Kinderbees
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| Tanner demonstrates his robotic skills as he carefully follows Ms. Jenks' directions. |
News
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
In Science/Language Arts, we have been learning about living things. More specifically, how to compare people (animal kingdom) and trees (plant kingdom). We read Are Trees Alive? by Debbie Miller. In it, we learned to consider how our legs and body are like the trees trunk, and our arms are like the trees branches, our head is like the trees crown, our blood is like a tree’s sap, our skin is like the tree’s bark and more! The children each chose one aspect, and wrote and illustrated their sentence. We will be making a class book from the originals and I will make copies to send home.
We also have been learning about animals and how they adapt to the changing seasons. While we need to dress more warmly this time of year, (please send in your child with hats!) and many of us have harvested our gardens and have stored our veggies in our pantry and maybe even the freezer, some animals also store foods, some migrate, and some hibernate. We read a special issue of Scholastic’s “Let’s Find Out” about different animals who hibernate and then chose an animal to write about where they may hibernate. Your children are learning to tap out their words as they write them, practice reading what they write, while also checking to see if it makes sense. They are also learning to consider what they will illustrate to support the words that are written. These are very complex tasks. Their effort and hard work deserves our recognition. Bravo Kinderbees!
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| Paige loves to paint! |
Phonics: This week’s Jolly Phonics lessons introduced two new vowel combinations /oa/ and
/ie/. As we practice the sounds and sight words together as a whole group, I can see they are practicing at home and are doing nicely. We are beginning to tap out words that have only 2 sounds but three letters (as in “tie”) and three sounds but 4 letters (as in “coat”)! In the next few weeks I plan to introduce small predictable books for them to begin to read. These vowel combinations will help them tackle words with these vowel patterns. Keep up the great work!
/ie/. As we practice the sounds and sight words together as a whole group, I can see they are practicing at home and are doing nicely. We are beginning to tap out words that have only 2 sounds but three letters (as in “tie”) and three sounds but 4 letters (as in “coat”)! In the next few weeks I plan to introduce small predictable books for them to begin to read. These vowel combinations will help them tackle words with these vowel patterns. Keep up the great work!
Math Activities: I sent home Math Home Link Activities to help guide you at home to help your child develop an understanding of a variety of math concepts. Let me know if you have any questions.
Explorations: This week I introduced painting to our explorations. The children are really enjoying the opportunity to paint in a large format on the easel. They also are enjoying the WikiStix, building with Legos, housekeeping, blocks and clay. We have been learning how to work together better on group projects by using our words. Please help your child resolve their problems using their words and asking for help. This is a strategy we are working to develop at school. They don’t always know are to articulate their frustrations, but modeling it form them can help.
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| Chance paints his his favorite tractor -- John Deere. |
Share: We enjoyed a week of great /r/ shares. Among the many shares, we had rocks, a stuffed rabbit and rat, and even a rhinoceros. Next week share theme will be something they want to share from nature. We will discover the sound it begins with and keep a record/tally. Please help your child choose something that comes from nature. It can be something they find outside or treasure from nature they already have.
CALENDAR:
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| Maeve explores magnetic properties. |
All Next Week:
- David’s House: Please send in pennies or coins for our K-2 David’s House Annual Fundraiser all next week.
- Christmas Project: Please send in Non-Perishable Foods for this additional holiday fundraiser if you can.
- December 12th, 6:30-7:30: Happy Holiday Season Concert: Please plan on arriving by 6:15pm. You should bring your child to our classroom and then you can get a seat in the auditorium. After the concert we will go back to our room and you can pick your child up there. More information will be available on the school website in the coming weeks.
The Following Week: week of December 17th
- December 19th Holiday Brunch: If you would like to join your child please send in a note to reserve a place. We eat lunch at 10:45-11:15am. The cost is $3.55. Thank you!
- December 20th (Noon Dismissal): Holiday Kindergarten Party. If you would like to participate or contribute in some way please contact our class parents. I am sending home a blank bookmark attached to today's newsletter. Your child selected a Secret Buddy from our Kindergarten wing. His/her buddy may even be from Mrs. White’s class. We will practicing being detectives to learn what our buddy likes so that they can draw and decorate the book mark for their Secret Buddy. Make sure they write To: and From: on it so we know who it goes to and who it came from.
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:
- Group Snack: Thank you to Isaac’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed wonderful snacks throughout the week with homemade banana bread, fresh raw veggies: celery, carrots, broccoli, cheese, crackers and pepperoni. Next week’s snack will be provided by Conner’s family. Thank you!
- Outerwear: The colder weather is here! If snow falls, please send in winter boots, mittens, and hats. Please help your child learn to zip up their jackets on their own. It will help us get them ready to go outside more easily.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bodnar
