The Week Ahead....

Hi Families,

 

Where did spring go? Hopefully it returns soon! I apologize for not sending out a weekly email last week. I believe I am back on track now...

 

In Language Arts we will:

-review sight words

-continue learning about word families (examples: pig, wig, fig) we will also learn about and generate/sort words from the –at, -ug, and –en families

- read fairy-tales to identify story elements.

-Compare different versions of fairy tales. Discuss the similarities and differences in their story elements .

In Science we will:

-make observations about our plants and tadpoles. Ask your child what changes they have witnessed with our new class pets?

- learn about camouflage and why it is important for some animals.

-discuss different habitats and adaptations animals have.

In Writing we will:

- write a persuasive piece to our teacher about what we should choose for our next warm fuzzy reward.

-review:

1. Tell your opinion
2. Tell a little story- about a time that you played this game or did this activity
3. Give LOTS of supporting reasons
4. Don’t forget to be polite. Use kind words like “please’ and ‘thank you”

- use a checklist to edit our work.

 

In Math we will:

-make ten with different combinations of numbers

-solve word problems using facts to 10.

-work on addition strategies such as counting on, drawing a picture, acting it out, and using our fingers.

- build our addition fact fluency to 10. 

 

Important Information:

 

***Fountain Rock Field trip***

On Monday May 4th, we will visit Fountain Rock Nature Center in conjunction with our Science Alive Unit. We will leave at 9:30 am from Whittier. Please ensure your child has a good breakfast before coming to school, is dressed in clothing that can get dirty and has a bagged lunch if not purchasing from the school cafeteria. All field trip forms and money are due on Monday, April 27th.

 

***Recess***

Please send your child to school with a light jacket if the weather will be below 65 degrees. We go to recess in the morning and it's still chilly. Often students complain about being cold. Thank you for your help with this!

 

***Homework Journals****

Our April homework journals will be due on May 1st. May will be the last month students have optional homework to complete before summer vacation.

 

***Reading Log***

April Reading logs will be due on May 1st. All students who read at least 20 times will be able to pick a prize from the treasure chest. Thank you for taking the time to read with your child!

 

Dates to Remember:

Tuesday, April 28 - Library Lesson and Book Exchange

Friday, May1st-6th - BOGO PTA Scholastic Book Fair

Monday, May 4th - Field Trip to Fountain Rock

Thursday, May 7th - Cici's Pizza Night

Friday, May 8th - Two hour early dismissal

Have a great week! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have!

PS - I promise to take and post pictures next week : ) 

Box Top Reward!

Our class won the box top collection challenge.  Today we enjoyed our reward...Popsicles and extra recess!  It was the perfect day to spend time outside!

Monday Mailer

Hello Families,

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL spring weather this weekend.  I went to see the Cherry Blossoms in DC.  It was wall to wall people but worth the wait!!  Here’s what’s happening in kindergarten this week. 

In Language Arts we will:

-read The Tiny Seed and generate a list of questions about the life cycle of a plant

-read informational books about plants and record the facts we learn

-learn a new poem, focusing on the –ig word family (examples: pig, wig, fig) we will also learn about and generate/sort words from the –at, -ug, and –en families

-continue to learn new sight words:  what, that, new

In Science we will: 

-ask: What do you think an organism is?

-ask: What tools do we need to care for our critters?

-learn about the life cycle of a tadpole.

-take care of our tadpoles.

-keep a journal detailing our observations.

In Writing we will: 

-discuss our purpose for writing.

-continue working on our letters to the community (telling our community members to not feed the ducks…your student may have discussed this with you already!)

-create a post office in our classroom.

-look at a 2^nd grade persuasive writing piece and discuss the strategies we would like use in our writing

-work on editing and giving writing feedback to a buddy…these are the things we’re look for:

-spaces (in words)

-neatness

-Pictures that help tell the story

-hear lots of sounds in a word

-leave spaces between words

-capitalization 

-punctuation 

In Math we will: 

-sort shapes – without giving students categories.

-identify the number of side, vertices and faces of specific 2D and 3D shapes.

-compare shapes.

-explore shapes though Geoboards and tangrams!

-ask your student to tell you about shapes : )

Important Information: 

***Library Book Exchange and Lesson***

Oops!  We had a library lesson and book exchange this morning.  I forgot to send out a reminder email.  If your student did not get a new book today, they may exchange their book any morning this week.  They just need to remind me : )

***Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Reading Program***

Every day, we will listen to a story that has been chosen by a local school system.  We will have a challenge that goes with each book, and at the end, we will get to vote for our favorite book as a class.  Ask your child about what book they heard Ms. Dattoli read!  

***THANK YOU***

Thank you for your participation in your child's education!  As I collect reading logs and homework journals at the end of each month, I can see how hard you and your student are working at home.  You all have taken time to thank me, so I would like to now thank you!  Keep up the good work.  It is making a difference : ) Also - I know for many of us, it has been since November since we have chatted about your student's progress.  I am always willing to conference via phone or in person.  Please let me know if you're interested in discussing your child's yearly progression.  Thanks again! 

Dates to Remember: 

Monday April 6^th - No School 

Wednesday April 15^th – Tornado Drill (we will review procedures on Tuesday)

Thursday April 16^th - Cici's Pizza Fundraiser Night

Friday April 17^th – Report Cards are sent home!

Have a great week!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have!

The week ahead...

Hello Families,

I hope everyone had a happy and relaxing spring break.  I spent my Saturday at the pre-season Nationals Game and Yesterday with family.  I can't wait to hear what the kiddos did over break : ) We are glad to be back and starting the last quarter of the Kindergarten year.  My how time flies!!  Here's how we're kicking off quarter 4: 

In Language Arts we will:

-continue to participate in "close reads" - The Pirate of Kindergarten

-learn a new poem, focusing on the wh- diagraph.  

-continue to learn new sight words:  what, give, his

In Social Studies we will: 

-Begin our "Personal Body Safety" unit.  This will be a week-long lesson where we will talk about keeping ourselves safe, what to do if someone is bothering you, and stranger danger.  If you have questions or concerns about this unit, please call or email me.   

In Writing we will: 

-discuss our purpose for writing.

-demonstrate how authors write their opinions to help solve a problem. 

-begin a writing piece that shares our opinion on how to solve a problem we see in our community.

In Math we will: 

-use various resources to answer the question "how many more do I need to make 10?"

-continue to persevere in solving word problems using various strategies.

-identify the differences between adding and subtracting and practice both skills. 

-practice solving word problems and number sentences using subtraction.  

Important Information: 

***Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Reading Program***
This week is the kick off for the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Reading Program.  Every day, we will listen to a story that has been chosen by a local school system.  We will have a challenge that goes with each book, and at the end, we will get to vote for our favorite book as a class.  Ask your child about what book they heard Ms. Dattoli read!  

***Frederick Keys***

Our honors chorus, the "Whittier Music Makers" will be singing the National Anthem at the opening night of the Frederick Keys on Friday April 10th!  This group includes fourth and fifth grade students from our school.  We hope you will come out to support them and enjoy a great evening of baseball, singing, and fireworks!  

***THANK YOU***

Thank you for your participation in your child's education!  As I collect reading logs and homework journals at the end of each month, I can see how hard you and your student are working at home.  You all have taken time to thank me, so I would like to now thank you!  Keep up the good work.  It is making a difference : ) Also - I know for many of us, it has been since November since we have chatted about your student's progress.  I am always willing to conference via phone or in person.  Please let me know if you're interested in discussing your child's yearly progression.  Thanks again! 

Dates to Remember: 

Monday April 6th- No School 

Tuesday April 7th- First day back from Spring Break! Library book exchange - I have many student books from last week...we did not have an exchange due to the short week. 

Friday April 10th- Whittier Music Makers sing at Frederick Keys opening night! 

Thursday April 16th- Cici's Pizza Fundraiser Night

Have a great week!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have!