Dear Parents,
It was a wonderful first week of kindergarten! The week was packed full of many new and exciting routines. The kids are working so hard at remembering everything, from unpacking their lunchboxes, sitting at the carpet quietly, to checking their cubby for papers to go home. I know the transition from a half day at preschool to a full day of kindergarten is a lot on most kids, but they will start getting used to it soon. I also have a lot of first timers to school, so the routine will set in soon. I look forward to seeing what is in store for room 101.
It is really important that you have your child to school on time and in our class line, ready to go. (We are required to mark your child as tardy if they are not at school by 8:45.)
The kids have started journaling every day and this will really give me a good idea of where your child is at in the writing process. Last week we focused on a “WOW” picture, adding details and lots of colors to our picture. This week we will begin using our sound sheets to sound out a word. Sounding out a word is the “hard” part of writing if your child does not know the letters and the sounds they make. Remember that singing the ABC song is not knowing and understanding the letters and sounds.
If your child is not beginning to write please work with your child daily, so they can become confident writers. Confident writers equal confident readers!!! Here are some writing ideas to do at home with your child: grocery list, letter to a friend or Mrs. Burks, favorite toys, to do list, personal journal, names of his/her classmates, etc. Make it fun! Use cool markers, paper, colored pencils and crayons. The more fun you make it, the more fun it will be for them. Make sure your child has an alphabet to refer to when writing.
In order for us to have our reader’s workshop in full swing we have to have 6 centers independently mastered, which means no help from ME! Our focus this week was independent reading. We discussed the guidelines to create a perfect independent reader: pick a quiet spot, choose the right book, read quietly to yourself, stay in one spot, build stamina, read the whole time and ENJOY. Our class goal is to independently read for 15 minutes without breaking the above guidelines.
Here is a breakdown of how we did:
Day 1: N/A
Day 2: 6 minutes
Day 3: 6 minutes
Day 4: 11 minutes…..YAY!! The kids were so proud of themselves!
I know without a doubt that we will reach our goal this week. If we meet our goal of 15 minutes, we will discuss the guidelines of becoming great “buddy readers”.
We had fun exploring the classroom this week. We had free choice centers that included: blocks, legos, stuffed animals, cars, magna tiles, pattern blocks, puppets and drawing. We also LOVED our new clean up song! If you have any “unwanted” toys you would like to donate to our classroom, please let me know. We are in need of dramatic play items.
This week we will continue to learn, reflect on and practice the rules at school. In order for us to have a positive learning experience we all have to follow the rules in class. If your child is struggling with any of these areas, please work on these rules at home. We will also begin our “All about me” unit.
I am looking for parents who are willing to be a “play dough parent”. A “play dough parent” would be in charge of making 2 bags of fresh play dough for the week. You can make it fun by adding glitter, lavender, peppermint, etc. There are LOTS of great ideas on pinterest. If you are interested please send me an email.
Our class dojo will start up on Monday. If you haven’t sign up yet, please do so. It is a great way to see how your child is doing throughout the day.
If you have any questions or concerns please email me at:
[email protected]
Thanks,
Mrs. Burks
It was a wonderful first week of kindergarten! The week was packed full of many new and exciting routines. The kids are working so hard at remembering everything, from unpacking their lunchboxes, sitting at the carpet quietly, to checking their cubby for papers to go home. I know the transition from a half day at preschool to a full day of kindergarten is a lot on most kids, but they will start getting used to it soon. I also have a lot of first timers to school, so the routine will set in soon. I look forward to seeing what is in store for room 101.
It is really important that you have your child to school on time and in our class line, ready to go. (We are required to mark your child as tardy if they are not at school by 8:45.)
The kids have started journaling every day and this will really give me a good idea of where your child is at in the writing process. Last week we focused on a “WOW” picture, adding details and lots of colors to our picture. This week we will begin using our sound sheets to sound out a word. Sounding out a word is the “hard” part of writing if your child does not know the letters and the sounds they make. Remember that singing the ABC song is not knowing and understanding the letters and sounds.
If your child is not beginning to write please work with your child daily, so they can become confident writers. Confident writers equal confident readers!!! Here are some writing ideas to do at home with your child: grocery list, letter to a friend or Mrs. Burks, favorite toys, to do list, personal journal, names of his/her classmates, etc. Make it fun! Use cool markers, paper, colored pencils and crayons. The more fun you make it, the more fun it will be for them. Make sure your child has an alphabet to refer to when writing.
In order for us to have our reader’s workshop in full swing we have to have 6 centers independently mastered, which means no help from ME! Our focus this week was independent reading. We discussed the guidelines to create a perfect independent reader: pick a quiet spot, choose the right book, read quietly to yourself, stay in one spot, build stamina, read the whole time and ENJOY. Our class goal is to independently read for 15 minutes without breaking the above guidelines.
Here is a breakdown of how we did:
Day 1: N/A
Day 2: 6 minutes
Day 3: 6 minutes
Day 4: 11 minutes…..YAY!! The kids were so proud of themselves!
I know without a doubt that we will reach our goal this week. If we meet our goal of 15 minutes, we will discuss the guidelines of becoming great “buddy readers”.
We had fun exploring the classroom this week. We had free choice centers that included: blocks, legos, stuffed animals, cars, magna tiles, pattern blocks, puppets and drawing. We also LOVED our new clean up song! If you have any “unwanted” toys you would like to donate to our classroom, please let me know. We are in need of dramatic play items.
This week we will continue to learn, reflect on and practice the rules at school. In order for us to have a positive learning experience we all have to follow the rules in class. If your child is struggling with any of these areas, please work on these rules at home. We will also begin our “All about me” unit.
I am looking for parents who are willing to be a “play dough parent”. A “play dough parent” would be in charge of making 2 bags of fresh play dough for the week. You can make it fun by adding glitter, lavender, peppermint, etc. There are LOTS of great ideas on pinterest. If you are interested please send me an email.
Our class dojo will start up on Monday. If you haven’t sign up yet, please do so. It is a great way to see how your child is doing throughout the day.
If you have any questions or concerns please email me at:
[email protected]
Thanks,
Mrs. Burks