Week of 9/3

 I hope you are enjoying a nice long weekend. We had a lot of fun this past week with a few STEAM activities around some fairy tales and nursery rhymes. 

Language Arts
We will begin launching the Fundations program in the upcoming weeks, which is a language arts program that we've been using for the past few years.  A big focus of this program is learning the correct formation of letters, hand-in-hand with learning their sounds. Handwriting serves to link visual processing with motor experience, facilitating subsequent letter recognition skills. The expectation is that by the end of the first trimester (early November) students know all their letters & sounds. Every week, I will link a parent support letter with ideas on how to reinforce what we're learning at school at home.

We will also continue with our drawing unit this week. The kindergarten team started using this program a few years ago, 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.

Math

Last week, we started Module 1: Counting and Cardinality. This module includes counting experiences that integrate the four parts of the number core: number sequence, cardinality, one-to-one correspondence, and written number symbols. Students connect sorting a group into parts and decomposing numbers. A "Family Math" letter accompanies each topic in the module, and these will be sent home each time we start a new topic. Here are links to both Topic A and Topic B Family Math letters.

Wednesday Envelopes

This Wednesday, you will receive your child's first "Wednesday Envelope." Since most communications from the school are now online, and most work in the classroom is hands-on, this will often only contain a few items of completed work from the classroom. Please look over the items and work in the envelope to see any areas where your child may need additional support. Every Thursday, please return the empty envelope to school so that we can send their work home each Wednesday in that envelope. There will be a basket on the picnic table on Thursday morning where your children can return their envelopes each week. 

Classroom Help Update 

The AVHSC has set the dates for the trainings for the wonderful enrichment programs we have at the school. If you'd like to help out with Art Vistas, Clay, Garden Club, or Dad's Club, the training dates can be found here. 

Soon, I will also send out a Sign Up Genius for library helpers. Library visits start on Wednesday the 10th. 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. For library check-out: you will first scan in the books that children checked out the previous week. Then you will scan the new books the children select for the week. You will also assist children in finding books that they'd like. For library reader: please bring or select a book from the library ahead of time to read to the students. The book should take about 5 or so minutes to read, leaving the rest of the time for children to select a book to check out, which you will also assist with.

Remember that if you plan on helping at all this year, the Volunteer Code of Conduct must be filled out at least a week in advance of the first time you help. It is best to just fill it out right away so that you are all set for the year, since this only needs to be filled out once per school year. 

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

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/1: No School: Labor Day

Tuesday, 9/2: No School: Teacher Work Day

Thursday, 9/11: Be Seen & Heard Assembly

Friday, 9/12: Alta Vista Movie Night Under the Stars

Week of 8/25

We made it through our first 5-day week in kindergarten!  Everyone is adjusting to the new routines well and making new friends.

A reminder again that Back-to-School Night is this Wednesday the 27th. This is a night for parents only (too much talking for the little ones) and is important to attend so that you know what the expectations are this school year. The schedule is: 

• 6:30-7:00: Home & School Club Presentation in the cafeteria
• 7:00-7:30: My presentation in K2

We will be talking about all the classroom and schoolwide volunteering opportunities on Wednesday, but one position that's been filled for our class is the room parent position. Thanks to Maria (Lukas' mom) and Taryn (Frankie's mom), we already have the ball rolling on getting everyone connected. They have asked me to send out this form to give your permission to be added to their communications about class parties and other schoolwide social events and activities. Please make sure to fill this out if you'd like to stay in the loop!

Language Arts

We had several projects and games last week around learning each other's names. Continue to encourage your children to write their name using only one upper-case letter. We also did several projects and crafts around the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We ended the week with a STEAM challenge, building a "coconut tree" that could hold their set of eraser letters. 

Next week, our focus will be on nursery rhymes and fairy tales. We will read many versions of popular favorites such as The Three Pigs, The Three Bears, Humpty Dumpty, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. We will have more STEAM challenges next week as well around some fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

Drawing & Writing Unit

One of the steps in becoming an independent writer is expressing yourself through your illustrations. To that end, the kindergarten teachers will begin working on explicit instruction on how to draw some basic things such as people, buildings, vehicles and animals. This week, we will begin our drawing unit, which also goes hand in hand with our math topic on shapes. Much of our drawing unit uses shapes as a way to make basic illustrations. 

Math
Over the next couple of weeks, we will introduce 2D (flat) shapes. Our focus in kindergarten is on the circle, square, rectangle, triangle, and hexagon. Not only do we learn to identify them, but we also learn about their attributes (a triangle has three sides and three corners). Last year, the district updated our math program to one called Eureka 2. The kindergarten team found that this program really helped establish a great math foundation for all the students. 

Snacks and Lunch

I am noticing several students with too many snack items to manage during our 10 minute snack time. This week, we will start really tightening up our timeline, so please pack a snack that can be consumed in 10 minutes. Some children are staying at the snack table for our entire recess, missing out on play time because they want to finish their whole snack.

Our first week of lunches at school went quite well! Some children are still a bit confused about what is for lunch and what is for snack-- make sure you explain this to your children or pack these items in separate bags or boxes. Even using different pouches of their backpacks can be helpful to differentiate which is which. For those getting school lunch, please be sure to go over the menu with your children so that they know what they are getting, especially if your children have any allergies or special dietary considerations. Thank you for your support with making snack time and lunch time successful!

AVHSC CAGE Drive

You will hear more about this at Back-to-School Night, but the Alta Vista Home & School Club needs you! All the enrichment programs at our school need parent volunteers, as well as financial support. The kindergarten classes have a long-standing tradition of winning the CAGE Drive competition by getting the most families to join & support the AVHSC. Please support the wonderful enrichment programs at our school by going to this link.  

We will start having parents in the classroom for classroom centers beginning the week of September 29th, and we'll need readers and check-out assistants in the library beginning 9/10. Before you can do any volunteering at Alta Vista, you must fill out the Volunteer Code of Conduct at least a week before you first volunteer. I always suggest to parents that they do that right away so that they are set for the school year. 

I coordinate classroom and library helpers using Sign Up Genius-- these slots are not on the AVHSC website. Look out for a separate sign-up for classroom centers & library helpers when we get closer to that time. 

Class Book

We have started circulating our first class book, where each child contributed a page in a Chicka Boom Boom-themed book. When your child brings it home, it will be in a large white envelope. Please read the book with your child, write a short comment in the back of the book, and return it to school the next school day so that every child can have a turn with the book as soon as possible. 

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/1: No School: Labor Day

Tuesday, 9/2: No School: Staff Development Day

Thursday, 9/11: Be Seen & Heard Assembly

Friday, 9/12: Alta Vista Movie Night Under the Stars

Week of 8/18

We had a great first week reading books and getting to know one another and our classroom. This group is off to a wonderful start!

Handwriting/Name Writing
This week, we will begin focusing on names and letters. One of our kindergarten standards is writing a name with one capital letter and the rest lower-case. I encourage you to reinforce this at home-- we try to drop the all-capital letter name writing as quickly as possible. The faster children can write their names correctly, the easier it is for them to get going on assignments, as we encourage them to write their names first. I appreciate your help with this.

We will also be reading the books, No David! and Chika Chika Boom Boom and doing some crafts and a STEAM project following these stories.

Scissor Skills/Fine Motor Tubs
Next week, we will launch our "fine motor tubs," which we work on first thing in the morning. Your children will want to come right on time so that they can get started on these tubs, as these are always very popular! They are a great way for us to sneak in some fine motor strengthening activities while having fun. One skill we will be focusing on is scissor skills, which can be difficult for kindergartners. Continue practicing scissor skills at home by drawing lines on papers to have your children cut on different types of lines.

School Gates
All gates into the school will be open from 8:05 to 8:15, and then they will be closed until dismissal time. If you arrive after the gates are closed, you will need to go into the office (that is the only entry point to campus after the gates are closed) for a tardy slip before you can get onto campus. Even if children are able to get onto campus after 8:15 without going through the office, they will still be marked tardy if they are not in the classroom by 8:15. For security reasons, please do not prop the gate open and please ensure that it has fully latched if you leave campus after 8:15. Thank you for your help with this.

Back-to-School Night
Back-to-School Night will be Wednesday, August 27th in the evening. As soon as we have an exact time, I will let you know, but please start rounding up those babysitters & plan on being there to hear about our kindergarten program and I am looking forward to another fun week with your children!

Week of 8/12

Thank you for coming to the Kindergarten Orientation today.  We hope that this will help your child be ready for Wednesday morning.  We have an exciting school year ahead of us, and we look forward to working with your children!  

Arrival: (on the first day & going forward)

• If you arrive before 8:05, you should wait outside the school gates until they are opened. 

• Mrs. Barbara’s and Mrs. Grist’s classes should wait outside Gate F. 

• Mrs. Pugliese’s class should wait by Gate E. 

• When the gates are opened, please line up by your student’s classroom door. 

• We will all say goodbye to our parents at the door. We know this will be difficult for some of you, but if you say goodbye and leave quickly, any tears will disappear shortly.  

• The children should be in the room by 8:15

Dismissal:

• For the first three days of school dismissal is 11:35

• Beginning 8/18 dismissal is 1:40 with the exception of Wednesdays, when we are dismissed with the entire school at 1:15. 

• Mrs. Pugliese & Mrs. Barbara’s classes dismiss at Gate F

• Mrs. Grist’s class dismisses at the unlabeled school gate to the right of the mural (Grist). 

Parking: 

• Please be aware that the parking lot closest to kindergarten/extended care is for staff only any time before school, and only opens to the public at 3:00. 

• The exit gate to the parking lot is closed until 3:00, and you will be unable to leave the lot if you enter it. 

• Parking is extremely limited, especially in the mornings and Wednesday 1:15 dismissal . You should plan on walking at least a block to avoid traffic.

Back-to-School Night:

• Wednesday, August 27th (Time TBD)  This is a night only for parents and is very important. Please make every effort to attend.

Helpful Information:

• Please have your child eat a hearty breakfast before coming to school, as hungry children have a much harder time learning.  

• Snack recess is 10:00 Please try and send a small nutritious snack, such as fruits, vegetables, crackers, cheese, etc., which will tie them over until lunch (starting 8/18)

• A water bottle is also a necessity.

• Each child should have a standard-sized backpack to carry things to and from school for bringing future communication and classwork.

• Include a spare change of clothes for your child to keep in their backpack.

• Be sure to label backpacks, waterbottles, lunch boxes, sweatshirts, and sweaters so that I can get those back to your child when they are left behind. 

**Please note: all pencils, crayons, markers, etc. are provided for your children & there is no need to bring additional supplies. 

We are looking forward to working with you and your child this year!

Sincerely,

Nikki Grist, Christine Barbara, and Julia Pugliese

Summer 2025

Kindergarten Orientation is Tuesday, August 12th,  at 11:00

Back-to-School Night is Wednesday, August 27th-- (evening)

Supplies that we usually ask for in kindergarten include glue sticks, white board markers* (*fine line, no chisel tip), liquid hand soap, hand sanitizer, and Clorox Wipes/alcohol wipes. These are not mandatory, but just appreciated donations. Check Back-to-School sales for these items-- we appreciate it!!

School begins on Wednesday, August 13, 2025-- KINDERGARTEN WILL RUN FROM 8:15 to 11:35 FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF SCHOOL ONLY. Beginning Monday, August 18th, kindergarten is dismissed at 1:40, except Wednesdays, when it is dismissed at 1:15. Extended care is available at Union School District Extended Care

You will receive a letter, welcoming you to Alta Vista via email, that will give you more information about the school year.

For kindergarten readiness, the AV kindergarten team recommends that your child comes into kindergarten:

• recognizing most letters
• writing his/her name legibly, using one upper-case & the rest lower-case letters
• recognizing numbers to 10 
• knowing names of basic shapes
• having good cutting/scissor skills
• able to sit attentively for the duration of a picture book

Here is another great list of kindergarten readiness ideas. 

 We look forward to meeting you all in August!