This is a jam packed newsletter. Please read all the way through. Thank you. :)
Our first week of extended days went well! A few suggestions:
- Continue reminding your child what is for snack, and what is for lunch
- Go over the hot lunch menu with them in advance
- Make sure your child knows if they have snack from home or need a school snack.
- Make sure your child knows if they have lunch from home or need a school lunch.
- Make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep! They were all very tired by the end of last week.
A big thank you to the volunteers who coordinated and assisted in our first clay project last Friday! The class enjoyed getting their hands dirty and are excited to glaze their sweets tray next month.
I wanted to let you all know about some days I will be out of the classroom. Your child may have mentioned earlier this year that they had a substitute because I was at "teacher school". They were right! One day I was at an all day training with other Alta Vista staff members for PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions for Success). It is a three year roll out to the school and community and we are in year 1. I will be out 4-5 days for PBIS training this school year.Of course there will also be days this year when my own children are sick and I need to stay home, in addition to teacher assessment/report card days. By contract, teachers are alloted a certain amount of days during which we can get a substitute teacher so that we can assess students and/or do report cards. Just FYI. :)
I will also be out of the classroom next week, Oct. 16,17,18. My father passed away a week before the school year started. There are some family events and appointments I need to tend to during those days. The class will be in good hands with an Alta Vista parent as the substitute teacher, Rebecca Kimber. She offered to come by the classroom this Friday afternoon to meet the class, so that they feel more comfortable with her the following week. Mrs. Brehmer, our wonderful classroom aide will still be in class as usual on Monday and Tuesday (she is off Wednesdays). Thank you.
Centers Begin
We are excited to welcome parents into the classroom for centers this week! If, for some reason, you are ever unable to join us on your scheduled day (illness in the family, etc.), please email me as soon as possible so that I can put an email out to the class and get a substitute for you. Please plan to come to campus at about 12:15 so that you can check in at the office first. Remember to bring your driver's license so that you can be scanned through the Raptor system to get your visitor's badge. Then head down to Room 1, and just enter the classroom through either door and wait at the back while I explain the centers to the students (and you). Discuss with your child ahead of time that when you are in the classroom, you are another teacher, and will need to be helping all the students-- in fact, sometimes parents may not even be at a center that their child goes to on that day. I try to make it work so that you work with your child, but sometimes it doesn't work out! We look forward to seeing you on your center day!
Walkathon
We are so excited for the Spooky Sprint on Friday! This is Alta Vista's biggest fundraiser, and a true community event. We will start the walking at school between 9:00 and 10:00, but any kindergartners who would like to come back and continue walking are invited to do so after school on Friday (2:40pm) with an adult (parent or friend's parent) accompanying them. The event continues until 6:00, and there will be additional booths and fun at that time, such as the Haunted Hangout and Crazy Hair. Come out and join in on this fun & worthwhile event, which supports Alta Vista's enrichment programs. If you are free and would like to walk with the class during our morning walk time 9-10am it's always nice to have more adults stationed along the track or walking with kiddos. I'll take the first 5 parents who email. :)
Spirit Day
Thursday the 12th, we will have our first school wide Spirit Day, in advance of the walkathon. Participation in these days is totally optional, but always a fun way to show your Alta Vista spirit. This Thursday's Spirit Day is a "Rainbow of Spirit." Kindergartners should wear red for our part of the rainbow.
Author Visit
Also on 10/12, we have author Trudy Ludwig coming to Alta Vista to read one of her stories and have a Q & A session with students. For more information about her and her books, visit trudyludwig.com
Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up quickly. Kindergarten conferences will begin on November 7th and end on November 17th. All conferences will be in-person in the classroom. Please note that during conference weeks, dismissal is at 1:15 daily, instead of 1:40. Conferences are for parent(s) only so that we can talk openly about your child’s progress, and there is one conference per child. Please see this document to sign up to meet with me for your child's conference.Language Arts
After this week, we will have introduced 11 letters and sounds. The letters your child should recognize & know the sounds of are: Aa, Bb, Cc, Ff, Gg, Ii, Mm, Nn, Oo, Tt, and Uu. This week, we are introducing another vowel, Aa, as well as another consonant, Gg. If you notice that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. It is also important to keep checking your child's letter formation in handwriting. Reading the weekly Fundations Family Newsletter is a great way to support your child's learning. I print them out and have them in a binder at home to work with my Kindergartener.
Our sight words this week are on and not.
Math
On Monday, we will have now introduced all numbers 0-10 and seen how they look on a 10 Frame. We will continue counting and writing numbers this week. I have noticed that many children need additional reinforcement on correct number formation. All numbers should be written by starting at the top and moving downward. Please work with your children to ensure they are forming their numbers correctly. Tips for this Module can be found here.
After this week, we will have introduced 11 letters and sounds. The letters your child should recognize & know the sounds of are: Aa, Bb, Cc, Ff, Gg, Ii, Mm, Nn, Oo, Tt, and Uu. This week, we are introducing another vowel, Aa, as well as another consonant, Gg. If you notice that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. It is also important to keep checking your child's letter formation in handwriting. Reading the weekly Fundations Family Newsletter is a great way to support your child's learning. I print them out and have them in a binder at home to work with my Kindergartener.
Our sight words this week are on and not.
Math
On Monday, we will have now introduced all numbers 0-10 and seen how they look on a 10 Frame. We will continue counting and writing numbers this week. I have noticed that many children need additional reinforcement on correct number formation. All numbers should be written by starting at the top and moving downward. Please work with your children to ensure they are forming their numbers correctly. Tips for this Module can be found here.
Kimochis
This week, the Kimochis® Character named Bug will join our classroom to teach children about the feelings left out, shy, brave, and scared. Bug is the Kimochis® Character who is thoughtful and very careful. He is very smart and loves to talk. But Bug is afraid of change, and because he is a caterpillar, this is hard for him. Although Bug is afraid, he secretly dreams of flying, but it is hard for him to try new things. Children who have a temperament like Bug’s, benefit from learning how to be brave in order to manage shy and scared feelings and try new things. It is helpful to tell your child that bravery means you might feel afraid, shy, or unsure, but you can still get yourself to say and do something that is right or try something new. In our lesson, your child learned to use positive self-talk to help Bug take his wings out and fly. This self-talk tool will help your child manage emotions and develop confidence and resilience.
**Remember to send in your child's library book by Tuesday each week so that s/he can check out a new book on Wednesday
This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Centers (Yuni & Joe)
Tuesday: Return library books, centers (Asma & Rebecca)
Wednesday: Library (Lydia & Kristi), dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday: Rainbow Spirit Day (wear red), Return white envelopes, author visit @ 1:00
Friday: Spooky Sprint from 9:00 to 10:00, Music class, Spooky Sprint continues after school (2:40 to 6:00)
Upcoming Events
Friday, 10/13: Alta Vista Walkathon
10/19-10/22: Fall Break
Tuesday, 10/24: YSI Presentation: Insects, Spiders, and other Arthropods
Tuesday, 10/31: Schoolwide Halloween Parade & Class Party
11/7-11/17: Parent-Teacher Conferences ENTIRE school is 1:15 dismissal
Friday 11/10: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day
