Week of 10/3

Our extended days begin on Monday! Our schedule for the remainder of the year will be:

• Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays: 8:15 to 1:40
• Wednesdays and modified days during conference weeks: 8:15 to 1:15.**Please plan accordingly on these days as the rest of the school releases at this time, so parking will not be available on the street in front of our classroom.

I am looking forward to the additional time with your children. The first week+ will probably be very tiring for your students. Please make sure they get to bed early so they are well-rested and ready for their longer day.

Lunch will be from 11:30 to 12:15.  Children will be supervised by yard duties at that time, and will play on the playground before eating. When they are done with their lunch, we pick them up from the lunch tables and take them back to class. Please help us with this transition to lunch at school by reviewing all the tips we sent in an email on Friday.

Drop-Offs & Pick-Ups

• Please DO NOT park in the parking lot by Gate F. This lot is closed every day between 7:45 am and 2:50 pm. The cones blocking the exit will be there daily during those hours, as this lot is a staff-only lot for safety reasons.
• Please DO NOT bring dogs onto the Alta Vista campus during school hours. The campus includes the parking lot and all areas near entry and exit gates. Several children are fearful of dogs, and this is preventing them from feeling comfortable coming to school.
• Please arrive on time. The gates close at 8:15 in the morning. After that, you will need to escort your child to the office, get a tardy slip, and enter campus through the office.
• If you exit campus after the gates have closed, please make sure the gates latch behind you. This is for the safety of our entire campus.

Rhythm & Moves P.E./Indoor P.E.
Beginning Monday, students will have weekly P.E. with either Rhythm & Moves or indoor P.E. in the OT Room. 

• Children should wear shoes and clothing appropriate for fitness on Mondays. 
• Shoe choice is extremely important, since when we go to the OT room, children will be removing their shoes and putting them back on again.
• Children need to be able to do this independently. I highly recommend slip-on/velcro sneakers every Monday, unless your child already knows how to tie shoes on their own (a great skill to start working on!)

Language Arts
This week, we will introduce our final Daily 5 activity, the Writing Center. The goal is that within the next couple of weeks, we will be able to fully launch Daily 5. Once that happens, a small group of students will be meeting with me each day while the rest of the class is engaged in various other literacy centers. Your children will be receiving lessons targeted for their ability level in a small group instruction setting.
 
Our letters this week are Dd and Ss. These are more difficult letters to form in handwriting, and it's really important to form both letters correctly to prevent reversals. Please check the Fundations formation guide for these letters, and reinforce this as much as possible at home.

Our sight words this week are a and go. You can find the sight words we've introduced on the classroom website. Go to the tab called "High Frequency Word List."

Math
In math, we will continue working with numbers to 10. This week, we will focus on the concept of "more" and "fewer."
 
Kimochis
This week, the Kimochis® Character named Cloud will join our classroom to teach your child about the feelings happy, sad, and mad. Cloud is the Kimochis® Character who can be moody, so sometimes it is hard for him to get along with his friends. When Cloud is happy, he spreads sunshine everywhere, which makes everyone feel fantastic! But when Cloud feels mad or sad, he might snap or yell. Because he has a hard time controlling his anger, he might do things that hurt feelings, even though he doesn’t mean to. Cloud helps children develop patience, tolerance, and understanding for friends who are still learning how to express upset feelings in positive, healthy ways.

Classroom Centers

We are excited to welcome parents into the classroom for center time beginning Tuesday! If, for some reason, you are unable to join us on your scheduled day (illness in the family, etc.), please email me as soon as possible so that I can put an email out to the class and get a substitute for you. Please arrive early (5-10 minutes before centers start) to allow time to check in at the office and have your driver's license scanned. Discuss with your child ahead of time that when you are in the classroom, you are another teacher, and will need to be helping all the students-- in fact, sometimes parents may not even be at a center that their child goes to on that day. Thank you for your help at centers-- this allows me to offer small group instruction in the afternoon.

This Week's Helpers & Activities:

Monday: P.E.-- wear shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness

Tuesday: Return library books, centers (Brittny & Kami)

Wednesday: Library (Stephen & Bora), dismissal @ 1:15

Thursday: Return white envelopes, centers (Mike M. & Fadime)

Friday: Centers (Bora & Mikyoung)

Upcoming Events

Monday, 10/3: First Day of our Extended Day

Monday, 10/3: First Day of Rhythm & Moves PE Program

Thursday, 10/13: First Clay Lesson 

Wednesday, 10/19: Field trip to Emma Prusch Farm

Friday, 10/21: First Art Vista lesson

Friday, 10/29: Alta Vista Walkathon