Final 9 Days

Thank you for coming to Open House last Wednesday. It was wonderful to see the children showing off their work to family members! 

With just nine school days left, we are into the final countdown with lots of fun review activities mixed in with several more events. Keep your calendars updated! 

Paper/Self-Standing Grocery Bags

Please send in a paper grocery bag to collect your child's final projects, papers, and workbooks. Please select a bag that stands on its own, and write your child's name prominently on the bag. Extra bags are always welcome! For the remainder of the year, I will not send home any more Wednesday envelopes. Instead, finished projects will go in these bags, and your child will bring the bag home on the last week of school. Report cards will also go home in this bag-- I will staple those inside.

Last "Buddies" Meet-Up Wednesday

We will meet with our Big Buddies in Ms. Piero's class one last time this Wednesday the 27th.

Family Day

This Thursday, May 28th from 8:15 a.m, to 9:30 a.m., we will have a celebration for moms & dads in our class! This is Mother's Day, Father's Day, and an end-of-year celebration, all rolled into one. We hope that every child will have at least one parent (or grandparent/aunt/uncle) join us on Thursday, with a maximum of two guests per child. Unfortunately, younger siblings cannot join in this event (except babies under 1 year old) due to liability reasons. I haven't heard from anyone that their child won't have a guest there, so I'm assuming all children will have at least one guest. All the kindergarten classes are celebrating Family Day together, using both the indoor and outdoor areas of the Makerspace, so this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with your child, as well as connect with all the kindergarten parents. *All attendees will need to sign in at the office and get a visitor's badge. You can start getting badges on Tuesday to avoid any lines on Thursday. Remember to bring your driver's license!

Caine's Arcade

This Friday the 29th, we will get to be players in a special arcade made by our Alta Vista 5th graders called Caine's Arcade. You can learn more about this activity here. Some of the games the 5th graders create have prizes. If your child comes home with some small toys/prizes on Friday, you will know where those are from.

Olympic Day 6/2

On Tuesday, June 2nd, Alta Vista will have its schoolwide Olympic Day. This is an annual tradition at AV. Children will participate in fun games and activities during this all-outdoor event. We wear our class t-shirts for this event to help us stick together as a "team." Please plan on sending your child in their Grasshopper t-shirt on Tuesday the 2nd. Please also be sure to send your child with a water bottle to stay hydrated during this event. A hat & sunscreen would also be good. Yearbooks will be passed out afterward if you ordered one for your child prior to the cut-off for school delivery. Your child can continue bringing the yearbook back to school for the remainder of the week to get autographs from their friends-- please supply your child with a pen for signatures. 

Ice Cream Sundae Party 6/3

There is not really enough time to enjoy any food at our Foam Crew party on Thursday, so we will have an ice cream sundae bar on Wednesday afternoon, before dismissal.

Foam Crew 6/4

Please send your child in a swimsuit under their clothes on Thursday, or wear swim trunks/board shorts as their outfit on Thursday. Please also pack a beach towel-- they will get wet at this event! The Foam Crew also prefers water shoes/socks or non-slip-on shoes that you're okay with getting wet and soapy. *They DO NOT recommend flip-flops or Crocs for this event because they slip off in the foam and get lost. As with Olympic Day, sunscreen and hats are also recommended.

Last Day 6/5

There are no special events or activities on the last day. We like to keep things calm and quiet in kindergarten since this can be an emotional day for all. Please note that school is dismissed at 12:15 on the last day, and we do not go to lunch on this day. If your child needs a lunch, s/he can pick up a bag lunch at dismissal time from the cafeteria, otherwise, lunch is at home or extended care on this day-- please plan accordingly.

Looking forward to a fun final nine days!

Week of 5/11

I hope all the moms are enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Hopefully, you all found your portrait with your child's biography about you in the last Wednesday envelope. They all did a fantastic job writing about one of their favorite subjects-- their moms. :) 

Last week was the last week of classroom centers! I'd like to thank everyone who has volunteered in centers. I could not have done all the projects and small-group instruction without your support. Thank you so much. This is also the last week to check out library books. We will go to the library on 5/20, but we will just listen to a story and return our books. Thank you also for the wonderful support in the library! 

Language Arts 

This week's sight words are want and any. We will continue with our final unit of Fundations, Unit 5. This unit will focus on merging all the skills we've learned so far: spelling, sentence writing, writing conventions, and reading with fluency. 

Our caterpillars grew a lot this week, and the children love checking in on them each day. We will continue integrating our butterfly theme in our classroom with our art, science, reading, and writing. 

Math 

This week, we begin Topic C. In this topic, students master the count to 100 by using pattern and structure. They discover that number words after 20 can be formed by pairing a decade word with a number word one through nine. Students consider efficiency as they organize materials into groups and as they decide when to count by tens or ones. 

Upcoming

 "Out of this World" Fantasy Faire & Art Vista Art Show: This Friday the 15th, from 5:00-8:00, come out for tons of fun at Alta Vista's annual carnival. This is such a great event for the kids. I highly encourage your children to submit a cake for the cake decorating contest as well! The contest is very kid-friendly, and your children just need to decorate the cake or cupcakes with a space theme and bring it to school on Friday morning. It's so fun to see the designs children come up with! The fair has bouncy houses, carnival games, and of course, a cakewalk! Don't miss out on the fun on Friday night. In addition, head over to the cafeteria during the event to see the Art Vista Art Show. Every child will have several pieces of art in the show. It is always a really impressive display. 

Open House: On Wednesday, May 20th at 6:00-7:00 the Alta Vista campus will be hosting Open House. This is a night where you can come check out many projects on display in our classroom. Children are working hard on art, writing, and math projects that will all be on display that night. I hope you will join me in K2 to come and see the amazing work your children have been doing! 

Family Day: On Thursday, May 28th from 8:15 a.m, to 9:30 a.m., we will have a celebration for moms & dads in our class! This is Mother's Day, Father's Day, and an end-of-year celebration, all rolled into one. We hope that every child will have at least one parent (or grandparent/aunt/uncle) join us on the 28th, with a maximum of two guests per child. Unfortunately, younger siblings cannot join in this event (except babies under 1 year old) due to liability reasons. If your child will not have a family member joining for this event, please let me know so that I can make arrangements for your child to have someone as a guest in lieu of a family member. All the kindergarten classes are celebrating Family Day together, using both the indoor and outdoor areas of the Makerspace, so this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with your child, as well as connect with all the kindergarten parents. Please mark your calendars! 

 Reminders 

**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

Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Reader: Mary Check-out: Laura), Dismissal @ 1:15 

Thursday: Music with Mr. Jason 

Friday: Drop off cakes for the Fantasy Faire at 8:00, Fantasy Faire & Art Show @ 5:00 

Upcoming Events 

Friday, 5/15: Alta Vista's Fantasy Fair & Art Show 

Wednesday, 5/20: Open House 

Thursday, 5/28: Kindergarten Family Day @ 8:15

Week of 5/4

Language Arts

Our sight words this week are come and your. We will continue focusing on digraphs in our final unit of Fundations, Unit 5. This unit will focus on merging all the skills we've learned so far: spelling, sentence writing, writing conventions, and reading with fluency. 

We continue to study butterflies, reading both fiction and non-fiction books about them. Live caterpillars arrived in our classroom last week that we will watch as they transform into butterflies. 

Math

This week, we begin Topic B of our module on place value. Students expand their experience with place value and part–total relationships by representing teen numbers with number bonds and number sentences. Story contexts offer an entry point for students to connect real-life situations to abstract mathematical representations. Each story uses 10 as a part to reinforce the understanding that teen numbers are composed of 10 ones and some more ones. 

Ice Cream Sales

There will be ice cream sales this Wednesday the 6th, after school. Sales are held on the blacktop in front of Rm. 8. Bring your $2 and your patience, as lines can be long!

UPCOMING/REMINDERS

Yearbook Orders

It's time to order your Alta Vista yearbook! Yes, even kindergarteners have yearbooks. Since many of you are new to Alta Vista, I want to make sure you know that there is time in the last week of school for kids to sign each others' yearbooks, and they really enjoy doing this. Year after year, there are some students who are very disappointed when the yearbooks arrive and their parents didn't order one. If you prefer not to order a yearbook, your child can bring in a notebook, etc., for class signatures, but the yearbook does make a nice keepsake. Whatever you decide to do, please keep your child in the loop so that there are no disappointments on the day the yearbooks arrive.

Please order by May 4th so it will arrive in time for the last week of school. If you haven't ordered yet, go to https://store.shopyearbook.com/altavista. 

• Hardcover: $32.00
• Softcover: $23.00

Don't forget that you can customize pages for your student as well for an additional fee. This is where you can add photos of your child in sports, vacations, family events, etc. This is also a great option if you missed the deadline to submit candid photos of your child for the yearbook!

Fantasy Fair & Art Show: Alta Vista's annual school carnival, the Fantasy Fair, will be held on the evening of Friday, May 15th. Come back to school with your child(ren) for an evening of games, prizes, and fun! There is also a cake decorating contest that is part of the Fair-- I encourage you to participate in this event. It is fun & very kid-friendly and it is wonderful to see the cakes on the day of the fair. In addition to all the Fantasy Fair fun, your children will all have art on display at the Art Vistas Art Show! This art show is always a wonder to see-- artwork from all the grade levels will be on display in and around the cafeteria.

Open House: On Wednesday, May 20th, we will have our schoolwide Open House. This is a night to come check out all the learning we've been doing in class. Please mark your calendars and bring the whole family to celebrate all the progress your child has made this year!

Family Day: On Thursday, May 28th from 8:15 a.m, to 9:30 a.m., we will have a celebration for moms & dads in our class! This is Mother's Day, Father's Day, and an end-of-year celebration, all rolled into one. We hope that every child will have at least one parent (or grandparent/aunt/uncle) join us on the 28th, with a maximum of two guests per child. Unfortunately, younger siblings cannot join in this event (except babies under 1 year old) due to liability reasons. If your child will not have a family member joining for this event, please let me know so that I can make arrangements for your child to have someone as a guest in lieu of a family member. All the kindergarten classes are celebrating Family Day together, using both the indoor and outdoor areas of the Makerspace, so this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with your child, as well as connect with all the kindergarten parents. Please mark your calendars!

Reminders

**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 @ 12:20 (Ruchi & Yonit)
Tuesday: Centers @ 12:20  (Eva & Laura)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Reader: Laura, Check-out: Mary), Dismissal @ 1:15, Ice Cream Sales after School

Thursday: Music with Mr. Jason

Upcoming Events

Friday, 5/15: Alta Vista's Fantasy Fair & Art Show

Wednesday, 5/20: Open House

Thursday, 5/28: Kindergarten Family Day @ 8:15