Number Writing Fun

Number writing practice can become extremely boring for kindergarteners, especially when a pencil and paper are the only materials involved.  Last week we made it a little more interesting by utilizing a few non-traditional tools.

We set up four rotating stations so that everyone had a chance to practice writing their numbers in four different ways.

Station #1
Shaving Cream
The kids practiced writing numbers with their finger in the shaving cream on the table.  Their favorite part was "erasing" as it allowed them to get thier hands messier and messier.  Our room sure did smell nice and clean for the afternoon however.

Station #2
Paint Bags
Zip Lock bags filled with finger paint allowed students to write on top of the bag and see each stroke clearly until they mixed the paint up again.  They used a q-tip as a writing instrument which provided a sturdier point to press down on.

Station #3
Salt Trays
Four trays, with an even layer of salt in each, were placed on the table for each student.  They practiced writing each number in the salt with their finger.  Practicing the correct strokes is extremely important in each of these activities.

Station #4
Dry Erase Boards
While this station is a bit more traditional, the kids loved to write and then erase the boards so it certainly kept their interest.

We have worked our way up to the 20's - everyone seems to really love numbers!

Weekly Update

You should've received this week's homework packet, field trip information and your child's interim report, as well as DIBELS results in agendas this afternoon.  Please note...

HOMEWORK - Keep homework packets at home so we can avoid them getting lost to and from school.   They are to be turned back in on Friday.  If your child is not completing his/her homework, they are not getting the practice they need to reinforce skills and concepts being learned at school.  Please make sure you are reading every night with your child and practicing their weekly sight words as well.  Learning is a team effort between each child, their teachers and parents.

FIELD TRIP:  We are taking our first field trip on September 28th to Thompson Farms.  Please review all of the information sent home and return money and permission slips by Thursday, September 27th.

INTERIM REPORTS:  Because the first few weeks of school are primarily dedicated to procedures, you will notice that most of the skills are marked as developing.  This simply means we are still working on said skills and your child has not yet reached the point of mastery.  In four weeks your child will receive his/her first report card.  This will be a better reflection on where your child stands in certain areas.

DIBELS - The results form sent home indicates the expected goal for beginning of the year and how your child scored in comparison.  The skills tested were letter name recognition (being able to recognize letters and name them) and first sound fluency (being able to provide the first sound in each given word).  If your child scored below the expected goal, it is important that you are aware of what skills they should be working on at home. 

We celebrate James Gregg this week as our STAR Student.  James has the best smile and always has it on display.  He has wonderful manners and exhibits great citizenship.  Congratulations to James!

Welcome Back

Welcome back from our first holiday weekend!

Please look for the new school agendas coming home today.  I will be sending home classwork throughout the week so please be sure to remove these papers.  You will also begin seeing a weekly sight word booklet.  These are the "words of the week" that your child should be practicing at home.  Use the booklet like flashcards and quiz your child from time to time.  The more they are seeing these words, the easier the words will be to recognize when they are reading.

We have begun planning our fall field trip to Thompson Farms.  If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know.  We will need two chaperones per kindergarten class.  We are trying to secure Friday, September 28th, but I will let you know once we have something confirmed.

This week we honor Maci Long as our Star Student!  Maci brings big personality to the classroom is very friendly with her classmates.  She does a great job following rules and procedures and really cares about doing well in class.  Congratulations, Maci!

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!