Reminders:

• Library Books are due Monday
• Picture Day is Tuesday, September 29 Please turn in the order form even if you are not ordering pictures. We use it to make sure your child’s name is correct in the class composite and yearbook. This is the time to order yearbooks as well.
• Magazine Sale Fundraiser packets have been sent home.
  Fundraiser Links:
  • How To Videos – (https://bit.ly/31c2Fh6)
  • Kick-Off Videos – (https://bit.ly/32EHmpj)
  • Parent Letter – (https://bit.ly/3mqnTjx )
  • Prize Program – (https://bit.ly/2BnoqQS )
• Thank you for sending in clean masks and water bottles! I have noticed some children are getting a little more hungry at the end of the day. Please check in with your child about what snacks and lunches they are eating and enjoying.
• Next week I will send a google form to fill out in preparation for Parent Teacher Conferences. Thanks in advance for taking a little time to fill it out.

From the Office:

We were reminded this week that birthday treats are optional and during Phase 4 and 5 should be non-edible (erasers, pencils, slime, play do, sticker, etc)

What We are Learning:

We started drawing our stories in writing workshop. First we think of a true story. Then we tell our story to a friend and make sure that we have a beginning, middle and end. We talk about the pictures we see in our head when we tell the story. At last we were ready to sketch the pictures. The class is doing a wonderful job! We started drawing on whiteboards and then used our new writing packets to sketch another story this week.

In Math we explored circles by tracing, drawing and looking for circles around our classroom. We also used square tiles to show 2+1 and 2+2. We are trying to write numbers, but we will focus on forming numerals later this year.

We had two days of reading for 8 minutes in Daily 5 Read to Self. We also had a day of reading for 2 minutes. We finished the week by reading for 15 minutes! This was a big goal and the class was so happy. I was proud of them for reading and focusing so long!

In Phonics we had fun with rhymes. Using this template and the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” we came up with some funny lyrics.

We explored God’s world with our sense of touch and sight. We used packaging tape to make “sticky bracelets” and collect items from outside. It was fun to see what the kids found!

I continue to love the conversations we have in the morning. The kids are eager to share small and fun things that are happening in their lives (wiggly teeth, soccer games, puppy stories). I also love the way they have been thinking of ways to show God’s love. We are growing in our relationships at school and the kids are learning how to express their feelings and talk through conflicts. This is something we work very hard on this year.

It was another great week in Kindergarten!

Reminders:

• Library Books are due Monday
• Friday, September 25:
  Y5 – 8th Grade: Half-Day of School – 8:40 AM (start time) to 11:45 AM (end time). These start and end times are for ALL Y5-8th grade students. There is no AFTER SCHOOL busing on this day.
  Please allow extra time (and extra grace) as we navigate a shared start and end time on this day.
• Picture Day is Tuesday, September 29 Please turn in the order form even if you are not ordering pictures. We use it to make sure your child’s name is correct in the class composite and yearbook. This is the time to order yearbooks as well.
• Magazine Sale Fundraiser packets have been sent home.
  Fundraiser Links:
  • How To Videos – (https://bit.ly/31c2Fh6)
  • Kick-Off Videos – (https://bit.ly/32EHmpj)
  • Parent Letter – (https://bit.ly/3mqnTjx )
  • Prize Program – (https://bit.ly/2BnoqQS )
• Thank you for sending in clean masks and water bottles! I have noticed some children are getting a little more hungry at the end of the day. Please check in with your child about what snacks and lunches they are eating and enjoying.

What We Are Learning:

I have loved taking our Bibles outside and reading the story of Creation. It is a blessing to be surrounded by God’s handiwork as we read through our bibles.

In phonics we worked on recognizing letters. Each student received a bag of lower case letters and sorted them in different way. Some spelled names, other noticed that some letters had straight lines and some had curvy lines. It has been great to become familiar with letters!

W

We have been building our Stamina in Read to Self. The class helped me decide on what they needed to do to become better readers. Here is the list. I also reminded them that there are three ways to read a book. This has been helpful in making the most of our reading time. Our big goal is 15 minutes and this week we made it to 7!  We are doing great!! Once we are comfortable independently reading (reading pictures, words and retelling the story) we will work on another element of Daily 5.

We began our unit on the 5 senses by reading the book “My Five Senses.” As we went through the day, we stopped to notice when sense we were using. This is a great thing to do at home. Ask your child to close their eyes and listen. Ask what they are smelling. Describe the flavors of dinner they are tasting. Touch different objects at home. Have fun exploring with senses!

Here is a link to next week’s WAAG to see what we will be focusing on.

During our day I love to incorporate a few brain breaks with music and movement. My favorite resources are The Learning Station and Jack Hartman. We love to move and exercise with the alphabet and do different freeze games.

Reminders:

• Thanks for sending in clean masks every day!
• Thanks for dressing in layers in this season of ever changing weather.
• Friday, September 18: No Bussing
• 1st-8th grade classrooms sent out videos for their information night. Kindergarten families had our vide0s before school began. I think we have answered most questions and learn more and more as we go. I am attaching an overview of Kindergarten Curriculum at ZCS. You may read through it any time.

Kindergarten Curriculum Overview.docx – Google Docs

What We are Learning:

We continue to learn new things and learn how to do them together in kindergarten.

This week was our first time for Library. Mrs. Joustra came into our classroom with a book to read and books for us to choose from. Each kindergartner is able to check out one book. Please check your child’s backpack on Tuesday for a book to read and enjoy at home. Please make sure the book is returned Monday so your child is able to check out a new book Tuesday. Thank you!

I

I introduced flexible seating the the class this week. We are taking turns trying out alternative seating for large group and work time. We use scoop chairs, stools, lap desk, soft seats and exercise balls. We have talked about how to use these items safely and take care of them in our classroom. I love to see the class try these out and figure out what works best for them.

On Thursday each table received a STEM bin to use as an “early finisher” option. If a student finishes work or snack before the rest of the class is ready to move on, he/she may choose to color, trace letters or draw on their whiteboard and now play with items in their STEM bins. These bins are designed to have open ended activities for each child. I love watching creativity blossom during this time.

As we have been getting to know each other better, we have talked about how else we can learn about our new kindergarten friends. We talked about a special week to learn about one friend at a time. This is called “Up In Lights.” We needed to decide which friend should go first and then the friends that would have a turn next. After quite a discussion of listing off a few names, one student suggested using our birthday list as the order list for Up In Lights. The whole class agreed that we could take turns starting with the first person who had a birthday in school and working through the rest of the months. I will make a list and include the date that your child will be Up In Lights. I will send home a packet of papers that you will fill out and turn in the Monday your child is Up In Lights. Look for these next week.

From the Office:

We had another great 4 days in Kindergarten! It has been so good to experience full days and get used to our specials schedule. It provides a few changes in routines, but your kids have been adjusting well.

Reminders:

Please keep in mind that we have PE/Gym on Mondays. Please make sure your child has sneakers on that can go outside. We are reserving their new sneakers for when we have PE in the gym.

If your child is picked up by a sibling at the end of the day, please remind them to say goodbye to the teacher in the hallway before leaving with the younger student. This helps us keep track of everyone coming and going at the end of the day. Thank you!

Please email attendance@zcs.org is your child is going to be absent AND please include me on the email.

If you have a change for end of day pick up, please call the office so they can reach me in the classroom. Thank you!

SeeSaw

Please check your child’s red folder or backpack for instructions on downloading the SeeSaw app and logging in to our classroom. On Friday, I allowed each child to take a picture and upload it to his/her folder. It was fun to see what pictures were taken. As the year progresses, I hope your we can continue to share videos and work in class through SeeSaw. If your child was absent on Friday, I will work with them next week on uploading a photo.

What We Are Learning:

In Bible we continue to learn the fruit of the spirit. We know these show in us when God is in us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are perfect examples of how we behave in school. I find that we use this vocabulary when talking with the class about expectations and behavior.

We continue to work on “My Book of Friends” and practice writing our friends names. We notice how many letters are in names and find out something our friend likes to do.

We have been talking about being bucket fillers-showing and saying something kind fills other people’s buckets and our own!

In Phonics we have been focusing on letters that are in our names. We put our class names in alphabetical order. I love to see the class reading each other’s names! They are getting very good at it.

In Math we opened up our workbooks this week. Kindergartners love having math books. I tried something new by recording myself giving instructions and played it for the class. They were able to follow along with my video. At the end they asked, “was that really you?” 🙂 It was fun to use some new technology and give a taste of what virtual lesson could look like if we ever need to do that. To celebrate their great work I also showed the class a video of my puppy jumping.

We continue to work our way through the alphabet focusing on one letter a day. We practicing letter formation (handwriting) and the sounds the letter represents. I am thrilled with the work your children are doing. I am told them we are working on this to help us become better readers and writers. We were able to celebrate our work with a popsicle treat from Mrs. Tibbe Wednesday afternoon.