Weekly Update 12/16-12/20

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Bb.
• We finished learning about hibernation.
• We learned the word black.
• We worked on creating patterns.
• We had a cheetah rally.
• We had a winer party.

After Break:

• We will focus on the letter Nn.
• We will learn words in the –ip word family.
• We will read a story called I Was So Mad and work on identifying feelings.
• We will learn the words gray, on, and all.
• We will work on teen numbers and sequencing numbers to 20.
• We will learn how to write the abbreviated date (ex. 1-6-20).

Keeping Busy Over Break:

• Have students read books with you.  It is great practice!
• Practice reading our sight words both in isolation and in sentences.
• Do the winter break homework sheet in your child's folder today for a small prize.
• Have your child practice tying their shoes and zipping their own coat over winter break. Thank you for your help with this!

Reminders and Other News:

• A new reading log for January is in your child's folder today.  Please return December reading logs by January 7th for a pizza coupon and a bookmark.
• As we near the end of 2019, I would like to tell you how much I have enjoyed teaching your children these past few months.  It is exciting to see how much they have learned since they first walked through the door in September.  It will be even more amazing to see the difference at the end of the year.  I hope you have noticed it as well.

Enjoy your Winter Break!!!

Weekly Update 12/9-12/13

This Week:

• We worked on the letter Ii.
• We learned the words are, for, and brown.
• We read Bear Snores On and talked about retelling and sequencing.
• We worked on making patterns.
• We continued to learn about hibernation.

Next Week:

• We will work on the letter Bb.
• We will learn the words black, they, and up.
• We will read a a story called When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry and talk about making connections.
• We will continue working on patterns.
• We will have a cheetah rally and a winter party.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• What are some words that start with Ii?
• What stories did you read this week?
• What are the new sight words from this week?

Reminders and Other News:

• Make sure your child brings all their winter gear every day.  Students are not allowed to play in the snow unless they have boots and snow pants.

Weekly Update 12/2-12/6

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Cc.
• We learned words in the -am word family.
• We learned the words is, am, and pink.
• We read Whistle for Willie and talked about comprehension.
• We learned about patterns.
• We learned about hibernation.

Next Week:

• We will work on the letter Ii.
• We will learn the words are, for, and brown.
• We will learn words in the –it word family.
• We will read Bear Snores On and talk about retelling.
• We will work on making patterns.
• We will continue to learn about hibernation.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you some words that begin with long or short Aa or have Aa as the middle sound.
• To put the numbers 1-20 in order.
• To write their name using correct capitalization.
• To tell you some words that are in the –am word family.
• To count by 10’s to 100.

Reminders and Other News:

• It is getting colder and snowy outside, so please remember to send a jacket, hat, waterproof mittens, boots, and snow pants to school with your child each day. Many of these items get misplaced throughout the day, so please label all of your child’s outerwear with their name so we can easily get it back to them. Students have a lot of gear to bring home.  It might be helpful to send them to school with a canvas-type bag to keep some of their supplies in.  This should hopefully cut down on the number of mittens and hats lost as well. 

Weekly Update 11/18-11/22

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Pp.
• We learned the words in, it, and orange.
• We learned words in the –ap word family.
• We read a story called Cat's Colors and worked on making connections.
• We practiced reading and doubling numbers to 10 and subitizing.

Next Week:

• We will focus on the letter Cc.
• We will learn words in the –an word family
• We will read Whistle for Willie and work on making inferences.
• We will work on identifying, completing, and creating patterns.
• We will start to learn about hibernation.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you some words that begin with Pp.
• To put the numbers 1-20 in order.
• To write their name using correct capitalization.
• To tell you some words that are in the -ap word family. Help your child “chop” or hear all the sounds in these words.
• To read you these words: get, look, in, it, red, blue, yellow, green, orange.

Reminders and Other News:

• It is getting colder, so please remember to send a jacket, hat, mittens, boots, and snow pants (soon) to school with your child each day. Make sure that the mittens and boots you send are appropriate for very cold temperatures and will not soak through when they get wet.  Many of these items get misplaced throughout the day, so please label all of your child’s outerwear with their name so we can easily get it back to them. Students have a lot of gear to bring home.  It might be helpful to send them to school with a canvas-type bag to keep some of their supplies in.  This should hopefully cut down on the number of mittens and hats lost as well.
• November reading logs are due by Monday next week.  A new reading log for December is in your child's cheetah binder today. 
• There is no school next week.  We will see all students back on December 2nd!

Weekly Update 11/11-11/15

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Ss.
• We learned the words green, look, and get.
• We learned about syllables and reviewed our Kindergarten words.
• We read a story called If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and worked on cause and effect.
• We learned words in the -at word family.
• We worked on subitizing numbers to 10.
• We learned about Veterans Day.

Next Week:

• We will focus on the letter Pp.
• We will read a story called Cat's Colors and work on sequencing.
• We will learn the words orange, in, and it.
• We will learn words in the -ap word family.
• We will learn about Thanksgiving.
• We will do some fun turkey activities.
• We will work on doubling the numbers 1-6 and counting by 10's.

What to ask your Kindergartener:

• To count backwards from 20
• To sequence the numbers 0-10
• To name some words that start with Ss

Reminders and Other News:

• Cold weather is here and students need winter gear every day for recess.  They should also be practicing putting on and zipping snow gear if they don't know how to do this yet.  Thanks for your help!
• I would highly suggest getting a canvas type bag for all of your child's snow gear so it is easier for them to store in the hallway.

Weekly Update 11/4-11/8

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Aa.
• We learned the words we, at, and purple.
• We read a story called My Friends and talked about making connections.
• We  learned how to group numbers to 10 and talked about dice patterns.
• We learned about pumpkins.

Next Week:

• We will focus on the letter Ss.
• We will learn the words green, look, and get.
• We will read a story called If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and talk about characters.
• We will continue toward on grouping numbers to 10 and begin to learn about counting by 10's.
• We will begin learning about Thanksgiving.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you the vowels.
• To tell you some words that start with Aa.
• To count backwards from 20
• To identify letters and their sounds.

Reminders and Other News:

• It is continuing to get colder outside and students need jackets every day.  Please have your child practice pulling sleeves out (when they are inside out), putting on their own jacket, and zipping it up at home.  This will make heading out to recess and getting ready to go home much more efficient as it takes a long time for one adult to help all students with their jackets.  It is also helpful to start practicing putting on snow pants independently as snow will be coming soon.  Thanks!
• I would highly suggest getting a canvas-type bag for all of your child's snow gear so it is easier for them to carry it and store in the hallway when the time comes.

Weekly Update 10/28-10/31

This Week:

• We worked practiced the letter Aa and learned about vowels.
• We learned the words go, to, and yellow.
• We worked on using and identifying prepositions.
• We worked on reading, writing, and identifying the numbers 0-10.
• We learned about spiders.
• We had our Fall party.
• We had a cheetah rally.

Next Week:

• We will continue to work on the letter Aa and learn about vowels.
• We will learn words in the -at word family.
• We will learn the words purple, we, at
• We will read a story called My Friends and work on making connections.
• We will continue learning about the numbers 0-10.
• We will learn about pumpkins.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you some words we have learned.
• To tell you the vowels.
• To tell you some words that start with Aa.
• To tell you the two sounds that Aa makes.

Reminders and Other News:

• No school tomorrow (November 1st).
• Reading logs for October are due on Monday for a bookmark and a pizza coupon.

Weekly Update 10/21-10/25

This Week:

• We learned about the letter Tt.
• We learned the words blue, can, and see.
• We worked on identifying beginning sounds in words.
• We read a story called You are Not My Friend, But I Miss You and worked on making connections.
• We read stories about apples and bats.
• We practiced the numbers 0-10.
• We went on a field trip to the apple orchard!

Next Week:

• We will learn about the letter Aa.
• We will read a story called The Pumpkin Circle and work on vocabulary.
• We will learn the word yellow and review our other sight words.
• We will continue to practice the numbers 0-10 and counting.
• We will learn about spiders.
• We will have a fall party and a cheetah rally!

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To read these words: can, see, red, blue
• To tell you some words that start with Tt.
• To blend these sounds back together: c-at, r-am, f-ish.
• To tell you if the letter Tt is at the beginning or end of these words: rat, tiger, bet, train
• To count to 50.
• To write the numbers 0-10 in order with no reversals.

Reminders and Other News:  

• It is getting colder outside, so please remember to send a jacket to school with your child each day.

Weekly Update 10/7-10/11

This Week:

• We focused on the letter Mm.
• We learned the words the, like, and red.
• We worked on and rhyming and beginning sounds.
• We read a story called Pig the Fibber and worked on making predictions.
• We worked on sorting by attributes and writing numbers.
• We learned about fire safety.

Next Week:

• We will start working on an ABC journal.
• We will read some stories about Fall and do a fun fall art project.

After Fall Break:

• We will focus on the letter Tt.
• We will read a story called Stellaluna and work on making connections.
• We will learn the words can, see, blue.
• We will read stories about apples.
• We will practice reading and writing numbers to 10.
• We will go to the apple orchard.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you some things that start with Mm.
• To read these words: I, a, the, like.
• To count backwards from 10.

Reminders and Other News:

• Don't forget to place book orders by Monday at 11:00 AM.
• There is no school on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday next week due to conferences and fall break.
• Please send library books back to school with your child on Thursday each week so they can check out a new one. 

Weekly Update 9/30-10/4

• This Week:
• We learned about the letters T-Z and worked on matching upper and lowercase letters.
• We learned the sight words I and a.
• We worked on recognizing names and letter sounds.
• We read a story called Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten and talked about community helpers. 
• We learned about independent reading.
• We worked on shapes.

Next Week:

• We will focus on the letter Mm.
• We will learn the words the and like.
• We will read a story called Pig the Pug and work on sharing with a partner.
• We will work on building our independent reading stamina.
• We will work on sorting and tally marks.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To tell you their favorite Kindergarten song.
• To tell you the words we have learned so far in Kindergarten.
• To identify sets of objects up to 10.

Reminders and Other News:

• Conferences are coming up on October 15th and 16th.  Please sign up for a conference time as soon as possible if you have not already.  ptcfast.com/schools/VVE1
• Please send library books back to school with your child on Thursdays each week so they can check out a new one. 
• A book order letter is in your child's cheetah binder today.  If you would like to place an order, follow the directions listed.  Thanks!
• A new reading log went home in the cheetah binder today.  Return at the end of the month for a prize.
• Please help your child practice tying their shoes.  Shoes come untied frequently during the day, and untied laces are a distraction.  Thanks! 
• If your child does not have their lunch number memorized yet, please help them work on this over the next few weeks to help make getting through the lunch line more efficient.

Weekly Update 9/24-9/28

This Week:

• We practiced the letters N-S.
• We worked on letter sounds and recognizing names of students in our class.
• We learned about why and how we read books.
• We learned about shapes.
• We practiced working independently on table work.

Rules to Reinforce:

• Keep your hands to yourself
• Inside voices
• Raise your hand if you want to share
• Be a good listener

Next Week:

• We will practice more letters of the alphabet.
• We will continue working on names and begin working on rhyming.
• We will learn about shapes and tallying and do some number practice.
• We will learn about community and school helpers.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To sequence events in a familiar story
• To practice writing their first name with correct capitalization.
• To tell you about why we read books.

Reminders and Other News:

• Please send library books back to school with your child on Thursdays each week so they can check out a new one. 
•  Please return all September reading logs by Wednesday for a reward.  Thanks!  The October reading log will go home next week.
• Please make sure to send a water bottle to school with your child each day if they are thirsty.
• If your child does not have their lunch number memorized yet, please help them work on this over the next few weeks to help make getting through the lunch line more efficient.
• Check out our class blog and become a member or sign up for email updates to be notified when I make a weekly post. The weekly update is only posted here each week so please check it out!
• Conferences are coming up soon!  If you have not done so already, please sign up for a conference using the link below.

ptcfast.com/schools/VVE1

conference link

Sign up for conferences by Friday 9/27.  More information about signing up is in your child's backpack today.
ptcfast.com/schools/VVE1

conference sign ups

Information about signing up for conferences will be coming to you on Monday! Please be looking for an email from the school about signing up.  Thanks!

Weekly Update 9/16-9/20

This Week at School:

• We practiced the letters F-M.
• We practiced our letter chant.
• We started learning about shapes.
• We worked on sitting quietly and raising our hands during carpet time.
• We made self-portraits.
• We learned about what it means to focus.

Next Week:

• We will practice the letters N-S.
• We will work on rhyming.
• We will read a story called My Friends and learn about reading together.
• We will talk about how to read books.
• We will learn more about shapes.
• We will learn about families.
• We will begin our word wall and recognizing each other's names.

What to Ask your Kindergartener:

• To tell you the sounds and motions we learned for the letters A-M.
• To practice writing their first name (trying to write it with one capital letter and the rest lowercase). 
• To count to 30.
• To tell you the carpet and line basics.

Reminders and Other News:

• Please continue to keep track of all books you read to your child or your child reads to you this month on your child's reading log.  Return it in at the end of the month for a special prize.  You will receive a new reading log each month. 
• If your child does not have their lunch number memorized yet, please help them work on this over the next few weeks to help make getting through the lunch line more efficient.
• It would be helpful if you could put your child’s name in their lunchbox and on their water bottle as these things often get misplaced.
• Check out our class blog and become a member or sign up for email updates to be notified when I make a weekly post. 
• If you have not returned a permission slip for the 10/23 field trip yet, please fill out the new one in your child's cheetah binder today as soon as possible.

Weekly Update 9/9-9/13

This Week:

• We talked about the alphabet and matching upper and lowercase letters A-E.
• We practiced writing our names.
• We learned about our classroom rules

Next Week:

• We will continue to practice matching upper and lowercase letters.
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• We will learn about shapes.
• We will learn about bus safety.
• We will go to the library for the first time.

What to Ask Your Kindergartener:

• To write their first name.
• To tell you the Kindergarten Rules.
• To open their cheetah binder so you can take out their papers from the folder in the front.

Reminders and Other News: 

• Your child is welcome to bring a water bottle to school every day.   If your child does not have a water bottle consider sending one.  Kids get thirsty during the day so it helps to have water bottles available.
• Check out our class blog and sign up for email updates to be notified when I make a weekly post.  Please let me know if you need help with this.
• A permission slip for our field trip on October 23rd was sent home last week.  Please fill out and return as soon as possible.
• Please  keep track of all books you read to your child or your child reads to you this month on your child's reading log.  This is in the cheetah binder today.   Return it in at the end of the month for a special prize.  You will receive a new reading log each month.