Kindergarten Classroom News
Mrs. Lyons
March 21, 2011

Dear Parents,
Happy Spring! Happy Purim! As you know, we have been very busy in the Kindergarten classroom.  We are learning routines and lessons that will transition us from kindergarten into first grade! I am very proud of the progress the children have made so far this year. Together we will continue to work on and reinforce developing concepts and skills, and review all areas covered to retain mastery.

Upcoming events to note…
• Friday, April 29th – Field trip to see a Theatreworks presentation of

   The Berenstain Bears: Family Matters, the Musical.

• Very Hungry Caterpillar Read-a-thon during May, details to follow…

• Mother’s Day Tea Party, details to follow…

• Monday, May 16th – Field Trip to Museum of Natural History and Planetarium

• Friday, May 27th – Field Trip to Casey Farm

• Favorite Book/Author Day presentations, details to follow…

            Chaperones will be needed for all field trips.

Language Arts

• We continue with our guided reading groups. The groups are very fluid and will change constantly as each student progresses at their own rate. Depending on the level, we go over sight words, punctuation, reading with emphasis, decoding words and story elements (e.g., characters, setting, sequence, etc.). Learning to read with our Reading Street curriculum is so much fun!

• Our alphabet work continues along at a steady pace. We have covered upper and lower cases, letter-sounds and correct letter formation. We will begin the study of the letter S this week. Then only seven letters to go!

• The children have been practicing using lowercase letters when writing their names. I am encouraging the use of lower case letters in all of their writing now. I am very proud of the efforts they are making. Please help your child to use lower case letters when completing homework.

• The concept of word families is made simple using the Rhyming Bag. The children look forward to it every day and can’t wait for their next turn to take it home! Our word family work continues with a new word family almost every week.

• We have met Jan Brett, Ezra Jack Keats, Eric Carle, and are now reading books by Dr Seuss. The children are enjoying the distinctive styles of the different authors. The children will have a chance to tell their classmates about their favorite author/book in June at our Favorite Book Day event. Details to follow…

• After a few weeks of beautiful spring weather, we will start another five senses book about springtime. The children enjoyed making books about the fall and winter seasons.

• I cannot stress enough the importance of a “sight vocabulary” that your child is comfortable with and can read automatically. Your child’s ability to recognize high-frequency words will make a dramatic difference as he or she begins to read. The words are put on our word wall for the children to use in their reading and writing and we make word wheels for the children to bring home and put into practice. As you read with your children, let them “read” any words that they know.

Math

• We are in the middle of unit 3 (Patterns Plus) in Big Math for Little Kids. I am sure your child has been sharing their excitement whenever they discover a pattern! There are many different kinds of patterns, including color, sound, number, size, letter and shape. In all cases, there is some kind of regularity or rule that determines what comes next. Patterns support logical thinking and underlie more advanced mathematics, including geometry. Continue to reinforce pattern recognition in the everyday environment.

• We have gone over different ways to make numbers. We have compared, combined and taken away. All activities are a prelude to addition and subtraction. Number recognition and writing as well as addition and subtraction equations continue to be a part of our math centers. If your child has reversals… don’t panic as this is very common at this stage of development. Just continue to provide time to practice.

• We will continue to make a calendar for each new month. Please post it where your child can refer to it regularly. Talk with your child about upcoming events, go over the days of the week and the numerals for each day.

• Our Estimation Jar continues to be a great success. The children enjoy this activity every day and are always excited to estimate how many objects their classmates have put into the jar. Please note, the number of objects that can be put in the jar has been raised to 30.

• As we transition into the latter part of our school year, I will be doing more whole group work with the children to get them ready for first grade.

• Our dramatic play area has turned into an Exploration Station for March. I brought in collections of shells, rocks and pinecones for the children to examine. If your child has anything that they would like to share, please feel free to have them bring it in.

• Please take the time to check your child’s homework folder each night. They are proud of the work they do and would love to share it with you!

• I would like to thank all of our families who have helped in so many ways to make our Kindergarten such a special place!

**I will also post this newsletter on my blog.  Please check the blog regularly as I share all of our science fun each week.

• I look forward to Parent-Teacher conferences at the end of the month. We have come so far together this year and I want to share that information with you.

• If ever you have any questions or concerns, always feel free to contact me.

 

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.

                                                                                    Anonymous

Notes and Reminders