Week of 4/22

We are so excited for our field trip this Wednesday to Emma Prusch Farm! Please be sure to be on time for school, as the bus will be leaving immediately after we arrive. Parent volunteers (Brandie, Mary, Hiromi, Erika, Virgina, and Claire), there will only be enough room for all of you on the bus if it is seating three children per bench, so please be prepared to carpool if we run out of space. Children should bring a fully disposable snack (please label their snack bag with their name), wear comfortable walking shoes, and wear their Grasshopper shirts (not optional). Please dress in layers-- the Grasshopper shirt may need to be over another long-sleeved shirt. We have been reading and learning all about farms and farm animals, so it will be fun to finally see one!

Language Arts
We will be studying the sound of y when it is an ending sound, as in the words baby, silly, and happy. We only have one sight word this week, your.  It is important that you continue working with your children on sight word recognition and fluency, as the children are being asked to used these in the writing that we are doing on a daily basis.  Most importantly, these words are very commonly found in the books and stories that they are reading, so it will help them with their reading fluency and accuracy. Review the sentences that come home weekly in the Wednesday envelope. Many families have told me that they keep these sentences in a folder and review them regularly. Thank you-- reinforcement activities like that are really helpful.

Math
We will be beginning Module 5, Numbers 10-20. This unit will cover number names and counting to 100, as well as foundations for place value. Parent tips for this unit can be found here.

Science
This week, we return to our science unit on wood & paper to take a closer look at paper. We will be looking at different types of paper such as wax paper, chip board, tag board, tissue paper, and cardboard. We will be looking at different properties of these types of paper such as absorbency and how easy or difficulty it is to write on and fold.

Art Vistas
We have our last Art Vista lesson for the year on Tuesday at 2:00. Please contact Kassie if you can help with this. Thank you to Kassie, Elena, and Karla for their help with Art Vistas this year. Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 15th from 6:00 to 8:00, when the Art Vista Art Show will take place in the cafeteria. Every child will have several pieces of art on display in the show.

*Please remember to send in your child's blue bag on Monday, with the "baby guessing" book page inside the yellow folder! Also, please send your child's field trip permission slip if you haven't done so already.

*We are still collecting silver coins for "Silver Saves Lives" through Thursday the 25th. We are also still collecting small boxes for a project on Friday the 26th. Thank you for your help!

Upcoming Events
Book Fair
The Book Fair opens on Tuesday and will run through Friday. Special kindergarten-only hours (avoid the crowds!) are before class on Friday, at 11:00. Additionally, they are offering a new event this year-- an ice cream social. Come to the Alta Vista cafeteria from 6:00 to 8:00 on Wednesday the 24th to visit with other AV families and enjoy the book fair, too.

Paper Dolls
Next Friday, May 3rd, we will be painting the life-sized paper dolls in the cafeteria. Thank you to Gunnar, Mary, Erika, and Hiromi for volunteering to help with this. We could still use a couple more helpers if you are available! We also have a center opening on Monday, May 6th. Please check the Sign-Up Genius if you can fill either of those spots.

Mother's Day
The Mother's Day celebration is coming right up on Friday, May 10th at 1:30 p.m. Please let me know ahead of time if you have a conflict and are unable to come. If possible, please send another family representative to join your child so that s/he has someone to honor: a grandma, aunt, neighbor, even dads have come in a pinch before! I hope moms can all join us!

This Week's Helpers & Activities: 
Monday: Return Blue Bags (Hiromi), Daily 5, Centers (Elena & Jenny)
Tuesday: Daily 5, Centers at 1:00 (Ellen & Hiromi)
Wednesday: Field Trip to Prusch Farm (Wear Grasshopper shirts & walking shoes & pack a disposable snack!)
Thursday: Daily 5, Centers (Erika/Pablo & Mary)
Friday: Daily 5, STEAM Centers (Gunnar & Sarah)

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, 4/24: Field Trip to Prusch Farm
Friday, 5/3: Kindergarten Movie Night for Auction Winners
Wednesday, 5/8: Parent Volunteer Reception
Friday 5/10: Mother's Day Celebration
Friday 5/10: Alta Vista Fantasy Faire 5:00-8:30pm
Wednesday, 5/15: Art Vista Art Show
Wednesday, 5/22: Open House
Monday, 5/27: Memorial Day Holiday
Friday 5/31: Alta Vista Variety Show
Wednesday, 6/5: School-wide Olympic Day
Thursday, 6/6: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony-- please attend (parents only)
Friday, 6/7: Last Day of School