Week of 11/1

I hope you have all been enjoying a fun Halloween weekend. It was great seeing the kids dressed up on Friday and having fun at the Monster Marathon. I'm sure you're getting in lots of steps this weekend to continue supporting the enrichment programs at Alta Vista! Thanks again to everyone for helping to fund these great programs, and to Emily, Deanna, and Van for coordinating our events & goodie bags on Friday. 

November is a month with many days off and shortened days for parent-teacher conferences. This makes it a great time to review material we've covered so far. 

Language Arts
This week, we add another short-a word family, am, while also reviewing other word families we've covered. Children are blending sounds to read and spell many words in different short-a word families such as can, tap, jam, bat, sad. Encourage children to use the sounds they know to sound these types of words out on their own while reading.

Our sight words this week are to and is. We have now introduced 22 sight words! The list that we've covered so far can be found on here under the tab "High Frequency Word List." Continue having your child read the sight word sentences that are sent home each week in the Wednesday envelope. We will be reading more Fall-themed and scarecrow books.

Leaves
Following the theme of Fall, I'd love to have children bring in a small baggie of leaves that we can use for leaf rubbings on Tuesday. If your child just collects two or three leaves to add to our leaf basket, it will give us a nice variety of leaves for this project.

Math
In math, we will wrap up the module on measurement, as well as review counting and number writing. 

Kimochis
This week, your child will learn the third Kimochis® Key to Communication: Use a Talking Face and Body. We will practice strategies for maintaining a positive facial expression and body language when experiencing upset emotions and conflicts instead of a mean or hurtful facial expression (Fighting Face) and body language. When your child can keep his/her face and body from looking aggressive or hurtful, others will be more willing to listen. Your child will learn how to notice and read the facial expressions and body language of others as a way to understand the emotion behind the words. Your child also will learn a communication tool called the Talking Hand. This is a positive and effective strategy your child can use to respond to peers or siblings when they grab. 

Special Family Project
In this week's Wednesday envelope, we will be sending home a turkey for your child to "disguise." This project goes along with a book called Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. In this book, the turkey does not want to become Thanksgiving dinner, so he disguises himself in many different costumes to avoid getting caught. Your children will receive their own turkey to disguise, along with directions for this project, in their envelope. Examples of this project can be found here and here, but please let your child lead this project with their ideas on how to disguise the turkey. We love seeing these projects year after year and look forward to this year's editions!

Please note, the projects are due back in the following week's envelope, which will go home on a Tuesday due to the holidays on 11/11 & 11/12. Therefore, you will return the project in your child's envelope on 11/10.

Changes to Arrivals & Dismissals
As you read in the Superintendent's message on Friday, parents are now allowed past the gates on campus, to escort their children to the classroom door. The kindergarten teachers will discuss the new procedures at our meetings on Monday, and I will send an updated email to you with information about this. There will likely be no changes to the dismissal procedures because even pre-COVID, we escorted the class to the gates to dismiss them because the rest of the school is still in session. so the gates are still locked (except on Wednesdays). Please look for an email with updates about arrival & dismissal procedures on Monday afternoon.

Reminders
**P.E. is every Monday-- please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness.
**Library is every Wednesday. Please send your child's book back to school by Tuesday each week.

Upcoming Events
Monday, 11/1: No School: Staff Development Day
Tuesday, 11/2: Bring leaves to school
Monday, 11/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin
11/11 &11/12: No School: Veteran's Day
Week of 11/22: Thanksgiving Vacation

Week of 10/25

We have an exciting week ahead of us with our first AV Spirit Week, the Monster Marathon, Halloween, and a Book Fair! Apologies for the long post, but we do have a lot going on. 

Spirit Week
As a countdown to the Monster Marathon, each day this week will have a different spirit theme. These days are entirely optional, but are a great way to show your Alta Vista spirit! Here are the daily themes:
Monday: Orange & Black Day
Tuesday: Crazy Socks Day
Wednesday: PJ Day
Thursday: Crazy Hair Day
Friday: Wear Your Costume to School

Monster Marathon/Halloween
We will begin the Alta Vista Monster Marathon on Friday the 29th! Our walking time will be from 9:45 to 10:30 on the perimeter of the softball fields. We invite you to come cheer on your Grasshopper student any time during that window by standing along the back fence (along Blossom Glen Way). This time frame will also be our Halloween parade. We will kick off the first lap (at 9:45) in orderly fashion and parade by the fence in our full costumes. After the first lap, children can go at whatever pace they want and remove costume items if they are impeded by them. We are looking forward to this reimagined event that raises money for enrichment programs at Alta Vista.

Halloween Guidelines

• Children should come to school in their costumes since the parade is not long after we start our day.
• Children can remain in their costumes, but please make sure it is comfortable for them or has a "base layer" that they can wear comfortably for the remainder of the day. Of most importance is that they can use the restroom on their own in the costume.
• Masks can be worn only during the parade, and should not impede vision.
• No weapons of any kind (light sabers, fake swords, etc. are not allowed)
• No gory costumes that might be frightening to sensitive children
• Our afternoon centers for both Thursday & Friday include a few Halloween-themed activities, including some outdoor games that the room parents purchased. Thanks again to Deanna, Emily, and Van for their support with getting us all geared up for some Halloween fun!

Book Fair
I believe the upcoming book fair is an online fair. It begins this Thursday the 28th. Any books purchased through the virtual book fair give a percentage of their sales to both the Alta Vista library and teachers' classroom libraries. The link to information about this book fair can be found here. Speaking of Scholastic Books, those of you who ordered from my late September order-- there has been a significant delay. Scholastic says they are having supply chain issues. I apologize for this delay.

In Class this Week 

• The word families are the ad and an families.
• The sight words are go and no
• We continue to work on the measurement unit in math. Parent tips for this module can be found here.
• We will be reading both fiction and nonfiction books about spiders.
• We will be writing about spiders, using the information we learn.

Kimochis
This week, your child will learn the second Kimochis® Key to Communication: Use a Talking Voice. This key helps children stay aware of how they use the tone and volume of their voice. Sometimes when we have upset feelings, it is easy to yell or use a tone of voice that makes the situation worse instead of better. The lesson this week will teach your child how to use a Talking Voice rather than a defensive, aggressive, or Fighting Voice. When we feel upset and are able to use a Talking Voice, we raise the odds that others will want to understand our feelings and resolve conflicts.

Art Vistas
We will have our first Art Vista lesson this Wednesday. The students will be viewing lithographs of master artists featuring trains, followed by a hands-on lesson where they will create their own trains out of various shapes. This first lesson will be virtual, using recorded lessons put together last year by our lead Art Vista docents. 

Conferences
I am looking forward to meeting with you all to discuss your child's progress so far, beginning on November 8th. If you haven't yet signed up, please see your email to do so. To prepare for conferences, I will have a substitute in the classroom this Monday the 25th, so that I can assess students. I will be on campus, but in and out of the classroom. 

Reminders
**P.E. is every Monday-- please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness.
**Library is every Wednesday. Please send your child's book back to school by Tuesday each week.

Upcoming Events 

Friday, 10/29: Monster Marathon begins at school

Monday, 11/1: No School: Staff Development Day

Monday, 11/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin

11/11 &11/12: No School: Veteran's Day

Week of 11/22: Thanksgiving Vacation

Week of 10/18

We are getting excited for the Monster Marathon, which begins on October 29th! I'm hoping most of our Grasshoppers are participating-- be sure to sign your students up to receive their pedometer so they can count all their walking over the weekend of the 29th. All money raised goes to support the school's enrichment programs like P.E., Art Vistas, and Cornerstone. We began making our class banner on Tuesday. Each child made a handprint cat that will go on the banner. Thanks again to Emily, Deanna, and Van for coordinating this effort. 

Hopefully, you all received the conference sign-up email. I'm looking forward to meeting with you in early November to update you on your child's progress so far.

We really enjoyed having our first guest reader, Virginia, during our library time! It is so nice having parents "Zoom in" for a story during our Wednesday library time. We are looking forward to future readings on Wednesdays! Also, please remember to continue to send your child's library book back to school each Tuesday so they can check out a new one on Wednesday.

Language Arts
We spent last week reviewing all the letters and sounds, which we will continue doing. This week, we begin covering word families. We will start with the ap and at endings, reading and spelling words such as map, rat, bat, sap, etc.

Our sight words this week are be, she, and like. This week, we will begin talking about all things pumpkin! We will be reading both fiction and non-fiction books about pumpkins.

Math
In math, we will begin a new module on measurement. This is a great time to begin our measurement unit, as we will use mini pumpkins we have in the classroom to weigh and measure the circumference. Tips for this module can be found here.  

Kimochis
We have now introduced all our Kimochi characters! This week, your child will be learning the first Kimochis® Key to Communication: Get someone’s attention. Your child will learn that when we want to get someone’s attention, it is important to call that person’s name. This alerts the person to look. If your child waits for the person to look or make eye contact before speaking, it increases the odds that the people communicating will really listen to each other. Sometimes calling someone’s name is not enough. Your child will learn to use a gentle tap on the shoulder to get attention. When your child knows that the listener is ready to listen, the likelihood of having a positive connection is increased.

Cornerstone
This week, we will begin the Cornerstone program. YMCA Project Cornerstone is a community initiative with the mission to create an environment where adults support and value all youth so they grow up feeling valued, respected, and known. Carlene will be doing this week's reading. Thank you also to Agnieszka and Kassie, who are also supporting the Cornerstone program.

Reminders 

**P.E. is every Monday-- please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please send your child's book back to school by Tuesday each week **"The Great Shake-Out" earthquake drill is this Thursday, 10/21

**Picture re-takes are this Friday, 10/22

**Please remember to return Wednesday envelopes on Monday, as many children were out of school both Thursday & Friday last week.

 

Upcoming Events 

Friday, 10/29: Monster Marathon begins at school

Monday, 11/1: No School: Staff Development Day

Monday, 11/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin\

11/11 &11/12: No School: Veteran's Day

Week of 10/11

 We have a fun week ahead with another virtual field trip, Mission to the Moon, through the California Academy of Sciences. We also will be making a special craft to decorate our banner for the "Monster Marathon" Alta Vista Walkathon. I am looking forward to being part of this new, reimagined event that will involve a kick-off at school on October 29th, followed by a weekend of walking! Help raise money for Alta Vista's enrichment programs as well as getting involved in a fun community event. Thank you to Deanna, Emily, and Van for getting us organized for this event. You will hear more about it as the date draws closer, but mark your calendars for Halloween weekend!

Language Arts
We have now introduced all of the letters & sounds! Of course, there will be plenty of review and reinforcement of these letters, but if you are noticing that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. This is a review week of all the letter sounds, and then we will begin covering word families. We will start next week with the ap and at endings, reading and spelling words such as map, rat, bat, sap, etc.

Our sight words this week are me, we and he. This week our stories will be from the author Aaron Reynolds: Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear.

Math
In math, we will be wrapping up the module on shapes. The 2D shapes we have covered are: rectangle, square, circle, triangle, and hexagon. The 3D shapes we have covered are: cone, cube, sphere, and cylinder. We have been learning the shape names and attributes of those shapes. Going forward, most of our math involves hands-on activities in small-group centers, so you won't see as many math papers in the Wednesday envelopes. Parent tips for this math module can be found here. 

Kimochis
This week, the Kimochis® Character named Cat will join our classroom to teach children about the feelings curious, cranky, and sorry. Cat is the Kimochis® Character who knows what she wants, when she wants it, and why she wants it! When Cat makes up her mind, there is no stopping her. When the group needs a leader, Cat is always ready to help. She loves to be in charge, but she can be a little bit bossy. Cat may seem mean on the outside, but on the inside, she is very sweet. Cat has lots of bandages to help her redo times when she makes a mistake and hurts someone’s feelings.

Self-Help Skills
We continue to need to practice self-help skills. A big one right now is packing up our backpacks. I am encouraging the children to get everything from the day into their backpacks, rather than holding it all in their hands and leaving the backpack empty. This has been very hard for many kids. Any reinforcement you can do at home with encouraging them in the morning to put their lunch and snack into the backpack on their own would be appreciated. Another skill we are working on is removing jackets and sweatshirts independently. Again, many children are struggling with zippers and sleeves that are inside out. Rather than just doing zippers and fixing sleeves for your children, show them how to do this so that they can do it on their own. Children feel very accomplished when they can do these things without help. 

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, 10/12: Virtual Field Trip: Mission to the Moon
Friday, 10/29: Monster Marathon begins at school
Monday, 11/1: No School: Staff Development Day
Monday, 11/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin\
11/11 &11/12: No School: Veteran's Day

Week of 10/4

Our first week of extended days went pretty well! I do have a few suggestions to make things run more smoothly:

• Please pack just one item for snack time. Some children are spending the entire 10:30 break time eating their snack items, and they never get to play. They are eating lunch again at just before noon, so they really don't need a giant snack.
• Please make sure your child is aware of which item is for snack vs. lunch. If they are having a school hot lunch, please make sure they know that.
• Please label snack containers & water bottles. We have had numerous items left behind on the lunch tables, and it takes a lot of time for the children to claim their items. Every item I hold up belongs to "nobody." It would be great to have these items labeled so that we can stop wasting time trying to figure out whose items they are.

Pets @ Pickup & Drop Off
I'm sure you've seen Mrs. Bailey's posts in her weekly Alta Vista newsletter about dogs at pick-up and drop-off times. Pets cannot come on campus in the pick-up and drop-off areas. We know it may seem like a good idea to walk your dog while taking your child to school, but there are several kindergarteners who are afraid of dogs, and this adds an extra level of anxiety at pick-up and drop-off times. Please do not enter the school parking lot with your dogs. Thank you for your cooperation on this. 

Rhythm & Moves P.E.
The students really enjoyed their first P.E. session with Mr. Field, the Rhythm & Moves coach. P.E. will continue weekly on Mondays. Children should wear shoes and clothing appropriate for fitness on Mondays. Typically, what children normally wear to school is fine, but I would suggest sneakers on Mondays vs. slip-on shoes or sandals.

Language Arts
Our letters this week are Vv, Ww, Yy, and Zz. At the end of this week, we will have introduced all of the letters & sounds! Of course, there will be plenty of review and reinforcement of these letters, but if you are noticing that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. Next week is a review week of all the letter sounds, and then we will begin covering word families. We will start with the ap and at endings, reading and spelling words such as map, rat, bat, sap, etc.

Our sight words this week are the and see. The sight words we've introduced so far are: I, a, at, am, can, and, ran, that, it, and in. Please also continue reinforcing these words at home and listening to your child read the sight word sentences that come home in your child's Wednesday envelope each week.

Our stories this week will continue to be about apples, both fiction and non-fiction.

Math
In math, we will continue the module on shapes. We will be covering both 2D and 3D shapes over the next few weeks. We will learn shape names and attributes of those shapes. Going forward, most of our math involves hands-on activities in small-group centers, so you won't see as many math papers in the Wednesday envelopes. Parent tips for this math module can be found here. 

Kimochis
This week, Bug will join our classroom to teach children about the feelings left out, shy, brave, and scared. Bug is the Kimochis® Character who is thoughtful and very careful. He is very smart and loves to talk. But Bug is afraid of change, and because he is a caterpillar, this is hard for him. Although Bug is afraid, he secretly dreams of flying, but it is hard for him to try new things. Children who have a temperament like Bug’s, benefit from learning how to be brave in order to manage shy and scared feelings and try new things.

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, 10/12: Virtual Field Trip: Mission to the Moon
Monday, 11/1: No School: Staff Development Day
Monday, 11/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin
11/11 &11/12: No School: Veteran's Day