This week's letter is Zz. The new Alphafriend is Zelda Zebra. We have a new high frequency word, have. This one is often confused with a word we introduced earlier, here, since they both start with h and end with e. Continue reviewing those high frequency words posted on our website with your children. Please continue working on Lexia at home as well, as this is a great reading reinforcement program which covers so many concepts, and children love receiving the certificates in class for their accomplishments. I'd like to see most children completing Level 3 by now.
In math, we will be working on numbers to 20, addition, and subtraction for the next three weeks. We are reviewing and reinforcing these concepts as they are truly the foundation for all future math. I get an ixl report each week, and I can see that many of you are taking advantage of this website. If you don't remember your child's login or password, please email me. For those children who don't prefer this website, there are so many great iPad apps and other websites to use. Just google "kindergarten math reinforcement" and many things come up! Some favorite iPad/iPhone apps of mine are "Hungry Fish" and "Math Bingo." Keep on practicing!
The kids enjoyed the lessons from our science unit, "Wood & Paper," last week. They had fun going on a wood hunt, learning about 5 different types of wood, and checking how well those woods absorbed water, as well as trying to sink the wood! We will continue science in the upcoming week, when we will be sanding wood and looking at sawdust and also adding water to sawdust, along with several other experiments with wood.
On Monday, your kids will get to participate in a video project using a green screen! "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" from The Cat in the Hat will be projected onto the green screen, while your child talks about the crazy things those two would do at your home if they paid a visit. I will send out the link to the videos when the project is done!
On Wednesday, we will be celebrating Read Across America with a reading of a Mo Willems book. Read Across America is a national event that started 19 years ago, and takes place on or around Dr. Seuss's birthday. In honor of the event, our sharing this week will be book share, and we would love it if children bring in a favorite Dr. Seuss book. If your child does not have a Dr. Seuss book, any book is fine. We will try to read as many of those books this week as possible, so if your child doesn't bring it home right away, it might be at school waiting to be read!
On Friday, we will have an Art Vista lesson. This is one of our more exciting art lessons-- we will make prints using a fish! Please dress your children accordingly (not a favorite outfit) as we will be using fabric paints with the fish. Please contact our Art Vista docents if you are able to help with this lesson. Additionally, please send in either a t-shirt or canvas bag for your child to make a print on.
On Monday, March 7th, there will be a school-wide author visit by Kathryn Otoshi. She is the author of Zero, One, Two, and Beautiful Hands. All of these books have positive messages about standing up to bullies, being true to yourself, and inclusion. If you'd like to order one of her autographed books, information went home on Wednesday about this. There was also an email through the Home & School Club Google Group. If you'd like me to forward that email, please let me know.
In a couple of weeks, we will be building leprechaun traps for homework. We will send more specific directions later, but I'm just giving you a heads-up because sometimes the March seasonal items go quickly at stores such as Dollar Tree and Target, so you may want to snap up your trap supplies while they are available.
Finally, on Thursday, March 31st, we will have a special event called Spring Fling. Fun spring-themed centers will be a part of the day to celebrate the kick-off to our Spring Break. Spring Fling will run from about 9:00 to 10:15. I've already heard from several of you that you can come, but we could still use a few more volunteers. Let me know if you can join!
Please remember your blue bags tomorrow, journals & homework folders inside.
This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Blue Bags Returned (Jillian), Centers (Maria & Hiromi), Sharing
Tuesday: Centers (Tanya & Gwenny), Sharing
Wednesday: Read Across America Day, Computers (Lawrence), Sharing, Blue Bags go home
Thursday: Centers (Jill & Lisa), Sharing
Friday: Story Time with Grandma Gail, Sharing, Art Vista (Lizl, Kim, Amorette)
Upcoming Events:
3/2: Read Across America DayFriday: Story Time with Grandma Gail, Sharing, Art Vista (Lizl, Kim, Amorette)
Upcoming Events:
3/4: Art Vista Fish Print Lesson (send in a t-shirt or canvas bag)
3/5: Bocce Ball Tournament & Auction
3/7: Author Visit: Kathryn Otoshi
3/22-3/31: Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences
3/31: Spring Fling
4/1: No School: Staff Development Day
4/4-4/8: No School: Spring Break
4/27: Field Trip to Emma Prusch Farm
5/6: Mother's Day Tea (moms-- mark your calendars!)
