Week 4 ~ Sept. 23 - Sept. 27, 2019

                                                                                                                                     

Fall is upon us and the 4th week of kindergarten and the last week in September have also arrived!  The children are settling in to routines and following expectations a bit better.  We are still working on following directions quickly the first time and listening when others are talking. 

Last reminders for…

·      Sign the calendar in the red folder every day

·      Extra clothes – pack a set in your child’s backpack if you haven’t done so just in case of spilled milk, bathroom accident, slip and fall in a wet area on the playground.

This week we will:

• learn about the letters Tt and Gg – their sounds, proper formation and name, spell and read words that begin with these sounds
• practice writing these letter sounds when we hear them and are trying to spell
• practice making the sound of /t/ and /g/ when we see them at the beginning of a new word that we are trying to read
• review the sounds of /m/ /b/ /r/ /s/
• tell what an author and illustrator do
• match what we say with printed words (point at the words as we read)
• listen to stories read aloud and answer questions
• identify story characters, settings and events in stories read aloud
• learn about different ways to sort objects and identify the way objects were sorted
• continue learning about ways to be a G.R.E.A.T. citizen at school

Homework for the week:

• practice reading for 30 minutes with a grown up (build your reading muscles!)
• tell what an author and illustrator do
• tell what at least 2 of the letters in G. R. E. A. T. stand for (Growth, Respect, Empathy, Accountability, Trustworthiness)  Can your child tell you what any of these words mean to him/her?
• learn to read the Power Words:  can   see   the

Important dates to remember:

• Oct. 2 – Interim reports come home
• Oct. 2 – Picture Day for K
• Oct. 14 – No school – Parent / Teacher Conferences
• Oct. 22 - Kindergarten Field Trip to Darden Farm (permission slip/ more info will come home in the red folder soon!) 

Week 3 ~ Sept. 16 - Sept. 20, 2019

The children in Room 103 are settling in and are getting use to classroom routines.  They are learning each other’s names and making new friends.  Has your child been telling you about the “pennies” he/she has been earning at school for following classroom, hallway and cafeteria expectations? :)  AKA…being G.R.E.A.T.

To do:

·      Put an extra set of clothes in your child’s backpack…just in case.

·      Sign your child’s calendar sheet in the red folder each day.

·      Join our fantastic PTA for $10.00.  They do so much for our school! (Let me know if you need a membership form!)

  

This week we will:

• understand that sounds in our language are represented by letters
• learn about the letters Rr and Ss
• begin identifying words in sentences and notice words in books that we read together
• identify the front cover, the title, the title page and the back of a book
• discuss what an author and an illustrator do
• continue learning about the characteristics of different shapes
• continue learning about what it means to be and what it looks like to be a G.R.E.A.T. citizen

Homework for the week:  (Remember - do these activities at your own pace! You do not have to turn anything in!)

• practice writing your first name – uppercase letter at the beginning, all others are lowercase!
• read with your family for 30 minutes each day
• learn your bus number (If you are a bus rider!)

Important dates to remember:

·       Sept. 20 ~ Summer T-shirt day

Week 2 ~ Sept. 9 - Sept. 13, 2019

Thanks for helping your child have a successful first week at CAES!  It was a short one but one of excitement and adjustments for all – including myself! J We spent some time last week getting to know each other, our classroom and our school.  We also took some time to go over classroom and school expectations.  Hopefully your child has been telling you about earning pennies!  It was a bit chilly in our room last week.  If your child would like to bring a jacket/sweater to put on during the day, please feel free to do so.  Thanks to all that have put a spare set of clothes in your child’s backpack.  These clothes will stay in his/her backpack unless they are needed.  Any questions?  Email me at jsmith@iwcs.k12.va.us or send a note in your child’s red folder.        

      

Here are a few reminders:

***Red folders will come home each day.  Please make sure the calendar insert is signed/initialed each day and placed back in your child's backpack.  Also, don't forget to check the red folder ‘Keep at home’ side and clean that out as well.  If there is a change in your child’s dismissal procedure, please note that on the calendar page in the red folder.

***Reading Logs/ Books will not come home until the beginning of October.  This is a change from what was communicated in the “ABC’s of Kindergarten”.  We are practicing daily at school with listening to stories and logging them on our reading logs.  

This week we will:

·       Review classroom and school expectations (Learn how to be a GREAT citizen at CAES!)

·       Review what a good listener looks like

·       Draw pictures and use letters to communicate ideas

·       Listen to stories read aloud

·       Learn the characteristics of different shapes

·       Continue learning each other’s names

Homework for the week: (This is done at your own pace and does not need to be turned in.)

• learn to recognize and say your bus number (if you have one!)
• practice writing your name – first letter uppercase, all others lowercase
• read with/ listen to a story with mom, dad, grandparents, aunt/uncle, or big brother/sister each night

Upcoming dates to remember:

·       Sept. 11 – Patriot Day ~ Wear red, white and blue

·       Sept. 21 – Summer T-shirt Day ~ wear shirts from vacations, family reunions, Busch Gardens, VBS, summer camp, etc.

Our Encore schedule (1:15 – 2:00 each day except Tuesdays*)

·       Monday – Computer Science

·       Tuesday – Library, Art and Music  *(1:15, 2:05, 2:50)

·       Wednesday – Engineering

-    Thursday - P.E.

-    Friday - S.O.A.R.

• ·       Thursday – P.E.