|
It's hard to believe that it is already October! It has been a great start to the year! The children are settling into our kindergarten routine, working hard, and making new friends. Thank you for helping make the transition into kindergarten successful!
Fall Conferences Fall conferences will begin on Tuesday, October 2nd. Be sure to sign up for a conference. These conferences will be a time for you to tell me anything about your child that you want me to know. We will also talk about your child’s transition into kindergarten and some of the skills s/he has demonstrated. Balanced Literacy Phonics: In phonics, we will work on letter recognition, letter formation, phonological awareness (the understanding that spoken language consists of parts- sentences, words, syllables, sounds), and sound mastery. This month in Fundations we will learn the following letters and their sounds: T (Tt-top-/t/), B (Bb-bat-/b/), F (Ff-fan-/f/) and N (Nn-nut-/n/). Be on the lookout with your kindergartner for words with these sounds. Writing: Last week we launched Writer's Workshop. The authors are busy working on telling a story using pictures. We learned that a picture can tell a story. We will begin learning that we, as authors, have an important job of adding details that tell our readers what our story is about. We will work on adding details that tell what we were doing, where we were, and who we were with. This month we will also expand our writing by labeling objects in our pictures. We will learn that labels can also give our readers important information about our stories. Students will work on “turtle talking”- saying words very slooooowly to hear the sounds more clearly. We will also learn how to use the alphabet chart to help us with writing these sounds. The kindergartners write their stories based on their true experiences and happenings from their lives. It would be very helpful for families to talk about which of their many adventures, large and small, might make a good story. Read Alouds, Shared Reading and Poems: This month we will be reading a variety of books and poems about fall, as well as Halloween. When we are reading we will be talking about the parts of the book, including the cover and title. We will also be talking about the direction we read and what to do at the end of a line, which is called a return sweep. These are all introductory skills that develop each reader’s understanding about print. Social StudiesDuring the month of October we will be studying fall. We will be discussing what the weather is like, what we wear, the holidays we celebrate, what activities we do and what animals do. Students will also make observations on how our environment changes and record their observations. Math We have been establishing routines for math time and becoming familiar with our math materials. We will begin to introduce number writing and counting strategies through interactive games and activities. Social/Emotional Skills: Social/emotional development is an important component of kindergarten. Often times these skills are developed through open-ended conversations based on what we see and hear happening in the classroom. Some things that we will continue to talk about this month include sharing, classroom rules, and expectations, as well as respecting each other and materials. . Lunches When your child stays for his/her long days, he/she can order food from food services. For more information, log on our school website https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/799 click on the food services link. It will direct you to the Newton food services page.Once again, please look at the menu at home and help your child know if he/she is ordering school lunch. Classroom Wish List I will occasionally post a classroom wish list on our classroom website. This list includes items that will enhance our curriculum or help with the daily routine. Providing these items is totally voluntary – please do not feel any obligation! If you would like to participate, the list is posted on our website. Thank you! Housekeeping With the first month of school under our belt we are ready to move full steam ahead. The children are building skills and becoming more independent each day. They really do feel proud when they are able to start the morning routine independently. Please allow your child to carry his/her own backpack and lunchbox. Of course I am happy to help if there is a need. Thank you! Keep Connected Please continue to be in touch about any issue – big or small! The best way to reach me is through email. courtney_bonzey@newton.k12.ma.us Comments are closed.
|