that you we are through the busyness of Christmas, I hope you have a few days to relax with your families and maybe this photo will inspire you to spend at least one day in your pajamas.  Just a quick reminder that I sent some Holiday Homework home in a large white envelope. It is completely optional of course - just some quick and easy things to do together to reinforce skills that we will be assessing as soon as we return from break. Students who complete their Holiday Homework and return it to school will have a prize waiting for them when they return to school:)  Enjoy your break!

A Couple Reminders

Just a couple of reminders for our busy week ahead:

-Wednesday afternoon (December 20th) is our Christmas Party. Please be sure to send in your child's gift for the gift exchange by Tuesday and any food/supplies for our party on or before Wednesday. Students are encouraged to wear Christmas sweaters or festive clothes:)
-Thursday (December 21st) is Pajama Day!  We will have our annual sing-a-long at 9:00 in the auditorium, then return to our classroom for quiet activities and a movie. We will end the day with recess, so please be sure to send clothes for outside, and dismissal is at 11:35.

Last Recess/Garbage Bags

The students are doing an excellent job of getting dressed and undressed for recess and thank you for sending them prepared each day for recess!  After first and middle recess, we have plenty of time for our things to dry and I put their mittens on the heater to ensure that they are dry for the next recess. However, our afternoon recess creates a bit of a dilemma for drying things before going home. The students come in at 2:05 and get undressed and then have to pack and get ready to go home a short time later, which means they either have to wear wet snowpants and mittens home OR put these wet items in their backpacks.  Here's my best solution - I will be giving each student a garbage bag with their name on it to KEEP in their backpacks.  I will have them put wet items in that bag to bring home.  PLEASE CHECK their backpacks when they get home and take these items out to dry AND PLEASE KEEP the garbage bag in the bottom of their backpack during the winter months.  Hopefully, this will keep their papers dry and their mittens and snowpants from getting lost:)  Thanks for your help with this!

Money for Millie

Hi - Just a quick update on our Money for Millie collection:
Our class has brought in over $80 - Way to Go - and school-wide we've collected over $1,800 so far - WOW!  If you'd still like to participate, we will be collecting through next Monday the 18th:)

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 11th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Monday, December18th—Delayed Start

-Wed., Dec. 20th—Christmas Party—afternoon - Wear Your Christmas Sweater

-Thurs., Dec. 21st—Sing-a-long, Pajama Day, & 1/2 Day (Dismissal @ 11:35)

-Dec 22-Jan 2—Christmas Break

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Brian Cundiff. Brian enjoys riding his bike, playing baseball, and catching frogs. His favorite movie is Jurassic Park and his favorite foods include strawberries, blackberries, and ice cream! His goals for this year include learning to play basketball & learning to read—which he is doing a terrific job at! Congratulations to Brian on being our Student of the Week!

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). We will be decorating our class Christmas tree on Tuesday, so you are welcome to send your child’s gift for the gift exchange in at any time. Also, attached you will find sign-up for our Christmas party—thanks in advance for your generosity! :)

PAJAMA DAY: 

Thursday, December 21st, will be our annual Christmas Sing-a-long, as well as Pajama Day. Students are welcome to wear their pajamas and slippers in the classroom, but please still send boots and snowpants for recess. Dismissal will be at 11:35.

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK:

Next week the students will be bringing home an envelope of ‘goodies.’ In this envelope you will find some special booklets that your child has made and can read, as well as a sheet explaining some fun Holiday Homework that they can do over break, if they choose.

READING:

This week our class will be reading about different cultures that make up the communities around the world. Your child is learning to appreciate the different customs that people share. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing.

· Vocabulary—cultures & appreciate

· Sightwords—do & up—Think of things your child likes and doesn’t like and ask simple questions. Encourage your child to respond with “I do like . . . . or I do not like . . . .”

· Category Words—kinds of foods—use sticky notes to make labels for different foods in your kitchen. Help your child sound out each word and write it. Then affix the label on the food.

· Phonics—Letter Dd—Search for objects that begin or end with the letter d. Make a list of the words; encourage your child to read each word and then underline the d.

· Comprehension—character, setting, & events—Read a story together and  then invite your child to draw pictures of the main character, the setting, and an important event that happened in the story.

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will introduce Peekin’ Poodle who combines several of the accuracy strategies that we’ve learned so far. When we come to a word we don’t know we . . . “Check the picture, check the word, does it look right, does it sound right, does it make sense, keep trying!”

WRITING: 

Over the next couple of weeks, we will complete some fun journals related to Christmas, including drawing a map for Santa to find our houses, with the help of Google Earth. We will also write another pattern book, this time with a surprise ending.

MATH:

This week we will explore the concepts of weight and capacity and practice counting by 1’s, 5’s, & 10’s.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will wrap up our Science unit on the 5 senses. We will also be reading several stories related to Christmas, as we anticipate it’s arrival! :)

 Thank you for sharing your children with me each day;

What a true blessing they are!

I wish your family a very Merry Christmas

filled with joy, hope, & laughter!  

~ Sherry Brinks

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 4th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Friday, December 15th—PAC Family Movie Night

-Monday, December18th—Delayed Start

-Wed., Dec. 20th—Christmas Party—afternoon -  Wear Your Christmas Sweater

-Thurs., Dec. 21st—Sing-a-long, Pajama Day, & 1/2 Day (Dismissal @ 11:35)

-Dec 22-Jan 2—Christmas Break

BRRR:

Please be sure your child has everything they need to stay warm and dry at recess—snowpants, boots, mittens/gloves, hat, warm coat, etc. Please be sure to label ALL items and 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).

WELCOME PEPPERMINT::

One of Santa’s elves, Peppermint, has joined our classroom for the month of December to help us count down to Christmas and to also keep an eye on our behavior as Christmas approaches. She adds a little extra excitement and fun, as well as an incentive to make good choices:) Several of the students have mentioned having elves at home, which means double the fun!

READING:

This week our class will be focusing on different jobs that people have in the community. Children will read stories and learn about the tools and equipment that workers use. Here are some activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing.

· Vocabulary—equipment & uniform—Brainstorm some different kinds of workers in your community. Encourage your child to tell about the equipment a worker uses and the uniform a worker wears.

· Sightword—you & on—Take turns spelling out sightwords with your finger on each others arm or back. I have the students do this with a partner while waiting in line and they love it!

· Category Words—jobs—Play a game called “guess the worker.” Give your child clues about what a worker does and act it out and see if they can guess the job.

· Phonics—Letter Oo

· Beanie Baby Strategies—This week we will use Chunky Monkey to help us read and write words with the ot, op, & og chunks. We will also introduce Dot the Giraffe who helps with our Fluency and Voice as we read by looking at the punctuation clues. We will also introduce Flippy the Dolphin who reminds us that when we come to a tricky word we can ‘flip’ the vowel sound (long or short sound) to figure out the word.

WRITING:

This week we will continue to learn about pattern books and practice writing our own pattern books about the things we like. We will complete a class book about things we see using the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? as inspiration. We will continue to work on sounding out our words, writing the sounds we hear, and putting spaces between our words.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will continue our Social Studies unit on Families, as well as our Science unit on the 5 Senses.  Our dramatic play area has been transformed into a Bakery Shop for the month where students can get some hands-on practice with making holiday treats and goodies.

MATH:

This week we will work on the ‘tricky teen’s numbers and experiment with building hexagons using combinations of smaller shapes (introduction to fractions). We will also learn a new game called Treasure Hunt that helps us with ordering numbers and cooperation.

Christmas Party Sign-Up