Sunday, February 28, 2016

Back in Action!

Dear Families,
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing Winter Break! This week, the children were well rested and ready to get back into the swing of things! We had a busy week talking about The Ugly Duckling, how to be a good friend, how to be kind, and more!

The Ugly Ducking:
This week, we read four different versions of the Ugly Duckling. We talked about how the stories were similar and different. We also talked about how to be a good friend, and some kind things we can do in our classroom and community.

Fundations
In Fundations, we are continuing to practice tapping out CVC words, as well as reviewing uppercase letter formation. Don't forget to practice at home!

Math:
We are continuing with Topic 8, subtraction, and will finish this Topic next week.

Mystery Reader:
Thank you to all who have signed up to be a Mystery Reader in Room 6! We had our first Mystery Reader come in on Friday. After listening to some clues and anxiously awaiting their arrival, we were so happy to see Mrs. Howard as our first Mystery Reader! Mrs. Howard read The Day the Crayons Quit, a kindergarten favorite!!! Thank you to Mrs. Howard, and we can't wait for our next Mystery Reader!!!


Assembly: Confidence to take Action
At our school assembly on Friday, students in Kindergarten showed that they have been confident in our classroom to be kind to someone else. Our goal was to get 100 "hearts" to represent 100 acts of Kindness in Kindergarten. We reached our goal! Be sure to ask your child what his/her act of kindness was!!

Students are in front of our 100 Acts of Kindness Display!

Guiding Questions: 
-Ask your child, would you be friends with the Ugly Duckling? Why or why not?
-Ask your child, what do you think the lesson of the story the Ugly Duckling was?
-We practiced communicating without speaking in our social lesson. Try this at home with your Kindergartener!
-We talked about how facial expressions mean different things. Show your child different facial expressions, and see if he/she can guess how you are feeling!
-Be sure to ask your child what he/she did that was kind that helped us reach our goal of 100 hearts.
-Ask your child about some of our math vocabulary. What does the minus sign mean? What does the difference mean?
-Tell your child some math stories about comparing, such as: Drew had 7 blocks. Max had 5 blocks. Who had more blocks? Who had fewer? How many more/fewer? 
-Ask your child about our Mystery Reader. Who was it? What story did we read? What was your favorite part of the story?

Reminders:
*Don't forget that we do not have school on Tuesday!
**Because of no school on Tuesday, we will go to the library on Monday, February 28th. Please help your child bring his/her library book back on Monday.
***Wednesday is "Wacky Wednesday!" Please help your child dress up in "wacky" clothes, such as wearing mismatched clothes, wearing his/her shirt backwards, wearing a funny hat or hairstyle, etc.
Please note this is optional!!!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

February Fun!

Dear Families,
We have had so much fun this week in Kindergarten, watching the Manet show, celebrating the 100th day of school on Thursday, and celebrating Valentines Day on Friday! Please take a look at the pictures of the children enjoying the special and fun events this week!

Students read a story and did a Valentine's Day craft with their book buddies!


Students enjoyed wathcing the magnet show on Wednesday! 
Victoria went "fishing" for magnets! 
Malik and Lauren played "magnet" tug -of-war! 
We got to take a picture with the Celtic's Trophy from the 1984 Championship! 
Students performed 100 exercises on the 100th day!

More 100th day fun!!

Have a great winter break and stay warm! 

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Library Notice

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This week, there has been a change in our library schedule. We will be going to the library on Monday, instead of Tuesday this week. Please remind your child to bring his/her library book to school on Monday, February 8th, so he/she can enjoy a new book over the Winter Break!! Thank you!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

"Snow" Many Reasons to Love Kindergarten!!!

I hope everyone has been enjoying and staying safe in the snow! The children in Room 6 have been working very hard this past week on following the routines during reading centers, guided reading groups, and in math.  We have "snow" many fun upcoming events to look forward to next week!!! 

Reading Centers:
During our reading time, we are continuing to learn 5 new sight words per week. We practice writing and reading these words each day! We are also working on remembering letter formation for Uppercase letters, and we are continuing to practice tapping CVC words to spell and read. 

Math:
Last week, we began Topic 8, Understanding Subtraction. In this topic, children will be able to understand that subtraction means to take away, or separate. Students will practice subtracting numbers through 5. 

Guiding Questions:
-Ask your child about our new "Snowball Sight word" center.
-What is your child's favorite sight word so far? 
-Ask you child to tap out  the following words: "tip" "mop" "lit" "tap"
-Ask your child to tell you what the middle sound is in the following words: "cat," "box," "cup," "tip"
-Can your child tell you what "subtraction" means? 
-Have your child show you what whole body listening means. Ask your kindergartener what his/her hands, feet, ears, eyes, and legs should be doing while they are listening! 

Upcoming Events! 

100th Day of School
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Please remember to send in your child's 100th day cape by Thursday, February 11th. Please be sure to pack your child's cape in a separate bag with his/her name on it. Children should not wear his/her capes to school!!!
**Please let me know as soon as possible if you are unable to complete this project, or if you need any materials!!**

Valentine's Day
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We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Friday, February 12th.
Please have your child bring his/her Valentines no later than February 12th.
Please remember to have your child bring in enough Valentines for every member of our class. We have 17 students.
Don't forget the valentines need to be food-free!!!

Party in a Bag
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Please provide your child with a special and fun snack or treat that he/she can enjoy while we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 12th! Please put your child’s snack inside the white paper bag your child brought home from school.   

Please remember that the snack must be nut-free.


A note from the 5th Grade:

February “Yard Sale!”
The Fifth Grade Kindness Committee is  working on a fundraiser which will benefit the World Wildlife Federation. This isn't an actual yard sale. The Kindness Committee borrowed the idea.  Regular yard sales are held on a sunny day, outside, and on someone’s front lawn. The only difference our “yard sale” has is that we will be doing it in the cafeteria and it will be the middle of winter. The way this will work is that kids will bring in money, and for each dollar they donate they get a ticket. On Friday, February 12th, the kids will turn in their tickets and get toys, games, books, clothes, and school supplies in exchange. Doing this will help the Amur Leopard, a leopard that is being hunted down for its soft skin. There are 50 or more left in the wild. Today, there are lots of endangered animals in the world. Bring in money, and we will help other animals and you can get something good too!
Ananya Arvind