Hello Families! The cold and snowy weather is upon us (brrrrr), which means students are wearing snow boots to school to keep their feet warm for the cold weather. If you choose to send your child to school in snow boots, I ask that you please send your child to school with an extra pair of shoes your child can change into. Please make sure your child can independently put their shoes on themselves, as we are trying to promote independence in Kindergarten! As always, please continue to practice with your child at home on how to zip their coats up and tie their own shoes. Thank you for partnering with me in ensuring our children become independent life long learners!
Also, don’t forget that the Family STEM night is tonight from 6-8 p.m. Don’t miss the chance to do some fun science experiments with the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum!
Language Arts: We worked on recognizing and writing the letter L and the letter O. These are the letters we have learned thus far: Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll and Oo, 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/ sound that was taught in class.
Writing: In writing, we finished our star student book and we also wrote a narrative about our field trip to Pete the Cat! We wrote about what we did at the beginning, middle and end of our field trip. Here are some pictures to enjoy:
Math: We started our unit on measurement and sorting! The kids had so much fun measuring with cubes and rulers. We also started our December centers in the classroom! We have a little bit of everything: measurement, addition, counting, writing and one to one correspondence!
Math Quizzes: Math quizzes start next week! 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 this Friday for our +0 math quiz on Friday, 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:
Spelling words to study: the, I, a, cat, bat, rat, mat, hat, sat. Please practice an extra -at word, as there will be an extra bonus word for number 10 on the test! Extra word: fat, flat, chat, that, splat
We had 10 students receive a 100% on their SIGHT WORD TEST! I am so proud of them! For this accomplishment, they get to use a special pen in class on Monday:) If your child did not receive a 100%, please review the words that are highlighted. Sight words will help your child become a better reader and writer! Thank you!
Please read under “Math” about the math flash cards that were sent home today!
If your child ordered Haigh Gear, it was placed in their backpacks yesterday:) I love seeing all the Haigh Pride!
Sad news: One of our students lost their grandpa this week. If you could please keep the family in your thoughts throughout the weekend and next week it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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:
The cover letter of the homework packet has changed! You will notice a different format when assisting your child in their homework. For spelling words students are asked to only write 5 words in alphabetical order. Next, they will use each word in a sentence. Third, they will draw a picture( in the box) to match the sentence and finally write a word that rhymes with each word. The homework will consist of doing a worksheet each day along with reading a book and logging it onto the reading log. Please complete homework in its entirety. If you have questions, refer to the cover sheet for directions and or additional concepts to work on at home. If you have any questions, you can ask me at anytime. Thank you for your cooperation!
Parents, I need your help! When you send in money for your child, whether it be for lunch, lunchroom snacks, field trip, please enclose the money in an ENVELOPE with your child’s FIRST and LAST name on the front, what the money is for and my name written as well Mrs. Fillmore. This will cause for less confusion for the lunch room and for the classroom. Thank you!
The weather outside is getting colder! Please make sure to send your child to school with the appropriate clothing to play outside in (winter coats, hats, gloves and or scarves). If the temperature is above 20 degrees, we go outside to play! It would also be a good idea to put your child’s initials on all of their outdoor clothing: jackets, hats, gloves, etc, incase of a missing clothing!
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:)
Upcoming Events:
December 8th- Math flash cards sent home & Spelling words (on the blog & on homework)
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 20th– Pajama Day! More information to follow!
December 22nd- PBIS Celebration!
December 22nd- LAST day of school before Winter Break!
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!
WOW!! I can’t believe tomorrow is ALREADY December! Here are some friendly reminders for tomorrow:
Homework is due tomorrow! Please make sure homework is completed in its entirety.
Reading bags are due back everyday (just like the green folder:))
LIBRARY book check out is tomorrow! Please make sure your child brings in his/her library book to receive a new one:)
Pete the Cat field trip reminder went home today! Remember: the field trip will be on Tuesday, December 5th! Make sure to bring a bagged lunch for your child with his/her name written on the bag!
The December calendar, for all the events at Haigh, went home yesterday! Make sure to keep in a handy place for friendly reminders:)
Please ensure your child is bringing their reading bag to and from school everyday! We use these reading bags during our Daily 5 instruction, so it’s vital your child has their bag in class everyday. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!
Tomorrow is our PBIS Turkey Bowling for students who have flipped their card LESS than 8 times this month! Way to go to our green students!
The December lunch menu came home today. Keep the menu nearby to remind your child what is for lunch each day:)
A STEM night (green) handout went home yesterday in your child’s green folder. Please consider coming to this free family night event at Haigh put on by the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum! The event will be on Tuesday, December 12th from 6-8 p.m.
A field trip reminder for Pete the Cat will come home this week! Be on the lookout! The field trip will take place on Tuesday, December 5th.
I would like to take a moment and give thanks to all of you! I am so grateful to work in a district where education comes first and where parents truly care about their child’s future. I receive so many “thank you” notes and or cards throughout the week and I just want you to all know I see them and I read them. It truly is remarkable working for a community that gives thanks for the littlest things, which means the most to you! Those small gestures of “thanks” really gives me satisfaction in knowing this is where I am meant to be! I am thankful for my students and families at Haigh Elementary!
During the break there will be no homework:) Please help your child catch up on letters/sounds, counting, identifying number and sight word list 3 (highlighted words from list 1 and 2), reading eggs/math seeds; Whatever they may need to work on:)
Other:
We finished our unit on Turkeys by making our Thankful Turkeys for the classroom. The kids worked really hard these last two weeks and their work shows. Here is a picture of their work…
We had the pleasure of having Mrs. Izbicki’s 4th grade class come into our room and perform the play “Cinderella.” Our students loved it! Here are some pictures:)
This week we finished up our unit on rain, sun and clouds by doing science experiments in the other Kindergarten classrooms! Here are pictures of students making shadows with flashlights…
We ended our Tuesday with the Mad Scientist Assembly :Up Up and Away! What a great week it has been!
Update: PBIS turkey bowling has been changed to Wednesday, November 29th:) Our November PBIS celebration is almost here and we are celebrating with a few games of TURKEY BOWLING! The party will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 29th. Students will be bowling with a rubber bowling ball to try and knock down three “turkey pins”. They will also be challenged by trying to knock the pins over while bowling backwards, hopping on one foot, blindfolded, and other fun and silly tricks. Students will participate in this event if they have demonstrated positive behavior throughout the month of November and have less than 5 card flips. Thanks for your support,The PBIS team **In the spirit of the holidays and to keep our turkey theme, 5 turkeys will be donated to the Salvation Army Food Bank in Dearborn Heights funded by the Haigh Spirit committee.
I hope you all enjoy your break with loved ones and you all have the time to reflect on what you may be thankful for <3. See you all back on Monday, November 27th.
Language Arts and Writing: We worked on recognizing and writing the letter J and the letter Q. These are the letters we have learned thus far: Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj and 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
Math: We have been learning how decomposing numbers: how to rip them apart and put it back together (whole); This will help us with simple addition and comparing and contrasting! Also, I will be teaching the students how to count by 5’s and 10’s to 100 in addition to counting by 1’s:)
Science: We are still working on weather: sunny, cloudy and rainy! Next week we will be doing science experiment rotations throughout all the kindergarten classrooms. They will get to make a cloud, shadows, a raining cloud, and learn about wind. We will finish up our weather unit on Tuesday by watching “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!”
Social Studies: We continue to talk about what is a Need and Want in the classroom using our discussion stem questions.
Other:
We only had 3 students get 100% on their sight word test. Parents, please know, these words will be a work in progress all year. If we can aim for the students to know at least 60% of the words on the list, I will be happy with that and you should be too! Please make sight words part of their homework. Each day focus on 8 words only, then build upon that. Here are some clever ideas on how to work with sight words at home:
I wanted to thank all 21 families who came to parent teacher conferences; I had a remarkable turnout! I enjoyed speaking with each and every one of you and learning new things about your child! I am grateful to be working with each of you in helping your child reach new limits in their education! It’s going to be a great year!
We will learn what it means to be thankful and make our thankful turkey’s for the classroom.
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 will start back up after Thanksgiving Break!:)
**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:
Since we have a two day week next week, there will be no homework, reading bags or communication logs coming home. Enjoy your upcoming break:)
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 will come home after we come back from break. I am sure the students are ready for some new literature to read at home:)
Upcoming Events:
November 22nd-24th- NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving!
November 30th- PBIS turkey bowling! This event will be for students who have flipped their card less than 8 times in the classroom! Keep up the good behavior Kindergarten!
Sorry for short notice, but I just realized tomorrow is our 50th day of school (woooo hooo)! To celebrate this joyous occasion, of being 50 days smarter and half way to 100, all my students can wear their favorite HAT to school!! If your child doesn’t have a hat, that’s OK too! I just thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our time together so far:)
Reminders:
*SIGHT WORD TEST-list 2 is tomorrow
*Homework is due tomorrow
* Reading bags are due tomorrow
*Last round of parent teacher conferences tomorrow
Book bags came home today, so your child should be reading this book at home and using to document in the reading log. Please remember to bring this book bag back to school everyday. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!
Tomorrow is our Book Fair Preview day. Please LABEL your child’s first and last name on the envelope, if you chose to have your child shop at the book fair. Write the title of each book(s) your child is purchasing, so we know what book they would like to buy. Please add 6% sale tax to each order! This well help us get in and out of the book fair quickly. Thank you! Also, the book fair will be open during parent teacher conferences as well:) Happy shopping!
Wednesday is a LATE start. Student’s will be arriving at 9:35a.m.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday and Thursday this week. Reminders will be sent home in your child’s folder:) Please be on time for your conference. Thank you!
Homework is due on Thursday! If you did the Savory Fundraiser, the pickup for your items will be Thursday, November 16th from 2:30-5:00pm.
There is NO school on Friday.
If you have any questions, please email me at any time! Have a great night!
