Week of January 28
These reminders were emailed, but I wanted to post here as well. Lots of important things coming up!
Important Announcements
Dear families,
As we close the first semester and begin the next, we have much to be grateful for! God has been good to us! There is also a lot going on and so we’ve compiled a list of the most important announcements we’d like to make sure to communicate well to you. If you have any questions, please let us know!
Thank you!
Your Kindergarten Team
- Report cards will be available online starting January 26.
- Accessing the report card
- If you don’t have a login to Parent Portal please fill out the acceptable use policy found here. Please return the form to the office and they can process your request for an Infinite Campus Login.
- If you have a login already but don’t remember your password, please contact Barb at ZPS to reset your password. Email: bvanginh@zps.org
- Report card grading system
- The skills left blank on the report card have not been taught fully or assessed yet. We will be covering these skills more in the 2nd half of the school year.
- A 1 indicates that a child is beginning to reach that goal, a 2 indicates that a child is developing that skill, and a 3 indicates that a child has mastered that skill. It is perfectly acceptable for a child to be at a level 2 right now. We are hoping that all students are growing past a 1 at this point, but kindergarten is all about beginning school skills. The next couple of months are big months for learning and growth!
- Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions. I would love to talk with you about your child’s report card!!
- Accessing the report card
- In February, Kindergarteners at ZCS collect money for our sister school in the Philippines. This is a beautiful way for the kids to show love to their neighbors far away. A handout with more information will be going home next week, but for now, please put it on your radar and begin thinking of ways your child might be able to be extra helpful around the house to earn money for our sponsor school.
- Valentine’s Day: We’re looking forward to celebrating friendship and being extra mindful of Jesus’ command to love one another on Wednesday. February 14! Kids will participate in a variety of math and literacy centers, including passing out valentines. If you are going to do valentines (yes, this is optional!) we ask that you please leave the “To:__” section blank. If you choose to bring valentines, please be sure there are enough for every classmate.
- 100th Day: Your kids have worked so hard for 100 days of school! We plan on celebrating on Tuesday February 13. If your child would like to dress up as a superhero or princess, they are welcome to! We are eagerly expecting a visit from Zero the Hero! 🙂
- There will soon be another sign up genius sent out for supplies for our Valentine’s Party and 100th day celebrations. As always, thank you for any contribution you are able to make. I truly appreciate it!
- No hot lunch February 6.
I have been spending a bit of time reading with your children using benchmark assessments in the last few weeks. This time has been helpful in guiding instruction for reading. You will start to see new book levels coming home with your child to read next Friday. Thank you for spending time reading with your children at home! I will also include word wall cards in book bags to review with your child. These are good to review about 5 at a time.
In Daily 5 we introduced a few new word work activities. The class is writing out word wall words and listening for letter sounds in some choices. This week we spent one round all with one partner reading with each other. It was so sweet to see the excitement of reading books!
In Math we are wrapping up Unit 2. We are still working on building our addition and subtraction skills. This is another simple activity to try at home. During dinner ask your child how many green beans are on their plate. Take two away and ask how many are left. Other addition and subtraction under 10 would be good to practice. Many children are counting very well! We still have a little trouble counting on to the next tens (getting stuck at 29 or 49). Try counting as you wait for the bus or as your brush your teeth have your child count. I told the class our goal is to count to 100 by 100th day 🙂
In Writing Workshop we continue writing pattern books. I continue to love watching these writers grow!
In Phonics we listened for long vowel sounds in words. We sorted picture cards by vowel sounds a, e, i, o and u. Hearing vowels in words can be so tricky! They are really working hard on it.
In Bible this week we learned about the Lord’s Prayer. It was heartwarming to see the kids light up and tell me they had heard that prayer before. Growing up, my church recited it every Sunday, but I don’t think my children hear it that often. We also read how Jesus welcomed the little children.
In Engaging God’s World we continued our study on Motion. The children worked with partners to create something to show motion. We talked about gravity and how that force pulls objects down. Children showed us how different crayons and markers dropped, how paper tubes and airplanes soared and how differently balls could roll. It was fun to watch their creativity and talk about what they observed.
Our word wall word this week is on. This can be little tricky, but once again the class heard me say it several times during the day.
We also have all of our flexible seating out! Each day, I use my list to ask who would like a turn with scoop seats or lap trays/desks. Currently the stools stay at the curved table, but next week those will be an option for table spots. It has been so good to see the class respect these items and benefit from a different way of sitting and working in class.