Kindergarten April News
Grant Elementary
Mrs. Conran and Mrs. Caya
April Reading Goal:
Writes 3+
sentences on a topic that can be read by others
April Math Goal:
Solves addition
and subtraction number stories (see examples below)
April
Kindergarten Dates to Know
3
Library – Mrs, Caya
Turn in March Homework and Reading Logs!
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4
Kindergarten and First Grade Music Program
Students
arrive at classrooms at 5:45.
Performance
begins at 6:00.
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5
Library – Mrs. Conran
Guided Reading Books
Sent Home – Have your child read to you and sign the form.
Practice your sight
words. You should be getting very close
to being able to read all 60 words!
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6
Return
GR book!
All School Field
Trip – Milwaukee Brewers
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7
Investigations:
How
Things Change Over Time:
Past
& Present
*Parent
Volunteers Welcome. Please sign
up.
OPT Popcorn Sale
0.50 per bag
|
10
Library – Mrs, Caya
Ask
your child:
I
had 5 crayons. I lost 4. How many are left?
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11
Investigations:
Caring
for The Earth
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12
Guided Reading Books
Sent Home
Library – Mrs. Conran
Doughnuts
with Dads – More information Coming
Family Project Due Today! We will display your work to teach others
about the Earth.
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13
Return
GR book!
Spring
Fling Celebration – Parent volunteers needed, 1:30 – 3:00pm. Please sign up.
OPT Meeting 6:00pm
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14
Spring
Vacation Begins
No
School Today
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17 – 21 No School Spring Vacation
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24
Library – Mrs, Caya
Ask
your child: There were 2 baby birds
and 1 more hatched. How many birds in
all?
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25
Sight Words Should be Mastered by Today!
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26
Guided Reading Books
Sent Home
Library – Mrs. Conran
Science
Night – More information coming.
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27
Return
GR book!
|
28
Investigations:
Past and
Present
Tell
your child a story about your childhood.
OPT Popcorn Sale
0.50 per bag
|
Family
Project – Caring for the Earth
Choose an
environmental issue like recycling, litter, air pollution, water pollution or
animal health. Work with your child to
write a persuasive letter to convince people help solve the problem. We have been working on persuasive letter
using a introductory sentence that states the problem, reasons the problem
exists and why others should support change, and possible solutions. Create a poster with illustrations to support
your letter. We will use these letters
and posters to teach each other about our Earth. Due by April 12th.
Have fun learning
together!
Writing
– Handwriting and Using Conventions
We have worked on many parts of writing this year. The most important part of writing is
thinking of ideas. Please ask
your child to tell you stories frequently.
They can be as simple as “tell me about recess today” or “tell me about
the story your teacher read to you today”.
Listen carefully to make sure your child’s story makes sense and is told
in a logical order with correct grammar.
Telling stories is key to WRITING stories.
Once students are able to tell stories, they need
to understand how to write those stories down to share with others. We have spent the last several months
focusing on using sounds to write new words and spelling sight words
correctly. Keep practicing this at
home.
For April, our goal is to be able to write 3 or
more sentences that someone else can read and understand. We will be reviewing how to make sure that
the writer leaves spaces between words,
uses a capital letter only at the
beginning of sentences and names, and places punctuation at the end of sentences. Please look for these things in your child’s
writing. Many pieces of writing from the
last 2 months will be in your child’s folder this week.
Finally, we will stress proper handwriting. Handwriting for
some students has been a challenge this year.
PLEASE work with your child to write neatly and form letters correctly.
Math – Number Stories
We
have been working hard on addition and subtraction facts. Now, we are using what we know about adding
and subtracting to create and solve number stories. You can practice number stories
anywhere: in the car, waiting in line,
while taking a walk…. Your child should
be able to listen to a number story and use a tool, as needed, to solve the
equation. Here are a few questions to
ask your child:
Do
you need to add or subtract? Does your
answer make sense? What can you do to
solve (draw a pictures, use items to count, use fingers…)?
Examples
of Number Stories:
My
mom made 5 cookies. My brother ate
2. How many are left?
There
were 2 bunnies in my yard. Then, 1 more
bunny jumped into the yard? How many
bunnies are there in all?
Four
friends were playing. Two had to go
home. How many are left?
Reading – How to Help Your
Child Read independently
You
should be noticing an explosion of reading ability. Your child should be reading Guided Reading
books easily and be able to talk about them.
Also, you should be seeing your child reading books around the house,
signs and library books. Early reading
strategies fall under three main categories.
Here are some ways to support your Kindergarten reader:
1. Meaning (fits the context
of the text) – If your child gets stuck when reading, try prompting,
a. What would make sense?
b. Can the picture help you?
c. Think about the story so
far.
2. Structure (fit grammar
rules) –
a. Think about how you would
say that.
b. What would sound right?
c. Would you say “It is…” or
“It are…”?
3. Visual (letter/sound
match) –
a. Get your mouth ready for
the first letter.
b. Is there a part of that
word that you know?
c. Look through the whole
word (or at the end).
d. Does it look like another
word you know (If you know ‘like’, you can figure out ‘bike’)?
Spring
Fling Items Needed
Micah
|
1 bag baby
carrots
|
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Marco
|
1 bag baby
carrots
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Fabien
|
1 bag celery
sticks
|
|
Kamiyah
|
1 bag celery
sticks
|
Leo
|
1 package cherry
tomatoes
|
|
Gianni
|
1 package cherry
tomatoes
|
Nevaeh
|
1 bottle or
package ranch dip
|
|
Josiah
|
1 bottle or
package ranch dip
|
Ciniya
|
1 bag pretzels
|
|
Ava
|
1 bag pretzels
|
Caleb
|
1 bag baby
carrots
|
|
Cianna
|
1 bag baby
carrots
|
Blaze
|
1 bag celery
sticks
|
|
Kaedyn
|
1 bag celery
sticks
|
Sanyla
|
1 package cherry
tomatoes
|
|
Jerranae
|
1 package cherry
tomatoes
|
Zakary
|
1 bag pretzels
|
|
Marco
|
1 bag pretzels
|
Bunny Bag Goodies
On Thursday,
April 13th, we will celebrate spring through spring-centered
stations and snacks. Check above for
assigned items to bring by Wednesday, April 12th. All students are welcome to bring treats to
fill the bunny bags that students will make at school. Thanks for your support of our fun learning
experiences.
Updates to folders for 4th
Quarter
Sight Words
Your child should
be able to read most or all of the sight words from the Kindergarten list in
the folder. If you child is not able to
read all 60 words quickly, please practice at home daily. If your child knows less than 45 words,
he/she is behind at this time and is also getting extra intervention at
school. However, to catch up extra
practice will be needed. If your child
has mastered 1 list and new one has been added to the folder.
4th Quarter Goals
Please see the new
goals for 4th Quarter for English-Language Arts and Math in the
center of your child’s folder.
Behavior
Remember to check
your child’s folder for behavior daily.
When you notice “Ws”, your child has received a warning after several
gentle reminders and redirections.
Please ask your child discuss school rules with you to help reinforce
appropriate behaviors. If you notice
yellow and red marks regularly, please continue to have conversations with your
child about listening to reminders and showing respect to others.
Parent
Information – Here is a
great article to support Kindergarten Parents.
Kindergarten is an exciting and critical time in your
child’s development and growth. You can play an important role in this
wonderful journey. Here’s what kindergarten teachers want parents to know:
1. Your job isn’t over when you drop
your little one off at school; it has only just begun. Your child’s teacher wants to be your partner. Keep them informed about what goes on at home that might affect
your child’s behavior or academic performance. Share with them how what they do at school affects your child at
home.
2. This is not your grandfather’s kindergarten. The expectations of what children need to know when they enter
kindergarten are closer to what used to be expected in 1st grade. To boost your
child’s academic skills:
• Talk with her about what interests her.
• Encourage her to be curious and ask questions.
• Point out letters and numbers when you see them in books and
around town.
Support her in solving everyday problems.
3. The more self-control your child has,
the more successful he will be in school. Children
need practice in deciding how and when to express their feelings and needs, and
when and if to act on impulses. Help him develop and practice these skills at
home before he tests them at school, where the consequences are a loss of
learning for him and for others.
4. Make yourself known. Come in. Look around. Peruse the textbooks and materials.
Knowledge is power. When you know about the subjects your child is studying,
you will be able to help her better and have a common understanding for
discussion. Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn about what goes on at school
and to show your child how much you care about what she is doing.
5. Your child needs lots of
opportunities for play outside of school. Play is the
way in which he learns about himself and the people and world around him. But
more often than not, play has been squeezed out of the school day. Playing both
alone and in small groups helps facilitate learning and allows your child to
practice skills and concepts.
6. Reading to your child once a day
is not enough. Try to read together at least three
times a day. Books are the gateway to building vocabulary, learning about
print, and developing listening and early literacy skills. When you read,
talk about the book. Discuss the characters and setting, make predictions, and
create new endings. Point out letters and words in the text, and encourage him
to recognize rhyming sounds and words and to identify beginning and ending
sounds.
7. Writing exploration at home is
critical. Your child needs to have opportunities to use pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils,
and other writing instruments as she attempts to express herself in written form. She begins with scribbles and
lines, moves on to letters and her name, and then to words and sentences.
8. Homework is an opportunity for
talking, sharing, and listening. Teachers give
homework to extend the learning of the classroom. It is a chance for you to
find out what your child is studying and how well he is grasping the skills and
concepts being taught at school. Talk with your child about his homework. It
shows him that you care and value what he does at school.
9. Television and video games use up
valuable playtime. Limit screen time. The hours spent
with these electronic devices could otherwise be spent talking, reading, or
actively learning through play.
10. First-hand experiences are
another teacher for your child. Take her to
museums, the zoo, the aquarium, the library, parks, arts performances, and
geographic locations such as the mountains, beach, forests, and deserts.
And do it often. She’ll grasp concepts and skills better if she has experiences
with the real thing.