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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Scholastic Book Order!!!

Our very first Scholastic Book Orders are being sent home this week. This is SUCH a great and inexpensive way to order books for your child and with every order, you are providing a free book towards our classroom library!!! Just click on the "Scholastic Book Order" link on my sidebar or follow the directions on the Order Form Cover page sent home. Our Class Activation Code is: GQBYC. Book orders are due next Friday, September 9th! Happy ordering!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Book Boxes

We had so much fun sharing our book boxes with the class! Check out our beautiful pictures!!!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Weekly News: August 29

News:

There is no school next Monday, September 5th due to the Labor Day Holiday. Enjoy the time off with your families!

It is Kindergarten Assessment Week! We will be testing students after school every day until 1:00. You should have received a green note with your child's assigned test day. Please send your child to school with a lunch on his or her assigned test day, as we will be eating lunch together in the classroom. Thank you for your support!

Please visit the SONGS tab on our website to hear our sight words songs and other songs we learn in class. This is a great way to learn the sight words and reinforce letter identification too.  Have your child point to each letter as they sing the letter name.

Thank you SOOOO much to ALL the parents who attended our first Prep Party on Friday! I am completely overwhelmed by how much work you got done! We could not do it without you and you are much appreciated!

Our very first Scholastic Book Orders are being sent home this week. This is SUCH a great and inexpensive way to order books for your child and with every order, you are providing a free book towards our classroom library!!! Just follow the directions on the Order Form Page I sent home. Book orders are due next Friday, September 9th.

I still do not have all of your email addresses!! I send a lot of emails out during the year and want to make sure you are receiving them! If you have NOT received an email from me yet, please send your email address to school with your child. Thank you!

What Are We Learning This Week?:

Sight Words: IS, THE, ME, OR.

Letter Team: TH (we are learning that TH has two different sounds - a hard sound [like in mother and the] and a soft sound [like in thumb])

Reading: We are learning the vowels!!!! Ask your child about our special vowel song and what sounds the vowels can make! We are learning the different parts of a book: title, author, illustrator, title page. You can help at home by asking your child to point to each part of the book before you read. Students will continue to practice one-to-one matching this week. We will also learn two new reading strategies: Look at the Picture and Get Your Mouth Ready for the First Sound (see the Reading Strategies tab for more information).

Writing: We are writing a new book together about our shapes and colors using our sight words of the week. This week we are learning that a sentence starts with an uppercase letter and ends with a period. We are working on putting finger spaces in between our words. We are also learning to use our sight words in our sentences and to listen for the sounds in all unknown words using our sound chart. You can help your child at home by using the same sound chart on the back of  your GO Folder to help with sounding out words and writing at home.

Math: We are learning to sort objects by color and size. We are also learning to read and extend patterns. We will also focus on identifying what number should come next without going back to 1 to count. For example, if I ask a student to "count on" (we call it "popcorn counting") from the number 7, I would like them to tell me "8, 9, 10.." without having to go back to the number 1 to figure it out. We will continue to identify, order, write, and count numbers to 30. 

Leadership: This month our theme is "responsibility". We will discuss ways to be responsible at home and at school.

Homework: August 29

A note about homework: I've noticed a few families seem confused about homework/school work/what to turn in. Besides the sharing writing each week, you do NOT need to turn in any homework to school. Papers that we send home are to live at home with you. Sometimes we will send home tips, activities, or ideas for you to do at home, but you do not need to turn that in to class. We trust that each family will reinforce what we are learning in class and work on that at home. My advice is to develop a consistent routine with your child: set aside 30 minutes every day to read, study flashcards, and practice writing and math concepts. 

Flashcards: Please make flashcards for our new sight words (IS THE ME OR) and letter team (TH). Study these flashcards every day. Have your child read the word, spell the word, read the word. Please see the Sight Word tab for more flashcard ideas. We will have a spelling and dictation test on our sight words every Friday! A dictation test means we will be asking your child to dictate a sentence using the sight words of the week. We will not only be looking for the words to be spelled correctly, but also for an uppercase at the beginning, spaces between words, and a period at the end. An example of a dictation sentence may be "We can see a dog." It may be a good idea to have a practice test with your child on Thursday night!

Reading: Read to your child every day.

Math: Practice counting 1-30 or higher, identify numbers out of order (make number flashcards!), number writing practice, and practice drawing shapes. Please see your child's number writing assessment that will go home this week.

Writing: Practice writing your name with an uppercase only at the beginning. Practice writing ABC's uppercase and lowercase (Aa, Bb, Cc). Also practice writing your sight words of the week and sight word dictation sentences for our spelling test on Friday.

Sharing: Write one sentence about a rule we have in the classroom. Draw a picture to go with your sentence. Make sure you practice reading your sentence at home so you are prepared to read in front of the class. Sharing is due any day this week.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Weekly News: August 22

News: 

We had a great first two days of school! Thank you parents for attending Back to School Night and for ALL of your generous donations! We are still in need of shoe-box size plastic containers. Thank you so much!

Thank you to the parents who signed up to be my "Morning Daily Folders" helper. This will begin on Monday! If you are still interested in volunteering in the classroom, I still need the help! Please see the sign-up sheet on my classroom door after you drop off your children on the playground.

Our first "Friday Prep Party" will take place this Friday in our staff room at Bryant St. At 8:10 am (as soon as our day begins) we invite all parents who are able, to help copy and prepare materials for the next few weeks of kindergarten. We really appreciate your help and support in your child's education!

Throughout the year, I will be sending out many parent emails. This is the most convenient form of communication for me. I sent out a first email in order to be sure I have all of your correct email addresses.  If you did not receive the email, either I typed it incorrectly or I did not have one for you.  If you would like to be added to the list when I email information, please let me know.  If this is an inconvenient way for you to communicate, please let me know that as well.


What Are We Learning This Week?:


Sight Words: WE, CAN, SEE, A.

Letter Team: EE (like in SEE and BEE).

Reading: We are reading Big Books by the author, Joy Cowley. Students are learning one-to-one matching (see the Reading Strategies tab for more information). We are also reading books about the beginning of school and books about being friends in school.

Writing: We are writing a book together about shapes using our sight words of the week. This week we are learning that a sentence starts with an uppercase letter and ends with a period. We are working on putting finger spaces in between our words. We are also learning that our ABC Sound Chart helps us to identify sounds/letters in words.

Math: We are learning to identify, order, write, and count numbers to 30.We are also learning the days of the week and months of the year.

Leadership: Here at ILCS, we focus on a certain leadership theme each month. This month our theme is "responsibility". We will discuss ways to be responsible at home and at school.

Homework: August 22

Flashcards: Please make flashcards for our new sight words (WE, CAN, SEE, A) and letter teams (EE). Study these flashcards every day. Have your child read the word, spell the word, read the word. Please see the Sight Word tab for more flashcard ideas. We will have a spelling and dictation test on our sight words every Friday! A dictation test means we will be asking your child to dictate a sentence using the sight words of the week. We will not only be looking for the words to be spelled correctly, but also for an uppercase at the beginning, spaces between words, and a period at the end. An example of a dictation sentence may be "We can see a dog." It may be a good idea to have a practice test with your child on Thursday night!

Reading: Read to your child every day.

Math: Practice counting 1-30 or higher, identify numbers out of order (make number flashcards!), number writing practice, and practice drawing shapes.

Writing: PRACTICE WRITING YOUR NAME with an uppercase only at the beginning. Practice writing ABC's uppercase and lowercase (Aa, Bb, Cc) - please see your child's writing assessment that will go home this week. Also, practice writing your sight words of the week for the spelling test on Friday!

Sharing: You should have received a flier about making a Kindergarten Book Box in your child's GO FOLDER. This book box will be used to store his/her little books that we will be making throughout the year. You may use a cardboard shoebox or plastic container. Your child may choose to paint his/her box, cover it with colored paper, wallpaper, fabric, etc. Some ideas might be to use sequins, beads, stones, gems, stickers, foam letters, and so on. Please feel free to assist your child and use your imagination to decorate! These boxes will be shared in class throughout the week. Please send these boxes to school any day next week - they then returned that day to live at home with you.

Thank you for your support and have fun making those boxes!!

Here is an example of one of our wonderful book boxes from last year...

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

First Day of School

The first day of school is almost here! I am looking forward to meeting all of you! Please bring your child directly to the playground in the morning - the classroom will not be open until 8:10. We invite all parents to join us for the first ten minutes of class on Thursday as we read our first book together.

On Thursday, your child will come home with a first day packet. Please review items in this packet and return the two emergency release cards and authorization to use computers form as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation!

Please join us for our Back to School Night THIS THURSDAY (the first day of school!) beginning at 5:30 in the Lion's Den (Church Sanctuary). You will have the opportunity to learn about our curriculum, homework and classroom procedures, volunteer program, class schedule, and so much more. I look forward to seeing you Thursday night!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Welcome to ILCS Kindergarten!!!!

Welcome to kindergarten!! I am Miss Reeve and I am thrilled to be your child's kindergarten teacher! Over the next year, you will become very familiar with our classroom website, checking it EVERY WEEK for homework, announcements, pictures of us having fun, and classroom news. Please note that the website is still under construction as I'm getting ready for the new school year, but feel free to look around and familiarize yourself! Check out our Class Wish List tab for Back-to-School Supplies and remember - you do NOT need to bring back packs to school.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our classroom website for the first time of many!! Have a wonderful last few weeks of summer and I will meet you all soon!