Week of 5/4

Dear Parents,

Our Cinco de Mayo dance will be this Monday, May 5th, at 11:15 a.m. Please arrive on time so that you don't miss it!  All four kindergarten classes are involved in this dance, so parking may be tricky.  The afternoon class should probably arrive even slightly beforehand so that they are ready to dance by 11:20.  We have some costume items to hand out, so please arrive on time with that in mind.  If your children have any festive, bright dresses or bright colorful tops and pants, those always make the scene even more vibrant. Remember that if work constraints only allow you occasional days off that we would prefer that you are present for the Muffins with Mom event next Friday the 9th. I am looking forward to celebrating with all the moms or other "representatives" at 8:30 for the morning class, and at 2:00 for the afternoon class. We have a short presentation of a mini-play and a few songs, and then you can enjoy some treats with your child. This is an event the kindergartners always look forward to sharing with their moms/someone special, so please try to have someone come. Thank you!

We are now getting to that time in the school year where there are several events each week, so please keep your calendar updated & come and enjoy all the school has to offer!  This week, in addition to the Cinco de Mayo dance and Muffins with Mom, we also have a great school-wide event.  Fantasy Faire is this Friday, May 9th.  This is a super fun school-wide carnival that your child will not want to miss.  I also really encourage you to participate in the cake-making competition that morning (cakes must be submitted by 8:15, so bring yours early if you are in the afternoon class).  It is really fun to participate, and the cakes are so amazing!  Don't be intimidated-- this is definitely a child-friendly competition :)  Finally, the Fantasy Fair still needs a lot of help.  Please check out the online sign-up to offer your assistance: http://cosmith.ivolunteer.com/faire_001

This week, we introduce our final two letters.  The consonant is Jj and the Alphafriend is Jumping Jill.   Our final vowel is Uu, and the Alphafriend is Umbie Umbrella.  We will also have a new word, are. We are also beginning our math topic on weight, volume, and capacity.  Similar to the measuring unit, children will need to identify which container holds more/less, which container would be appropriate given the item it needs to hold, etc.  While doing last week's unit on numbers to 100, many children struggled with writing numbers in a sequence from a random starting point.  We had papers that had, for example, 66, 67, ____, ____....  Filling in these blanks was quite difficult for some students.  Continue reviewing numbers and number sequences with your children.

The sharing this week is book share.  Please send your child with a favorite book.  Please have him/her be prepared to tell the class the title of the book, a bit about what it's about, and show a favorite page.

In science, we are beginning our unit on the life cycle of a butterfly. We will have some real caterpillars arrive in class this week, and we will watch the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. This is a very exciting unit for the children.

We are busily preparing for Open House, on the night of May 21st.  We will have much on display in our room that night, and the kids are very excited to show off their work. Please plan on attending with your child!

Please send in your Blue Bags tomorrow-- there are only two weeks left of homework!

For your future planning-- please review all dates in the "Upcoming Events" section below. Critical dates (where I'd really like a parent to try to come) are: Muffins with Mom (this Friday), Open House (May 21st),  and the Promotion Ceremony (June 10th). The Promotion Ceremony is our big last "hurrah" together, where we look back on our year & celebrate the children. Also, please be aware that the last day of school, Thursday the 12th, all K classes are on a MORNING schedule (8:05 to 11:25)-- there are no celebrations or parties as we will have 46 kids in the classroom and don't have room for any extra bodies!  

Upcoming Events:
5/5: Cinco de Mayo Dance @ 11:15
5/9: Mother's Day Celebration: 8:30 (a.m.) & 2:00 (p.m.)
5/9: Alta Vista's Fantasy Faire 5:00-8:30 pm
5/21: Open House
5/27:  In-class presentation from YSI, "Life in the Pond"
5/28: May's Wacky Wednesday
6/5:  Art Vista's Art Show 5:30-8:00
6/10: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony-- Mark your Calendars!
6/11: June's Wacky Wednesday & Olympic Day
6/12: Last Day of School: all students come from 8:05-11:25