Mark Your Calendars!

The Halloween Share is scheduled for Thursday, October 31st at 2:15! 
***Costume Helpers - please check in at the front desk and then come to the classroom around 1:45.
***Please label all of your child's costume pieces and try to limit the amount of accessories.
***No toy weapons or scary masks.

During reading, we learned that readers...

• Try to use the same words that the characters in their story are saying.
• Act out stories to get a sense of how the characters are feeling.
• Act out stories to get a better understanding of what the character is doing.
• Use their face, body, and voice to help the story come to life!

During writing we learned that writers...

• Return to unfinished pieces and add more!
• Go back and read what they wrote to see if it makes sense.
• Use all their strategies to stretch out the sounds in words.

During math we have been counting up a storm!  We learned two new math center activities

• Grab and Count - grab a handful of math manipulatives, such as pattern blocks, buttons, etc.  Develop a strategy for accurately counting and keeping track of the quantity. 
• Roll and Record - roll a dot cube, count the dots, record the correct number on the recording sheet.  Focus on forming the numeral correctly!
• We added pages to our Counting books to further connect number words, numerals, and quantities.
• Counting Jar - count the item of the week, represent the quantity with a picture, create an equivalent set.

Social Studies - We created our own class Kimochi faces!  Some of the feelings we came up with were - sick, nervous, spooked, and cool.  Everyone got a chance to act out their feeling and design their own Kimochi face.

Science - we learned 2two new 5 senses games, which played during centers on Thursday and Friday.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS HAVING HIS/PICTURE RETAKEN ON NOVEMBER 7th.

I hope everyone has a great, fall weekend!

Thank you so much to our Mystery Readers! It's been so much fun for the kids. Make sure to check in at the office when you arrive:)

Picture Retake Day is Thursday, November 7. Please let me know if you would like him/her to have a retake. Please keep the class picture that you received in your original order and return your child’s individual pictures to school on November 7. They will be collected by the photographer.

PeaceWorks visited our classroom to discuss strategies we can all use to calm down - like take 5!

During Reading Workshop we learned that readers…see more when they read with a buddy! •

They notice the who, what, where, feeling, and trouble in the story. • They Turn and Talk (knee to knee and eye to eye) with their buddy to discuss the character’s actions and feelings. • They answer “why” questions and explain their thinking to their reading buddy. • Act out the character’s actions with their reading buddy.

During Writing Workshop we learned that writers are coaches! • They work together with their buddy to think, plan, and write their story. • They give each other compliments, ask questions, and offer suggestions to improve one another's writing. • Take turns sharing…buddy 1 goes first and then buddy 2.

During Math we began Unit 2 in Investigations. We looked at and discussed counting books. We talked about what we count in class, when we count and why. We count...to take attendance, what's in our Counting Jar, how many people are buying lunch, students during a fire drill, how many days we have been in school. We began creating our own counting books too!

We continued our math workshop routine - exploration of materials, the counting jar, attribute block and button match up.

Social Studies - Our 2nd Steps lesson discussed self-talk. We learned that self-talk is when you talk to yourself in a quiet voice or in your head. We use self-talk to stay on task and remember directions. We reviewed previous 2nd steps lessons and talked about handling feelings of frustration and/or anger.

HOLMES SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN

presents:

A HALLOWEEN MUSIC SHARE & PARADE

Thursday, October 31^st

2:15pm

 

Dear Kindergarten Parents:

The Kindergarten children will present their annual Halloween Music Program on Thursday, October 31^st at 2:15 pm  in the Common Room. This will be followed immediately by an outdoor costume parade on the playground (weather permitting).  Have your child bring their costume to school in a bag labeled with their name. Please be sure that all the pieces of their costume are labeled as well with your child's name written boldly on a piece of masking tape. Pre-school siblings are welcome to attend.

Thank you so much for your help!

We are looking forward to a “spooktacular” musical treat!

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Teachers & The Music Teachers

 

Enjoy the long weekend!

REMINDERS:
No school for students on Monday, October 14th.

Thank you to all of our book fair volunteers!

During Reading Workshop we learned that...

• Readers go back and re-read or retell when they get confused.
• Readers name the character and their actions.
• Readers use the words that the author used to retell the story.
• Readers retell the story to their buddy when they get confused.

During Writing Workshop we learned that...

• Writers return to unfinished work!
• Writers point to each word and re-read their story.
• Writers add labels to their pictures so it is easier to read.
• Writers add pages to their story.
• Writers take out the parts that don't fit and check in with their buddy.

During Math we learned that...

• We can sort students based on certain attributes - laces/no laces, short sleeve shirts/long sleeve shirts.
• We can tell a lot about our friends from Today's Question - Do you like spaghetti?
• We can record our thinking differently at the Counting Jar center.
• We can name and finish repeating patterns!

Social Studies/Science - We continued exploring our 5 senses and discussed Christopher Columbus.  Our 2nd Steps lesson focused on using strategies when we miss directions in class - ask a friend, ask the teacher, look at what other students are doing, think back and focus on what was said. 

Happy October!

During Reading Workshop we learned that readers...

• Go back and re-read when they forget parts of the story.
• Talk to their buddy if they forget parts of the story.
• Try to make stories sound just like the author wrote them.
• Act out stories with a buddy - we made Johnny Appleseed puppets and acted out the story at our reading center.
• Learn how to shop for books from the classroom library!  Everyone decorated a book bag to hold their new books.

During Writing Workshop we learned that writers...

• Write about things they know.
• Stretch their writing out across more than one page.
• Go back and re-read to make sure their pages go together.
• Point to each word and read to their buddy to make sure their pages go together.
• Add labels to their illustrations to their story is easy to read.

During math we learned about...

• Today's question - a classroom routine in which students respond to a survey question and then discuss the resulting data. 
• We continued our math workshop routine of exploring manipulatives, and comparing the attributes of objects.
• Counting objects to find a total.
• Using our Counting Jar and recording sheet to make equivalent sets.

Science/Social Studies - We began discussing our 5 senses!  We also used our Kimochis to discuss strategies that help get rid of icky feelings like; disappointed and left-out.

REMINDERS:  Mystery Reader began this week.  If you are a Mystery Reader, we will see you on Tuesday at 2:50!  Please check the schedule.

Student of the Week begins next week.  Please check the schedule for your child's name!  Can't wait!

The Book Fair is October 8th - 11th.  Enjoy!