Newsletter

September 9, 2016

Dear Parents,

            This week we finished up our book on “All About Me.”  The students have really enjoyed not only learning about themselves, but also about each other.  We sent home their All About Me book today.  We worked on the book throughout this unit, please review the information about themselves on the front cover.  The students should know their full name, address, telephone number, and age.  Today we began talking about our families.  We learned about our family members and our family tree.  The students have a family tree for homework next week to do.  When you do the family tree please discuss it with your child.  I will have them present it to the class.  Usually all homework needs to only be turned in on Friday’s.  However, whenever you complete your family tree, you can go ahead and send it in.  We will present a few each day, so please don’t worry about which day you send it in – any day is fine.  In math, we worked on our numbers, the shape circle, the color yellow.  We also worked on the nursery rhyme 1,2 Buckle My Shoe.

Next Week:

Theme: Family                                                            Color: Purple

Story: Too Much Noise                                                          Shape: Triangle

Letters: Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg                                                            Nursery Rhyme: Old Mother Hubbard

Handwriting Letters: P, B, R, N                                                                         I Caught a Fish Alive

Numbers: 2, 3

Reminders:

• Please remember to keep homework notebooks at home and return just the folder on Friday.  We will not take folders until Friday, unless your child is not going to be at school.  If you forgot to send in your child’s homework today, please send it on Monday.  We will keep a record of homework turned in.  Some days homework will be checked on Friday and returned that day or we may not return it until Monday.  Today was very busy, so it will be checked and returned on Monday.
• I did not collect the family trees today.  If you look at the calendar they are assigned for Tuesday.  However, I will collect them on Monday if you have finished.  I sent them back home today, so you can review over them with your child.  We will share them in class, so help them read over it.  We will share them all next week, so whenever you finish the tree you can go ahead and send it in.
• It is very important to work on your child’s sigh/ words or spelling words each week at home.  They should know the words they worked on this week.  Please review these words over the weekend.
• Don’t forget to save and send in box tops.  We are also collecting pop tabs (can tabs).  Please collect these also and send in.  These tabs go to Ronald McDonald house, so it is a great cause to collect for.
• Please remember that if you put your child’s books in their book bag, we will assume that you are done with them and ready to turn them in.  If you would like to keep them and not turn them in, then please keep them at home until you are ready to return them.  Please do not feel like you have to return them on Wednesday.  Please read over them several times before you return them.  Next week we will be on our regular book schedule of sending books home on Monday and then on Wednesday (if you return them).
• Don’t forget to write down the books you read on the reading log.  You can also write down books you read to your child at night.  But do not feel you need to write down every single story book you read all the time.  Remember the goal is 100 books.  And if you write down the books from school and a few story books from home, you will easily make it to 100 books.
• For math, we will be doing work out of our Go Math book.  Instead of working in the book, I tear out the pages we will work on for that concept and staple them.  Sometimes in the packet we may not do every single page because some of them are repetitive pages or we may not be doing that particular concept yet.  Sometimes we may have already worked on that concept and the pages were extra work to do when they finished another assignment.  In this case, your child may not have finished all the pages in the packet.  These are some of the reasons why you may receive math pages that may be incomplete or not done.  You are welcome to have your child work on any unfinished pages at home, but you do not have to return them.  For example, we did circle this week.  We did a sheet on circle and we worked on circle in our shape book.  Then we had some math pages on circle.  However, many did not finish these pages due to working on the other assignments.  This packet would be extra work on circle.  So today I am sending home what they did complete.  So if they work on it at home that is great, but again they do not have to return it to school.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the math pages.

• Just wanted to remind you to have your child here by 8:10. We begin putting up morning work around 8:10, so if they are just coming in the room it is hard to get the students started on our first activity while others are unpacking.  So it works out great if they can be in the room by 8:05.
• Your “All About Me” project is due by Thursday September 22^nd.  Please help your child complete something for this project.  We will be sharing them in class.  I will take any projects starting on Monday September 19^th, so if you finish before the 22^nd, you can go ahead and send your project in any day that week.

Dates:

Monday September 12^th:  Return books for Book-In-A-Bag if you have not already

                                    Picture Day – Please return forms if you plan on purchasing pictures

Thursday September 15^th: Progress Reports go home

Mrs. Hodges & Mrs. Roycroft

What's going on this week in our

Kindergarten Class?

 

August 15-18

- We will be testing students and meeting with parents

 

August 19 & 22

- Be sure to check which day your child will come to school.  We will only have 9 kids each day.  The small number allows us to spend more time going over our Kindergarten procedures and giving them more individual attention.  This is a regular school day - students will need a snack and lunch for today.  Please be sure you walk your child into the classroom today.

 

August 23

- All Kindergarten students will begin today.  Please feel free to walk your child into class today!



March 23, 2016

Dear Parents,

            This week we talked about Easter and rabbits this week.  We read some stories about rabbits and discussed real vs. not real rabbits.  Today we had a great Easter celebration.  We dyed eggs and did some fun Easter crafts.  The eggs have set out of the refrigerator today for a while, so I would recommend not eating them.  Thanks for all the help today with our Easter festivities.  I think the kids had a really good time.

 

Next Week (April 4-8)

Theme: Spring & Plants                                              Story: The Little Red Hen

Word Family: -ive, -ile, -ine                                        Nursery Rhyme: Rain, Rain Go Away

 

Reminders

·         All items for our pet basket are due by Tuesday April 5^th.  We need any pet items sent in.  We also really need gift cards to Pet Smart and monetary donations so we can purchase something to put our items in.

·         Fieldtrip Money and Graduation money must be turned in by Tuesday April 5^th.

·         Don’t forget to send in water bottles or juice with snack. We have many kids daily ask for something to drink.  We usually have extra for the occasional child who may forget one, but lately it’s been about 3 or so every day.

·         We have talked about our play we will do at the end of the year, so you may hear them talking about it.  Please look at their line over the break.  Please be sure to keep up with their line so you can continue to practice it up until the time of the play.  It will be towards the end of April before we start practicing lines, but you can begin working on it now.

• Please consider helping the school and signing up to proctor.  Parents are a vital part of the testing process.  The school needs several proctors to make testing successful.  It also means that our teaching assistants do not have to be pulled out of the room as much.  If we have a lot of parents sign up then our assistants may be able to stay in the classroom and help us instead of having to proctor.  You can sign-up at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0044eaba.82da64-proctors or you can find the link on the school website. 

Dates

Thursday March 23^rd – April 3^rd:  Spring/Easter Break

Tuesday April 5^th: Fieldtrip & Graduation $ due   

Friday April 8^th: Report Cards go home & PTO Auction

Thursday April 14^th: Awards at 10:30 – All students will be receiving an award

Friday April 15^th: PTO Cake Fest

We hope everyone has a nice and safe Spring Break!

Mrs. Hodges & Mrs. McLamb

Newsletter

January 29, 2016

Dear Parents,

            This week we have finished up our unit on geography.  We finished up by discussing maps of the world that included the continents and major oceans.  We made a globe that the kids took home and in groups we painted a map that I have put up in the classroom. We also wrote directions on how to get from one spot to the next on a map.  Then we discussed different landforms and physical land features.  We finished the week talking about groundhogs and Groundhog’s Day.  In math, we have been learning how to tell the time to the hour, measuring objects, and ordering objects.  This week we worked on decomposing the numbers 8 and 9.

 

Next Week

Theme: Dental Health                                                 Story: Goldilocks & the Three Bears

Word Family: -ub, -ath, -ith                                       Nursery Rhyme: Three Men in a Tub

 

 Reminders

·         I know that Valentine’s is just around the corner.  We will be having our Valentine’s celebration on Thursday February 11^th.  You have received the letter about our celebration that day and what you need to send in.  Below is the schedule for that day.  We do need parents to volunteer for this day.  We specifically need parents between   to help with our Valentine crafts.  You are welcome to come first thing that morning and stay until lunch if you would like.  Please let me know if you can volunteer and what time you plan to come.

     8:30-8:50     Prepare friendship snack

8:50-9:15     Story/Class Game

9:20-9:40     Eat Snack

9:40-11:10   Valentine Activities (Crafts and games)

11:10-11:30  Pass Out Valentines to friends        

11:40-12:10  Lunch (McDonald’s) – Please remember if your child would like McDonald’s it will be $4.  If your child will not be getting a Kid’s Meal from McDonald’s please send me a quick email or note letting me know, so I will not expect money from them.

 

• Please remember that when we work on math pages out of our math book the students may not do all of the pages.  We may not have time or there may just be certain pages we are working on that week.  It would be a good idea to go over any of those pages we didn’t do.  Let your child work on them for extra practice.  I do not need them returned, but I send them so they can do extra practice at home.
• If you have not paid for our in-school Science Fun fieldtrip, we must have the money by Monday.
• Please remember to send in water bottles each day.
• Congratulations to Bella for winning our Core Value award this month for Creativity.
• Report cards went home today.  Please keep all papers in the report card.  Just sign the cover and return it on Monday.
• Be sure you see the at home project that is in your child’s folder.  It is not due for a month, so they should have plenty of time to work on this Famous American project.

 

 

Dates

Monday February 1^st: Return all books

Tuesday February 2^nd: Be sure to watch and see if the groundhog sees his shadow

Friday February 5^th: Awards – 10:30 – All students will be receiving awards

                                    Please remember that Kindergarten will receive awards first.  Then they will

                                    call out first and second grade awards.  Then the awards from the specials’

                                    teachers (ex. PE, library, etc.) will be called out for all grades.  Once awards

                                    are over it will be lunch time and then our regular special classes for that day.

                                    Since many students may leave after awards, we will not have math that

                                    afternoon.  After awards we will return to the classroom, so if you plan to

                                    take your child after awards, please come to the room to pick them up and

                                    sign them out.

                                                                                               

Mrs. Hodges & Mrs. McLamb

January 22, 2016

Dear Parents,

            This week we finished talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and learned about another famous African American, Rosa Parks.  Then we began our unit on geography.  We learned about maps – how to draw and read them.  We will continue this unit next week.  In math, we finished last week’s centers on: reviewing adding and subtracting, and working on decomposing numbers 6 and 7.  Students should understand that the numbers 1 & 5, 2 & 4, 3 & 3, 0 & 6, make the number 6, and that 1 & 6, 2 & 5, 3 & 4, 7 & 0, make the number 7.

 

Next Week

Theme:  Geography                                         Story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

              Groundhog’s Day                

Word Family: -ock, -uck, -ug                          Nursery Rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock

 

 Reminders

• I know Valentine’s Day will be coming up soon.  Next week, I will let you know our plans for celebrating the holiday and I will send home a class list so you have all of the students’ names.
• Please send homework notebooks on Monday.  Since it is close to the end of the month we will change everything in the notebook.  February’s calendar will be behind January’s.  The new sight/spelling word list will be added.  If your child is doing Words their Way the next month’s will be behind this month’s.  And the reading homework will be behind the current reading homework.  I will remind you next week to change all of this out so you will be ready for February. 
• Keep sending in those box tops!
• Awards day is Friday February 5^th at 10:30.  All students will be getting an award.

 

Dates

Monday January 25^th: Book-in-a-Bag due & Library books

Friday January 29^th: Report Cards go home

                                                                                                Mrs. Hodges & Mrs. McLamb

January 4-8

 

Theme: Winter & Weather                         Story: The Mitten    

Word Family: -ip, -ick, -ig                          Nursery Rhyme: Jack be Nimble              

 

We did change the homework calendar for the New Year and added some new pages.  You will notice that the front homework letter is different. We also straightened out some of the notebooks and added any missing pages. I did return them so you would have them.  Don’t worry there’s no homework until they return back to school.  Also, don’t forget to write down books in the reading log.  Don’t worry if you haven’t been.  I’m going to give a certificate to those who have about 75-100 books written down.  So just begin writing now and you should have plenty of books on the log for the end of the year. 


*I am in need of a permanent volunteer for Thursday's and Friday's from 8:20-9:30  Please let me know if you can help out any Thursday or Friday!!

December 4, 2015

Dear Parents,

We began the week talking about nutrition and the food groups.  We then began talking about Christmas.  We will discuss one Christmas tradition for every letter of the alphabet.  This week we did A for angels, B for baked goods, C for candy canes, E – we made some paper elves, F – we tasted fruitcake, and G – we made gingerbread houses. We also have an elf watching our room from the North Pole.  The students may have told you about Diamond.  The elf will be able to report to Santa about how the kids are doing and about their Christmas list we put up.  Thanks for sending in everything for the gingerbread houses and for those who came in to help, they turned out great.  We have them displayed around the room to decorate for Christmas.  We will send them home before they get out on break.  In math we have worked on the shape trapezoid, adding, and patterns.

Next Week

Theme: Christmas                                                       Word Families: -it, -in, -id

Handwriting Letters: b, h, f, q                                 Story: The Gingerbread Man                

Shape: hexagon                                                           Nursery Rhyme: Little Jack Horner

Reminders/Dates

• We will send home Book-In-A-Bag next week on Monday and Wednesday, but no books will be sent the following week.  I need to get all books collected by Monday.  Please send in books by that day. 

·         Our core value for the month of November was positive school climate.  Our award went to Brooklyn.

·         For my math and literacy volunteers: We will have literacy centers only next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning and no centers the following week.  We will have math centers next week, but no math centers the following week.

 

 

• Please keep sending in the plastic gallon jugs.  Please be sure they are cleaned out and all the stickers are off of them.  So far we have no jugs, please if each person could send in 1 we would have enough.  Also, don’t forget about the book exchange.  Each student needs to get an ornament for another student.  The price limit is $5.  It needs to be wrapped and have a tag with the name of who it is from.  Girls will exchange with girls and boys will exchange with boys.  I would like the presents sent in by Tuesday December 15^th.

·         Tuesday December 15^th: Wear Pajamas & watch The Polar Express (Please note the other kindergarten classes are doing this on Wednesday.  Since we have our party on Wednesday, I decided to do our Polar Express day on Tuesday.)

·         I also wanted to let you know that on the December homework calendar it says to return notebooks on Wednesday the 16^th.  I would really like to get notebooks back on Tuesday the 15^th.  When I did the calendar I didn’t know I would be leaving for the break on Wednesday, so I would like to get them all that Tuesday.  I will remind you next weekJ

·         Wednesday December 16^th: Christmas celebration – Students will not need a snack or a lunch. We will have a big day full of fun activities and food.  Please feel free to join us at anytime on that day, but if you can help with the centers please sign up on the signup genius.  We also have a couple more items to get on the signup genius, please check that out if you have not sent anything in.  All items (except the grapes) are due on Monday.   This way we can get everything ready for that day. For lunch we will be having pizza.  The cost will be $1.50 per slice.  Please fill out the slip and indicate how many pieces of pizza and what kind of pizza you want.  If you plan to be here for lunch, please feel free to order pizza for yourself.  Pizza money is due Friday December 11^th.

We will have a regular scheduled day after lunch.  The students will go to their specials – library and PE.  Then we will finish the day with a Christmas movie.  So actually the students will be finished after lunch with all of our Christmas celebration.  Students may leave for the day or can stay and go to specials.  Please be sure to let the room mom know if you plan to come and help out.  It would be great for her to know who to expect to help and when you can come.  Also don’t forget about the ornament exchange and to send in your ornament by this day.

·         Friday December 18^th: Early Release at 11:45

·         Don’t forget to send in your intent forms.  They are not due until January 8^th but if you already know your intent please go ahead and fill it out and send it back as soon as possible.

Mrs. Hodges & Mrs. McLamb