Weekly Update

It has been a busy, busy week in room 302!  

A great deal of learning has started! 

Check out what we learned this week:

Fundations: we learned the letter name, letter sound and correct letter formation for the lowercase letters t, b, f.  Please refer to the Fundations packet in your child's Friday Folder to help extend their learning at home.  Once we teach the correct letter formation we expect children to write it correctly at all times.  So this means as of now they should be writing the lowercase t, b, and f correctly.  Here are the prompts we use if you want to make sure your child is doing it correctly:
t-down, across
b-down, up around
f-over, down across
They know to say these words as they are forming each letter.  Ask them to show you on pencil and paper or practice on the sheets in the Friday Folder.  

Shared Reading: Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of a book or poem while guided and supported by a teacher. The teacher explicitly models the skills of proficient readers, including reading with fluency and expression. Starting out these are VERY simply books....2-3 words per page and repetitive.  
This week during Shared Reading we read 2 big books: A Park and I Can See.  Both books featured the word "a."  We learned that "a" can be a letter or a word.  Ask your child to find the word "a" in books with you.  

Math: Each week papers will come home in the Friday Folder explaining what we did in math that week and how you can extend your child's learning at home.  Please refer to those each week.  Below are some pictures of the Number Hunt we went on today!  We learned that numbers are EVERYWHERE!

Writing: This week your child received a special writing journal.  We learned how drawing pictures is an important part of writing.  Before we can learn to write words, we need to be able to draw clear pictures.  Children learn to "read" books by reading the pictures before they read the words. The same is true with writing!  A child must be able to draw a clear picture and verbally tell a story that matches the picture before they are able to write words, sentences and stories.  In Kindergarten we learn to write stories about ourselves.  So this week we took time to learn how to draw people, which is VERY hard for kiddos (and some adults!).  We learned we can use basic shapes to draw people. We want to get away from drawing spider people (circles with lines coming out of them for arms and legs) or stick people (we aren't made of sticks!) We also learned that when we draw people we need to include a setting with our person and that our people need to be grounded in the setting and not floating in space. Check out the charts we made to help us in the classroom.  Ask your child to draw you a picture of themselves following what they learned on these charts.  

Counselor: This week we had our first counselor lesson on Wednesday with Mrs. Davison.  Mrs. Davison is a counselor at Russel Blvd. Elementary, but also works part time at Beulah in K-1 since we have 5 sections of classrooms.  Mrs. Harris is BEU's counselor and while she won't be teaching our classes, we will still see her often.  During counselor times we learn how to be responsible, respectful, positive, kind, problem solvers....which are the 5 BEU expectations!  We have counselor every other Wednesday for 30 minutes.  

Safe Seat: At the beginning of each year I feel it is important to discuss the Safe Seat with children and parents. So many times I feel the Safe Seat has a negative connotation to it and that is not the way it is intended or used.  The Safe Seat is a seat in the classroom away from other students to help a student regroup, process with an adult, and join the class when they or the teacher feel they are ready.  Sometimes a student may choose to go to the safe seat on their own accord.  Maybe they are feeling sad, scared or just need a moment to themselves.  That is great when they use it this way!  Sometimes a teacher chooses when a child goes to the safe seat.  This could be for various reasons: unsafe body, difficulty following directions and has needed many reminders, etc.  If a child is sent to the safe seat for behavior, then it has always been my protocol that they miss a few minutes of recess to "walk the zipper" outside as a consequence.  The "zipper" is their line up spot.  This way they are still getting movement and activity, but their free choice is limited for a few minutes.  After they have done this for a few minutes, we talk about why they are there and then they can play.  
A BIG thing we reinforce with the kiddos is the privacy of the safe seat.  We talked today about how it's not appropriate to go home talking about which kids went to the safe seat, who had a consequence at recess, etc.  It is definitely appropriate for them to talk to you if THEY were the ones in the safe seat, but we talk about how it isn't our business if it is someone else.  I reinforce to them that the safe seat doesn't mean they are "bad."  I NEVER use the word "bad" in my classroom, I let them know I love every single one of them every day! It just means they might have made a mistake and needed a few minutes to regroup.  We talked about how it is totally ok to make mistakes.  We ALL make mistakes!  
Along these same lines is the relationship and trust between me and the students.  Please know that I will not contact you every time your child has been to the Safe Seat or had to miss a few minutes of recess.  I want them to know that our classroom is a safe place to make mistakes and be a kid.  If I am telling mom and dad every time they have a mis-step, they lose this trust and comfortableness at school.  Please know I will communicate with you if it becomes an on-going problem.  

Yay! You made it to the end!  Thank you for taking the time to read about our week!  

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!