Reminder

Just a reminder that lunch will NOT be served on Thursday or Friday.  We will have a snack later in the morning, but they will probably be hungry when they arrive home, as they are used to eating lunch around 11:45.  If they have a long bus ride, you might consider packing them something for the bus ride home:)

Dismissal is at 11:55 on Thursday and Friday.

We are still planning to go sledding on Friday from 10:50-11:20, so please be sure to dress your child appropriately.  Looking forward to a fun time outdoors:)

Newsletter Updates for the Week of January 12th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Thursday, January 15th—Early Dismissal (11:55)

-Friday, January 16th—Early Dismissal (11:55)

-Monday, January 19th—Delayed Start

-Friday, January 23rd—Report Cards Home

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Jack Gilde. Jack enjoys riding his bike, jumping on the trampoline, & hugging his blanket.  His favorite colors are black & blue and his favorite place to go is to Grandma’s House—of course!  When he grows up, Jack would like to be an EMT and drive an ambulance. Congratulations to Jack on being Student of the Week!

SLEDDING PARTY: 

We are planning a sledding party for this Friday, January 16th, BUT I am not telling the students until the day before in case the weather doesn’t cooperate:)  We will go outside around 10:50, sled for a half hour with the other Kindergarten classes, and then come back inside for hot chocolate before going home @ 11:55.  I am looking for a couple of parents, or grandparents, who would be willing to come in around 10:30 and help.  I could use a couple of 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: 

We will wrap up the letter O on Monday & Tuesday, then begin the letter D on Wednesday:)

This week, our class will be reading about different cultures that make up the communities around the world. Your child is learning how 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 Visit a library and read stories about children from different cultures. Initiate a discussion about how your culture is similar to other cultures.

High-Frequency Word: do & up. Have your child practice writing the word do. Think of things your child likes and doesn’t like, and ask simple questions. Encourage your child to respond with the words I do or I do not.

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: d 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 letter d.

Beanie Babies—This week we will introduce 2 new Beanie Babies for Accuracy—Flippy the Dolphin & Peekin’ Poodle.  Flippy reminds us that vowels have both a long and a short sound and if we come to a tricky word, while we are reading, we can ‘flip’ the vowel sound and try both the long and short sounds to see which one makes sense.  Peekin’ Poodle combines several of the 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:  

We will continue to work on writing our I Can Pattern Books.  We will work on following directions as we ‘Draw a Rhyme Snowman’ together and discuss the importance of details.  We will also complete a journal about snowmen.

  

MATH:  

We will complete some lessons we didn’t get to last week THEN we will work on comparing numbers as we play a new game called Top-it (a.k.a War).  We will also continue to work on patterning, as we create ABC patterns using patterning blocks and stencils.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:

We have some lessons on Winter & Winter Dress to complete from last week, THEN we will begin reading some narrative stories about snowmen.  We will also read several informational texts related to freedom & equality in anticipation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day next week.

Lunch Change - Wednesday

WEDNESDAY’S LUNCH WILL NOW BE HAMBURGER/CHICKEN BURGER WITH APPLE SLICES, BAKED BEANS AND PUDDING INSTEAD OF SPAGHETTI.

PTO Gift Basket Fundraiser

In January all classes will begin collecting items to fill themed gift baskets. These baskets will be raffled off at the Homecoming game on February 13th.  So please consider items that you could purchase & donate.  Please bring unwrapped items to your child's teacher!

Kindergarten - Kid crafts
First Grade - Snacks
Second Grade - Movie Night
Third Grade - Cold Weather
Fourth Grade - Vehicle Care
Title/Special Ed - Spa/Pamper
Middle School - U of M vs. Michigan State

Tickets for baskets will be available at home high school basketball games and Co-Ed Basketball Games. Tickets will also be available for purchase in the Middle School and Elementary offices. Thank you for supporting the McBain PTO!

Newsletter Updates for the Week of January 5th

Welcome Back!

I hope you had a restful break and Happy Holidays with friends and family!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wednesday, January 7th—Library

-Thursday, January 15th—Early Dismissal (11:55)

-Friday, January 16th—Early Dismissal (11:55)

-Monday, January 19th—Delayed Start

-Friday, January 23rd—Report Cards Home

ASSESSMENTS:

The end of the marking period is fast approaching; we will be assessing many skills and concepts during the next 2 weeks. Students will also be reassessed on DIBELS (letters, sounds, segmenting, & blending) and AIMSWEB (math concepts) to monitor their progress. Please be sure that your child is well-rested and remind them to ‘always’ do their best at school.  Also, attendance is so important; in Kindergarten so much of what we do is hands-on and oral instruction, and they miss out on so much when they are not here!  Report cards will be sent home Friday, January 23rd.

BOOK-IT/HOLIDAY HOMEWORK: 

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

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.

Word Workout

· 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.

· My Words to Know

High-Frequency Words: you & on. With your finger, spell out the sightwords on your child’s arm. Next, encourage your child to think of a sentence that includes these words.

Category Words: jobs Play a game called “Guess the Worker.” Give your child clues about what a worker does and act it out. Encourage your child to guess the job.

Phonics: o Help your child think of words that begin with or include the letter o. Then ask your child to underline the letter o in each word.

Comprehension: key details

Have your child look closely at the picture of different kinds of workers. Ask your child to describe details that tell about the uniforms or clothing these workers wear and the tools or equipment they use.

Beanie Babies—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 us with our Fluency & Voice as we read by looking at the punctuation clues.

WRITING: 

We will continue to work on writing Pattern Books throughout this month, beginning with I Can . . . books this week. We will also complete a journal  - “This year I will . . .

MATH: 

This week work on skip counting by 10’s using our fingers, base 10 blocks, & dimes.  We will also practice adding and subtracting using a number line & continue to work on writing, building, and identifying teen numbers.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will read several books related to Winter and snow.  We will also be discussing appropriate winter clothing for staying warm while having fun in the snow.

*I will be out of the classroom this Tuesday to attend a training; Mrs. Engels-Welsh will be filling in for me.

Holiday Homework

I hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and healthy break!

Just a reminder, I sent home a sheet of 'Holiday Homework' in the big Manila Envelope with some fun ideas to keep your child connected to what we've been working on at school over break.  This is optional, but I thought I'd send out a reminder now that the busy Christmas week is behind us and you might be looking for a few things to keep your child busy this week:)

I've updated the video links on my blog.  The Have Fun Teaching Video Link has several great phonics videos.  You will also find a link to Starfall.com & abcya.com - two great sites that the students are very familiar with.

Students who complete and return their Holiday Homework sheet will receive a trip to the 'Prize Box.'

Enjoy your break!

Mrs. Brinks

Newsletter Updates for the Week of December 15th

*The elementary Christmas Program does NOT include Kindergartners, but we typically have a Kindergarten Program in the Spring!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Thursday, Dec. 18th—Christmas Party

-Friday, Dec. 19th—Pajama Day for Kindergartners, Sing-a-long @ 9:00, & Movie

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 $3.50-$4.00 and send it to school wrapped and  labeled with who it is FROM.  Our party will be held Thursday, December 18th in the afternoon.

PAJAMA DAY: 

This Friday we will celebrate our last day before break in our pajamas.  Students are welcome to wear their pajamas and slippers in the classroom. We will still be going outside for recess, so please be sure to send along boots and snow pants.

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK: 

On Friday the students will bring home an envelope of ‘goodies.’  In this envelope you will find the January Snack Calendar, January Book-It Calendar, 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 we will continue to work on the Letter Cc and the sightwords go & in.  Many of our literacy stations will focus on Christmas learning activities, as we continue to work on color words, sightwords, rhyming, retelling, and handwriting. 

WRITING: 

This week we will complete several journals  related to Christmas, including drawing a map for Santa to find our houses.  Students will be bringing home their December Journals to share with you on Friday.

MATH: 

This week work on adding and subtracting within 10, using cube trains.  We will also be creating a ‘favorite color graph’ online and practice interpreting the data that we collect.

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will be reading several stories related to Christmas, as we anticipate it’s arrival:)  The students are enjoying baking holiday treats and goodies in our classroom Bakery Shop.

*I will send blankets home on Friday to be washed over break:)

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, love, and laughter!

~Sherry Brinks