Dear Families, It is hard to believe that October is here! This is a brief newsletter to keep you informed and suggest ways to support your child at home. In language arts, your child is learning to produce and recognize corresponding sounds to letters. This skill is crucial as students move towards reading and writing words. We have gone over the following letters: t, b, f, m, n, i, u,c,o. At home, ask your child to give you the sound for these letters or name the corresponding word. They are as follows t-top-/t/ b-bat-/b/ f-fun-/f/ m-man-/m/ n-nut-/n/ i-itch/i/ u-up-/u/ c-cat-/c/ o-octopus-/o/ This month we will focus on the following letters: a-apple-/a/ g-game-/g/ d-dog-/d/ s-snake-/s/ e-Ed-/e/ r-rat-/r/ p-pan-/p/ l-lamp-/l/ h-hat-/h/ k-kite-/k/ The sight words that were introduced in September were a, I, me, the, like, is, be, we. This month we will introduce sight words my, am, see, to, can, go, yes, no (typically students confuse am with me or my).Please add these words to the word ring. Please be sure to practice these with your child each night until they can read them with accuracy and speed. In addition, sight word poems have been sent home. Please practice them regularly with your child. During readers’ workshop, your child has participated in shared reading and independent reading. Shared reading involves a large book that is read by a teacher and students can participate in different ways. One way is to highlight the sight words and have students join in as those words are read. Another way might be for students to join in when there is a repetitive pattern in a story. An example would be from The Gingerbread Man where he says “Run, run as fast as you can you can’t catch me. I am the gingerbread man”. During independent reading, children use the pictures to remember the story or locate words they recognize or actually read words. Encourage your child to point underneath each word as you/they read. Children “write” a story each day. There is a wide range of abilities in our classroom. Some children give a dictation about their drawings, others have begun to label their pictures and there are one or two students that try to form a sentence. I am very excited about the students’ accomplishments. I will be sharing their writing with you at our parent/teacher conferences. In the first unit Launching the Writing Workshop students were asked to write about things they know about. Students were encouraged to write about true stories from their lives. The next unit is called Looking Closely: Observing, Labeling, and Listing. In this unit, students will begin to experience the link between writing and science. This unit channels them to transfer and apply their knowledge of letters and sounds to labeling items and listing observations. Students might create booklets with simple sentences that revolve around high-frequency words. (for example a book on leaves-students might write “I see red. I see yellow.”). For mathematics in September, students described objects using words like heavier, lighter, shorter, taller, smaller, larger etc. Students compared sets and determined which group has more or less. This month, students will learn how to form numbers (0-6) accurately. Often times, children at this stage of development form numbers reversed. This is developmentally appropriate and not a reason to be concerned. It takes time for students this age to correctly form numbers. Focus will be placed on writing numbers, representing numbers with objects, counting and recording objects, counting objects using one-to-one correspondence, when counting students will grab and slide objects, model addition and subtraction stories with objects, and showing different combinations for a specific number. October 5 will be First Friday Family Read. Family members can come into the school and read with their children. It runs from 9-9:30. My suggestion is to arrive five minutes early because parking can be tricky. Younger siblings can attend. If you are unable to come to school, your child will join a classmate and their guest. Not every child has a guest. If you have two children in grades K though second grade, inform me that you are taking your child to the other classroom in order to be together. Important Dates that are coming up: Oct. 5-Crazy Hair and Fancy Dress-up Day for Juvenile Diabetes-$1.00 Donation Oct. 5-First Friday Family Read 9:00-9:30 Oct. 8-Columbus Day-No School Oct. 9-Food Drive for Helping Hands begins through Oct. 29 Oct. 10-Fire department visits-Fire prevention and safety Oct. 12-Our class visits the book fair at 10:30-11:00 Oct 16-Our class visits the Book Fair 10-10:30 Oct. 16-Book Fair Night open until 8:00 pm Oct. 17-Minimum Day-Dismissal at 1:05 Oct. 18_ Kindergarten Field Trip to Rose Orchard 9-11:30 Oct. 23-Blood Drive 1:00-7:30-Lunch will be in the classrooms. Oct. 24 & 25-Minimum Days-Parent Teacher Conferences- Dismissal at 1:05 Oct. 30-PTO Meeting 7:00 Oct. 31-Halloween Parade-Grades K-2 (2:00-2:30) Thank you for reinforcing these skills and strengthening their handwriting ability at home. -Mrs. Sullivan with Mrs. Maio
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Dear Families, I feel the need to restate our birthday treat procedures in order to keep all of our students safe. If you bring in any food to be shared with our students, families must discuss the ingredients/treats with the school nurse 24 to 48 hours before bringing the treats in. Then we can be confident that all students would be included and safe from allergic reactions. We do have a student in our class with a nut allergy that needs to be considered. The email for our nurse is NChase@rsd17.org. You can also reach her by phone at 860-663-1121. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Kathy Sullivan with Mrs. Maio
Dear Parents and Families, September 13th 2018 We have really enjoyed getting to know your children. Our class is made up of nineteen students-eleven girls and eight boys. Everyone seems to be adjusting well to our classroom and routines. Your children have made it through the first two weeks with flying colors. The children have been very cooperative and eager to learn. Please feel free to send in a water bottle so they have water available to sip throughout the day. The students have been learning routines such as walking in a line, unpacking their belongings, buying milk and school lunch, recess and dismissal procedures etc. The children have been participating in fire drills and lockdown drills. We have read books, sung songs, played games, and made pictures. During these first few weeks, my main goal was to help children feel comfortable in our classroom and throughout our building. Next week, we will begin Unit 1 in Readers Workshop. The unit is called “We are Readers” and the focus is to help young children develop their identities as readers. Most children at this age “read” by remembering the story and using the pictures. During Readers Workshop, students have the opportunity to try to retell the stories that I have read to them by looking at the pictures and remembering what happened. I will be introducing eight sight words (I, like, a, is, me, the, be, we) for students to find and recognize in books. We gradually introduce eight sight words a month. Eventually (months from now) as children become proficient at recognizing sight words, then they begin to read words. We have talked about the cover of books, the titles, and the authors. Students can answer questions about the stories read to them. When you read with your child, it would be helpful to track the print from left to right and ask your child what they think will happen next. The children will be learning to make predictions to stories. In Writers Workshop, students are learning to write their names on the top of the page and draw what their thinking. For most students, teachers write down their ideas and may write out a label on their pictures. Students will work towards writing down a letter that represents a sound they hear. We have talked about the alphabet and have explained that each letter has a corresponding sound. Students are not expected to know the corresponding sounds for each letter (this fall we will concentrate on identifying the letters and their corresponding sounds). The following letters will be covered in the next few weeks: t, b, f, n, m, i, u, c, o, a, and g. Focus will be placed on forming lower case letters. In the next week or so, we will be talking about writing names using an upper case letter and lower case letters. This takes time if your child is writing their name in all capital letters. In September, the following math concepts will be covered. Lessons will include counting to 100, positional words (above, under, below, beside, in front of, behind, next to). We will also introduce the concept of measurement so that students can determine which object is smaller, larger, heavier, lighter, longer, shorter, taller and so on. We provide many opportunities for students to count orally during calendar time and while taking attendance. In the next few weeks, I will be meeting with students individually and giving assessments. I will be asking students to identify upper and lower case letters and checking to see if they can give the corresponding letter sound. This takes some time to meet with each child separately. This information will help guide my instruction to meet individual students’ needs. I will be sharing this information with you during our October parent/teacher conferences. I look forward to seeing everyone on Curriculum Night. Have you completed the PTO directory information form ? This form includes your contact information that will be published for all KES families. This is how families contact other families for play dates and birthday party invitations, etc. See you soon! Kathy Sullivan with Mrs. Maio Important Dates to remember: Sept. 19th-No School-Yom Kippur Sept. 20th-School Picture Day-information will be sent home separately to families-Lunch in the classroom. Sept. 25th-PTO Meeting at 7:00 in library Sept. 25th -Voting in the School-Lunch in the classroom. Sept. 28th-Minimum Day for students-dismissal at 1:05 Oct. 5th-First Friday Family Read at 9:00-9:30-Come read with your child Oct. 8th-No School-Columbus Day Oct. 17th-Minimum Day-dismissal at 1:05 Oct. 24th -Minimum Day-dismissal at 1:05-Parent Teacher Conferences Oct. 25th –Minimum Day-dismissal at 1:05-Parent Teacher Conferences Oct. 31st –Halloween Parade (usually in the afternoon)-information will be sent home separately to families August 29, 2018
Dear Families, Happy first day of kindergarten! Today we had a great day. We made a special project for you, did some drawing, read a story, and got to know all of our classmates. I look forward to seeing you again at our Curriculum Night, September 12th (6:45-8:00 for Kindergarten). Below you will find some important information concerning our classroom. Dismissal Procedure-If your child is not following their regular dismissal routine, it is your responsibility to inform us (send in a note in your child’s folder) with that day’s dismissal instructions. There is a dismissal form that can be downloaded from our website (www.rsd17.org click on schools then Killingworth Elementary, look under School Publication & Important Information to locate the KES dismissal form). Bags or Backpacks-Please have your child bring a full size backpack to school every day. Backpacks should be labeled with your child’s name in a very visible location. Please check your child’s backpack daily. Important information will be in your child’s folder. The folder that came home today should be checked and returned to school daily. If you need to send in a note, please place it in the folder. Please send notes that are no smaller than a half size sheet of paper. Smaller notices are easily lost or overlooked accidentally. Extra Clothes-Please send a change of clothes to school in a labeled Ziploc bag. Spare clothes need to be updated as the seasons change and as your child grows. Labels-Please put your child’s name in coats, sweaters, boots, mittens, lunch boxes, and other personal belongings. Yellow rain slickers, jean jackets, and Red Sox sweatshirts all look alike! Milk-Kindergarten students may purchase milk for sixty cents during our lunch time. Please place the money in a change purse, envelope or bag inside your child’s lunch box. Lunch-Kindergarten students may purchase lunch for $3.25. Money can be placed in the Ziploc bag attached to the folders. There is a calendar provided for each month. This calendar describes what is offered. Breakfast-There is a breakfast snack available for $2.25. Please see the corresponding calendar. Money can be placed in the Ziploc bag attached to the folders. Money-Any time your child brings money to school, please send it in a labeled and sealed envelope or Ziploc bag. Loose change is easily lost. Milk money should be placed in the lunch boxes. It is easier this way. Recess-We will go out for recess as long as the weather is good. As the weather becomes cooler, please be certain your child dresses appropriately. Party Treats-Birthdays are a very exciting time in the life of a kindergartner. You are welcome to send in treats to school for your child to pass out. It is important to avoid nuts due to allergies. Please do not send invitations to school to be distributed unless all are invited. This will ease hurt feelings. Snacks-Please send in two small, separate snacks (simple, not messy) in labeled Ziploc bags (label one bag AM and the other PM with your child’s name). Reusable cloth bags are fine too. We will have two snack times. We do not have a refrigerator. Please do not pack snacks in your child’s lunch box. Special Schedule I have sent home a list of the days in which we have specials. Please be reminded to send your child to school on gym day with sneakers. I hope this letter has answered a few of your questions. If you have any questions or concerns please get in touch with me at school at 860-663-1121 between 8:20-8:30 or leave a message in my voicemail. I will return your call at my first available moment. My email address is ksullivan@rsd17.org and I usually check it every morning around nine. Kindergarten is an exciting time in your child’s life. I am really looking forward to our year together. Sincerely, Mrs. Sullivan with Mrs. Maio
Dear Families, Did I warn you how quickly the kindergarten year passes? Well…here we are at the end! Already! I have truly enjoyed working with your child and will miss him/her as they go forward. Here are the important dates to remember for June: June 1st - Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast- 8:00 am June 1st -All lunch charges are due. June 8th –PTO sponsored Staff Appreciation Breakfast at 8:00 June 10th-Ms. G’s birthday ! June 11th and 12th - The book swap will be open June 12th-PTO sponsored assembly-SK8 for Life June 14th - Wear red, white and blue for Flag Day (or a shirt with a flag on it). June 16th –All library books need to be returned. June 20th-2:00-2:45 class picnic-celebrating the end of kindergarten. We will meet briefly in our room and then head down to the lower playground. (“room moms” will arrange for watermelon slices, cookies and small water bottles). June 21st -Minimum Day-Dismissal at 1:05 June 22nd -LAST DAY!!! Minimum Day-Dismissal at 1:05-Wear you KES shirt or favorite color Enjoy the summer with your family! Love, Mrs. Sullivan with Ms. G.
Dear Families: May 1, 2018 It is hard to believe that there are eight weeks left to this school year! The time has flown and your children have grown both academically and socially. I am so proud of their accomplishments. The remaining seven weeks are very busy for us. The last day of school is on Friday, June 22nd. The last two days of school (Thurs. the 21st and Fri. the 22nd) will be minimum days. Students will continue to participate in readers’ workshop, writing activities and math activities. For reading, students are expected to recognize all 54 sight words at this time of year. Daily practice at home will firm up any words that remain a challenge for your child. It is a good idea to review these words and help your child recognize these words with fluency and accuracy. As your child brings home books to read, you might encourage the following behaviors: pointing to words and using one to one matching in order to read at a steady rate, rereading to self-correct errors and confirm meaning, and noticing a pattern. If your child gets stuck on a difficult word, try not to tell them the word. Look to see if your child is using the picture, sounding out the word and using the letters, thinking about what would make sense or maybe skipping the difficult word and reading on to help figure out the word. For writing, students work at their own level. The expectation for this time of year is that students include a letter for the first, middle and last sound of a word. Students are beginning to sound out words phonetically. Some vowels appear in their writing. Finally in math, we have begun the unit which concentrates on addition and subtraction facts and solving word problems. Students are learning to represent addition and subtraction stories with objects, drawings, fingers and equations. Your child might bring home a simple drawing that represents an addition or subtraction word problem. Students are also encouraged to think about numbers with flexibility. This means that five could be 4+1 and 2+3 and 5+0 and so on. For the first time in kindergarten, students are expected to fluently add and subtract within five. There is no substitution for the daily practice your child gets at home. Please continue to work on addition and subtraction facts at home. There are some special events planned during these last two months. In addition, this is the time of year that I meet with individual students to complete required year-end assessments. It is a very busy time! Here are some important dates to keep in mind: April 30th –Chicken eggs go into the incubator. May 1st –Principal appreciation day and at 6:30-7:45 PTO is sponsoring a Yoga Night May 2nd -6:00 Parent Orientation for Incoming Kindergarten Students (remember last year ?) May 4st –Last day to purchase a Field Day T-Shirt. Be sure to get your order in and not be left out. ($7.00) May 4th –Wear your KES clothing May 8th – Voting in the schools-lunch in the classroom. Math night 6:00 pm in the gym. May 9th-School Nurse appreciation day May 10th –Choral Concert at 6:30-older students performing May 11th -Mom’s Muffin Day-9:15-10:00 May 14th –PTO sponsored assembly about Thomas Edison May 16th –Minimum Day for students-dismissal at 1:05 May 18th- Festival of the Arts and Sciences-ALL DAY EVENT-seeking adult volunteers-see separate notice May 18th -KES Spirit Day-wear you KES clothing May 23rd -Art Show and Ice Cream Social @ 6:15-8:00p.m. May 25th-Field Day (please put sunscreen on your child & bring in a water bottle) May 28th - No School Memorial Day ****Please bring in a children’s book (like new condition-pre-owned) by the end of May for the BOOK SWAP! The book swap occurs in and ALL students will bring home a book to enjoy for the summer! How awesome is that! June 1st -Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast June 20th Kindergarten end-of-year party 2:00-3:00 June 21st & 22nd Minimum Days for Students-Dismissal at 1:05 June 22nd -Last Day of Kindergarten Thank you for your continued support. Any questions or concerns please contact me @ ksullivan@rsd17.org or leave a voice message @ 860-663-1121. Kathy Sullivan with Ms. G.
Dear Families: It is April already! And this snow won’t stop! It is amazing to me how fast the school year passes by! Can you believe that there are only 3 months left for kindergarten? This month we will be performing a Kindergarten musical on April 12th at 2:00. Be sure to come see your child perform! It is so cute and our students have been working hard to make this a great show. We will also have a cast party in our classroom to celebrate all the students’ hard work. Also this month, parents and family members are invited to help spruce up our school grounds in honor of Earth Day. On Friday, April 27th at 11:00-11:30 (rain date is April 30th), Our class will participate in the Beautification Day activities. A separate flyer will go home with the specific time and location for our class. Parents and family members are welcome to attend. Please bring in your gardening tools and help us tidy up our school yard. In the past, some parents have donated annual plants/flowers to be planted by the students in our gardens. Donations can be sent in with your child on Thursday or Friday of that week. Inside, we will plant some seeds in small groups. Here are some important dates to remember: April 2-Yearbook Orders are due. Send in a check for $25 made out to KES PTO. Or online with a credit card at YBPay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID code 11553118). You don’t want to miss this! April 3-Report Cards go home. April 4-National Appreciation Day for paraprofessionals-Ms. G. April 6th-9:00-9:30 Frist Friday Family Read-Come enjoy a book with your kindergartener-last one of the year. April 6th-PTO Book Fair-Browse Day 10:30-11:00 (late night book fair open till 6:00 p.m.) April 10th-PTO Book Fair Buying Day 10:00-10:30 April 10th-Learning Fair 6:00-7:00 April 12-Kindergarten musical 2:00 in All-Purpose Room (parents, grandparents & younger siblings welcome)-cast party in the classroom following the play. April 13th-Wear your KES clothing April 16-20 Spring Vacation April 24th-PTO Meeting at 7:00 in Library April 25-Bus driver appreciation day April 27-Earth Day-Beautification Day (rain date April 30th )-Come join us and help spruce up the school grounds! A flyer will be sent home with a specific time for our class. Summer book swap-Between now and the end of May, we are asking students to bring in one or more gently used books. Then, before school gets out in June, students will be able to “shop” for a book to enjoy over the summer! May 11th-Mom’s Muffin Day 9:15-10:00 May 18-Festival of the Arts-all day event at school-volunteers needed May 23th-Art Show & Ice Cream Social If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thanks again for your continued support and cooperation. Kathy Sullivan with Ms. G. Happy February! February 1, 2018
So the big question here is…will February be a snowy month? We will go outside under the following conditions: The temperature must be above 20° with the wind chill taken into consideration. Also, there cannot be icy surfaces that would be unsafe for the students or adults. If your child brings in boots & snow pants, I would suggest using a cloth, reusable grocery bag. The handles are long and young students can manage carrying this along with their backpacks. Those students that do not have boots and snow pants will play on the blacktop (that has been plowed). Please help your child become self-sufficient with dressing themselves and keeping track of all their mittens, hats etc. February often feels like a short month- when you consider the Presidents’ weekend and the random snow days. Our class will celebrate the 100th day on Feb. 8th- only if there aren’t any snow days from now until then (ha ha). In reading workshop, students are reading at their independent reading levels. All students are working on solving unfamiliar words by looking at the picture, using the letters sounds and sounding out words and noticing patterns in the text. There are reading behaviors that we hope to notice at this time of year for example: students should match the spoken words to printed words (pointing to words as they read), students should use the illustrations as a source of information and carry the pattern from page to page. Other behaviors to look for are using the first letter and then progress to using the middle and final letter of a word, reading known words automatically, and beginning to think does this sound right, make sense and looks right. One strategy is to skip an unfamiliar word and read the rest of the sentence to help in determining the unfamiliar word. Students then go back and reread the sentence and figure what word would make sense and/or matches the letters and sounds in the unfamiliar word. Practice the sight words each night to help your child recognize these words without hesitation-this will increase their confidence as a reader. As of February, a total of 48 words have been sent home for you to add onto the word ring. The benchmark goal for the second report card trimester is for students to be able to recognize with automaticity 34-42 sight words. By the way, report cards go home on March 23. In writer’s workshop, we are writing “How To Books” and will transition to “All About Books” in the middle of the month. In the past, the popular topics (For How to Books) were how to walk your dog, how to brush your teeth and how to get ready for school. These books should teach someone how to do something. In mathematics, we are moving to a unit on 2-dimentional and 3-dimentional shapes. Students will work on identifying shapes, sorting and classifying shapes by their attributes (for ex. which shapes have three sides, which shapes can roll, etc.). Some of the vocabulary words we will be using are as follows: shapes, circle, square, triangle, hexagon, rectangle, corners, vertices, cones, cubes, cylinders, spheres, solid, sides, faces. During the first week of March (March 1st & 2nd), we will meet again for our second parent/teacher conference. On a separate notice, you will get your time slot. We usually use the fall conference times. If this time does not work for your family, we can reschedule for a more convenient time. Dates to remember: Feb. 2nd -First Friday Family Read- parents/family members welcome 9:00-9:30 Feb. 2nd -Wear Red For American Heart Association Feb. 7th -Minimum Day-dismissal 1:05 Feb. 8th-100th day-if snow days don’t interfere Feb. 8th-7-9 pm. Community information session on the school restructure @ HK Middle School Feb. 9th-Spirit day-Winter Wonderland-Wear White and Blue Feb. 12-16-Jump rope for Heart Jump-a-thon Week-Parents welcome to participate-during our gym class time @Tuesday at 12:55-1:40. Wear sneakers and clothes suitable to exercise. Come join in with your child. Feb. 14th-Valentine Card exchange for students Feb. 19-20 -No School-Closed for Presidents Weekend Feb. 21st-6-8 pm. Community information session on the school restructure @ HK High School Feb. 23rd –Spirit Day-Wear your KES Wear Feb. 23-PTO sponsored assembly-The Dragon King Feb. 26th –Lego Fest 6:00-7:00 Feb. 27th-PTO meeting at 7:00 (Library) Feb. 28th -PTO sponsored assembly-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe March 1st and 2nd -Minimum Days-Dismissal at 1:05 Parent/Teacher Conferences Thanks for your continued support and cooperation! We have enjoyed working with your children. Kathy Sullivan with Ms. G.
Dear Families, Jan. 3, 2018 I hope your holiday break was enjoyable and gave you a chance to connect with family and friends. I also want to thank everyone for contributing to our Holiday craft activity and special snack. The children seemed to enjoy the special day. It was nice to see you all before the break. The generous class gift was quite a surprise! You thought of everything (even treats for my dog)! I really want to thank our room moms for the special questionnaire-they asked me about my favorite things. Thank you very much. I will treat myself to something special. Thank you again. January brings on some changes for our students. We will be sending home leveled books for your child to read Monday through Thursday night. In addition, your child needs to practice the sight words that we have been sending home each month. Forty words have been sent home for your child’s word ring. Focus for handwriting continues to be on proper placement. We will encourage students to use lower case letters in their narrative writing. Currently students are writing about their vacation and of course, the snow. Towards the end of the month, we will start a new unit in writing called “how to books”. For example, children might write a book on how to brush your teeth. In addition, during this month I will be meeting with each student individually to assess their ability levels for reading and number sense. This takes a considerable amount of time and it usually takes up most of the month. I will be using these results to help in the planning of instruction. (over) Dates to keep in mind are as follows: Jan. 10-Kindergarten Registration for next year 9:00-7:00 Jan. 11-Kindergarten Registration for next year 9:00-3:00 Jan. 15-No School-Dr. Martin Luther King Day Jan. 19-KES Spirit Day-wear your shirt backwards day Jan. 23-Minimum Day-students leave at 1:05 Jan. 24-Minimum Day-students leave at 1:05 Jan. 26-Kindergarten Donut Day (for Dads)-substitute stand-ins are always welcome @ 9:15-10:00 Jan. 30-PTO Meeting @ 7:00 Jan. 31-Kindergarten Literacy Night @ 5:30 Feb. 2-First Friday Family Read at 9:00-9:30 Thanks for your continuous support. Kathy Sullivan with Ms. G
Dear Parents, Dec. 5, 2017 A big thank you goes out to all the parents who helped and donated items for our Thanksgiving feast. Our children had a great time. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is over and it is already December! Exciting News! Our class has won the Box Tops for Education challenge! Our class turned in over 300 Box Tops for Education! This is an easy way to support our school. Ask family members to collect them-grandparents, aunts and uncles. You can turn them in using a Ziploc bag. Be sure to put my name on the bag or inside the bag! I cannot wait to show you the trophy! Family members are invited into the classroom this month on Dec. 14th at 2:00 for a special winter craft activity and party before the winter break. Here is a quick update for special dates to remember. Dec. 8th Pajama Day to support CCMC-Connecticut Children’s Medical Center-Information to follow-please donate $1.00 or more if you can. Thanks. Dec. 8th PTO sponsored assembly Native American Assembly Dec. 11th -15th Spirit Week-to benefit this year’s Holiday Show at H-KHS Dec. 11th-Crazy Sock Day please donate a $1.00 Dec. 12th –Fancy Dress Up Day- please donate a $1.00 Dec. 12th at 9:15 Dress rehearsal-in school concert for students only (Evening show at 6:30)-older students who have joined the chorus will be performing. (snow date Dec. 14th) Dec. 13th –Crazy Hair Accessory Day- please donate a $1.00 Dec. 14th Sportswear Day- please donate a $1.00 Dec. 14th- at 2:00-Special Winter Craft Activity & Party before Winter Break-Parents Welcome Dec. 15th Mismatch Day- please donate a $1.00 Dec. 15th Report Cards go home Dec. 20th at 2:00-Pajama Day & Snowman Movie for students-hot cocoa and munchkins served for afternoon snack. Dec. 22nd Minimum Day of school- Dismissal at 1:05-(special sing along for students only at 10:00). It is a short, busy month. Take time to enjoy special moments with family and friends. Happy Holidays! -Kathy Sullivan with Mrs. G. Academics in December…………….. As for reading, the focus of this unit is to help students get better at reading by using everything they know about looking at both the pictures and the words. Students need to place greater emphasis on the print and develop the concept of one-to-one matching. This month, strategies are introduced to figure out unfamiliar words. Strong readers use a combination of strategies such as using the pictures, the first letter of a word, looking for words they know (sight words) or recognizing a pattern within a story. Students are learning to make sure their reading makes sense and sounds right. In addition, we will emphasize the importance of rereading books to build automaticity, phrasing, and expression. In writing, students are working on writing true stories (something they did-something that really happened). The first trimester goal is that students will write words using two correct letters sounds (such as “was” might be “wz”). Kindergarten students are expected to spell sight words correctly by using the word wall or word ring. Students should be able to write a simple sentence independently, use spaces between words and a period at the end of a sentence. Students should stay on topic and use pictures with labels and/or speech bubbles. Please keep in mind that students develop at their own pace and there is a wide range of abilities. I will continue to model these skills and encourage students as they try to write stories. In math, the focus will be on numbers 6 through 10. Students are working on writing numbers to ten and representing a number of objects with a written numeral (count and record). We are helping students to count objects using the correct order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object (one to one correspondence). Students need to understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted and that the number of objects counted is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. Students need to understand that when they are counting each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger. Students are learning to identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than or equal to the number of objects in another group by using matching or counting strategies. Students will learn to compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numbers. For example, students might be asked to circle the larger number. |
Mrs. Sullivanksullivan@rsd17.org Archives
October 2019
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