Almost There!

 Happy Friday, Everyone!

I hope you all have had a great couple of weeks! The kids are doing so well, despite the excitement of the season. This will be the last newsletter of the year due to the short week next week.

Speaking of next week, we will be celebrating the shortest day of the year on Wednesday (see attached sheet). For our Day of Darkness, kids will be doing all kinds of activities. I am really looking forward to all of the activities and fun next week!

We have had a great time outside, despite the crazy weather. I am really looking forward to the snow over the weekend! Be sure to have your child’s snow clothes ready to come in on Monday. I am sure the sledding hill will be back open in no time.

If you are looking for beginning reader books for your kiddos, here is a place where you can find them for pre-readers and beginning readers:

https://dogonalogbooks.com/pre-readers/

https://dogonalogbooks.com/step-1-books/

The kids have started to use the iRead online platform during literacy time as one of their stations. They have also done work building words using letter magnet tiles and reading/writing their sight words. They are all doing a super job! 

Again, we know screen time is a sensitive subject for some families and we are sensitive to it as well. Stations run 15 or so minutes for both literacy and math, meaning that your child’s screen time will be spread out over up to two times during the day totalling roughly 30 minutes. Sometimes kids will only get one, other days they will have none. 

We have continued our hard work on counting and playing with dot cluster cards to practice and deepen their understanding of numbers and their general number sense. Some of them have also gotten a chance to start using iReady, the online math learning platform. The program assesses their math understanding and then gives them good fit work. We are able to track how they are doing on skills, assign specific assignments and monitor their progress.  

We hope you all have a safe and happy break!

Take care,

Ben and Honi

Important Updates:

• Drop-off is now be at the front door. We think our kindergarteners are ready to walk in with the big kids! Pickup will still be out of our back door. If your child is able to independently buckle, please let us know if you’d like your child picked up at the pick-up circle instead.

Conversation starters:

 

*What did you do in PE, Art, Library, Spanish and Guidance this week?

*How does the morning message start (Good morning, friends!)?

*What morning center is your favorite?

*Try "partner counting" with your student (you say 1, they say 2, you say 3, they say 4....).

*What did you play at recess?

*Look at the new photos in our photo album. They are great conversation starters!

Other Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8

Happy December!

 Welcome Back, Everyone!

It has been a wonderful week back here at school! The kids settled back into their routines and have had a great week of being kind, working hard and having fun! We watched a great little clip called “Caine’s Arcade”. The kids are ready for some cardboard on Monday, I can assure you!

The kids have done a super job getting used to our routines about getting ready to go outside. They are getting quicker and quicker getting their stuff on and making sure their clothes are hung up to dry when they come inside from recess. Getting more independent with these tasks is necessary to ensure as much time outside as possible! We have suggested to kids to get a stopwatch and practice at home getting dressed on their own to see how fast they can go!

We introduced some new words this week: love, and, and is. They are doing a super job picking up on their new words and reading them in some of our beginner reading books. We are also practicing writing these words using magnet letters. They are doing a super job! We also read a couple of great books, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and Lots of Latkes. 

We will be starting literacy stations over the next couple of weeks. Stations will include reading, letter writing, sound practice, online platform practice using iRead and word building and sorting. We will also be extending our math station options by including a station to practice skills using the online platform iReady. Both of these are endorsed by our district as acceptable learning tools. 

We know screen time is a sensitive subject for some families and we are sensitive to it as well. Stations run 15 or so minutes for both literacy and math, meaning that your child’s screen time will be spread out over up to two times during the day totalling roughly 30 minutes. Sometimes kids will only get one, other days they will have none. 

Next week we will be working on our math number books. Kids will be working on writing numbers, writing number words, drawing pictures and filling in tens-frames on their numbers 1-10. In math time we worked on dot clusters, making the number 10, counting to 20 and back by ones, counting to 100 by tens and using connecting cubes to build numbers. 

We hope everything is going well with you all, please let us know if you need anything, have any questions or want to chat. 

Have a great weekend,

Ben and Honi

Important Updates:

• Picture retakes are next week on December 8th

• Drop-off is now be at the front door. We think our kindergarteners are ready to walk in with the big kids! Pickup will still be out of our back door. If your child is able to independently buckle, please let us know if you’d like your child picked up at the pick-up circle instead.

Conversation starters:

 

*How did sledding go on the hill?

*What did Hershel do to trick the Goblin King?

*Who is at your table group?

*Try "partner counting" with your student (you say 1, they say 2, you say 3, they say 4....).

*What are latkes made of?

*Look at the new photos in our photo album. They are great conversation starters!

Other Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8

Thanksgiving and almost 33% of the year has passed!

Happy Vacation, Everyone!

I think we all have earned a break, folks. Your kids are growing so much and working so hard. You all have a lot to be proud of! I really appreciated our time together in conferences, if there is ever a time that you’d like to chat more, please let me know. Also, if you didn’t get a chance to sign up for a time, let me know and we can figure out a time that works!

You will notice that we sent home the contents of their cubbies, we hope you get a chance to give everything a wash and send in fresh clothes after the break. Also, please try to empty out their folders as well. There’s lots of great stuff in there.

We spent this week taking a break from introducing new letters, sounds and words and used the week to practice. With the week off coming up, I thought it made sense to pause on the new and practice the old.

The kids did some writing about what they are thankful for and did some beautiful painting to make turkeys with their hands. I hope you have a special place for this great work! I hope you see how hard your child is working on putting as many sounds as they can in their writing. 

In math this week we worked on counting with partners, playing dice games, building numbers using unifix cubes and playing “How many bears in the cave?” Matt Pelkey, the math interventionist who comes in to work with the group, has commented on how well they are doing with their number sense and conceptual understanding of numbers. I couldn’t agree more! 

I think that’s it for now. I really hope this is a week of rest, relaxation and a pause to take stock of how truly fortunate we are for the gifts in our lives. 

Take good care, 

Ben and Honi

Conversation starters:

 

*What signs of deer did you see in the forest?

*What fun things did you do in the snow at school?

*Who honked Snowfight's horn?

*Try "partner counting" with your student (you say 1, they say 2, you say 3, they say 4....).

*Senora Donovan read a book in Spanish about colors: what colors do you know in Spanish?

*Look at the new photos in our photo album. They are great conversation starters!

Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Picture Retakes

December 8th

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8

 

November!?

 Happy Monday, Everyone!

I hope it was a great post-Halloween week for you all! The kids were super, despite the challenging timing of the holiday! As a reminder, regular hunting season is coming up this weekend, be careful if you are venturing into the woods. Also, because we have conferences this week, I will not be sending out a newsletter on Friday (or the following Monday!)

Last week, the kids continued to build their word rings for their sight words, adding the works the and to. This week they added the words was and you. They are making great progress on seeing these words everywhere as well as starting to read the morning message. They are working so hard on these foundational skills!

We also got to do some work in our writing journals and the kids are starting to put their knowledge of sounds and words to use in writing. I am looking forward to showing you their hard work at conferences (albeit through Zoom). They are growing in their ability to use the lines on the page and to focus on using as many lower case letters as possible. 

We read another great book this week, To Be A Kid. The kids loved seeing what other kids around the globe do as kids. The pictures are beautiful and it is a great window into the world of children. We also read Opening Day, a great book about the conflicts that beginning hunters can feel. The kids are doing such a great job talking about books and the big ideas in them.

This week in math class we got to start our work in our iReady math journals. The kids are getting in the practice of using the workbook pages as a tool for practicing the math skills we are working on as a whole group. We also got to practice our other math games like drop the chips, counting objects, Blokus and Abalone. 

Amy should be back this week to resume our work in the woods. Soon, we’ll be able to really start tracking and making winter shelters. The kids have been doing a great job getting to know our outdoor space as well as using tools responsibly. 

Last, here is the sign-up for fall conferences. If none of the offered times work for your family, please let me know and we can figure something out. I am really looking forward to talking to you all soon!

Have a wonderful week,

Best, 

Ben and Honi

Conversation starters:

Who are you sitting with at your new table spot?

What sight words are you working on? (I, see, like, can, a, the, to).

What did you write about when you wrote about your favorite part about being a kid?

Who have you been playing with at recess?

What did you do with your buddy on Wednesday?

Do you have enough snack for snack times? 

Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Picture Retakes

December 8th

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8

Friday Newsletter on Monday!

 Happy Monday, Folks!

Sorry for the Monday send, the end of the week was super full! The kids had another stellar week in our Kindergarten class. They are all growing so much, even though it has only been 2 months. They have a lot to be proud of!

We introduced 3 new words this week, see, can and a. The kids did a great job working on these words as well as their two previous words I and like. The kids will be working on a book with their new words this week as well as practicing reading their first book. As these books come home, practice having your child point to the words as they read them, one at a time. They are also using pictures to help them read unfamiliar words. You do not need to be doing this with their library and personal books at home, of course, but it is good practice when reading the short books we are writing and reading at school that do come home.  

The kids continued their great work on their new letters, too. They are practicing their new letters as well as writing their names. We are exploring the concepts of letters, sounds and words. Letters make sounds, when you put those letters together in special ways, they make words made up of sounds (with the exception of a and I). They are doing a super job!

We finished the book Quest and the kids did a super job talking about the book and thinking about questions like “what will happen next?”, “what is happening?” and “why did that happen?” We will continue our work with these questions as we read more this week. By the way, when you are reading at home, you don’t need to be mirroring these questions. I think  it is important for kids to just snuggle in and enjoy a story, too!

The kids are doing a super job in math class, too. We introduced some new games like “Toss the Chips” and putting number path tiles in order.  We continued our dot cluster practice as well as our use of tens frames. We are practicing the skill of “counting on” as well. This is an important skill as kids start to not need to count quantities they already know.

Halloween celebrations will be this Friday. You are welcome to send in your child’s costume with them. We will be putting them on after lunch and recess to ensure (as best we can) that the outfits will come home in one piece! As is the case with birthdays, we will not be doing traditional celebrations involving special Halloween treats. 

Again, the weather is a-changing! Please be sure to send in your kiddo with all of the gear that is needed to spend extended periods of time outdoors. Also, one or two extra sets of clothes at school would be great to send in. We can send home and trade out what is here. Thanks for your support on this!

Last, there is a conference sign up sheet that I am going to be sharing with you today. Because of the number of kids in our class, I am going to offer Zoom times that are outside of the conference day. If none of the offered times work for your family, please let me know and we can figure something out.

Have a great week!

Warmly, 

Ben and Honi

Conversation starters:

*What are your new words this week (a, see, can).

*What did you do with your buddy this week?

*Tell me about the book Quest

*What is your favorite part of your specials (art, music, library, guidance, Spanish, PE)?

*What did you do at recess?

*Who did you play with at Centers time?

Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Picture Retakes

December 8th

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8

Cue Autumn?

 Hello, Everyone!

What another great week in kindergarten! Despite being underpowered with just me in the room some days because of the sub shortage and staff shifting to cover, the kids did really well! I hope you got to see in the school newsletter that we are still looking for a Student Support Specialist as well as substitute teachers. Both are positions that are really needed so if you or anyone you know are interested, please get in touch with Mary in the front office.   

The kids did a great job learning their first two words, I and like. We are almost done writing our first “I like…” books and those should go home early next week. The kids are learning the skills of pointing to each word as they read and using the pictures they drew to help them with the words they wrote. Next we’ll be working on our next book, I see a… I am so excited for you to see their hard work! 

Up to date, we have started to learn the lower case letters c, o, s, v, w, t and a. The kids have been practicing saying the letter name followed by the picture cue for the word followed by the sound. For example, we use the Fundations alphabet for the key words to cue kids to the sound of the letter, which is the first sound of the picture cue (with the exception of x - fox). Be on the lookout for these letters around the house and when you may be out and about. They’ll start to see them everywhere! 

We have also been reading the follow-up to the book Journey, Quest. The connections that the kids are making between the two books as well as within the book Quest itself has been so amazing to see. We are working on asking elbow partners questions like “What will happen next?” “What is happening?” “Why is ____ doing that?”, etc.  

We had a great week working on our number writing, dot cluster card work and counting objects using a number path. Here is a site that I saw that talks about both number lines and number paths. We are using number paths to help us count objects and practice counting objects one at a time, a skill called 1 to 1 correspondence. 

Amy Butler from VINS joined us in the woods this week and told a super story about a magical golden stick. Ask your child about it, it was a great story. They sure worked hard to find their own! We are talking about the use of sticks and show to properly and safely use them in the woods. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll collect leaves and see if we can find out what kinds of trees are in our outdoor classroom. 

Last, the weather is a-changing! Please be sure to send in your kiddo with all of the gear that is needed to spend extended periods of time outdoors. Also, one or two extra sets of clothes at school would be great to send in. We can send home and trade out what is here. Thanks for your support on this!

Have a wonderful, restful weekend!

Best,

Ben and Honi

Conversation starters:

*Tell me the story about the beavers that you heard from Amy in the forest.

*What did you do with your buddy this week?

*Tell me about the books Quest and Journey

*What is your favorite part about PE?

*What did you make in art class? How did you make it?

*Who did you play with on the playground?

*Did you try/do anything that was hard or tricky this week?

Reminders

Class Blog

You can check out the blog here for the newsletter and resources

Pictures

The folder with class pictures can be found here. 

Class Gear

Please remember to send in all the tools for the kiddos to be using as we go through the year (change of clothes, raingear, camp chair, etc.). Sneakers are the best daily footwear for students. If you need help getting any of those, please let us know, the school will be happy to help.

Book Order Information

 

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/XLZX8

Class Code: XLZX8