Week of 5/1

Dear Parents,

We had a very successful trip to Emma Prusch Farm last week. There were many animals on display, and a peacock put on quite a show for us! The kids really enjoyed themselves. Thank you to our chaperones for helping make this trip a success.

We hope to see all the moms at our Mother's Day event on Friday the 6th. We are looking forward to celebrating with all the moms or other "representatives" at 10:00. 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. Let me know if there are any problems. 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!  Next week is another great school-wide event, the Fantasy Faire, on Friday, May 15th.  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).  It is really fun to be a part of, 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/fantasyfair_016

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 continuing 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. We will soon be reviewing addition and subtraction  facts for fluency. Children will need to add and subtract quickly and confidently.

The sharing this week is toy in a bag. Please encourage your child to write his or her own clues or a word or two to help them remember the clues. I have been finding that when parents are writing the clues, the children often do not know what these clues say. At the very least, please go over the clues with your child so that s/he is prepared for the oral presentation.

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

One final reminder to order your child's yearbook if you are interested. The kids usually love having a yearbook, and on the last few days of school, we have time to let them go around and sign each other's books. If you are interested, you must order by May 5th by going to this link.

We are busily preparing for Open House, on the night of May 25th.  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!

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: Mother's Day (this Friday), Open House (May 25th), and the Promotion Ceremony (June 7th @ 9:00). 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 11th, all K classes are on a morning schedule (8:05-11:25)-- there are no celebrations or parties as we will have 49 kids in the classroom and don't have room for any extra bodies!  

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

This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Return Blue Bags (Jillian), Centers (Hiromi & Camille), Sharing
Tuesday: Centers (Gwenny & Hong), Sharing
Wednesday: Computers (Conrad), Sharing, Blue Bags Go Home
Thursday: Centers (Maha & Cindy), Sharing
Friday: Story Time with Grandma Gail, Sharing, SPARK P.E. (Lynda)

Upcoming Events:
5/6: Mother's Day Tea @ 10:00
5/13: Alta Vista Hoedown 5:00-8:30 pm
5/25: Open House
5/30: Memorial Day
6/2: Art Vista Art Show
6/3: End of the year Party & Water Play Day
6/7: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony @ 9:00
6/9: Last Day of School: All Kindergartners come from 8:05-11:25