100 days of learning

                                            A look at our learning...

100th day of school:  we had a full day of fun learning on Tuesday with all things 100!  Math problems, writing activities, crafts and more!  My class understood the assignment when it came to dressing up as 100-year-olds!  They all looked great and I love that so many participated!  Below are a few pictures but check the class Facebook page for more! 

Fundations:  we continue to work on tapping out and reading/writing 3-letter words. This helps students hear each sound and connect it to the letters they write. As a reminder, the pictures on the optional handwriting homework in the Friday Folder are all 3-letter CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) to support this same learning. I review the pictures with the students every Friday, so they feel confident and ready to practice at home.

Next week's new spelling words

of

we

Writing Workshop: we have begun our opinion writing unit, and it is always a fun one! We talked about the difference between a fact and an opinion and read a cute story called Not Norman: A Goldfish Story. The students shared their opinions about what pet they think is the best and why.

During library check-out on Thursday, Mrs. Fitch read Seals are jerks!, which also ties into our learning about facts vs. opinions.  Ask your child about this fun book!

Math: we are becoming money experts! Right now, we are learning about pennies and nickels; how a penny is worth 1 cent and a nickel is worth 5 cents. The students are practicing trading five pennies for one nickel and learning that they are equal in value. We are learning through fun whole-group lessons, games, and songs. Click here for one of the songs we have learned this week!  

Parent Tip: If you have spare pennies or nickels at home, letting your child practice counting and trading them is a great way to support this learning!

School Counselor's Week:  we had so much fun celebrating National School Counselors Week with our special theme days! I loved seeing how many students participated and showed their school spirit. Today, we also had our twice-a-month counselor lesson with Mrs. Bernier, and the students showered her with love by making handmade cards and coloring sheets just for her. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Bernier and Mrs. Eagle as our school counselors here at Beulah Ralph Elementary!

World Read Aloud Day: we celebrated this special day on Wednesday by reading with our 4th grade buddies in Ms. Cohen's class.  Here are a few photos, but photos of all students are on our class Facebook page. 

Global School Play Day: as Mr. Rogers said "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."  We had such a fun day learning through play and I love that Beulah Ralph values this day every school year. Even more pictures on the class Facebook page. 

Valentine's Day: if your child hasn't started working on their valentines, start this weekend!  It is important that the student is the one who writes their name and their friends name on their valentine.  This is good practice for them!  However, sitting down to do all of them at once will be overwhelming and tough.  I recommend doing a few each day.  Information about this was sent home a few weeks ago in Friday Folders, as well as a class list of names. I am also sending home the same note as a reminder in this week's folder. 

We still have a few slots left on the party sign-up. Thank you for helping to make our final class party a success.  

PJ's and Pancakes: we hope to see many BEU families enjoying this free event tomorrow!  They are also still looking for more volunteers- an easy way to help your child's school!  Check the signup here to see how you can help.

Friday Craft: this month, our schoolwide character trait focus is kindness. To tie this in with Valentine’s Day, we read the story Love Monster and created our very own Love Monsters! As we crafted, we brainstormed what it means to be a good friend and wrote our ideas right on our Love Monsters. These sweet reminders of kindness and friendship are now hanging in the hallway on proud display for all to see. What a wonderful world it would be if we all showed just a little more kindness each day!

More fun at school

Fun in Kindergarten

A look at our learning...

Fundations: you guessed it—we worked on tapping out three-letter words again this week! This will continue to be a big focus for the rest of the year, since it’s such an important skill for both reading and writing. Students are encouraged to use their letter sounds to help them sound out words. You should start to notice your child’s writing becoming easier to read. If you’re having trouble reading what they wrote, that’s a great sign to spend a little extra time at home practicing tapping out words together. They know their letter sounds, and we love seeing that knowledge show up in their daily work!

Writing Workshop: this week we wrapped up our narrative writing unit! Since the beginning of Kindergarten, students have been writing narratives—stories about their own lives—because that’s something Kindergarteners are experts at and can easily write about. Whether it was a t-ball game, playing in the snow on a snow day, or a simple trip to the store with their families, students have had lots of ideas to share. They’ve grown from telling their stories through drawings, to adding labels, to writing one or two complete sentences. I am so proud of their hard work and growth!

Next week we will begin our opinion writing unit! This is always a fun one—because we all know that 5- and 6-year-olds have lots of opinions! 😉

Shared Reading & Spelling:  we read the book Who is in the tub?, a silly story about different animals getting in the tub for a bath!  This book featured our new spelling word of the week, in.   

Next week's new spelling words are below.  I encourage you to begin practicing this weekend, as the word have is a tricky one!   

Next week's new spelling words:

have

it

Math: this week we were introduced to coins, focusing on the penny and the nickel. During the month of February, we will continue learning about these coins and begin exploring other coins as well. Students are excited to learn about money and recognize different coins!

Library: it was an exciting week in the library! Students were able to check out their first chapter book if they chose to do so. Mrs. Fitch & Mrs. Groner talked with students about different types of chapter books and helped them learn which ones are a good fit for Kindergarten (books with pictures throughout and shorter in length) and which are better suited for older students (longer books with few or no pictures).

Thank you for helping make sure students bring their library books back on our assigned library day each week, which is Thursday. Having books returned on their scheduled day helps us so much!

Packmate of the Month:  yay Dosi!  She was chosen, by her peers, as our January Packmate of the Month!  Our character trait of the month was safe/safety.  

Reading logs: January reading logs are due on Monday.  Please make sure your child's name is on the reading log and it is signed by an adult.  A reminder that reading is our only required homework at Beulah Ralph.  All students should be turning in their reading log each month.  February reading logs are in your child's Friday Folder. 

Next Week: next week will be a busy and fun one! Be sure to check your child’s Friday Folder for information about School Counselor Spirit Week, Global School Play Day, and a reminder about our 100th Day collection. We will also be celebrating World Read Aloud Day and spending some special time reading with our 4th grade buddies in Ms Cohen's class. If your child has a favorite picture book, they are welcome to bring it to school on Wednesday, February 4th. 

We are SO excited to celebrate the 100th Day of School on Tuesday! Please check your child’s Friday Folder for a reminder about how we will celebrate this special day. We hope all students will participate! Please be sure your child arrives at school on time, as our fun will start right away and we don’t want anyone to miss out on anything!

Volunteers and griddles/spatulas still needed.  Sign up here

If you would like your student to have their photo taken for Spring Picture Day, they may bring pajamas in their backpack to change into for School Counselor Spirit Week afterwards.

Check your child's Friday Folder for this.

Please share with families who will have Kindergarteners during the 2026-2027 school year.

More fun at school

Brrr! Winter is here!

 A look at our learning...

Fundations: tapping, tapping and more tapping!  Such an important Kindergarten skill.  We also have several new literacy workstations that focus on tapping out CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words to reinforce our learning from Fundations.  Ask your child about these workstations! 

I encourage you to use the parent packets that come home every Friday if you don't already.  Have your child tap out and write the words so you can see their tapping/spelling ability.  When your child asks you "how do you spell...?" don't tell them! Remind them to "tap it out." Phonetic spelling is developmentally appropriate at this stage in their education career. 

Shared Reading & Spelling: what wonderful readers your children continue to become! They are carrying over their knowledge of tapping out words in Fundations to the books we read during Shared Reading and Independent Reading time. The more consistent they are with practicing their spelling words and tapping out words, the stronger their reading skills become and it’s exciting to see how much progress they’re already making!

Next week's new spelling words:

in

if

Writing Workshop: as mentioned above with Fundations, I am noticing more and more students tapping out/sounding out words when writing and applying it to their stories.  The learning at school and extra practice at home, really does show up and make a difference when they are independently working.  Their stories are becoming more legible as they are able to hear and write more sounds in words.  I hope you notice this at home as well!  Many are still writing stories about what they did over winter break and Christmas.  The upcoming snow will hopefully give them more fun things to write about! Check out some amazing Kindergarten writing below.

Student 1

I went to grandma

Debbie's house and we opened our presents and we loved our presents. One of my presents was one pair of soft

pajamas and I liked them.

Student 2

I saw a present

on the table.  I was so excited.  Me and my family opened my present.

Student 3

I opened my 

gift on Christmas.  It was fun.  I got a remote car.  It can go fast.

  Student 4

I am at my

Aunt Kate's house.  I am the first one awake.  I had so much fun.

Math: this week in math, we were introduced to measurement in a very basic, hands-on way. We explored concepts like longer, shorter, and equal using strips of paper of different lengths. We also discussed how it’s important to start measuring from the same point so the comparison is fair and accurate.

In kindergarten, we focus on a non-standard approach to measurement, so we won’t be using rulers or other tools yet. The goal is for students to gain a basic understanding of measurement concepts. Be sure to check the Math Parent Pages in your child’s Friday folder for ideas to extend this learning at home!

Counselor: this week, our kindergarteners met with Mrs. Bernier (formerly Miss Otto, congratulations on her marriage this fall!) for a lesson on coping skills for big feelings. She introduced some fun strategies, like “smelling the cookie and blowing on the hot cocoa” or “smelling the cupcake and blowing out the candle”, to help students calm down when emotions feel overwhelming. There were several other techniques as well, ask your child to show you their favorite coping skill at home!

Friday Craft & Snowy Fun:  we read several books about snow, snowmen, and winter fun in anticipation of the upcoming snow this weekend! The children made adorable snowmen to decorate our classroom, read the cute story Sneezy the Snowman, and worked on a melted snowman writing project. On Thursday, your child brought home a few papers about Sneezy the Snowman; use them to ask your child to retell the story for you at home!

Save the dates and spread the word!

We still need many volunteers for PJ's & Pancakes.  Can't volunteer your time, but have a griddle and spatula you can let PTA borrow?  That is on the sign-up as well!  Sign up here.

Check your email for our Valentine Party sign-up and Friday Folder for information on valentines for classmates!