Week of 12/11

Dear Parents,

We were excited to participate in Hour of Code last week, and we got to participate in some familiar activities, as well as some new ones. One of the new activities we participated in was using an iPad app called "Kodable," which is also a website (www.kodable.com). You can have your child continue to use this app or website at home by using our classroom code (sent in an email). Children seemed to really enjoy trying to get the little creatures in this app through the various mazes.

The main "business" of this week is all things Nutcracker! We will be practicing daily this week, so I am canceling centers. There will also be no homework/blue bags this Wednesday.  Enjoy a stress-free week to focus on your holiday preparations!

For the Nutcracker performance, we have a couple of photographers-- thanks to Anne-Marie & Asma, but we could use a couple more parents to help us with the theater make-up and costuming on the day of the performance.  Please let me know if you can help with this, along with Marylu & Jennifer. You would come in at around 8:45 or so and begin calling kids back individually and get them ready for the stage. Thank you!

This will be our student teacher, Miss Anna's, last week in K2. She will be moving onto an upper grade assignment in her 2nd semester of her credential program. Miss Anna has been a huge help to our classroom, and the children have really connected with her. She will be missed!

Language Arts:
We will be focusing on the word family "ag." We will be building words such as rag, bag, lag, sag, and tag. Our sight word is is. We will be building and reading sentences with the word is and some of the words from the word families we've been studying.

This week's share is song, poem, or nursery rhyme. Please have your child be prepared to recite a song, poem, or nursery rhyme. If children are stuck for ideas, they can always sing a favorite classroom song song. Songs or poems in other languages are always appreciated as well!

Math:
We are finishing with Module 3 in Eureka Math: Comparison of Weight, Length, Capacity, and Numbers to 10. Parent tips can be found here. This week, we will be comparing numbers. When we return from Winter Break, we will begin Composing & Decomposing, which is preparing the children for addition and subtraction skills.

Upcoming Events:
There is a Wacky Wednesday this week for the p.m. class. This means that our class will be leaving backpacks outside along the window wall. Also, dismissal will be from the library.

A reminder about clothing for the Nutcracker: please remember to dress your children in the clothes suggested in the letter sent home in the Wednesday envelope last week. Children should come to school dressed in these items on Friday. Girls can wear something over the top of their leotards when they arrive and change into their ballet shoes for the performance. As a reminder, here is the list:

FRITZ: Bathrobe/pajamas & slippers
NUTCRACKER/SOLDIERS/RUSSIAN DANCERS: White Shirt & Dark Pants w/ dark shoes
MICE: Dark Shirt & Dark Pants & dark shoes
SUGAR PLUM, RIBBON CANDY, FLOWERS: Light colored leotard/light colored tights/ballet slippers or light colored shoes-- leotards with tutus attached are fine & encouraged for Sugar Plum Fairies & Flowers, especially. Ribbon tutu provided for Ribbon Candies.
ARABIAN: Light colored fitted shirt w/ leggings OR leotard (we provide the Harem pants)
CHINESE DANCERS: Shirt doesn't matter so much (will be wearing jacket we provide) dark pants.

Please borrow whatever you need to borrow-- we don't intend for anyone to have to buy anything.  I have 2-3 leotards and a few pairs of ballet slippers in the classroom that used to belong to my daughter that are also available-- let me know if you need to borrow.

Please arrive promptly in the cafeteria for the Nutcracker, as we intend to start the show right at 10:00. Also, please do not try to come early and save seats. We will be keeping the doors locked until about 15 minutes before the performance.We want everyone to enjoy the performance, so please refrain from standing and blocking the aisles as much as possible. Also remember that school-aged siblings are not to be pulled out of class to watch the performance. Thank you!

Remember to bring your blue bags tomorrow. Starting in January, a journal will be added to the homework bag so that your children can write a response to the book in the bag each week. No blue bags this Wednesday, but there will be Wednesday envelopes. Please return those on Thursday so that they don't get lost over the long holiday.

Happy Holidays!

This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Blue Bags returned (Hosun), No centers, Sharing
Tuesday: No centers, Sharing
Wednesday: Wacky Weds., Sharing, Weds. envelopes go home

Thursday: Weds. envelopes returned, No centers, Sharing
Friday: Nutcracker Performance @ 10:00 followed by Cast Party afterward!

Upcoming Events:

Friday 12/16: Kindergarten Nutcracker Performance @ 10:00
12/19-01/02: Winter Break
Tuesday 1/3: District-wide "Smart Start Day"
Friday 1/13: Staff Development Day, No School
Monday 1/16: Martin Luther King Day, No School
Tuesday 1/17: Incoming Kindergarten Orientation
Friday 1/27: Snow Day
Thursday 2/2: 100 Day