Friday, December 18, 2015

Building and Growing!

Dear Families: 
This week, Room 6 has been doing a lot of "building and growing!" On Tuesday, the children got to choose to build their very own race cars or monster trucks. The students did a fantastic job at following directions and putting their car or truck together. We may have some future engineers on our hands! 

Please take a look at the pictures below to check out our fun-filled day! 

A HUGE thank you to our volunteers, Mrs. Abdo and Mrs. McSweeney! We couldn't have done Build and Grow without you!!! 

Other news this week: 
- Our theme this week featured the different holidays, traditions and celebrations during the month of December. We read several stories together, and did crafts to learn about these traditions. We even learned how to say good morning in different languages this week during morning meeting! 
- Our new letters this week are: v and w
- We finished Topic 5 this week, numbers up to 20. We will begin Topic 6 when we return from Winter Break. 
- On Friday we had book buddies. Together, the students got to make a holiday themed mask! 
- Our class reward on Friday was getting to go on a fun obstacle course in the gym! A much-deserved reward, and we had a blast! Take a look at the pictures below at the obstacle course! 

Guiding Questions: 
- ask your Kindergartener to come up with words that begin with v or w. 
- ask your child about build and grow. Did he/she choose to build a car or truck? What was their favorite part of build and grow? 
- ask your child to tell you about going to the holiday concert on Thursday. We saw a great performance by some 3rd, 4th and 5th graders!! 
- computer class: ask your child about building their very own gingerbread houses on the computer!
- book buddies: ask your kindergartener about Book Buddies on Friday. What is his/her book buddy's name. Can your child remember anything else about their book buddy? 
- morning meeting: ask your Kindergartener to tell you how to say "hello" in the different languages we learned this week!! A few include Spanish, French and Japanese! 
- can your child tell you anything about the holiday traditions we learned about this week? 

Reminders! 
- Polar express day is on Tuesday, December 22nd!!! Your child may wear his/ her pajamas to school. Your child may bring slippers in his/her backpack to wear. 

If you are volunteering for Polar Express Day, please check in at the Main Office around 9:30. You will be assisting kindergarten teachers eight the set-up, clean-up, and facilitation of holiday themed centers and crafts. Thank you in advance for your time; we are looking forward to an exciting day!!! 





















Monday, December 14, 2015

Gingerbreads Galore!

Dear Families: 
We have had a fun-filled week learning all about Gingerbread, and the different stories about the Gingerbread ManPlease take a look below at our week!

Read Alouds:
Image result for gingerbread man paul galdoneImage result for gingerbread girlImage result for gingerbread man jan brettImage result for gingerbread man jan brettImage result for gingerbread man jan brett
This week, we compared and contrasted the characters, setting, problem, and solution for each Gingerbread story. The children did a great job in understanding what was the same and different among the various Gingerbread stories. Please be sure to ask your Kindergartener about the different stories. See if your child can choose one of the stories above to retell to you or another family member! 

Check out some pictures below to look at our Gingerbread Greet this week, as well as the art project. We made Gingerbread "Cookies"!

Some samples of Gingerbread Cookies 
Our Morning Greet: We picked a gingerbread, greeted that friend, and then put the gingerbread inside the "gingerbread house!" 
Fundations:
Our new fundations letters this week were: 

Image result for fundations letter l
l, lamp, /l/
*Hint:  Tell your child that when making the /l/ sound, a trick is to put their tongue on the bump on the roof of their mouth to make the sound. 
Image result for fundations letter l
h, hat, /h/
* Hint: Have your child put his/her hand in front of their mouth when making the sound. 
Image result for fundations letter l
k, kite, /k/ 
enVisionMath:
This week we learned to count, identify and write the numbers 12, 13, 14, and 15. 

Guiding Questions: 
  • Can you come up with a word that starts with the sounds of l, k, or h?
  • Ask your child to count as high as he/she can. 
  • Practice writing letters on a whiteboard or iPad
  • Give your child some words. See if he/she can tell you what sound he/she hears at the beginning of the word. Challenge him/her to see if she can tell you the sound he/she hears at the end of the word. 
  • See if your child can retell one (or more) of the Gingerbread stories we read. 
  • Ask your child what does the characters, setting, problem and solution mean in a story?  

Reminders: 
Build & Grow is on Tuesday 12/15. Your child will create and build his/her very own train! 
Polar Express is on Tuesday 12/22. We will be doing centers and crafts based on the book The Polar Express, and other holidays that are celebrated this month. 
Please take a look at a word from the Fifth Grade Teachers:
Families:
The Kindness Committee of the Fifth Grade Student Council is taking on TWO fundraisers this holiday season. The first -- a school-wide effort -- will kick off on Wednesday and supports the nonprofit organization, Cradles to Crayons. This organization provides much-needed support for poverty stricken Massachusetts children up to age 12. The organization accepts donations of new or nearly new clothing (including coats, boots, etc.); toys, games, and stuffed animals; and, school supplies (including backpacks). You can also send coins or dollar bills to contribute to the coin drive students have set up.
Please talk with your child about this fundraiser. It is a wonderful way to involve kids in giving to those in need.
Thanks for your support.