Friday January 28th, 2011

Happy Friday!  This week in Kindergarten we talked a lot about sequencing with Jan Brett's The Mitten.  On Tuesday we read the book and talked about characters, setting and sequencing.  On Thursday we read the book and made our own mittens and animals.  Then on Friday we listened to the story and practiced putting all the animals inside in order.  We are on our way to becoming sequencing experts!

We also started addition this week in math.  We started with the basics, joining groups together with number stories.  We then brought in the more traditional elements of addition with the plus sign on Thursday.  Next week we will talk about sums and begin writing our own number sentences.  Building math from the ground on up!

Next Thursday is 100 Day!  Please remember to send your child's bag in with their 100 items before then!

Requests
-  disinfecting wipes
-  glue sticks


Reminders
-  There is a Virtus training on Saturday at Old St. Mary's.  All parents must be Virtus certified in order to attend any field trips.  Please contact Mary Ann Cushing in the parish offices to find out more about time and availability.
-  Family Mass is this Sunday at 8:30AM in the church.  It marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week!  We can't wait to see everyone there!
-  Next Friday, February 4th is Jeans Day!  So give your uniform a break and wear your jeans!

Friday January 21st, 2011

Brrrrr!  I sincerely hope that everyone is staying nice and toasty today!  Due to the frigid temperatures outside, we have been enjoying a steady stream of indoor recesses here in Kindergarten.  This week we taught each other Jenga, Twister, and Trouble to add to our list of available activities.

Also this week we finished up our units on snowmen, temperature and winter.  We read the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and wrote about what we would like to fall from the sky if we could choose.  We also read and discussed the poem, "The Five Little Snowmen".  Everyone very much enjoyed this poem because it reminded them of our old poem from October, "The Five Little Pumpkins".  The poetry binders are going home today so we hope you enjoy hearing the poem as well. 

In Math this week we have been finishing up Topic 9: Measurement.  We have talked about weight, length, width and capacity.  This topic has also been new in our use of Math Partners.  Math Partners are key during the measurement unit because it allows the students to check their answers with each other.  Next week we are starting Topic 10: Addition.  Look out for a math game coming home on Monday!

Celebrity Reader

Celebrity Reader will start up again next Friday.  Celebrity Reader is on Fridays at 2:15.  Please send me a note or email if you are available on any of these days.  First priority will be given to any family members that have not yet had the chance to visit.

January 28th

February 4th

February 25th

March 11th

March 25th

April 8th

April 29th

May 6th

May 13th

May 20th

Requests

We are in need of a few items in our classroom.  Thank you so much for your generosity so far this school year.  We couldn't manage without you.

-  disinfecting wipes

-  glue sticks

Thanks!

Thursday January 13th, 2011

Welcome back!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas break, it's so nice to be back this week.  I know that some people are not loving the snow that we have been having, but it works perfectly into our Winter Weather theme here in Kindergarten.  This is one of my favorite themes because it is a fun transition back to real life after all the hoopla of the weeks before Christmas.  In this unit we focus on the differences between hot and cold, cold and freezing, summer and winter.  We also introduce temperature and talk about the uses of a thermometer.  We read the book, What Will the Weather Be Like Today? by Paul Rogers and  talked a lot about the special clothing we have to wear in order to keep our bodies warm during the winter.  We even designed our own winter wardrobes and dressed paper versions of ourselves.  We also read the book, Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester and discussed in which winter sports we would like to get a gold medal.

Next week we are going to extend this theme to include snowmen.  We will watch the movie Snowman and write about what WE would do if our snowmen came to life.  An extra homework assignment will be coming home in your child's folder today to connect to this unit.  Please send it back in on Tuesday.


Have a great long weekend!


Reminders
-  Please send in a paint shirt for your child.  This can be any old shirt that covers their uniform to keep it clean during projects.
-  The quarter ends Friday, January 14th
-  No School on Monday, January 17th for Martin Luther King day
-  Family Mass will be on Sunday, January 30th at 8:30 AM