week of 2/5

 Parents, thank you all so much for the classroom supply donations and the shoe tying helpers! I appreciate it so much. 

We have "Snow Day" this week on Monday. See below for details on this winter-themed school day.    

I have added a few more dates on our Sign-Up Genius, If you're interested in either helping with Centers or Library, please check it out!

Spring parent-teacher conferences are coming up on March 4 through March 12. Check the sign-ups if you'd like to meet with me. These are optional conferences, but are available to anyone who would like an update on their child's progress. I would really like to meet with anyone whose child had more than two areas marked with a "B" last trimester.

Language Arts

Our sight words this week are his and to. We now are up to 31 sight words! Please check the words on the class website  to insure your child is retaining these words. 

We will begin Unit 3 of Fundations this week. Blending sounds to read and spell words is now the main focus in our reading curriculum. There are some great resources in the Unit 3 Fundations Home Support letter. 

Math

We will continue with Module 4 this week. In class, I have noticed that some children are struggling when we move away from physical counters. Encourage your children to use their fingers to find the answers. Parent tips for this module can be found here.

Kimochis

This week, your child will learn the fifth Kimochis® Key to Communication: Redo hurtful moments. This key helps us remember to own and name our mistakes by apologizing and making things right. Although younger children may not always realize when they have said or done something wrong, they need to understand why it’s important to say they’re sorry. Learning the words “I’m sorry” comes faster than the genuine feeling behind it.1 As children develop the ability to take the perspective of someone else (between ages 3 and 4), their apology skills will improve. Kimochis® Cat comes with bandages that can help young children understand that hurt feelings are like an injury that needs attention. Children who can learn to redo communication mistakes will have healthier and more successful social relationships. 

UPCOMING

Snow Day:
Snow Day will be on Monday the 5th. This is a day when the children come to school all dressed in their snow gear-- whatever items you have. Mittens, knit hats, jackets, snow boots, scarves, goggles, etc. are all welcome! Please do not buy anything special for this day, just use what you have or borrow from a friend. They wear their gear, and then we will be having a "snowball fight" among all our K classes using wadded up recycled paper just after our 10:00 recess. Children should bring a separate bag for their snow gear for taking on and off, as it gets too warm wearing some of those items all day. They also tend to get lost if we don't have a place to put them. If they fit in your child's backpack, that is fine too. Our centers on Monday will all be snow-themed. It will be so fun!

Valentines Day: 

I know that valentines are now available in most stores, and children will be asking about our celebration. We will exchange cards in class on February 14th, but this is not a "party." We have a fun celebration of friendship, exchange valentines, and take them home to show our families. So that you can prepare for this event, I wanted to share some information:

1. Please send in a card for each child. There are 24 total students in our class: 14 girls and 10 boys.
2. Please ONLY sign the card & put nothing in the TO box. It is challenging enough for kindergartners to pass out valentines to all their classmates. Having the "to" part filled out makes this extremely challenging and it takes far too long. Thank you for your help with this!
3. Please try to purchase valentines that do not have candy attached. I know those can sometimes be hard to find, but there are good choices with stickers, play tattoos, and other non-food goodies.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride 

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Snow Day, Centers @ 12:20 (Lauren & Hseu-Hwang)
Tuesday: Centers @ 12:20  (Sehwa & Kristi)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Lydia is check in/out person & we need a reader for this week, your favorite snowy themed book or even a Valentines Day themed book would be fun!), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Centers @ 12:20 (Rachna & Sehwa)
Friday:  Music @ 12:30

Upcoming Events

Monday, 2/5: Snow Day!

Wednesday, 2/14: Valentines Exchange!

2/19-2/23: Presidents' Week Vacation

3/4-3/12: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, 3/15: No School: Teacher Work Day

week of 1/30

 **No School Monday: Teacher Work Day

It was great hearing about all the kind acts of our Pandas during Kindness Week last week. I was so impressed with the things students were doing to be kind! It was wonderful emphasizing kind acts in the classroom, as well as at home. I hope you benefitted from plenty of kind acts in your home last week! One thing we discovered is it's SO EASY to be kind - just a smile, a greeting, or a hug will do it! We are going to continue building our chain in class. 

Spring parent-teacher conferences are coming up on March 4 through March 12. Here is the link to sign up. These are optional conferences, but are available to anyone who would like an update on their child's progress. As mentioned last week, I would like to meet with any parents whose child received any B's on the fall report card. If none of the available times or days work for you, please email me. I'm happy to find an alternative, since I've blocked out days/times to adjust for my personal schedule that week. Thank you!

Farewell to our classmate - Fellow classmate, Yujoon will be moving to South Korea with his family. His last day with us is this Wednesday. The pandas will be working on writing a little note to Yujoon for a class book we will gift him. If your child would like to write him a little note and/or draw a picture for him at home over the weekend, I'm sure Yujoon would be thrilled!

100 Day

This Wednesday is 100 Day! This is a fun celebration of the number 100 and being at school together for 100 days. There is a schoolwide Spirit Day on this day-- dress like you are 100 years old. As always, Spirit Days are totally optional, but very fun. I look forward to seeing many 100-year-old Pandas on Wednesday! 

Language Arts

We have many fun stories to read and 100 day themed center activities to do in honor of this special day- it will be an all week celebration. Our sight words this week are my and is. This is the last week of Unit 2 in Fundations. We will finish upper case letter instruction, covering letters Qq through Zz this week.

A big emphasis right now is using our knowledge of letter sounds, word families, and sight words to write simple sentences. Children need to be able to put together a readable sentence on their own by the end of kindergarten. Encourage your children to write and spell phonetically as often as possible to build their abilities as independent writers. Try to resist the temptation to spell words for them if they ask, rather, encourage them to "stretch the word out" and put down all the sounds they hear themselves. They can write notes to you, grocery lists, cards for family members, etc.

Math

We will continue with Module 4 this week; just the addition portion of this module will last up until President's Week Break. Parent tips for this module can be found here. I have noticed that some students need extra reinforcement with addition. Use objects you have at home such as Legos, Cheerios, pennies, etc. to encourage children to work on their addition skills.

We will also have lots of number & counting fun this week in celebration of 100 Day.

Kimochis

This week, your child will learn the fourth Kimochis® Key to Communication: Choose helping words. This key helps us to both think before we speak and consider our word choices. Typically, children acquire a basic ability to understand another’s perspective between 3 and 4 years of age. This allows them to become caring people. However, they will need modeling and practice to do so. In our lesson, we will talk about words that make hearts feel good and words that hurt feelings and your hearts. Your child knows that everybody makes mistakes and can accidentally use words that hurt. Your child will learn to use the following communication tool when hurting words are used: 1. Place your hand over your heart. 2. Show a gentle, but hurt facial expression. 3. Make eye contact with the person who hurt you. 4. Say, “Ouch” in a soft, but hurt tone. The children now know that this is a safe, kind way to express hurt feelings. If a mistake is made, family members can use this tool so they can apologize and make things better.

Upcoming Events

Valentines Day: I know that valentines are now available in most stores, and children will be asking about our celebration. We will exchange cards in class on February 14th, but this is not a "party." We have a fun celebration of friendship, exchange valentines, and take them home to show our families. So that you can prepare for this event, I wanted to share some information:

1. Please send in a card for each child. There are 24 total students in our class: 13 girls and 11 boys.
2. Please ONLY sign the card & put nothing in the TO box. It is challenging enough for kindergartners to pass out valentines to all their classmates. Having the "to" part filled out makes this extremely challenging and it takes far too long. Thank you for your help with this!
3. Please try to purchase valentines that do not have candy attached. I know those can sometimes be hard to find, but there are good choices with stickers, play tattoos, and other non-food goodies.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride (this week it's dressing like you're 100 years old instead)

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: No School: Staff Work Day
Tuesday: Centers @ 12:20  (Sehwa & Lauren)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (Reader: Steve & Check in & out: Nikta), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Centers @ 12:20 (Sehwa & Sara Frances)
Friday:  Music @ 10:20

Upcoming Events

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Wednesday, 1/31: 100th Day of School

Monday, 2/5: Snow Day

Thursday, 2/8: Art Vista @10:30

Wednesday, 2/14: Valentines Exchange

2/19-2/23: Presidents' Week Vacation

3/4-3/12: Parent-Teacher Conferences

week of 1/16

 I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. This week, we will hit the half-way mark (90th school day) in our kindergarten year. This is where the kindergarten curriculum really takes off, and your continued support with the curriculum will be especially important at this time. Reading to your children and asking them questions about what they are reading, helping them blend and read/write short vowel words (eg: hop, can, rat, etc.) and reinforcing math facts and sight words is really important at this time. 

Thank you to the parents (and grandparents!) who answered the call and have filled in a lot of the volunteer spots! If you have not had a chance to read to the class at the library or help in centers yet this year, there are still openings. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. There are short explanations on the sign up genius as well. Thank you all!

Birthdays - a few parents have asked about birthday celebrations. Here is the link from the class website: https://pugliesekindergarten.blogspot.com/p/birthday-policy.html

The class website is also linked at the bottom of my email signature. Thank you!

Language Arts

We will begin reading many snow-themed stories for the next couple of weeks, and do writing projects and crafts around this theme. The culmination of this theme will end with "Snow Day" on Monday, February 5th. Children will come to school dressed up in any winter gear they have, and we'll have some snow-themed fun! 

Our sight words this week are this and that.  Our emphasis in Fundations will continue to be blending sounds to read and write words with fluency. This week, we will also begin instruction on the formation of upper case letters, covering two letters per day. As I said last week, the Fundations Parent Letter has a lot of great tips on ways to encourage blending, as well as guides to correct formation of the upper case letters.

Math

We will continue with Module 4 this week; just the addition portion of this module will last up until President's Week Break. Parent tips for this module can be found here. I do recommend that you look these over, because there will be some new vocabulary for those of you who do not have older students who have done the Eureka math program. Of particular importance are the words "compose" (finding numbers that add up to a given number-- like 3 & 2 compose 5) "decompose" (take apart a number-- like 5 can be 4 & 1 OR 3  & 2) and number bonds (a model to show mathematical thinking).

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride.

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: NO SCHOOL: MLK Day
Tuesday: Centers @ 12:20  (Asma & Lauren)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (reader: Steve & check in/out: Rachna), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Centers @ 12:20 (Sehwa & Hseu Hwang)
Friday: Music @ 12:30

Upcoming Events

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Wednesday, 1/31: 100th Day of School

Monday, 2/5: Snow Day

Wednesday, 2/14: Valentines Exchange ( I will send a class list of student names at a later date, valentines are optional and are done at home to bring in for a little exchange).

2 day week + week of 1/8

 Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful vacation & are rested and ready to get back into the swing of things on Thursday! I wanted to thank you all again for the generous gifts I received before break. I shopped, ate meals out, and had many delicious sweet treats thanks to the Panda families!

Volunteer here! Please consider checking out the sign up genius for the classroom if you have not had a chance to come in and volunteer yet this school year. Thank you!

Smart Re-Start
We will ease into our first few days back with some fun Fairy Tale STEAM activities. We will build structures that the "Big Bad Wolf" (AKA a hair dryer!) can't blow down, and we will try and find a material to cushion Humpty Dumpty from his fall off the wall. The district calls this week a "Smart Re-Start" to get the kids excited about returning to school.

Language Arts
Next week, we will introduce two new sight words, the and she. We will begin Unit 2 of the Fundations program. The main focus of this unit is blending sounds to read words. We start with CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) three-letter words. We encourage the children to "tap" or "chop" these words into their individual sounds (see the parent letter for explicit directions on how to reinforce this), and then blend those sounds together to both read and spell the words. In this unit, we will also be reviewing the formation of several upper case letters each week. There is only one parent letter for all of Unit 2, which can be found here. There are many valuable resources and ideas for supporting the reading of CVC words in the Unit 2 parent letter, and I encourage you to check it out. 

During the week of 1/8, we will be studying bears. We will write about different attributes and habits of bears and do a few bear-themed crafts.

Math
We will begin Module 4, Number Pairs, Addition & Subtraction to 10. This is a core module in kindergarten, as it provides all the foundational skills to be successful at addition & subtraction. This module will continue for many weeks. Parent tips for this module can be found here.

Kimochis

Next week, your child will learn the second Kimochis® Key to Communication: Use a Talking Voice. This key helps children stay aware of how they use the tone and volume of their voice. Sometimes when we have upset feelings, it is easy to yell or use a tone of voice that makes the situation worse instead of better. The lesson will teach your child how to use a Talking Voice rather than a defensive, aggressive, or Fighting Voice. When we feel upset and are able to use a Talking Voice, we raise the odds that others will want to understand our feelings and resolve conflicts. Your child will also learn how to pay attention to the tone of voice of others as a way to understand the emotion behind the words. 

Our Social Studies lessons in the TCI program will also focus on solving problems with others in more effective ways.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride.

 

Week of 1/8 Helpers & Activities - There are still slots open for 2024 on the sign up genius and next week. Thank you for volunteering and supporting our class.
Monday: Centers (Lauren & Steve)
Tuesday: Centers (Rebecca & Lauren)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (We need a reader! & Asma is on check out), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Centers (2 volunteers needed!)
Friday: Music @10:20

Upcoming Events

12/21-1/3: Winter Break

Thursday, 1/4: School resumes

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Wednesday, 1/31: 100th Day of School

week of 12/17

 We have several events during this short week, so this email is mostly reminders to keep you organized during these hectic final three days!

Holiday Spirit Week

This is another schoolwide Spirit Week. Participation is always optional, but the children really enjoy seeing each other dressed up:

Monday: Snow Day: Wear beanies, mittens, scarves and anything else that keeps you warm on a "snow day."

Tuesday: We won't be able to participate due to needing to wear our Nutcracker clothes, but if your child wants to pack something in their backpack for after the show, the theme is Holiday Spirit Day: Wear anything festive that goes along with a winter holiday that you celebrate.

Wednesday: Pajama Day (both the schoolwide theme day, plus what we're wearing for our holiday breakfast party). 

Nutcracker

A reminder about clothing for the Nutcracker: please remember to dress your children in the clothes suggested in the letter sent home in the Wednesday envelope two weeks ago. Children should come to school dressed in these items on Tuesday. Those students who are wearing leotards can wear something over the top of their leotards when they arrive and change into their ballet shoes for the performance. As a reminder, here is the list:

MARIE/FRITZ: Bathrobe/pajamas & slippers
NUTCRACKER/SOLDIERS/TROPAK DANCERS: White Shirt & Dark Pants w/ dark shoes
MICE/MOUSE KING/CHOCOLATE DANCER BOYS: Dark Shirt & Dark Pants & dark shoes

CHOCOLATE DANCER GIRLS: Black leotard or t-shirt, black tights or leggings (skirt provided)
SUGAR PLUM, RIBBON CANDY, FLOWERS: Light colored leotard/light colored tights/ballet slippers or light colored shoes-- leotards with tutus attached are fine & encouraged for Sugar Plum Fairies & Flowers, especially. ***Ribbon tutu provided by the teachers for Ribbon Candies.
COFFEE DANCERS: Light colored fitted shirt w/ leggings or more form-fitting pants OR leotard w/ no tutu (we provide the Harem pants)
TEA DANCERS: Shirt doesn't matter so much (will be wearing jacket we provide) dark pants or leggings, dark shoes.

***We do apply light stage makeup for the performance, unless your child does not want it. Please let me know if you do not want any applied to your child. 

Please borrow whatever you need to borrow-- we don't intend for anyone to have to buy anything. We still have several leotards and a few pairs of ballet slippers in the classroom that are also available-- let me know if you need to borrow. I will send them home with children who want to borrow one on Monday. Please email me to let me know you'd like to borrow one.

Please arrive promptly in the cafeteria for the Nutcracker, as we intend to start the show right at 9:15. Also, please do not try to come early and save seats. We will be keeping the doors locked until about 10 minutes before the performance. If you do not have a visitor's badge from the office, you will need to get one before entering the cafeteria for the performance. As a reminder, you can check in with the office to get a visitor's badge anytime during school hours beginning on Monday. Once you have your badge, everyone will be directed to line up behind the marked cone that will be placed near the front entrance of the school until the doors are open. There are plenty of seats for everyone, so no need to stress!

Photography

We want everyone to enjoy the performance, so please refrain from standing and blocking the aisles. It is no fun to watch a performance with a raised camera or phone in front of you blocking your view.  We ask that you refrain from this behavior. If you want to take pictures, please go to the back row or off to the side. 

On another photography note, we will have Mrs. Grist’s daughter at the performance recording a video of it on an iPad. We will also be taking photographs of the children in their costumes before the performance. You will have access to these photos & the video, so that you can spend your time on Thursday enjoying the performance. The only tripod that will be set up for videos is ours-- there simply isn't space in the cafeteria for multiple tripods, so please leave your tripods at home. 

Front Row Tickets Auction
Congratulations to the winners of the auction! There will be eight seats marked in the front row marked "Reserved for Auction Winners." You & your party can sit in any of those eight seats.

Make-Up and Costuming

Thank you to Moira, Sara N., Kathy, Sehwa, Lydia, and Shereen for offering to help with getting the children ready for the performance. Please come into the classroom with the kids on Tuesday morning at the start of the school day and we will begin right away. If your plans have changed and you are no longer able to help it is no problem, just let me know. 

Holiday Party
We will have our holiday party and gift exchange on Wednesday, Dec. 20th. This is a pajama party! Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas and/or class t shirt as we enjoy a fun breakfast and crafts. Thank you to all parents who donated items and are bringing food! A big thank you to our party coordinators, Rachna & Rebecca! If you are helping for this party, I believe Rachna and Rebecca have been in touch with you.  Please come in with the kids that morning and we will get all the food set up while they are doing their morning tubs. Thank you!

Library

Although we won't go to the library this week due to our holiday party, please return your child's library book by Tuesday, as usual, so that you don't have to keep track of it over the holidays. Thank you.

Upcoming
When we return from Winter Break on January 4th, we are having a special district-wide two days called "Smart Restart." Basically, this is a school wide event for the first couple of days we return. It's a time to do fun activities to get children excited about returning to school. We will be doing some fairy tale STEM projects and having time to play to ease our way back into school. It's also a time to review classroom routines and procedures because 2 weeks off of school is a long time for Kindergarteners! 

Happy Holidays and enjoy your break!

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance

Wednesday, 12/20: Classroom Holiday Party 8:15 set up

12/21-1/3: Winter Break

Thursday, 1/4: School resumes, Smart ReStart

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day\

Thank you parents for reading the email newsletters all the way through, even during this busy time!

Week of 12/11

 Nutcracker

This week, the focus will be on all things "Nutcracker." We will be practicing daily for our show with the other kindergarten classes, so there will be no centers this week or next. We will still have library time on Wednesday, and that will be the last time we go to the library in 2023. 

Please let me know if you did not receive the purple note in your child's Wednesday envelope with their Nutcracker role. If you have any difficulty rounding up the "base clothes" that we mentioned in the letter, please let me know. Remember that all costume accessories and many costume pieces are supplied by us. We also have a number of leotards available to borrow that have been donated over the years. Thank you for your help in getting the children prepared for the show on the 19th.

You will be able to start getting visitor's badges to attend the performance, on Monday the 18th. Please bring your driver's license to the office and tell Chitra that you'd like a badge for the Nutcracker performance on the 19th. All people attending the show must go through the office first and get a visitor's badge. It's a good idea to get it on Monday so that you don't have to worry about getting caught up in a line on Tuesday morning and missing some of the show. The show will start promptly at 9:15. A few other things:

• The cafeteria doors will open at about 9:00. Please do not enter the cafeteria earlier and attempt to save seats. Anything on the seats before the doors open will be moved.
• We will record a video of the performance on an iPad and will share that video with all the families. Our iPad will be set up on a tripod for this purpose, and this is the only tripod that will be allowed in the cafeteria. Please do not bring your own tripod since there simply isn't enough room in the cafeteria for multiple tripods.
• We want everyone to enjoy the performance, so please refrain from standing and blocking the aisles. It is no fun to watch a performance with a raised camera in front of you blocking your view. The kinder team asks that you refrain from this behavior. If you want to take pictures, please go to the back row or off to the side. 

Front Row Tickets Auction:
Finally, we wanted to remind you that the Home & School Club will be auctioning off 4 pairs of front-row tickets to the show. I believe the online auction will open on Wednesday and close on Friday. All money will go to the enrichment programs that HSC supports. It's a win-win! Get front row seats AND support Alta Vista's enrichment programs. Look for the link to the auction on Wednesday.

Holiday Party
We will have our holiday party and gift exchange (socks) on Wednesday the 20th. Our co-room parents Rachna and Rebecca are planning the pancake breakfast party, so look out for an email from them... unless they have already sent it!  This is a pajama party! Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas as we enjoy a fun breakfast and crafts. Please also remember to send in a wrapped pair of socks, with a label showing who it is "from" (so your child doesn't get their own sock gift) by this Friday the 15th. Thank you! A letter went home about this last Friday in your child's backpack.

Language Arts

This week, we will wrap up the introduction of all letters and sounds with Qq and Zz! If you notice that your child does not recognize all upper & lower case letters, as well as know all letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. If you have questions about how to do this or would like resources to do during the winter break please email me. To help your child form this week's letters correctly, please see the Fundations Family Letter. In this week's newsletter, there is also an activity to review all letters and their sounds - which would be a good review for many students over the break! Our sight words this week are run and ran. These words are perfect for our Gingerbread Man unit, which we will continue this week. We have several activities and many more stories to read!

Math

This week, we have an exciting collaboration with some 8th graders who are math tutors at Union Middle School. They are going to come over and present some centers that will strengthen the kindergartners' number sense skills. We are excited to have the 8th graders join us on Tuesday.

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride.

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: No Centers-- Nutcracker Practice
Tuesday: UMS students come for math time, no afternoon centers - Nutcracker Practice
Wednesday: Library @ 9:30 (Roshan & Rachna) Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  No Centers-- Nutcracker Practice
Friday: Music

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance

Wednesday, 12/20: Classroom Holiday Party & sock exchange

12/21-1/3: Winter Break

Thursday, 1/4: School resumes

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Week of 12/4

 Hello Panda Parents, 

This week, you will receive a note telling you what your child's part will be in the Nutcracker, and what items you may need to round up for your child to wear for the performance. After reviewing what clothes your child needs to wear, please let me know if there are any problems with gathering up the various clothes needed-- most parts call for either leotards or dark pants and either a light or dark shirt. Hopefully, if there is a clothing item you do not have, you can borrow it, as we do not intend for you to have to buy anything.  We have several leotards that have been donated over the years that can be borrowed, and a few pairs of ballet slippers.  Again, the performance of the Nutcracker will be at 9:15 on the 19th. As with the Halloween Parade, you will have to go through the office and scan your driver's license into the Visitor Management System & get a visitor's badge. You will want to allow plenty of time to do this so that you are in the cafeteria when the performance starts at 9:15. There are plenty of seats, and the doors will not open before 9:00, so there is no need to line up early. If you are really hoping for a front-row seat, there will be an online auction for front row tickets that will be held next week. Look out for an email from the Home & School Club about that!

REMINDER - if your child will be gone for the Dec. 19th performance please let me know.

On another Nutcracker note, I am in need of a few people who can help with make-up and costuming on the day of the show. You will come into the classroom at the start of the day (by 8:15) and call children back one-by-one to get them ready for the performance. Please email me if you would like to help with this.

This past week we had clay glazing AND art vista! Thank you to the following parents for rolling up their sleeves and helping with these hands-on activities that students love: Srudhy, Asma,  Nikta, Aida, Shereen, & Yeonhee.  Thank you! 

Language Arts

This week's letters are Xx and Yy. For the letter Xx, we focus on the ending sound, as in fox and box. The home support letter can be found here. Our sight words this week are yes and big. 

We will finish up some Owl books and writing Owl facts this week as well! 

For the next two weeks, we will be reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man. I have a collection of many fun variations on this book that are perfect for this time of year.

Math
We are continuing with Module 3 in Eureka Math: Comparison of Weight, Length, Capacity, and Numbers to 10. Parent tips can be found here. This week, we will be looking at weight and volume of things. We will get to use the balance scales during centers to weigh various objects.

This is our final week of centers before the holidays, as next week we will be focusing on Nutcracker rehearsals. Thank you SO MUCH to our classroom helpers in 2023... there are still spots needed to be filled for 2023 on the sign up genius if you want to volunteer! And thank you for your continued support in 2024, as parent volunteering really helps activities run smoothly and allows me to work with small groups during centers. Students really love listening to parents read at the library and working with parents during centers. Thank you!

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride.

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Centers (Hseuhwag & PARENT NEEDED sign up here)
Tuesday: Centers (Lauren & Lydia)
Wednesday: Library @ 9:10 (reader - Sara N. & book check in/out PARENT NEEDED sign up here), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Centers (Sara N & PARENT NEEDED sign up here)
Friday: Music

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance

Wednesday, 12/20: Classroom Holiday Party

12/21-1/3: Winter Break

Thursday, 1/4: School resumes

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Week of 11/27

 I hope everyone is enjoying a nice week off, and you were able to enjoy some time with friends and family. We will be getting back to our regular schedule again, and are excited to have parents back in the classroom for the next two weeks for classroom centers. We have just three and a half busy weeks before we will be headed off for winter break-- it will go by quickly! In addition, it was so nice to sit down with so many of you for parent teacher conferences before the break. 

I have added some 2024 dates to the Sign-Up Genius for library & center helpers. These dates run through to our next break in February, President's Week. If you are new to volunteering, please be sure you have filled out your Volunteer Code of Conduct form at least two weeks before the first time you help out. 

There are still MANY openings in the coming weeks that lead up to the Winter Break. Remember, centers are a time for me to work with small groups of students and deliver instruction that is differentiated for their needs. It's also a fun time for you to meet your child's classmates and see your own child in action! Volunteer opportunities in the classroom significantly decrease in first grade, so now is your chance! If you have any questions about volunteering, there is information at the top of the sign up genius. Also, please feel free to email me if you have further questions. Thank you for your support!

Language Arts

This week, we will introduce two "plane line slide" letters: Vv and Ww. Handwriting tips for these letters can be found here. By the end of 2023, we will wrap up the introduction of all letters and will move onto blending sounds to read words in 2024. Our sight words this week are we and up.

Our literature this week will focus on owls. We will read both fiction and nonfiction stories about owls, and put together our own sentences and a booklet about owl facts.

Math
In math, we will begin a short unit on measurement that will take us up to Winter Break. We will be comparing length, weight, and capacity. Parent tips for this module can be found here. 

Clay

This Wednesday, we will glaze the clay projects we created a few weeks ago.  We will be begin glazing at 8:30. It's helpful if clay helpers arrive at school at 8:05 to begin setting up. Anora's mom Srudhy should be in touch with volunteers. 

Nutcracker
Looking ahead on your calendars at this busy time of year, I wanted to make sure that you are all marking your calendars for Tuesday, December 19th at 9:15 a.m.-- our performance of The Nutcracker. This is something that you will not want to miss. I have only heard from one family that they will be missing the performance. If you have not done so already, please let me know whether you will be traveling on the 19th. I will be assigning parts this week and need to know if your child will not be joining us on the stage so that I can balance out all the parts. Thank you!

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

**School spirit days are every Wednesday. Wear your Alta Vista t-shirts or your Panda t-shirts to show your school pride. This is different than I've informed you of before. After chatting with a couple of parents, I've decided to switch our t shirt to Wednesdays. The other kindergarten teachers are doing this as their class t shirt day, as not very many kiddos have alta vista spirit wear. 

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Centers (Hseu-Hwang Hsu & parent needed! Sign up here!)
Tuesday: Centers (Lauren & Aida)
Wednesday: Clay at 8:30, Library @ 9:10 (Reader and Check in/check out needed! Sign up here!) Dismissal @ 1:15

Thursday:  Centers (Sara N. & parent needed!Sign up here!)) 

Friday: Music

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance

12/21-1/3: Winter Break

Thursday, 1/4: School resumes

Monday, 1/15: No School: MLK Holiday

Monday, 1/29: No School: Teacher Work Day

Week of 11/13

 I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend with your family. In the upcoming week, we will continue parent-teacher conferences. I have enjoyed meeting with many of you so far, and have gained some great insights about your children from you. Thank you for meeting with me and being such active participants in your child's education. I look forward to meeting with the rest of you this week. For this week, early dismissal at 1:15 continues through Friday.

There will be no classroom centers again this week, due to the early dismissal. Centers will resume on Monday the 27th.

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Tuesday, 11/14 is Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. This is a schoolwide event. Please join Alta Vista in recognizing this historic event by wearing purple and walking to school on Tuesday. I don't own a lot of purple so I'm going to wear out class shirt on Tuesday this week!

Language Arts

This week's letters are Ll, Hh, and Kk. Parent tips for helping with the formation of these letters can be found here. Did you know that there is a strong link between handwriting and literacy? Studies show that kids who practice handwriting do better at reading and spelling. Forming letters by hand while learning sounds activates brain circuits that promote literacy. If you notice that your child has not yet mastered the 20 letters & sounds we've introduced so far, please print out the letter pages in Fundations that are linked in the weekly update and have your child trace over them with their finger, while repeating their sounds, watching that they are forming them correctly. The pace of kindergarten is very fast, and by the end of 2023, children should know all letters & sounds. When we return from Winter Break, we will be moving onto sounding out words to read decodable texts.

Our sight words this week are he and no.. For a list of the 15 sight words (also called high frequency words) we've introduced so far, as well as all words we'll be studying this year, please see the class website, under the tab "High Frequency Word List." Again, if you notice that your child is not able to read these sight words, please continue working on them at home.

We will continue our labeling unit in writing this week. Children will work on stretching out sounds in words to label a person, and things in a setting. 

This week, children will be sharing the turkeys that they disguised. They will each get to present their turkeys in front of the class. After Thanksgiving, we will begin circulating a book of all the turkey projects so that you can enjoy them at home with your child.

Math
In math this week, we will continue reviewing all concepts we've covered so far. We will begin a new unit on measurement after Thanksgiving.

Kimochis

This week, your child will learn the first Kimochis® Key to Communication: Get someone’s attention. Your child will learn that when we want to get someone’s attention, it is important to call that person’s name. This alerts the person to look. If your child waits for the person to look or make eye contact before speaking, it increases the odds that the people communicating will really listen to each other. Sometimes calling someone’s name is not enough. Your child learned to use a gentle tap on the shoulder to get attention. When your child knows that the listener is ready to listen, the likelihood of having a positive connection is increased. These are the three communication habits your child will learn: 1. Call the person by name. 2. Wait for eye contact before speaking. 3. Use a Communication Tap (a gentle tap on the shoulder two or three times) to gain attention or eye contact. Now it’s time to speak because we are both focused on the communication interaction.

Nutcracker
Looking ahead on your calendars at this busy time of year, I wanted to make sure that you all mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 19th at 9:15 a.m.-- our performance of The Nutcracker. This is an annual kindergarten favorite. If you are heading out of town that week and your child won't be at school on the 19th, please let me know so that I can plan parts accordingly. 

Also, a reminder as the holidays are approaching, if you are taking a trip that will result in your child missing at least 3 days of school, please see the office ASAP to get an Independent Study Packet. You must notify the office at least 2 weeks in advance of your trip to be eligible. When you take out an Independent Study, your child will get some school work and the school will get credit for your child's attendance, securing ADA money, so it's a win-win. It's also helpful and courteous to let your child's teacher know if your child is going to miss school, even if it's just a day or 2, especially with all of the events before a holiday break. It really helps with planning!

**Library is every Wednesday. Please return your child's library book by Tuesday each week.

 

This Week's Helpers & Activities
Monday: Dismissal at 1:15
Tuesday: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, Dismissal at 1:15
Wednesday: Library @ 9:30 (Nima & Lydia), Dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday:  Art Vista at 10:30-11:30, Dismissal at 1:15
Friday: Dismissal at 1:15.

Upcoming Events

11/7-11/17: Parent-Teacher Conferences-- dismissal @ 1:15 daily

Tuesday, 11/14: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day-- wear purple

11/20-11/24: Thanksgiving Break

Tuesday, 12/19 @ 9:15 am: Nutcracker Performance

12/21-1/3: Winter Break