We made it through our first 5-day week in kindergarten! Everyone is adjusting to the new routines well and making new friends.
Apologies in advance for this long email-- there is a lot of new information at the beginning of the school year.
Language Arts
We launched the Fundations program last week, and the children are doing so well with learning the routines and language of Fundations. As stated last week, a big focus is learning the correct formation of letters, hand-in-hand with learning their sounds. Handwriting serves to link visual processing with motor experience, facilitating subsequent letter recognition skills. The expectation is that by the end of the first trimester (early November) students know all their letters & sounds.
We worked on a book last week where we practiced correct name-writing every day. Continue to encourage your children to write their name using only one upper-case letter.
Math
Over the next few weeks, we will introduce numbers 1-10. We will learn how to write them correctly, and learn different ways to represent their value. For more information on this math module, please see the parent tips here.
Math
Over the next few weeks, we will introduce numbers 1-10. We will learn how to write them correctly, and learn different ways to represent their value. For more information on this math module, please see the parent tips here.
Afternoon Assessments
In order to best support your children in their learning, I will be assessing them in the upcoming weeks so that I can group them appropriately for both reading groups and math groups. In order to do this, I will need you to bring your child back to school after dismissal for a one-on-one assessment. However, if your child attends USD Extended Care, please do not sign up for these assessments, because I will be working with students over there.
For everyone else, please see this sign-up to choose a time during the weeks after Labor Day to bring your children back to school for a brief assessment. Please sign up for two different times (one math, one reading). However, I often finish both assessments in one sitting, so you likely will only have to come once. I will tell you after I complete your child's first assessment whether I need you to come back again. While your child is being assessed, you are welcome to wait on the lawn in front of the school, under the redwood trees, or wherever you are most comfortable waiting for approximately 30 minutes.
In order to best support your children in their learning, I will be assessing them in the upcoming weeks so that I can group them appropriately for both reading groups and math groups. In order to do this, I will need you to bring your child back to school after dismissal for a one-on-one assessment. However, if your child attends USD Extended Care, please do not sign up for these assessments, because I will be working with students over there.
Wednesday Envelopes
This Wednesday, you will receive your child's first "Wednesday Envelope." Since most communications from the school are now online, this will mostly contain completed work from the classroom. Please look this over to see any areas where your child may need additional support. Every Thursday, please return the empty envelope to school so that we can send their work home each Wednesday in that envelope. Your child will put it in a bin on Thursday mornings, so please remind them to take it out of their backpack on Thursdays after they hang it on their hook. Of course, I will remind them too. :)
This Wednesday, you will receive your child's first "Wednesday Envelope." Since most communications from the school are now online, this will mostly contain completed work from the classroom. Please look this over to see any areas where your child may need additional support. Every Thursday, please return the empty envelope to school so that we can send their work home each Wednesday in that envelope. Your child will put it in a bin on Thursday mornings, so please remind them to take it out of their backpack on Thursdays after they hang it on their hook. Of course, I will remind them too. :)
Snacks
We are still noticing several students with too many snack items to manage during our 10 minute snack time. This week, we will start really tightening up our timeline, so please pack a snack that can be consumed in 10 minutes. Please also work with your children on opening snack wrappers and snack boxes independently. They will need to learn how to do this, especially once we start staying for lunch.
AVHSC CAGE Drive
As presented at Back-to-School Night, the Alta Vista Home & School Club needs you! All the enrichment programs at our school need parent volunteers, as well as financial support. The kindergarten classes have a long-standing tradition of winning the CAGE Drive competition by getting the most families to join & support the AVHSC. Please support the wonderful enrichment programs at our school by going to this link. In looking over our volunteers so far, we have a lot of holes! We need a head classroom parent, more Art Vista Docents, a Clay program leader, a library reader coordinator (this can be done from home & just involves creating a signup schedule for parents to come in weekly to read a story to us at library time), and Cornerstone volunteers. Please check out the link above & volunteer if you can! If you need more information about any of the volunteer positions, feel free to email me.
Upcoming Events
Friday, 9/2: Staff Development Day, no school
Monday, 9/5: Labor Day, no school
Friday, 9/2: Staff Development Day, no school
Monday, 9/5: Labor Day, no school
Friday, 9/9 @ 6:00: Alta Vista Outdoor Movie Night
