Greetings from the Kindergarten:
After a wonderful day last Thursday, sitting outside in the sun and looking for signs of spring, the recent snow was met with mixed feelings by the Kindergartners. It was great "snowman snow," so the children had a great time outside making forts and giant snowballs. Today the crocuses are blooming outside the office. Ah, New England!
This week and next the Kindergarten is selling bagels and cream cheese at snack time. Bagels are $2 each. This is a fundraiser that we are doing with 1st and 2nd grades to raise money for Haiti. We will undertake another fundraiser with the Preschoolers to raise money for relief in Japan. This is a result of Ibby's wanting to do something to help the Japanese people in this time of extreme need. It is likely we will have a bake sale. More details will follow in the coming weeks as to the date and how we will organize this effort.
Students have now learned to correctly write all of their lower and upper case letters. The children enjoy practicing these letters. Since they have the most experience with their upper case letters, this practice helps them in forming them correctly. In addition, it is helpful to encourage them to use upper and lower case letters in their writing and to use the correct pencil grip. We have been singing the alphabet song using the letter sounds (we sing the short vowels) instead of just the letter names. I continue to read one-on-one with children during quiet reading and guided reading times. It is exciting to see their emerging reading skills.
Our math explorations have been about time this week. How many minutes are there in one hour? How long is a minute? How can we count by 5s around the clock? We continue to work with non-standard measurement, using parts of our body to measure various things in our classroom. Students have also been learning to differentiate shapes - learning about squares, rectangles, circles, ovals, rhombuses and trapezoids and different ways to form them using geoboards. We have also been exploring 3-D shapes including spheres, cones, cylinders and cubes, as well as extending patterns and working on simple weaving patterns.
Next week we will begin a unit on magnets. This will be a science and math exploration and will include lots of wonderful hands-on activities and experiments.
I hope that you and your children are enjoying the Reading Challenge. There are two weeks left, and I look forward to learning about all the wonderful books you have read.
You will be receiving your child's progress report soon, if you have not already received it. Please feel free to call me with any questions or concerns. This is meant to be an on-going dialogue and record of your child's approach to learning and academic development. This is an opportunity to highlight your child's individual strengths and address any issues that may pertain to his or her transition to the next grade level.
April 15 from 12:30 - 4:00 p.m. we will have parent/teacher conferences. Please sign up with Tammy in the office for a slot. If these times are not convenient for you I am happy to schedule another time. Please be aware that school will close at noon on that day.
Enjoy this warmer weather. Let's hope March goes out like a lamb.
