November News
Dear parents,
The children had lots of fun on their first fieldtrip to the Corn Maze. The children were very well-behaved and respectful! Thank you to everyone who attended and helped out.
Thank you to Mrs. Bullock for helping us with our Pumpkin Activity Morning. A good time was had by all.
In Math we are working on counting back from 5, printing numerals to 5, and understanding the concept of more and less.
This month, I will be introducing Math Stations. The focus will be on building our Math stamina and Numeral Sense (flexible thinking around quantity) which includes:
-counting rules ( correct sequence of number names, one to one correspondence, cardinality, stability (arrangement does not change quantity)
-making connections between number names/quantities/ symbols
-using base 5 as a referent when estimating a small amount
-subitizing to 6.
Patterns, describing similarities and differences and using the concept of opposites as a basis for sorting will be introduced in December.
In Language Arts, the children have been learning: phonics, left to right progression, understanding the difference between a letter and a word, and syllabication by studying the names of their classmates.
This month we introduced some Phonemic Awareness activities like rhyming, elastic word stretching and syllables. Phonemic awareness is the foundation to reading. You can help at home by: playing word ‘games’ and reading stories that contain rhyme; say words using only sound(/b/-/a/-/t/) and ask your child what the mystery word is; play games like I Spy using first or last letter sounds. (I spy something that ends with the sound _____. Note- don’t worry about the actual spelling (like a word that ends in silent e or c/k combinations). The purpose of the activity is to teach your child to dissect the sounds in a given word.
This month we will continue to learn about letters. We will focus on one letter a day until we reach the end of the alphabet and then repeat the sequence from the beginning of the alphabet. Our first introduction to letters will focus on learning upper and lower case letters and introduce the common sound associated with each letter. Each day we will make a special lower-case letter to create a phonetic alphabet.
The second time we cycle through the alphabet we will focus more on learning the sound of the letter and introduce printing the letter correctly. Learning goals are flexible and will change each time we cycle through the alphabet in relation to the needs of the children. The goal, by the end of the year, is for your child to recognize and name upper-case and lower-case letters and begin to remember the sounds. Many kindergarten children are still developing fine motor control and therefore, printing all of the letters from memory is a grade one goal.
You can support your child’s learning by engaging your child in fun activities at home. A few ideas to get you started: make a collage of pictures that start with a chosen letter; use magnetic letters and ask your child to find certain letters by providing them with only the sound that letter represents; or have a scavenger hunt! - ask them to find three things that start with c, two things that start with d and one thing that starts with the letter a (for example). Keep it short, active and fun!
Remembrance Day
Our class, along with the other three kindergarten classes, will be performing a very short song and a poem at the Remembrance Day Assembly. All are welcome to attend.
Looking Ahead
We are going to decorate ice-cream cone trees and gingerbread people in December. You may want to save some Halloween candy for this project. Halloween candy comes in the perfect sized packages and will also provide your child with a lot of variety. (Note: Because of allergies, your child will not be allowed to share candy- and will only use what he/she brings in for this project.)
I will let you know, in December, when to send the candy. J
Report cards
Formal report cards will be issued on December 14th.
Classroom Volunteers
There will be a short meeting, right after school, on November14th, for all parents who wish to volunteer in our class . I will collect some information about your availability and I will provide a calendar for you to sign up for a date and time. If you cannot make this meeting, please contact me.
Student Led Conferences
On November 8th, we are having student-led conferences. Students and adults attend this event. It will be an Open House format and run from 12:05- 4:00. This is a special time for your child to show you what he/she is learning in class and also a great time to talk with me about your child’s progress. This format; however, does not lend its self well to private conversations, so if you wish to speak to me privately about your child, please let me know.
Note: If possible, please do not bring siblings to your child’s conference. This is a time to focus on your kindergarten student.
A few Dates to keep in mind:
Interim reports- November 7th
Early Dismissal and Student Led conferences- November8 th. ; Dismissal at 12:00
Remembrance Day Assembly- November 9th at 10:30 a.m. We are preforming a short song and poem for this assembly.
NO SCHOOL- November 12th
Meeting for Parent Volunteers November 14th (right after school at 2:15 in my classroom)
Sincerely,
S. Johnston
Dear parents,
The children had lots of fun on their first fieldtrip to the Corn Maze. The children were very well-behaved and respectful! Thank you to everyone who attended and helped out.
Thank you to Mrs. Bullock for helping us with our Pumpkin Activity Morning. A good time was had by all.
In Math we are working on counting back from 5, printing numerals to 5, and understanding the concept of more and less.
This month, I will be introducing Math Stations. The focus will be on building our Math stamina and Numeral Sense (flexible thinking around quantity) which includes:
-counting rules ( correct sequence of number names, one to one correspondence, cardinality, stability (arrangement does not change quantity)
-making connections between number names/quantities/ symbols
-using base 5 as a referent when estimating a small amount
-subitizing to 6.
Patterns, describing similarities and differences and using the concept of opposites as a basis for sorting will be introduced in December.
In Language Arts, the children have been learning: phonics, left to right progression, understanding the difference between a letter and a word, and syllabication by studying the names of their classmates.
This month we introduced some Phonemic Awareness activities like rhyming, elastic word stretching and syllables. Phonemic awareness is the foundation to reading. You can help at home by: playing word ‘games’ and reading stories that contain rhyme; say words using only sound(/b/-/a/-/t/) and ask your child what the mystery word is; play games like I Spy using first or last letter sounds. (I spy something that ends with the sound _____. Note- don’t worry about the actual spelling (like a word that ends in silent e or c/k combinations). The purpose of the activity is to teach your child to dissect the sounds in a given word.
This month we will continue to learn about letters. We will focus on one letter a day until we reach the end of the alphabet and then repeat the sequence from the beginning of the alphabet. Our first introduction to letters will focus on learning upper and lower case letters and introduce the common sound associated with each letter. Each day we will make a special lower-case letter to create a phonetic alphabet.
The second time we cycle through the alphabet we will focus more on learning the sound of the letter and introduce printing the letter correctly. Learning goals are flexible and will change each time we cycle through the alphabet in relation to the needs of the children. The goal, by the end of the year, is for your child to recognize and name upper-case and lower-case letters and begin to remember the sounds. Many kindergarten children are still developing fine motor control and therefore, printing all of the letters from memory is a grade one goal.
You can support your child’s learning by engaging your child in fun activities at home. A few ideas to get you started: make a collage of pictures that start with a chosen letter; use magnetic letters and ask your child to find certain letters by providing them with only the sound that letter represents; or have a scavenger hunt! - ask them to find three things that start with c, two things that start with d and one thing that starts with the letter a (for example). Keep it short, active and fun!
Remembrance Day
Our class, along with the other three kindergarten classes, will be performing a very short song and a poem at the Remembrance Day Assembly. All are welcome to attend.
Looking Ahead
We are going to decorate ice-cream cone trees and gingerbread people in December. You may want to save some Halloween candy for this project. Halloween candy comes in the perfect sized packages and will also provide your child with a lot of variety. (Note: Because of allergies, your child will not be allowed to share candy- and will only use what he/she brings in for this project.)
I will let you know, in December, when to send the candy. J
Report cards
Formal report cards will be issued on December 14th.
Classroom Volunteers
There will be a short meeting, right after school, on November14th, for all parents who wish to volunteer in our class . I will collect some information about your availability and I will provide a calendar for you to sign up for a date and time. If you cannot make this meeting, please contact me.
Student Led Conferences
On November 8th, we are having student-led conferences. Students and adults attend this event. It will be an Open House format and run from 12:05- 4:00. This is a special time for your child to show you what he/she is learning in class and also a great time to talk with me about your child’s progress. This format; however, does not lend its self well to private conversations, so if you wish to speak to me privately about your child, please let me know.
Note: If possible, please do not bring siblings to your child’s conference. This is a time to focus on your kindergarten student.
A few Dates to keep in mind:
Interim reports- November 7th
Early Dismissal and Student Led conferences- November8 th. ; Dismissal at 12:00
Remembrance Day Assembly- November 9th at 10:30 a.m. We are preforming a short song and poem for this assembly.
NO SCHOOL- November 12th
Meeting for Parent Volunteers November 14th (right after school at 2:15 in my classroom)
Sincerely,
S. Johnston
