Just a check-in

Parents and guardians,
Just wanted to clarify some things.

Homework:
Please do the homework on the calendar, DAILY.  Do some sort of sight word memorization/practice daily as well. Have your child spend time on Raz-kids and IXL a few times a week. Do the assigned phonics pages throughout the week they are assigned. Other things that are sent home (handwriting book, math packet, other extra stuff) should be done as needed (if your child has time).

Here are some pics from the week of pumpkin carving and Halloween party.

October 29-November 2

Reading

We are reading a book called On The Move. It is a book about how people use different types of transportation in different parts of the world. Please continue to review author and illustrator with your child. We learned a little jingle that goes like this: "Hey have you heard, the author writes the words. And the illustrator, can draw and alligator." 

Writing

We are continuing to label our pictures as we write about things that are a certain color. Encourage your writer to label their pictures at home to add detail.

Math

Number 8-10. Hopefully we can finish chapter two but with Halloween activities we may not.

Social Studies

Bucket filling

Science

Pumpkin fun and the five senses.

Please get your student on the IXL and Raz-kids web sites as often as possible. See me for passwords/usernames.

Mr. E

Mid-week report

We had a fun day in kindergarten today. We went outside and did some messenger games, students received a message from a peer and we did a play involving seven bees. I had a blast so I hope the kids did. Ask them about it.

Wish List
We could use a set of these. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca%7CproductSubCat~~p%7C2534374302330429~~f%7C/Assortments/Lakeshore/ShopByCategory/music/classroomequipment.jsp
Some kid magazines (you could just google kid magazines)

Thanks,
Mr. E

October 22-26

Reading
We are reading Messenger, Messenger. A book about a community helper (messenger) that bikes around NYC delivering things. We are discussing community helpers more this week and we will be going on a community helper field trip on Thursday (to the fire station and bakery). We are also having a police officer come to talk to the kids on Thursday.

Writing
We are learning about labeling our illustrations. We read a book all about signs and students put signs up all over the room. Students should start labeling their illustrations with with letters or entire words.

Math
We are reviewing numbers 6 and 7 this week.

Social Studies
Being a bucket filler (not a bucket dipper) and community helpers.

Mr. E  

A couple things

Here is some clarification of what to do with student papers that come home.

Students bring papers home that they do in centers. This work is not graded and is sometimes incomplete. Students should finish the work at home but the work SHOULD NOT be returned. When this work is brought home please ask your child about it. This will help with the school to home connection and conversation. Also, sometimes I will send home extra work that I planned on doing in school but didn't get to it. This work can be done if your child needs extra work or just wants to do it. Please DO NOT RETURN this work either. Friday or Monday I will be sending home two math packets. The packets are "enrichment" work that correspond with the math chapter we are in. These packets will help the students a lot and help you as parents/guardians know what we are studying in math. Please DO NOT RETURN these packets. The reason I am sending two home is because we have finished chapter one and are now on chapter two. From here on out, they will come home when we start a new chapter.

Thanks,
Mr. E

Progress reports and more

So, the progress reports are done and will be sent home tomorrow. This marks the half way mark of quarter number one. Here is some stuff you should know about the progress reports.

1) They are pink! Can't miss it.

2) The letters/grades on the progress report are based on where your child should be AT THE END OF KINDERGARTEN not at the end of the quarter or currently. (Example: Students doing well and right on track in math will have a N (not yet developed) for a grade. This means they are not YET at a "end of kindergarten" level. However, if they keep learning with the curriculum, they should be a W by the end of the year.) Please comment if confused by this.

3) The letters are your students progress. We are only 25 days into school so please don't look so much into the letter/grade but instead focus on my comments.

4) An N/P or P/W means "somewhere in between".

5) You will see a P for a homework grade. I apologize for not asking for homework binders earlier so I could give a more accurate grade. Before next progress reports, I will ask for your student to bring in their homework binder so that I can check it. Keep up the good work on homework!

6) Return the progress report signed please.

As for other things...

Sight words should be MEMORIZED. This is why they are sight words, they can't be sounded out but they need to be known by memory. (flashcards are a great way to do it and can be used for fun games)

Your child's monthly reading log (on the back of binder) should be turned in at the end of each month with at least 20 books read or read to them) They will receive a prize!

We started a process in our classroom this week called "bucket filling". It is a fun way for students to learn/practice kindness towards others. They each have a "bucket" in the room and when they "fill someone's bucket" (do something kind that makes someone else feel good) they are rewarded with me filling their real bucket. When they get to ten they get a prize. Have them explain it, it will make more sense. Here is a website about it http://www.bucketfillers101.com/have-you-filled-a-bucket-today.php. Also, I have heard of a couple students that have taken this idea and started bucket filling in their home. Awesome idea! Anything you can do to help your child "make connections" is great. Learning is all about "making connections"!

Signing off for the night. Go be a bucket filler!

Mr. E

October 15th week

Here is what we are up to this week in room 110.

Reading: We are reading the book Plaidypus Lost. It is a story about a stuffed platypus that is sewed together with plaid fabric that keeps getting lost throughout the story. We will be focusing on reading with purpose (Why are we reading this book?) and understanding. The purpose is to get your child to start thinking about their thinking (meta cognition). I want them to not just know answers to things but know how and why. So please ask these questions at home when reading or doing homework.

Writing: This week we will focus on sharing with a partner. Students will be given writing partners that they will share with over the next few weeks. They will be asked to think of ideas with their new partners and share their writings/ideas with partners. Learning to share in partners is apart of our overall classroom community building. The students will also be receiving new journals that will be kept at school and be their free writing journals. They will be encouraged to be creative and write/draw whatever they want in these journals. This week I will also be introducing how students should correctly use lined writing paper. Just so you can be on board and know the vocabulary I use when teaching this, I use the idea of a man standing on the line. The top solid line is the man's "head", the middle dotted line is the man's "belly", and the bottom line is the man's "feet". Ask your child about it on Thursday for an explanation if confusing.

Math: In math we will continue to review numbers up to ten. We will also continue to play the "magic number game". Ask your child how to play. It is a big hit.  We are going to have fun with patterns too!

Social Studies: We are continuing to work on being a classroom community and how to be "caring friends" to one another. I will be introducing a new "behavior system" and we will not be doing the kindness hearts anymore. The new "system" is not really a system but more of an idea. Students will learn about "Filling theirs and others buckets". The idea is that we all have a bucket and our bucket can be filled by others or ourselves through kind acts we do or or have done to us. They will also learn that you can take from others bucket when you are unkind to others.  Also, we will still be talking about community helpers.

Science: We will be studying fabrics and talking about our senses. We will, hopefully, get to do a fun pumpkin activity too.

There is a look at the week.

Wish List:
-paper towels (I know the year just started, but when the students realized they could use the washroom whenever they needed to, we went through a roll a day. The amazement of using the washroom has slowly dwindled and so too should our paper towel use.)
-magnetic letter (the colorful fridge ones)
-books (listening books, TAG books, any good/fun books that students will like, non-fiction books)

Sorry so long, thanks for making it through.
Mr. E

Field trip week

Hello everyone,
Please excuse my tardiness on posting this week. I was out of the state for a few days. Anyways, this is what is up for this week.

We are reading Ms. Bindergarten goes on a Field Trip with Kindergarten. This story focuses a lot on community places and workers, so we will be talking about that a lot. We are learning about rhyming too.

For phonics we are focusing on Ss, Cc and still practicing our letter names and sounds.

For math we are reviewing numbers 1-5 and continuing to discuss 'same' and 'different'.

For writing we are working on adding more in our journal and also writing about our field trip coming up.

For social studies we are and will continue to focus on community helpers.

Announcements:
I sent home folders today should help with communication and getting papers where they need to be. The folders should stay in your child's backpack each day so they can get papers home safely and to me safely. Please go over the process with your child about taking papers out of their folder that are for me and putting them in my mailbox at school. Also, because we now have these folders, your child DOES NOT need to bring their homework BINDER to and from school anymore. (unless they do their homework at JCC after school) I WILL BE checking the folders quarterly before progress reports come out but I will communicate when that will be. CONTINUE TO DO THE HOMEWORK ON THE HOMEWORK SCHEDULE.  
That brings me to my next point.

So far this year I have sent home handwriting workbooks (pink) and phonics workbooks (purple). Please continue to have your child work in these periodically or daily. These are theirs to keep when they finish. Soon I will be sending home math packets. These packets are enrichment for what we are doing in the classroom. They go over the same problems and use the same vocabulary. Please work with your child on these because they may need help reading/understanding and MORE IMPORTANTLY so you can be knowledgeable about what we are learning in kindergarten math. Please have your child reading on Raz-kids and spending time on IXL to supplement pencil and paper work.

Great job on the Family projects! they were great and make our room look awesome! Can't wait to see the family trees.

Field Trip Friday
We are going to the pumpkin farm on Friday! All parents are invited to come as chaperones. I have already informed the five chaperones that are paid for already. If you didn't hear from me about coming for free then bring money to pay when we get there. I will send out an email tomorrow morning about when we are leaving. Please have your child dress warm because the high is 55 with no rain.

Remember: HALF DAY TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY)! DISMISSAL IS AT 11:15. JCC aftercare is provided until 2:45. Students can eat in the classroom from 10:45-11:15 (school lunch provided for same price as always)

Alright, that is enough.

Mr. E

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