Can you believe we have been in school for almost a month? It seems like the time has flown by! In just a few weeks, we will have the first quarter under our belts.

Language Arts
In reading this week, our new focus is sharing our our thoughts with our partners. For example, this week, I have had the kiddos share out if they liked reading our non-fiction book (Wombats) or fiction book (Batter Up, Wombat). Sharing our thoughts and ideas (across all subjects areas) not only helps solidify our understanding of concepts, but also gives students an opportunity speaking and listening, which are part of our curriculum. We have also been working on our reading behaviors (what you do when you read a book) such as one to one correspondence (pointing to each word as it is read), return sweep, using the pictures and using beginning letter/sound to determine unknown words
Of course,  We continue to work on identifying parts of a book (title, front cover, back cover, and title page), understanding what an author and illustrator do, and identifying rhyming words.
Any of these objectives can be 'snuck in' during bedtime when you are reading you with little guy or girl.

In writing, our focus has been on adding details to our illustrations that help the reader understand more about what we are sharing. For example, I used an illustration of an ice cream cone from last week (from our "I like" sentences) and added details such as tables, myself, the sun, and some grass to show the kids that I like eating ice cream outside at Sunni Skies.
We continue to work on labeling our pictures, creating sentences that use sight words, using spaces between our word, and using a period at the end of our sentences.

In Letterland, we are introducing letters q-z. Ask your child what sound 'Quarrelsome Queen' or 'Talking Tess' makes. Challenge your child to come up things that each character might like (the characters like things that begin with their corresponding letter and sound). For example, do you think 'Talking Tess' likes telephones (yes)? What about dogs (no).

Sight Words
We have started to introduce sight words in our class. Sight words (or high frequency words) are common words that are found in most texts. Knowing this, it makes sense for students to be able to identify these important words. So far, we have introduced the words "I", "like", "see", "a". Encourage your little ones to point out and say these words wherever they may see them.
Also, ask your child to show you the gestures for these words.

Math
In math, we continue to work with numbers 1-10
-identifying numbers 1-10
-counting orally 1-10
-creating groups that represent 1-10
-writing numbers 1-10
We have also started to compare groups of numbers and using using words like more, less, and equal.
Ask your child to share with you our gestures for these words. At home you can support the development of this vocabulary/concept by asking questions like, "Do we have more girls or boys in our family? How do you know? " You can even have them use their toys to determine if they have more (or less) red cars or blue cars. The possibilities are endless!

A little bit about gestures...
In our class, I present concepts, especially vocabulary in multiple ways including:
-visually with a picture representation
-orally, so students hear the vocabulary word
-I have them repeat/say the word
-associating a gesture to accompany the vocabulary word
Research has shown that presenting concepts in multiple ways helps increase mastery/understanding, especially in young children. So......long story short, encourage your kids to use their gestures. It really does make a difference :-)

Custodian Appreciation Week
Custodian Appreciation week is next week. Kindergarten will be creating 'snack baskets' for our hard working custodians. They do a lot to keep our classrooms, bathrooms, water fountains, and hallways nice and clean for the us. If  you would like to contribute any snacks (chips, soda, candy) , it would be greatly appreciated.

At Home Volunteer Opportunity
I am looking for a parent who is willing to take home our math workbooks and rip out pages each week for our class. The books would stay with you at home until the reminder of the school year. please email me if you are interested.

Scholastic News contributions
Scholastic news is a wonderful newspaper for kids that kindergarten uses to address in our science and social studies curriculum. If you would like to contribute to help make sure we, as a grade level can continue to use this resource, please send a check or cash for $6 to school.

School Happenings and Reminders...
-No School Monday, 9/2

-Spirit Week is scheduled for September 6th-13th. 

-9/6 Spirit Day (wear Banks Rd shirt or blue/green)

-9/9 Hat Day (any type of hat)

-9/10 Dress to Impress Day (how good can you look?)

9/11 Patriot Day (wear red/white/blue)

9/12 Wacky Tacky Day (how crazy can you dress?)

9/13Spirit Day (wear Banks Rd shirt or blue/green)

-We will also have a Coin Drive going on during Spirit Week, so bring in any loose change. The overall class that raises the most money will win a Pizza Party. The winner of each Track will have a Popcorn Party. All money raised will go into the Grade Level Fund and used towards field trips, magazine subscriptions, classroom supplies, etc.
9/13 Homework will go home in your child's "Daily Folder"

 

So, thats's it! A little slice of our lives in kindergarten in a (sort of) nutshell. As always, please do not hesitate to email or call should you have any questions or concerns.

Have a safe and relaxing Labor Day!