Week of 9/5

I hope you are having a nice long weekend. We will get right back into the swing of things on Tuesday, with after school assessments continuing next week, as well as the continuation of our drawing unit. 

Afternoon Assessments

Thank you for signing your child up on my assessment schedule. This will help me to best meet the differing needs of the students in my class during small group instruction. I was able to complete the assessments of all extended care students last week, and I look forward to meeting with the rest of the students in the upcoming weeks. Please come to Gate F (our morning entry gate) at the time of your child's assessment. I can see you out there from the classroom and will come out and open the gate for you. If you need to check the schedule, you can view it here. Please note that you can no longer edit this document. If you need to reschedule your child's time, please email me. 

 

Language Arts

In language arts, we have been working on a drawing unit as a way to ease into the process of building kindergarten story writers. The kindergarten team started using this program last year, and we found that by teaching students how to draw, their written stories for the entire year were so much better. Often, we ask children to map out their stories first by drawing. If they get stuck in the drawing step, they can't fully express themselves in writing. Studies show that explicitly teaching drawing in conjunction with writing contributes to better literacy skills.

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.

Wednesday Envelopes 

Thank you so much for returning all the envelopes on Thursday. This routine will continue for the remainder of the year-- envelopes go home on Wednesday & children bring back the empty envelope on Thursday and put it in the basket on the picnic table. If you forget the envelope on Thursday, please try to send it back by the following Monday at the latest, so that I can pack the envelopes again for the following week.

Enrichment Update
Thank you for answering the call for supporting our enrichment programs! All our positions are filled, and the informational meetings for launching Art Vistas, Room Parents, and the Clay program start next week. If you signed up for these programs, please try to attend the training sessions. This week, I will also send out a Sign Up Genius for classroom center help and library helpers. Classroom centers begin on October 2nd, but library visits start next Wednesday the 13th. Our library time is every Wednesday, from 9:10 to 9:30. We will have sign-ups for both a check-out person and a story reader. I hope to see many of you in the library! It's a fun way to help out with a very small time commitment.

Thank you also for your continued donations to the C.A.G.E. drive to support our enrichment programs. If you haven't had a chance to donate yet, please consider donating by going to this link: https://altavistahsc.membershiptoolkit.com/home

Yard Duties Still Needed
We are still in need of yard duties for TK and Kindergarten (we are all out on the playground together) on Tuesdays, and Thursdays. TK/K lunch time runs from 11:30 to 12:15, so if you can spare 45 minutes to help at lunch, we need you! Please see Chitra in the office if you are interested.

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/4: No School: Labor Day

Friday, 9/15: Picture Day

Friday, 9/22: Alta Vista Movie Night