I hope that the journal writing has gone successfully this week. My goal is that the children are excited about writing, not stressed out by it, so please let me know if there were any problems. A few other reminders about the journal page:
- Writing should always be in PENCIL.
- Above the writing, in the blank box, children should draw a neat, (at least) four-color picture.
- Encourage your children to spell high-frequency words that we've introduced correctly.
- Please DO NOT copy a sentence from the book.
We have a new letter this week: Gg. The Alphafriend is Gertie Goose. We also have a new high frequency word: go. Please review the "High Frequency Word" tab on the right to learn which words we've introduced. A good way to practice reading and spelling the sight words is by logging onto http://www.spellingcity.com/k2grist. "Missing Letter" and "Audio Word Match" are great games for younger players. The link to this site is also on the right.
We will begin our math topic on subtraction. This will need plenty of reinforcement at home. There are many great free apps for the iPad, iPhone, and Android phones & tablets that provide engaging reinforcement in both addition & subtraction facts. Additionally, free websites like arcademicskillbuilders.com are also a fun way to reinforce math facts.
We have Martin Luther King's birthday holiday coming up. We will be talking about him in class and doing some art projects. When we discuss MLK, we will discuss some of the discrimination that took place in the past, and how he helped change that. So if you hear your children asking questions about that, you will know why. We try to keep it fairly simple in kindergarten in terms that they can understand and relate to.
This week's share will be Book Share. Friday children can share any other day this week. Please have your children choose a book and be ready to tell the title, a bit about what it's about, and have a favorite page bookmarked. We had a lot of children forgetting sharing last week. Sharing is important to oral language development and is an introduction to public speaking. Please make every effort to help your child be prepared for his/her share day.
We continue to need glue sticks & baby wipes if you can donate those-- thank you!
Also-- please take note below at some new special events that have been posted. They are:
- Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Info Night 1/16 6:00-7:30 @the District Office: If you have a child born between September 2, 2009 & December 31, 2009, s/he may be eligible for Union School District's Transitional Kindergarten program. Please let friends know as well about this informational meeting at the District Office.
- Kindergarten Registration Info Night 1/21 6:00-7:30: If you have friends with incoming kindergartners who live in the AV attendance area, please let them know about this informational evening, preparing them for registration on 2/1.
- Snow Day 1/22: children will dress up in whatever snow gear they have-- hats, mittens, coats, scarves, etc. and we will have a fake snowball fight with K1.
- 100 Day 2/5-- we celebrate the 100th day of school with some special activities. Also there will be special homework that week.
- Workshop: "Helping Your Child Succeed in School"-- Jan. 30 & Feb. 13: Our own "Grandpa Sam" (volunteer reading aid) and his wife Julie (teacher & teacher trainer) will put on a two-part workshop on reading and writing with your children. This is sure to be a very informative workshop & will be in the evenings for our working parents (6:00 to 7:30 pm). Come and check it out if you can!
- Bocce Ball Tournament & Auction 3/29 6:00-11:00 @ Campo di Bocce: There are still tickets left for this new fundraiser!! It is sure to be a fun evening, raising money for Alta Vista's Enrichment programs. Get a group of 6 together & create a bocce team! Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and dessert and bid on auction items. Contact Nicole Crandall if you'd like to get a ticket: nicole@thecrandallfam.com
Upcoming Events:
1/16: TK Informational Night, 6:00-7:30 at the District Office
1/17: No School: Staff Development Day
1/20: No School: MLK B'day
1/21: Incoming Kindergartners' Informational Night 6:00-7:30 @ AV Cafeteria
1/22: Snow Day-- Send your children in their winter accessories!
1/29: January's Wacky Wednesday
1/30 & 2/13: "Helping Your Child Succeed at School" 6:00-7:30 in the AV Cafeteria
2/15-2/23: President's Week Vacation
2/26: February's Wacky Wednesday
3/29: Bocce Ball Tournament & Auction @ Campo Di Bocce
