Playing Outside

Playing Outside

September 24, 2012

September 24, 2012

A note from Ms. Poteet…
We are going on our first field trip to the North Oldham Fire Station.  We will be walking to the fire station with a police escort so please make sure your child wears tennis shoes.  Your child will need to wear orange and bring a sack lunch and beach towel. 

We still need one volunteer to lead small reading group on Friday’s from 8:20-8:50.  Let me know if you are interested!

Visit http://www.spellingcity.com/Poteet/ to practice their word wall words. 

What are we learning?
English Language Arts
We are learning about strategies to help us read tricky words.  These strategies include:
Looking at the Picture and Getting your Mouth Ready (saying the initial letter sound and later the final sound of the word).  We will begin using nursery rhymes to practice oral fluency, and to identify spelling patterns in words. We will continue to develop our story ideas, reinforce spacing between words and to stretch out each word to write each sound they hear.  We will use paintings by famous artists to engage our descriptive language skills.  Children will be encouraged to use describing words to add interest to our writing pieces.  Thank you for your responses to the family journals.  Reading your message and sharing the sketches you make is a big treat for the kiddos! 

Handwriting
Handwriting instruction will focus on developing fine motor skills as well as the proper formation of the following letters:  F, f, D and d.

Word Study
This week, we will explore the letters Ff and Dd. 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: but, on, and his.  Have your child sing you the songs for these words (sorry, there isn’t a song for “but”)

Math
We continue to find things to count, and explore sorting objects by attributes. 
Wednesday’s Homework: Send in a button or two for a math activity.

Science
We will learn about magnets: What types of objects are attracted to magnets?  How do they work?  We will also observe and record what we learn about magnets.

Dates to remember
September 25th – Fire House Field Trip
September 26th – Look for information about the Husky Hustle Walk-a-thon in Wednesday folder.
October 3rd- Early release day (12:25)
October 5th-Huber’s Field Trip
October 12th  – Husky Hustle (in-school);  Harmony Harvest (6-9pm

Related Arts Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
PE
PE
PE
PE
PE


September 14, 2012

September 17, 2012

A note from Ms. Poteet

Thanks to some wonderful volunteers we are going to start guided reading groups on Monday.  Look for your child’s reading group book to come home several times this week.  Your child needs to read this book to an adult and bring it back the next day.  Rereading your child’s guided reading book can count for your child’s nightly reading homework.  Just record the book title on their Weekly Planner.

I have noticed a few of our students are struggling to spell their word wall words correctly on our weekly assessments.  Try to make word wall homework fun at home by having your child write their words in shaving cream on the table, roll out the letters of each of their words using play dough, or write each word on an index card, cut the letters apart, and have your child sort the letters.  I also signed our class up for spellingcity.com.  Visit http://www.spellingcity.com/Poteet/ to play games, complete practice assessments, practice reading and spelling our word wall words.  Click on Week 5 to see this week’s words. 

Mark your calendar for Harmony’s Harvest on Friday, October 12th from 6:00-8:00pm.  The night will be filled with games and good treats. Bring the whole family!  I hope to see you there!

What are we learning?
 Reading Workshop
This week we will start learning about strategies good readers use including looking at the pictures to help use figure out tricky words (Strategy #1: Look at the Pictures) and sounding out words using the beginning and ending sound (Strategy #2: Get Your Mouth Ready). 

Writing Workshop
We are continuing our Kid Writing unit this week.  Students will focus on how to use capital letters and end punctuation .  On Friday, we are writing our fifth 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:  C, c, H, & h 

Word Study
This week, we will explore the letters Cc and Hh. 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: at, that, for. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

 Math
We are learning to read and count numbers up to 10, match dots with written numbers, and look for numbers in our world.    

 Science
We are finishing our unit on weather by learning about different types of clouds, precipitation, and rainbows. 

 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. 
* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night!
* Library book due every Wednesday!

 Dates to Remember
September 25th: Fire Station Field Trip
September 28th: MegaSkills Assembly
October 1-5th: Scholastic Book Fair
October 5th: Huber’s Field Trip
October 12th: Husky Hustle 1:30-2:15
October 12th: Harmony Harvest 6:00-8:00

Related Arts Schedule
Monday         Music
Tuesday        Music
Wednesday    Music
Thursday       PE
Friday          PE

September 9, 2012

September 10, 2012


A note from Ms. Poteet
We went to the library for the first time last Thursday for Library Orientation.  We will be going again on Monday for our last orientation session.  We will visit the library again on Wednesday for our first official library check out day.  Your child will be able to check out a new book every Wednesday.  You child is welcome to keep their library book for two weeks, so they don’t have to check out a new book every Wednesday.  As I explained at Parent Orientation, your child may check out a new book in the morning before school any day of the week after they finish their Morning Work.

Please send a special snack that your child can use to practice counting on Tuesday.  Some suggestions include; pretzels, goldfish, carrots, etc.  This special snack will count as their regular snack too.

Thursday is Picture Day!  Pictures will be taken from the shoulder up.  These picture will be used for the yearbook.  You are welcome to send a change of clothes in your child's book bag. 

Reminders
·         Add the new sight words to the ring at the beginning of the week.  There will be 3 new words each week.  These rings should stay inside your students take home folder in case we want to use them in class!  
·         Please continue to practice your student’s lunch number, it helps the cafeteria if they all know their numbers!
·         In the middle of September, I will begin “Shoe Tying Awards” for those who know how to tie their own shoes.  Practice, practice!  J

What are we learning?

 Reading Workshop
We are learning how to find books and put them away in our classroom library.  We will learn how to do a picture walk of books and what good readers do while reading.  Students will be introduced to their own book bins in their cubbies!

Writing Workshop
This week we are learning how to use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and periods at the end!  We will continue practicing stretching our words and listening for sounds that we know!   Be sure to look for those family journals on Friday.  They sure loved reading your responses!

Handwriting
Handwriting instruction will focus on developing fine motor skills as well as the proper formation of the following letters:  N, n, P and p.

Word Study
This week, we will explore the letters Nn and Pp. 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: you, of, is.  Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

 Math
This week we are learning how to count numbers in the same sequence and understand that numbers tell us how much of how many.  Students will learn what numbers are for and when they are useful.

Everyday Math Home Links
When children are ready 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:
Children enjoy counting things.  Be on the lookout for opportunities to practice this skill.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised how counting things brings about many playful and productive mathematics activities.  Counting hops, skips, jumps, and sidesteps helps children develop counting skills as well as coordination. 
 
Activity:
Count the steps you need to walk from the sidewalk to the front door (or any two places).  Try to walk the same distance with fewer steps or with more steps! 
 
Get in the counting habit! When you take a walk, try hopping, skipping, jumping, or sidestepping a certain number of times!

Science
 This week we will begin our Science unit on Seasons and Weather.  Students will learn about the four seasons, weather and the sun! 
Related Arts Schedule

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Art
Art
Music
Music
Music