Sight Word Crazy

Welcome back to a brand new week!

DIBELS testing is complete and we now have a concrete starting point for every child.  Curriculum will really kick in after the Labor Day holiday.  To prepare you, I'd like to make you aware of the flash cards that will be sent home on a weekly basis.  These cards are the four weekly sight words that we will be working on in class.  Please work with your child at home with these words - the more familiar they become with them, the more fluent they will be in their reading.  Letter names and sounds are another important component as we begin our journey in reading and literacy.  Reinforcing these skills at home will make a huge difference in your child's performance.

I have sent home a volunteer sign-up sheet.  If you are interested in volunteering in the classroom or in any other capacity at the school, please let me know.  We welcome any one who wants to be a part of our busy day.

Congratulations to Nicere Wallingford, this week's Star Student.  Nicere may be quiet as a mouse, but his actions speak louder than words.  He really sets a great example in class by following directions and being on top of his game at all times.  He is truly deserving of this honor. 

School is Cool

We have spent the last couple of week getting to know one another and learning interesting things about each other.  We recently shared some of our favorite things such as foods and school activities - while some of our choices differed from student to student, the one thing we all had in common was that we agreed "school is cool."  Check out our writing activity from this past week...

Parents - please note that we will administer the beginning of the year DIBELS assessment on Monday, August 27th.  This assessment will let us know at what level your child is currently performing and provide us with the data needed to know what skills we need to focus on so that we are able to differentiate our instruction to best fit your child's needs.  Please try to have your child arrive at school on time and well rested so they can perform to the best of their ability.

Every week a student will be chosen who has demonstrated one or more notable characteristics such as good behavior, kindness, leadership, perseverance, etc.  They will be honored as "Star Student" for the week and will receive recognition on our Star Wall.  They will also pick from the prize drawer! :)

Last week we honored Tyler Hemingway as our "Star Student."  From day one, Tyler followed every direction given and tried hard to get every new procedure down.  He showed great manners and was an instant friend to all of his classmates.  Congratulations to Tyler for being such a great example!

 

This week we honor Ayla Butler.  Ayla has also been on board since day one with all rules and procedures.  She is a great listener and works hard every day to do her very best.  She participates in every lesson and shows great enthusiasm in everything she does.  Congratulations to Ayla!  Ayla's picture will be added to the Star Wall on Monday.

The entire class has been working so hard the past couple weeks - getting used to a new environment, learning new rules and procedures, becoming familiar with a more academic setting - but we definitely have to take a break every now and then and get some of our energy out.  Enjoy these pictures of the class letting loose in our big, beautiful yard right outside our classroom...

The Daily Five...In Action

With a brand new school I have decided to introduce a brand new reading structure in the classroom.  This structure removes all of the guesswork from the children concerning classroom routines and procedures and allows them to concentrate fully on learning.

The structure I have introduced is called the “Daily Five”. Soon your child will be talking about “The Daily Five” at home. This literacy structure teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are introduced individually.

• Read to Self
• Read to Someone
• Listen to Reading
• Work on Writing
• Word Work

When introduced to each task, the children discuss what it looks like, sounds like,
and feels like to engage in the task independently. Then, the children work on building their stamina until they are successful at being independent while doing that task.

When all five tasks have been introduced and the children are fully engaged in reading and writing activities, I am able to work with small groups and confer with children one on one. This structure is proven effective, the results are amazing, and the children really look forward to Daily Five time. Ask your child about Daily Five and see what he/she has to say. I anticipate your child will tell you about the class stamina, how we are working towards independence, and maybe you will even hear about some of the fantastic things your child has written, read, or listened to during our structured reading time (www.dailycafe.com).

Here are a few pictures of our "Read to Self" time as we are building our stamina to read independently.

First Week Success

We are settling in after three extremely successful days of kindergarten.  Rules and procedures are being learned quickly, which means we can jump right into curriculum this upcoming week.  We are still ironing out some wrinkles with behavior, but that is to be expected in a brand new environment.

We got acquainted with our room this week.  I allowed all of the kids to explore the various areas and the materials they will be using in those areas.  Learning how to use them properly and taking care of them will be included in this week's lesson plans.

Please be checking your child's green take home binder this week for new information, notes from me and a new homework calendar.  I will be keeping you informed as much as possible on what we are learning in the classroom and the exciting activities we have planned.

Have a wonderful weekend!