Parent Letter

Dear Kindergarten Parents:

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last Thursday. Thank you for taking the time to come in and learn more about all we are doing in Kindergarten.

This morning we began our week with a Skype visit to Olivia in New York. We were able to connect with her and Julie Burns for some of our morning meeting today, and it was wonderful for the children to talk, share what they are doing, and be in touch with Olivia. She told us that she is learning about the ocean and showed us a beautiful octopus collage she had made. We look forward to keeping in touch with Olivia until she returns in November.

Our work with the Fundations program began last week and yielded extensive word lists for the letters t, f and b. We practiced writing these as lower case letters, and we learned that a sentence is made up of several words and usually ends with a period. We put up our word wall for high frequency words and have added "is" and "we," two words we often see in our morning message. We have also continued our explorations with pattern blocks and counting to 20. Students counted to 100 using dinosaur and bear counters in groups of 10. We discussed the teens and how interesting it is that eleven and twelve are not "oneteen" and "twoteen."

Just a quick reminder to please send a raincoat with your child on days when it is drizzly or raining. Rain boots would also be great if you have them. If it is not pouring, we will try to go out for fresh air and exercise. We might even go for a puddle jump.

Here are a few important dates to remember:

• The Library Book Faire begins on October 7th.
• The Medieval Faire is Saturday, October 9th.
• Parent Teacher Conferences are October 21st from 8:30 - 4:30. There is no school.
• Long Fall Weekend begins October 22nd.

I am trying to schedule a short field trip to visit Bob Burch, a local glass blower. The children recently saw a hand blown glass necklace I had and asked how the mushroom got in it. I thought it might be fun to go and see how glass is blown. Bob loves to do short demonstrations for children of this age. I'll keep you posted on possible dates.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the beautiful foliage.

American Dagger Moth Caterpillars Join K and Pre-K Classes

On Monday, Hannah brought in a mysterious caterpillar. It was yellow and fuzzy, with black eyelash-like spikes on its two ends. To our surprise, it immediately started to spin a cocoon. How wonderful to watch this process. The students were able to see the caterpillar as it made the cocoon thicker and thicker. When we came to school this morning, the caterpillar was encased in the web-like cocoon. We have identified it as an American Dagger Moth Caterpillar.

Today, when the Preschool was out on the playground, they found the same kind of caterpillar and brought it in on a stick to the tank where their Monarch chrysalis is waiting to emerge. Tomorrow we will try to find out how long it takes for the American Dagger Moth to emerge from its cocoon.

Parent Letter

Greetings from the Kindergarten!

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful Fall weekend. It is the start of another busy week in Kindergarten and we are exploring and learning some new things.

Today we begin our work with the Fundations program. Students will be learning the sounds and the letter formation for the letters t, b and f this week. The program begins with lower case letters, as students need to be able to recognize these letters as they begin to explore reading. I will ask students if they would like to brainstorm with you at home to bring in a list of words that begin with these letters. This is an optional activity. The word lists can come in any time this week.

We have been learning about bats. Are they birds or mammals? Do they nurse their babies? Where do they live? What do they eat? How large is the largest bat and how small is the smallest? Why are some bats in danger of becoming extinct? What color are bats? Are they furry or feathery? Do they have fingers? The students have come up with lots of questions as we work together to explore these wonderful mammals.

Each morning during calendar, we continue to explore numbers in a variety of ways. Students are learning the seven days of the week, the twelve months of the year, the number of days in a month, sequential counting, patterns, and place value as we count the number of days in school. It is an important time for students to gain facility and comfort with numbers in a practical and fun way.

Tomorrow, the K - 6th grades will travel by bus to the Latchis Theater to see a puppet show of Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories." We will have an early lunch and leave for the theater at 11:15. We will return by 1:30.

This Thursday is Parent Information Night. The evening begins at 6:30, and childcare will be available. I hope you can make it. Of course, if you cannot, I am always available to answer questions about our program.

Dear Kindergarten Parents:

Today is the start of our first full week of school. This week we will discuss our classroom rules, and the children will take part in deciding, with my guidance, which rules are most important. As part of this process we will discuss the sometimes abstract and profound ideas of care, respect and effort. Our games and group activities in the classroom this week will help us to apply the rules and find out why they are important.

This week we will begin a study of bats. Several children have expressed an interest in these wonderful creatures. We will learn about their habitat and habits, what makes them unique, and how they find and catch food.

The children have been working with numbers and letters during our daily calendar exercises at morning meeting as we count and learn the days of the week, track the number of days in school, and review our schedule, job chart and morning message. We will also begin our work with the Fundations program, which works on letter formation, phonological awareness and sound mastery.

We have been reading books together about starting Kindergarten, friendship, fall leaves, harvests and bats. Students have discussed and drawn pictures of their hopes and dreams for the year. Our first class book about what we grew in our home gardens is finished. Kindergarteners will also begin to make regular entries in journals in the coming weeks.

This Thursday, Ken, Leelee and I would like to have Pajama Day in the K and PreK classrooms. Children can wear their PJs and, if they like, a robe to school. We will use some of our blueberries to make pancakes and share some stories with the PreK.

I want to remind you that photo day is this Friday, September17th. Order forms will be coming home today in backpacks. Please complete the forms and return them to me on or before Friday.

It is not too early to be thinking about the Medieval Faire, which is coming up quickly. This great event is a fundraiser for the school and a wonderful community- building event. Sign up sheets are posted outside of the office with volunteer opportunities. The jobs range from running a ride on the day of the event, to cooking food to sell at the Marketplace and Tavern, to working in the Ticket Booth, to being a part of the set-up or clean-up crews. Please stop by and sign up to help if you can.

Thank you for sharing your children with me. I enjoy their curiosity, humor and kindness. As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Best regards,

Libby

9/8/10
Kaplink, Kaplank, Kaplunk!

Blueberries for Kindergartners and Preschoolers -
Today the K and PreK classes took a trip to Green Mountain Orchards to pick blueberries. For some of the group it was their first time on the bus. We picked lots of berries to use at school making muffins, pancakes, and even blueberry pasta! We played hide and seek among the berry bushes and learned the favorite Halloween song "Old Roger." Tummies and baskets full of berries, we hopped back on the bus and were back at school in time for lunch! Thanks to all the parents who were able to join us. Look for details of another orchard trip in October when we will go to pick apples, have a hay ride, and sample some cider doughnuts.

Important Notes

• Pizza is sold on Wednesdays for $2.00 a slice. Please send along money in your child's lunchbox if you'd like him/her to have pizza. This is a fundraiser for the eighth grade.

• Thursday, weather permitting, we will go to Green Mountain Orchard to pick blueberries. You are all welcome to join us. We will ride the TGS bus and leave school at 10:00 a.m., returning at 12:00 in time for lunch.

• Next week Ken and I will start providing organic milk for K and Pre-K students. I have cups for all the students here. Please let me know if you'd like your child to have milk so I can determine how much we need each week.
  

September 7, 2010

News From the Kindergarten

The first two days of school in the Kindergarten were full of new friends, new routines, and lots of curiosity. Students had a chance to explore materials in the classroom, tour the school, visit the school garden with the Pre-school and write a class book about their gardens at home. We read several favorite books including "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten," by Joseph Slate, and "Blueberries for Sal," by Robert McCloskey. We also spent some time speculating about a giant bone skull in the classroom. Does it belong to a dinosaur? Why does it have a loose tooth? What are the big holes on the side of its head for? Is there paper inside the skull?

This week, we will continue to become familiar with the classroom and begin to work with numbers. We will play games that teach letter and number recognition, and we will spend time getting to know our schedule and morning routines.

There are several upcoming events that I want to tell you about. This Friday, September 10, is the all-school potluck supper. It's a great way to get to know other families in the school, and the food is always a cornucopia of summer garden harvests. It begins at 6:00 p.m. and takes place in the gym. Photo day for the Lower School is September 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m. An order form will be coming home soon with your child and needs to be returned before photo day. September 23 is Curriculum Night for K-4th grades and begins at 6:30 p.m. This a great way to learn about the things happening in your child's classroom, as well as meet the specials teachers.

I am really excited about the year ahead and look forward to working in partnership with you and your children throughout their Kindergarten year. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. E-mail is the best way to reach me at lmac@thegrammarschool.org.

All best,
Libby