Week of 4/27

Dear Parents,

This week, we have another review week with letters. We only have one consonant and one vowel left to formally introduce, so we will have many review weeks ahead of us. We will be reviewing both w and y, as those are more difficult sounds which are often confused. Our sight words are if and was.

In math, we are still looking at numbers to 100.  This week, we will be completing number sequences starting at a random number.  For example, children will write the missing numbers in 22, 23, ___, ___, 26, 27, _____, _____, etc.  Children will also color in a 100 chart with clues given such as, "Color the number that is 2 less than 32."  At the end, the picture should be of something recognizable.  Familiarity with numbers to 100 is essential at this point in the year.

We wrapped up the science unit with the wonderful "box structures" that were sent home last Thursday!  Children loved recycling boxes and creating something else with them.  It was a perfect tie-in with Earth Day last Tuesday.

Sharing this week is Song, Poem, or Nursery Rhyme.  Children should come prepared to recite a poem or sing a song to the class.  Songs and poems in other languages that your child may know are always welcome and encouraged.

The afternoon class has a Wacky Wednesday this Wednesday the 30th.  Class runs from 10:00 to 1:20.

Our Cinco de Mayo dance will be next Monday, May 5th, at 11:15 a.m. Please arrive on time so that you don't miss it!  All four kindergarten classes are involved in this dance, so parking may be tricky. If your children have any festive, bright dresses or bright colorful tops and pants, those always make the scene even more vibrant. Remember that if work constraints only allow you occasional days off that we would prefer that you are present for the Muffins with Mom event next Friday the 9th. If you cannot come, please consider sending a grandma, aunt, good friend, etc. Thank you!

I'd also like to encourage you all to come to the Fantasy Faire next Friday the 9th.  Fantasy Faire is a big favorite of the kids-- a fun carnival with game booths and inflatables, as well as entertainers such as a fortune teller and balloon twister.  It starts at 5:00 and runs until 8:30.  Your kids will not want to miss it!  Additionally, I would love to see our kindergartners participating in the cake decorating contest that morning.  It is so fun to see all the creativity with cake decorating, and the kindergartners love to show off their cakes!  Cakes do have to be dropped off in the morning (by 8:15) to be part of the judging, but it is really fun to participate.  The cakes that are created then get donated to the cake walk.

We are currently circulating our final class book, the "Baby Guessing Book."  It is really important when you get this book to please make sure you turn it right back around and send it to the classroom the next day.  We will not get through all the children in the class if this book gets forgotten a lot.  Thank you for your help with this!  Please also remember your blue bags tomorrow :)

Upcoming Events:
4/30: April's Wacky Wednesday
5/5: Cinco de Mayo Dance
5/9: Mother's Day Celebration: Moms-- Mark your Calendars!
5/9: Alta Vista's Fantasy Faire 5:00-8:30 pm
5/21: Open House
5/27:  In-class presentation from YSI, "Life in the Pond"
5/28: May's Wacky Wednesday
6/10: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony-- Mark your Calendars!
6/11: June's Wacky Wednesday & Olympic Day
6/12: Last Day of School

Week of 4/20

Dear Parents,

We are going to be introducing our second-to-last consonant this week, Yy!  The Alphafriend is Yetta Yo-Yo. We will also have a new sight word, she.  Children spent last week working with our new vowel, Ee, to spell and write short-vowel words such as pet, led, get, fed, met, etc.   The children are using a combination of sight words and short-vowel words to write sentences on the white boards that I dictate to them.  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 sentences and on worksheets 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.

We will be wrapping up our "Wood and Paper" science unit this week.  If you still have boxes to send in, we are still collecting them.  We will be using them for two different projects this week, and the children have much fun with these concluding lessons.

In math, we will return to number sense, working on numbers to 100.  Children need to count to 100, as well as understand how to count starting from any number between 1 and 100.  For example, if I say "21," they will say, "22, 23, 24..."  Check in with your children on this skill by playing counting games with them and checking their recognition of numbers to 100.

The sharing this week is Homemade Item.  Please have your children bring in items that they've made themselves.  Prepare them to talk about how they made it.

Keep checking the upcoming events for what's coming up in K2!  There are many memorable events coming soon,  so we're trying to give working parents a heads-up so that they can take some time off if possible and join us.

Please remember your blue bags on Monday, homework folder inside with "baby guessing" pages ready for our class book :)

Upcoming Events:
4/30: April's Wacky Wednesday
5/5: Cinco de Mayo Dance
5/9: Mother's Day Celebration: Moms-- Mark your Calendars!
5/9: Alta Vista's Fantasy Faire 5:00-8:30 pm
5/21: Open House
5/28: May's Wacky Wednesday
6/10: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony-- Mark your Calendars!
6/11: June's Wacky Wednesday & Olympic Day
6/12: Last Day of School

Week of 4/13

Dear Parents,

I hope you all enjoyed a nice week off with your children.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we are now into the "final stretch" of kindergarten, and the time will fly by very quickly! I am looking forward to some great fun and learning in the weeks ahead.

This week, we have a new letter, Ww. The alphafriend is Willy Worm. We have a new word, play. We also have a new vowel, Ee. The alphafriend is Edna Elephant. After this week, we only have one vowel and two consonants remaining! In math, we will begin a unit on measurement.  Children will learn how to measure small items using a ruler or cubes.  Children will compare things by size using the terms, longest, longer, long.  

In our final weeks of the science unit on Wood & Paper, we will have the chance to make paper mache. We will also see how paper can be woven from strips to make a bigger sheet of paper. Finally, we will take apart boxes and look at how the flat template appears before being folded into a box. Then, we will use the remaining boxes to create structures. For the box piece, we are asking for donations of cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, etc. Please send empty boxes into the classroom starting on Monday.  This unit has been a lot of fun! Our next science unit will be on animals and will begin in May.

The sharing this week will be Letter of the Week, Ww or Ee.  Please have your child bring something that starts with Ww or Ee, hidden in a bag, with three clues written about it.  Please make sure that the clues are included as that helps the children be prepared with what they are going to say, rather than standing up there with a lot of "ummmms."  Thank you.

Homework this week will include a special project called the Baby Guessing Book. Your child will complete a page that describes him/herself. A baby photo will be attached to the page, and then we circulate the book and try and guess who each baby is. This is always one of our most popular books, so start looking for a special baby picture that you can attach to your child's page!

We have our field trip this Wednesday to Emma Prusch Farm!  We are so excited for this trip as it is always a hit.  Remember that it is a Wacky Wednesday schedule for the afternoon class, so those children need to arrive promptly at 10:00. The bus will leave shortly thereafter. Please send your children in their class t-shirts, and put a shirt underneath for warmth if needed, so that I can still see the class t-shirt. The weather is supposed to be clear and mild.  Definitely send your children in close-toed shoes that are appropriate for walking, though.  Please also pack a fully disposable snack (with your child's name visible on the bag) so that we don't have to worry about losing lunchboxes, water bottles, etc.

Alta Vista's Multicultural Family Night is this Friday from 5:00 to 7:30. This event is in its 4th year, and is a wonderful family event. A few students in our class are participating by having a board on display of their family's culture or even taking part in cultural performances! Check it out if you can!

On Monday, May 5th, you may have noticed in the "Upcoming Events" that we have our Cinco de Mayo hat dance. This is an annual tradition in kindergarten, and you are all invited to come and watch! All the kindergarten classes dance the Hat Dance together, and it is a sight to see! The dance will start at 11:15, which means that the afternoon class will need to bring your children to school a little earlier that day. Don't be late, or you will miss it! Please plan on joining us if you can, but if your work schedule only allows for one day off, I would MUCH prefer that moms join us for the Mother's Day celebration the following Friday. Thank you!

I will look forward to seeing the children Monday and hearing all about their adventures over the past week!

Upcoming Events:
4/16: Field Trip to Emma Prusch Farm: Wacky Weds. for p.m. class
4/18: Multicultural Family Night
4/30: April's Wacky Wednesday
5/5: Cinco de Mayo Dance
5/9: Mother's Day Celebration: Moms-- Mark your Calendars!
5/9: Alta Vista's Fantasy Faire
5/21: Open House
5/28: May's Wacky Wednesday
6/10: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony-- Mark your Calendars!
6/11: June's Wacky Wednesday & Olympic Day
6/12: Last Day of School