Week 6: Max Takes the Train

Story of the week: Max Takes the Train by Rosemary Wells

Poem: Walk with Grandpa

Phonics: A a

Math: Numbers 1-5

Science: Animals

Reminders:

·         Tuesday is Open House from 7-8 PM

·         Practice poems at home.

·         Do “A” ONLY in the alphabet book.

·         Practice counting at home. Numbers 1-25

·         Start saving $5 for the Apple Valley! Our Field Trip will be Friday, October 21^st.

·         Welcome to our new student, Rayven! We are excited to learn with you.

Dear Parents,

            We have open house this week at Stuart. This is a great opportunity for your child to show you everything about their school day. They will show you their desk, their spot on the carpet, their cubby, their hook; they want to show it ALL to you. We will have all sorts of student work hanging throughout the classroom. I know that your Kindergartener is excited to show you everything they have done so far this year.         

            Parent Conferences will be coming up in October. If you requested a conference on the progress report, we can meet one of two ways. I will send home a note about your conference time on the designated evening and you can respond to come on that night.OR If you feel that a conference is more pertinent, please send in a note with times that work for you before our Parent/Teacher Conference night. My planning time is 9:20-10:20. I am available for conferences Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I am also available most days from 3:15-3:30. Conferences last about 15 minutes and will be planned in such a way that we discuss specific items.  I am happy to discuss any concerns you may have about your student.

            We will be learning all about the letter A this week in phonics. We will be making apples, alligators and drawing pictures that start with the letter A. We will listen for the /a/ sound as we listen to songs with lots of As in them. Please practice with your child at home. Anything that they are able to learn at home with someone they love will make their learning more meaningful.

            This week will be the letter A for Alphabet books. Let me remind you that it is important to only do the letter of the week.If students start writing letters and looking for pictures with the sounds in them that we have NOT learned, it will be very confusing and frustrating. I would NEVER ask that the entire book be finished in one week!

            In math, we will be finishing numbers 1-5. We have learned to read both number words and numerals, count with strategy, and we have also practiced writing the numbers. We will begin report card testing after we finish Topic 4. This is a transition year for our curriculum. We will test skills that have not been explicitly taught in the classroom. Practice counting objects at home. Kindergarteners are asked to count from 1-25, create and name patterns, count backwards from ten, and know their shapes.

            In Science, we will be continuing our investigation of animals. We will talk about how all animals grow and change. We will be learning about the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. We will start talking about classifying animals as well. We will begin with mammals and fish.

Week 5: Dig, Dig, Digging

Story of the week: Dig, Dig, Digging by Margaret Mayo

Poem: Bats

Phonics: T

Math: Patterns, Numbers 1-5

Science: Animals

Reminders:

·         Practice poems at home.

·         Do M and T in the alphabet book.

·         Practice naming and making patterns with colors, sounds, and shapes.

·         Incorporate counting in activities at home.

·         Congratulations to Jackson Knoll, our student of the month for Respect.

·         Start saving for the Apple Valley!

Dear Parents,

            Each month, our Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Nerren teaches a lesson about character. This month the students learned about Respect. Each teacher is asked to recognize a student in their class who embodies the trait. Students who are chosen will go to a breakfast to honor them and their picture will hang in the hallway. I have chosen Jackson Knoll as our student of the month! Jackson is extremely polite and respectful each and every day. He is kind to both children and adults. He is such a joy to have in our classroom.

            This week we are talking about things that go. Our story is about all types of transportation and machines that help us get our jobs done. Start a conversation in your home about machines that you use on a daily basis that help around the home.

            We will be learning all about the letter T this week in phonics. We will be making turtles, making tigers out of Ts, and drawing pictures of things that start with T. We will learn how to listen for the /t/ sound as we listen to songs with lots of Ts in them.

            This week will be the first week for Alphabet books to go home. Let me remind you that I have changed my mind on the directions since the front page was printed. To save on paper, you may simply draw pictures and practice writing the letter on the same page. Your students will need to do two letters this week, M & T so be sure to pace yourselves.  

            We will be taking our patterns assessment on Tuesday and beginning numbers 1-5. Patterns proved to be quite a tricky topic in our new Math curriculum, so I think counting, writing, and recognizing numbers will come as a relief. Incorporate counting at home by using objects to count. You can even compare sets of objects to see if they are alike and different. You can even incorporate position words like left and right as you talk about numbers at home. (Which group has three in it? The one on the left or the right? Etc.)

            In Science, we will be continuing our investigation of animals. We will talk about how all animals grow and change. We will be learning about the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. We will start talking about classifying animals as well. We will begin with mammals and fish.

            Our first field trip has been scheduled! We will be going to Apple Valley Farms on Friday, October 21^st. We will take a tour of the orchard, learn about apples, listen to story time, see how apples are sorted, and view the machine that makes the cider. It will cost us around $5 for each child to go. Payment is not required but a donation is strongly suggested. If we do not receive enough donations, the trip will be cancelled. So, go ahead and start saving some spare change so that we can afford to take this fun trip.

Week 4, Julius

Story of the week: Julius by Angela Johnson

Poem: No Poem

Phonics: M

Math: Patterns

Science: Animals

Reminders:

·         Happy Birthday to Natalie!

·         Picture day is tomorrow! Remember, don’t wear any green!

·         No Poems or Alphabet Books due to short week.

·         Practice writing and identifying the letter M at home

·         Practice naming and making patterns with colors, sounds, and shapes.

Dear Parents,

            What a blessing the rain has been! The rain was very needed and so was the extra day off. Our building did have some water damage. The auditorium, gym, and the music room had some flooding. A few hallways were also flooded.  Apart from a foul smell, the problems have been taken care of.

            I am excited to say that we will no longer have to call the playground “the dustbowl.” The playground is no longer dusty, its full of mud! If your child says they got to watch a movie at school, we did that for our recess time. I have tried muddy recess and Kindergarteners have trouble staying out of the mud. Any videos that we watch have a link to our learning in some way. One of my favorites is “Super Why” on PBSkids. It helps with letter identification, reading, problem solving, and critical thinking. So the students might think they are getting to watch a video, but they are actually learning at the same time!

            Due to the inclement weather, we will not be sending home any poetry folders. Each month during our calendar time we practice our poems. Because we have had so little time to practice poems in September thus far, your student will not have to memorize a poem this week. On a similar note, the Alphabet folders will not be sent home either. We will have to make up the M exercise next week so you will have to help out with two letters next week. Think about those pictures ahead of time for the letters M and T for next week.

            Patterns are a fun skill to incorporate at home. Patterns can be made with sounds, colors, and shapes. You can even point out patterns on furniture and bedding! Make patterns fun for your student by playing “I Spy” with them using patterns. Reinforcement at home with loved ones will only make learning more meaningful and easily accessed!

            This week in Reading, we will be reading a story called Julius. Julius is about a girl who receives a pet pig from an Uncle in Alaska. This week might be a good time to research pigs or Alaska with your little one at home. Experience creates meaning and background knowledge to help foster learning and making connections for your child.

            Don’t forget picture day!

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Ice Cream day for Kindergarten has changed! We will be having Ice Cream at lunch on Tuesdays. To help with nutrition, teacher sanity, and cost, ice cream intake has been limited to one day per week. Ice Cream is $0.50. That price is not included in our lunch prices or in the Free/Reduced Lunch Program. Send in any money for ice cream in it's own envelope with the appropriate label.

Week 3, Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten

Story of the week: Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

Poem: Manners

Phonics: Identifying T-Z

Math: Position words and Patterns

Social Studies: Friends, Families, Communities

Reminders:

·         We will have Art on Friday.

·         Practice poems at home

·         Look at the “Home Connection” section on daily Math exercise

·         Practice writing names at home

·         Be sure to check out our class website: www.avirettkindergarten.blogspot.com

Dear Parents,

            Thank you for being diligent about sending in snack items. Many of you have sent in nutritious items like fruit and vegetables. I want it to be known that if and when we have such great snacks available, I will waive the “no snack on red” policy. Discipline is important to me, but great nutrition is even more important.

            Our name writing has continued to improve with practice both at school and home. Now that you child can write their name, start asking them how to spell their name without writing it. That is a skill that is tested on the report card that we do not always have time to practice during our school day on an individual basis. I have sent home name puzzles to help with practice at home.

            In Math we will finish position words this week and begin learning about patterns. Please keep practicing your position words (aka prepositions) at home. Left and right is one of those skills that comes with practice and reinforcement. Keep practicing at home! In topic 3, your student will be able to identify and name patterns using letters ABC etc.

            On Friday, I will be out of the classroom on a personal day. Your child will experience their first substitute teacher. I assure you that the students have already been made aware of it. They should know what to expect. I plan on having my favorite substitute, Mrs. Jane Dansen, who has years of experience as a substitute teacher and has a special niche in Kindergarten.

            Another thing that is happening on Friday is the start of reading groups. Your child will meet in a small reading group of 3-5 students with one teacher. The teachers for my class are myself, Mrs. Pat, Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Webb, and Mrs.  Creagan. Kindergarten groups begin working on the alphabet and phonemic awareness. Reading groups are generally a lot of fun. We play all sorts of matching and sorting games to make reading more fun and accessible to our young learners. We also start concentrating on the Rainbow Words. I have sent home a list of the purple words for you to cut up and practice at home.

Music Class with Mrs. James

Mrs. James wrote the following note for me to share with you:

This year, your child wil be participating in a music class designed to foster a lifelong apprecaition of music through active music making. The sequenced music instruction will help your child develop musical skills and understanding, using music of various styles from the United Stated and around the world. In addition to developing specific musical skills, you child's studies in other areas will be enhanced by instruction that links concepts across the curriculum.

You can reinforce your child's music learning at home. Consider listening to music together and talking aobut it. Ask your child to share songs learned in music class. Attend local concerts to help foster appropriate audience behavior. These experiences will help make music meaningful at school, at home, and in the community.

Musically,

Ruth James

Physical Education with Coach Yost

Coach Jacob Yost is our full-time gym teacher who we share part-time with another school in the system. He teaches Physical Education in elementary schools by day, while he coaches the High School wrestling team in the evenings. P.E. classes will be held with Ms. Link's. In addition, Mrs. McClintock's special education students will be joining in on the fun. Mrs. Cindy Newman will be in the gym with Coach Yost as they teach the classes together. In gym class, your student spends time:

- learning to follow procedures used to start and end class daily
- participating in fun and engaging games that keep them active
- practicing important social skills such as taking turns, good sportsmanship, and following directions

Remember to ask your Kindergartener how their day was. I am sure if you ask specific questions like "What did you do in P.E. today with Coach Yost?" they might be more inclined to say more than "nothing."

Library Class with Mrs. May

The students go to library every other day. In this class they will learn about and do:

-research skills

-oral reports

-computer skills

-letter recognition and sound (initially)

-parts of a book

-fiction/nonfiction

-author/illustrator

-use Starfall and Reading Eggs to practice letter recognition and sound

-use PBS kids to learn the research process and find facts that are then used in oral reports

-how to check out books
Mrs. Edie May is excited to integrate the library with new technologies to make reading and books relevant to our young students.

Corretion!

Our Art teacher has changed. We now have Art on Fridays with Mrs. Susan Parks. This is my first year working with her and I am so excited! Mrs. Parks does a great job of tying our curriculum into her class. On Friday, she worked with the class on patterns and sorting with animal-shaped paper clips. I am so excited to see what else Mrs. Parks has in store for our students.

School and Money

Picture this: A Kindergartner comes into the classroom, ands you a wad of change, says, "Here," and sits down at their desk as if nothing happened.

Can you imagine the headache this might cause? When this happens, we are unsure of the purpose of the money. To avoid this misunderstanding or a call to your work or home, ALWAYS send money in a labeled envelope. It doesn't even have to be a "real" envelope! Fold a paper and staple it into a pouch. I also accept sandwich baggies with a note. No matter how money gets to the classroom please be sure to include the following:

Your Child's name
Teacher's name
Amount
Purpose of money

This will save lots of time and confusion. Any time that is saved with these housekeeping items will be well spent and invested into your child!

If you are sending money for your child's lunch account, you can also do this online. Visit MealpayPlus to deposit money and monitor the balance! So easy!

Week 2, Plaidypus Lost

Story of the week: Plaidypus Lost by Janet Stevens

Poem: One Little Fish

Phonics: Identifying O-S

Math: Position words

Science: Animals

Reminders:

·         Please turn in any missing paperwork

·         Practice poems at home

·         Look at the “Home Connection” section on daily Math exercise

·         Practice writing names at home

·         Fend off lice at home by following the tips I gave last week.

Dear Parents,

            Thank you for all of your hard work at home! I can absolutely tell you are working at home! Last week, we had everyone say their poem here at school. Thank you for practicing those at home. Your diligence is sure to pay off!

            We are continuing to practice writing names. Give your child a piece of paper and have them write their name. Watch them as they form the letters. Give them any pointers that you can to help them with their neatness. Watch out for capital letters in the middle of a name. It is also important to help them understand that some letters go below the line they are writing on (like j,p,g etc.).I re-write names on papers as I check over them to help your student see the proper way to write their name. We talk about these things all day long at school. Any reinforcement at home is always beneficial.

            In Math we have started our second topic. We are learning to describe objects (and we are learning what an object is too J ) and their position in relation to other things. This is the meaty, academic part of Kindergarten that I have warned you about. Your student will need extra help with “left” and “right.”  I believe that the rest of the words (over, under, on, above, below, inside, outside, etc) will come naturally with practice. It should be very easy to incorporate our new Math words at home. Math is proving to be a very challenging part of the day given our schedule. In math especially, we have to work very hard to help the students grasp everything that is talked about in class.

            On Friday, I sent home a notice that there had been a case of lice in our classroom. Luckily, the lice have not spread to any other students. We can keep the pests contained and managed by following those tried and true tips.

·         Use a hot hair dryer on hair at least once a week

·         Maybe wash hair every other day since they like CLEAN hair

·         Wear hair up and away from the face and shoulders

·         Spray any “fly-aways” with hairspray

·         Put essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus on nape of neck and behind ears.

Thank you again for all of the snacks and wish list items that you have sent in! You have been such a great help so far. I am so lucky to have a group of parents who are so willing to help. Have a great week!

Art with Mrs. Buffington

Every other Monday, Mrs. Buffington will visit our classroom to have art class. This year the students will learn basic principles of :

• line
• shape
• texture
• color

They will also see images of work by important artists, and talk about their work.
They will learn how to use crayons to make different effects, and textures. They will also do some cutting and gluing. This year, a focus will be placed on the art of Peru as it is our country of study for the system. Look for wonderful art work to come home every other Monday!

School and Medication

Did you know that it is unlawful for students of ANY age to bring drugs of ANY kind to school? We have a ZERO tolerance policy, meaning ANY drugs are illegal drugs. Medication may only go from one adult's hands to another adult's hands.

At the Kindergarten age, we don't usually have problems with this. However, it is important that if your child takes medication, you bring the medication to school with a permission note. It might be a good idea to have some pain reliever or allergy medication handy at school if you know that your student gets the occasional headache or allergy flare up. I would love to be able to care for your little one if the need arises.

Just so we are clear: All medications are kept out of the reach of children and are confidential. Any time that medication is administered it is documented and a note will be sent home if the medications are not taken regularly. If you have any questions or need the permission form, please let me know via email or by calling the school. You can also access them by clicking the links below:

Prescription medication form
Non-prescription medication form

Being okay with "Okay Orange"

The first few weeks in Kindergarten might go one of two ways.

1. Smooth Sailing: not having to move a card (or even getting close) and your little one LOVES school.

2. Tough Transistion: a few mistakes as your little one learns the rules and how to behave in Kindergarten. It might even consist of a few tears.

Regardless, of their response, everyone must follow the rules. Why have rules? Rules provide boundaries. Kids crave boundaries! Boundaries make the classroom a safe place that nurtures a luscious learning environment.

Raise your hand to speak or stand.

Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

Follow directions the FIRST time given.

Walk.

Be kind and considerate.

Some children have never been told "No" or disciplined by an adult they have just met. That extra part of transitioning into school can be difficult. I hold no reservations of helping kindergarteners to be responsible for their actions. When/If your child moves a card I will be sure to remind them of the class rules and ask them if they think they were doing the right thing. I will then ask them what happens if a rule is broken, and they will be able to answer me and understand why they had to move a card. If your child has to move a card they might tell you why they had to move a card; they might not. Either way, an orange card IS afterall, okay. Usually, there is nothing to be concerned about unless I send a note home which means their behavior was "yucky" or "rowdy". If you are concerned, email, call or write a short note and send it to school in your child's folder.

What's that? Lice, you say?!

Take a deep breath. This might gross you out, but the more you know, the less likely you are to become victim to this ancient plague. I know, it sounds super scary, but lice can actually be managed with the right precautions. Last year, I had only one case of head lice in the first week of school. I gave some suggestions to the parents of my class and we never had lice again. How do I know? We checked!!!

You might be wondering how I know so much about lice. Well, as I child I fell victim to lice...NINE TIMES! Yes, my mother had a routine down pat to treat me, my room, the house, and the car. My nice little private school had to be bug-bombed and we weren't aloud to return to school for three days. My mother was determined not to battle it for the tenth time so she did her research. This is what she found:

• Essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus keep the little devils away. The ancient Egyptians used this and it worked!
• Lice actually love CLEAN hair. Dirty, oily hair is too hard for them to walk on and it isn't ideal for them to lay their sticky eggs on (called nits). I'm not saying that your child shouldn't bathe (ewww!), but maybe alternate days that you wash hair. It's actually better for your hair NOT to wash it every day.
• It takes two weeks for eggs to hatch after they have been laid. IF your child does have lice, they will get checked two weeks later in my class to catch the buggers before they infest your child.
• If you use a hot hair dryer to blow the hair dry, neither eggs nor bugs can survive the heat and will die. You don't have to do this every day either, once a week will suffice.
• A layer of hairspray to keep hair tucked in and close to the head will also help keep them away. The hairspray is another thing besides natural oils of the scalp that creates a hostile environment for lice. 
• Hair should be worn up and away from the face and shoulders to keep hair out of reach of the unwanted visitors.
• Simply not sharing hairbrushes or hair accessories can also do the trick. 

I hope that this left you more educated than grossed out. Just be vigilant and check your child if there has been a case in the classroom. If (and hopefully never) there is a case of head lice in the class, every child will be checked and you will be informed. If you should ever have any questions about how to treat lice effectively, please feel free to ask! If anyone can relate, its me! If you are curious about what lice and their nits look like, there's always google!

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Kindergarten isn't the same Kindergarten you might remember. Since 2001, the government has made many changes to education and as a result, Kindergarten has changed as well. Today, Kindergarten is academically focused where naps are a thing of the past. Some might think that the new Kindergarten skills are too rigorous for this age group. Remember, five and six-year-olds are resilient and their ability to learn is shocking as they soak up as much information available.

It is best that your child is familiar with letters, numbers, colors, and shapes before they even walk in the door! Preschools know that Kindergarten has changed and they have altered their strategies to help children make a smooth shift into elementary school. Having a firm foundation before school starts helps your little one stay on track with the class.

Kindergarten may be "strictly business" but learning is still experiential and engaging. Your Kindergartener will have access to technologies that were unheard of during your school experience. We still have crafts, blocks, and a home living area, but we have added computers and mulitimedia materials.

Its going to be an exciting year as you see just how much your little one can learn in a mere nine months!