Kindergarten Update 1/21

Dear Kindergarten Families,

We had a great week!  Students were very excited to start the week and they all did an amazing job transitioning back to school.

We read about Martin Luther King, Jr. and what makes him unique.  

The students listened to a poem, "The Crayon Box That Talked", and drew a picture of what makes them unique.  Check it out on the wall!

Word Wall Words:  "this", "that"

Next week, we will learn about penguins and what makes them special animals.  The students will write a fact about penguins and it will be displayed on the bulletin board.

Students are forgetting to bring folders in.  We had a couple important papers go home this week including our 100th Day Project and pictures.  If your child forgets their homework, it's important to send it as soon as possible.  I prefer not to send forms and/or projects home without the folders as the papers tend to get crinkled, wet or lost.  

We will begin our "Just Right" Reading Program starting on Tuesday. You'll find an envelope with a leveled book in it.  This is your child's homework for the rest of the year.  Please read with your child until he/she can read it FLUENTLY with no help.  This means keeping the book for a 2-3 days going over the phonics, comprehension, and vocabulary.  I'll monitor your child's reading at school every couple of weeks.  Remember, this is not a race!  Students tend to want to rush to the next level and often times, I have to remind students that each child reads at a different level and that  it's not a competition with peers.   Please sign and return the envelope when your child has mastered the book, he/she will get another book.  Thank you for your cooperation and please email me with any questions or concerns.

In Writer's Workshop, the students are writing "how-to" books.  You can help your child practice writing how-to's books at home or just talk about "how-to" do something.  The students are doing a wonderful job sounding out words and writing independently.

We've started Reader's Workshop, and students are learning how to build empathy through books.  We had a discussion about empathy as we read through Martin Luther King, Jr. books and magazines.  We will continue to talk about empathy as we read books included in our "Mind Up" series.

In Math, we spent some time going over subtraction and using number bonds.  Students used white boards to write number sentences as I told word problems out loud.  Pelase continue to practice number writing and grouping by 5's and 10's. Speaking of Math, here's info about our Math Festival:

Rio del Mar Math Festival - Parent Volunteers Needed! 

Tuesday, February 19th

Two possible volunteer sessions: 

First Session: 7:55 - 10:35   

Second Session: 11:35  - 2:10 

Volunteers will be assisting with classes, grade K-6th, as they filter through the MPR to explore math activities and games. 

You do not need to teach any math or know the skills, you will be more of a facilitator at a center - cleaning up materials between each class, helping younger students read the directions, etc.  

If you are interested and can commit to one of the sessions, please emailalyssa_davis@pvusd.net.  

Please note that you will not be guaranteed to be volunteering during your own child's class session. 

As a reminder, we don't have school this Monday 1/21.  I'll see you all on Tuesday.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Brenda Christensen