I hope everyone is getting excited for the Halloween Share! 

The Kindergarten children will present their annual Halloween Music Program on Wednesday, October 31st, at 2:15 pm., in the Common Room: followed immediately by an outdoor costume parade on the playground, (weather permitting).  Please have your child bring his/her costume to school in a bag labeled with his/her name; and please be sure that all the pieces of the costume are labeled as well.  Get ready for a spooktacular treat!

Good Readers...

• Use sticky notes to mark their favorite page or a place where they made a connection.
• Discuss their favorite page and/or connection with their reading buddy.
• Have 2nd grade reading buddies!  Each student was paired with a 2nd grader from Mrs. Robbins' class. 

Our Shared Reading this week was a fun and interactive poem called Scarecrow.  A copy was sent home today.  Please have your child read and act it out for you, a sibling, at pet:)

Sight Words - our class words are the, I, a, at and is.  Individual sight words were sent home at the beginning of the week. If possible, please practice these words with your child at home. They're doing a wonderful job practicing at school!

Good Writers...

• Use all their senses to write like a scientist.
• Choose objects from Mrs. Byrne's magic box and look at them under an imaginary magnifying glass.
• Write everything they notice about their object.
• Write fall poems using their senses!

Word Study Centers - Thanks to all of our volunteers this week!  Hope you enjoyed visiting the classroom.  Volunteer times are from 9:45-10:15.

In math we started a new unit - Cathy Fosnot Bunk Beds and Apple Boxes.  We read a book called The Sleepover and learned about making combinations of 8.  We used the math rack, manipulatives,  and the Smart Board to notice all the different ways we can make the number 8. 
4+4
6+2
5+3
7+1
0+8

Science/Social Studies - We continued our explorations of the 5 senses.  We chose objects from Mrs. Byrne's magic box and described them using our senses.  We read a book by Aliki and wrote using all of our senses. 

I hope everyone is enjoying Fall 4 Math and the Book Fair reading contest.  I love seeing all of the green slips come in each day.  This week in Kindergarten, we had Peaceworks visit us in the classroom.  We talked about how to handle angry feelings.  We learned to - STOP,  take 5, and think.  Everyone enjoyed participating and interacting with Cool, the penguin puppet.

We continued our great work in Reading and Writing Workshop.  This week, we learned that...

Good Readers...

• Make connections!  They look at the pictures, think about the story, and ask themselves "what does this remind me of?"
• Explain their connection to the class and/or their reading buddy. 
• Use everything they know to predict what will happen next.

Our Shared Reading this week was Humpty Dumpty.  Students looked for rhyming words and sight words in the familiar nursery rhyme.  A copy was sent home today.  Please have your child read it to you, a sibling, pet, and/or stuffed animal. 

Sight Words - Our class words are the, I, a, and is.  Individual sight words were sent home at the beginning of the week.  If possible, please practice these words with your child at home.  They're doing a wonderful job practicing at school!

Good Writers...

• Finish their writing!  They look through all their writing pieces and add to the picture, add to the words, and then start a new piece!
• Brainstorm ideas with their buddy.
• Stretch out the sounds they hear in words.

Good Mathematicians...

• Continue to practice number formation - please practice the correct formations at home!
• Use manipulatives to decompose and combine numbers to 10.

Word Study Centers - Volunteer times begin on Monday from 9:45-10:15!

Social Studies/Science - We continued to discuss our 5 senses!  We read a book and watched a short movie about how our 5 senses help us learn more about the world around us.  Our 2nd Steps lesson focused on being assertive.  We talked about when you are stuck and don't know what to do you should be assertive, raise your hand, and ask a teacher/adult for help.  The "Home Link" is optional, but it will give you a better idea of what we're doing in class.