Oct. 1-5

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

Art/Science/Theme: We will begin our new theme: Pumpkins! Students will learn about pumpkins through a study of the pumpkin life cycle.  Last week,we started to compare pumpkins to apples.  We will observe and investigate if a pumpkin will sink or float.  Students will dissect the pumpkins and study the inside of a pumpkin.

Language Arts/ Writers Workshop: We will focus on the beginning, middle and end of stories as well as the problems and solutions. Students are working on adding more details to their pictures and words.  We will be introducing two different strategies to help students sound out words while writing:  “Ghost talk” is when you stretch a word out very slowly and write each sound that you hear (ie” “cccaaattt”). “Robot talk” is when you quickly say each sound (ie: “c-a-t”).  Ask your child to show you these strategies and try using these terms to help your child with writing words at home.

Math: Number Order of 1-10. Keep an eye out for your child’s Pumpkin Number Line and use this at home to help your child practice Number Recognition and Number Sense (ie: “Can you point to the number ___ on your number line?” or “What number comes before/after ___?”). I will have a few games that you can play with the number line.  Besides number line, students will be introduced to number bonds to help them understand information given to them in the word problems.  Also, we started counting collections.  Students will be taking a collection and counting them by 1's , 5's, 10's etc.  I will be going around asking questions and conferring with each student.

Word of the Week: “and”.  Students will be writing “I like to see ______ and ______."

There is no school on Friday, October 5^th, due to a staff development training for all teachers.

RTI has started and we are still figuring out what group each child should be in to be comfortable at the work load as well as reading level.  Sometimes, students are reading books but elements of story structure or comprehension might be a struggle.  We always want to make sure students are never frustrate but feel challenged in their reading group.  

In RTI, all groups read the same book and focus on the same comprehension skill however it might be presented differently.  This week, we will be reading informational text on pumpkins and identifying facts.  Besides reading a book whole class, we are in small groups working on independent reading skills.  Some students need practice identify letter names and sounds, some need blending and segmenting skills, and some need to practice sight words.  These are all things that you can practice at home when reading with your child daily.

If you haven't sign up for a conference time in November, please email me so we can schedule it.  

Our school honors growth mind set where child know that trying their best and practicing can make them be successful.  We will talk a lot about this throughout the year.  We have talked about the brain and how it works.  Next  we will  be discussing ways to be mindful and unmindful.  We're working on strategies to keep our minds calm and clear and we are thinking about differences between "reflecting" and "reacting" to different types of situations. 

Drive for school:  It is our second week and we have about 5 families that have turned it in.  All proceeds go to our school and you have chances of winning prizes every week.  If all families gave 25 dollars we would pass our goal.  The money raised go towards our supplies (paper, pencils, folders, paint, glitter, etc.)  Besides supplies, it pays for our RTI teachers and support staff.  We couldn't do it without your support!  Thank you!

Reminders : 

no school this Friday, October 5

Harvest Festival: October 12th

Have a great week,

Mrs. Werner

September 24-28

Hi Families!

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

Our first field trip is this next Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. At this moment, we do not have enough drivers to go on the field trip.  If you are a chaperone, please fill out paperwork to take your own child.  If we can't get any more drivers, there is a chance that I can put people in Mrs. Christensen's chaperones' cars.  However, we don't have everyones permission slip.  If not turned in, they will remain at school and be in another class.  Also, all chaperones and students must be present at school to be able to attend the field trip.  This is a district policy! Please make sure you have a booster seat with your name and leave it in front of the class.  Also, students need a sack lunch and sweatshirt because it can be cold at Live Earth Farms.  Also, we will be leaving at 8:15 am.  So, please be here on time.  Thanks!

Art/Science/Theme: We will finish up our unit of Apples with a fun lesson about Johnny Appleseed. Students will be making a seasonal apple tree project.  These are one of our favorite apple projects.  They will be introduction to addition with apples! To conclude this fun apple unit, we will celebrate our learning with an Apple Party on Friday!

Math: Students are learning about “5 frames” and “10 frames”.  They are also learning the concept of subitizing, which is the ability to see a small amount of objects and quickly know how many there are without counting (such as memorizing the amount of dots on a dice). Students will play math games at centers with race to 5, spill 5 beans, and recognizing numbers.

Word of the Week: “go, at”.  Students will practice writing an “I like to _____.” sentence.

Handwriting Focus Letters: W, e, z

We will continue discussing the concept of the growth mindset. We talked about how the brain is a muscle and how we need to exercise it in order for it to grow. One way to do this is to keep trying and never give up. If we stop trying our brains shut down and get lazy. So in kindergarten, we are learning how to exercise our brains and if we don't know how to do something we can use the term, "I can't do that, YET!". Next week, we will discuss the difference between a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. 

RTI will begin on Monday, September 24th.  As we discussed at Back to School Night, RTI (Response to Instruction) is our school-wide leveled reading program.  This program is designed to meet the specific reading needs of each child.  Students will move from group to group according to their ability, needs and growth.  I will send home a note in each student’s folder letting you know who your child’s RTI teacher will be during this time.  There will likely be a few changes throughout the next few weeks as we really get to know your child’s specific reading skills so we might move them to different groups accordingly and we will inform you of these changes as they come up.

Have a great weekend,

Ms. Werner

Sept. 17-21

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Don't forget about Movie night tonight at 6pm!

Also, drive for school is a big fundraiser for our school.  All proceeds goes directly to our school for school supplies, professional development (like writer's workshop and reader's workshop), scholastic news magazine that we use monthly (students love it!), and much more.  If we all pitch in at lease the packet we get which is 25 dollars our school we reach our goal. The class that sells the most gets a pizza party and the family that sells the most gets tickets to Universal Studios.  Hopefully we can reach our goal of 20,000.  Valencia school raises 40,000.  I am hoping we can get close.

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

 

We are excited to have parent volunteers begin assisting in the classroom! Don’t forget to check in at the office to get a visitor sticker before coming to the classroom at 1:00 pm. 

Art/Science/Math:  Students will be using apples to practice the concept of sorting, counting and tasting different colored apples, and graphing which flavor they like the most.  They will learn about different types of graphs through this investigation. Also,  we will be studying the life cycle of an apple tree as well as learning about the different stages that an apple tree goes through during the seasons. 

Friday is the first day of Fall and we will be discussing what happens during this season as we go for a “Fall Walk” around the school looking for signs of Fall. 

Math:  Besides using a variety of graphs with apples, we will be working on different strategies for solving word problems.  First, we start with using manipulatives (counting bears).  Then, we will use white boards to draw pictures to represent addition and subtraction equations.    At home, you can do this by using fingers as well.  The math workbook that went home is optional and just for practice.  If you choose to work in it, only work up to page 34.

One example: Cathy went apple picking.  She picked 2 apples.  How many more would she need to pick to have 8 apples.  (Please use names of people you know to picture that person doing the action).  

There are about 14 different ways to word the word problems. 

Handwriting focus letters: G, S, F

Words of the Week: "can, it"

Reading: We will begin reading the small paper books that focus on sight words in our centers.  When we send these books home, please have your child read them to you until they can read them fluently. 

Writer’s Workshop: We have been becoming writers.  We immersed ourselves in how "Writers Write".  We have looked at stories to compare how writers talk about their experiences. We are talking about our own experiences.  Please go over past experiences that have had an impact on them.  Example:  I talked about a time I went on a big roller coaster.  I lost my sunglasses because it was a big drop. The next step is having them write/draw beginning, middle, and end to the story.

Some are having a hard remembering things that have happened to them.  Think about trips, first times (rollercoaster, etc.), happy moments, surprise moments, etc.  This week, I am going to be sharing a time when I went camping and there was a fire and we had to leave.

Mind Up:  We started our brain-focused strategies.  It builds self-confidence and friendship learning skills.  

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Werner

September 10th - 14th

Hi Kindergarten Families!

Here is what’s going on in Kindergarten next week:

New Theme: Apples! Throughout this theme, students will learn about graphing, measuring, sorting/patterning, colors, and the life cycle of an apple. We have sent out an apple to decorate, we put the date due as of Wednesday, Sept 12^th. However, we didn't get it out on Friday so please do it when you have time.  We will be sharing the apples daily when they come in.  They will be displayed on our Apple Orchard tree in the front of the classroom.

Word of the Week: the, to

Students will practice writing an “I like my ______.” sentence with their own ending word. Whichever word they decide to write at the end of sentences will be sounded out to the best of their ability. It is normal at this stage of writing for students to write only 2 or 3 sounds in each word and that's all that we want them to write for now. For example if they want to write the word "school" and they only hear the sounds "scl”- that's great! We want them to feel successful when hearing and writing the main sounds of each word. Also, when they're writing at home, please remind them to use "bunny ear finger spaces" between words, a capital first letter and a period at the end of the sentence. Of course we are just at the very beginning stages of writing, but it is always good to keep these things in mind :)

Math Focus: counting (1:1 correspondence), writing numbers correctly and patterns.  

Handwriting Focus Letters: “Magic C letters”: C,c O,o, A,a, 

We will be sending home directions to the online Lexia program next week, including your child’s username and password. Keep an eye out for it in your child’s take-home folder.

Thank you to everyone who signed up at Back to School Night to volunteer in our classroom! Centers will begin the week of September 17^th  from 1:05-2:05.  Please remember to go to our school’s office to get information about being fingerprinted and getting your TB test prior to this date.  If the school already has this information on file from previous years, then you’re all cleared to volunteer! 

If it is your day to come in, please arrive by 1:00, sign-in at the office and get a visitor sticker, then come to our classroom to see what Center activity you are leading that day. If you are ever unable to attend, it is very important that you find a replacement (send out a group email asking for a sub) or let us know in advance because the lessons that we plan rely heavily on adult leadership/supervision.  Thank you!!

This Friday is Free Movie night at our school with free popcorn.  Please join us in celebrating and getting to know new families at our school.  You can bring picnic or snacks, chairs, blankets, etc.  

Important dates to remember:

Movie night- Friday, September 14.

Picture Day- Friday, September 21

Field trip- Wednesday, September 26.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Mrs. Werner