Friday, December 16

We had a very special visitor this morning!  Check out the pictures in the slideshow of our visitor as well as pictures from our Holiday Sing yesterday.  What a fun week!

Next week, we will finish up our winter holiday unit.  On Monday we will learn about Las Posadas and on Tuesday Divali.  We will also be joining the other kindergarten classes for some fun Polar Express activities in the morning on Monday.

Take a look at the January/February snack calendar and another reminder below!

Have a great weekend!

Reminder:

Our school day begins at 7:55. 

Please be sure your child is here before 7:55 so we are ready to get started right away!

Thanks!

January

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
2 Jacob	3 Hailey	4 Wyatt	5 Brooklyn	6 Morgann
9 JaMaine	10 Lacey	11 Nicholas	12 Zach	13 Alex
16 no school	17 Anna	18 Bella	19 Sam	20 Alexis
23 Cloey	24 Brady	25 Ellen	26 Danny	27 Calvin
30 Jacob	31 Hailey

February

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		1 Wyatt	2 Brooklyn	3 Morgann
6 Jamaine	7 Lacey	8 Nicholas	9 Zach	10 Alex
13 Anna	14 Bella	15 Sam	16 Alexis	17 Cloey
20 Brady	21 Ellen	22 Danny	23 Calvin	24 no school
27Jacob	28 Hailey	29 Wyatt	1 Brooklyn	2 Morgann

Pictures from this week

Gingerbread Houses and Strings of Lights

Playing the dreidel game

Green Pepper Wreath

Menorah

Key for Gingerbread Glyphs

Gingerbread Glyphs

Christmas Tree

A comparison of many gingerbread stories

Tuesday, December 13

This week we have been talking about holidays in December.  On Monday, we discussed Christmas and made Christmas trees and stamped wreaths using green peppers.  Our new sight word is IT, so we made a class book using the word it.  We made a paper "present" and hid a toy beneath.  Then we wrote clues so that our classmates could try and guess what was inside the present.  It was a lot of fun!

Today we have been learning about Hanukkah.  We read a book and watched a short video clip about the history of Hanukkah.  Then, we made a menorah and played the dreidel game.  We also made a book for our book bin drawers about socks!

Later this week, we will be learning about Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Divali, and Ramadan.  We will be making projects for each holiday, so be sure to check them out when your child brings them home!

Our new sight word for this week is IT.  Please review all our sight words with your child at home!

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, Dec. 15^th at 1:30

K-2 Holiday Sing at the EPAC

Arrive early to get seated before the show starts!

Friday, Dec. 16^th

Pajama Day!!!

**Just remember that your child will still be playing outside for recess, so dress appropriately!

Monday, Dec. 19^th

Polar Express Activity Day!

Staff will also be participating in “Festive Sweater” Day,

so your child is welcome to wear festive clothing as well! J

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Last Day Before Break!

We will be having a small party in the classroom to celebrate the holidays. 

Please let me know if you are interested in sending treats or hot chocolate for the party!

Stamping with green peppers

Making Christmas Trees

Brooklyn's finished Christmas tree

A wreath!

Tuesday, December 6

We have been very busy in kindergarten since my last post!  We have been reading many different versions of The Gingerbread Man.  We have started making a journal about the different gingerbread stories we have read.  We compare the characters, setting, and ending of each story.  It has been a fun unit!  Other gingerbread activities that we have done include measuring our jumps and our height using gingerbread cut-outs, measuring the perimeter and area of a gingerbread, tasting gingerbread and doing 5 senses activities, making a class graph, making a book bin book, making a gingerbread glyph, and doing simple addition problems using a pan and "gingerbread" cookies.  We have also bee practicing the words you and can over the last two weeks.  We have done a lot more writing in the last couple of weeks and I have been so impressed with the way that everyone is sounding out words and using kindergarten spelling!!!  We are going to continue to practice leaving spaces between words.

Later this week, we will be doing a science experiment about things that dissolve in water and will be making our own gingerbread houses (from lunch bags) and doing several math activities with these.  I hope we have a great time!

Next week we will be studying winter holidays around the world.  We hope to see you and your friends and family at the Holiday Sing next Thursday at 1:30 at the EPAC!

Reminders:
*Return your library book every Tuesday!
****Please be sure to send a hat and mittens with your child every day as well as a warm, winter coat.  We go out for two long recesses every day and it can be very cold and windy on the playground.  Snow pants and boots are also good for warmth and will be necessary once it snows. 

Check out the new pictures in the slide show!  These are from some of our activities in the last couple of weeks!

Wednesday, November 16

This week we have been practicing the words the and is.  Our centers this week included reading sight word books, making a sight word poem, doing a Pilgrim puzzle, a die-roll turkey, word work, and stamping words.  Other literacy activities this week included shared reading poems, read alouds, making a page in a class book, and writing in our I Am Thankful book.  We also made feathers for a class turkey about things that we are thankful for. 

In math this week, we have been working on graphing and writing numbers 0-5.  We also did a fun noodle activity in math and made a class graph of our favorite Thanksgiving foods. 

Later this week we will be writing in our journals and reading a new Let's Find Out magazine about Thanksgiving.  We have finished putting our recipe book together, so watch for it to come home later in the week.  We hope you enjoy our recipes!

Next week we will review all our sight words and finish up the rest of our Thanksgiving activities.  We will also be visiting the Edgerton Hospital on Tuesday morning and meeting with our fourth grade buddies on Tuesday afternoon.

Reminders:  Please send in your field trip money if you haven't already.  The cost is 25 cents. 
No school next week Wednesday-Friday.

Pictures from the week:

Hailey making a scarecrow with pattern blocks

Morgann recording the length of her turkey feather

Lacey measuring her turkey feather

Sam putting his scarecrows in order from smallest to biggest

Wednesday, November 9

This week we have been working on learning the words to and go.  We have done word work and visited literacy centers in the mornings.  Some of our centers included making words with play dough or magnetic letters, making a predictable book for our book bin drawers, rainbow words, and a story on CD.  We have also been talking about different types of families and things we are thankful for.  Today each person in the class made a family tree!

We finished chapter 2 in math, but we will continue to practice making different types of patterns throughout the year in kindergarten.  Chapters 3 and 4 deal with writing numbers 1-10 and representing numbers with objects and pictures.  We have already spent a lot of time on this in math centers, so I think this chapter will go well!

Other fun things this week: calendar, library, music, art, gym, and a visit to the EPAC for a preview to the play, Beauty and the Beast!

Reminders:
**Next week is an early release on Tuesday. 

**Conferences - Tuesday and Thursday

**Field trip to the Edgerton Hospital Tuesday, November 22 ($0.25)

**No School Wednesday, Thursday, Friday November 23-25 for Thanksgiving!

Reminders

Two reminders for this weekend:

***PTA Fall Fundraiser Pick Up: Saturday, November 5th from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Community Elementary Gym
All orders  must be paid in full at the time of pick-up (cash or money order).
All orders must be picked up as the PTA has no available storage.
Call/email Sandy or Steve Doll with questions: 884-0270 or doll.sandy@gmail.com

***The Family Resource Center will be open Saturday from 9-12.  Mrs. Witt will be there to help your child make a Mayflower candy dish for your home!  All supplies are furnished - please come and have fun with your child!  The canopy doors at the elementary school will be open and the FRC is located in room 46.