Newsletter for Week 13 (RECAP and NEW INFO)!

What we did during our week:

Language Arts: We worked on recognizing and writing the letter K and the letter P. These are the letters we have learned thus far: Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk and Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy and Zz.  Make sure to focus on these letters/sounds at home to observe if your child has mastered each letter that was taught in class.  I will administer a 2nd test in letter recognition very soon!  Also, please make sure to go over LIST THREE for the sight word list; make it a part of their homework routine:)  Our sight word test for LIST THREE will be  Friday December, 8th!   “Sight words are an important building block for early readers because they make up much of what a child will encounter when reading any book, worksheet or environmental print.  Children are encouraged and expected to recognize these words by sight; that is, to memorize them without sounding out or using other strategies.” -heidisongs.com

Writing:  In writing, we finished our star student book and we also wrote an opinion piece on how we felt about pancakes!  In our opinion, all 23 of us thinks pancakes are delicious:)  Here is a picture of our writing:

                           

Math: We started our unit on measurement and sorting!  The kids had so much fun measuring with squares and cubes.  We also started our December centers in the classroom!  We have a little bit of everything: measurement, addition, counting, write the room and one to one correspondence! Here are some pictures of the students during math centers:

**Heads UP: We are starting math quizzes in a couple weeks! These quizzes will help the children prepare for first grade and get used to taking tests (what the format looks like, how to follow testing procedures, etc). Each week we will have a math quiz, starting with +0, then +1, all the way to 10. Then, we will begin subtraction with -0, then -1, etc. Flash cards will go home next Friday for our  +0 math quiz on December 15th. Please cut these up and practice these math facts with your child to prepare them for the quiz. These flashcards are an example of how you could practice math facts each week with your child at home. For the next assessment, you could also use counters (or food) for a visual representation of the math equation or make the flashcards (just like the example I sent home) for your child. You can also practice with your child by having them put the big number in their head and the small number on their hands and then count up. Try to make it fun! Thank you for supporting your child with their addition skills!

Science: We are focusing on Seasons for the month of December and reviewing the different types of weather in each season.

Social Studies: We learning about what is a good and what is a service!

Other:

• There is a spelling test next friday, December 8th on LIST 3!  Please make sure you are practicing at home every day!
• Please read under “Math” about the math flash cards that will be sent home NEXT friday.  Thank you:)
• Next Friday, on the blog, I will add the 10 spelling words the students will be tested on on December 15th, so you can study all week long with your child at home.
• A Pete the Cat reminder about our field trip went home on Thursday.  Please read this to ensure your child is prepared for the trip!
• Next week’s reading log, in the homework packet, will be at the end of homework.  Just an FYI:)

• In writing, we have learned how to use finger spaces in our sentences, writing from left to right and using punctuation at the end of our sentences!  Please practice this at home when writing sentences with sight words!

• **STAR Student: We have officially launched STAR student of the week in Kindergarten!  Each Friday, I will choose one child to be selected for star student.  That child will come home with an ALL ABOUT ME poster to be completed over the weekend and returned Monday morning.  All week we will talk about the star student, look at his/her poster and also write about that student in class.  At the end of the week, the star student will come home with a published book to keep and read with family!  Star student is a great way to highlight all of the amazing kids we have here in Kindergarten!  It’s a feel good activity and makes the kids really excited about writing and learning new things about their friends!  Be as creative as you want with the Star student poster.  Add pictures, drawings, crafts, stickers, objects to the board…there is no wrong answer!  If you have any questions about the Star Student Poster, please feel free to email me at any time!  

Housekeeping items:

• Please make sure to log onto math seeds and reading eggs when there is downtime at home, especially on the weekends!  I have laminated and attached logins/passwords for EACH child on their communication log this week!  Please keep this in a safe place, so it doesn’t get lost.  These programs are free for you to use, how awesome is that?  All you need to do is to show your child how to log in and they can begin learning!  Parents, in the classroom, I am trying to teach each child to login typing their own username and password…independency is the name of the game!   If you could be so kind, to help your child do the same at home, it would help so much!  Thank you!
• Thank you to the families who donated to our classroom fund celebration!  This money will be used to purchase items needed for our holiday celebrations and our end of the year party!  If you weren’t able to send in the donation and would still like to, there is still time!  Thank you:)
• New library books came home today!  Enjoy the new books with your child:) I had 5 students who forgot their library book, so they weren’t able to check a new book out today.  Make sure they bring it next Friday for our library check out day!  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter:)

Upcoming Events:

December 5th- Pete the Cat Field Trip!

December 8th- Sight word TEST list 3!

December 8th- Math flash cards sent home & Spelling words (on the blog)

December 12th- Family STEM Night!  6-8 p.m.

December 15th- Spelling Test, Math Quiz & Science Assessment!

December 15th- Popcorn Sale!

December 18th- Candy Gram Sale $1

December 19th- 4th and 5th grade Concert!  6:30-8:00 p.m.

December 20th- LATE START!  9:35 a.m.

December 22nd- LAST day of school before Winter Break!

Happy Weekend to ALL!!