Week of 12/2

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice week off, and you were able to enjoy some time with friends and family. We will be getting back to our regular schedule again, and are excited to have parents back in the classroom for the next two weeks for classroom centers. We have just three busy weeks before we will be headed off for winter break-- it will go by quickly!

I have added some 2025 dates to the Sign-Up Genius for library & center helpers. These dates run through to our next break, President's Week. Additionally, we still have several openings in the upcoming weeks for both library & centers. If you are new to volunteering, please be sure you have filled out your Volunteer Code of Conduct form at least two weeks before the first time you help out. 

Nutcracker

This week, you will receive a note telling you what your child's part will be in the Nutcracker, and what items you may need to round up for your child to wear for the performance. I did not hear from anyone else that they are going to be out of town for the performance on the 19th, so I'm assuming I'm assigning 21 students to parts. After reviewing what clothes your child needs to wear, please let me know if there are any problems with gathering up the various clothes needed-- most parts call for either leotards or dark pants and either a light or dark shirt. Hopefully, if there is a clothing item you do not have, you can borrow it, as we do not intend for you to have to buy anything.  We have several leotards that have been donated over the years that can be borrowed, and a few pairs of ballet slippers.  Again, the performance of the Nutcracker will be at 9:15 on the 19th. As with the Halloween Parade, you will have to go through the office and scan your driver's license into the Visitor Management System & get a visitor's badge. You can do this starting Monday the 16th, either before or after school. If you wait until the 19th, you will want to allow plenty of time to do this so that you are in the cafeteria when the performance starts at 9:15. There are plenty of seats, and the doors will not open before 9:00, so there is no need to line up early. If you are really hoping for a front-row seat, there will be an online auction for front row tickets that will be held next week. Look out for an email from the Home & School Club about that!

Field Trip

We are looking forward to our trip to the Center for Performing Arts on Friday to see a production of The Nutcracker. Please remember to send your children wearing their Grasshopper t-shirt (not optional) and please pack a snack & lunch for your child if you did not order a school bag lunch. Those who ordered a school lunch also get a snack provided in their to-go bag. Thank you to Emily & Charlien for volunteering to chaperone for this trip. 

Language Arts

This week's letters are Xx and Yy. For the letter Xx, we focus on the ending sound, as in fox and box. The home support letter can be found in your email. Our sight words this week are yes and no. For the next two weeks, we will be reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man. I have a collection of many fun variations on this book that are perfect for this time of year.

Math

We are continuing our module on Comparison. This week, we will cover Topic B, where students learn to use a balance scale to compare the weights of two objects or groups of objects. They make comparison statements by using the terms heavier than, lighter than, and about the same weight as. In the last half of the topic, the balance scale serves as a tool to explore units and conservation. Students consider what happens when you use different units to balance the same object. They also investigate what happens to the weight of an object when you change its shape.

We are also doing an exciting math collaboration this week with the UMS 8th grade math teachers and students! The middle school students will come to Alta Vista on Thursday and run some fun math centers for them. We have done this for the past few years, and it is always a big success.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Grasshopper t-shirts to show your school pride.

This Week's Helpers & Activities

Monday: Centers (Emily & Ellen)

Tuesday: Centers (Shelbie & ?????)

Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Emily: Reader, ????: Checkout), Music, Dismissal @ 1:15

Thursday: UMS Math Students come

Friday: Field Trip: Wear Grasshopper t-shirts & pack a lunch

Upcoming Events

Friday, 12/6: Field trip to Center for Performing Arts

Thursday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance 

Friday, 12/20: Classroom Holiday Party

12/23-1/5: Winter Break

Monday, 12/6: School resumes

Monday, 1/20: No School: MLK Holiday 

Week of 11/18

In the upcoming week, we will continue parent-teacher conferences. I have enjoyed meeting with many of you so far, and have gained some great insights about your children from you. Thank you for meeting with me and being such active participants in your child's education. I look forward to meeting with the rest of you this week. Remember that for afternoon conferences, you will need to enter campus through Gate E (Gate F, where we enter in the morning, is usually locked after school). Gate E is on the other side of the school garden, near the redwood trees. You will enter K2 through the opposite door from where students enter in the morning. For this week, early dismissal at 1:15 continues through Friday.

There will be no classroom centers again this week, due to the early dismissal. Centers will resume on Monday the 2nd. Following Thanksgiving Break, we do have several openings in our Center/Library schedule. Please see the Sign-Up Genius to volunteer. Thank you for supporting small group instruction in our classroom!

Language Arts
This week, we will introduce two "plane line slide" letters: Vv and Ww. By the end of 2024, we will wrap up the introduction of all letters and will move onto blending sounds to read words in 2025. Our sight words this week are run and ran.

Math
We have completed Module 2, and are now moving onto Module 3, Comparison. In the first topic of this module, students develop their understanding of size by focusing on height and length as measurable attributes. Instead of using generic terms such as bigger and smaller when describing objects, students learn to accurately compare the length of two objects and use the specific terms taller, longer, and shorter. They begin to relate number and length through comparing sticks of Unifix® Cubes.

Nutcracker
Looking ahead on your calendars at this busy time of year, I wanted to make sure that you have all marked your calendars for Thursday, December 19th at 9:15 a.m.-- our performance of The Nutcracker. This is an annual kindergarten favorite. If you are heading out of town that week and your child won't be at school on the 19th, please let me know so that I can plan parts accordingly. I only know of one student at this time who will be missing the Nutcracker performance.

Also, a reminder as the holidays are approaching, if you are taking a trip that will result in your child missing at least 3 days of school, please see the office ASAP to get an Independent Study Packet. You must notify the office at least 2 weeks in advance of your trip to be eligible. When you take out an Independent Study, your child will get some school work and the school will get credit for your child's attendance, securing ADA money, so it's a win-win.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.
**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Grasshopper t-shirts to show your school pride.

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Lockdown Drill @ 8:25, Dismissal @ 1:15
Tuesday: Dismissal @ 1:15
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Ellen: Reader, Emily: Checkout), Music, Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday: Dismissal @ 1:15
Friday: Last Day before Thanksgiving Break, Dismissal @ 1:15

Upcoming Events
11/18-11/22: Parent-Teacher Conferences Continue
11/25-11/29: Thanksgiving Break
Friday, 12/6: Field trip to Center for Performing Arts
Thursday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance
12/23-1/5: Winter Break

Week of 11/12

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. I am looking forward to meeting with everyone in the upcoming two weeks! Remember that for the next two weeks (except Tuesday, 11/12), dismissal will be at 1:15 daily. If you need to reschedule your conference, please email me.  

Another Field Trip

We have another field trip coming up on Friday, December 6th! The kindergarten classes will be going to Center for Performing Arts to watch a live performance of The Nutcracker. Due to the Thanksgiving break, we need to have a quick turn-around on permission slips so that school lunches can be ordered in time for our trip (the vendor needs several weeks' notice). We will send the permission slips home with the kids on Tuesday (in their backpacks) and we need them back by Friday the 15th, especially if you are ordering a school lunch. If you do not return the permission slip by the 15th, a school lunch will not be ordered, and you will need to pack your child's lunch that day.

Special Turkey Project                                                                                                   

I am excited to see all the decorated turkeys this week! You can start sending those in on Tuesday, but no later than Thursday, when you return your child's Wednesday envelope. Please allow your child to lead this project. We are not looking for Pinterest-perfect turkeys and would much prefer to see child-created projects.

Language Arts

Four days a week, we have literacy centers in the morning. After our Fundations lesson, we switch to small group instruction. Each of the five reading groups in our class meet with me twice a week for instruction geared to their reading level. While one group is meeting with me, the rest of the class is engaged in literacy centers, which include: an iPad app called Lexia (an adaptive reading app), a writing center, an independent work center (reading worksheets, looking at books, etc), and literacy games. 

In Fundations this week, we will introduce the letters Hh, Kk, and Ll.  Did you know that there is a strong link between handwriting and literacy? Studies show that kids who practice handwriting do better at reading and spelling. Forming letters by hand while learning sounds activates brain circuits that promote literacy. If you notice that your child has not yet mastered the 20 letters & sounds we've introduced so far, please print out the letter pages in Fundations that are linked in the weekly update and have your child trace over them with their finger, while repeating their sounds, watching that they are forming them correctly. The pace of kindergarten is very fast, and by the end of 2024, children should know all letters & sounds. When we return from Winter Break, our focus will be sounding out words to read decodable texts.

Math

We will continue with Topic C, which covers constructing both 2D and 3D shapes. By the end of this week, we will have completed Module 2 on shapes. The next module is Comparison, where students will describe and compare measurable attributes.

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.

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Wednesday, 11/13 is Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. This is a schoolwide event. Please join Alta Vista in recognizing this historic event by wearing purple and walking to school on Wednesday. There will also be ice cream sales after school on Wednesday.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Grasshopper t-shirts to show your school pride.

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day
Wednesday: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, Library @ 9:10 (Emily & Rachel), Dismissal @ 1:15, ice cream sales after school
Thursday: Last day to return Turkey Trouble project, Parent-teacher conferences begin: Dismissal @ 1:15

Friday: Permission slips for field trip due, Dismissal @ 1:15

Upcoming Events

Monday, 11/11: No School: Veteran's Day

Wednesday, 11/13: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

11/14-11/22: Parent-Teacher Conferences 

11/25-11/29: Thanksgiving Break

Friday, 12/6: Field trip to Center for Performing Arts

Thursday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance 

12/23-1/5: Winter Break 

Week of 11/4

Leaves & Seeds

This week, we are doing a few art projects with things that fall from trees (leaves, seed pods, acorns, etc.). If you could please send in one bag of leaves & seeds with your child on Monday, that would be great. We don't have enough variety of leaves and seeds around campus, so we could really use your help with this-- thank you in advance! 

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, 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 be 11/14. We will be making this project into a class book to share with all the families, so encourage your children to take their time on the project and have fun with it!

Language Arts

This week, we will be continuing the labeling unit in our writing program. Children will be encouraged to draw pictures and add labels to them to help facilitate independent writing. As children develop as writers, we ask for your support in allowing them to sound out words on their own. If they spell a word phonetically and end up writing "morkr" for "marker," this is the first phase of learning to write and spell independently, and please encourage those attempts! 

Our letters this week are Pp and Jj. These are both letters that drop down to the "worm line." To help your child with correct letter formation, please look at the Home Support letter. Our sight words this week are and and go.

Math

This week, we will wrap up Topic B in math, and then begin Topic C. In Topic C, prior experience with attributes paves the way for building, drawing, and composing shapes. To manipulate materials and successfully construct a shape, students draw from the mental images built in the first two topics. Experiences constructing and composing shapes provide students opportunities to observe how shapes look from multiple perspectives, how parts fit together to make a whole, and how shapes relate to one another.

At this point in Module 2, students should now recognize the 2D shapes: square, rectangle, circle, triangle, and hexagon and be able to discuss attributes of those shapes. They should also be able to name the 3D shapes: cube, cylinder, cone, sphere, and pyramid and discuss those shapes' attributes. 

Art Vistas

We have our second Art Vista lesson coming up this Thursday. Thank you to Emily, Shelbie, Mallory & Kevin for presenting our art lessons this year.

Center & Library Help

There are still a few openings for center & library help! Check it out here.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Grasshopper t-shirts to show your school pride.

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Centers (Emily & Shelbie)
Tuesday: Centers (Awais & Barbara)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Emily & Shelbie), Turkey Project goes home, Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday: Art Vista @ 12:15 (Emily, Shelbie, Kevin, Mallory)

Upcoming Events

Monday, 11/11: No School: Veteran's Day

11/14-11/22: Parent-Teacher Conferences 

11/25-11/29: Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance 

12/23-1/5: Winter Break