Playing Outside

Playing Outside

August 21, 2010

August 23, 2010

A note from Ms. Poteet…

We had a wonderful first full week of school! I have enjoyed getting to know all of the students and watch them learn the classroom routine and make new friends.

Please make every effort to attend our Parent Orientation Night on August 26th at 7:00pm (come at 6:30 pm if you would like to receive confidentiality training- a requirement for all volunteers). You will learn all about our classroom, homework procedures, and volunteer opportunities.

Wednesday is our first early release day. School will end at 12:25pm. Please let me know in writing if your child’s transportation will change.

School officially begins at 7:50 am, but students have many morning responsibilities including review work. Please try to get your child to school between 7:30 and 7:35 (All bus riders already arrive at this time). By getting your child to school early they will be able to take care of their morning jobs, review concepts we are learning in class, and start their day off fresh.

Please sign or initial your child’s Weekly Planner every night and return it to school the following day. Feel free to leave me a comment or ask a question in the open space.

In order to make our classroom feel more like home, please send a photograph of your child and your family in a picture frame (please take out the front piece of glass). It will be returned at the end of the year.


What are we learning?

Reading Workshop
This week we are starting our author study on Eric Carle. We will read several of his books, discuss the characters in the books and complete many engaging activities to go along with each book. On Friday we are going to create a bar graph of our favorite Eric Carle books.

Writing Workshop
We are going to start our Kid Writing unit this week. Students will begin adding spaces in between their words, try to write each word the best they can and then move on, and try to sound out their words. On Friday, we are writing our second entry in our Family Journals. Please take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter to you and respond.

Handwriting
Handwriting instruction will focus on developing fine motor skills as well as the proper formation of the following letters: S, s, R, & r

Word Study
This week, we will explore the letters Ss and Rr. Ask your child about the letter sound chants for both. We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: and, he, a. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math
We are learning to sort objects based on attributes, about volume, and how to create a bar graph.

Everyday Math Home Links
When children are read to, they learn to love books and want to become readers. In a similar way, children develop positive feelings about mathematics by sharing pleasurable experiences as they count, measure, compare, estimate, and discover patterns in everyday life.

Kindergarten Home Links provide a guide to a variety of activities that parents and children can share in a spirit of exploration and enjoyment, much as they share interesting stories.

The reward for young children is not mathematics will not be a puzzling abstraction but will make sense to them as part of their real world.
Take a moment to look at the Family Note. Then, together with your child, read and do the activity described below.

Family Note:
The process of filling containers and comparing how much each can hold gives your child the opportunity to experiment with the measurement of volume without worrying about exact answers. For this activity, make sure that the containers are nonbreakable. Bath time provides an excellent opportunity to experiment and play with containers of all shapes and sizes.

Activity:
Collect some containers that are different shapes and sizes, such as cottage cheese cartons, plastic bottles, and juice containers. Use the containers to pour water back and forth. Try to find out which containers hold the most, which containers hold the least, and which containers hold the same amount.

Social Studies
This week we are starting our Weather and Seasons Unit. We will learn about the four seasons, the sun and how it affects us, the local weather, climate, and the three climate zones. Students will be introduced to the following terms: autumn (fall), spring, winter, summer, climate, weather, and season

Reminders
*Send in a healthy peanut-free snack and water bottle (with a pull up spout) every day.
* Our classroom gets very chilly sometimes. Please send in a light jacket or sweater for your child to keep in their back pack.
* Have your child practice memorizing their lunch number at home.
* It’s time for all kindergartners to practice tying their own shoes. Thanks for your help with this at home!
Related Arts Schedule
Monday            Art
Tuesday          
Art
Wednesday    
Art
Thursday         
Art
Friday             
Art

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