This week in Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten room we continued to focus on rhyme using Dr. Seuss’ books.  Students love trying to figure out the rhyming words at the end of each phrase.  Try giving your child a word and having him or her make up a rhyming word.  It can be a real word or a made up “Dr. Seuss” word, as long as it rhymes.

On Tuesday I gave the class our spring writing assessment.  Everyone wrote about their favorite pet or a pet that they wanted.  I am looking forward to showing you your child’s work. 

On Wednesday and Thursday the class began writing their own three-page story.  Their task was to think of a true story about themselves.  On the first page they think and write a sentence that answered four questions:  Who was the story about?, What happened in the story?, When did it happen?, & Where did it happen?.  Then they needed to answer what happened next and what happened last?   They illustrated each page.  Next week we will spend time editing and publishing their books.  I look forward to sharing these with you at conference time, as well.

On Monday I will be sending home a conference slip which gives you your assigned conference day and time.  I tried to meet your preferences as best I could.  Please sign the sheet and send back the return portion.  If the time will not work for you, let me know ASAP and I will try to reschedule you.

On Friday the 19th the blue Silverwood reading sheet is due.  Remember to keep recording the minutes you are reading to or with your child each night on .   You must sign and fill out the form with 600 minutes (10 hours) of reading time over the last six weeks.

Please continue to practice the benchmarks on the checklist I sent home.  I have been assessing the class on these benchmarks.  Make sure your child is at school on time every day to maintain a consistent routine and master their kindergarten skills.

There is no school on Friday.  Enjoy your three-day weekend!

Finally, don’t forget that it is time to “Spring Ahead” on Saturday.  Move your clocks one hour ahead and make sure your child gets to bed early on Sunday evening so that s/he will get enough sleep for school on Monday.

This week in Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten room we focused on Dr. Seuss.  We read many of the books Dr. Seuss wrote.  Students brought in books from home.  We read and watch Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who.”  We made comparisons of the book and video.  The students were very good at picking out the differences.  

On Monday evening we had a “Reading is Fundamental” family night called Fables, Legends, and Tall Tales.  It was at the elementary school.  Families  created their own tall-tale and ate pancakes honor of Paul Bunyan.  Also, every student that attends Deer Park Elementary got to choose a free book to keep.   If your child was unable to attend, they should have brought home a book with their name on a label placed inside the front or back cover.  These are your child’s book to keep.   These books were purchased through a reading grant and the students are able to pick books that they can bring home to read with their families.  I hope that you have had time to enjoy them or will have time this weekend!

On Tuesday we had McTeacher Night at McDonalds.  This PTO fundraiser was a great success.  It was great to see so many of you there!

I sent home a letter on Monday which gave you the opportunity to give me preferences for your student’s conference time.  Many of you have turned in the forms.  Thank you for your quick response.  If you haven’t returned the form to me, please get it back to me ASAP.  I will try to meet your preference times and I will send a confirmation letter home on the 15th.

I also sent home a benchmark checklist for the second trimester.  I am beginning to assess the class on these benchmarks.  Please practice these skills (especially letter and number recognition and letter sounds).  

Keep recording the minutes you are reading to or with your child each night on the blue Silverwood reading sheet.  This sheet must be completed and returned on March 19th for a free ticket to Silverwood.

Next week we will be a four-day week as there is no school on Friday the 12th.  Please, make sure your child is at school on time every day maintain a consistent routine.  Also, we will be reviewing many of the skills that your child is working to master.

Thanks again for all you do!

February was a fantastic month for celebrating literacy.  All of the students grew in reading and writing.  They are becoming more confident and willing to take risks.  I am so very proud of their progress!

This week was very eventful.  The students got to meet a published children’s author Kelly Milner Halls.  We listened to stories of how she became a writer.  She had many copies of fossils that the dinosaurs left behind.  As your child may have told you when they got home on Wednesday, she also had a fossil of dinosaur “poo!”  She let every child touch the fossils which the children discovered were like rocks.   She brought a couple of books that she had written and discussed them.  Dinosaur Mummies was about fossils of dinosaurs soft tissue that have been found.  Dinosaur Parade is a book written to  help children see how big dinosaurs are in comparison to them.  This book was written using the average height of a 5 year-old.

On Thursday we had a Deer Park Ranger Assembly.  The students enjoyed a jump roping exhibition and celebrated all of the students in the school who were chosen to be a Ranger.  

On Friday Mrs. Miller and a student dressed up as “The Cat in the Hat”  and came to our classroom to give us a Dr. Seuss book and stuffed Dr. Seuss creature.  We also celebrated the end of “Celebrate Literacy Month” with cupcakes. 

Next week we will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday by reading many Dr. Seuss books, watching the movie “Horton Hears a Who,” and working on rhyming and word families.  This week is a lot of fun for the students!  If your child has a favorite Dr. Seuss book that s/he would like to bring to school for the week, please write his or her name in it.  We use the books students bring to create a graph. We will see which of the titles we have the most.

Next week on Monday evening we will be having a “Reading is Fundamental” family night called Fables, Legends, and Tall Tales.  It will be at the elementary school from 6pm to 7:30. Families will create their own fables and pancakes will be served in honor of Paul Bunyan.  Also, every student that attends Deer Park Elementary will get to choose a free book to keep.

Tuesday March 2 is McTeacher Night at McDonalds.  This is a fundraiser for the PTO.  The kindergarten teachers will be working at McDonalds from 4:30-5:30.  Hope to see you there!

On Monday I will be sending home a letter which will give you the opportunity to give me preferences for your student’s conference time.  I will try to meet your preferences on a first come, first serve basis.  So, please get these back to me ASAP.  I will also be sending home a benchmark checklist for the second trimester.  This will be what we will be working on in March.  There will be no goal sheets for this month.

Even though Celebrate Literacy month is over, don’t for get to record the minutes you are reading to or with your child each night on the blue Silverwood reading sheet.  This sheet must be completed and returned on March 19th for a free ticket to Silverwood.

Thanks again for all you do!

Groundhogs Day, 100th Day of School, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day… With all of the different holidays this month it is important to remember that February is also “Celebrate Literacy Month.”  “Reading is Dino-mite” is the theme.  The first week each student received a gift bag of dinosaur related items courtesy of the PTO.  The second week we had a “Celebrity Reader” (Deer Park Schools superintendant, Mick Miller) come to our classroom and read two fun dinosaur books to us.  This week the students in Mr. Smith’s kindergarten teamed up with Mrs. Smith’s 2nd grade class and did a shared read from their own writing.  The students enjoyed being authors and then enjoyed popcorn as Mr. Smith read, “The Cat in the Hat.”  Next week we will have a local published children’s author coming to share stories that she has written.  Look in your Monday folders for more information about her books.

Next week will be the last week your child will bring home a reading sheet to be filled out. Please return it on Friday so that the PTO can tally the reading minutes and give out the prizes for reading. Also, the minutes can be recorded on the blue Silverwood reading sheet to be returned on March 19th for a free ticket to Silverwood.

Also, next week will be the last week for your student to meet their February goals.  Please practice them with your child nightly so that they can meet them.  The students really enjoy the feeling of success when they meet their goals. 

There will be no goal sheet for the month of March due to conferences and the time I will be spending assessing each student.  Instead I will send home the list of benchmarks that your child is expected to meet in March.  I will be meeting with both you and your child at the end of March to share their report card and to discuss some goals that will help your child meet our end of the year grade level expectations.

Starting next week and on until conferences students will be working on putting together many of the skill necessary to meet March benchmarks.  It is so important that they are here (unless they are sick) everyday and on time.  I will be doing multiple assessments with them throughout the month of March. 

Thanks again for all you do!

A landmark for the kindergarten school year was passed this week.  On Friday we met for the hundredth time this year.  The students have made great gains and have so much to be proud of!  I am excited to see the progress that they will make from here.

We celebrated the day with a series of activities focusing on the number 100.  We made 100th day glasses, a 100th day necklace, drew pictures to story starters like:  If I had $100, I would buy…, counted baggies of 100 things we brought from home and much more. 

Next week we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on the 11th at 2:00.  I have already sent home a list of student names for your child to fill out Valentines.  If you didn’t get the list, please let me know and I will send home a new one.  We will be having an ice cream sundae for the party.  I will be providing the ice cream.  If you would like to send a topping for the students to choose from, call my school number (464-5614) and let me know.  I will call you, if that particular topping has already been volunteered for.  Also, please let me know if you or your child’s siblings plan to attend the party.

All of the students are working on reading strategies this week.   The reading strategy we start with  is using picture clues and initial sounds at the beginning of words.  Once students have begun using this strategy proficiently we move to others such as looking for word “chunks” in other words and making meaningful substitutions.  As students become more aware of print they can use the strategy “Does it look right?” and “Does it sound right?”  Try some of these as you read with your child.

This month is “Celebrate Literacy Month.”  The theme is “Reading is Dino-mite.  Each student received a gift bag of dinosaur related items courtesy of the PTO on Wednesday.  Each week your child will bring home a reading sheet to be filled out and returned on Friday’s.  Also, the minutes can be recorded on the Silverwood sheet to be returned in March for a free ticket to Silverwood.

As January comes to a close, Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten class looks forward to a fantastic February!    Students are looking forward to more normal winter weather.  Starting this weekend the weather forecast seems to be leaning more toward winter than the spring-like weather that we had earlier this month.  Please remember to send your child with warm clothes (including a hat and gloves) for outside recess times. 

Students have been working hard to achieve their goals by the end of January.  Many of them have met at least one of their goals three times and chosen a prize.  On Monday I will be sending home your child’s January goal card with a new February one.  Some goals will be similar if your child hasn’t made enough progress in a goal area.   The goal is to achieve mastery of their specific goals.  It is important that you continue to work on these goals so that your child doesn’t lose the skill.  Continued use and practice of each skill is  very important.

This week we focused on beginning and ending sounds of words.  We used our morning message, as well as, Writer’s Workshop to practice writing unknown words.  We took the unknown word’s beginning and ending  sounds and put a “magic line” in the middle for all of the letters in the middle.  For example, the word park might look like this:  p_____,  p____k, or p    r    k.  The students are trying to label using  at least the first letter sound.

We also reviewed the popcorn words: on, at, of, for, day, down, up, in, & out.  We will continue to practice writing them and identifying them in our stories and morning message next week.  I will be introducing the new popcorn words:  come, here, will, be, & with.  Practice writing them with your child and add them to your flash cards.  Continue to work on all of the popcorn words and look for them in the books you read with your child. 

The Valentine’s Party will be on Thursday February 11th at 2:00.  I will be sending home a student name list on Monday so that your child can begin to write out their Valentine’s.  If your child needs Valentine’s, please let me know ASAP and I will send some home for him or her to fill out.  Please make sure that your child brings Valentine’s for each student in the class so that no one is left out of the fun!

I know that winter is a long way from over, but the weather has been so spring like that many students are showing signs of spring fever!  This short week was a lively one in Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten classroom.  The weather was good enough for the students to begin playing in the field again.  The great weather gave us the opportunity to review many of our playground rules and procedures. 

The students did a great job on Wednesday and Thursday with substitute teachers while I was home sick.  They worked hard and proved that many of our classroom procedures have become routines.  The subs made positive comments of how well the students knew the expectations.  I was very proud of them! 

Students are making progress toward their academic goals and continue to show an excitement for learning.   Remember to work on these goals nightly.  I will send new goals home on February 1st.

This week we focused on words that rhyme .  We tried to find rhyming words in our entry tasks and stories.  We talked about how so many words that rhyme belong to a word family and have the same endings.  Try to find rhyming words in the stories that you are reading with your child at home. 

We also added the popcorn words: on, at, of, &  for.  We will be reviewing these four new words along with the five we learned last week (day, down, up, in, & out) over the next couple of weeks.  We will practice writing them and identifying them in our stories and morning message.  Practice writing them with your child and add them to your flash cards.  Continue to work on all of the popcorn words and look for them in the books you read with your child. 

The scholastic book order was due on the 22nd.  If you did not send one in on Friday, please wait until next month’s order.  The order was placed on Friday morning. 

Enjoy the great weather while it lasts!  Remember to make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep at night.  This will help him or her to focus in class and keep up his or her immune system.

No matter what the weather, the students in Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten continue to show an excitement for learning.  As we continue to review our classroom and school procedures, students are developing confidence in their ability to experience success.  

This week we continued working on listening, following the directions the first time, line/hallway procedures, using polite language and raising a hand for questions and responses.  The students have been showing great progress at getting back into our routine.  However, they are pretty tired by the end of the day.  They need plenty of sleep at night in these cold winter months! 

Each student is working hard on their individual goals.  Originally, I had thought that two week goals would be a great way for the students to quickly build some skills.  After using the goal cards, I believe it would be better to set monthly goals rather than bi-monthly.  This will give your child more time to learn and practice his or her skills.  My desire is to make sure that the students continue to use the skills they are learning.  Therefore, I am extending the end date for the current goals to the 29th.  Please continue to work on these goals.  If your child meets his or her goals three times, s/he will get new goals on the 1st of February. 

Academically, we focused on word families this week.  We talked about how they end with the same sounds and begin with different ones.  We worked on the _an, _ug, _ap, _op, & _ip word families.  Next week we will continue to focus on word families and words that rhyme.

We also added the popcorn words: day, down, up, in, & out .  Next week we will add the words: on, at, of, &  for. Continue to practice all of the popcorn words and look for them in the books you read with your child.

Don’t forget, the scholastic book order that I sent home last Monday will be due on Friday the 22nd.  If you would like to place an order, please send in a check or money order on that day.  I will only be collecting the money for the order on the 22nd.  

Enjoy this Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.  I look forward to getting back to work on Tuesday!

I hope you all had a wonderful break.  During the first week back from Winter Break we reviewed our classroom and school procedures.  The students did a great job practicing them.  We worked on listening, following the directions the first time, line/hallway procedures, using polite language and raising a hand for questions and responses.  I am very proud of their progress this week.

We read the “5 Little Monkeys” series of books.  We discussed safety and following directions the first time.  The students had a lot of fun with these stories.

I sent home a copy of your child’s goal card because of I had to change the end date to the 19th due to the holiday.  Please continue to work on these goals with your child this next week.  Your child will have the opportunity to meet his or her goals.  If they can do so three times, they will get new goals on the 19th. 

Next week we will be focusing on word families, rhyming words, sight words, writing stories about family and pets, number counting and comparisons(more than/less than).  We will be adding the popcorn words day, down, up, in, out .

Finally, I will be sending home a new scholastic book order on Monday.  If you would like to place an order, please send a check or money order in on Friday the 22nd.  Do not send it in before then.  I will only be collecting money on the 22nd.

Its hard to believe that Christmas is a week away!  I love this time of year.  The students are very excited about the break, especially Christmas Day.  They have all been working hard to be good listeners and learners in the class. 

This week we read many wonderful stories about Christmas.  We sang many Christmas songs and did many art projects.  Some projects may still need some finishing touches.  Also, the students each have a gift for their family in a decorated envelope marked Merry Christmas!  Look for them in your child’s backpack. 

The students have been working hard on their goals in class, as well.  Many of them have met one or two of their goals, some have met all of them.  Look for new goal sheets to be in their backpacks with their art work.  Remember, if your child didn’t meet the goal at least three times over the last three weeks, I would like him or her to continue to practice it over the break.  The goal is to make sure that they are consistently able to do each skill.    Earning prizes for meeting their goals has motivated many student to meet them.  Please, practice with you child over the break so that, when they check in with me, they will be able to meet their goals.  I am looking forward to seeing each student’s growth over the next few months!  Thanks again for all of your hard work.

Have a great break!