Dear Families,
Thank you for the generous gifts and surprises this week. I loved the homemade Christmas tree poster with all of the kids’ names and their decorations! Hopefully you were able to see the final product too (hung on the door)! Thank you also for the cards and kind wishes. I appreciate all the support and generosity!
This week was filled with many busy activities. We spent much of the time finishing our holiday presents for you! These presents are a combination of writing, art, social studies, and computer skills. We also learned how to make pop-up cards for you! We hope you like our gift and will be able to use it next year!
We also had several special events this week such as a fire drill on Monday, making snowflakes with our buddies on Tuesday, watching the Upper Grade Musical on Wednesday, and we had music with Ms. Disney on Thursday! Mrs. Kang (Woojin’s mother) even brought her violin during music class and accompanied us while we sang and danced to “Jingle Bells!” Thank you!
Today was our Polar Express Day! The classroom was set-up like a train when the kids arrived in the morning. They sat down in the train just like the children in the book (who are also wearing their pajamas!). I read them the Polar Express story and each child received a silver bell just like in the story. The children on the Polar Express also drank hot chocolate, so we did as well! We also did a kindness activity where we delivered hot chocolate to all the teachers and staff around the school. One of the most important concepts for me during the holiday season is for students to understand “giving”. So often, kids are self-centered and focused on receiving gifts and wanting more. I hope that we can teach kids that giving and helping others is so much more rewarding then getting something. Afterwards, we watched the movie version of Polar Express!
I hope your family has a wonderful holiday vacation. I plan on staying local the first week to hang out with my family and my husband’s family (they all live in the area). We are spending Christmas at my sister’s house in Santa Clara. During the second week, my husband and I plan on going to Tahoe to snowboard a few days. This is my favorite time of the year and I just know it’s going to fly by! I will see you all when we return on Monday, January 4th. For those of you who are traveling, I hope you have safe travels! Happy 2010!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Friday, December 18th: ALL KINDERS COME FROM 9:00AM to 12:20PM.
We will be having a Polar Express Day! Please come to school in your pajamas (with a jacket of course) and bring your favorite stuffed animal to school. We will pretend to be the children on the Polar Express Train and we will even get to eat cookies and have hot chocolate!
NOTE: If you are a Friday sharer, please bring your sharing the day before, on Thursday, December 17th to present.
* Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st: NO SCHOOL – Winter Vacation
Have a wonderful two week vacation!
* Monday, January 4th: School Resumes
Happy New Year!
-----
Dear Families,
It has been really really cold lately. Make sure to send your children in warm jackets and remember to label everything! We have a few items in the classroom that have no names and have not been claimed. I remind the children to wear their jackets on our way out to recess and lunch, but even then it is still cold! Stay warm! Also, some students are still unable to open their own snacks. Please put their snacks in something they can open themselves, such as a ziplock bag for crackers or cookies. Thank you!
Once you are on the Eaton campus, it would be nice to keep consistent rules with the regular day. Please help to keep your child accountable before and after school. One example is that we always walk on the blacktop. Please do not let your child run through the hallways or run to get into line in the morning, or run around after school. We have to use walking feet, except on the grass. Another example is to patiently wait in line for our turn. Please have your child line up in the morning in order of arrival. Please do not let them cut in line, and also help to remind them that it’s ok to be first or last. Finally, we remember to respect others. Make sure your child is keeping their hands and feet to themselves, and also using nice words to talk about others. Keeping these consistent rules inside and outside of school will help your child remember to follow Eaton rules.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Star of the Week: Kumiko
• Language Arts: This week we started reading some Gingerbread Man stories. There are a lot of variations of the story, but we read the Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Baby, and Gingerbread Friends. During our Friday centers, we made our own gingerbread men using white paint and brown paper. We also made a mini book about eating different body parts of the gingerbread man!
• Social Studies: We are continuing our 3-week Social Studies project on the holidays, seasons, and months. Also, almost all of us have some sight words memorized such as the, month, for, and is! It is really important that at this time of the year, the children begin mastered their handwriting of little and big letters.
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote a sentence about what we think of when we hear “December.” We illustrated our pictures and checked our handwriting. We are trying to get into the habit of using capitals, spaces, and periods! It is still hard for some students to remember to check their work!
• Math: This week we practiced counting using ordinal numbers, such as first, second, third, etc. We learned that we use ordinal numbers when we say the date, and when we interview our Star of the Week! We practiced counting different objects that were in order. We also talked about graphs, and answered questions using the words more, less, or favorite. A new concept we talked about is odd and even numbers. We learned that odd numbers are the ones that “don’t have a friend,” whereas even numbers get all paired up and all have friends!
• Art: Ms. Abada came to our classroom on Tuesday and told us a Shape story. We used different shaped sponges and different color paints to stamp a picture of our choice. Students used their creativity to stamp flowers, trees, trains, and other pictures! You will see these pictures in today’s Folder.
• Computer Lab: This week we learned a new software program called Kidspiration. This program is usually used for brainstorming ideas in older grades. For our lesson, we chose pictures to match the different months of the year. We had to think about different special days throughout the year and make sure our pictures fit the season or month. This lesson will continue next week.
• Library: Thank you for returning your library books and homework folders each Friday. Our class has been great about checking out new books each week! I still have to remind some children that library is for reading books and not for playing or interacting with friends!
Our classroom is decorated with different holiday projects! If you haven’t already, you can see photos of our December decorations in the “Photos” section of our website! Also in the “Photos” section, I added my dance group’s latest performance called “Life.” My dance group is called Eight Count, and we performed this routine at the last Sunday Service. This is just a fun celebratory piece and we were excited to actually have audience participation! Enjoy!
I can’t believe it is already the last week of school for 2009. I don’t know how time is flying by so quickly! Next week will be really busy for the kids as we will be finishing up our major projects. Your child will be bringing home the homework envelope with a new library book and journal, but next week there will be NO homework packet. Please return the envelope on Friday as usual.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay dry!
* Friday, December 18th: ALL KINDERS COME FROM 9:00AM to 12:20PM.
We will be having a Polar Express Day! Please come to school in your pajamas (with a jacket of course) and bring your favorite stuffed animal to school. We will pretend to be the children on the Polar Express Train and we will even get to eat cookies and have hot chocolate!
NOTE: If you are a Friday sharer, please bring your sharing the day before, on Thursday, December 17th to present.
* Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st: NO SCHOOL – Winter Vacation
Have a wonderful two week vacation!
* Monday, January 4th: School Resumes
Happy New Year!
-----
Dear Families,
It has been really really cold lately. Make sure to send your children in warm jackets and remember to label everything! We have a few items in the classroom that have no names and have not been claimed. I remind the children to wear their jackets on our way out to recess and lunch, but even then it is still cold! Stay warm! Also, some students are still unable to open their own snacks. Please put their snacks in something they can open themselves, such as a ziplock bag for crackers or cookies. Thank you!
Once you are on the Eaton campus, it would be nice to keep consistent rules with the regular day. Please help to keep your child accountable before and after school. One example is that we always walk on the blacktop. Please do not let your child run through the hallways or run to get into line in the morning, or run around after school. We have to use walking feet, except on the grass. Another example is to patiently wait in line for our turn. Please have your child line up in the morning in order of arrival. Please do not let them cut in line, and also help to remind them that it’s ok to be first or last. Finally, we remember to respect others. Make sure your child is keeping their hands and feet to themselves, and also using nice words to talk about others. Keeping these consistent rules inside and outside of school will help your child remember to follow Eaton rules.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Star of the Week: Kumiko
• Language Arts: This week we started reading some Gingerbread Man stories. There are a lot of variations of the story, but we read the Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Baby, and Gingerbread Friends. During our Friday centers, we made our own gingerbread men using white paint and brown paper. We also made a mini book about eating different body parts of the gingerbread man!
• Social Studies: We are continuing our 3-week Social Studies project on the holidays, seasons, and months. Also, almost all of us have some sight words memorized such as the, month, for, and is! It is really important that at this time of the year, the children begin mastered their handwriting of little and big letters.
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote a sentence about what we think of when we hear “December.” We illustrated our pictures and checked our handwriting. We are trying to get into the habit of using capitals, spaces, and periods! It is still hard for some students to remember to check their work!
• Math: This week we practiced counting using ordinal numbers, such as first, second, third, etc. We learned that we use ordinal numbers when we say the date, and when we interview our Star of the Week! We practiced counting different objects that were in order. We also talked about graphs, and answered questions using the words more, less, or favorite. A new concept we talked about is odd and even numbers. We learned that odd numbers are the ones that “don’t have a friend,” whereas even numbers get all paired up and all have friends!
• Art: Ms. Abada came to our classroom on Tuesday and told us a Shape story. We used different shaped sponges and different color paints to stamp a picture of our choice. Students used their creativity to stamp flowers, trees, trains, and other pictures! You will see these pictures in today’s Folder.
• Computer Lab: This week we learned a new software program called Kidspiration. This program is usually used for brainstorming ideas in older grades. For our lesson, we chose pictures to match the different months of the year. We had to think about different special days throughout the year and make sure our pictures fit the season or month. This lesson will continue next week.
• Library: Thank you for returning your library books and homework folders each Friday. Our class has been great about checking out new books each week! I still have to remind some children that library is for reading books and not for playing or interacting with friends!
Our classroom is decorated with different holiday projects! If you haven’t already, you can see photos of our December decorations in the “Photos” section of our website! Also in the “Photos” section, I added my dance group’s latest performance called “Life.” My dance group is called Eight Count, and we performed this routine at the last Sunday Service. This is just a fun celebratory piece and we were excited to actually have audience participation! Enjoy!
I can’t believe it is already the last week of school for 2009. I don’t know how time is flying by so quickly! Next week will be really busy for the kids as we will be finishing up our major projects. Your child will be bringing home the homework envelope with a new library book and journal, but next week there will be NO homework packet. Please return the envelope on Friday as usual.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay dry!
Friday, December 04, 2009
December 4, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Friday, December 18th: ALL KINDERS COME FROM 9:00AM to 12:20PM.
We will be having a Polar Express Day! Please come to school in your pajamas (with a jacket of course) and bring your favorite stuffed animal to school. We will pretend to be the children on the Polar Express Train and we will even get to eat cookies and have hot chocolate!
NOTE: If you are a Friday sharer, please bring your sharing the day before, on Thursday, December 17th to present.
* Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st: NO SCHOOL – Winter Vacation
Have a wonderful two week vacation!
* Monday, January 4th: School Resumes
Happy New Year!
-----
Dear Families,
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, my father went to the emergency room early Thanksgiving morning for stomach pains, and ended up staying at the hospital for 3 days. The good news is they couldn’t find any cancer or tumor causing the blockage in his stomach, and he was able to go home Saturday night. However, he has to remain on a liquid or soft food diet for a while, and has more outpatient treatments to receive. Although it was not a happy weekend for our family, we are thankful that he is free of any serious diagnosis.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: During the next 3 weeks, we will not be doing our regular language arts activities such as letter of the week or literacy centers. Instead, we are working on our reading and writing through a social studies project. We are learning about the months of the year and special days that occur each month. We are writing a sentence that describes something about each month, and we are making crafts to match our writing. We are remembering to use capitals, spaces, and periods in our sentences.
• Writing: In addition to our social studies project, we read some stories about Santa this week. We wrote a letter to Santa and tried to tell him three reasons why we have been good this year. Then we wrote what our wish was. These letters are always very adorable, and you can read them on our website under “Classwork!”
• Math: This week we continued reviewing our numbers and worked on 8, 9, and 10. We are practicing to identify 10 quickly by using a ten-frame. We are also continuing to write math sentences using the plus and equals sign. Another vocabulary word we use often is “in all.” One area that is difficult for students is to answer “How many more?” in word problems using illustrations. An example is (and I would read this orally): 10 players are needed to play a game. Right now there are only 3 players. How many more players do they need? We practiced this type of word problem this week.
• Social Studies: In addition to our months and special days project, we are learning about holidays around the world. This week we learned a Hanukkah poem and also made a menorah which is the object that holds all the candles. Also, we learned about another holiday called Kwanzaa and made a unity cup that is used to show unity within family members.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by Kirk Waller who is a storyteller of African American folktales. This was a good opportunity to hear oral storytelling from a culture different than ours.
• Computer Lab: We illustrated a poem this week called, “First Day of Winter.” We learned that December 21st is the first day of winter, and we drew a picture that shows what a snow scene would look like from inside our homes. They drew snow, icicles, and snowflakes!
• Library: We had a discussion this week about picking a book that is right for us. I am encouraging students to look at the amount of words on each page, and make sure that it is an appropriate amount for mom or dad to read. We don’t want to pick books with all words and very little pictures. I understand that sometimes the library book your child chooses is too long or difficult, and it is definitely ok to use another book for the homework journals if necessary. Remember that these library books are primarily for you to read aloud to your child. If you want a book that is at their reading level, you may have to go to the public library and pick books that are simpler to read.
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney last week for our make up class, as well as yesterday during our normal schedule. Last week, we learned songs about turkeys and also played a movement game using skipping. We played a game to the tune of “Skip to My Lou.” This week we started to learn holiday songs. We used bells and sticks to sing and follow the beat to the song, “Jingle Bells.” Some of us even danced during the song!
• Art: We finished our handprint wreaths this week by adding a red bow and “berries.” We used our fingerprints and a red stamp to make the berries. Also, we made a Santa face with a curly beard to illustrate our Dear Santa letters.
• Star of the Week: Matthew C. was our Star last week over Thanksgiving, and this week it will be Colleen! You can still go to “Classwork” to read about the Stars, but now I also added a link under “Curriculum” and “Star of the Week” for you to read about our stars!
Your child is bringing home the turkey feather your family made. Thank you for spending time to decorate the feathers. I was amazed at all the creative ideas and material that was used and our class turkey was truly special! Thank you also for those of you who brought band-aids for our class!
Please remember to follow the traffic rules at Eaton school. There was an accident after school on Wednesday afternoon by Suisun and Blaney. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, however, it could have been very bad. Always use the sidewalk and look before crossing the street. Please keep your child close to you and do not let them run into the parking lot or street! Thank you for keeping everyone at Eaton safe!
* Friday, December 18th: ALL KINDERS COME FROM 9:00AM to 12:20PM.
We will be having a Polar Express Day! Please come to school in your pajamas (with a jacket of course) and bring your favorite stuffed animal to school. We will pretend to be the children on the Polar Express Train and we will even get to eat cookies and have hot chocolate!
NOTE: If you are a Friday sharer, please bring your sharing the day before, on Thursday, December 17th to present.
* Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st: NO SCHOOL – Winter Vacation
Have a wonderful two week vacation!
* Monday, January 4th: School Resumes
Happy New Year!
-----
Dear Families,
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, my father went to the emergency room early Thanksgiving morning for stomach pains, and ended up staying at the hospital for 3 days. The good news is they couldn’t find any cancer or tumor causing the blockage in his stomach, and he was able to go home Saturday night. However, he has to remain on a liquid or soft food diet for a while, and has more outpatient treatments to receive. Although it was not a happy weekend for our family, we are thankful that he is free of any serious diagnosis.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: During the next 3 weeks, we will not be doing our regular language arts activities such as letter of the week or literacy centers. Instead, we are working on our reading and writing through a social studies project. We are learning about the months of the year and special days that occur each month. We are writing a sentence that describes something about each month, and we are making crafts to match our writing. We are remembering to use capitals, spaces, and periods in our sentences.
• Writing: In addition to our social studies project, we read some stories about Santa this week. We wrote a letter to Santa and tried to tell him three reasons why we have been good this year. Then we wrote what our wish was. These letters are always very adorable, and you can read them on our website under “Classwork!”
• Math: This week we continued reviewing our numbers and worked on 8, 9, and 10. We are practicing to identify 10 quickly by using a ten-frame. We are also continuing to write math sentences using the plus and equals sign. Another vocabulary word we use often is “in all.” One area that is difficult for students is to answer “How many more?” in word problems using illustrations. An example is (and I would read this orally): 10 players are needed to play a game. Right now there are only 3 players. How many more players do they need? We practiced this type of word problem this week.
• Social Studies: In addition to our months and special days project, we are learning about holidays around the world. This week we learned a Hanukkah poem and also made a menorah which is the object that holds all the candles. Also, we learned about another holiday called Kwanzaa and made a unity cup that is used to show unity within family members.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by Kirk Waller who is a storyteller of African American folktales. This was a good opportunity to hear oral storytelling from a culture different than ours.
• Computer Lab: We illustrated a poem this week called, “First Day of Winter.” We learned that December 21st is the first day of winter, and we drew a picture that shows what a snow scene would look like from inside our homes. They drew snow, icicles, and snowflakes!
• Library: We had a discussion this week about picking a book that is right for us. I am encouraging students to look at the amount of words on each page, and make sure that it is an appropriate amount for mom or dad to read. We don’t want to pick books with all words and very little pictures. I understand that sometimes the library book your child chooses is too long or difficult, and it is definitely ok to use another book for the homework journals if necessary. Remember that these library books are primarily for you to read aloud to your child. If you want a book that is at their reading level, you may have to go to the public library and pick books that are simpler to read.
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney last week for our make up class, as well as yesterday during our normal schedule. Last week, we learned songs about turkeys and also played a movement game using skipping. We played a game to the tune of “Skip to My Lou.” This week we started to learn holiday songs. We used bells and sticks to sing and follow the beat to the song, “Jingle Bells.” Some of us even danced during the song!
• Art: We finished our handprint wreaths this week by adding a red bow and “berries.” We used our fingerprints and a red stamp to make the berries. Also, we made a Santa face with a curly beard to illustrate our Dear Santa letters.
• Star of the Week: Matthew C. was our Star last week over Thanksgiving, and this week it will be Colleen! You can still go to “Classwork” to read about the Stars, but now I also added a link under “Curriculum” and “Star of the Week” for you to read about our stars!
Your child is bringing home the turkey feather your family made. Thank you for spending time to decorate the feathers. I was amazed at all the creative ideas and material that was used and our class turkey was truly special! Thank you also for those of you who brought band-aids for our class!
Please remember to follow the traffic rules at Eaton school. There was an accident after school on Wednesday afternoon by Suisun and Blaney. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, however, it could have been very bad. Always use the sidewalk and look before crossing the street. Please keep your child close to you and do not let them run into the parking lot or street! Thank you for keeping everyone at Eaton safe!
Friday, November 20, 2009
November 20, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th: Short Week of School
Since we only have school for 2 days next week, there will be no sharing, no homework, and no library journals. In fact, your child doesn’t need to bring his or her backpack or his or her daily folder. All they need is their snack or lunch for both days. Thanks!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
* Monday, November 30th: December Scholastic Book Orders Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Tuesday, December 1st: November Monthly Homework Due
I will send home the December monthly homework in Monday’s homework envelope.
* Friday, December 4th: Report Cards Go Home
I will send home your child’s progress report for the first trimester of school. Please keep the progress report at home and return the envelope to school. Thank you!
-----
Dear Families,
On Monday, we had a Disaster Drill in the afternoon. We practiced what would happen if there was a big earthquake. We even had scenarios to follow such as injuries, blocked doors, or missing students. I am on the Search and Rescue team, and we practiced searching all the buildings on campus and bringing the “injured” people to First Aid. I had to wear a hard hat, vest, and gloves, and carried a walkie talkie to communicate with the Command Center. This is a great opportunity for the staff and students to review our emergency duties and to rehearse them. The whole drill took about an hour, which the afternoon class participated in.
Remember that in the case of a real emergency, please check your home first before coming to Eaton. When you arrive at Eaton, you must have identification on you (i.e. license) in order to release your child. Also, we can only release students to parents or the emergency contact person you designated on the Health Card from the first day of school. This is obviously for safety and liability reasons. Overall, the drill was stressful and crazy, but a success!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Shaunak
o Letter of the Week: V
o Story of the Week: Where the Wild Things Are
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Onset and Rime, Blending Phonemes
o Strategy Focus: Predict / Infer
o Comprehension: Cause and Effect
o High-Frequency Word: a, to
o Concepts of Print: Word Spacing, Matching Spoken Words to Print
• Writing: This week we tried to answer a question in our journals all by ourselves. The question was, “What do you like to eat?” Each student was asked to write the answer to the question in a complete sentence. They were allowed to use the Word Wall Words to help them spell words. Afterwards, we came together as a class to see if we answered the question correctly. Many students only wrote “pizza” or “ice cream” or whatever the food they liked was, instead of a complete sentence. Other students forgot the capital letters, spaces, or periods. Some students remembered everything they need in a complete sentence! We worked together on the white board to correctly answer the question with: “I like to eat ___.”
• Math: We continued talking about numbers, specifically 6 and 7 this week. We practiced counting up to 6 and 7 using different number combinations, and we worked on counting forwards and backwards using pictures or words. I also introduced math sentences this week. We learned how math sentences are made up of numbers and symbols such as plus and equals. We practiced different math sentences that equaled 6 or 7.
• Social Studies: This week we learned a lot about the history of Thanksgiving. We read many stories about the Pilgrims and Native Americans. We learned how the Pilgrims came to America in a boat called the Mayflower, and how the Native Americans shared their knowledge of how to grow food and take care of the Earth. We talked about the meaning of Thanksgiving, and how the Pilgrims and Native Americans ate a big feast together. We are still working on our Thanksgiving stories.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Banana Slug Band. The topic of the assembly was Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. They taught us about how we can help to take care of the environment and the Earth using music!
• Art: We saw Ms. Abada on Tuesday this week! She taught a lesson using the book "Where the Wild Things Are". She read the book and talked about opposites. She asked them, "What is the opposite of a scary monster?" Students made pictures using hand torn construction paper. On one side we made a monster and the other side was an "opposite of a monster.”
• Computer Lab: We finished our Turkey drawings in Kidpix that we had started 2 weeks ago. These drawings go with our “Here is a Turkey” poem, about a turkey running away from the farmer. Last time we made the turkey, and this time we learned how to draw a nice background such as a barn and a fence.
Next week is a very short week, so no sharing, homework, or library! Instead of library on Monday during overlap, we will be having our make-up music session with Ms. Disney since she was absent last week. We will also be finishing our Thanksgiving stories, and we will be making a Thanksgiving mat with our buddies! Finally, we will have our November treat, which will be pumpkin pie! Many students have not tasted the traditional dessert for Thanksgiving, and we will each have a slice to taste. Please let me know if your child is allergic or cannot have any. Thank you to the families who are donating the treats for this month. One more donation request: we need more small band-aids (not the regular size). If you find a box somewhere that sells the small size, we would love to have them! Thanks!
* Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th: Short Week of School
Since we only have school for 2 days next week, there will be no sharing, no homework, and no library journals. In fact, your child doesn’t need to bring his or her backpack or his or her daily folder. All they need is their snack or lunch for both days. Thanks!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
* Monday, November 30th: December Scholastic Book Orders Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Tuesday, December 1st: November Monthly Homework Due
I will send home the December monthly homework in Monday’s homework envelope.
* Friday, December 4th: Report Cards Go Home
I will send home your child’s progress report for the first trimester of school. Please keep the progress report at home and return the envelope to school. Thank you!
-----
Dear Families,
On Monday, we had a Disaster Drill in the afternoon. We practiced what would happen if there was a big earthquake. We even had scenarios to follow such as injuries, blocked doors, or missing students. I am on the Search and Rescue team, and we practiced searching all the buildings on campus and bringing the “injured” people to First Aid. I had to wear a hard hat, vest, and gloves, and carried a walkie talkie to communicate with the Command Center. This is a great opportunity for the staff and students to review our emergency duties and to rehearse them. The whole drill took about an hour, which the afternoon class participated in.
Remember that in the case of a real emergency, please check your home first before coming to Eaton. When you arrive at Eaton, you must have identification on you (i.e. license) in order to release your child. Also, we can only release students to parents or the emergency contact person you designated on the Health Card from the first day of school. This is obviously for safety and liability reasons. Overall, the drill was stressful and crazy, but a success!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Shaunak
o Letter of the Week: V
o Story of the Week: Where the Wild Things Are
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Onset and Rime, Blending Phonemes
o Strategy Focus: Predict / Infer
o Comprehension: Cause and Effect
o High-Frequency Word: a, to
o Concepts of Print: Word Spacing, Matching Spoken Words to Print
• Writing: This week we tried to answer a question in our journals all by ourselves. The question was, “What do you like to eat?” Each student was asked to write the answer to the question in a complete sentence. They were allowed to use the Word Wall Words to help them spell words. Afterwards, we came together as a class to see if we answered the question correctly. Many students only wrote “pizza” or “ice cream” or whatever the food they liked was, instead of a complete sentence. Other students forgot the capital letters, spaces, or periods. Some students remembered everything they need in a complete sentence! We worked together on the white board to correctly answer the question with: “I like to eat ___.”
• Math: We continued talking about numbers, specifically 6 and 7 this week. We practiced counting up to 6 and 7 using different number combinations, and we worked on counting forwards and backwards using pictures or words. I also introduced math sentences this week. We learned how math sentences are made up of numbers and symbols such as plus and equals. We practiced different math sentences that equaled 6 or 7.
• Social Studies: This week we learned a lot about the history of Thanksgiving. We read many stories about the Pilgrims and Native Americans. We learned how the Pilgrims came to America in a boat called the Mayflower, and how the Native Americans shared their knowledge of how to grow food and take care of the Earth. We talked about the meaning of Thanksgiving, and how the Pilgrims and Native Americans ate a big feast together. We are still working on our Thanksgiving stories.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Banana Slug Band. The topic of the assembly was Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. They taught us about how we can help to take care of the environment and the Earth using music!
• Art: We saw Ms. Abada on Tuesday this week! She taught a lesson using the book "Where the Wild Things Are". She read the book and talked about opposites. She asked them, "What is the opposite of a scary monster?" Students made pictures using hand torn construction paper. On one side we made a monster and the other side was an "opposite of a monster.”
• Computer Lab: We finished our Turkey drawings in Kidpix that we had started 2 weeks ago. These drawings go with our “Here is a Turkey” poem, about a turkey running away from the farmer. Last time we made the turkey, and this time we learned how to draw a nice background such as a barn and a fence.
Next week is a very short week, so no sharing, homework, or library! Instead of library on Monday during overlap, we will be having our make-up music session with Ms. Disney since she was absent last week. We will also be finishing our Thanksgiving stories, and we will be making a Thanksgiving mat with our buddies! Finally, we will have our November treat, which will be pumpkin pie! Many students have not tasted the traditional dessert for Thanksgiving, and we will each have a slice to taste. Please let me know if your child is allergic or cannot have any. Thank you to the families who are donating the treats for this month. One more donation request: we need more small band-aids (not the regular size). If you find a box somewhere that sells the small size, we would love to have them! Thanks!
Friday, November 13, 2009
November 13, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter V
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
Our turkey looks beautiful! Thank you for spending time with your child this past week to create unique and colorful feathers for our turkey! I have uploaded the November class decorations on the “Photos” section of our website. Take a look at our class turkey, as well as some of the other projects we have done so far!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We didn’t get to finish our computer dictionary letters this week since we didn’t have school on Wednesday. We will make them up next week.
o Star of the Week: Sean
o Letter of the Week: H
o Story of the Week: The Accidental Zucchini
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Onset and Rime, Blending Phonemes
o Strategy Focus: Question
o Comprehension: Text Organization and Summarizing
o High-Frequency Word: a
o Concepts of Print: Word Spacing, First Letter in a Written Word
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about how many family members we have. We counted the number of people in our families and talked about the difference between our immediate family and our extended family.
• Math: We practiced our numbers from 0-10. We also took an assessment test on Monday that reviewed everything we’ve learned so far in Kindergarten, including patterns, shapes, sorting, math vocabulary, and graphs.
• Social Studies: In addition to talking about Thanksgiving, we have been focusing on family this week. We read the story, Shoes From Grandpa, and talked about our families. We also talked more about turkeys and learned what Indian corn looks like.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Dairy Council. We met Leona the Cow and learned about nutrition and healthy living.
• Music: The music teacher was sick on Thursday so our music was cancelled.
• Buddies: On Tuesday, we made a turkey using our hands and feet! We traced our feet on brown paper to make the turkey’s body, and then we traced our hands on colorful paper to make the turkey feathers!
• PE: We practiced jumping, hopping, and skipping this week!
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter V
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
Our turkey looks beautiful! Thank you for spending time with your child this past week to create unique and colorful feathers for our turkey! I have uploaded the November class decorations on the “Photos” section of our website. Take a look at our class turkey, as well as some of the other projects we have done so far!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We didn’t get to finish our computer dictionary letters this week since we didn’t have school on Wednesday. We will make them up next week.
o Star of the Week: Sean
o Letter of the Week: H
o Story of the Week: The Accidental Zucchini
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Onset and Rime, Blending Phonemes
o Strategy Focus: Question
o Comprehension: Text Organization and Summarizing
o High-Frequency Word: a
o Concepts of Print: Word Spacing, First Letter in a Written Word
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about how many family members we have. We counted the number of people in our families and talked about the difference between our immediate family and our extended family.
• Math: We practiced our numbers from 0-10. We also took an assessment test on Monday that reviewed everything we’ve learned so far in Kindergarten, including patterns, shapes, sorting, math vocabulary, and graphs.
• Social Studies: In addition to talking about Thanksgiving, we have been focusing on family this week. We read the story, Shoes From Grandpa, and talked about our families. We also talked more about turkeys and learned what Indian corn looks like.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Dairy Council. We met Leona the Cow and learned about nutrition and healthy living.
• Music: The music teacher was sick on Thursday so our music was cancelled.
• Buddies: On Tuesday, we made a turkey using our hands and feet! We traced our feet on brown paper to make the turkey’s body, and then we traced our hands on colorful paper to make the turkey feathers!
• PE: We practiced jumping, hopping, and skipping this week!
Friday, November 06, 2009
November 6, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter H
* Sunday, November 8th: November Scholastic Books Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Monday, November 9th: Turkey Feathers Due
On Monday, you received a large posterboard with a drawing of a large feather. Please read the directions that were attached to the posterboard and decorate the feather as a family project. Please do not use any food! You may use any other types of material – try to be creative! We will combine all the feathers and attach them to our class turkey bulletin board for Thanksgiving! Please return them by Monday, November 9th. Thank you!
* Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day
This is a strange day off in the middle of the week! Mark your calendars! If you are a Wednesday sharer, please share on Tuesday or Thursday next week!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
I’ve been updating the website every week with our weekly newsletters, random thoughts, computer lab classwork, and photos. If you haven’t been already, please take a look at our website from time to time and check out our latest news! I added “Photos” from our classroom from the month of October, as well as “Classwork” from our letter dictionaries and computer lab projects. Star of the Week is also updated weekly under “Classwork.” Enjoy!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Edison
o Letter of the Week: N
o Story of the Week: Lunch
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate, Summarize
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting, Drawing Conclusions
o High-Frequency Word: my, like
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Return Sweep
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about things we like in our classroom. We used the high-frequency words we have been learning to help us write our sentences, and we made sure to have good capital letters, spaces, and punctuation in our sentences. This week, we also did a writing activity from a turkey’s point of view. We described ourselves as turkeys and wrote our names, our age, what we liked to eat, play, and the colors of our feathers. Afterwards, we illustrated our turkeys!
• Science: We have been continuing to talk about the seasons. We used fall colors to make a pattern around our November quilt squares. We also are learning about trees and how the trees and leaves are changing.
• Math: We are continuing to work on our numbers from 0 to 5. We reviewed the terms: more than, less than, and equal, and also made ABCD patterns for our quilt squares.
• Computer Lab: We started our November Kidpix pictures this week by learning a poem called, “Here is a Turkey.” Today we worked on the first part of our picture by making the turkey. We talked about the details we have to add to a turkey’s body and a turkey’s face, and we made rainbow feathers.
• Social Studies: During the month of November, we are talking about the meaning of Thanksgiving. We read a story called, “Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks.” It gave different examples of things we should be thankful for everyday. This week, we each took turns to share something that we are thankful for in our lives. We talked about how we take certain things for granted, such as that one day where we had no power at school! We learned how we are actually very lucky to have the simple things in life!
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Zun Zun Presenters. They celebrate the environment and culture through music. The topic for today was “Watershed Watch” and we learned about how polluted water is traveling through our drains and to the Bay.
• Library: Remember to turn in your Homework folders every Friday with the library book and journal inside! Students cannot check out a new book if they did not bring their old books back! Thank you!
• Art: We have been reading many stories about scarecrows this week. We took a picture making our scariest face, and then we made our own scarecrows using wallpaper and newspaper. These turned out great!
We are trying to improve our Traffic situation in the Suisun Bus Circle due to a recent accident in our community. All parents need to either park their cars on the street and walk their child on the sidewalk, or drop off your child in the bus circle. If you are walking, please use the sidewalk and do not cross through the middle of the parking lot. If you are driving, please do not leave a parked car or leave your car unattended in the bus circle at any time (this is specifically for AM kids who get picked up at 12:20pm). If you have a child that gets picked up by an after-school program, please pass along this message as well. They cannot park their car in the bus circle because it stops the flow of traffic. Thank you for your help!
Have a wonderful weekend!
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter H
* Sunday, November 8th: November Scholastic Books Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Monday, November 9th: Turkey Feathers Due
On Monday, you received a large posterboard with a drawing of a large feather. Please read the directions that were attached to the posterboard and decorate the feather as a family project. Please do not use any food! You may use any other types of material – try to be creative! We will combine all the feathers and attach them to our class turkey bulletin board for Thanksgiving! Please return them by Monday, November 9th. Thank you!
* Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day
This is a strange day off in the middle of the week! Mark your calendars! If you are a Wednesday sharer, please share on Tuesday or Thursday next week!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
I’ve been updating the website every week with our weekly newsletters, random thoughts, computer lab classwork, and photos. If you haven’t been already, please take a look at our website from time to time and check out our latest news! I added “Photos” from our classroom from the month of October, as well as “Classwork” from our letter dictionaries and computer lab projects. Star of the Week is also updated weekly under “Classwork.” Enjoy!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Edison
o Letter of the Week: N
o Story of the Week: Lunch
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate, Summarize
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting, Drawing Conclusions
o High-Frequency Word: my, like
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Return Sweep
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about things we like in our classroom. We used the high-frequency words we have been learning to help us write our sentences, and we made sure to have good capital letters, spaces, and punctuation in our sentences. This week, we also did a writing activity from a turkey’s point of view. We described ourselves as turkeys and wrote our names, our age, what we liked to eat, play, and the colors of our feathers. Afterwards, we illustrated our turkeys!
• Science: We have been continuing to talk about the seasons. We used fall colors to make a pattern around our November quilt squares. We also are learning about trees and how the trees and leaves are changing.
• Math: We are continuing to work on our numbers from 0 to 5. We reviewed the terms: more than, less than, and equal, and also made ABCD patterns for our quilt squares.
• Computer Lab: We started our November Kidpix pictures this week by learning a poem called, “Here is a Turkey.” Today we worked on the first part of our picture by making the turkey. We talked about the details we have to add to a turkey’s body and a turkey’s face, and we made rainbow feathers.
• Social Studies: During the month of November, we are talking about the meaning of Thanksgiving. We read a story called, “Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks.” It gave different examples of things we should be thankful for everyday. This week, we each took turns to share something that we are thankful for in our lives. We talked about how we take certain things for granted, such as that one day where we had no power at school! We learned how we are actually very lucky to have the simple things in life!
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Zun Zun Presenters. They celebrate the environment and culture through music. The topic for today was “Watershed Watch” and we learned about how polluted water is traveling through our drains and to the Bay.
• Library: Remember to turn in your Homework folders every Friday with the library book and journal inside! Students cannot check out a new book if they did not bring their old books back! Thank you!
• Art: We have been reading many stories about scarecrows this week. We took a picture making our scariest face, and then we made our own scarecrows using wallpaper and newspaper. These turned out great!
We are trying to improve our Traffic situation in the Suisun Bus Circle due to a recent accident in our community. All parents need to either park their cars on the street and walk their child on the sidewalk, or drop off your child in the bus circle. If you are walking, please use the sidewalk and do not cross through the middle of the parking lot. If you are driving, please do not leave a parked car or leave your car unattended in the bus circle at any time (this is specifically for AM kids who get picked up at 12:20pm). If you have a child that gets picked up by an after-school program, please pass along this message as well. They cannot park their car in the bus circle because it stops the flow of traffic. Thank you for your help!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
October 30, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter N
* Sunday, November 1st: Daylight Savings Time
Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour!
* Monday, November 2nd: October Homework Due (if you haven’t already turned it in)
Remember to turn in your October Homework. The November monthly homework is in today’s daily folder.
* Sunday, November 8th: November Scholastic Books Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Monday, November 9th: Turkey Feathers Due
On Monday, you will be receiving a large posterboard with a drawing of a large feather. Please read the directions that will be attached to the posterboard and decorate the feather as a family project. Please do not use any food! You may use any other types of material – try to be creative! We will combine all the feathers and attach them to our class turkey bulletin board for Thanksgiving! Please return them by Monday, November 9th. Thank you!
* Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day
This is a strange day off in the middle of the week! Mark your calendars!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
Happy Halloween! This was a short week filled with lots of activities! On Monday, the teachers all gathered to go over the emergency procedures at Eaton. We talked about how to prepare for different types of emergencies, and how to make our current process even better. We also discussed Language Arts strengths and needs for each grade level.
This week, as a school we celebrated Red Ribbon Week. The theme was Healthy Choices. We talked about eating healthy and exercising to keep our bodies strong. Red Ribbon Week is about leading a drug-free life. For Kindergarteners, we talked mostly about making good choices.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Daniel
o Letter of the Week: B
o Story of the Week: Alice and Greta
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate, Predict, Infer
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting, Drawing Conclusions
o High-Frequency Word: my, like
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Return Sweep
• Writing: We practiced writing our B vocabulary words and continued working on our handwriting. We have been getting better at writing a sentence about our favorite part in Listening Center. Remember to add spaces between your words and keep practicing sounding out words and letters!
• Science: This week we talked about Spiders. We learned that spiders have eight legs and compared how people are similar or different than spiders. We also made spider hats on Thursday and learned an Itsy Bitsy Spider poem.
• Math: We are working on writing our numbers from 0-5. We are counting and drawing different objects from 0-5. We are also reading graphs and using sorting to help us count different animals or pictures.
• Computer Lab: We continued our Pumpkin pictures from last week. This time we focused on drawing a background for our pumpkin. We remembered to use at least 5 colors, no white space, and we added details to the background.
• Music: Since it was picture day in the MP room, we had music in Room 8. Ms. Disney taught us a Halloween song and told us a Halloween story using variations of a Halloween song.
• Social Studies: For Red Ribbon week, we created a poster for the school about our Healthy Choices. Students got to pick eight different examples of how they stay healthy, and then illustrated these on a poster. The PTO gave each of the students’ a bookmark to celebrate Red Ribbon Week.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies on Tuesday. Since it is Halloween, we completed a dice activity where we drew a monster depending on what number we rolled. Our monsters had different eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and shapes.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Wildlife Associates. They brought real live animals – big and small – to our MP room. They taught us many facts about the lives of these different animals!
• Library: There was no library this week since we didn’t have school on Monday. Therefore, I did not send home the homework packet inside the envelope this week. If you haven’t yet, remember to return your library book on Monday so that you can check out another book! Also, in the future, please always keep your library book, journal, and homework packet together inside the envelope. This helps us to keep track of whose book is whose.
Today was our Halloween party and parade! We drew a self-portrait of ourselves in our Halloween costumes and then took a picture for our memory books. We also completed our 2009 Halloween photo frames with a class picture from last week’s pumpkin patch! We also had a treat to eat and some juice to drink. The classroom was decorated this week with pumpkins, bats, scarecrows, spiders, and spiderwebs! Have a safe time trick-or-treating tomorrow evening!
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter N
* Sunday, November 1st: Daylight Savings Time
Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour!
* Monday, November 2nd: October Homework Due (if you haven’t already turned it in)
Remember to turn in your October Homework. The November monthly homework is in today’s daily folder.
* Sunday, November 8th: November Scholastic Books Due
Please try to order your books online. Our class earns free books with online purchases. Thank you!
1. Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
2. Class User Name: Beebear
3. Password: MrsYu (no spaces or periods)
4. Browse books and place order using your credit card (no need to send money to school)
5. About 2 weeks after I receive all the orders, your books will be delivered to school!
* Monday, November 9th: Turkey Feathers Due
On Monday, you will be receiving a large posterboard with a drawing of a large feather. Please read the directions that will be attached to the posterboard and decorate the feather as a family project. Please do not use any food! You may use any other types of material – try to be creative! We will combine all the feathers and attach them to our class turkey bulletin board for Thanksgiving! Please return them by Monday, November 9th. Thank you!
* Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day
This is a strange day off in the middle of the week! Mark your calendars!
* Wednesday, November 25th to Friday, November 27th: NO SCHOOL
Have a wonderful five-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!
-----
Dear Families,
Happy Halloween! This was a short week filled with lots of activities! On Monday, the teachers all gathered to go over the emergency procedures at Eaton. We talked about how to prepare for different types of emergencies, and how to make our current process even better. We also discussed Language Arts strengths and needs for each grade level.
This week, as a school we celebrated Red Ribbon Week. The theme was Healthy Choices. We talked about eating healthy and exercising to keep our bodies strong. Red Ribbon Week is about leading a drug-free life. For Kindergarteners, we talked mostly about making good choices.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Daniel
o Letter of the Week: B
o Story of the Week: Alice and Greta
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate, Predict, Infer
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting, Drawing Conclusions
o High-Frequency Word: my, like
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Return Sweep
• Writing: We practiced writing our B vocabulary words and continued working on our handwriting. We have been getting better at writing a sentence about our favorite part in Listening Center. Remember to add spaces between your words and keep practicing sounding out words and letters!
• Science: This week we talked about Spiders. We learned that spiders have eight legs and compared how people are similar or different than spiders. We also made spider hats on Thursday and learned an Itsy Bitsy Spider poem.
• Math: We are working on writing our numbers from 0-5. We are counting and drawing different objects from 0-5. We are also reading graphs and using sorting to help us count different animals or pictures.
• Computer Lab: We continued our Pumpkin pictures from last week. This time we focused on drawing a background for our pumpkin. We remembered to use at least 5 colors, no white space, and we added details to the background.
• Music: Since it was picture day in the MP room, we had music in Room 8. Ms. Disney taught us a Halloween song and told us a Halloween story using variations of a Halloween song.
• Social Studies: For Red Ribbon week, we created a poster for the school about our Healthy Choices. Students got to pick eight different examples of how they stay healthy, and then illustrated these on a poster. The PTO gave each of the students’ a bookmark to celebrate Red Ribbon Week.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies on Tuesday. Since it is Halloween, we completed a dice activity where we drew a monster depending on what number we rolled. Our monsters had different eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and shapes.
• Assembly: We had an assembly today by the Wildlife Associates. They brought real live animals – big and small – to our MP room. They taught us many facts about the lives of these different animals!
• Library: There was no library this week since we didn’t have school on Monday. Therefore, I did not send home the homework packet inside the envelope this week. If you haven’t yet, remember to return your library book on Monday so that you can check out another book! Also, in the future, please always keep your library book, journal, and homework packet together inside the envelope. This helps us to keep track of whose book is whose.
Today was our Halloween party and parade! We drew a self-portrait of ourselves in our Halloween costumes and then took a picture for our memory books. We also completed our 2009 Halloween photo frames with a class picture from last week’s pumpkin patch! We also had a treat to eat and some juice to drink. The classroom was decorated this week with pumpkins, bats, scarecrows, spiders, and spiderwebs! Have a safe time trick-or-treating tomorrow evening!
Monday, October 26, 2009
October 23, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter B
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing. If you are a Monday sharer (or you didn’t get to share last Thursday or Friday, please bring your sharing in Tuesday, October 27th. Thank you!
* Thursday, October 29th: Picture Day
Students will all be taking their individual pictures on this day. An envelope will be sent home the day before, and you can choose to buy pictures of your child. Please make sure to return the envelopes Thursday morning!!!
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time. Afterwards, the students will return to the classroom to finish some Halloween activities and have their treat.
* Sunday, November 1st: Daylight Savings Time
Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour!
-----
Dear Families,
I am so happy to see the sun still! On Monday, we had a little bit of rain, but fortunately it was not like the stormy day from last week! I’m happy to see that the kids are slowly all returning back to school and staying healthy. Thank you for all the parents who volunteered this week for Traffic Duty before and after school! We really appreciate the help from parents each week.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: This week, I started sending home a Literacy Center evaluation sheet. This will help to let you know whether your child has been completing all of the activities or not.
o Star of the Week: Raphael
o Letter of the Week: T
o Story of the Week: Apples, Apples, Apples
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting
o High-Frequency Word: my
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Spacing
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about Pumpkins and drew a picture of pumpkins sitting on a fence. We focused on having a capital letter in the beginning, a period at the end, and two-finger spaces between our words. We also practiced spelling the words see and like.
• Science: We finished our Pumpkin, Pumpkin stories this week. The students enjoyed making and reading their books about a pumpkin’s life cycle!
• Math: We continued reviewing the vocabulary words more and less, fewer, and equal. We practiced comparing objects in two groups and sorting.
• Computer Lab: This week, we started our Pumpkin pictures using Kidpix. We practiced using different drawing tools including the oval, rectangle, and curved line tools. We also practiced typing our name with a capital letter in the beginning.
• Art: We saw Mrs. Abada on Tuesday and she taught us a lesson using pastel chalk. We learned how to draw beautiful pumpkins sitting on the grass at night. She taught us about shading and where to draw darker or lighter. They turned out wonderful!
• Library: Thank you to Edison’s mom, who started coming on Mondays to help during library. As you could tell in the homework envelope, this week was the first week we checked out books! Please read the story to your child and then complete one activity in the Take-Home journal. Return everything on Friday. Next week, there is no library since we don’t have school Monday, so we’ll skip the journals until the following week.
Thursday was Enrichment Day for the school. During the entire day, the PTO found different volunteers to present a session to the different grade levels. Kindergarten participated in the following sessions: a dentist taught us about our teeth and how to keep them healthy, a firefighter showed us what to do during a fire emergency, a doctor taught us about our incredible body, and finally, we learned how to fold origami! This was a fun day to learn about our community.
Today was the Pumpkin Patch! I hope everyone had a good time, and thank you again to all the chaperones: Connor’s mom, Keona’s mom, Kumiko’s mom, Leah’s dad, Matthew C.’s mom, and Matthew N.’s mom. Please remember to get a TB test to the office if you would like to chaperone in the future! Thank you as well to Yash’s family and Kumiko’s family for bringing the raisins and juice boxes for the children’s snack. Also, if your child did not get to paint a red shirt, please have him or her bring one to school next week and we will find time for them to paint theirs! Thanks!
Colleen’s mom and Shaunak’s mom are our room mothers. Colleen’s mom, Sue, has kindly set up a Yahoo Group using all of our emails, so that we can communicate with each other as a whole group. If you have not yet, please make sure to “Accept” her Yahoo Group invitation so that you can be a part of the discussions. This week, I used the Yahoo Group to find volunteers, so that was very helpful. Thank you Sue!
One more thank you to Matthew C.’s family, who donated 2 books from the Book Fair: I’m Your Bus and Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully. Thank you for adding to our classroom library! Also, thank you to Kavya who brought in a small pumpkin to share with the class!
Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy your 3 day weekend and I will see you on Tuesday! Everyone rest and I hope there will be no more absences! It’s been a long time since all 30 of us have been to school together =( Take care!
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter B
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing. If you are a Monday sharer (or you didn’t get to share last Thursday or Friday, please bring your sharing in Tuesday, October 27th. Thank you!
* Thursday, October 29th: Picture Day
Students will all be taking their individual pictures on this day. An envelope will be sent home the day before, and you can choose to buy pictures of your child. Please make sure to return the envelopes Thursday morning!!!
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time. Afterwards, the students will return to the classroom to finish some Halloween activities and have their treat.
* Sunday, November 1st: Daylight Savings Time
Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour!
-----
Dear Families,
I am so happy to see the sun still! On Monday, we had a little bit of rain, but fortunately it was not like the stormy day from last week! I’m happy to see that the kids are slowly all returning back to school and staying healthy. Thank you for all the parents who volunteered this week for Traffic Duty before and after school! We really appreciate the help from parents each week.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: This week, I started sending home a Literacy Center evaluation sheet. This will help to let you know whether your child has been completing all of the activities or not.
o Star of the Week: Raphael
o Letter of the Week: T
o Story of the Week: Apples, Apples, Apples
o Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting Letters, Rhymes
o Strategy Focus: Evaluate
o Comprehension: Story Structure: Characters / Setting
o High-Frequency Word: my
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation, Spacing
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about Pumpkins and drew a picture of pumpkins sitting on a fence. We focused on having a capital letter in the beginning, a period at the end, and two-finger spaces between our words. We also practiced spelling the words see and like.
• Science: We finished our Pumpkin, Pumpkin stories this week. The students enjoyed making and reading their books about a pumpkin’s life cycle!
• Math: We continued reviewing the vocabulary words more and less, fewer, and equal. We practiced comparing objects in two groups and sorting.
• Computer Lab: This week, we started our Pumpkin pictures using Kidpix. We practiced using different drawing tools including the oval, rectangle, and curved line tools. We also practiced typing our name with a capital letter in the beginning.
• Art: We saw Mrs. Abada on Tuesday and she taught us a lesson using pastel chalk. We learned how to draw beautiful pumpkins sitting on the grass at night. She taught us about shading and where to draw darker or lighter. They turned out wonderful!
• Library: Thank you to Edison’s mom, who started coming on Mondays to help during library. As you could tell in the homework envelope, this week was the first week we checked out books! Please read the story to your child and then complete one activity in the Take-Home journal. Return everything on Friday. Next week, there is no library since we don’t have school Monday, so we’ll skip the journals until the following week.
Thursday was Enrichment Day for the school. During the entire day, the PTO found different volunteers to present a session to the different grade levels. Kindergarten participated in the following sessions: a dentist taught us about our teeth and how to keep them healthy, a firefighter showed us what to do during a fire emergency, a doctor taught us about our incredible body, and finally, we learned how to fold origami! This was a fun day to learn about our community.
Today was the Pumpkin Patch! I hope everyone had a good time, and thank you again to all the chaperones: Connor’s mom, Keona’s mom, Kumiko’s mom, Leah’s dad, Matthew C.’s mom, and Matthew N.’s mom. Please remember to get a TB test to the office if you would like to chaperone in the future! Thank you as well to Yash’s family and Kumiko’s family for bringing the raisins and juice boxes for the children’s snack. Also, if your child did not get to paint a red shirt, please have him or her bring one to school next week and we will find time for them to paint theirs! Thanks!
Colleen’s mom and Shaunak’s mom are our room mothers. Colleen’s mom, Sue, has kindly set up a Yahoo Group using all of our emails, so that we can communicate with each other as a whole group. If you have not yet, please make sure to “Accept” her Yahoo Group invitation so that you can be a part of the discussions. This week, I used the Yahoo Group to find volunteers, so that was very helpful. Thank you Sue!
One more thank you to Matthew C.’s family, who donated 2 books from the Book Fair: I’m Your Bus and Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully. Thank you for adding to our classroom library! Also, thank you to Kavya who brought in a small pumpkin to share with the class!
Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy your 3 day weekend and I will see you on Tuesday! Everyone rest and I hope there will be no more absences! It’s been a long time since all 30 of us have been to school together =( Take care!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
October 16, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter T
* Monday, October 19th – Friday, October 23rd: Room 8 Traffic Duty
Thank you for those of you who signed up to help with traffic duty during this week. Please go to the office to check in at the time you signed up for to get an orange traffic vest. Also, I have assigned some of you to the Farallone parking lot, so please make sure you know where to help.
* Thursday, October 22nd: Enrichment Day - ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
The PTO will be organizing a special Enrichment Day for the whole school. Different parents and volunteers from the community will present special sessions or lead special activities. All kindergarteners will come to school in the AM session. If you are a Thursday sharer, please prepare your sharing on Wednesday the day before, October 21st.
* Friday, October 23rd: Pumpkin Patch Field Trip – ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
A permission slip will be going home about this field trip. Please return it ASAP and note if you are able to chaperone. Please remember to dress your child in the RED shirt that we will be decorating next week.
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing.
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time.
-----
Dear Families,
Many of us are sick, sick, sick! Unfortunately, I have had a fever since Wednesday and have been sleeping nonstop (except to write substitute plans). The substitute mentioned there were a lot of absences too, so I hope that all of you are resting and getting better soon. On Tuesday this week, it was not only the first rain of the school year, but it was so windy and stormy! In addition, we had a power outage for most of the day. Next time there is a stormy day, please drop off and pick up your child from the other entrance (in the hallway corridor). When it is stormy, the regular door we use is terrible because it lets in so much wind and rain. Thanks.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Michael
o Letter of the Week: R
o Story of the Week: How the Birds Got Their Colors
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Summarize, Predict /Infer
o Comprehension: Inferences: Making Predictions, Sequence Events
o High-Frequency Word: I, see
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about Fall and drew pictures that reminded us of the Fall season. We focused on having a capital letter in the beginning, a period at the end, and two-finger spaces between our words.
• Science: This week we read a lot of stories about the life cycle of pumpkins. We are making a Pumpkin book that teaches us about how pumpkins grow. Ask your children to tell you how a pumpkin starts growing!
• Math: We talked about the vocabulary words same and equal, more, less and fewer. We compared different groups to see which group had more or less. Also, we practiced identifying and writing the numbers 1-3.
• Computer Lab: This week, those students who did not finish their pattern papers worked on completing theirs. The rest of the class went to Starfall to listen to stories and play games.
Have a great weekend everyone! I hope to see you all on Monday.
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter T
* Monday, October 19th – Friday, October 23rd: Room 8 Traffic Duty
Thank you for those of you who signed up to help with traffic duty during this week. Please go to the office to check in at the time you signed up for to get an orange traffic vest. Also, I have assigned some of you to the Farallone parking lot, so please make sure you know where to help.
* Thursday, October 22nd: Enrichment Day - ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
The PTO will be organizing a special Enrichment Day for the whole school. Different parents and volunteers from the community will present special sessions or lead special activities. All kindergarteners will come to school in the AM session. If you are a Thursday sharer, please prepare your sharing on Wednesday the day before, October 21st.
* Friday, October 23rd: Pumpkin Patch Field Trip – ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
A permission slip will be going home about this field trip. Please return it ASAP and note if you are able to chaperone. Please remember to dress your child in the RED shirt that we will be decorating next week.
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing.
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time.
-----
Dear Families,
Many of us are sick, sick, sick! Unfortunately, I have had a fever since Wednesday and have been sleeping nonstop (except to write substitute plans). The substitute mentioned there were a lot of absences too, so I hope that all of you are resting and getting better soon. On Tuesday this week, it was not only the first rain of the school year, but it was so windy and stormy! In addition, we had a power outage for most of the day. Next time there is a stormy day, please drop off and pick up your child from the other entrance (in the hallway corridor). When it is stormy, the regular door we use is terrible because it lets in so much wind and rain. Thanks.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Michael
o Letter of the Week: R
o Story of the Week: How the Birds Got Their Colors
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Summarize, Predict /Infer
o Comprehension: Inferences: Making Predictions, Sequence Events
o High-Frequency Word: I, see
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Writing: In our journals this week, we wrote about Fall and drew pictures that reminded us of the Fall season. We focused on having a capital letter in the beginning, a period at the end, and two-finger spaces between our words.
• Science: This week we read a lot of stories about the life cycle of pumpkins. We are making a Pumpkin book that teaches us about how pumpkins grow. Ask your children to tell you how a pumpkin starts growing!
• Math: We talked about the vocabulary words same and equal, more, less and fewer. We compared different groups to see which group had more or less. Also, we practiced identifying and writing the numbers 1-3.
• Computer Lab: This week, those students who did not finish their pattern papers worked on completing theirs. The rest of the class went to Starfall to listen to stories and play games.
Have a great weekend everyone! I hope to see you all on Monday.
Friday, October 09, 2009
October 9, 2009
Upcoming Dates
*** Wow! There’s a LOT coming up in the next few weeks…write these dates down!***
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter R
* Tuesday, October 13th: Family Book Fair Night in Library 6:00pm – 8:00pm
The Eaton library will be open this evening for families to come look at different books from Scholastic. You can browse and purchase books that you like.
* Friday, October 16th: Bring a Red T-shirt to School
We will be decorating our Kindergarten Field Trip Red Shirts. Please note: If your child does not bring a shirt on this day, he or she will not be able to make up the activity (he/she will just wear a plain red t-shirt on future trips).
1) Please get a plain, red T-shirt (no words or pictures on the front or back, and make sure it is a regular cotton T-shirt, not a polo or fancy material shirt).
2) Write your child’s name on the tag inside (label, label, label)!
3) Please pre-wash your child’s shirt. It will be easier to decorate on if it has already been through the wash.
* Monday, October 19th – Friday, October 23rd: Room 8 Traffic Duty
Thank you for those of you who signed up to help with traffic duty during this week. Please go to the office to check in at the time noted below to get an orange traffic vest. Also, I have assigned some of you to the Farallone parking lot, so please make sure you know where to help. If you have not signed up for a slot, please let me know if you can help out in any of the open slots!
SUISUN PARKING LOT
Monday 10/19 Tuesday 10/20 Wednesday 10/21 Thursday 10/22 Friday 10/23
8:45am-9:05am Chris’ Father Antoine Raux Shaunak’s Mother Haksoon Lee Anna Lin
2:25pm-2:40pm Jane Lau
3:00pm-3:15pm Sue Ranney
FARALLONE PARKING LOT
Monday 10/19 Tuesday 10/20 Wednesday 10/21 Thursday 10/22 Friday 10/23
8:45am-9:05am Baixin Qian Haksoon Lee Bruno Tourette Aditya’s Mother
2:25pm-2:40pm
3:00pm-3:15pm
* Thursday, October 22nd: Enrichment Day - ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
The PTO will be organizing a special Enrichment Day for the whole school. Different parents and volunteers from the community will present special sessions or lead special activities. All kindergarteners will come to school in the AM session. If you are a Thursday sharer, please prepare your sharing on Wednesday the day before, October 21st.
* Friday, October 23rd: Pumpkin Patch Field Trip – ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
A permission slip will be going home about this field trip. Please return it ASAP and note if you are able to chaperone. Please remember to dress your child in the RED shirt that we will be decorating next week.
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing.
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time. Our room parents will be contacting all of you in the next few weeks to ask for donations for our Halloween party.
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you everyone for coming to your conference appointment this week. I always enjoy speaking with each of you one-on-one and getting to know your child better. I hope that the conference was helpful to let you know how your child is doing in Kindergarten so far. In December, you will receive your child’s first Progress Report, which will record your child’s grades for this first trimester. We are having a great year! I was pleased to read the notes from the substitute. She enjoyed the class very much and even bought 4 books from the Book Fair to donate to our class!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Kavya
o Letter of the Week: M
o Listening Center: A Fine, Fine School
o Story of the Week: In the Big, Blue Sea and Caps of Many Colors
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Summarize
o Comprehension: Inferences: Making Predictions
o High-Frequency Word: I, see
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Science: We continued talking about Fall. This week we learned the five senses: see, hear, touch, feel, and taste. We brainstormed different things in Fall that we can sense. We wrote these ideas on a leaf shaped pattern, and then decorated the writing with fall colored torn paper such as red, yellow, and orange.
• Art: On Friday, we worked with Ms. Shyama on a neat tissue paper apple mosaic. We also completed our October quilt squares using purple and orange AB patterns. We also made orange pumpkins!
• Math: This week we finished up our chapter on patterns and shapes, and started the next chapter. We read the next mini-book story about Animals on the Farm and learned some more vocabulary words such as more, less, fewer, most, etc.
• Computer Lab: We tried a new software program this week called Kidspiration. Kidspiration is usually used for brainstorming maps, but it has nice other features such as picture icons and shapes. This week, we completed a pattern activity where we identified and finished the pattern on the template.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class on Tuesday during overlap. We finished our books from Me on the Map.
Have a wonderful weekend! Things are getting busy, busy, busy!!! Be sure to check out the “Classwork” section of our website! I have updated 4 different computer projects that we did this past month! Enjoy!!!
*** Wow! There’s a LOT coming up in the next few weeks…write these dates down!***
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter R
* Tuesday, October 13th: Family Book Fair Night in Library 6:00pm – 8:00pm
The Eaton library will be open this evening for families to come look at different books from Scholastic. You can browse and purchase books that you like.
* Friday, October 16th: Bring a Red T-shirt to School
We will be decorating our Kindergarten Field Trip Red Shirts. Please note: If your child does not bring a shirt on this day, he or she will not be able to make up the activity (he/she will just wear a plain red t-shirt on future trips).
1) Please get a plain, red T-shirt (no words or pictures on the front or back, and make sure it is a regular cotton T-shirt, not a polo or fancy material shirt).
2) Write your child’s name on the tag inside (label, label, label)!
3) Please pre-wash your child’s shirt. It will be easier to decorate on if it has already been through the wash.
* Monday, October 19th – Friday, October 23rd: Room 8 Traffic Duty
Thank you for those of you who signed up to help with traffic duty during this week. Please go to the office to check in at the time noted below to get an orange traffic vest. Also, I have assigned some of you to the Farallone parking lot, so please make sure you know where to help. If you have not signed up for a slot, please let me know if you can help out in any of the open slots!
SUISUN PARKING LOT
Monday 10/19 Tuesday 10/20 Wednesday 10/21 Thursday 10/22 Friday 10/23
8:45am-9:05am Chris’ Father Antoine Raux Shaunak’s Mother Haksoon Lee Anna Lin
2:25pm-2:40pm Jane Lau
3:00pm-3:15pm Sue Ranney
FARALLONE PARKING LOT
Monday 10/19 Tuesday 10/20 Wednesday 10/21 Thursday 10/22 Friday 10/23
8:45am-9:05am Baixin Qian Haksoon Lee Bruno Tourette Aditya’s Mother
2:25pm-2:40pm
3:00pm-3:15pm
* Thursday, October 22nd: Enrichment Day - ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
The PTO will be organizing a special Enrichment Day for the whole school. Different parents and volunteers from the community will present special sessions or lead special activities. All kindergarteners will come to school in the AM session. If you are a Thursday sharer, please prepare your sharing on Wednesday the day before, October 21st.
* Friday, October 23rd: Pumpkin Patch Field Trip – ALL KINDERS COME 9:00am-12:20pm!
A permission slip will be going home about this field trip. Please return it ASAP and note if you are able to chaperone. Please remember to dress your child in the RED shirt that we will be decorating next week.
* Monday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL – Staff Learning Day
Students do not come to school on this day. The teachers will be gathering to receive professional development in math and writing.
* Friday, October 30th: Halloween Schedule - ALL KINDERS COME 10:55am-3:05pm!
You may send your child to school already wearing their Halloween costumes (that way we don’t have to worry about changing clothes). There will be a parade for the entire school after lunchtime from about 1:30pm-2:15pm, and parents are welcome to come during this time. Our room parents will be contacting all of you in the next few weeks to ask for donations for our Halloween party.
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you everyone for coming to your conference appointment this week. I always enjoy speaking with each of you one-on-one and getting to know your child better. I hope that the conference was helpful to let you know how your child is doing in Kindergarten so far. In December, you will receive your child’s first Progress Report, which will record your child’s grades for this first trimester. We are having a great year! I was pleased to read the notes from the substitute. She enjoyed the class very much and even bought 4 books from the Book Fair to donate to our class!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts:
o Star of the Week: Kavya
o Letter of the Week: M
o Listening Center: A Fine, Fine School
o Story of the Week: In the Big, Blue Sea and Caps of Many Colors
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Summarize
o Comprehension: Inferences: Making Predictions
o High-Frequency Word: I, see
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Science: We continued talking about Fall. This week we learned the five senses: see, hear, touch, feel, and taste. We brainstormed different things in Fall that we can sense. We wrote these ideas on a leaf shaped pattern, and then decorated the writing with fall colored torn paper such as red, yellow, and orange.
• Art: On Friday, we worked with Ms. Shyama on a neat tissue paper apple mosaic. We also completed our October quilt squares using purple and orange AB patterns. We also made orange pumpkins!
• Math: This week we finished up our chapter on patterns and shapes, and started the next chapter. We read the next mini-book story about Animals on the Farm and learned some more vocabulary words such as more, less, fewer, most, etc.
• Computer Lab: We tried a new software program this week called Kidspiration. Kidspiration is usually used for brainstorming maps, but it has nice other features such as picture icons and shapes. This week, we completed a pattern activity where we identified and finished the pattern on the template.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class on Tuesday during overlap. We finished our books from Me on the Map.
Have a wonderful weekend! Things are getting busy, busy, busy!!! Be sure to check out the “Classwork” section of our website! I have updated 4 different computer projects that we did this past month! Enjoy!!!
Friday, October 02, 2009
October 2, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter M.
* Monday, October 5th: October Book Orders Due
Last week, we sent home the October Book Orders. Please look over the books and if you would like to purchase books, please return the form to me with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs, or purchase them online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs (User Name: Beebear, Password: MrsYu – no spaces or period).
* Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
Please be on time! I only have 20 minutes with each of you, so I will try my best to start and end on time. Please note that I may have to stop in the middle of a conversation if our time is reached. Thank you for your understanding. Remember, I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17). I will keep the door closed while I am conferencing, so please wait outside if you are early. I will open the door when it is your time to meet. Thank you!
* Friday, October 16th: Bring a Red T-shirt to School
We will be decorating our Kindergarten Field Trip Red Shirts. Please note: If your child does not bring a shirt on this day, he or she will not be able to make up the activity (he/she will just wear a plain red t-shirt on future trips).
1) Please get a plain, red T-shirt (no words or pictures on the front or back, and make sure it is a regular cotton T-shirt, not a polo or fancy material shirt).
2) Write your child’s name on the tag inside (label, label, label)!
3) Please pre-wash your child’s shirt. It will be easier to decorate on if it has already been through the wash.
-----
Dear Families,
I purchased a domain name for my classroom website, so now you can just go to:
WWW.MRSYU.COM (easy to remember!)
Thank you for turning in the large homework envelopes today! Remember homework will go home every Monday and has to be returned inside the envelope on Friday. I apologize that this week, the AM class didn’t take their homework home until Tuesday (Mrs. Yu forgot on Monday!). Usually, it will be sent home Mondays. Also, your child should have brought home the October Homework checklist this week. Please complete the activities with your child sometime during the month. Thank you for turning in the September homework!
Here are some highlights for the week:
o Letter of the Week: S
o Listening Center: Chicka Chicka Boom Book
o Story of the Week: I Went Walking, What’s My Favorite Color?
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Predict and Infer
o Comprehension: Sequence Events
o High-Frequency Word: I
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Language Arts: This week, we started our literacy centers with the first letter of the week, S. Literacy centers include reviewing the S sound, how to write a proper uppercase and lowercase S, vocabulary words starting with S, rhyming words, songs with the sss sound, puzzles, hidden pictures, and illustrating S words on the computer. We also rotate through listening center where we listen to the story of the week and write or draw about our favorite part. Another activity we do is writing journals. The topic for this week was “Your Favorite Color.” Every week, your child will bring home extra pages from our workbook similar to homework pages (these are finished activities). They may or may not be finished, so you can do them at home.
• Science: We continued learning about apples this week. We learned a poem about an apple core, and we made an art project using tearing. This is a good skill, especially for those children who have snacks they need to tear open everyday! Also, we began talking about the seasons. We are learning a song about the seasons, and exploring Fall.
• Math: We continued patterns this week and finished Chapter 6. We also completed a pattern and counting activity during Friday Centers where the students made a colored pattern using apple cut outs. We practiced writing our numbers too.
• Computer Lab: We continued our apple tree illustrations this week. Most students finished their pictures and we were able to print them out. We improved on independently opening up our files from our folders on the computer!
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney again this week! Thank you to Shaunak and Woojin’s mothers, as well as
Leah’s father, who are volunteering to help with management during music time.
• Library: During the next two weeks (Oct. 5 – Oct. 14), we will not have library time because Mrs. Glass will be setting up the library for the Book Fair. You are welcome to stop by the book fair anytime before or after school with your child to browse for books. There will also be a family night on October 13th from 6:00-8:00pm. This is a great opportunity for you to purchase books for your child (especially if you want to look at the books beforehand). On October 19th, we will begin checking out books during our weekly library visits. The library books will be added into your child’s homework envelope, along with their Take Home Journals.
Next week, our substitute teacher will be Mrs. Kotite on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I am always nervous about being away from the kids, but I am hopeful that they will all be on their best behavior each day. Please remind your children to follow the same classroom rules and to try their best. I will ask Mrs. Kotite to leave a note for me each day about how the day went. Hopefully, it will be all great news! In addition, I will still have her follow my normal routine, but please be aware that she is unfamiliar with our classroom procedures and some evaluations may not be directly from me (i.e. sharing evaluation or classwork). Thank you for your understanding!
PTO is still looking for Enrichment Day volunteers on Thursday, October 22nd from 9:00am-12:25pm. Please contact PTO if you are interested in helping with the Kindergarten activities.
* Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter M.
* Monday, October 5th: October Book Orders Due
Last week, we sent home the October Book Orders. Please look over the books and if you would like to purchase books, please return the form to me with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs, or purchase them online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs (User Name: Beebear, Password: MrsYu – no spaces or period).
* Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
Please be on time! I only have 20 minutes with each of you, so I will try my best to start and end on time. Please note that I may have to stop in the middle of a conversation if our time is reached. Thank you for your understanding. Remember, I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17). I will keep the door closed while I am conferencing, so please wait outside if you are early. I will open the door when it is your time to meet. Thank you!
* Friday, October 16th: Bring a Red T-shirt to School
We will be decorating our Kindergarten Field Trip Red Shirts. Please note: If your child does not bring a shirt on this day, he or she will not be able to make up the activity (he/she will just wear a plain red t-shirt on future trips).
1) Please get a plain, red T-shirt (no words or pictures on the front or back, and make sure it is a regular cotton T-shirt, not a polo or fancy material shirt).
2) Write your child’s name on the tag inside (label, label, label)!
3) Please pre-wash your child’s shirt. It will be easier to decorate on if it has already been through the wash.
-----
Dear Families,
I purchased a domain name for my classroom website, so now you can just go to:
WWW.MRSYU.COM (easy to remember!)
Thank you for turning in the large homework envelopes today! Remember homework will go home every Monday and has to be returned inside the envelope on Friday. I apologize that this week, the AM class didn’t take their homework home until Tuesday (Mrs. Yu forgot on Monday!). Usually, it will be sent home Mondays. Also, your child should have brought home the October Homework checklist this week. Please complete the activities with your child sometime during the month. Thank you for turning in the September homework!
Here are some highlights for the week:
o Letter of the Week: S
o Listening Center: Chicka Chicka Boom Book
o Story of the Week: I Went Walking, What’s My Favorite Color?
o Phonemic Awareness: Beginning Sounds, Words in Oral Sentences
o Strategy Focus: Predict and Infer
o Comprehension: Sequence Events
o High-Frequency Word: I
o Concepts of Print: Capitalize First Word in Sentence, End Punctuation
• Language Arts: This week, we started our literacy centers with the first letter of the week, S. Literacy centers include reviewing the S sound, how to write a proper uppercase and lowercase S, vocabulary words starting with S, rhyming words, songs with the sss sound, puzzles, hidden pictures, and illustrating S words on the computer. We also rotate through listening center where we listen to the story of the week and write or draw about our favorite part. Another activity we do is writing journals. The topic for this week was “Your Favorite Color.” Every week, your child will bring home extra pages from our workbook similar to homework pages (these are finished activities). They may or may not be finished, so you can do them at home.
• Science: We continued learning about apples this week. We learned a poem about an apple core, and we made an art project using tearing. This is a good skill, especially for those children who have snacks they need to tear open everyday! Also, we began talking about the seasons. We are learning a song about the seasons, and exploring Fall.
• Math: We continued patterns this week and finished Chapter 6. We also completed a pattern and counting activity during Friday Centers where the students made a colored pattern using apple cut outs. We practiced writing our numbers too.
• Computer Lab: We continued our apple tree illustrations this week. Most students finished their pictures and we were able to print them out. We improved on independently opening up our files from our folders on the computer!
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney again this week! Thank you to Shaunak and Woojin’s mothers, as well as
Leah’s father, who are volunteering to help with management during music time.
• Library: During the next two weeks (Oct. 5 – Oct. 14), we will not have library time because Mrs. Glass will be setting up the library for the Book Fair. You are welcome to stop by the book fair anytime before or after school with your child to browse for books. There will also be a family night on October 13th from 6:00-8:00pm. This is a great opportunity for you to purchase books for your child (especially if you want to look at the books beforehand). On October 19th, we will begin checking out books during our weekly library visits. The library books will be added into your child’s homework envelope, along with their Take Home Journals.
Next week, our substitute teacher will be Mrs. Kotite on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I am always nervous about being away from the kids, but I am hopeful that they will all be on their best behavior each day. Please remind your children to follow the same classroom rules and to try their best. I will ask Mrs. Kotite to leave a note for me each day about how the day went. Hopefully, it will be all great news! In addition, I will still have her follow my normal routine, but please be aware that she is unfamiliar with our classroom procedures and some evaluations may not be directly from me (i.e. sharing evaluation or classwork). Thank you for your understanding!
PTO is still looking for Enrichment Day volunteers on Thursday, October 22nd from 9:00am-12:25pm. Please contact PTO if you are interested in helping with the Kindergarten activities.
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25, 2009
Upcoming Dates
Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter S.
Thursday, October 1st: September Homework Due
Please return the September homework page (from Back-to-School night) showing which activities you and your child completed at home. The October Homework page will go home on this day as well.
Monday, October 5th: October Book Orders Due
Today you are receiving the October Scholastic Book Orders for Firefly and Seesaw. Please look over the books and if you would like to purchase one, please return the form to me with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs, or purchase them online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs (User Name: Beebear, Password: MrsYu – no spaces or period).
Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
On Monday this week, you should have received your 20 minute conference day and time. If you have not returned the confirmation sheet, please do so on Monday, September 28th. Please make sure you arrive on time because we have back-to-back conferences and we cannot go over the time allotted to you. All the kindergarten teachers will have a substitute for three full days during conferences. I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17).
-----
Dear Families,
Time is flying by quickly. I can’t believe it is already the end of September and that October is around the corner! Starting next week, your child will start bringing home a homework folder on Monday. Inside will be some optional math and language arts pages. In a few weeks, we will also add the library book and library journals. Please return these folders every Friday (if there is no school on Friday, please return it on Thursday!).
Great job with our first sharing this week! Today you will see a half sheet of yellow paper that shows how your child did on sharing this week. Our goal is to try and get a “4” in all areas. Some of the students were very comfortable in front of the class, and some of the students were extremely shy. Either way, I was proud of everyone for trying their best and bringing something special to share with the class. Great job!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We have finished working on all of the uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters, and learning their sounds. Everyday, we will continue to practice our handwriting and phonics, but at least now everyone has been introduced to all the letters and the vowels. We have been learning a song that teaches us all of the vowels, and we have been reviewing a song about how many syllables we have in our name. On Thursday, we tried to write all of the letters independently. Keep practicing at home everyday!
• Social Studies: Congratulations to Tanisha, who was chosen as our fourth Star of the Week! You can read about her in the “Classwork” section of our website, and click under “Star of the Week.”
• Science: We are studying about apples this week. We made a minibook about what colors apples should be. We also tasted four different types of apples to see which was our favorite. In addition, we worked on the life cycle of apples during Friday Centers by learning about seeds, trees, leaves, blossoms, and apples!
• Math: We finished our fourth chapter on plane shapes and our fifth chapter on patterns. We practiced patterns by colors, shapes, sizes, objects, and by letters. We also made a math art picture of a beehive using rulers. We learned how to make straight lines and how to make curved lines. We used fingerstamps for the bees and placed a bee inside, outside, and on the beehive to reinforce math vocabulary.
• Computer Lab: This week we learned how to open up files from our folders on the servers. This was very difficult for some students because they are not used to clicking and double-clicking on icons. We are practicing this skill. Then, we began illustrating a poem about an apple tree. We used the shape tools, painting tools, stamps, and also learned to type our names by finding our letters on the keyboard. Thank you to Caroline and Keona’s mother for helping out in computer lab! It really helps to get all the students to successfully complete the projects. We will be continuing this lesson next week and hopefully will be able to print and save all the pictures!
• Assembly: This week, we had a special puppet show assembly on Trickster stories. We are remembering how to be a polite audience and to clap for others. During sharing, we also are trying to learn to be good listeners.
• Art: This was our first art class with Mrs. Abada! She taught us how to make a cityscape using different materials such as paper, wallpaper, and fabric. We glued on our cityscape buildings, then decorated with markers and stickers. Thank you to Michael, Sean, and Shaunak’s mother for helping out during art class!
September book orders went home on Wednesday with your children. I told them to put it inside their backpacks, so hopefully the books made it home safely! Today you will see the October book order forms if you are interested!
In school, we are learning to follow rules such as keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, and treating others nicely. We are also learning to take turns and to share. Also, we are learning to line up instead of cutting or pushing our way to the front. Please help to teach this skill every morning when you arrive with your child. Make sure they go to the back of the line when they come to school and not stand wherever they want to. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Next Week’s Sharing: Something that starts with the letter S.
Thursday, October 1st: September Homework Due
Please return the September homework page (from Back-to-School night) showing which activities you and your child completed at home. The October Homework page will go home on this day as well.
Monday, October 5th: October Book Orders Due
Today you are receiving the October Scholastic Book Orders for Firefly and Seesaw. Please look over the books and if you would like to purchase one, please return the form to me with ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs, or purchase them online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs (User Name: Beebear, Password: MrsYu – no spaces or period).
Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
On Monday this week, you should have received your 20 minute conference day and time. If you have not returned the confirmation sheet, please do so on Monday, September 28th. Please make sure you arrive on time because we have back-to-back conferences and we cannot go over the time allotted to you. All the kindergarten teachers will have a substitute for three full days during conferences. I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17).
-----
Dear Families,
Time is flying by quickly. I can’t believe it is already the end of September and that October is around the corner! Starting next week, your child will start bringing home a homework folder on Monday. Inside will be some optional math and language arts pages. In a few weeks, we will also add the library book and library journals. Please return these folders every Friday (if there is no school on Friday, please return it on Thursday!).
Great job with our first sharing this week! Today you will see a half sheet of yellow paper that shows how your child did on sharing this week. Our goal is to try and get a “4” in all areas. Some of the students were very comfortable in front of the class, and some of the students were extremely shy. Either way, I was proud of everyone for trying their best and bringing something special to share with the class. Great job!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We have finished working on all of the uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters, and learning their sounds. Everyday, we will continue to practice our handwriting and phonics, but at least now everyone has been introduced to all the letters and the vowels. We have been learning a song that teaches us all of the vowels, and we have been reviewing a song about how many syllables we have in our name. On Thursday, we tried to write all of the letters independently. Keep practicing at home everyday!
• Social Studies: Congratulations to Tanisha, who was chosen as our fourth Star of the Week! You can read about her in the “Classwork” section of our website, and click under “Star of the Week.”
• Science: We are studying about apples this week. We made a minibook about what colors apples should be. We also tasted four different types of apples to see which was our favorite. In addition, we worked on the life cycle of apples during Friday Centers by learning about seeds, trees, leaves, blossoms, and apples!
• Math: We finished our fourth chapter on plane shapes and our fifth chapter on patterns. We practiced patterns by colors, shapes, sizes, objects, and by letters. We also made a math art picture of a beehive using rulers. We learned how to make straight lines and how to make curved lines. We used fingerstamps for the bees and placed a bee inside, outside, and on the beehive to reinforce math vocabulary.
• Computer Lab: This week we learned how to open up files from our folders on the servers. This was very difficult for some students because they are not used to clicking and double-clicking on icons. We are practicing this skill. Then, we began illustrating a poem about an apple tree. We used the shape tools, painting tools, stamps, and also learned to type our names by finding our letters on the keyboard. Thank you to Caroline and Keona’s mother for helping out in computer lab! It really helps to get all the students to successfully complete the projects. We will be continuing this lesson next week and hopefully will be able to print and save all the pictures!
• Assembly: This week, we had a special puppet show assembly on Trickster stories. We are remembering how to be a polite audience and to clap for others. During sharing, we also are trying to learn to be good listeners.
• Art: This was our first art class with Mrs. Abada! She taught us how to make a cityscape using different materials such as paper, wallpaper, and fabric. We glued on our cityscape buildings, then decorated with markers and stickers. Thank you to Michael, Sean, and Shaunak’s mother for helping out during art class!
September book orders went home on Wednesday with your children. I told them to put it inside their backpacks, so hopefully the books made it home safely! Today you will see the October book order forms if you are interested!
In school, we are learning to follow rules such as keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, and treating others nicely. We are also learning to take turns and to share. Also, we are learning to line up instead of cutting or pushing our way to the front. Please help to teach this skill every morning when you arrive with your child. Make sure they go to the back of the line when they come to school and not stand wherever they want to. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
September 17, 2009
Upcoming Dates
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
You will be assigned a 20 minute time slot during the school day to talk about your child’s progress. Please make sure you arrive on time because we have back-to-back conferences and we cannot go over the time allotted to you. All the kindergarten teachers will have a substitute for three full days during conferences. I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17).
-----
Dear Families,
This was another short week! On Monday, you children brought home their “warm-colored” Kindergarten Keepbook Box. Please remember to put them somewhere where your child can access them whenever they want to read. I told the students a good place may be in their room, such as in their closet, on a shelf, or under the bed. We will be taking home mini-books about once a week, so please keep them altogether!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on many of the letters this week including O, P, Q, R, S, and T. Our handwriting is starting to look better and I am seeing good control on holding the pencil correctly! Many of the students can copy the letters if they have an example, but cannot write it properly on their own. This will be our next step. Keep practicing at home! We have been reading many stories such as Hooway For Wodney Wat, Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, and Freckleface Strawberry, which are about accepting differences and being special just the way you are. We want to make sure we only saw kind things to each other and never name-call or make fun of others.
• Social Studies: Congratulations to David, who was chosen as our second Star of the Week! You can read about him in the “Classwork” section of our website, and click under “Star of the Week.” Please remember to take care of Beebear if you take him home for the weekend. He is pretty old, so he needs to be treated gently! Thanks! Also this week, we made a minibook for the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. We recite the Pledge everyday, so your child should have the words memorized! Please add this minibook to our Kindergarten Keepbook Shoeboxes!
• Math: We completed the first unit of our math books. I assessed students individually this week to see if they understood the concepts of the first unit. We also started the second unit, or chapter 4 this week on shapes. We are practicing to sort and identify squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. We also continued working with patterns.
• Computer Lab: This week we explored the Stamp function in Kidpix. We found stamps that we liked and made them different sizes. Next week we will begin our first project.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies for the second time today. Ms. Allen read us all a story called, Me on the Map. This was a social studies activity for students to learn about where they are in relation to the world. Little buddies had to draw themselves, their bedroom, their house, and their street. Big buddies had to draw their town, town state, their country, and the world.
• Library: This was our second visit to the library. Mrs. Glass read us a story, and then reviewed the library rules: walking feet, whisper voices, using a shelf marker to find books, putting books away, and reading quietly at the tables. We are really working on following these rules, and not just playing during library time. Please begin getting in the habit of reading with or to your child every night, even just a few minutes. We want students to learn to love reading, or at this stage, love to hear stories, look at pictures, and think about what’s happening in the story.
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney again today! She always has fun movement songs for us to learn. We reviewed some of the activities from last class. In music, we are trying to remember when it is ok to be silly and when it is time to be quiet.
Remember that next week, sharing begins! Hopefully, you have kept the sharing schedule in a safe place! Next week, the topic is anything your child wants to share! Please remember to prepare at least 4 sentences, and bring a visual to show the class (whether it is the actual object, or a large, colorful picture). All the sharing information is on the website under “Classwork” and then “Sharing.” Just a reminder:
Mondays –
AM: Aditi, Caroline, Chris, Connor
PM: Aditya, Colleen
Tuesdays –
AM: David, Jennifer, Kavya
PM: Daniel, Edison, Grace
Wednesdays –
AM: Keona, Kristina, Kumiko
PM: Jewel, Lauren, Matthew N.
Thursdays –
AM: Leah, Michael, Raphael, Sahithi
PM: Sara, Shaunak
Fridays –
AM: Sean, Matthew C., Yuma
PM: Tanisha, Woojin, Yash
I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s sharing next week!!! Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
Monday, October 5th – Tuesday, October 13th: Parent Conferences
You will be assigned a 20 minute time slot during the school day to talk about your child’s progress. Please make sure you arrive on time because we have back-to-back conferences and we cannot go over the time allotted to you. All the kindergarten teachers will have a substitute for three full days during conferences. I will be meeting with each of you in the UPPER GRADE WING – CONFERENCE ROOM (Next to Room 17).
-----
Dear Families,
This was another short week! On Monday, you children brought home their “warm-colored” Kindergarten Keepbook Box. Please remember to put them somewhere where your child can access them whenever they want to read. I told the students a good place may be in their room, such as in their closet, on a shelf, or under the bed. We will be taking home mini-books about once a week, so please keep them altogether!
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on many of the letters this week including O, P, Q, R, S, and T. Our handwriting is starting to look better and I am seeing good control on holding the pencil correctly! Many of the students can copy the letters if they have an example, but cannot write it properly on their own. This will be our next step. Keep practicing at home! We have been reading many stories such as Hooway For Wodney Wat, Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, and Freckleface Strawberry, which are about accepting differences and being special just the way you are. We want to make sure we only saw kind things to each other and never name-call or make fun of others.
• Social Studies: Congratulations to David, who was chosen as our second Star of the Week! You can read about him in the “Classwork” section of our website, and click under “Star of the Week.” Please remember to take care of Beebear if you take him home for the weekend. He is pretty old, so he needs to be treated gently! Thanks! Also this week, we made a minibook for the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. We recite the Pledge everyday, so your child should have the words memorized! Please add this minibook to our Kindergarten Keepbook Shoeboxes!
• Math: We completed the first unit of our math books. I assessed students individually this week to see if they understood the concepts of the first unit. We also started the second unit, or chapter 4 this week on shapes. We are practicing to sort and identify squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. We also continued working with patterns.
• Computer Lab: This week we explored the Stamp function in Kidpix. We found stamps that we liked and made them different sizes. Next week we will begin our first project.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies for the second time today. Ms. Allen read us all a story called, Me on the Map. This was a social studies activity for students to learn about where they are in relation to the world. Little buddies had to draw themselves, their bedroom, their house, and their street. Big buddies had to draw their town, town state, their country, and the world.
• Library: This was our second visit to the library. Mrs. Glass read us a story, and then reviewed the library rules: walking feet, whisper voices, using a shelf marker to find books, putting books away, and reading quietly at the tables. We are really working on following these rules, and not just playing during library time. Please begin getting in the habit of reading with or to your child every night, even just a few minutes. We want students to learn to love reading, or at this stage, love to hear stories, look at pictures, and think about what’s happening in the story.
• Music: We saw Ms. Disney again today! She always has fun movement songs for us to learn. We reviewed some of the activities from last class. In music, we are trying to remember when it is ok to be silly and when it is time to be quiet.
Remember that next week, sharing begins! Hopefully, you have kept the sharing schedule in a safe place! Next week, the topic is anything your child wants to share! Please remember to prepare at least 4 sentences, and bring a visual to show the class (whether it is the actual object, or a large, colorful picture). All the sharing information is on the website under “Classwork” and then “Sharing.” Just a reminder:
Mondays –
AM: Aditi, Caroline, Chris, Connor
PM: Aditya, Colleen
Tuesdays –
AM: David, Jennifer, Kavya
PM: Daniel, Edison, Grace
Wednesdays –
AM: Keona, Kristina, Kumiko
PM: Jewel, Lauren, Matthew N.
Thursdays –
AM: Leah, Michael, Raphael, Sahithi
PM: Sara, Shaunak
Fridays –
AM: Sean, Matthew C., Yuma
PM: Tanisha, Woojin, Yash
I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s sharing next week!!! Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11, 2009
Upcoming Dates
Sunday, September 13th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
I’ve extended the September book order deadline to Sunday so you have time to order books over the weekend.
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
------
Dear Families,
This was a short week. Everyday we are working on following our carpet rules, working rules, and lining up rules. We are also talking about how to treat others in the classroom and on the playground with respect. We are learning to share and we are learning to use our words to communicate with each other. I hope that this year the children will learn how to be kind to one another. Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on the letters J, K, L, M, and N this week. Please review all of our alphabet letters at home, and have your child practice writing their own name properly. We also read the story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which is about alphabet letters trying to climb up a coconut tree. We made a project that showed the letters of our name climbing up a coconut tree and counted how many made it up!
• Social Studies: Congratulations to Sahithi, who was chosen as our first Star of the Week! You can read about her in the “Classwork” section of our website, and clicking under “Star of the Week.” I will update information about our new Star each week. Also, in Friday Centers, we completed a mini-book that illustrates Eaton School’s Peacebuilder Pledge that we recite everyday. This book will be added to our shoebox collection.
• Math: We completed the third chapter in the first unit of our math book. This week was all about graphing. We learned how to read graphs and figure out which is more or less popular. We also had a chance to make our own graphs and interview classmates to fill in the data. Now we are reviewing all of our vocabulary words and concepts from the past three chapters. In Friday Centers, we also used red and blue squares, as well as stamps, to make patterns.
• Computer Lab: This was our second time in the computer lab. We continued to explore the drawing and painting tools in KidPix. Our task this week was to create a picture and add details in the background.
• Art: On Thursday, we painted our shoeboxes! We used warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) to paint all the sides of our boxes any way we liked! It was a bit of a mess, but we had a great time! Shoeboxes will be coming home soon!
Thank you for returning all the paperwork from Back-to-School night so promptly. If you haven’t yet, please return at least the website permission form, the library permission form, and the behavior agreement. Thank you to all of our volunteers so far:
- Room Parent’s: Shaunak and Colleen’s mom
- Art Helpers: Sean, Caroline, Shaunak, and Michael’s mom
- Computer Helper: Caroline’s mom
- Friday Helpers: AM – Kumiko’s mom, PM – Daniel’s mom, and Prep – Yuma’s mom
If you are available, we still need extra help in Computer Lab every Wednesday from 11:40am-12:20pm and we need a library helper every Monday from 11:00am-12:00pm. Please let me know if you will be able to volunteer during these times.
Thank you also to everyone who signed up to help with traffic duty in October. I will send a reminder as we get closer to our traffic duty week. Again, if you haven’t signed up for a slot, please consider doing so and return the pink sign up sheet from Back to School night. Thank you for your help!
Have a wonderful weekend! Next week will also be a short week!
Sunday, September 13th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
I’ve extended the September book order deadline to Sunday so you have time to order books over the weekend.
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
------
Dear Families,
This was a short week. Everyday we are working on following our carpet rules, working rules, and lining up rules. We are also talking about how to treat others in the classroom and on the playground with respect. We are learning to share and we are learning to use our words to communicate with each other. I hope that this year the children will learn how to be kind to one another. Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on the letters J, K, L, M, and N this week. Please review all of our alphabet letters at home, and have your child practice writing their own name properly. We also read the story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which is about alphabet letters trying to climb up a coconut tree. We made a project that showed the letters of our name climbing up a coconut tree and counted how many made it up!
• Social Studies: Congratulations to Sahithi, who was chosen as our first Star of the Week! You can read about her in the “Classwork” section of our website, and clicking under “Star of the Week.” I will update information about our new Star each week. Also, in Friday Centers, we completed a mini-book that illustrates Eaton School’s Peacebuilder Pledge that we recite everyday. This book will be added to our shoebox collection.
• Math: We completed the third chapter in the first unit of our math book. This week was all about graphing. We learned how to read graphs and figure out which is more or less popular. We also had a chance to make our own graphs and interview classmates to fill in the data. Now we are reviewing all of our vocabulary words and concepts from the past three chapters. In Friday Centers, we also used red and blue squares, as well as stamps, to make patterns.
• Computer Lab: This was our second time in the computer lab. We continued to explore the drawing and painting tools in KidPix. Our task this week was to create a picture and add details in the background.
• Art: On Thursday, we painted our shoeboxes! We used warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) to paint all the sides of our boxes any way we liked! It was a bit of a mess, but we had a great time! Shoeboxes will be coming home soon!
Thank you for returning all the paperwork from Back-to-School night so promptly. If you haven’t yet, please return at least the website permission form, the library permission form, and the behavior agreement. Thank you to all of our volunteers so far:
- Room Parent’s: Shaunak and Colleen’s mom
- Art Helpers: Sean, Caroline, Shaunak, and Michael’s mom
- Computer Helper: Caroline’s mom
- Friday Helpers: AM – Kumiko’s mom, PM – Daniel’s mom, and Prep – Yuma’s mom
If you are available, we still need extra help in Computer Lab every Wednesday from 11:40am-12:20pm and we need a library helper every Monday from 11:00am-12:00pm. Please let me know if you will be able to volunteer during these times.
Thank you also to everyone who signed up to help with traffic duty in October. I will send a reminder as we get closer to our traffic duty week. Again, if you haven’t signed up for a slot, please consider doing so and return the pink sign up sheet from Back to School night. Thank you for your help!
Have a wonderful weekend! Next week will also be a short week!
Friday, September 04, 2009
September 4, 2009
Upcoming Dates
Monday, September 7th: No School – Labor Day
Enjoy your three-day weekend!
Friday, September 11th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Yesterday at Back to School Night, you received our first September Book Order catalogs. Please look over them and submit your orders online by Friday. If you want to pay by check, you can send ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs with the order form, and submit that to me by Friday.
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
-----
Dear Families,
I’m glad so many of you were able to make it yesterday to Back to School Night! I apologize for speaking so quickly and rushing through many things, but there is so much to cover! Remember to take time to look over the website if you ever have questions about our classroom procedures. If you were unable to attend, I have sent home our Back to School Night packet in your child’s orange or green daily folder. Please look through all the materials and return the forms included.
I mentioned homework last night which includes library take home books, sharing, monthly packets, and weekly packets. Only the September Homework packet has started, and that will be due October 1st. Sharing begins the week of September 21st and library take home books will begin in October. I will try to send the weekly homework packets in the next few weeks.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on the letters E, F, G, H, and I this week. We learned their sounds and proper handwriting. We are even learning sign language! Ask your child to show you the alphabet up to letter I in sign language!
• Social Studies: We are beginning our Star of the Week program today. We will select a child each week to learn about. We will interview them by asking them questions, and then afterwards we complete a book about things that they like. The Star of the Week completes their posters at home and get to bring Beebear home for the weekend!
• Math: We completed the second chapter in our math books. This week was all about same and different things. We compared similarities between objects and sorted them by their shape or color. We also sorted the class into groups such as boys and girls, people wearing pants and not pants, or names with certain letters. In Friday Fun Centers, we also worked with Ms. Shyama on a sorting activity.
• Library: We had our first library visit this week. We met Mrs. Glass and learned about the library rules. We need to use walking feet, whisper voices, and we have special shelf markers to help us remember where we found our books. Students have time to read different books in the library and learn how to put them back in the correct spot.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class for the first time. We took a picture with our buddies and then worked on a “Me and My Buddy” interview. We learned about each other’s birthdays, favorite food, colors, animals, and favorite things to do. Then we illustrated our pictures on the paper.
• Computer Lab: This was our first time in the computer lab. Each of us are assigned to one computer for the whole year. We started by learning how to use the mouse and we explored the software program, Kidpix, today. We learned how to use the different drawing and painting tools, as well as how to quit the program when it is time to leave.
• Music: We met Ms. Disney for the first time this week. She is a wonderful music teacher who has great discipline and control of the classroom. During music, she focuses a lot on movement, rhythm, and beats, instead of just singing songs like we do in the classroom. When we first started, we walked in a circle to different drum beats such as fast, slow, or syncopated. Then we did some rhythm patterns using our hands and hopped, skipped, galloped, jumped, and wiggled to a song about a car on Highway 1.
Thank you for filling out the forms and paperwork from last night. Please return them as soon as possible. I will be contacting volunteers through email as soon as I can to get you in the classroom. Thank you for your help!
Monday, September 7th: No School – Labor Day
Enjoy your three-day weekend!
Friday, September 11th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Yesterday at Back to School Night, you received our first September Book Order catalogs. Please look over them and submit your orders online by Friday. If you want to pay by check, you can send ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs with the order form, and submit that to me by Friday.
Friday, September 18th: No School – Staff Learning Day
The Cupertino School District will have a day to introduce teachers to the new math program this year.
-----
Dear Families,
I’m glad so many of you were able to make it yesterday to Back to School Night! I apologize for speaking so quickly and rushing through many things, but there is so much to cover! Remember to take time to look over the website if you ever have questions about our classroom procedures. If you were unable to attend, I have sent home our Back to School Night packet in your child’s orange or green daily folder. Please look through all the materials and return the forms included.
I mentioned homework last night which includes library take home books, sharing, monthly packets, and weekly packets. Only the September Homework packet has started, and that will be due October 1st. Sharing begins the week of September 21st and library take home books will begin in October. I will try to send the weekly homework packets in the next few weeks.
Here are some highlights for the week:
• Language Arts: We worked on the letters E, F, G, H, and I this week. We learned their sounds and proper handwriting. We are even learning sign language! Ask your child to show you the alphabet up to letter I in sign language!
• Social Studies: We are beginning our Star of the Week program today. We will select a child each week to learn about. We will interview them by asking them questions, and then afterwards we complete a book about things that they like. The Star of the Week completes their posters at home and get to bring Beebear home for the weekend!
• Math: We completed the second chapter in our math books. This week was all about same and different things. We compared similarities between objects and sorted them by their shape or color. We also sorted the class into groups such as boys and girls, people wearing pants and not pants, or names with certain letters. In Friday Fun Centers, we also worked with Ms. Shyama on a sorting activity.
• Library: We had our first library visit this week. We met Mrs. Glass and learned about the library rules. We need to use walking feet, whisper voices, and we have special shelf markers to help us remember where we found our books. Students have time to read different books in the library and learn how to put them back in the correct spot.
• Buddies: We saw our fourth grade buddies in Ms. Allen’s class for the first time. We took a picture with our buddies and then worked on a “Me and My Buddy” interview. We learned about each other’s birthdays, favorite food, colors, animals, and favorite things to do. Then we illustrated our pictures on the paper.
• Computer Lab: This was our first time in the computer lab. Each of us are assigned to one computer for the whole year. We started by learning how to use the mouse and we explored the software program, Kidpix, today. We learned how to use the different drawing and painting tools, as well as how to quit the program when it is time to leave.
• Music: We met Ms. Disney for the first time this week. She is a wonderful music teacher who has great discipline and control of the classroom. During music, she focuses a lot on movement, rhythm, and beats, instead of just singing songs like we do in the classroom. When we first started, we walked in a circle to different drum beats such as fast, slow, or syncopated. Then we did some rhythm patterns using our hands and hopped, skipped, galloped, jumped, and wiggled to a song about a car on Highway 1.
Thank you for filling out the forms and paperwork from last night. Please return them as soon as possible. I will be contacting volunteers through email as soon as I can to get you in the classroom. Thank you for your help!
Friday, August 28, 2009
First week of school
Upcoming Dates
Monday, August 31st: Supplies, Eaton First Day Paperwork, and Shoeboxes Due!
Most of you have already turned in everything so thank you very much! If you haven’t, please do so by Monday.
Thursday, September 3rd: Back-to-School Night 7:15pm-8:00pm in Room 8
This is a mandatory informational meeting about our classroom procedures and curriculum plan for the year. There will be a PTO meeting in the MP room from 7:00pm-7:15pm beforehand.
Monday, September 7th: No School – Labor Day
Enjoy your three-day weekend!
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you to those of you who have given generous donations for our classroom! In addition to the kindergarten supply list, we ask each family to donate $150 (payable to Eaton Elementary School) in order to cover the costs for all the fun assemblies, field trips, projects, and activities we complete all year long. These programs are not possible without your donations. We appreciate your contribution and support! The Eaton PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) also is asking for a $175 donation (payable to Eaton PTO) to help plan school wide events and fundraisers. Please consider these donation opportunities, as they greatly help our school!
The first few days of school have been focused on class rules and procedures. Thank you for emptying and returning the daily orange and green folders each day. Students are learning to become more independent by unpacking and packing up each day, cleaning up after themselves, and finishing work on their own. I encourage you to let your child do the same at home. Also, we are working on following classroom rules when sitting on the carpet, working at the tables, lining up, and during recess or lunch. Last week, we took a tour of the Eaton campus to learn where the office, bathroom, library, computer lab, MP room, etc. is. Please make sure that your child is comfortable going to the bathroom by him/herself (closing the door, flushing, washing hands after, etc) and also is able to open and close their lunches or snacks. Thank you!
Here are some highlights from the week:
• Reading: We continued to read the Kissing Hand and its sequels. We made a handprint using paint to show what our Kissing Hands look like. Also, we have been learning the words to a book called, “We All Sing With the Same Voice,” which describes children around the world who are alike and different. Everyday, we read an alphabet story so that the students are learning their letters and different vocabulary words that begin with each letter.
• Language Arts: We have begun our phonics and handwriting lessons. We learned how to hold a pencil and how to use two-finger spaces. We worked on A, B, C, and D this week. We practiced big and small letters as well as saying their sounds. Please work on your child’s handwriting if you see handwriting mistakes in their daily folders.
• Math: We completed the first chapter in our math book. The vocabulary words we learned included: top/middle/bottom, before/between/after, inside/outside, and left/right. Please look over the work that goes home and also review these concepts and vocabulary words with your child. We also did an art project about ice cream and practiced applying the concept of top/middle/bottom.
• Social Studies: We are learning about ourselves and our community. We drew a self portrait using as much detail as we could. We also completed two mini-books about school and kindergarten. These books will be going in the shoeboxes that your child brought to school.
• Art: We had a scissors lesson last week and learned how to properly hold scissors. We practiced cutting different types of lines and then made the Blue Sky, Yellow Sun project. This week, we also made a school bus for our classroom display.
• Fire Drill: On Thursday, we practiced our first fire drill. We talked about why we have to practice fire drills and other emergencies. We lined up quietly when the fire bell rang and walked onto the field until we were excused. We did a great job!
• Assembly: We had our first assembly today! It was called “Peace Proof” and Gary Lapow came to sing several of his songs that talked about peace and treating others nicely. During this assembly, Mrs. Rowe reminded us about the school rules at Eaton and what good behavior looks like.
• Free Choice Centers: On Fridays, we will be having free choice centers where children work in small groups to complete activities. This is a time for children to interact and learn how to socialize with others by sharing, including, and treating others nicely. During this time, I get to work with students individually on reading and comprehension.
• Library: We will have our first Eaton library visit on Monday. Mrs. Glass, our librarian, reads us a story and then we get to read books during this time. For the first month, we will not be having the kids check out books on their own because it takes some time to learn the library procedures and how to choose an appropriate book. Therefore, if you would like to find books for your child at home, please visit the Cupertino Public Library. As a general rule, we have children browse for books, and if they cannot read more than 5 words on a page, then that book is too difficult. For now, alphabet books and picture books are great, unless you are reading to them (then it can be harder).
We are fortunate to have a kindergarten aide to help out in our classroom once a week during small group time. Her name is Shyama Nair and she helps in our class for an hour and a half on Friday morning and afternoon. Shyama is a wonderful help to us! She usually does small group or individual projects with the children.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you next Thursday at Back to School Night! Please plan on attending. Have a wonderful weekend!
Monday, August 31st: Supplies, Eaton First Day Paperwork, and Shoeboxes Due!
Most of you have already turned in everything so thank you very much! If you haven’t, please do so by Monday.
Thursday, September 3rd: Back-to-School Night 7:15pm-8:00pm in Room 8
This is a mandatory informational meeting about our classroom procedures and curriculum plan for the year. There will be a PTO meeting in the MP room from 7:00pm-7:15pm beforehand.
Monday, September 7th: No School – Labor Day
Enjoy your three-day weekend!
-----
Dear Families,
Thank you to those of you who have given generous donations for our classroom! In addition to the kindergarten supply list, we ask each family to donate $150 (payable to Eaton Elementary School) in order to cover the costs for all the fun assemblies, field trips, projects, and activities we complete all year long. These programs are not possible without your donations. We appreciate your contribution and support! The Eaton PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) also is asking for a $175 donation (payable to Eaton PTO) to help plan school wide events and fundraisers. Please consider these donation opportunities, as they greatly help our school!
The first few days of school have been focused on class rules and procedures. Thank you for emptying and returning the daily orange and green folders each day. Students are learning to become more independent by unpacking and packing up each day, cleaning up after themselves, and finishing work on their own. I encourage you to let your child do the same at home. Also, we are working on following classroom rules when sitting on the carpet, working at the tables, lining up, and during recess or lunch. Last week, we took a tour of the Eaton campus to learn where the office, bathroom, library, computer lab, MP room, etc. is. Please make sure that your child is comfortable going to the bathroom by him/herself (closing the door, flushing, washing hands after, etc) and also is able to open and close their lunches or snacks. Thank you!
Here are some highlights from the week:
• Reading: We continued to read the Kissing Hand and its sequels. We made a handprint using paint to show what our Kissing Hands look like. Also, we have been learning the words to a book called, “We All Sing With the Same Voice,” which describes children around the world who are alike and different. Everyday, we read an alphabet story so that the students are learning their letters and different vocabulary words that begin with each letter.
• Language Arts: We have begun our phonics and handwriting lessons. We learned how to hold a pencil and how to use two-finger spaces. We worked on A, B, C, and D this week. We practiced big and small letters as well as saying their sounds. Please work on your child’s handwriting if you see handwriting mistakes in their daily folders.
• Math: We completed the first chapter in our math book. The vocabulary words we learned included: top/middle/bottom, before/between/after, inside/outside, and left/right. Please look over the work that goes home and also review these concepts and vocabulary words with your child. We also did an art project about ice cream and practiced applying the concept of top/middle/bottom.
• Social Studies: We are learning about ourselves and our community. We drew a self portrait using as much detail as we could. We also completed two mini-books about school and kindergarten. These books will be going in the shoeboxes that your child brought to school.
• Art: We had a scissors lesson last week and learned how to properly hold scissors. We practiced cutting different types of lines and then made the Blue Sky, Yellow Sun project. This week, we also made a school bus for our classroom display.
• Fire Drill: On Thursday, we practiced our first fire drill. We talked about why we have to practice fire drills and other emergencies. We lined up quietly when the fire bell rang and walked onto the field until we were excused. We did a great job!
• Assembly: We had our first assembly today! It was called “Peace Proof” and Gary Lapow came to sing several of his songs that talked about peace and treating others nicely. During this assembly, Mrs. Rowe reminded us about the school rules at Eaton and what good behavior looks like.
• Free Choice Centers: On Fridays, we will be having free choice centers where children work in small groups to complete activities. This is a time for children to interact and learn how to socialize with others by sharing, including, and treating others nicely. During this time, I get to work with students individually on reading and comprehension.
• Library: We will have our first Eaton library visit on Monday. Mrs. Glass, our librarian, reads us a story and then we get to read books during this time. For the first month, we will not be having the kids check out books on their own because it takes some time to learn the library procedures and how to choose an appropriate book. Therefore, if you would like to find books for your child at home, please visit the Cupertino Public Library. As a general rule, we have children browse for books, and if they cannot read more than 5 words on a page, then that book is too difficult. For now, alphabet books and picture books are great, unless you are reading to them (then it can be harder).
We are fortunate to have a kindergarten aide to help out in our classroom once a week during small group time. Her name is Shyama Nair and she helps in our class for an hour and a half on Friday morning and afternoon. Shyama is a wonderful help to us! She usually does small group or individual projects with the children.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you next Thursday at Back to School Night! Please plan on attending. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
First Day of School
Dear Kindergarten families,
Welcome to Kindergarten! Thank you to those of you who attended Kindergarten Kick-Start yesterday morning. It was nice meeting many of you! If you were not able to attend, I included the information sheet in your manila folder today.
Important Dates to Remember:
• August 24th – PTO Ice Cream Social (6:30-8:00pm)
• August 28th – Bring an adult-sized shoe box to school
- School Supplies Due (in a bag labeled with your child’s name)
• September 3rd – Back to School Night (7:15-8:00pm)
• September 7th – Labor Day (no school)
Back to School Night
Please save the date: Thursday, September 3rd. There will be a PTO Meeting in the Multipurpose (MP) room from 7:00-7:15pm. Then I will hold a meeting in Room 8 from 7:15-8:00pm. This is a very important meeting where I will be discussing our classroom procedures, standards, homework, volunteer schedules, etc. This event is for parents only.
Folders
Your child will be bringing home a folder everyday in his or her backpack (orange for AM, green for PM) starting on Friday. This folder will have your child’s daily work along with other important information. Please review and remove all the papers in the folder every night. If you have any information or papers for me, please place them inside the folder. Make sure your child brings their folder to school everyday! Some days the folder will come home empty. Do not be alarmed, we do a lot of hands-on activities in class, so some days there will not be much paperwork. Also, I save a lot of their work for an end-of-the-year project.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
In early October, I will be able to meet with each individual family to discuss your child’s strengths and needs. If you have any information you would like me to know prior to this meeting (health concerns, family living situations, etc.), please let me know on the “Let’s Get Acquainted Sheet.”
First Day Packet & Extra Info
There will be a lot of information coming home today that needs to be signed and returned to school. Please return the items in the manila folder by Monday, August 24th.
• Enrollment / Health Card (don’t forget your signature at the bottom!)
• CUSD Opening Day Packet / signature on page 9
• Eaton Classroom & PTO Direct Donation Drive
• Telecommunication Agreement
• Electronic Newsletter Signup: http://eatoneagles.ca.campusgrid.net/home
• Lunch order – if desired
• Room 8 Directory
• Let’s Get Acquainted information sheet
School Playgrounds
During school hours, students may not play on the playground structures unless a teacher is supervising. This is between the hours of 8:30am to 3:45pm. Remember to park your cars (not in the bus circle!) if you are picking up or dropping off.
AM Parents: Please remember to wait in the bus circle (outside of Room 1) until 12:20pm. Then you may come to pick up your child and return home. Please do not let your child run around or play at Eaton after 12:20pm.
PM Parents: Please pick up your child at 3:05pm (Tuesdays 2:30pm) and then return home. Please do not let your child run around or play after 3:05pm.
Thank you for your help to follow Eaton school rules. I am looking forward to a wonderful year and am super excited to get to know you and your child better!
Welcome to Kindergarten! Thank you to those of you who attended Kindergarten Kick-Start yesterday morning. It was nice meeting many of you! If you were not able to attend, I included the information sheet in your manila folder today.
Important Dates to Remember:
• August 24th – PTO Ice Cream Social (6:30-8:00pm)
• August 28th – Bring an adult-sized shoe box to school
- School Supplies Due (in a bag labeled with your child’s name)
• September 3rd – Back to School Night (7:15-8:00pm)
• September 7th – Labor Day (no school)
Back to School Night
Please save the date: Thursday, September 3rd. There will be a PTO Meeting in the Multipurpose (MP) room from 7:00-7:15pm. Then I will hold a meeting in Room 8 from 7:15-8:00pm. This is a very important meeting where I will be discussing our classroom procedures, standards, homework, volunteer schedules, etc. This event is for parents only.
Folders
Your child will be bringing home a folder everyday in his or her backpack (orange for AM, green for PM) starting on Friday. This folder will have your child’s daily work along with other important information. Please review and remove all the papers in the folder every night. If you have any information or papers for me, please place them inside the folder. Make sure your child brings their folder to school everyday! Some days the folder will come home empty. Do not be alarmed, we do a lot of hands-on activities in class, so some days there will not be much paperwork. Also, I save a lot of their work for an end-of-the-year project.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
In early October, I will be able to meet with each individual family to discuss your child’s strengths and needs. If you have any information you would like me to know prior to this meeting (health concerns, family living situations, etc.), please let me know on the “Let’s Get Acquainted Sheet.”
First Day Packet & Extra Info
There will be a lot of information coming home today that needs to be signed and returned to school. Please return the items in the manila folder by Monday, August 24th.
• Enrollment / Health Card (don’t forget your signature at the bottom!)
• CUSD Opening Day Packet / signature on page 9
• Eaton Classroom & PTO Direct Donation Drive
• Telecommunication Agreement
• Electronic Newsletter Signup: http://eatoneagles.ca.campusgrid.net/home
• Lunch order – if desired
• Room 8 Directory
• Let’s Get Acquainted information sheet
School Playgrounds
During school hours, students may not play on the playground structures unless a teacher is supervising. This is between the hours of 8:30am to 3:45pm. Remember to park your cars (not in the bus circle!) if you are picking up or dropping off.
AM Parents: Please remember to wait in the bus circle (outside of Room 1) until 12:20pm. Then you may come to pick up your child and return home. Please do not let your child run around or play at Eaton after 12:20pm.
PM Parents: Please pick up your child at 3:05pm (Tuesdays 2:30pm) and then return home. Please do not let your child run around or play after 3:05pm.
Thank you for your help to follow Eaton school rules. I am looking forward to a wonderful year and am super excited to get to know you and your child better!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Kindergarten Kick Start
Welcome to Kindergarten with Mrs. Yu
I am excited to meet all of you today! It will be a wonderful year!
AM Kids
Arrival – 9:00am
Dismissal – 12:20pm
Snacks – Students need to bring a healthy snack to eat at recess.
Please send one item and a drink.
PM Kids
Arrival – 10:55am (Tuesdays – 10:35am)
Dismissal – 3:05pm (Tuesdays – 2:30pm)
Lunch – Students will need to bring a lunch. Kindergarten hot lunch begins on Monday
if your child chooses to participate. Hot lunch students will be walked to the cafeteria and back to our lunch tables. Lunch envelopes are available in the office and need to be turned in no later than the day you would like your child to have hot lunch. Your child will need to memorize his/her PIN number.
Personal Belongings
• All bags, backpacks, lunch bags, jackets, etc. must be labeled with your child’s name and room number.
• Please send your child to school with an appropriate sized bag or backpack (can hold lunch/snack and a folder with papers).
• Do not send a rolling backpack to school. We do not have room to store them.
• Keep all toys at home.
First Day of School
For a smooth transition on the first day, please give your hugs and good-byes to your children BEFORE the bell rings. The principal would like to meet with all the parents in the Multi-purpose room for coffee and discussion at the start of the school day.
Communication
A first day packet will be coming home with your child tomorrow with more information from the school and from our classroom. Please make sure to check your child’s backpack everyday for important notes that may be sent home, and please try to return paperwork promptly. Thank you.
I am excited to meet all of you today! It will be a wonderful year!
AM Kids
Arrival – 9:00am
Dismissal – 12:20pm
Snacks – Students need to bring a healthy snack to eat at recess.
Please send one item and a drink.
PM Kids
Arrival – 10:55am (Tuesdays – 10:35am)
Dismissal – 3:05pm (Tuesdays – 2:30pm)
Lunch – Students will need to bring a lunch. Kindergarten hot lunch begins on Monday
if your child chooses to participate. Hot lunch students will be walked to the cafeteria and back to our lunch tables. Lunch envelopes are available in the office and need to be turned in no later than the day you would like your child to have hot lunch. Your child will need to memorize his/her PIN number.
Personal Belongings
• All bags, backpacks, lunch bags, jackets, etc. must be labeled with your child’s name and room number.
• Please send your child to school with an appropriate sized bag or backpack (can hold lunch/snack and a folder with papers).
• Do not send a rolling backpack to school. We do not have room to store them.
• Keep all toys at home.
First Day of School
For a smooth transition on the first day, please give your hugs and good-byes to your children BEFORE the bell rings. The principal would like to meet with all the parents in the Multi-purpose room for coffee and discussion at the start of the school day.
Communication
A first day packet will be coming home with your child tomorrow with more information from the school and from our classroom. Please make sure to check your child’s backpack everyday for important notes that may be sent home, and please try to return paperwork promptly. Thank you.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Please come to Kindergarten Kick Start
To Parents of Incoming Kindergarten Students:
Mark your calendars!
August 19th: Kindergarten Kick Start (10:00am)
Please plan on attending this important meeting with your child! Class lists will be posted and I will be introducing both you and your child to his/her classroom so that they will feel comfortable on their first day of school
August 20th: First Day of School
Hooray!
Supply Lists:
In the fall of each year, teachers generally ask parents to donate supplies. Parents have requested that these lists be sent out now so that supplies can be purchased during August when many of the stores have special Back to School sales. These items may be brought to the child’s teacher during the first week of school. Have a wonderful summer!
If your last name begins with A-L please bring:
1 box of gallon size Ziploc freezer bags.
1 box of Kleenex
2 dozen glue sticks (Elmer brand only)
1 box of #2 pencils- Ticonderoga Brand (orange only)
2 wide-tip highlighters of each color-
orange, yellow, green, & pink
1 bottle of liquid soap (SoftSoap brand preferred)
If your last name begins with M-Z bring:
1 box of sandwich size Ziploc freezer bags.
1 box of snack size Ziploc bags
1 box of Kleenex
2 dozen glue sticks (Elmer brand only)
1 box of wide-tip Crayola markers
1 container of baby wipes
1 bottle of hand sanitizer
** Hint: Please DO NOT buy your child a backpack with wheels. We do not have ample space for them in the classroom. Thank you! **
Mark your calendars!
August 19th: Kindergarten Kick Start (10:00am)
Please plan on attending this important meeting with your child! Class lists will be posted and I will be introducing both you and your child to his/her classroom so that they will feel comfortable on their first day of school
August 20th: First Day of School
Hooray!
Supply Lists:
In the fall of each year, teachers generally ask parents to donate supplies. Parents have requested that these lists be sent out now so that supplies can be purchased during August when many of the stores have special Back to School sales. These items may be brought to the child’s teacher during the first week of school. Have a wonderful summer!
If your last name begins with A-L please bring:
1 box of gallon size Ziploc freezer bags.
1 box of Kleenex
2 dozen glue sticks (Elmer brand only)
1 box of #2 pencils- Ticonderoga Brand (orange only)
2 wide-tip highlighters of each color-
orange, yellow, green, & pink
1 bottle of liquid soap (SoftSoap brand preferred)
If your last name begins with M-Z bring:
1 box of sandwich size Ziploc freezer bags.
1 box of snack size Ziploc bags
1 box of Kleenex
2 dozen glue sticks (Elmer brand only)
1 box of wide-tip Crayola markers
1 container of baby wipes
1 bottle of hand sanitizer
** Hint: Please DO NOT buy your child a backpack with wheels. We do not have ample space for them in the classroom. Thank you! **
Friday, June 05, 2009
June 5, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Monday, June 8th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be taking the light rail and bus to Almaden Lake Park. Each child needs to wear play clothes and bring a lunch labeled with your child’s name. Do not send anything that cannot be thrown away. We will be leaving around 9:15-9:30. Julia, Mai, and Emi’s mother will be coming with us. If you are meeting us at the park, pick up a map from me on Monday morning. We still need a parent to transport our lunches and drinks. Please see me on Monday if you can help! We return from the park by 2:30.
There is a water play area at Almaden Lake Park, so please wear shoes and clothing that can get a little wet. If it is warm enough to go in, we will dry everyone off in the sun before we get on the bus to come home.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
Please make sure you pick your child up on time!
-----
Dear Families,
This was our last academic week. We finished our last chapter in math on double digit addition and subtraction. We interviewed our new student, Jin, and wrote about her favorite things. You can read about Jin on our website under “Classwork” and “Prince and Princess.” Also, we learned about nutrition and healthy eating this week. We learned about the 5 different food groups in the food pyramid, and reviewed some food vocabulary words. Furthermore, we have been reading stories and completing activities from the English to a Beat program. These stories are great because not only can you listen to the story on a CD, but there are 3 songs in the middle to enhance the stories. Afterwards, we worked on grammar questions such as using is vs. are in sentences, question words: who, what, when, where, why, and commands vs. statements. Finally, we had our last computer lab and Cupertino library visits. Please remember to return all your Eaton and Cupertino books!
For the last 2 weeks, we are ending the year by reading Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. His stories are chapter books but are great because it shows good examples of friendship. I hope that in addition to everything your child has learned academically this year, most important is remembering how to treat others with kindness and respect. Frog and Toad show different ways of being good friends to one another.
Next week will go by quickly. We will have the first grade field trip, the talent show, our last first grade end-of-the-year circuit, and breakfast and a book on the last day. Everything will be going home next week, and please remember to pick up your child promptly at 12:20pm on Friday, June 12th.
Have a wonderful weekend!
* Monday, June 8th: End of the Year First Grade Trip
We will be taking the light rail and bus to Almaden Lake Park. Each child needs to wear play clothes and bring a lunch labeled with your child’s name. Do not send anything that cannot be thrown away. We will be leaving around 9:15-9:30. Julia, Mai, and Emi’s mother will be coming with us. If you are meeting us at the park, pick up a map from me on Monday morning. We still need a parent to transport our lunches and drinks. Please see me on Monday if you can help! We return from the park by 2:30.
There is a water play area at Almaden Lake Park, so please wear shoes and clothing that can get a little wet. If it is warm enough to go in, we will dry everyone off in the sun before we get on the bus to come home.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School! Dismissal is at 12:20pm.
Please make sure you pick your child up on time!
-----
Dear Families,
This was our last academic week. We finished our last chapter in math on double digit addition and subtraction. We interviewed our new student, Jin, and wrote about her favorite things. You can read about Jin on our website under “Classwork” and “Prince and Princess.” Also, we learned about nutrition and healthy eating this week. We learned about the 5 different food groups in the food pyramid, and reviewed some food vocabulary words. Furthermore, we have been reading stories and completing activities from the English to a Beat program. These stories are great because not only can you listen to the story on a CD, but there are 3 songs in the middle to enhance the stories. Afterwards, we worked on grammar questions such as using is vs. are in sentences, question words: who, what, when, where, why, and commands vs. statements. Finally, we had our last computer lab and Cupertino library visits. Please remember to return all your Eaton and Cupertino books!
For the last 2 weeks, we are ending the year by reading Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. His stories are chapter books but are great because it shows good examples of friendship. I hope that in addition to everything your child has learned academically this year, most important is remembering how to treat others with kindness and respect. Frog and Toad show different ways of being good friends to one another.
Next week will go by quickly. We will have the first grade field trip, the talent show, our last first grade end-of-the-year circuit, and breakfast and a book on the last day. Everything will be going home next week, and please remember to pick up your child promptly at 12:20pm on Friday, June 12th.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 28, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Friday, June 5th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
This will be our last visit to the Cupertino Library. Please remember to send your child’s blue library card to school!
* Monday, June 8th: Almaden Lake Park Field Trip
This is our end-of-the-year field trip with all first graders. Please return the permission slip from last week if you haven’t yet! We have enough parent chaperones with us on the light rail and bus! Julia, Mai and Emi’s mother will be coming with us on the bus. Other parents with siblings are welcome to drive themselves and meet us at the park.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School – Dismissal is at 12:20pm
Remember to pick up your child on time at 12:20pm! Have a great summer!
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Dear Families,
It was great to see so many of you at Open House last night! Thank you for coming to see all of the wonderful projects they have completed this year in first grade. The students were all so excited to be your tour guides for the evening. I know it was a lot to see and there was a lot of moving around, but I am proud of all of them! I hope you enjoyed the surprise gift as well. This was my first time publishing a book, and decided that I wanted the class to have a copy of their own. You can purchase extras at www.bookemon.com if you would like to share it with relatives or friends.
This was another short week. We finished up many projects and cleaned up the classroom to prepare for Open House. On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Barelli’s classroom to explore tangrams. We made different animals out of the tangram pieces. On Wednesday, we had an assembly from the Fratello Marionettes on “The Frog Prince.” We watched a puppeteer who made his own puppets perform several short skits using music in the background. It was really entertaining! Today we had a special presentation from the San Jose Museum of Art. They came and introduced us to many different pieces of art styles using different art mediums.
Today was also the last day for the Eaton library. Students cannot check out books anymore since it is the end of the year. Please make sure you have returned your book to the Eaton library to avoid any fines!
We are near the end of the year, but I just found out we are getting a new student on Monday! Unfortunately, we do not have much time to get to know her, but please welcome her and her family anyways during these last 2 weeks. Her name is Jin Kim and she speaks Korean. Thank you!
* Friday, June 5th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
This will be our last visit to the Cupertino Library. Please remember to send your child’s blue library card to school!
* Monday, June 8th: Almaden Lake Park Field Trip
This is our end-of-the-year field trip with all first graders. Please return the permission slip from last week if you haven’t yet! We have enough parent chaperones with us on the light rail and bus! Julia, Mai and Emi’s mother will be coming with us on the bus. Other parents with siblings are welcome to drive themselves and meet us at the park.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School – Dismissal is at 12:20pm
Remember to pick up your child on time at 12:20pm! Have a great summer!
-----
Dear Families,
It was great to see so many of you at Open House last night! Thank you for coming to see all of the wonderful projects they have completed this year in first grade. The students were all so excited to be your tour guides for the evening. I know it was a lot to see and there was a lot of moving around, but I am proud of all of them! I hope you enjoyed the surprise gift as well. This was my first time publishing a book, and decided that I wanted the class to have a copy of their own. You can purchase extras at www.bookemon.com if you would like to share it with relatives or friends.
This was another short week. We finished up many projects and cleaned up the classroom to prepare for Open House. On Tuesday, we went to Mrs. Barelli’s classroom to explore tangrams. We made different animals out of the tangram pieces. On Wednesday, we had an assembly from the Fratello Marionettes on “The Frog Prince.” We watched a puppeteer who made his own puppets perform several short skits using music in the background. It was really entertaining! Today we had a special presentation from the San Jose Museum of Art. They came and introduced us to many different pieces of art styles using different art mediums.
Today was also the last day for the Eaton library. Students cannot check out books anymore since it is the end of the year. Please make sure you have returned your book to the Eaton library to avoid any fines!
We are near the end of the year, but I just found out we are getting a new student on Monday! Unfortunately, we do not have much time to get to know her, but please welcome her and her family anyways during these last 2 weeks. Her name is Jin Kim and she speaks Korean. Thank you!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
May 21, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Friday, May 22nd and Monday, May 25th: NO SCHOOL
Friday, May 22nd will be a staff learning day for all of the teachers. Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day so there is no school. Enjoy your long 4-day weekend!
* Thursday, May 28th: Open House 6:30pm-7:30pm
Save the date! This will be your opportunity to come to Room 8 and see all the beautiful work your child has completed this year in first grade. Siblings are welcome too and your child will be your “tour guide” for the evening!
* Friday, June 5th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
This will be our last visit to the Cupertino Library. Please remember to send your child’s blue library card to school!
* Monday, June 8th: Almaden Lake Park Field Trip
This is our end-of-the-year field trip with all first graders. Attached to today’s newsletter is a permission slip that needs to be returned by Friday, May 29th. We can take three parent chaperones with us on the light rail and bus, and other parents with siblings are welcome to drive themselves and meet us at the park.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School – Dismissal is at 12:20pm
Remember to pick up your child on time at 12:20pm! Have a great summer!
-----
Dear Families,
This was a short week! Thank you for all of the flowers, books, cards, supplies, and gifts this week for Teacher Appreciation Week. I really appreciated the kind thoughts and gestures. Thank you also to Emi’s mom, Mai’s mom, Jhanvi’s mom, and Seyon’s dad for coming to the San Francisco Zoo with us on Monday. Despite the incredibly cold weather, we had a great time looking at the different animals! My favorite was the baby giraffe!
This week we had a special first grade social studies circuit on Communities that lasted Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We rotated to each of the classrooms to learn about people, homes, buildings, transportation, nature, signs, streets, and addresses in our community. These projects will be displayed in our classroom next week.
We are busily finishing up projects for Open House! Please plan on attending this Thursday, May 28th from 6:30-7:30pm! You will be taking home many of your children’s projects that they completed during this first grade year and it will be a great moment for your child to share what he or she has learned! I am very proud of all of them. All of the students have made tremendous improvement, especially in the last few recent months. You should be very proud too! Have a wonderful long weekend!
* Friday, May 22nd and Monday, May 25th: NO SCHOOL
Friday, May 22nd will be a staff learning day for all of the teachers. Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day so there is no school. Enjoy your long 4-day weekend!
* Thursday, May 28th: Open House 6:30pm-7:30pm
Save the date! This will be your opportunity to come to Room 8 and see all the beautiful work your child has completed this year in first grade. Siblings are welcome too and your child will be your “tour guide” for the evening!
* Friday, June 5th: Cupertino Library Field Trip
This will be our last visit to the Cupertino Library. Please remember to send your child’s blue library card to school!
* Monday, June 8th: Almaden Lake Park Field Trip
This is our end-of-the-year field trip with all first graders. Attached to today’s newsletter is a permission slip that needs to be returned by Friday, May 29th. We can take three parent chaperones with us on the light rail and bus, and other parents with siblings are welcome to drive themselves and meet us at the park.
* Friday, June 12th: Last Day of School – Dismissal is at 12:20pm
Remember to pick up your child on time at 12:20pm! Have a great summer!
-----
Dear Families,
This was a short week! Thank you for all of the flowers, books, cards, supplies, and gifts this week for Teacher Appreciation Week. I really appreciated the kind thoughts and gestures. Thank you also to Emi’s mom, Mai’s mom, Jhanvi’s mom, and Seyon’s dad for coming to the San Francisco Zoo with us on Monday. Despite the incredibly cold weather, we had a great time looking at the different animals! My favorite was the baby giraffe!
This week we had a special first grade social studies circuit on Communities that lasted Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We rotated to each of the classrooms to learn about people, homes, buildings, transportation, nature, signs, streets, and addresses in our community. These projects will be displayed in our classroom next week.
We are busily finishing up projects for Open House! Please plan on attending this Thursday, May 28th from 6:30-7:30pm! You will be taking home many of your children’s projects that they completed during this first grade year and it will be a great moment for your child to share what he or she has learned! I am very proud of all of them. All of the students have made tremendous improvement, especially in the last few recent months. You should be very proud too! Have a wonderful long weekend!
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 15, 2009
Upcoming Dates
* Monday, May 18th: San Francisco Zoo Field Trip
Thank you to our four parent chaperones: Emi’s mother, Seyon’s father, Jhanvi’s mother, and Mai’s mother. Please have your child dress in layers to stay warm and send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it. Everything will be thrown away at the zoo!
* Thursday, May 21st: LAST Scholastic Book Orders Due!
Attached to today’s newsletter is the last book order of the year. Please make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs if you are interested in purchasing!
* Friday, May 22nd and Monday, May 25th: NO SCHOOL
Friday, May 22nd will be a staff learning day for all of the teachers. Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day so there is no school. Enjoy your long 4-day weekend!
* Thursday, May 28th: Open House 6:30pm-7:30pm
Save the date! This will be your opportunity to come to Room 8 and see all the beautiful work your child has completed this year in first grade. Siblings are welcome too and your child will be your “tour guide” for the evening!
-----
Dear Families,
Here are some highlights from the week:
Star of the Week: Jhanvi
Poem of the Week: The Robin’s Secret
Song of the Week: The Presidents
Kindness is … singing with all your heart
Words: watched, together, garden, sharp, baby, edge, only, enough
Next Week’s Sharing: Riddle – something at the beach
(at least 4 sentences memorized and picture/object to show)
• Language Arts: Theme 9 Special Friends – Week 3
o Strategy and Skill Focus: Question & Compare/Contrast
o New Sound: vowel pairs oi, oy, aw, au, suffixes –ful, -ly, -y
o Grammar: Describing what we see
• Math: We are in out last chapter for first grade on two digit addition and subtraction. This week we focused on addition and practiced adding two-digit numbers. Students had trouble with subtracting numbers such as 16-9 because they would confuse the ones place as 6-9. Please be careful!
• Writing: We finished learning about the frog life cycle. On Wednesday, we wrote an outline together in class, then students drafted an expository piece about a frog’s life. At this point in the year, students should be able to write an organized paragraph with a topic sentence, at least 3 facts with details to support it, and a conclusion. On Thursday, we published our writing and illustrated a frog to decorate our piece. We also made a quilt square about our favorite memories of first grade this week.
• Science: This is our last week observing the cloud cover, precipitation, wind, and temperature. Students have been assessed on whether or not they made accurate observations during the last month. This includes graphing temperatures correctly.
• Computer: Many students are finishing their The Very Hungry Caterpillar stories in the computer lab. We only have about 2 more weeks to work on them! Students who finished are reading stories in Starfall.
• Music: This week, the first grade classes got together to watch the DVD of our show! Great job everyone! Also, on Monday we were able to watch the fourth and fifth graders perform their musical! The upper graders use instruments such as drums and xylophones to accompany their singing, and also have role playing to tell a story.
• Circuits: On Tuesday, we had circuits with Mrs. Zankich. We reviewed fractions and then designed our own flags using either ½, 1/3, ¼ or 1/8. Then we wrote about what we made.
I came down with a cold during the week, so I rested on Thursday. I know some of the students were also sick! Take care and I hope you have a nice weekend!
* Monday, May 18th: San Francisco Zoo Field Trip
Thank you to our four parent chaperones: Emi’s mother, Seyon’s father, Jhanvi’s mother, and Mai’s mother. Please have your child dress in layers to stay warm and send a BAG lunch with your child’s name on it. Everything will be thrown away at the zoo!
* Thursday, May 21st: LAST Scholastic Book Orders Due!
Attached to today’s newsletter is the last book order of the year. Please make ONE check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs if you are interested in purchasing!
* Friday, May 22nd and Monday, May 25th: NO SCHOOL
Friday, May 22nd will be a staff learning day for all of the teachers. Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day so there is no school. Enjoy your long 4-day weekend!
* Thursday, May 28th: Open House 6:30pm-7:30pm
Save the date! This will be your opportunity to come to Room 8 and see all the beautiful work your child has completed this year in first grade. Siblings are welcome too and your child will be your “tour guide” for the evening!
-----
Dear Families,
Here are some highlights from the week:
Star of the Week: Jhanvi
Poem of the Week: The Robin’s Secret
Song of the Week: The Presidents
Kindness is … singing with all your heart
Words: watched, together, garden, sharp, baby, edge, only, enough
Next Week’s Sharing: Riddle – something at the beach
(at least 4 sentences memorized and picture/object to show)
• Language Arts: Theme 9 Special Friends – Week 3
o Strategy and Skill Focus: Question & Compare/Contrast
o New Sound: vowel pairs oi, oy, aw, au, suffixes –ful, -ly, -y
o Grammar: Describing what we see
• Math: We are in out last chapter for first grade on two digit addition and subtraction. This week we focused on addition and practiced adding two-digit numbers. Students had trouble with subtracting numbers such as 16-9 because they would confuse the ones place as 6-9. Please be careful!
• Writing: We finished learning about the frog life cycle. On Wednesday, we wrote an outline together in class, then students drafted an expository piece about a frog’s life. At this point in the year, students should be able to write an organized paragraph with a topic sentence, at least 3 facts with details to support it, and a conclusion. On Thursday, we published our writing and illustrated a frog to decorate our piece. We also made a quilt square about our favorite memories of first grade this week.
• Science: This is our last week observing the cloud cover, precipitation, wind, and temperature. Students have been assessed on whether or not they made accurate observations during the last month. This includes graphing temperatures correctly.
• Computer: Many students are finishing their The Very Hungry Caterpillar stories in the computer lab. We only have about 2 more weeks to work on them! Students who finished are reading stories in Starfall.
• Music: This week, the first grade classes got together to watch the DVD of our show! Great job everyone! Also, on Monday we were able to watch the fourth and fifth graders perform their musical! The upper graders use instruments such as drums and xylophones to accompany their singing, and also have role playing to tell a story.
• Circuits: On Tuesday, we had circuits with Mrs. Zankich. We reviewed fractions and then designed our own flags using either ½, 1/3, ¼ or 1/8. Then we wrote about what we made.
I came down with a cold during the week, so I rested on Thursday. I know some of the students were also sick! Take care and I hope you have a nice weekend!
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