Thank you

 A look at our learning...

Fundations: this week we learned THREE new letters: l, h, k.  Lowercase k can be super tricky for kids, but they are doing a great job!  We also learned about question marks, what they mean and when to use them in a sentence.

Please use the following verbal prompts when your child is forming their letters:

l-down

h-down, up, over

k-down, slant in, slant out

Writing Workshop: we have compiled a nice list of writing topics.  We can use this resource when we have finished one story and are ready to write a new piece. Students also have a small copy to keep in their writing folder as a reference.  We write stories about ourselves because that is what we are experts on!  Writing something that we know about allows students to focus on the craft of writing. What we write about doesn't have to be big, elaborate things like vacations, but rather every day things: going to Target, playing with our friends in the neighborhood, trick or treating, losing a first tooth, etc.  

Shared Reading/Spelling Words: this week we read the books At the Zoo and Birthday Party. Both books featured our spelling word of the week the, plus several of our old spelling words.  We also added the poem Hey Diddle Diddle to our poetry folder. 

Next week's new spelling word:

like

Literacy Workstations: check out our friends hard at work during literacy workstations.  During this time students work on a variety of reading, writing and spelling skills.  This is a time that we get extra practice with letters, sounds, correct letter formation, spelling words, fine motor skills and more.  Students work with a partner and rotate through 2 stations and we end each workstation time with our third station, read to self (a quiet reading time for all). 

While students are working at stations, I am able to pull students to my teacher table to work one on one or in a small group on literacy skills at their level.  

Math: we have finished unit 2 and begun unit 3.  Check your child's Friday Folder for ways to extend their learning at home and to see what we will learn in unit 3.

Science: we have finished the summer unit of Bears through the seasons and are beginning the fall unit of study.  We enjoyed getting outside this week to enjoy the warmth and sunshine while working on science.  It always feels good to stretch out in the grass and do a little learning. 

Lunch with the principal: yay Olivia! She was chosen to have Lunch with the Principal for the month of November!  She enjoyed lunch and games with Mr. Foulk and 4 lucky winners from the other Kindergarten classes. 

Craft of the week: this week we made turkeys to decorate our classroom for Thanksgiving!  Why do we do crafts at the end of each week? While there are many reasons, here are a few: 

*helps children develop fine motor skills

*can boost cognitive skills

*creativity and imagination 

*teaches problem solving 

*helps with following multi-step directions

*encourages teamwork and social skills through conversation 

*teaches flexibility

*ties into educational aspects or holidays

Turkeys in disguise: we have had so much fun sharing our turkeys in disguise this week!  I love the creativity and hope you have enjoyed completing this project as a family!  Check out the cute turkeys we have so far!  I think it's safe to say they area all properly disguised and will be safe this Thanksgiving!  If your child hasn't turned theirs in yet, you have until next Friday, November 17th  The extra day off tomorrow would be a great time to work on this! Please make sure you are cutting it out and attaching it the writing paper at home, rather than leaving it to be done at school. 

Veteran's Day: we had a special visitor in our classroom this week!  Easton's grandma came to share with us about her time in the Air Force.  She shared about her uniform, special medals, the special kind of food they had to eat, the countries she traveled to, different types of airplanes and what her job was in the Air Force.  The students loved it!  What a nice way to tie in Heroes Day and Veterans Day!  

Scholastic Book Fair: the students loved checking out the Scholastic Book Fair this week!  Tonight is the last night of the book fair. It is open from 3:30-7:30 in the library.  Books make great Christmas presents! 

Two of our friends won books from the book fair.  This week Mrs. Fitch gave away 10 books each morning during announcements and Maggie and Wyatt each won a book of their choosing! Yay!

Enjoying the beautiful weather this week!

Heroes Day

   I can't believe that November is already here and it's the end of 1st trimester!

The students have grown so much since the beginning of the year and I look forward to meeting with you next week at parent-teacher conferences to share about their progress.  Parent-teacher conferences are only 15 minutes long and we must stay on schedule or else it affects the scheduling of every teacher and every classroom.  I will use this time to chat about what I see in the classroom, their strengths and any areas they are still growing.  It is important that we meet with all families.  Please check your child's Friday Folder for a reminder of your scheduled day and time.  If this day and time does not work, please email me as soon as possible to reschedule.

A look at our learning...

Fundations: we learned the name, sound and correct formation for lowercase p and j.  

Please use the verbal prompts below:

p-dow...n, up, around

j-dow...n, curve up, dot

By the end of 1st trimester, which is now, your child should be able to:

*identify 40+ letters of the alphabet (uppercase and lowercase combined)

*name at least 10 letter sounds correctly

Writing Workshop: we are learning about where writers get ideas and how to put those ideas down on paper.  Right now "writing" is in the form of drawings and we are writing about everyday things that we do (riding our bikes, going to Level Up, going to the park, etc.)  This is why we have spent so much time learning how to draw people (not stick people), backgrounds/settings and 3 start coloring.  The students tell a story through their drawings and labels at this point in the year. 

Shared Reading and Spelling: this week we read the Big Book Look at Me.  We worked on pointing to words when we read, monitoring on known words (being able to locate and read spelling words quickly that are in text, even if we don't know all the words in the text) and discussing what we read.  

Next week's spelling word:

the

Math: this week we worked with 10 frames, learned more about the rectangle and worked on counting and number stories. Ask your child to tell you about the story Ten Little Fish and the counting game that goes along with the book. 

Heroes Day: thank you to all of the grandparents, everyday heroes and past and present members of our military for joining us for our annual BEU Heroes Day. This is such a special Beulah Ralph tradition.  We enjoyed listening to the Smithton Middle School band perform patriotic songs, Kenneth Noble-Chief of Police, US Department of Veterans Affairs speak, Rock Bridge High School Cheerleaders perform, recognizing all active and former members of the military in the audience and student speakers sharing about their heroes.  We especially enjoyed our classmate, Molly, speaking about her hero.  Way to go, Molly! 

Did your child miss out on having a visitor this year?  No worries, this is a yearly tradition and we hope they can visit next year! Enjoy a few pictures below.  MANY more are posted on our class Facebook page.  

A week of fun