Story of the week: A Young Hero  by: Chase Turnbridge

Phonics: Xx /ks/,  Zz/z/, Jj /j/

Math: Comparing numbers

Social Studies: Citizens and their actions

HFW: away, do, was, will

Vocabulary: equal, peaceful, integrate, race, racism, judge, harm, refuse, overcome

Reminders:

·         We will have a CAPS (formerly known as Guidance) lesson with Mrs. Nerren on Tuesday.

·         We will have Art with Mrs. Poplin on Thursday.

·         Congratulations to Jacky Espinosa for being chosen as our Student of the month for the character word - perseverance.

Dear Parents,

            This week the children will learn about peaceful ways to solve problems through discussion and literature that introduces pioneers in America’s Civil Rights movement. This week we will:

·         Meet Martin Luther King Jr, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks

·         Learn about X, Z, and J

·         Discover vowels

            We will also write about ways to welcome a new child to class. As I have mentioned before, writing is becoming very important. I urge you to practice at home. Remember that spelling is not always important, but using letters to go with the sounds appropriately is! For example, both C and K make the /k/ sound. When writing at this introductory level, either one is acceptable.  

            Stuart is participating in the Community Food Drive. We are asking families to bring in non-perishable food items to give to families in need and stock local food pantries as the holidays approach. Please be sure to not send any items that are in glass containers. Please be sure to mark the items sent in (maybe on the bag or on a note) to help me remember what it is for.

            Last week our Governor, Bill Haslam, announced that Tennessee is the fastest growing state in the country in terms of student achievement. This statement was based on scores from the NAEP test that 4^th and 8^th grade students from Mayfield and Cleveland Middle last year. The scores from our system and state were compared to other states. Tennessee scores showed the most growth! We jumped from a terrible national ranking of 48^th in the nation to 37^th! This is wonderful news. We have some really wonderful leaders in our school system and our state. We should all be proud of this achievement!

            I also heard an interesting statistic on student achievement. Student achievement is 25% IQ, 25% exposure to real-life experiences, and 50% self esteem! If this doesn’t support the idea of parents and teachers working together as personal “cheerleaders” for our students, I’m not sure what else does! Continue to encourage your child and empower them with your words of support. Tell them that “they can do it” even when you might have a hard time believing that they can. They need us to pump them full of some self-esteem to help them have high academic achievement. 

Our Environment

Story of the week: Miss Rumphius  by: Barbara Cooney

Phonics: Ee /e/ Vv /v/

Math: Comparing numbers

Social Studies: Our Environment

HFW: had, have, here, help, helps

Vocabulary: conservatory, sowing, desert, satisfaction, moist, integrity, conserve, reduce, reuse, recycle

Reminders:

·         T-shirt Tuesday is tomorrow. We will wear our shirts at school and then I will wash them at home.

·         Wednesday, we will be having Stevie B’s pizza in the cafeteria. Plan accordingly. J

·         Please send in names, photos, and addresses of any veterans in your family.

·         Practice rainbow words on home. We have started the yellow group together!

·         Send reading group books back to school EVERY DAY.

·         Practice counting to 50!

Dear Parents,

            This week the children will learn about caring for the environment through conservation. They will discover the three Rs of conservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. They will also meet environmentalists both real and fictional, who did their part to make the world a better place. This week we will:

·        Discuss landforms and our environment

·        Learn about E and V

·        Write about conservation

             Writing has begun to play a much bigger role in class. As you practice rainbow words at home, I encourage you to have your child write them. You may also have them write a sentence to describe a picture they may draw for you. Encourage them to segment, or break apart, the sounds in each word and use a letter for that sound. They will need to use “kid writing” and use their best guess for a sound. Let them spell the words wrong if they are spelling the words correctly according to the sounds (phonetically). After they are finished writing, go back with “adult writing” to put the appropriate spelling. Be sure to never write over their words. Write above, below, or beside their writing. Writing is so important and your Kindergartener needs lots of extra support from you to master this skill this year.

            We will be celebrating our veterans on Friday. We will draw pictures, write “thank you” notes, and learn about the branches of our military. We will do this on Friday to ensure that mail is delivered to these individuals by Monday or Tuesday next week. If you have a veteran in your family, please send their name and address (or a surviving family member’s address) and possibly a picture of them. I would prefer photos to be emailed if possible. Thank you for your help! I am excited to celebrate the service men and women from your families.

            I am looking for some bubble wrap to do a craft. If you have any of the small bubbled bubble wrap on hand, I would love to have it! 

            Sincerely,       

Story of the week: America the Beautiful by Starfall.com

Phonics: Hh /h/, Ww /w/

Math: numbers and counting

Social Studies: Government and Elections

Science: Precipitation

HFW: as, has, want

Vocabulary: grain, mountain, plain, everglades, beach, sea, evaporation, condensation, precipitation

Reminders:

·         Please be reminded that we will be having our special Halloween Snack on Thursday. Here is a list of who signed up things to bring. We have 18 students in our class

·         Naneka Walker: Halloween napkins

·         Bethany Eledge: Orange plates

·         Tammi Dotson: orange drink boxes

·         Windy Prasinos: apple slices

·         Brandy Watson: Cheetos

·         Mrs. Avirett: Caramel dip

·         Remember, Halloween IS a school night. Try to get to bed at a decent hour.

Dear Parents,

            This week the children will learn about some of our national symbols through story and song. They will also discover some of our country’s landforms and view them through the eyes of water droplets, in a fictional class story which they will help write. This week we will:

·        Introduce the water cycle and conduct several experiments

·        Learn about Hh /h/ and Ww /w/

·        Discover the environment.

We will also be reading a “prebus” book about the library. I encourage you to start conversations about the library at home or even take a visit to our own public library!

            Please start working on shoe tying at home. We have one child in our class who already knows how to tie shoes! They have earned the right to have their name on a shoe on my wall to let everyone know their abilities. Work on this skill at home as I “forget” how to tie after Christmas and will not tie shoes! Also, please send a jacket to school with your child as it is getting colder. My winter recess policy is that we will go outside unless it is colder than 45 degrees. Please be sure that your child can zip or button their own jacket as well! These are important life skills and I hate to take 10 minutes of our recess time daily to zip coats.

            Also, cold and flu season is upon us. Many times, a cold, the flu or even allergies can bring distractions to the class. A good rule of thumb is that if you are having to tend to your child regularly, then I would have to do the same if your child was at school. Please be considerate of others in the class by keeping germs at home. Even if your student suffers from allergies, a day of rest can be beneficial. If a cough is a distraction to your student and the class, you will be asked to send in a doctor’s note saying that your child is healthy enough to attend school. The best policy during this season for your child’s first year in school is to be PROACTIVE. Be sure that your student gets plenty of sleep and vitamins! J

Week 8: The Ox-Cart Man

Story of the week: Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall

Phonics: Ii /i/, Gg/g/

Math: numbers and counting

Social Studies: Community

HFW: big, little, it, in, go

Star words: shawl, embroidery, shear

Reminders:

·   Tomorrow is t-shirt Tuesday. Wear a Stuart t-shirt if you have one.

·   Congratulations to our student of the month for the character word, Responsibility: Hayden Sheble. Hayden is very responsible to always finish his work and clean his work area.

·   Chick-Fil-A spirit night on Thursday from 4-8

·   Report cards will go home on Thursday.

·   FIELD TRIP ON THURSDAY to the Apple Valley Farm. Wear a green shirt.

·   We will be collecting box tops for education all year long. Send them in whenever they start piling up to earn points for our class.

·   Its never too late to sign up for Remind101 texts. Sign up by texting “@mrsavi” to (442)222-3801.

Dear Parents,

            I hope everyone had a nice fall break. This week the children continue their study of the community and community helpers as they compare those of long ago with those of today. They discover how inventors like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison helped make community living easier with their numerous inventions. This week we will:

·         Learn about homonyms

·         Practice letters I and G

·         Learn about tall, small, and tail letters

We will also be reading a “prebus” book (books with sight words and illustrations for words that children do not know) about the post office. I encourage you to start conversations about community helpers at home as you visit various places around town.

            Today, we learned about Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the new world. We talked about his journey, his ships, and his discovery.

            In math we are continuing our learning about numbers. Due to the new Common Core State Standards, we will have plenty of time to go to great depths with our understanding. We will be naming, identifying, counting, creating, and manipulating numbers as we build understanding of what they are and what they stand for. Keep counting at home!!! We will also begin an in-depth study of 2-D and 3-D shapes.

            Our class has had a 10 gallon fish tank donated. I would love to have it up and running, but we do not have a few key items to get it started. We will need a filter and hood to put on top of it along with rocks, fake plants, and FISH. If you would like to send in a gift card to PetsMart, it would be greatly appreciated!

            Our field trip is Thursday and we do not have our class shirts in yet. To help us keep an eye on our class, please have your child wear a green shirt to school. Be sure to dress for the weather and wear good walking shoes.

            I have recently learned about an excellent channel on you tube! Its the HaveFunTeaching channel. The videos on this channel are educational and fun. We have been watching the “counting by ones video” A LOT! This will be great practice for our counting to 50 by ones skill to be tested at the end of this nine weeks.

Story of the week: Me On the Map by Joan Sweeney

Phonics: Uu /u/, Nn/n/

Math: numbers  1-10, counting to 20

Social Studies: Our Community

HFW: but, us, up, not, on down

Reminders:

·         Fall Festival is on Friday night! Please plan to be there from 6-8

·         Our first field trip is October 17^th to the Apple Valley Farm.  

·         Scholastic orders are due October 4^th.

Dear Parents,

            This week we will wrap up our study on family and move our focus to our community. We will learn how Cleveland relates to our state and country. We will learn about the mayor, governor, and president. We will also learn about community helpers and we will discuss how they, too, are called to be good citizens. This week we will:

·        Discover how to be good citizens

·        Learn about Uu /u/ and Nn /n/

·        Learn about maps

·        Use the “Author’s Chair” for the first time.

             In Math, we will continue to learn our numbers and begin assessments for our first report card. Practice numbers at home as well at shapes. The new Common Core Standards are much more in-depth than the learning standards in years past. For assessment, students must be able to draw, create, describe, and relate information about shapes. If they can’t tell me what the shapes are, they will have a hard time doing all of the tasks they are to perform. Practice at home!

            Please be diligent to go over your child’s work from school with them. Be sure to point out what they are doing well. Have (pleasant) conversations about how they could do better. If you see that they are using capitol letters in the middle of their name, talk them through it and practice. We do all of these things at school, but they mean so much more from you at home. This will provide a time for you to show them your support and give them a little one-on-one time. It is easier to be pro-active than re-active. Thank you for your help at home.

I have sent home a Scholastic order and our field trip form. Please know that we will not be able to go on the field trip if we do not receive enough donations. Please do your part and scrape together $6 to pay for your child’s admission to the wonderful tour we will have at the Apple Valley Farm. 

Week 6: Our Families

Story of the week: Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber

Phonics: Rr /r/, Ll /l/

Math: numbers  1-5

Social Studies: Our Families

HFW: and, are, like, likes

Reminders:

·         Open house is tomorrow night from 6-7.

·         Wednesday is picture day!

·         Progress reports will go home on Thursday.

·         Chick-Fil-A spirit night is Thursday from 4-8

·         Monday is Stuffed Animal day. Bring a stuffed animal to school.

·         Save the Date! Our first field trip is October 17^th to the Apple Valley Farm.  More information to come.

Dear Parents,

            This week we will wrap up our study of colors and start talking about families. We will discuss different types of families, both real and “make believe.” Through a variety of stories, they will discover ways in which family members live together peacefully and show they care for each other. This week we will:

·         Introduce folk tales and story elements

·         Learn about Rr/r/ and Ll/l/

·         Discover we have different voices: conversation voices and presentation voices.

·         Practice counting words in sentences.

             In Math, we will continue to learn our numbers and begin assessments for our first report card. Practice numbers at home as well at shapes. The new Common Core Standards are much more in-depth than the learning standards in years past. For assessment, students must be able count to 20 by ones, write numbers 0-5, count to answer how many, describe measureable attributes, and sort objects into given categories. A full list of all the standards to be tested are on the back of this page.

            Today was cap day and only three of my students wore caps! I failed to send home a reminder note on Friday, but it was in the newsletter last week. I also sent out a text reminder this morning at 6:15 via Remind101. I try not to send home reminder notes often as this wastes paper and copies. It is never too late to sign up for text reminders if your cell phone can text. Please text @mrsavi to (442) 222-3801. You will receive text reminders from me as needed. I promise not to send you any unnecessary information. We do not have much homework in Kindergarten for the kids, but consider keeping up with the newsletter part of your homework.

Monday is Stuffed animal day! We will be using the stuffed animals to talk about presentation voices, writing about the animals and learning about animals. If you forget, do not worry, I have a few stuffed animals on hand.

             Please stay on top of rainbow words, some kiddos are starting to fall behind! I hope to see you at school tomorrow night for open house!

Story of the week: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Phonics: Ss /s/, Mm /m/

Math: Measurement

Science: Weather and Seasons

Social Studies: Benjamin Franklin

Reminders:

·         Health screenings will be on Thursday morning. Please be sure your child arrives to school on time.

·         Send in your snack contributions

·         Happy Birthday to Hayden on Friday!

Dear Parents,

            We are moving right along as we enter September. This week our focus is on the Weather and Seasons. Students will become familiar with different types of weather and seasonal changers through books, poems, songs and American Sign Language. Backpack Bear shares his favorite books about rainbows. This week we will:

·         Learn and practice Mm /m/ and Ss /s/

·         Discuss cause and effect

·         Learn about inventive spelling (kidwriting)

·         Get to know Benjamin Franklin

             In Math, we will continue our study of measurement. We will begin learning numbers and shapes next week. Kindergarten has changed A LOT since you may have attended. Kindergarten students are now responsible to know the following shapes, the number of sides they have, and be able to describe their special attributes: Circle, triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon, and trapezoid. PLEASE be sure that if you are talking about HEXAGONS at home that you are showing them hexagons and not octagons! We don’t learn about octagons this year. J After we master 2-D shapes we will move on to 3-D shapes (sphere, cone, cube, cylinder).

            We have finished learning our purple words as a group. I will be giving assessments this week. If your child can quickly identify our words, they will receive a purple rain drop under their cloud on our bulletin board and a certificate sent home.  Please practice with the cards that I sent home at the beginning of the year. If your student does not show mastery of these words, a progress report will be sent home identifying the words that they struggled with. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

            Today we practiced our lock down drill. We talked about what it would be like if a dangerous person was in our school. We went through our school procedures we have in place in case of this type of emergency. It might be good to have a conversation with your little one about dangerous individuals and how to avoid them. We will cover this topic again in a future guidance lesson.