Week of 5/2

Moms, we are looking forward to celebrating with you this Friday the 6th at 1:00! Please email me to let me know if you cannot make it so that I know how many to expect. There will be a brief program in the classroom, and then we will head outside to socialize at the end of the presentation. This year, the event will not involve food, simply the presentation and a chance to get together as a group on campus for the first time in a long while! 

Language Arts
This week and next week, we will focus on "tricky y," which is y as a vowel. This week we are focusing on the long i sound of this letter, as in why, try, sky. Our sight word this week is your. 

We will continue with our butterfly unit this week, reading both fiction and non-fiction books about butterflies. We were very excited on Friday, when we received our caterpillars, which we will watch grow and transform into butterflies.

Math 

We continue to review all the concepts we've learned this year, with a focus on addition & subtraction fluency. We are ending the year with a great website, Happy Numbers, which will help children review math concepts in an engaging way.

 

Kimochis 

We are taking a break from Kimochis for the next few weeks as we prepare for our Mother's Day celebration and Open House.

Multicultural Fair
This Friday evening, Alta Vista will be hosting our annual (and wonderful!) Multicultural Fair! It is on the blacktop near the Alta Vista Library/Media Center. It is back after a three year hiatus, and we have several families in our class participating in this amazing event! Bring the whole family and come between 5:30 and 7:30 to enjoy booths representing at least 12 different countries, cultural dances, food, and music! I will be there and I hope to see you, too! 

Open House
Open House is May 18th, from 6:00 to 7:00. The children have been working hard, and many wonderful projects will be on display in our classroom that night. I hope you will stop by!

**Children should return library books by Tuesday, so they can check out a new book on Wednesday

**We have P.E. every Monday. Please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness

**Grasshopper t-shirt day/AV Spirit Day is every Wednesday. 

Helpers & Activities This Week
Monday: COVID testing in the cafeteria, PE with Mr. Field
Tuesday: Return library books, Centers (Kassie & Deanna)
Wednesday: Grasshopper t-shirt day, PAWS assembly
Thursday: Centers (Sarah & Tiffany)
Friday: NO CENTERS, Mother's Day Celebration @ 1:00

Upcoming Events 

Friday, 5/6: Mother's Day Celebration @ 1:00

Friday, 5/6: Multicultural Fair, 5:30-7:30

Wednesday, 5/18: Open House

Week of 4/25

Last Friday, I took the class through the Art Vista Show in the cafeteria. There were so many wonderful projects on display, and it was so great to have the Art Show back! I hope many of you were able to enjoy the Art Show & the STEAM Fair on Saturday. Thank you to Agnieszka & Tiffany for their work as Art Vista docents this year. 

Language Arts
This week, we will focus on the dipthong ow, which has two sounds. It has a long sound like in show, throw, and blow, and can also make another sound like in how, cow, and owl. Our sight word this week is yes.  

We are beginning our butterfly unit this week. This week's book focus is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We will read many stories in the upcoming weeks, both fiction and non-fiction, about butterflies. We will also have some caterpillars in our classroom soon that we will watch transform into butterflies! 

Math 

We are beginning to review all the concepts we've learned this year, with a focus on addition & subtraction fluency.

 

Mother's Day

A reminder again to all our moms that we will be having a Mother's Day celebration in class on Friday, May 6th at 1:00. We will have a short presentation that includes songs, poems, and a mini play. We hope you can all join us!

STEAM
This Wednesday, we will head to the Makerspace again to make Lego mazes for Hexbugs. Children will create a maze for the Hexbugs to navigate through. We will be in the Makerspace from 9:45 to 10:30. I could use a couple of helpers for this activity. If you are available, please email me. Since there is a short turnaround on this activity, you would already need to be on the pre-approved list of helpers.  

Book Fair
Beginning Tuesday, and running through Friday, the Book Fair is open in the Alta Vista Cafeteria. Unfortunately, the after school hours are after grades 1-5 get out except on Wednesday. If you'd like to take your child to the Book Fair, Wednesday is probably your best bet. There are many great selections of the newest children's books at competitive prices. Check it out!

Kimochis 

This week, your child learned about frustration and the Kimochis® kotowaza—or Japanese proverb—that accompanies this feeling: “Bounce back.” This kotowaza inspires and encourages children to be resilient when faced with frustration. Frustration is the tense, unhappy feeling that results when you can’t do something you should be able to do or want to do. Outbursts that look like anger can be triggered by frustration because young children do not have the language to express their frustrated feelings. It is important for children to persevere with tasks to completion. However, they also need to learn that they can ask for help when they have tried to alleviate frustration on their own, and they do not make progress. Your child learned the following four steps as a way to help work through frustration: 1. Stop and take a breath. 2. Say, “I’m frustrated.” 3. Take a breath and try again. 4. Ask for help if they need it.

**Children should return library books by Tuesday, so they can check out a new book on Wednesday

**We have P.E. every Monday. Please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness

**Grasshopper t-shirt day/AV Spirit Day is every Wednesday.

Helpers & Activities This Week
Monday: COVID testing in the cafeteria, PE with Mr. Field
Tuesday: Return library books, Centers (Kassie & Shaneil)
Wednesday: Grasshopper t-shirt day, Makerspace 9:45-10:30, PAWS assembly
Thursday: Centers (Ryan & Matthew)
Friday: Centers (Carlene & Virginia)

Upcoming Events
4/26-4/29: Book Fair in the Cafeteria
Wednesday, 4/27: Trip to the Makerspace
Friday, 5/6: Mother's Day Celebration @ 1:00
Friday, 5/6: Multicultural Fair
Wednesday, 5/18: Open House

Week of 4/12

I hope you all have been enjoying a nice week off with your children. As I mentioned before break, 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.

Language Arts
This week, we will focus on the long-vowel sounds of both a and i using silent e: same, like, made, ripe are some examples of this pattern. Our sight word also uses the silent e: here. The Secret Stories program calls silent e "Mama E," so you will probably hear your child refer to silent e this way as well.  

Our stories this week will center around farm animals. We have many great fiction and non-fiction books to learn more about farms!

Math 

We are continuing with the subtraction unit. We've been using 10 frames, number bonds, fingers, and other manipulatives to develop subtraction fluency. This week, we will begin working on word problems. Thank you for your continued support with this concept. Parent tips for this module can be found here.

 

STEAM 

We are continuing to head over to the Makerspace on Wednesdays in April, using a variety of materials there. A big part of STEAM activities is collaboration. This is often hard for kindergartners, as they want the project to be exactly what they want, instead of compromising with group members. We will continue to encourage cooperation & collaboration with various STEAM activities.

 

Kimochis 

Before break, your child learned about bravery and the Kimochis® kotowaza—or Japanese proverb—that accompanies this feeling: “You can’t be brave without being afraid.” This teaches your child that being brave means you might feel shy, scared, embarrassed, or unsure, but you can still be brave enough to get yourself to say and do what you know is right and best. The Brave kotowaza is being used in our classroom to help children feel comfortable being beginners and trying new things. Young children have lives filled with lots of new experiences and tasks! Your child learned that when someone is a beginner, they can make lots of mistakes. Helping your child to be comfortable making mistakes and having positive thoughts when things don’t come easily will help them to be successful both socially and academically.

**Children should return library books by Tuesday, so they can check out a new book on Wednesday

**We have P.E. every Monday. Please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness

**Grasshopper t-shirt day/AV Spirit Day is every Wednesday.

Helpers & Activities This Week
Monday: COVID testing in the cafeteria, PE with Mr. Field
Tuesday: Return library books, Centers (Kassie & Emily)
Wednesday: Grasshopper t-shirt day, Trip to the MS, 9:45-10:30, PAWS assembly
Thursday: Centers (Agnieszka & Tiffany)
Friday: Centers (Adam & Daniel)

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 4/13: Trip to the Makerspace

Friday, 4/22: Kindergarten Movie Night (need to have a ticket to attend)

Friday, 5/6: Multicultural Fair

Wednesday, 5/18: Open House