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Family Turkey Project

Dear Family,

We need your help! Attached to this letter you will find Tom Turkey. Help Tom make it safely past Thanksgiving by disguising him so the farmer cannot find him.  Turkeys that have made it through in the past have been dressed like ballerinas, football players, farmers, hula dancers, Elvis, etc. Think of something unique or special to your family and disguise Tom accordingly.

Please have fun and be creative! You may use anything you can think of to decorate.  You can find items around your home to attach to the turkey to disguise him as something else.  Don’t go to any expense.  Family turkeys in the past have been decorated with crayons, macaroni, craft feathers, tissue paper, wallpaper scraps, dried beans, rice, clothes and shoes cut from newspaper adds, ribbons, fabric scraps, etc.

Please follow these directions when disguising your turkey.

• Cut out the turkey.
• Decide how to disguise him and have fun.
• Use the attached paper and help your child write a persuasive argument for why the turkey should not be eaten.
• Return to school by Monday, November 16, 2015.

Thanks for your support!

Ms. Wentland

EXAMPLES:

• • 1. Attend Back-to-School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • 2. Visit the School and Its Website
  • 3. Support Homework Expectations
  • 4. Send Your Child to School Ready to Learn
  • 5. Teach Organizational Skills
  • 6. Teach Study Skills
  • 7. Know the Disciplinary Policies
  • 8. Get Involved
  • 9. Take Attendance Seriously
  • 10. Make Time to Talk About School

Kids and teens do better in school when parents are involved in their academic lives. Attending parent-teacher conferences is a way to be involved and help your child succeed.

A parent-teacher conference is a great opportunity to:

• start or continue ongoing conversations with your child’s teacher
• learn how to help your kids do their best in school
• let your child know that what goes on in school will be shared at home

The Basics

Parent-teacher conferences usually happen once or twice a year at progress reporting periods. They are brief meetings, only lasting about 10-30 minutes. Conferences are typically scheduled 1 to 2 months in advance. Most schools set aside specific dates and times for conferences, but if they conflict with your schedule, try to find a mutually convenient time. Otherwise, ask your child’s teacher if you can schedule a phone conference instead. If necessary, divorced parents can ask a teacher to schedule separate conferences.

Other school staff who support your child’s learning may attend the conference, too. An administrator might attend at the request of the parent or teacher if a problem or special need cannot be resolved by the teacher. In some cases, the student will also be asked to attend, but parents can ask for private time with the teacher as well.

Conferences focus on learning, although your child’s behavioral and social development also might be discussed. You will probably hear feedback about your child’s progress and areas of need. Other topics of discussion might include standardized test results, individualized education plans (IEP), and 504 education plans.

SMILE!  Picture Day is this coming Monday, November the 9th!!! I will be sending home the order forms on Friday!!! We will be taking our pictures in the morning before lunch, students may dress up if you would like!!!

Thanks,

Ms. Wentland

Thanks to all our parents for helping us have a very special day of celebration!!! You all look fabulous, Kindergarten!!!

BOO!!!

When it comes to excellence, Kindergarten teachers’ believe it can be best defined in the results. True excellence will be seen in motivated, engaged children with empowering memories of learning to read and write and the stamina for independent acts of literacy. These are the children who meet high Common Core Standards in literacy and beyond.

Excellence in kindergarten literacy is the vital foundation for bridging the achievement gap and building schools of ambitious, self-regulated readers and writers.  Experiences in the educational arts engage children’s multiple ways of learning while promoting creative and higher-order thinking; they take advantage of how the young child’s brain learns best. Developing social-emotional intelligence supports children in being successful in school . . . and in life. Yes, we are preparing our children for the 21st century!!!

Writing is the key that unlocks the alphabetic code.  So, collaboratively the Kindergarten teachers’ definition of excellence includes cooperative learning, rich experiences in the arts, science exploration, respectful and supportive parent connections, a language-intensive “writing-to-read” environment, systematic phonemic awareness through songs, and an explicit multisensory ABC and phonics immersion program within a comprehensive literacy framework.  So please continue to work with your child on their new literacy work at home through reading their mini-books and reading to them each and every day!!!

Our Halloween Parade

On Friday, October 30, we will have our Halloween parade.  Each student is invited to bring his/her costume to school to wear in the afternoon to our parade (no masks, no face paint, or weapons are allowed). The parade is at 2:00 pm and will conclude in the Kindergarten hallway. Parents may watch the parade in the main school lobby!  Please send their costume to school in a bag labeled with their name.

Each student is also asked to bring a bag of individually wrapped candy to pass out to their classmates.  You may send the candy in any day this week.  Also if you are interested in donating 21 cupcakes, 21 juice boxes, or 21 mini-pizzas (or regular pizza slices) please let me know by Wednesday afternoon.  Thank you in advance!

Ms. Wentland

PBIS Party

On Thursday, our students will be having a movie day at school to reward those students who have been making good, positive choices from the beginning of the year!  There is a popcorn and juice sale where they can buy popcorn and juice for $0.50 each or they can bring their own snack from home.  They are welcome to bring chips, cookies or donuts for this special day only.  This is an incentive party to reward our students who have made the decision to make good choices, so please talk with your child about the choices they make in school on a daily basis!