Happy Halloween

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!  

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

Spelling words: No new spelling words next week — review week!

Next week we will not introduce any new spelling words. Instead, we’re doing a review week to help students master the 9 words we’ve already learned. Please use this time to practice reading and writing each word without looking at a visual. We will have a review spelling test on Friday.  These tests will not come home like usual, rather they will be saved and shared with you at parent-teacher conferences. 

Helpful practice ideas:

• Have your child read each word aloud, then write it from memory.

• Focus extra practice on any words they’ve missed before.

• Work on correct letter formation and keeping letters on the line.

• Practice writing their name with proper letter formation of previously learned letters.

Thanks for supporting your child — a little daily practice this week will make a big difference!

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. 

Be sure to check out their "label a sticker" writing activity we did this week.  I am SO PROUD of them for sounding out their words to spell!  They did this all on their own!  As mentioned before, phonetic spelling is appropriate in kindergarten.  You should not expect them to spell words correctly unless it's a Word Wall Word. At this point in the year we are hoping for beginning and ending sounds and if they have a middle sound, great!  Please take the time to find this paper in their Take Home Folder and let them know how proud of them you are!!

Math: this week was a review week in math! We practiced counting by 1s and 10s, explored patterns, and showed numbers in different ways using numerals, tallies, and number racks. We also continued building our addition skills. Students enjoyed reinforcing these important concepts through a variety of fun games and Work Places activities!

Today we also did a fun Halloween Spooky Snack math activity that incorporated counting, sorting, tallies, 10 frames and more!  Plus, a yummy treat at the end!  We ran out of time to finish the last page, but feel free to finish it at home 
based on the data collected on the other pages!  

October Reading Log and Sneaky Reading Challenge:  October reading logs are due on Monday, November 3rd.  A reminder that reading, recording on the reading log and turning it in every month is a BEU school wide expectation.  K-1 students should be read to/read for at least 15 minutes/4 days a week.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the October Sneaky Ready Challenge by sharing a photo of their child "reading before school" on our class Facebook page this month.  I loved seeing more participation this month and encouraging reading at home.  November's Sneaky Reading Challenge is in today's Friday Folder, along with their November reading log. 

Fall Parties: we had at a blast at our Fall Party today! The kids have been looking forward to their first school party of the year! Thank you to our head room parent, Kayla Hagedorn, for organizing and to all the parents who sent in supplies or volunteered to help at the party!  We enjoyed yummy snacks, decorated pumpkins, played games and had fun with our classmates! The kids have some beautiful pumpkins coming home!  We were so excited to wear our costumes and show them off during a school-wide parade.  Grades K-2 walked through the halls in our costumes while grades 3-5 cheered us on. Here are a few photos. Check our class Facebook page for more photos and some videos!

Most of the Kindergarten teachers were the "Spice Girls."  The younger kids didn't get it, but I know you 90's and 2000's adults will understand the play on words! lol! We sadly missed Mrs. Croom who had to be absent from work today, due to a family emergency. 

I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Feels like Fall!

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

We had so much fun celebrating these letters with a grade level pj day on Friday! Look how cute they are in their pj's! 

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

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

*name at least 10 letter sounds correctly

Shared Reading & Spelling: we read several books this week that featured our new word wall word the, as well as the poem The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of an enlarged text (big book) or poem.  Students observe their teacher modeling expert reading behaviors such as reading with expression and fluency. They see how print works, get the feel of reading and begin to perceive themselves as readers.  After practicing the above mentioned poems and books for the entire week, and becoming "experts" with those texts, they add their own smaller copy to their book box and poetry folder for independent reading.  Many of our books and poems also feature the new spelling word of the week for extra practice. 

Students are "buddy reading" in the photos below.  On Thursdays, after we have had several days of good practice with our Big Books, they are given their own copy to put in their book box as a familiar reading book.  They practice reading with a partner before adding to their book box.  I love listening to them become readers!

Next week's new spelling word:

like

Writing Workshop: we are working hard on learning how to sound out or stretch out words to help us spell.  In Kindergarten, phonetic spelling is what we mostly want to see, unless it is a word wall word/spelling word.  Those should be spelled correctly at all times. 

To help with this at home, when your child asks "how do I spell...?" please encourage them to "sound it out or stretch it out and write the sounds they hear."  They may ask "did I spell it right?" when finished.  Please try and refrain from telling them no, as this will discourage them and make them afraid to try.  They will start to think everything they do is wrong.  I just say "did you write the sounds you hear? Great! Looks good to me!"  especially if it is close.  At this point in the year, we are hoping for beginning and ending sounds.  So for "house" they may write "hs." If they get a middle sound in there as well, great! Just keep in mind that we do not expect perfection.  They are only 5-6 year olds after all! 

Check out the cute writings they also did this week!  They wrote about what they think I should be for Halloween! Some great ideas!

Math:  this week in math, we continued learning about tallies and how they help us make groups of 5. We practiced showing numbers in different ways: using the numeral, tallies, and on a 5-frame. We even played a number bingo game that used all three representations!

We also explored patterns in a fun and meaningful way by looking at quilts. For many students, this was their first time seeing or knowing what a quilt is. We learned that quilts can share stories and memories, and we noticed how patterns are an important part of their design. We then created our own fall-themed “quilt” to practice making repeating patterns. We also read the picture book The Quilt by Ann Jonas.

If you have a quilt at home, I encourage you to show it to your child this weekend and look for the patterns together!

Friday Craft: today we made Candy Corn Bandits!  Watch out because they like to steal your Halloween candy! The second photo is the face they would make if their Halloween candy was stolen! lol!

Special visitor: we are so blessed to have Monica Naylor, Beulah Ralph's daughter, visit Kindergarten each year to share stories about her mother, after whom our school is named. We heard a funny story from Beulah’s childhood and learned that she started the Home School Communicator program for CPS. Both Monica and her mother are truly remarkable women. I hope you enjoyed talking with your child about Wednesday’s visit and reading the story they brought home about Beulah Ralph.

Packmate of the Month:  yay Emma!  She was chosen, by her peers, as our October Packmate of the Month!  This month's character trait was respectful.  We are so proud of you, Emma!

BEU Pumpkin Patch: a reminder that our wonderful PTA is hosting a pumpkin patch at BEU on Sunday from 4-6.  This is a free event.  Every BEU family will be able to take home one pumpkin.  There will be a craft, yummy treats and more!  

                                       

Fall Parties: we are so excited for our first classroom party of the school year on Friday, October 31st!  

A few reminders are below: 

🎃 Students should wear regular clothes to school and bring their costume in a backpack or separate bag that they can independently carry into the classroom that morning.

🧙‍♂️ Costumes should be easy to put on over regular clothes, as students will not be fully changing.

👻 No scary or gory masks or weapons please!

🕸️ Students will put on their costumes right before the party.

🕒 Parents volunteering at the parties may arrive between 2:15–2:20 PM.

🍬 If you signed up to donate items, please send them in as soon as possible, unless it is food that needs refrigeration, which should be sent in or brought the day of the party. Click here to view the sign-up genius. 

JMS Boo at the Zoo:  check out this fun Halloween event at Jefferson Middle School! This year includes trick or treating for the kids thanks to Equipment Share, so bring a bag!  100% of proceeds goes to animal care.  

Heroes’ Day:  Beulah Ralph’s annual Heroes’ Day celebration will be Friday, November 7^th. On this day we like to honor our students’ heroes, whether they are veterans, grandparents, parents, or role models. Your child’s hero is invited to join us for the day’s events. Kindergarten’s assembly will take place from 9:00-9:30 and classroom activities will follow from 9:30-10:00. If you know a veteran and you’d like to give them a shout out, please use the Veteran Spotlight Form that was in your child’s Friday Folder last week and return to school as soon as possible. We love filling our hallway with these photos so our students and visitors can take a moment to honor them! There are extra copies in the main office if you’d like to recognize more than one veteran or misplaced yours. 

Check out our friend Tatum who brought in her form this week and shared about her cousin who is a veteran of the Marines.  We are excited to display this for her and her family! 

We hope that all students will have at least one special visitor in attendance on this special day.  

Communication: regular attendance is extremely important for your child’s learning and growth. While we of course want students to stay home if they are sick, we encourage them to be at school on all other days so they don’t miss valuable instruction and experiences. If you plan to pick your child up early for an appointment or if they will be arriving late for any reason, please email me in advance. Even short departures take time in Kindergarten, as students need to clean up, pack up, and get ready, so advance notice helps everything run smoothly. Similarly, if your child will be absent due to illness or any other reason, please send me an email to let me know. Your communication helps us support your child and keep the day organized for everyone.

Spirit Wear Monday: every Monday is Spirit Wear Monday at school! We encourage all students, teachers, and staff to wear their BEU spirit wear. This is a longstanding school tradition, and we hope to see even more people join in and show their school spirit! Check out the friends below who showed their school spirit last Monday! Yay! 

More fun from our week...