The Mitten Tree and More

*The Student Council is collecting new or lightly used mittens, scarves and hats to donate to those in need. They will be collecting these items until December 19th. 

*Our class Holiday Party will be on Friday, December 19th at 10:55 am. We will make a fun craft and enjoy yummy snacks. Parents are welcome to come and celebrate with us.

*Winter break is from December 22nd-January 2nd. 

*We just began our Gingerbread Study.  We are reading a variety of different Gingerbread books and then we are writing, labeling, measuring, drawing, creating diagrams all about Gingerbread men.  Students love this unit and it's so much fun to see their creativity at work.

I hope everyone enjoyed some rest and relaxation with their families over Thanksgiving break.

Tomorrow, Wednesday December 3rd is a Late Start day.  School begins at 11:30 and students eat lunch at school as normal at 11:40.

The December Scholastic book order will sent home on Friday.  You are also welcome to order books online at https://clubs2.scholastic.com, our classroom code is H6MZ7.   If you choose to return your order form to me, please send it to school on Monday, December 8th to ensure the order arrives before Winter break.  If you choose to order books as gifts, I'm happy to make arrangements for pick up when the books arrive.

Kindergarten winter literacy assessments will begin December 15th.  Please continue reading with your child and helping learn the monthly sight words. December's sight words are: yes, no, cat, dog, big, red, run & by.  I'll send them home on card stock on Friday.

Thank you to all who donated disinfecting wipes, we now have enough to last us for a while. :)

It's A New Trimester!

*Today begins a new trimester.  Students will now be attending PE on Mondays and Music on Wednesdays.

*During whole group literacy instruction we are reading books and writing about our literacy themes- All About Me and Meet My Family.  Students are writing about why they are special, what they like to do, what their favorite foods are, their family members, where they live and what they are thankful for, etc.  The comprehension strategy we are focusing on is Creating Mental Images when reading.  Students are learning that, good readers make pictures in their minds as they read and creating mental images help readers remember and better understand what they read.  Students are also learning about  American history and how children in the past are both similar and different to children today.

*In math, students are learning about addition and finding "partners" that make up a number, ie.
4 & 1 and 3 & 2 are partners of 5 and then we are extending their thinking into addition problems
 (4 + 1 = 5) & (3 + 2 = 5).

*Please check the the Lost & Found for any items your child may have lost at school. It is overflowing and the school will be donating all unclaimed clothing at the end of the week.

Cans & Counting

*Our class is collecting canned goods for Legacy's annual food drive through November 17th.  If you are able, please send in some non-perishable food items with your child.  The class who collects the the most cans will win a PIZZA PARTY!

*As an extension to our weekly homework assignments, please help your child count as high as they can and help them reach 100. Our end of the year goal is   that every Kindergartner will be able to count to 100.  Also, help your child write their numbers 0-20.  

Animals, pumpkins and a whole lot more!

     During whole group literacy instruction we are learning about What Animals Need.  We are reading a variety of non-fiction and fiction books about animals.  The following are some of our vocabulary words we learning and writing about in class, burrow, hunt, travel, shelter, carry & gather.  The comprehension strategy we are working on is asking questions.  I've been teaching our class that, "good readers ask questions as they read to learn more about what they are reading."
     We also are learning about pumpkins, students have learned and have written about the different parts of pumpkins and are participating in several activities connected to pumpkins. On Friday, during science students will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin. Many of our read-alouds are about pumpkins and autumn.
    In math, we are learning about 2D & 3D shapes and recognizing them in the environment.  We are continuing to work with groups of five and counting as high as we can.

Important Dates

* This Friday, Oct. 17^th there is no school.

* On Monday, Oct. 20^th at 10am our whole school will have our picture taken in honor of Legacy’s 10-year anniversary.

* Friday, Oct. 24^th is picture retakes.

* Thursday, Oct. 30^th is Legacy’s annual Trick or Treat Festival at 6pm.

* Our class Halloween party will be on Friday, Oct. 31^st at 11am. I will email out a volunteer sign-up page for parents to provide goodies, craft materials, etc. in the next week.

* The October Scholastic book order is due Monday, Oct. 20^th. (I'll send home the order form tomorrow) Our class online code is: H6MZ7,  I promise that the turn around time on this book order will be much faster than September’s order! If I process our class order on the 20^th, the books should arrive within a week. J

Literacy

We just finished up our apple study.  Now during whole group literacy instruction our class is reading books and poems about healthy foods.  Some of the vocabulary words we are reviewing/learning are: vitamin, breakfast, supper, health, enjoy & need.  The comprehension strategy we are learning is inferring.  I've been telling students that, "good readers use what they already know to make a smart guess about the story."  You can help your child infer by providing them with everyday examples.  Let's play a guessing game. Use what you already know to make a guess...Where would I be going if I had a baseball and glove? A blanket and a picnic basket?  A backpack and homework?

This morning students will be participating in the school districts annual hearing and vision screening.  This week we will be studying different types of Colorado leaves and looking at various leaves with magnifying glasses.  We also are beginning to learn about Word Families. Children are recognizing and creating consonant-vowel-consonant word patterns. So far we have studied the AT & AN word families. Examples of WF words are cat, bat, sat, mat etc.

Exciting Day!

On Wednesday our class will be making applesauce! Students will see the apples transform into applesauce throughout the day. It's a great opportunity for students to observe solids turn into liquids.  Also, we will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies from Mrs. May's class and they will be reading their personal narrative stories to us.

Welcome!

Welcome to our classroom blog.  I will be periodically updating the blog with information on lessons and activities our class is participating in.  Please visit the blog every few days to stay current on the latest information.