Winter Break Fun...

I know this is not all school related, but I thought I would share what I have been doing over the winter break.  I have been able to spend a lot of time with my family.  It has been a blast.  I cannot believe how much Lainey has grown in the past 9 months.  We also have enjoyed the snow.  Shannon loves snow and is hoping Lainey will love it just as much.  We did not have a sled, so we had to improvise.  We are excited because one of Lainey's gifts this year is a pass to the Newport Aquarium (once we go, I am sure I will let you all know).  We are looking forward to using that during these cold winter months.  I think she will love going through the tunnels with the fish surrounding her.  I hope you all are doing a lot of fun things over your break.  I look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday and Thursday.  Feel free to leave a comment and share what has been happening!

Fun from PTO...

The "B" Class photo from the PTO!

Holiday Fun...

Shannon, Lainey, and I went to the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo this weekend (we bought a membership for Lainey for one of her Christmas Gifts and thought we should already put it to use).  It was such a great family outing and enjoyed the crowds of laughter, listening to people, and of course...drinking hot chocolate.  I hope you and your family have some holiday fun.  I would love to hear about it.  If you children want they can always write a story about the fun and share it with the class.  In addition, you can share it on the blog and we will read it together in class!

Lainey waving "Hi" to everyone!

Last Week of 2012...

We will be having our Winter Party on Wednesday the 19th and Friday the 21st.  I have contacted families to bring in items.  If I contacted you, please send the items in on the assigned party day.  If I did not contact you, please do not send in any items.  This is so we are not wasteful.  In addition, we have several students with allergies and I want to make sure all children are safe and are able to enjoy all the items at the party.  I do appreciate your cooperation in this.  There will be other opportunities for you to contribute later in the year.

This will be our last week of school for 2012.  It is amazing how quickly the year has gone and how much the children have learned.  We will start Week 2 of Reading Street; however, we will continue this right when we return in January.  We will continue to work on the following sight words: she, me, with.  I have noticed many children starting to confuse: she, me, he, and we.  In addition, I would encourage you to work on the word and.  We see this word a lot in our stories.  I encourage you to still take time to read to your child and continue to work on letter sounds and simple 3 letter words over the holiday break.  This is important as we will be having our DIBELS assessment when we return from break.  In addition, the children will be bringing home a journal to be able to write in during their time off.  We encourage the children to draw a picture and write a simple sentence.  When writing the sentence we like the children to listen to the sounds of words and write what they hear.  The children can return these to school on January 2nd or 3rd.  I will read them and allow the children to read them to the class.  (Please note I do not expect words to be written correctly.  I encourage the children to segment the word and write the sounds they hear.  For example, if your child was trying to write "pick," I would expect to see the word "pik" or "pic."  If your child was trying to write "present," I would probably see "prznt" or "prezt" or "pezt)

In addition, I have completed the first round of math assessments.  Some children are having difficulty with counting to 50.  Many children are able to count to 39 and then skip to 50 or they make it to 49 and skip to 60.  The second quarter requires children to be able to count to 50 to be considered "Making Progress."  We will also be taking the addition assessment when we return from break.  The children have to be able to understand addition is to put things together and figure out that 3 and 2 more is 5.

I hope you all have a great holiday break!  I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on January 2nd for the A class and January 3rd for the B class!  

Happy Holidays...

I hope everyone is having a great December.  I am looking forward to the remaining week and a half with the children!

With Love Christmas Card

Visit Shutterfly.com for classic photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

December Fun...

This coming week we are going into Unit 3 of Reading Street and will be reading "Little Panda."  We will be working on two letters and their associated sounds: Nn and Bb.  The letter Bb is a short sound; therefore, please do not have your children add the "uh" sound.  In addition, we will have three new sight words: she, me, with.  We will also be continuing to work with our other sight words and using them in writing sentences.  Please encourage your child to be writing at home on their days off.  We love to see what your child does on their day off and they can bring their writing into class and share.  We are hoping to have at home journals beginning in the next couple weeks!

In math, we are continuing to to work with addition.  The children are being introduced to number sentences.  It is important when working on number sentences to show the equation like: 2 + 4 = 6 AND 6 = 2 + 4.  The children must be able to recognize these are the same.  This can be tricky for the children.  We are working on this every day and the homework packet should work on the skill too.  The children are allowed to use counters to help them figure out the answer; however, children must be fluent in their addition facts by the end of the year.  This means children should automatically know 2+3=5, 1+3=4, etc.

Finally, we are planning the "Winter Celebration" for the children.  The celebration will be held on Wednesday the 19th and Friday the 21st at 1:45.  We are asking families not to send in items unless asked too.  This is important as we do have allergies in the classroom and we want to make sure we are able to include everyone and not to exclude them.  In addition, we do not want to be wasteful with our food.  We would hate to have 3 people send in cupcakes and not be able to use all of them.  We will be sending out more information in the coming week!  We appreciate your patience and your help as we plan a great celebration for the children.

Addition Fun...

One of the things we did to practice addition this week was with this tree game board and two dice.  The children had to roll two dice and then add the numbers together (the children had to also say the number sentence too).  For example, if your child rolled a 4 and 3, they had to say 4 plus 3 equals 7.  Once the children said the number sentence, they had to color in the corresponding ornament.  The children had a blast playing!  Here is a sheet you can print off at home and play too!  Enjoy...

Fun in the Classroom...

The children working hard on math and reading!

This week, we will continue our work with the letter Ii. The children did very well with the short Ii sound last week and we are looking forward to creating more words to blend with the letters we have learned. Our sight words/popcorn words will remain the same this week, “for” and “he”. Please practice these words, and previously learned sight words/popcorn words, with your children at home! It should take them no more than 3 seconds to identify the words.

We will be extending our work with segmentation this week and continuing to bridge this into our writing. Last week, we saw some amazing writing during our writing time. The students are beginning to segment the words and write the sounds that they hear. Please remember when you are looking at their work, it is developmentally appropriate for children to only hear the first and/or last sound of a word. Some children may be able to hear and write the middle sound too, but remember this is the last sound the children hear!

In math we will begin Chapter 5.  Chapter 5 homework is being sent home on Monday and Tuesday.  The homework should not be overwhelming for the children and is suppose to review what is happening in class in a way they can complete independently.  This chapter delves into addition.  We will work with the addition symbol and the equals sign.  Our program also teaches the number sentence to look like the following: 2 + 3 = 5 and 5 = 3 + 2.  I think the children will be successful with addition.  One great way to practice is with pennies.  As a class, we will also continue counting to 50. Counting will be done daily, as children need to be able to count to 50 by the end of the second quarter. Please encourage your child to count at home! The more practice they have, the better counters they will become!

We have been completing many 2nd quarter assessments over the past few weeks and we are very pleased with the progress we are seeing. Thank you, again, for all of your extra support at home and continuing to review activities/lessons with them at home when they are absent!

The End of November...

This week ends November and begins December and I cannot believe we are already this far into the year. The amazing thing is we have only had school approximately 30 days because of the unique schedule (this shows just how important being at school is every day). I am pleased with how the children are working hard and learning a lot too. I sure hope you have seen this at home. In addition, please continue to work on letter sounds, sight words, and numbers at home daily. The progress made would not be possible without your help at home as I only have them 2 or 3 days a week. In addition, it is important for your child to be at school. If they are ill and have to miss school please contact me and I can let you know what your child has missed. It is helpful for you to review these things with your child. In addition, if you another child in the school I am able to send home work with them.

This week we will be working on the letter Ii and its sound of /i/ as in igloo, insect, ink, etc. This sound can be easily confused with the short e sound as in elephant, elevator, escalator, etc. We will be working on this particular sound and reading a series of new words with short i and a. This will allow us to have some new words to work with and to blend. In addition, we will be working with new sight words.  This week the words are for and he. We will continue to work with segmentation and begin bridging this into our writing. The children will begin to develop an understanding of when you are unsure of how to spell a word, you can segment the word to hear all the sounds. Currently, it is developmentally appropriate for children to only hear the first and/or last sound of a word. Some children may be able to hear the middle sound too, but be aware this is the last sound children hear.

In math, we will conclude our work with the number 10.  The children should be able to recognize numbers 0-10 and be able to tell you numbers which are greater than and less than.  The children should also be able to tell you how many more you would need to get to 10.  We will be having our Chapter 4 test on Wednesday and Thursday.  I am very pleased with the progress thus far!  We will be sending home new math homework the first week of December!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Kindergarten Fun...

This week we decided to have an art day in kindergarten.  The children did a great job and they learned about Thanksgiving, what they are thankful for, and also then and now.  We read "Thanks for Thanksgiving."  Here are a few pictures of the day!  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!



Thanksgiving Fun...

This week we only have school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We will be continuing our work from last week and reviewing what we have learned this year.  In addition, we will be having a little Thanksgiving fun this week!  If you are traveling I hope you have a safe trip. I also hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I look forward to hearing the children talk about what they did over their mini break. I would love for your child to draw a picture of what they did on Thanksgiving and try to write a sentence (they can bring it to school when they return for me to check and for them to share).

More Excitement...

Explaining how she figured out 8 eggs (she saw a group of 4 and then 4 more)

Explaining how he figured out 10 (he said it looked like a 10's frame and new it was 10)

This week we are going to move on to the letter Cc. We will be working with the children on how to produce a hard Cc sound. On some of their papers, you may notice this written like /k/. The hard Cc sound is comparable to our Kk sound (candy, cup, cat, color). We will work on blending words together, such as, cap, tap, Cam, sap, etc.  In addition to learning the letter and sound of Cc, we will also continue to work with the sight words/popcorn words: like, we, and my.  Our story this week is about Bears.  We will discuss what Bears do during the winter and read the story "Bear Snores On."  The children will also identify what happened first, second, and third in the story through sequencing.

Please continue to practice all letters, letter sounds, and sight words at home. Your continued support and work with your children at home has become very evident in the classroom. We greatly appreciate all of your extra time and effort.

Ideas for Letter/Sound Practice at Home:
1- Have students identify letter names on flashcards.
2- Have students go on a letter hunt in your home to find specific letters.
3- Have students identify letter sounds on flashcards.
4- Have students go on a sound hunt in your home to find specific items that start with a specific sound (a, m, t, s, p, c).
5- Have students begin to practice blending sounds into words. Place three letter cards in front of your child (with a vowel in the middle) and have your child begin to blend the word. Please remember, these do not have to be real words...they can be nonsense/make believe words as well!

In math, we are continuing to work with Chapter 4 and comparing numbers to 10.  The children should be able to identify numbers which are more and fewer or greater and less.  In addition, the children are making 10 with various numbers.  This is just a fancy way of addition facts to 10 without using the symbols.  For example, your child should be able to say 6 and 4 is 10, 7 and 3 is 10, etc.  The math homework goes along with what we are practicing in the classroom.  Please remember math homework is due on November 19 and 20.

Have a fantastic week!

Report Cards...

Report cards will be coming home today for the B class and Monday for the A class.  Your child can receive a grade of limited progress (L), making progress (M), or proficient (P).  If your child is proficient it means your child can do the skill listed on the report card independently every time.  If your child is making progress it means they are working towards the skill listed, but has not mastered it fully yet.  If your child receives limited progress this would mean your child needs support to meet the skill listed.  The skills listed are end of the year goals; therefore, if your child is making progress (M) that is really good because they are headed to the skill.  Our goal is to have every student proficient in all areas at the end of the year and making progress throughout the year.  We will be discussing the report card more in depth at conferences!

Learning...

This week is an interesting week because we do not have school on Tuesday.  This means I will see the A class on Monday and Wednesday and the B class on Thursday and Friday.  On Tuesday teachers have Professional Development.  In addition, Tuesday is election day and I hope everyone will go out and vote.

In the classroom we will be working on the letter Pp.  This letter has a short quick sound and says /p/.  When you practice this sound try not to let your child say /puh/ (this would mean your child is producing two sounds rather than one).  This is important when children try to blend words together.  We will also be working on new sight words or popcorn words (like, we, my).  Please continue to practice all the letter sounds we have learned.  You can write the letters on a card and have your child say the sounds.  In addition, you can place three letters out with a vowel in the middle and have your child begin to blend the word.  These words can be real or make believe.  It is okay for your child to read a make believe word because the purpose is to practice blending.

In math, we are beginning Chapter 4.  The children will begin to learn about the number 10.  The children will also need to compare numbers (greater than, less than, more, fewer).  We will also explore ways to make 10.  This entails children to understand 6 and 4 make 10, 3 and 7 make 10, etc.  This is the first stages of understanding addition.  We will also be working on counting to 50.  All children are expected to count to 50 by the conclusion of 2nd quarter and by the end of the year to 100.  Our goal is to have all children counting to 100 as quickly as possible.

Have a great week!

Reading Buddies...

Each month we get together with our reading buddies from Mrs. Birrer's (A Day) and Mrs. Wright's (B Day) first grade classrooms.  This month we read a fantastic book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything."  We identified the characters and setting.  Then the children wrote about their favorite part and what they thought the Little Old Lady would see out her window.

 

Learning in 116...

This coming week we will be doing a lot of learning. In reading street we will continue our study on how animals and plants are unique. We will be working on the sound of Ss. Currently the children have learned the sounds m, t, a, and now s. In addition to know the sounds in isolation, we have been working on putting these sounds together to make words. Children should be able to blend (saying the sounds to form the word) and read the following words: mat, tam, sat, and sam. When practicing blending with your child, have your child say the sounds slowly without stopping (mmmmmmaaaaaaat). Furthermore, children should also be able to read the sight words: I, am, have, little, to, a, the, is. In addition, please continue to practice letter identification with your child. Many children are doing extremely well with this skill and some need to continue to practice. I will be sending home your child's October alphabet assessment next week!


In math, we will be finishing Chapter 3 (reading, counting, and writing numbers to 9).  The children will take their Chapter 3 test on Wednesday or Thursday.  The skills your child will be tested over are on the math homework.  In regards to math homework, your child should turn it in on Monday or Tuesday.  We have noticed children who do their homework are doing better on the math tests.  We will begin Chapter 4 the following week.  We will be working on counting and comparing numbers up to 10.

Thank you for all of your support!  The children are doing an awesome job!

Book Fair...

We will be going to the book fair on Wednesday and Thursday! If you have any questions please let me know. We have books from many price ranges.  Children should be bringing home flyers this week regarding the book fair and also books which will be available!

Classroom Thinking...

This week we have been working with numbers up to 9. In addition, we have been working with ways to count a set. Here are two students explaining their thinking with how they counted a set.

This Week...

This week we will be working on the letter sound /a/ as in apple, ant, and ax. The children will begin to develop the understanding of decoding simple words, such as, tam, mat, and am. As you are at home working you can show your child these letters and have them begin saying the sounds. You can place the letters m, a, and t on a card and mix them up and have your child say the appropriate sound. This is the beginning skill to decoding words. In addition, please continue to work on letter identification with your child.  I am in the process of assessing the children.  You may have noticed on Wednesday or Thursday your child has been bringing home a book with letters, sounds, and a story. This is what we use in our reading groups during the week. Your child should be able to show you how he or she can read the letters, sounds, words, and sentences. You can have your child be the teacher and teach you how we complete the booklet in the classroom. This is a great way for your child to take ownership and show you what they are learning.

In math, we are continuing to work with numbers up to 9.  This past week your child did bring home Chapter 3 homework and their Chapter 2 test.  Please review both of these with your child.  The homework is due back either October 29 or October 30.  Children should be able to read and write the numbers to 9.  In addition, children should be able to compare the numbers (greater, more, fewer, less).  One great game to play with your child is using a deck of cards or a set of number cards written on an index card.  Here are two children playing the game:


 I hope you have a great week!

This Week in Kindergarten...

This week we will continue to work on letter identification and letter sounds. We will work on the letter Tt and the sound /t/. When working with your child be cautious not to add an /u/ sound at the end. For example, the beginning sound of top would be /t/ not /tuh/. This is important when children learn to blend words together. We will also be continuing to work on our sight words of a and to. We will also be working on the sight word of the. This particular word seems to confuse some of the children. One thing you can do at home is play memory with the sight words by writing the words on index cards and have your child try to match them. In addition, when they find the match they would need to say the word. One of the most valuable things you can be doing with your child right now is simply reading to them. I would recommend taking your child to the library and having them choose some books and throughout the day or evening sit down and read with them. This promotes vocabulary development, fluent reading, comprehension, and word identification.


Almost all the children can write their name with a capital letter and lowercase letters; therefore, we are ready to move forward with writing words and sentences. This will take place whole group and during our small group time.  All the children have writing journals, which we write in and we have been concentrating on drawing a picture to tell the story.  The past few weeks the children have been coming up with their own topic to write about.  Since we are ending Unit 1 in reading street we thought we would have the children answer the big question from the unit "How do we live, work, and play together?"  In addition, the children will write about their favorite book from Unit 1.

In math, we will begin Chapter 3.  First, thank you for completing your homework packets.  We are having a high rate of return, which is fantastic!  This week you will receive Chapter 3's homework, which is due October 29 or 30.  We will be working on the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9.  One of the big components of this chapter is not only being able to count these numbers, but realize 7 is 5 and 2 more, 8 is 5 and 3 more, and 9 is 5 and 4 more.  We will be posting more information regarding Chapter 3 in the next few days...be on the look out!

Have a great week!

Picture Day...

It will be picture day on Wednesday, October 17, for children in the "A" Class.  The children in the "B" Class had their pictures taken this past Tuesday.  Your child should have brought home a flyer regarding picture ordering last week.  We will be taking pictures immediately in the morning.  Please make sure your child is at school on time for their photo!

This Week in 116...

This week we will be learning two new sight words: a, to. This brings the total of sight words to 6 (am, I, the, little, a, to). The children are expected to be able to read the sight words in less than 3 seconds. The children practice this daily during our reading group rotations; however, practice at home is necessary too. In addition, we have completed all the letters of the alphabet. Children are expected to be able to identify all the letters. This week we will begin learning the sounds of the letters. We will focus on the letter Mm. We will concentrate on the sound and the writing of Mm. We will also begin to blend words (this is when children see the letter and start saying the sound). I love this part of kindergarten because the children are able to begin reading words. I am sure you will be amazed in the next couple weeks what your child can do in reading.

In math, we will be finishing up Chapter 2. We have worked hard on comparing numbers 0 to 5. The children have learned the vocabulary words greater (more) and fewer (less) to help be able to compare a set. We will take our chapter test on Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, Chapter 2 homework is to be turned in on Wednesday or Thursday.  I am sure the children will do great!  We have also been working hard on counting.  The children are expected to be able to count to 100 at the end of kindergarten.  At the conclusion of 1st quarter children should be able to count to 25 to be considered "making progress."

We will also be sending home progress reports with your child this week.  The report will let you know the letters your child knows and do not know.  It will also let you know how high your child can count.  We will also be letting you know any other important information necessary for your child's success.

I hope you have a great week!

Number Writing...

Here is a great video to help your child practice writing their numerals at home!  Children are to be able to write numbers 0-20 by the end of kindergarten; however, to be considered considered making progress they are to be able to write to 10 by the end of 1st quarter (November 2nd).

Mixed-Up Sentence...

One great way to practice sight words and reading is to have a mixed up sentence.  In reading groups we have been reading various stories with our sight words and practicing identifying the words in the sentence.  Today, we took one of those sentences and cut-it apart.  The children then had to mix it up and put the sentence back together (like a puzzle).  We then made a few other sentences with the words.  Since most stories are predictable, real reading has to occur because the children have to be able to read each word.  The children have to read the word to put it in the right place.  Here is a video from today of a child working on a mixed-up sentence!

More Fun...More Learning...

This week we will be continuing to work hard on our learning, but also having lots of fun!  Last week we sent home math homework packets for Chapter 2.  These should be returned on October 10th or 11th (depending if you are an A or  B child).  In addition, fundraiser forms should be returned on October 2 or 3rd.  Please make sure you have these turned in and the money collected.  Checks are payable to "WT PTO."

This week we will be continuing our sight words "I, am, the, little."  Please make sure and practice these nightly and have them mixed up.  Also, we will be learning the rest of the alphabet this week.  Children should be able to identify all letters of the alphabet.  Please take 5-10 minutes and practice this nightly.  Mrs. Franz and I have assessed all the children on their alphabet identification and will be sending a sheet home for you to see how your child did on the assessment.  The best method for practicing letters is to only put the ones they know in a pile plus 2 they do not know.  Then go through pile until they can correctly identify all the letters.  Once they identify all the letters add two more they do not know and practice.  You would continue this method until they can identify all 52 letters (this means the uppercase letters and lowercase letters are not on the same card). 

We will be reading "Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip" this week and will be classifying.  We will also review characters, setting, and sequencing.  The children are doing a great job with identifying the characters of a story and the setting.  Sequencing can be tricky because the children are not remembering the beginning, middle, and end in the correct order; therefore, we will continue to work on this skill.

We will also be sending home Chapter 1's math test.  The children did a great job on learning how to take a test.  The one area which we need to continue to practice is number words (one, two, three, four, five).  I expected this to be difficult and we will continue to be working on this.  We will begin Chapter 2 by comparing numbers.  This means children will be able to identify numbers which are larger and smaller with sets less than 5.  We will play various math games to help with this concept and will be using various math tools to help us too.

I hope you have a great week!

5 Frame Practice...

Here is a great site your child can use at home to practice 5 frames.  This allows the children to practice building various numbers, identifying numbers, and figuring out how many more.  This reinforces skills we have been doing in the classroom!  Thank you for all of your help on your child's math homework.  Almost every single child brought it back.  Today and tomorrow your child will bring home the next chapter's homework.  This will be due on October 10 or 11th.  Enjoy...

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=74

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=74

The Fun Continues...

5 Frames used in Math

This week we will continue to work on letter identification of all letters up to Ss. Many children need to continue working on letter identification of upper/lowercase letters. In addition, we will begin to learn new sight words: the, little. We assessed the children on the sight words "I, am" last week.  Many struggled with the words I and am.  I showed them "am" first and "I" second and the children were unable to tell me the words in the correct order. Please continue to work on this at home as I continue to work on this at school.  My suggestion is to use write "I, am, the, little" on note cards and play memory with them.  Also, continual practice on the stories we send home on Monday/Tuesday will help.  We will also be working on listening to initial sounds. This means what you hear at the beginning of cat.../c/ (the children have to say the sound, not the letter).


In math, I will be assessing the children on their ability to read, write, count, and build to 5.  Many children are doing a great job with this skill.  Some may think this is an easy skill; however, this starts the foundation for children and success in mathematics.  A lot of research has been conducted around the world on how children learn mathematics and beginning here is key.  The children have had to build the number 5 and recognize a set of 5 without counting.  In addition, children have had to develop an understanding for what makes 5.  For example, children have had to know if I have 3, 2 more makes 5.  Finally, Chapter 1 math packets are due on September 24 and 25th!

Finally, we are almost complete with all the state and district mandated assessments. I will be sending home information on how your child did on the DIBELS assessment in the upcoming week. I will let everyone know when I will be sending these home for sure to make sure you know to check your child's folder.  I will also be contacting parents to discuss these scores further.

I hope everyone has a great week. The children are learning procedures extremely well. I will be letting you all know about some donation items which we may need in the classroom to continue our learning experience. Thanks for all of your support...I am loving everyday with your children!

Cookie Dough...

This past week we started our cookie dough fundraiser.  All children should have brought home information regarding the cookie dough on Tuesday and Wednesday.  All orders need to be brought back to school on October 2 and October 3!  This is just shy of two weeks.  You may have people write checks to "WT PTO."  In addition, cookie dough should be arriving for pick-up around November 15.  We are hoping to have them available for pick-up on conference night.  This fundraiser helps brings special programs to WT, field trips, and much more.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.

We Are Moving On...

This week we will continue to work on letter identification of letters Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, and Jj. The children are doing pretty well with identification, but some still need to continue to work on identification. We will also continue to work with the words "I" and "am". You may want to put these on flash cards and practice them with your child. Please remember to mix up the order or you can hide them throughout your house and have your child go on a hunt or if you have magnetic letters you can have your child practice building the word on the refridgerator (a cookie sheet works well too). In addition, please continue to work on name writing with your child. This is what we will be focusing on during our writing time.

In math, we will continue to work on showing, counting, and writing numbers 0-5.  Students should be able to model, count, and write to 5 by the end of this chapter.  The homework packet has many great worksheets that directly link to our lessons in the classroom and our workbook.  Please make sure you child is completing their homework at home. 

This past Friday, the B group had their first "Fantastic Fun Friday" and the A group will have their's this week. On Fridays, children will experience Phys. Education, Art, or Music class taught by Mrs. Franz or myself (luckily between the two of us we are pretty well off in these areas). While the children are experiencing this type of learning, the other teachers will be assessing children on various skills of the week. This allows for us to make better decisions about how to teach your child. This past week we worked on Art and Science (color mixing). We learned primary colors and explored how colors mix. The children posed a lot of great questions and had some great thinking about what would happen, which allows us to tie into our science curriculum.

I cannot wait to see the A group on Monday.  I have missed them!

Week Number 2...

I hope all the children had a wonderful first week at WT Elementary and I hope they have shared something they have done at school with you at home. It was a fun and hectic week. We are working on learning procedures of the classroom and the school. The children are learning these procedures at different rates; however, I am positive the children will have them down in the next week or so. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know your children and have enjoyed working with them.

This coming week we will continue to practice procedures, but also dive into our literacy and math curriculum. We will be working on letter identification; specifically, the letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, and Ee. In addition, we will work on rhyming words and identifying the high-frequency words of "I" and "am". In math we will begin to work with numbers 1-5. We will also be working on writing our names with a capital letter at the beginning and then lowercase letters. Mrs. Franz and I will be sending home a homework letter on Monday/Tuesday explaining how homework will be completed this year. Please look for this in your child's folder. Please also check out our post on homework!

We do eat lunch late at school. Our lunch time is 12:30; therefore, the children have a long time between when they arrive at school to when they eat lunch. We do have a snack to help them make it to lunch. Mrs. Franz and I will be sending home a letter explaining more about snack time at school later this week. Please encourage your child to eat breakfast before coming to school or you may purchase breakfast at school.

I also want to take this moment to express my gratitude... your help and support with our new drop-off/pick-up procedures has been amazing. It is becoming smoother each day and this would not be possible without your help and your patience!! THANK YOU!!

Homework...

We would like to take a moment to explain how homework will work this year. You will receive a “Family Ties” sheet and a “keep at home” story on the first day your child attends during the week. These particular sheets directly correlate with our reading program for the week. The “Family Ties” sheet has various activities you may complete during the week with your child. We encourage you to complete all of the activities, as they will correspond with what we are doing in the classroom and will provide reinforcement for your child.

At the beginning of each math unit you will receive a chapter packet. The packet reinforces what your child will be learning during the particular unit. This packet is not intended for you to do all at once, it should take several days to complete. It should be completed by the date listed on the front of the packet.

Homework will begin this week!  Please check your child's blue folder, which they will bring home on Monday or Tuesday.  This folder should be returned every day!  This is your child's "Take-Home" folder and our "Communication Folder."  Please check your child's folder everyday to see what we are doing in class and for important papers!

We are looking forward to partnering with you this year in making a great educational team for your child. As always please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns.

A Great First Day...

We had a great first day with the A group yesterday and the B group today!  We got to read "The Kissing Hand" and the kids really enjoyed it.  We also made a puppet of Chester, who is the main character in the story.  The kids related to Chester because he had to go to school and was missing his mom.  We also got to learn in centers!  We had legos, blocks, puzzles, and working with the teacher.  The children did a great job being friendly to everyone!

We also practiced our school procedures and classroom rules and how to be a good bobcat (our WT mascot).  I would just remind your child to continue to work hard and follow the school rules!

It is going to be a great year!

Excited...

I loved meeting all the children on Thursday at open house.  It was a great success and I am lookin forward to the great year!  We have a lot planned for the first week.  It will be busy, but fun :)  I want to thank all the parents in advance for their cooperation and understanding during the first week of school.  It can become hectic and tiresome as you try and help your child get ready and out the door.  One of the best suggestions I had last year from a parent, which helped them, was to hang a calendar and put a sticker on the days your child goes to school.  This allows them to begin to develop an understanding of planning and helps them understand when they come to school.

You may drop off your child beginning at 8:45 in the morning.  You will be able to walk them up to the building; however, you will not be allowed to walk them to the classroom.  This is because every staff member has a duty and teachers will not be in their room.  Mrs. Calhoun, Kdg Assistant, will meet you at the front and escort your child to the Kindergarten spot.  Mrs. Franz will be arriving at 8:55 from her assigned duty.  I will be outside on arrival duty.  You can find me by the service entrance.  This is the side off of 125.  I know this seems kind of crazy, but I promise this does work and it runs smoothly.  In addition, please make sure you have your transportation form filled out!  This is imperative for the end of the day.  We need to make sure we get all children to their assigned spot for dismissal.

All I can say is thank you, thank you for your patience and understanding during arrival and dismisssal.  Please feel free to email, comment, or call with questions or concerns.  I am looking forward to partnering with you this year!

Common Core...

This year Ohio has adopted the Common Core State Standards.  We use these standards to determine what is taught in kindergarten.  In addition, the standards build upon one another each year and make sure children are ready for the following grade level, college, and careers.  There 46 out of the 50 states have adopted these standards.  These are more rigorous and allow for deep mearning to occur.  We use these to teach lessons and to check for mastery.  All the Common Core Standards should be mastered by the end of the kindergarten year.  We will check for mastery on these standards throughout the school year and report them to you in November, January, March, and June.  We will be guiding you through these standards throughout the year.  The National PTA has a parent guide to help you understand the Common Core.  If you have any questions please feel free and let me know!  I am looking forward to a great year!