Love. Laugh. Learn...Together!: KG Goes Full Days!

Dear Families,

Whew! What a great first two weeks we have had in KG. The children did so well their first two full days. Things went very smoothly...from lunch in the cafeteria to starting our specialist classes and managing for the full day...the children were amazing!!!

It was so nice to see many of you at our Back-to-School Night. If you have any questions about any of the information or notes, please be sure to ask! I am happy to help.

Some parents are wondering about the 6 day cycle. Remember you can check the blog for our specials and the ES Newsletter sends out a calendar the last Thursday of the month with the days of the cycle indicated. If you are still confused, stop by after school and I will carefully explain how it works and show you on a calendar. :-)

At Back-to School Night, I mentioned that the children are invited to bring in a SMALL photo of themselves, in a frame, to be displayed in the classroom this year. We have limited space, so please make sure the frame is a small size (approximately 15 x 20 cm.or smaller). Otherwise, it can be difficult to find space for so many frames! :-) Also, please don't send anything too breakable or precious---we will do our best to take good care of them. The photo can be of your child at any age and can be alone, with family or friends. It is your child's choice of what photo they'd like to bring in to share. We like to keep these photos in the classroom to help create a sense of familiarity and community. The photo frames will be sent home again at the end of the school year.

Mr.Everett our Elementary School Counselor has asked me to share the address for his blog with you.
http://taismelementarycounseling.blogspot.com/

We had another fun and busy week in KG. Some exciting things this week include:

Morning Meeting-Each morning we come together as a whole group to start our day with a song, message, and greeting or group activity. This is also a time where we can talk about the day ahead. This week, we learned a new greeting called "Handshake". Next week, we will learn a new greeting called "Roll the Ball" and make pretend paper cookies in preparation another greeting called "Who Took the Cookie". Our morning meeting is a great time for us to connect, practice social skills, participate in community building activities and have fun together as a class.

Weekend News- On Sunday, the children wrote about their "Weekend News" in their new writing journals. This will be an ongoing writing activity this year. As you go through your weekend, you could mention when something you are doing might be an idea for your child to write about at school on Sunday. ("You could write about this for Weekend News!). We will write again on Sunday....what are YOU up to THIS weekend?!

Writing Workshop - We began our Writing Workshop. Hurray! We talked about how in a "workshop" you make stuff and how in a writing workshop we will make 'stuff' with writing. Each child has his/her own special Writing Workshop folder where they keep their writing. This week the children will have a choice between writing on a single piece of paper or writing in a booklet. We are all authors and we are making books!

Pete the Cat Project- The children practiced cutting, gluing, following directions and had fun making one of our favorite book characters, Pete the Cat.

Reading Workshop - We have been learning about how we are all READERS. We are learning about the 3 ways to read.
3 Ways to Read
1. Read the Pictures
2. Read the Words
3. Retell the Story

Next week, we will continue to talk about the 3 ways to read and will work on building our reading stamina, what we call our "READING MUSCLES". :-)

We LOVE to read!

Math- We explored a variety of math materials this week. We also played a few games...practicing instant recognition of dots on dice and we went on a "Number Hunt".

Shoebox Books- So far, we have two Shoe Box books (My Kindergarten Friends and Pete's Shoes). Be sure to have your child read these little books to you. Reading Shoe Box books together is a great way for your child to begin building his/her reading identity! Remember to help your child find a special box to decorate and choose a special place to keep all of the Shoe box books in this year.

Poetry Songbooks-We added a short poem called "Red, Red Apple" to our Poetry Songbooks this week. Ask your child to recite the apple poem for you. :-) Please return the Songbook to school on Sunday!

We celebrated 10 days of Kindergarten on Thursday!!!

The children had a great first two FULL days! Wow...they did GREAT! :-)

Some things to remember during the transition:

Lunch- Please remember to talk with your child at home about what they will have for lunch...home or school lunch?
If your child will be buying a school lunch....
Lunch tickets are available in the cafeteria. As mentioned at the Back-to-School Night, we prefer that children use lunch tickets. Please write your child's name on the back of each ticket. If you do send money, please send exact change when possible and label the lunch money with your child's name by putting it in an envelope or paper clipped to a piece of paper. Clearly knowing whose money/tickets belong to which child is really helpful for us!
If your child will be having lunch from home...
Be sure that your child knows what is meant for his/her snack and what is for lunch! Thank you for continuing to pack such healthy foods. Remember, we ask that you not send chocolates, candies, oreos, etc. Healthy "brain" foods supply the energy your child needs to help him/her through their busy full day of school!

Recess-Thank you for sending a water bottle each day! Your child is welcome to leave a hat here at school, (label with NAME). If the children would like to play soccer on the little field next to our playground, the rule is that they MUST wear a hat when out in the sun and not under the shade.