Week ending March 28

Reminders

Spring break-March 29-April 7-Enjoy!

What we are learning:

This week in Bible we finished our Easter timeline. We had so many good conversations at the rug about what Jesus did for us and how that shows how big His love for us is. We also rejoiced in the fact that the angel said to the women, “He is not here, He is risen just as he said!” Matthew 28:6

In phonics this week we worked on the “O” word families, ot, og, op.

This week in math we continued to break numbers into different parts. Another thing we are practicing is counting on. I am working with the students to be able to hold up seven fingers, for example, and have them count the first hand as 5 and then 6 and 7. This can be a bit tricky but we are getting there!

During writing workshop this week we finished our unit on how to writing. We came up with our very own idea about what to write directions on and we were very careful to remember the words first, next and last.

During Daily 5 time this week we worked on alphabetical order as well as some spring break writing!

To close out March is reading month, we enjoyed dressing up as our favorite book character and listening to some amazing mystery readers!

Week ending March 22

Reminders:

Monday, March 25 – Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day WEAR GREEN!

Tuesday, March 26 – Autism Awareness Day (celebrated internationally on 4/2/24) WEAR BLUE!

Wednesday, March 27 – Your Choice! Wear a specific color, shirt, bracelet, etc. to bring awareness to something you or your family are passionate about related to a specific diagnosis or disability. We can use this as an opportunity to learn more about what makes us all unique!

Thursday, March 28 – Dress like your favorite book character

March 29-April 5 Spring Break

What we are learning:

Bible: This week we read about Jesus praying in the garden. This story is a wonderful example of what we should do when we are struggling. God is always here for us! It doesn’t mean our problems are taken away, but we go to him and He gives us what we need. We also added the trial of Jesus to our time line and learned through a skit how Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.

Phonemic Awareness: This week during heggerty we have been challenged with blends. For example, the kids say sled. Then are asked to take the /s/ away and what is left? led.  The /l/ is often missed, so we are working hard on recognizing this sound.

Math: We are working on solving story problems. This week we had a story problem that didn’t give us enough information. We realized there were several different answers! Wow! That was a big concept! We knew in the story the person had 7 pieces of fruit. Some were strawberries and some were watermelon. We found many combinations that could make 7.

Writing workshop: We are continuing to write how to steps. This week we tried to do all three steps on our own. Next week, we will need to come up with our own ideas for what to write how to steps for.

Finally, we had several mystery readers this week! This has been so much fun! Thank you for your help in making March is reading month both fun and successful!

 

 

Week ending March 15

Reminders:

Please send in clean towels in a bag on Monday.

Please keep an eye on this ever changing weather 🙂 We make sure kids wear a jacket when the weather is below 40 degrees. If it is sunny and above 40, we allow long sleeve shirts and no coats as an option.

March 21 All School Chapel 9:10am

March 22 Wear pajamas to school (kindergarten only)

March 22 Half Day of School

Book Character Dress-Up Day: Thursday, Mar. 28,2024- Plan and prepare a costume to resemble the character as closely as possible.

March 29-April 5 Spring Break

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we began our Easter timeline and started learning our new verse, Matthew 28:5,6- “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He his not here, He is risen just as he said, come see the place where he lay.” We read from out Bibles about the triumphal entry of Jesus as well as His washing the disciples feet and the Last Supper.

In phonics this week we worked on onset and rime. We learned that words have beginning and ending parts.

During writing workshop we worked on spacing, capitalization and punctuation as we wrote sentences and how to directions.

In math this week we worked with unifix cubes to break numbers apart and then write matching expressions.

We also are continuing to learn wh words. This week we worked on the word where.

March is reading month was fun this week as we met Titus’ grandma and Anders’ dad!

 

 

Week ending March 8

Reminders:

Please send in clean towels in a bag on Monday.

Please keep an eye on this ever changing weather 🙂 We make sure kids wear a jacket when the weather is below 40 degrees. If it is sunny and above 40, we allow long sleeve shirts and no coats as an option.

March 8 Author Visit

March 15-Bring your favorite book day

March 21 All School Chapel 9:10am

March 22 Half Day of School and Pajama Day

Book Character Dress-Up Day: Thursday, Mar. 28,2024- Plan and prepare a costume to resemble the character as closely as possible.

March 29-April 5 Spring Break

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we concluded our study on miracles. We learned about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and raising Lazarus from the dead. We then did a popcorn prayer thanking God that he is a God of both small and big miracles.

In math we started unit 5. Right now we are working on finding different ways to make numbers. For example, 5+1=6, 3+3=6,etc.

In phonics we added the -ad and -ap families and we also read a letter from Mrs Arnold where we used the skill of decoding a word based on the words around it!! This is an important reading strategy!

During writing workshop we continued to practice spacing and punctuation. We made sentences about animals as well as a how to page about baking a cake.

In Daily 5 we continue to use play-doh and stamps to make words as well as working with Mrs Arnold on different reading strategies!

Holden Brookens was up in lights this week. We learned, even though we already all know, that Holden is a big Michigan fan!;(

Finally, during our nature rich learning time we used tubes to figure out how to move mud puddles down the hill. This is an extension of our motion unit in science. We had a blast doing this and came in a bit messy!

Finally, we had Emilie DeYoung come and read her book, Peanut Butter Pie, It is an amazing book about handling emotions. Ask your children about the 3 words-Pause, Breathe and Pray!

Week ending March 1

Reminders:

  • library books, book bags and towels due back on Monday
  • half day March 22
  • Spring break March 29-April 7

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we worked on our Bible verse, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Luke 7:22  This week we focused on the Jesus healing the blind man. We talked about how God uses all things for his glory.

In writing workshop we continued our how to directions as well as writing an entry for our time capsules. It was so fun to see the things the students came up with! They are very creative!

In math this week we worked on drawings to illustrate expressions as well as identifying which expressions matched which drawing.

During Daily 5 we continue to work on reading strategies, there should be a copy of these in your child’s book bag. If not, please let me know and I will send home a new one. One strategy we have been using lately is trying the long vowel sound if the short one does not work!

We played -an family baseball this week and wrote out -an family words in phonics! We had to watch out for some of Mrs. Hunderman’s home runs!!

Hailey Doren was Up in Lights this week. Hailey’s mom came to share about her and we learned that Hailey is not afraid to touch a lizard!! We also learned she loves to spend time with her grandparents! We are blessed to have Hailey and the joy she brings in our classroom!

 

Week ending February 23

Reminders:

  • February 29-NO BUSING
  • March 1-half day-NO BUSING
  • March 22-half day-busing available
  • Please remember to return library books, book bags and clean towels on Monday!

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we continued learning about the miracles of Jesus. We learned about the disciples casting their nets to the other side of the boat and catching fish. We also learned about Jesus healing the lepers and how important it is to thank Jesus for everything!

In phonics this week we made a pretend bus and worked on recognizing letters with the same initial sound. We went to Denver and brought dogs, disco balls, dinosaurs, diamonds etc. You could only get on the bus if you followed the initial sound pattern! We learned that Mrs. Arnold is a bit of a wild bus driver!

In writing workshop we worked on forming sentences with correct spacing and punctuation. We also continued our How To writing. We made and ate graham cracker and frosting sandwiches and wrote the steps to make them when we finished!

In math this week we continued working on addition and subtraction. We used both cubes and paper mittens to help us. We also worked on writing and recognizing a math expression, for example, 2+2=4.

This week we also did some reader’s theater. We had so much fun taking on different roles in the book, Hattie and the Fox. The students did a great job speaking in front of their peers and taking on the role of their character.

Logan was Up in Lights this week. Logan’s family came to share about him. We learned that Logan likes soccer and loves to swim at Sandy Pines! We are so thankful for Logan and the joy of Jesus that permeates through him into our classroom!

Week ending February 15

Reminders:

  • February 16, 2024 | No School // Winter Break
  • February 19, 2024| No School// Winter Break
  • February 23, 2024 | Pastor’s Breakfast *invitations sent home Friday and Monday All School Chapel *Kindergarten and First Graders will help lead a few songs before the speaker.

What we are learning:

This week in Bible we began our unit on miracles. We learned about the very first miracle Jesus did-turning water into wine. We also read the story on Jesus calming the storm. We learned that with God all things are possible and He is the ONLY one who can do the impossible! What a mighty God we serve!

In writing workshop we started our unit on How to writing. We shared stories of our mornings and what comes first, next and last. We helped Mrs. Arnold write how to instructions for building a snowman.

In phonics this week we practiced breaking words into syllables to help us with writing. We learned it is easier to write a word when you write it one syllable at a time.

In math this week we continued with story problems and simple addition and subtraction. We learned the big term math expression. This is what we call an entire written out math equation such as 4+4=8.

We continue to work on CVC words with Mrs. Arnold during daily 5 as well as practicing vowel sounds!

This week Owen Graham was Up in Lights. His mom came in to share about him. We learned that Owen would like to own his own store when he grows up! We are blessed to have Owen and his loving spirit and caring heart in our classroom!

 

 

 

 

 

Week ending February 9

Reminders:

  • February 9-100th day! In our kindergarten classroom, we will celebrate that we are 100 days brighter! Please try to have your child wear something bright! (yellow, any neon color, white, etc) We will have fun with some 100 themed activities and add a little glow to our day 🙂 
  •  February 10, 2024  6:00 pm – 800 pm | Snow Fest // 6-8 PM on the Sledding Hill *more information in the ZCS blue note
  • February 12, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 13, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 14: Valentine’s Day-We will have the class pass out Valentines. You do not need to write the names of everyone in the class, you may write to: a friend from: your child’s name This is great name writing practice. We have 19 students in the classroom. You may choose from home made or store bought valentines. We are encouraging students to spread God’s love by showing kindness.
  • February 16, 2024 | No School // Winter Break
  • February 19, 2024| No School// Winter Break
  • February 23, 2024 | Pastor’s Breakfast *invitations sent home Friday and Monday All School Chapel *Kindergarten and First Graders will help lead a few songs before the speaker.

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we finished our unit on the ministry of Jesus. We continued practicing our verse, Matthew 19:14,”Jesus said,’Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ” We read about Zaccheus and how God forgave him and went to his house. We also read the story of Mary and Martha and realized how nothing is more important than Jesus and spending time with HIm.

In phonics this week we worked on CVC (consonant, consonant, vowel) words. We moved pictures on our screen to help us find the vowel in a word and then listened for the beginning and ending sound of the word. We are working so hard on these words as well as the vowel sounds. This is something we will continue to work on as the year progresses.

In math this week we worked on both addition and subtraction story problems. We used fingers, manipulatives, and counters to figure out the solution. We worked on drawing and acting out story problems as well.

During writing workshop we finished up our pattern books. They will go home eventually, but right now they are in our writing folders so I can use them to evaluate ways in which I can help each of the students.  They did a great job with these.

In Daily 5 we all worked with Mrs. Arnold and had a chance to work with our CVC boxes and manipulatives. We are also starting to read our books out loud in front of the whole class (only if we want) and we are doing so well!

Finally, we enjoyed 100 day to the fullest. We saw Zero the Hero and he gave us a mint! We had black lights in our room to make everything bright!  Finally, we did centers and sang lots of songs to practice counting to 100!

week ending February 2

Reminders:

  • February 9-100th day! In our kindergarten classroom, we will celebrate that we are 100 days brighter! Please try to have your child wear something bright! (yellow, any neon color, white, etc) We will have fun with some 100 themed activities and add a little glow to our day 🙂 
  •  February 10, 2024  6:00 pm – 800 pm | Snow Fest // 6-8 PM on the Sledding Hill *more information in the ZCS blue note
  • February 12, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 13, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 14: Valentine’s Day-We will have the class pass out Valentines. You do not need to write the names of everyone in the class, you may write to: a friend from: your child’s name This is great name writing practice. We have 19 students in the classroom. You may choose from home made or store bought valentines. We are encouraging students to spread God’s love by showing kindness.
  • February 16, 2024 | No School // Winter Break
  • February 19, 2024| No School// Winter Break
  • February 23, 2024 | Pastor’s Breakfast *invitations sent home Friday and Monday All School Chapel *Kindergarten and First Graders will help lead a few songs before the speaker.

What we are learning:

This week in Bible we discussed the Lord’s Prayer. We took our Bibles down to the school prayer room and read the Lord’s Prayer and then we took turns praying. It was such a beautiful moment seeing these young students desire to talk to Jesus and understand what that means. We also talked about Nicodemus and what new life in Jesus means. We colored a butterfly to remind us of what it means to be “born again.”

In phonics this week we learned about the -at word family. We practiced adding different letters to the front of the -at ending. We realized that word families rhyme and then made a hat with some of these words on it.

 

In writing workshop we continued to work on pattern books. We learned a bit about brainstorming to come up with our own ideas for writing. Next week we will write a complete pattern book all on our own!

In math this week we continued with simple addition and subtraction. We are focusing on the concept that adding is making a number bigger and subtraction is making a number smaller. Subtraction really hit home when we talked about taking french fries from mom and dad;)

In Daily 5 we are continuing to work in groups with Mrs. Arnold. Right now we are working hard on the vowel sounds as we are seeing so many vowels in what we read!! We also talked about how if you get the vowel sound wrong it changes the whole word!!

In science we continued to work on our barriers up unit. Last week we designed and built a ramp. This week we looked for ways to stop things when they came down a ramp!

Micah Garvelink was Up in Lights this week.His mom and dad came in to share about him. We learned he loves the zoo and Mrs. Arnold read a great book he brought in called Yertle the Turtle.

 

Week ending January 26

Reminders:

  •  February 10, 2024  6:00 pm – 800 pm | Snow Fest // 6-8 PM on the Sledding Hill *more information in the ZCS blue note
  • February 12, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 13, 2024 | No Busing
  • February 16, 19 2024 | No School // Winter Break

What we are learning:

In Bible this week we read the story of the little children coming to Jesus. We learned that God wants us to have the faith of a child. We talked about how when we are younger we love others so much and we need to continue that as we get older and it gets a bit harder at times. We talked about how big our love is for all of our friends in the classroom.

In math this week we continued to work on finding the sum of a problem by adding two factors. We played a game with partners where we added to the number 5.

During writing workshop we continued to work on pattern books. This week we wrote an I see book about things we saw while sledding. We are working on saying words slowly and writing the sounds we hear.

During Daily 5 we learned about lots of different reading strategies. We are working on sliding through sounds to read a word as well as breaking it into chunks. IN YOUR CHILD’S BOOKBAG IS A PAPER WITH OUR READING STRATEGIES AND CVC WORD CARDS IN WHICH YOUR CHILD CAN POINT AND SAY THE SOUND OF EACH LETTER AND THEN SLIDE ACROSS THE ARROW TO READ THE WORD. IF POSSIBLE, COULD YOU PUT THEM IN A BAGGIE AS I RAN OUT THIS WEEK! THANK YOU!

Here is a list of our sight words thus far:A, and, am, at, come, go, here, I , is, me, look, see, the, this and we.

In engaging God’s world (science) we learned about motion and force. We designed ramps with a partner and put balls of different shapes and sizes down them. I was amazed at our engineering minds! We noticed that different sizes and weights of balls made a difference as to how fast they went down our ramps. We also got to sled down a very big ramp(hill);)

This week Jaxson Brink was Up in Lights. Jaxson’s mom and dad came to share about him and we learned that Jaxson favorite thing to touch is his soft Detroit Lions blanket. We are so thankful to have Jaxson and his kind spirit and amazing sense of humor in our classroom!