Magnetizing Week ...

Filled with Discovery & Learning 

After learning about Magnets in the classroom through an exploration center and read alouds, off to the Discovery Museum we went!! 

Here are a few snapshots from our trip: 

Thank you to our chaperones! I appreciate your extra help on our trip.

Chilly Chit-Chat!

Fundations...

-Our next unit in Fundations includes reviewing uppercase letter formation, sight words, and tapping.

-We are starting to explicitly teach sight words or "Trick" words. Students learn 5 words a week. We'll be sending home some sight word practice cards soon.

-You may have heard your child talking about "Tapping" which simple means: sounding out words. When tapping out a 3 or 4 letter word, students say each individual sound they hear in a word while tapping their fingers to their thumb. Below is a picture to explain.

Envisions Math...

-As you know, addition flashcards were sent home in preparation for our fluency assessments.

-Students have completed their addition unit and have moved onto subtraction.

-Subtraction flashcards will be sent home Monday for nightly practice.

-Ask your child about Math Around the Room or Roll, Add, and Record Games.

Guided Reading...

-We are loving guided reading!

-Students are meeting multiple times a week with a teacher to read and discuss books on their own independent levels.

Reading Strategy:

Our first reading strategy is called "Eagle Eye"

Students are using the pictures to assist them in their reading and tackling unknown words.

-I am so proud of their hard work! The "Take Home Books" are a great way to see their progress first hand and share in their success. If you have any questions about these books or with your child's reading please feel free to email/call me.

I CAN Club!

In addition to our classroom's Owl-Standing Behavior system and Kindergarten's 100 Acts of Kindness goals we have begun something new for Room 5... the I Can Club.

The I Can Club promotes community, positive behaviors, and sets goals within our classroom. Students are understanding their role as a student and becoming more aware of our classroom objectives.  These objectives could be: knowing how to count to 100 by 1s and 10s, showing an understanding of letter/sound relationships, or participating in classroom discussions. Once a student has achieved an objective we celebrate their success with a "ceremony" awarding students their newest badges. Each student will earn 1-2 badges a week. Our first ceremony was exciting! Students earned a variety of badges from "I can sit on the rug quietly" to "Super Friend".  The badges are placed on the student's own ring and hook to be displayed in the classroom. Next week we will add another badge to students' rings. Ask your child which badge they received and which one they hope to earn next!!

Coming Up...

There are a number of fun events and celebrations coming up!

-Valentine's Day and 100th Day Celebrations are fast approaching! Information on both events have been sent home. We will send home more information as the events near but if you have any questions or concerns, please call/email me.

- The science center will be visiting before February break to talk about magnets.

-Mrs. Johnson will be hosting an assembly about Confidence to Action before break too.

100th Day Superheroes

Greetings!

The 100th Day of School is fast approaching! It’s time to start preparing for our festivities. This year our 100th Day of School celebration will have a superhero theme.

We need your help! “Evil Dr. Double Digit” is trying his best to trap the world in double digits! Kindergarten needs to strengthen the number 100 and defeat Dr. Double Digit once and for all!

How will Kindergarten prepare for their mission? We must break through our 100 day disguises and change into our:

  100th day CAPES!  

A bag was sent home with a cape that your child will wear on the 100th day of school. But, something is missing!! Each of these capes need 100 of something on it. Some examples could be: 100 stickers, 100 googly eyes, 100 paper clips, 100 pom-poms, 100 words cut out from a magazine. Use your creativity and imagination!! We suggest using materials from home. This is a great way to RECYCLE household products rather than going out and buying something new. We ask that the items not be edible (no food and/or candy). Remember, your child will be wearing this cape for the majority of the day. Therefore, durability and comfort is important!  Feel free to make the cape out of another material of your choice as long as it is the same size as the material provided.

Our 100th Day is on February 11th! Please make sure your child’s cape is completed by then. If you are unable to complete this project or need materials provided, please let us know as soon as possible! Our classroom is filled with extra supplies! We don’t want any child to not have a special cape for this day and we will need time to make arrangements!

We hope you and your family enjoy this project and encourage your child to count the items! One of our Kindergarten Goals is to count to 100 by 1s and 10s!

Thanks!

Field Trip Reminder

Science Discovery Museum

Friday we will be spending the day at the Science Discovery Museum in Acton. Please remember to dress your child in their Field Trip T-Shirts . If you feel your child will be cold, children may wear their shirts over a long-sleeve shirt/sweater.

We will be leaving school at 9:00AM, after a morning snack, and returning in time for regular dismissal. We will have lunch in our classrooms when returning. Please keep pack your child with a peanut-free lunch.

If you are chaperoning and riding the bus, we ask that you arrive to school by 8:45am

Thanks and we look forward to a fun trip!

Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day

Dear Parents,

Our plan is to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 12th. Due to unexpected weather/snow days, which may occur, we will keep you updated with any changes as soon as possible.

On the day of our celebration, we have special learning activities planned, including a Valentine’s card exchange. Below is a class list of the students in Room 5. We encourage students to write out their own valentines.  One suggestion is doing 2-3 valentines a day leading up to our celebration.  The experience will help with their writing skills as well as building a stronger connection to their friends. Please help to avoid hurt feelings by sending in a card for each member of our class. Cards can be homemade or store bought, however NO candy and/or food may be sent in. Families are welcome to send in non-food items for classmates. This is not required.

Valentines can be sent in starting in February, but are due on February 12th the latest. We will also be having a Party in a Bag snack. Look out for more details to come as we near the date of our celebration! Thank you for helping your child prepare for this special event. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Welcome Rainbow & Cloud!

We have gerbils! 

Mrs. Pavlicek has read our persuasive letters and she has allowed us to take care of 2 gerbils!

Meet Rainbow and Cloud!

Mrs. P talked to the class about gerbils and their care. 

We promised to keep their cage clean and even exercise it in their ball or wheel. 

Paper-Towel Rolls & Toilet-Paper Rolls

A gerbil's teeth are constantly growing, they never stop! In order to help them control their teeth from growing too long they chew on cardboard rolls, much like the ones you have in your house!

If you have any paper-towel rolls or toilet-paper rolls please have your child bring them in. The gerbils will love to have a new toy to play with and chew!

A Week of Winter

The chilly weather may have kept us indoors all week but that didn't stop Room 5 from enjoying the winter season!

Warming Our Hearts

It's hard to believe we've been in school for almost 100 days. To commemorate the occasion , Kindergarten has decided to challenge themselves to perform 100 acts of kindness by the 100th day of school. Do you think we can do it?! Stay tuned to find out!

Jan Brett

This week's read alouds were all written and illustrated by Jan Brett. The students loved her fun winter tales and finding Jan Brett's very own pet hedgehog in each of her books! 

Check out more titles by Jan Brett at the library.

   W

Time on Learning

Fundations:

We have finished ALL 26 letters of the alphabet. Our final two letters were Z and Qu. 

Ask your child why Q is a "chicken" letter?

 

Our second unit will focus on sounding/ "tapping" our words and reviewing Uppercase letters. 

You will also hear your child start to talk about Trick words, which are sight words.  Sight words and trick words are words which cannot be sounded out but rather memorized. We will incorporate these in our reading groups, morning meeting, center work, and later in our tic-tac-toe boards. 

Addition

Topic 7 in the Envisions math program introduced concepts of joining groups. Students learning basic concepts of adding groups together to find out the sum or number of objects there are "all together".  They practiced reading a number sentence with words and with symbols. They understand a plus sign means "and"  while the equal sign indicates the sum or "same as". 

-Students are to learn addition facts within 5. We revisit addition in our math program but to practice our early skills you will see addition math facts sent home on flash cards to practice with your child.  

-Ask your child to show you the hand signs for plus and equal! 

-We tried out some math centers including "Math Around The Room".  These are task cards hidden around the room for students to find, compute, and record.  I think it will certainly become a routine in our math time. 

Next week we introduce subtraction!! 

Guided Reading & Centers

Guided Reading groups started this week with introductions and setting a purpose. Students learned what to do, how to act, and expectations for when they are in a reading group. Students will read in a small leveled group to build upon  fluency, comprehension, decoding skills, and more! More information about Guided Reading to come! 

Centers are the activities students complete when they are not in a guided reading group. Some of these included:

-Read to Self

-Word Work

-Fundations Practice 

-Writing (Persuasive Letters)

-Write around the room

-Art: Hedgehog Paperplates and designing winter hats

-Poetry: The Mitten

-Literacy Games

Reminders

-Please remember to have your child wear winter coats, gloves/mittens, and hats everyday to school.  If there is snow on the ground and your child would like to play in the snow; children will need boots, snowpants, a winter coat, gloves/mittens, and a hat in order to do so.  Students who do not have ALL of these items will not be able to play in the snow, but will still go out for recess.

-Our next field trip is scheduled for January 29th at the Discovery Museum in Acton. Please let me know ASAP if you'd like to volunteer. All volunteers must be CORIed and attend a confidentiality meeting. 

- There will be no extra practice pages sent home next week due to the short week (no school Monday January 18th). You will see tic-tac-toe boards sent home the week of January 25, including practice addition facts! We appreciate all of your support at home to help your child succeed in the classroom.

Snapshots!