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!

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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!