Beginning of the Year!

We had a great start to Kindergarten! We read The Kissing Hand, a story about Chester the raccoon, who doesn't want to leave his mother to go off to school.

 His mother kisses the palm of his hand and tells him if he gets lonely at school he can just press his palm against his cheek to feel that his mother's love is with him. He gives his mother a kissing hand too. We hope you enjoyed the kissing hand that your child brought home for you!

We also began learning rules and procedures for the classroom last week. Students have done a good job following directions and I'm sure they will continue to improve. The thing students seem to get most upset over is having to take turns and learning that they might not get called on every time. Another struggle is for them is trying to remember not only to raise their hand, but also to wait to be called on before speaking. We will continue to work on these skills.

Here are some pictures from our first day! Enjoy!

Open House

WT's Open House will be Monday, August 18th, from 6-7:30. Be sure to stop by Room 102 and check out our classroom. I will have a scavenger hunt waiting, and you will have the opportunity to sign up for the classroom wishlist and volunteer opportunities. I would really like to meet and get a photo of each child at this time, so please be sure to say hello! You can also pick up your car tag and sign up for PTO while you're here. See you Monday!

Here are some books you can swing by your library and look for until then!
Kindergarten Countdown by Anna Jane Hays
I'm Telling You, Dex, Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis
Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
Molly Rides the School Bus by Julie Brillhart

Dec. 2-6 Newsletter

Mrs. Nicodemus’ Kindergarten Newsletter

Reading
Book: Jack and the Beanstalk by Mary Ann Hoberman
This story is told by Jack and the Ogre. We will hear how Jack traded his cow for magic beans that grew a beanstalk. Then we will hear how Jack climbed up and stole a magic hen, a harp, and a bag of gold from the ogre. This story takes a twist when the ogre demands Jack return his things though, because Jack asks him if he would lend him those things and the ogre agrees. Jack and the ogre become friends and decide to write their story down on paper.

Target Skill: Realism and Fantasy

We will be looking for ways the beanstalk is similar and different to a real plant.

Amazing Words: lad, beanstalk, lend, magic, naughty, ogre

Phonological Awareness: Nn says /n/ (nap, net)

Sight Words: he, for   (Please practice at home. All of the words your child is expected to know at this point are: I, am, the, little, to, a, have, is, we, my, and like)

Math

We will take our Ch. 4 test this week. Please review some of the following skills to help children prepare for the test: Represent 10 objects with a number name and a written numeral, use a drawing to make 10 when starting with a lesser number, and practice ways to make 10 using two numbers.

Secret Santa

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week we will be going to the Secret Santa shop in the library. Students may bring in money to shop for parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. If you would like to designate who the student should shop for or a certain amount to be spent on a particular person please mark it on the envelope. This aids the volunteers in the shop as they are helping your child budget their money.

Schedule

This Friday will be a B day.

Important Info

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. Last week your child should have brought home a letter informing you that a case of pertussis / whooping cough had been identified. I was diagnosed with it last week and have taken my antibiotics so I am no longer contagious. If your child has a cough or develops a cough now through Dec.16, please be sure to contact your doctor and let them know he/she was exposed to pertussis.

Photos from October

Much of our morning is spent working in small groups. Mrs. Miller is one of our teachers that helps us learn important reading skills.

 

 

We use the Smart Board and manipulatives to help us understand Math!

 

Kindergarteners are excited to find words and letters they know in books. They are good at telling a story based on the pictures they see. 

 

 

 

We conducted an experiment as we learned about flowers and seeds. We learned that different parts of a plant have different jobs.

 

Students are learning to be great writers. We are practicing writing words and sentences to tell about our pictures.

 

We went on a nature walk to see what we could observe. Then we made a sketch of what we saw!

 

 

Pumpkins! We predicted, measured, and counted using a pumpkin!

Students used cubes to measure the pumpkin.

Mr. Stahl shows us some of what's inside the pumpkin.

 

 



Students counted pumpkin seeds.

 

Students loved looking at all of the books at the book fair!

Recess is fun in the Fall!

 



Students practice procedures during an assembly and at dismissal.

 

11/18 - 11/22 Newsletter

Reading
Book: A Bed For The Winter by Karen Wallace 
 

        

We will read and understand that some animals look for a winter home and try to find a warm place to stay. We will answer the question “What kind of home does an animal need?”

Target Skill: Sequencing: the order in which something happens

We will be looking for clue words such as first, next, and last. Paying attention to the sequence helps readers understand what is happening in the story.

Amazing Words: nest, stump, hive, meadow, tree trunk, den

Phonological Awareness: Ii says /i/ igloo, Izzy

Sight Words: he, for   (Please practice at home. All of the words your child is expected to know at this point are: I, am, the, little, to, a, have, is, we, my, and like)

Math

We will continue Ch. 4 this week. Students will represent 10 objects with a number name and a written numeral. They will also use a drawing to make 10 from a given number. We will use connecting cubes to help us compose the number 10. Composing a number means using two or more sets to make a number. Practice with composing ten will set the stage for addition. Seeing ten cubes as seven red and three blue prepares children for thinking about 7+3=10. If your child is struggling to write the numbers correctly, please continue to practice this at home.

Conferences

Thank you to everyone who was able to come in for conferences. I really appreciate you taking the time to come in and talk since it is so important that we work together to best serve your child. It was a pleasure to meet everyone and get to know you and your child a little better. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions or if you were unable to make it in for conferences and you’d like to discuss anything.

Schedule

This Friday will be an A day. Next week we only have school on Monday and Tuesday. No school Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I’d like to have my kindergarten classes take part in a canned food drive. This is not a school-wide thing and not required.. I’d like to have a contest between the A group and the B group to see who can bring in the most items (I may even have a special prize for the winning class!) We will use the items to practice our math skills of counting and comparing the amounts in each group, and we will discuss being thankful for what we have and helping others when we are able. All items will be donated to those in need. If your family would benefit from some assistance, please let me know.