A look at our learning...
Fundations: we officially finished Fundations for the school year this week! I am so incredibly proud of the growth the students have made. They started the year learning their letters and sounds, and now they are writing complete sentences with so many important writing skills in place: using an uppercase letter at the beginning, punctuation at the end, spacing between words, correctly spelling word wall words, and tapping out unknown words on their own. Their progress has been amazing to watch, and you should be so proud of them too!
Be sure to check your child’s Friday Folder for their weekly parent packet.
Writing: we have officially wrapped up all of our writing units for the year! The students have worked so hard learning about the three different types of writing: narrative, opinion, and informational writing. It has been incredible to watch their confidence and abilities grow throughout the year.
At the end of the year, along with report cards, you will receive writing samples from each type of writing so you can compare and truly see your child’s growth as a writer. This is similar to the writing pieces I shared during our last parent-teacher conferences, but now you will be able to see growth across all three writing units and the entire school year. I am so excited for you to receive these and see just how much progress your child has made this year!
This week, we also spent time using our writing skills to create special books for all of our specialist teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. The students loved making something meaningful to thank the teachers who help them every week. For the remainder of the school year, we will continue working on special Kindergarten memory books that will be such a fun keepsake from their year in Kindergarten!
Spelling: we took our last regular spelling test of the school year today! It is hard to believe that the students have learned 49 word wall words this year — wow! I am so proud of all the hard work and growth they have shown.
Next week, we will take one final spelling test over all 49 words on Thursday due to Field Day on Friday. While it is a long test, it should not feel too difficult since these are all words the students have practiced and learned throughout the year. Please continue practicing these words between now and then and keep reviewing them over the summer as well through both reading and writing practice.
An updated copy of all 49 word wall words was sent home in your child’s daily take-home folder today, as usual every Friday, to help with practicing at home.
Math: we are in our final math unit of the school year! Please be sure to check the parent packet in your child’s Friday Folder for more information about the skills and concepts we are working on during this last unit.
Friday Craft: today we made a cute Countdown to First Grade paper chain craft! Your child should pull off one chain each day, starting tomorrow, until the last day of school. There is also a special Mother's Day project for you. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and you are spoiled and can enjoy at least a little time relaxing!
Counselor: we had our final counselor lesson of the year with Mrs. Bernier this week, and the focus was on summer safety. The students discussed many important topics including water and swimming safety, wearing helmets while riding bikes and scooters, and other ways to stay safe while having fun this summer.
The students also have a little “homework” for the summer — learning at least one parent or trusted grown-up’s phone number, their home address, and their parents’ first and last names. When we checked in class, about half of the students already knew a grown-up’s phone number, which was great to see! These are such important things for children to know in case of an emergency, so practicing them over the summer would be wonderful.
Field Day: we are so excited for Field Day next Friday! Please refer to the Kindergarten team newsletter that was sent home on Friday, May 1st for more detailed information about this special day and what your child will need to bring to school.
Coach C is still in need of several parent volunteers to help with the 4th/5th grade portion of Field Day. All volunteer spots for Kindergarten/1st grade and 2nd/3rd grade have been filled, but if you have a child in 4th or 5th grade, we would love for you to consider signing up to help.
Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/52kmtu4c
Talent Show: We had our school-wide talent show on Thursday, a beloved Beulah tradition! It was such a fun celebration of all the incredible talents our students have. We enjoyed performances from singers, musicians, karate demonstrations, poetry reading, dance, cheer, and so much more!
Not only were our students amazing, but many of the teachers also surprised the kids with a fun little performance of our own!
Be sure to check out the class Facebook page to see the video. Below are photos of just a few of our very talented students from the show! If your family would like to watch the talent show, the family performance is on Tuesday, May 12th at 6:00 p.m. in the gymnasium.
Library books due: we had our last library checkout of the school year this past Thursday. ALL library books from ALL students, grades K-5 are due back on Monday, May 11th.
JMS Zoo: we had such a fun trip to the Jefferson Middle School “Zoo,” run by middle school “zoologists”! The students learned all about different animals and were even able to hold and pet many of them.
Some of the animals included boa constrictors and corn snakes, rabbits, mice, hamsters, fish, birds, and more! It was an amazing hands-on learning experience for everyone.
Be sure to check the class Facebook page for lots of photos from our trip!
Alphabet Countdown to Summer: our Alphabet Countdown to Summer has been so much fun! I can’t believe it’s almost over! This week we enjoyed M is for Movie Day on Monday and watched The Smurfs, laughed at our silly new names on Tuesday for N is for New Name Day, and were thrilled that the weather turned out beautiful for our O is for Outside Day on Wednesday. We got to learn outside and even went on a nature walk instead of the rainy day we were expecting! On Thursday, we cozied up in our pajamas for P is for Pajama Day, and today was extra peaceful for Q is for Quiet Day. We spent the day whispering and enjoying special reading time with some of our favorite books.
Next week will be just as fun! On Tuesday, students should bring a favorite stuffed animal. On Wednesday, they may bring a special treasure for Show and Tell. On Thursday, we will be building forts, so students should bring pillows, blankets, sheets, etc. for Under the Table Day. On Friday, we will celebrate V is for Vacation Day, and students should dress in vacation attire (I will share ideas next week, but Pinterest and online resources are great for inspiration!).
On Friday, students will need to wear shorts, a t-shirt or tank top, and tennis shoes (a must) to school for our morning Field Day fun. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor activities and movement, and that their “vacation” items are packed in a separate bag to change into after Field Day activities are finished. For more detailed information, please refer to the May 1st Kindergarten team newsletter that was sent home in that week’s Friday Folder.
Thank you: I want to send a big thank you to all of the families who showed their appreciation to me and all of their children’s teachers throughout the week! While we most certainly don’t go into this career for the treats and gifts, the thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated, and we are so grateful. Miss Brinkman and I felt so loved, spoiled, and appreciated this week! We are also incredibly thankful to everyone who contributed to Miss Brinkman’s group gift. Your generosity is helping her begin preparing for her very first first grade classroom next year, which is such a meaningful and thoughtful gift.
While the extra love during Teacher Appreciation Week is so kind, I also want you to know how much I truly appreciate the support, encouragement, and kindness our families have shown throughout the entire school year. Having supportive families makes such a difference, and it never goes unnoticed. Thank you for partnering with us and helping make this such a wonderful year.
I also made sure the students thought of the specials teachers as well (art, music, P.E., media, and library). They are amazing teachers, and although they may not have their own classroom or set group of students, they impact so many children’s lives every single day! We made a special book for each specialist we see to let them know how thankful we are for them. Many shared that it brought tears to their eyes to know they were thought of and to read the students’ kind words. If you included the specialists in your giving this week, they also send their thanks and shared how much it meant to them! I told them I would be sure to pass that along.
Miss Brinkman: Thursday was Miss Brinkman’s last day with our class, as she graduates from Mizzou next weekend. She has been such an amazing student teacher, and I know she is going to be an even more wonderful teacher in her very own classroom! We are so sad to see her go, but also so excited for her as she begins her teaching career next year as a first grade teacher back in her hometown of Springfield.
The love and support you have shown her throughout this trimester, during Teacher Appreciation Week, and with the thoughtful gift basket(s) on her last day has been absolutely incredible. Your kindness and generosity meant so much to both of us, and I know Miss Brinkman will never forget how welcomed, appreciated, and supported she felt during her time in our classroom. She truly loves your children dearly, just as I do, and it has been such a gift to watch her build relationships with them.
We will all miss her so much, but we are so proud of her and excited as she begins her next chapter.
