I hope you are enjoying your long weekend. We will return to school on Tuesday the 13th.
Walkathon
It's Walkathon week! This is a great event, and I encourage you all to return with your students after school on the 16th, if you are able. After we walk as a class from 10:15 to 11:15, you can bring your student back anywhere from 3:00 to 6:00 to continue walking and raising funds for Alta Vista's enrichment programs. This is Alta Vista's biggest fundraiser & we couldn't have programs like Clay, Art Vistas, Music, field trips, etc. without your participation. You won't want to miss it! Register today at this link.
Centers
Thank you so much for a great start to centers last week! It is so nice having extra adults in the room, which allows for small group instruction. There are a few things I forgot to mention last week. If, for some reason, you are ever unable to join us on your scheduled day (illness in the family, etc.), please email me as soon as possible, or message the class yourself, so that we can get a substitute for you. That happened last week, and we got immediate coverage-- thank you! Please come to campus at about 12:15 so that you can check in at the office. Remember to bring your driver's license so that you can be scanned through the Raptor system to get your visitor's badge. Then head down to K2, and just enter the classroom through the front door (redwood tree side) and wait at the back while I explain the centers to the students (and you). Discuss with your child ahead of time that when you are in the classroom, you are another teacher, and will need to be helping all the students-- in fact, sometimes parents may not even be at a center that their child goes to on that day. We look forward to seeing you on your center day!
A reminder, also, about being a library reader: please try to choose a story that is about 10 minutes in length or less. I know it can be harder to find stories on the shorter side, but I want to allow about 10 minutes for the children to find and check out a book for the week. Thank you!
Conferences
If you haven't had an opportunity to do so yet, please sign up to meet with me for your child's conference. Just a reminder that conferences are for parent(s) only so that we can talk openly about your child’s progress, and there is one conference per child. Language Arts
After this week, we will have introduced 11 letters and sounds. The letters your child should recognize & know the sounds of are: Aa, Bb, Cc, Ff, Gg, Ii, Mm, Nn, Oo, Tt, and Uu. This week, we are introducing another vowel, Aa, as well as another consonant, Gg. We will also learn another sight word: I. If you notice that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. It is also important to keep checking your child's letter formation in handwriting. Reading the weekly Fundations Family Newsletter is a great way to support your child's learning.
After this week, we will have introduced 11 letters and sounds. The letters your child should recognize & know the sounds of are: Aa, Bb, Cc, Ff, Gg, Ii, Mm, Nn, Oo, Tt, and Uu. This week, we are introducing another vowel, Aa, as well as another consonant, Gg. We will also learn another sight word: I. If you notice that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. It is also important to keep checking your child's letter formation in handwriting. Reading the weekly Fundations Family Newsletter is a great way to support your child's learning.
Math
We have just a few lessons left in Module 1. Children should now be very familiar with numbers to 10, their value, and how to count objects in different arrangements. This week, we will continue working on counting both backward and forward, as well as further practicing number formation. This week, we will finish with Topic G: Analyze the Count Sequence. Students analyze the count sequence focusing on the idea that each successive number is 1 more when counting forward and 1 less when counting backward. The number stairs model clearly illustrates these patterns.
Clay
We have our first Clay lesson this Friday at 12:15! It will be nice for the kids to do some art after a morning of walking. We will be making pinch pots. Thank you to Kira, Sara, May, Kimia, Shereen, Michelle, and Yishan for helping with Clay this year.
Book Fair
The Book Fair begins next Monday the 19th. The kindergarten teachers do not take the children to the book fair-- there is a special kindergarten shopping hour after class on Tuesday the 20th from 1:40-2:40 if you'd like to take your children to the Book Fair. It is also open after school daily when grades 1-5 get out at 2:40. If you are interested in contributing to our classroom library, I do have a wish list and it can be found here. Thank you!
**Remember to send in your child's library book by Tuesday each week so that s/he can check out a new book on Wednesday. Also, if you forgot to return your child's Wednesday envelope last Thursday, please send it on Tuesday.
This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday:No School: Federal Holiday
Tuesday: Return library books, Centers (Shereen & Sara)
Wednesday: Library (Reader: Shereen, Checkout: Cherie), dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday: Return white envelopes, Music with Mr. Patrick
Friday: Walkathon (10:15-11:15 AND 3:00-6:00)
Upcoming Events
10/9-10/12: No School: October Mini-Break
Friday, 10/16: Boot Scootin' Walkathon 10:15-11:15 & 3:00-6:00
Friday, 10/16: Clay Lesson @ 12:15
10/19-10/23: Alta Vista Literati Book Fair
Tuesday, 10/20: Special Kindergarten Hour @ Bookfair 1:40-2:40
Friday, 10/30: Halloween Schoolwide Parade @ 9:00
Wednesday, 11/11: No School: Veteran's Day
11/12-11/20: Parent-Teacher Conferences, dismissal at 1:15 daily
11/23-11/27: Thanksgiving Break
