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Page Last Updated May 07, 2009
Number of Visits: 685
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Kindergarten Newsletter May 2009
Dear Parents,
I can hardly believe that in four weeks it will be the end of the school year. Time has passed so quickly. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to watch each of the children grow academically, socially, and emotionally. They have been an energetic group and very eager to learn. Here is a look at what will be happening in the next few weeks:
Religion: Chapter 18 will focus on the Last Supper and the Holy Eucharist. Sharing the Eucharist brings church members closer to Jesus. In chapter 19, the children will learn in simple terms what heaven is like. Our discussions will help the children understand that heaven is a happy place and that Jesus has prepared a place for each of us.
Math: We will finish exploring the numbers 0 – 9 and review the concepts of addition and subtraction. We will also continue to work on our number writing skills, counting, and recognizing money.
Science: We have begun studying paper using our Foss Science program. The children are enjoying the experiments they are doing in the classroom to learn more about the properties of paper. Next week we will begin making paper-mache bowls.
Please make note of the following year end activities:
Wednesday, May 20 Wood
Thursday, May 21
Friday, May 22 Middle School Play – Cinderella
Wednesday, May 27 Final School Mass at St. Peter’s Kindergarteners will be attending this Mass
Thursday, May 28
Tuesday, June 2 Band Concert at
Friday, June 5 Kindergarten Graduation at
One check for $9.00 can be written for the two field trips. Please make checks out to Blessed Trinity School. Permission slips will be coming home in your child’s Friday Folder.
Kindergarten Newsletter February 2009
We all enjoyed our Catholic Schools Week activities. Thank you so much for all you do in helping make our school a wonderful place! Here is a look at what will be happening in the next few weeks.
Religion: Chapter 11 will focus on the children learning about the Holy Spirit. Our discussions will help the children learn that the Holy Spirit comes to help and guide us to do God’s work in the world. The book 3 in 1-A Picture of God by JoAnne Marxhausen will help the children learn about the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Chapter 12 will focus on how Jesus wants his followers to serve others. We will discuss the importance of helping and serving others. Father Tom and Sister Sue will be visiting the classroom to read to the children. At the end of the month the season of Lent begins. The children will attend Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Peter’s on February 25.
Math: We continue to work at our number stations. We have begun to explore the number five with all our math manipulatives. We will also be working on our number writing skills for the numbers 0 -5.
Social Studies: During the next few weeks the children will learn about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and celebrate Valentine’s Day and the 100th day of school!! I hope you will all be able to come to our Valentine Tea on February 13th.
Finally I want to let you know that I will be joining a group from my church and visiting
Sincerely,
Kindergarten Newsletter January 2009
Happy New Year! Our first week back was great! Here is a glimpse of what we will be doing in January.
Religion: This month in our religion series, we will finish Unit 3: Jesus is God’s Gift. Everything Jesus did in his life was done to teach us about God the Father. Jesus taught us with both words and deeds. In chapter 8, we will focus on the things that Jesus teaches us to do and how to act. In chapter 9: You Follow Jesus, the children will listen to the bible story based on Mark 16-19, in which Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to follow him. They will learn that the followers of Jesus are called Christians.
Math: As we shift our focus from patterns to numbers the children will be doing more than just counting objects. When working at number stations the children are discovering and internalizing the unique pattern and combinations each number forms naturally. We will be using the same math manipulatives that we used with patterning: beans, unifix cubes, pattern blocks, wood cubes, tile and jewels. We will also learn how to print numbers. Learning to write numbers is not a mathematical skill. However, it is necessary for children to be able to recognize and write symbols when they begin working with number equations. The goal of our number writing activities is to provide a variety of handwriting experiences that encourage correct number formation.
Social Studies: The children will listen to stories and participate in activities focusing on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Our focus will be on how MLK wanted people to be able to go places together, share food together and love one another.
Science: We are now beginning our study of wood using the FOSS Science Program. In part one, the students compare samples, learn their names, and observe how they are alike and different. During the course of the unit, the kindergartners will participate in experiments to learn more about the properties of wood.
Computer: Each week in January, Mrs. Elfering will be introducing the children to the programs on Sammy’s Science House.
During the winter month, the children do have outside recess. Temperatures are checked mid-morning – if it’s zero or above the children go outside for 10-15 minutes. Please send snowpants, boots, etc. to school with your child everyday. Thanks!!
Sincerely,
Kindergarten Newsletter December 2008
Dear Parents,
I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
The season of Advent has begun. The days of Advent are days of waiting for Jesus’ birth. Our religion lessons will help the children experience the joy and anticipation of waiting and getting ready for Jesus. Each week of Advent our prayers/devotions will have a specific focus. Week one is Be Hopeful. Week two is Be Ready. Week three is Be Joyful, and week four is Be Love. I have encouraged the children to wear their Advent pins to school each day of Advent. Father Tom and Sister Sue will be visiting the classroom to read to the children.
During December we will be reviewing the beginning and ending consonant sounds for the letters Nn, Dd, Ss, Mm, Tt, and Cc. We will learn a new vowel sound Oo and review the vowels Aa and Ii. We will also review our high frequency words and learn a new one is when we practice reading the book I Am Sam.
In math the students will continue to practice using the balance scale as they weigh a variety of nuts and record their answers in their Massing With Nuts book. As part of our patterning activities this month the students will learn how to make patterns with tiles and the dot cards.
Please come and join us on Friday, December 5 from
Happy Holidays,
Karen Peterson
Kindergarten Newsletter November 2008
Dear Parents,
Looking at the calendar, November looks to be a short month filled with many activities.
In reading we continue to write in our journals. Some weeks the children will be given a topic for their journal stories and other times they will be able to make their own choice. We will work on letter recognition, printing, and beginning sounds for the letters Ii, Tt, and Cc. The following high frequency words will be introduced to the children: that, and, & I. Each week your child will bring home a letter book (e.g. My Ii Book). I encourage the children to read their letter books to you and to write it on their read aloud book list. Please save these letter books as they provide your child practice reading their high frequency words.
Once children begin to understand the concept of pattern, they begin to see pattern in other areas: number sentences, reading (e.g word families and spelling), art and music. In short, the world around them. As part of our patterning activities this month the children will be introduced to how patterns can be made without the use of color. They will practice making a variety of simple patterns: AB, ABC, AAB, ABB, and AABB with many different manipulatives. The concept of weight can be difficult for young children to understand because they usually equate larger size with a heavier weight. The children will also be introduced to a balance scale and how it is used to weigh objects.
This month in our religion series, we will finish Unit 2: God and You. In chapter 5, the children will learn that praying is talking to God, and we make the Sign of the Cross to begin and end prayers. Chapter 6 focuses on “Let all who live in God’s world care for it.” Psalm 33.8. These lessons will talk about recognizing that God calls us to care for his creation. We will also take time to talk about Thanksgiving and the importance of thanking God for the many gifts and blessings we receive from Him.
The children are enjoying going to the computer lab each week and working with Mrs. Elfering on the computers. Each week Mrs. Elfering has been introducing them to a program from Millie’s Math House. With the programs on Millie the children have been practicing the following math skills: shapes, identifying and comparing sizes, counting, number recognition, and pattern.
November 24th and 25th are parent teacher conferences. Please remember to return your conference note telling me which day and time is best for you to meet with me. I look forward to meeting with you at the end of the month.
Sincerely,
Kindergarten Newsletter October 2008
Dear Parents,
I would like to thank those of you who helped with the marathon. These extra fun events are possible only with your help and cooperation. Thank you!!
The last few weeks I have done some informal evaluations with the children to assess their current skills. We have been reviewing colors and working on shape recognition. The children did a wonderful job creating an innovation on the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Which simply means we used the basic sentence structure found in the book Brown Bear and adapted them to fit our shape theme. It is coming home on a rotating basis, I hope you enjoy reading it with your child.
October will be a busy month as we begin to work on letter recognition, printing, and beginning sounds for the letters Dd, Ss, and Mm. I will also begin introducing the following high frequency words to the children: the, a, and my. Each week a word will come home along with a rebus book for your child to assemble and read. Share sheets will also come home each week in your child’s homework folder. I encourage you to save these share sheets and little books and review them often with your child.
In science we began our study of trees by going on a walk to observe the different trees around the school. We will be learning the different parts of trees and leaves and the changes that occur with the different seasons. We will extend our study of trees with a trip to
We have finished the free exploration portion of our math program and have begun learning about patterns. We find patterns all around us ( on wallpaper and gift wrap, in music, on furniture and clothing, in nature). Recognizing and using patterns is an important problem solving skill for young children because pattern is an underlying theme of mathematics. One goal of Math Their Way activities is to surround children with a variety of pattern experiences which encourage them to become flexible thinkers and problem solvers. During the next few weeks your child will experience pattern visually, auditorily, and rhythmically. The children will participate in rhythmic clapping activities where they will have an opportunity to clap patterns and translate those patterns to other rhythmic actions and to various concrete materials. They will analyze and extend a variety of visual patterns with dot pattern cards, pattern blocks, unifix cubes, and collections of common objects.
We share joy and wonder over the many gifts God has given us: plants, animals, oceans, continents, sky, planets, stars, and people. In religion we will be finishing up Unit 1: God’s Creation. The children have listened to the story of creation and we will be discussing ways we can care for the world and how we can thank God for all his wonderful gifts. At the end of the month we will be talking about All Saints Day and learn that God is pleased with little acts of kindness. Father Tom and Sister Sue will also be visiting the classroom to read to the children.
I hope you all had a chance to read the note your child brought home explaining the reading incentive program. I encourage you to set aside time each day to share books with your child. It is an opportunity for your child to hear good language patterns and enriching vocabulary. Your child may return his/her October book list when they have read their 20 books.
Happy October Days!
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