Please Excuse Us!

Please pardon my lack of communication so far this week. The printer at school has been "down" and I haven not been able to print a thing! Mrs. Howard has also been out of the classroom so it has been a one-woman show around here. When I pack up bags and write behavior in folders, it takes so much time. I also do not have someone to watch my class while I make copies. Keep checking in!

Week 2

Story of the week: I Am Your Flag

Phonics: Aa /a/

Math: Shapes and Geometry

High-Frequency words: is, for

Reminders:

·         Please turn in any missing paperwork

·         I am in need of some headphone splitters so that more than one student can use our computers at a time. I will need 3 of them.

·         Thank you for the wonderful snacks! Keep them coming!

·         Let your student enter and leave school INDEPENDENTLY!

Dear Parents,

            We have our fourth Kindergarten teacher! Students met her today and will be in her class full time tomorrow. Mrs. Natalie Killian is a Cleveland native. She is very excited about working with us in Kindergarten and we are so happy that she is finally here!

            This week in reading we will be covering a few topics. At this point in the school year we are still setting up routines and understanding how and why we do certain things at school. We will be matching the letter A with its sound. We will further discuss the rules and how they keep us safe through a book that we access online through Starfall.com. This story is called, Backpack Bear Learns the Rules. We will also learn about dictionaries. Each child will have and keep a dictionary to maintain as we learn our high-frequency words. Students can use these to help them with their writing. We have started learning about the parts of a computer. Each child will receive a small paper book to read and will get to keep it when we are finished with the story. In addition to all of these things, we will learn more about our American flag and what it stands for. Alphabet books are not ready and will go home whenever they are! Sorry for the delay!

            In math, we have moved on to the next topic, Shapes! Please review the paper introducing our new topic and consider completing some of the activities at home. Any time you have a chance to extend your child’s learning at home, take advantage of it!

            On a different note, it has been brought to my attention that some of our students are taking part in the Free/Reduced Lunch program. Please understand that this program is highly confidential. I do not know who is part of this program and who is not. If I send home notes requesting money and you are a part of this program, please do not be offended. I must ask EVERYONE for money. If I only asked those who did not qualify for the program, it would be reverse discrimination. To avoid this, I treat everyone equally. If you are unable to pay for something, please send me a note or email letting me know. My intention is never to “hound” you for money. On the same note, our snack system is NOT a part of the Nutrition Program. If you want your child to participate in snack, you must send in a snack for the class and do your part.

Story of the week: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr.

Phonics: Bb /b/

Math: Position words

High-Frequency words: see, me

Reminders:

·         Please turn in any missing paperwork

·         I am in need of some headphone splitters so that more than one student can use our computers at a time. I will need 3 of them.

·         Alphabet books will start next week, so keep an eye out for those.

·         Thank you for the wonderful snacks! Keep them coming!

Dear Parents,

            We have been off to a full start this year. These newsletters usually go home on MONDAYS! Let’s just say, I have had my hands full! We will be hiring our 4^th teacher on Monday if all goes as planned. Mr. Stephens will be conducting interviews tomorrow! We will do our best to be sure that it is a smooth transition when it does happen. As I have said before, we work as a team in Kindergarten so our new teacher will not be left in the dark to fend for herself!

            In the mean time, we have started learning how to read! We have read the Kissing Hand and  Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? many times since we have started school. We have also started discussing the alphabet, Bb, and high-frequency words. HFW are words that students should be able to “read” as soon as they see them, or sight words.

            In math, we have been talking about our position words. We are learning to use words to describe where an object is. So far, we have learned: inside, outside, under, over, on, top, middle, and bottom. Try to use these words at home to help them continue learning at home in a real-life context.

            There are a few housekeeping items I would like to address. Please avoid interrupting our class time by coming into the classroom during the last few minutes of school. It is quite a challenge to juggle all of the students and sending them to the correct places. On that note, please talk about your child’s dismissal procedures at home. We have had many car riders attempt to try out the busses. I have explained this many times to the class, but they may need some outside encouragement on this.

            I know that Kindergarten is a huge milestone both for you and your student. Please let your student walk into class alone. They know where the classroom is and it is important for them to walk in by themselves. Please encourage older siblings to meet Kindergarten students at their appropriate places for dismissal as well.

            Please note the schedule change on the back of this letter. We are still trying to figure out what will make our day move smoothly and still participate in everything Mr. Stephens has scheduled us for.

Have a great rest of the week!

Need Reminders?

There is an incredible program that we can use to communicate without trading cell phone numbers. While I love my students dearly, its not my first preference to receive calls on my personal cell phone. I have an email address (gavirett@clevelandschools.org) and a phone number at school (423-479-8063) where I am happy to be available to communicate. You can receive reminders from me on your cell phone!!!! This is so exciting. All you have to do is follow the steps below:

Text @mrsavi to 422-222-3801

You will then be prompted to provide your full name so I can approve you.

I have already tried it and it works! I will remind you about field trips, assignments, assessments, and more. I promise not to bombard you, but if you are at all like me, you need reminders sometimes to keep everything together. Standard message rates apply.

Thanks for your cooperation!