Weekly News: February 28

We had a fantastic time on our field trip to see the Bernstain Bears. We all decided that Papa Bear was our favorite character! Thank you to our chaperones! 

It's Read Across America Week and we are celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday! As part of our Read Across America celebration, we are welcoming guest readers into our classroom throughout the week! We will have guest readers in our class all week long. We will also be eating Green Eggs and Ham on Friday! See the sign-up sheet on the classroom door if you are able to contribute. Thank you!

Report cards and parent conferences are NEXT WEEK! Thank you for signing up for a parent conference time! I look forward to meeting with you again and discussing your child's growth from the past few months!

Miss Reeve's Drama class will be performing "A Tribute to Dr. Seuss" next Monday, March 7th 6:00 at the Bryant St. church! You are welcome to come watch our ILCS 1st and 2nd grade friends perform!

A Look Ahead: NO SCHOOL March 14 through March 25 due to Spring Break.

Community Service Project: Every student at Inland Leaders is required to participate in a Community Service Project of his or her choosing. The requirement for kindergarten students consists of 6 hours of service. Projects in the past have included: collecting food and clothing for homeless shelters, collecting and donating to various organizations and charities, volunteering at senior citizen homes, animal shelters, and the humane society. Each child is then required to present their project in class. Presentations in the past have included: posterboards, journals, slideshows, books, and pictures documenting the project from start to finish. This is a great way to serve the community as a family. COMPLETED PROJECTS AND PRESENTATIONS WILL NOT BE DUE UNTIL MID-MAY!!!

What Are We Learning This Week??:

Sight Words: There will not be any new sight words introduced until after Spring Break.  Please take this time to review ALL of our words introduced so far.  Remember, sight words are words that your child should recognize instantly.  These are not words your child should be sounding out!  Please continue to work on these words. 

Letter Team: We have learned all of our letter teams! Please review ALL letter teams! If you do not have letter team flashcards, PLEASE MAKE THEM AND FLASHCARD EVERYDAY! 

Leadership Theme of the Month: Our new theme for the months of March and April is SERVICE.

Reading: We will continue to ask questions, make predictions, and use our schema before, during, and after our reading. We will continue reading AR books and taking AR quizzes to assess our comprehension. This week, we will welcome guest readers, read lots of Dr. Seuss books and read our poem of the week, “Green Eggs and Ham”.

Writing: I am so thrilled with so many friends applying the new "Step Up to Writing" program into their daily classroom writing and weekly homework. We will continue to learn how to write topic sentences, conclusion sentences, learn transition words, and learn how to add details to our writing. 

Math: We will continue to work on all of our math concepts that we have learned so far. Students have been doing a great job on Excel Math. Please go over these pages everyday. I circle math problems that children have a difficult time with in class. Please go over these problems with your child during homework time. Thank you!

Homework: February 28

Homework this week will consist of reviewing ALL letters, sounds, sight words, letter teams, numbers, math concepts, etc. Book Bags will continue to come home with fluency and AR books. Math Excel will also come home. Our RAZ competition is still in progress and winners will be announced next week. Please read, read, read, read!!!  You DO NOT need to turn in homework Friday!

Weekly News: February 22

We are excited about our field trip to the theatre THIS WEDNESDAY! We will be leaving school by bus at 8:45 and returning to school by dismissal. Please have your child eat a good breakfast - we will NOT be able to have snack at the show. Please still pack your child a snack and we will eat when we return to school. Please also send your child to school this day in a normal shirt - we will be throwing their field trip t-shirt over their clothing! :) We are still asking for field trip donations to cover the cost of the trip - any amount will help! Also, if you have NOT returned your permission slip, please do so BY WEDNESDAY!

Next week we are celebrating Read Across America Week and celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday! As part of our Read Across America celebration, we are welcoming guest readers into our classroom throughout the week! If you or someone you know (grandma, grandpa, neighbor, friend, doctor, librarian, etc!) would like to come and read a story to our kindergarten classes, please see the sign-up sheet on the door!


Report cards and conferences are coming up next month and I will continue my testing this week. That means instead of bringing home RAZ books, we will once again have our online RAZ KIDS competition! The top three readers online will receive a special award before we leave for Spring Break. I will be posting a Parent Conference Sign-Up on the door on Monday. Please sign up for a parent conference time for the second week in March. I look forward to meeting with you again and discussing your child's growth from the past few months!


Read for Magic Mountain Tickets! Six Flags Magic Mountain is offering free tickets to students who read 6 hours before February 28, 2011.  Please see the Inland Leaders Website to download the student reading log and parent letter.

A Look Ahead: NO SCHOOL March 14 through March 25 due to Spring Break.

Community Service Project: Every student at Inland Leaders is required to participate in a Community Service Project of his or her choosing. The requirement for kindergarten students consists of 6 hours of service. Projects in the past have included: collecting food and clothing for homeless shelters, collecting and donating to various organizations and charities, volunteering at senior citizen homes, animal shelters, and the humane society. Each child is then required to present their project in class. Presentations in the past have included: posterboards, journals, slideshows, books, and pictures documenting the project from start to finish. This is a great way to serve the community as a family. Completed projects will be due and presentations will take place after Spring break. 

 

What Are We Learning This Week??:

Sight Words: THERE, WHERE, THEN, THEY.

Letter Team: We have learned all of our letter teams! Please review ALL letter teams!  

 

Leadership Theme of the Month: PATIENCE. We are learning that patience is waiting our turn without interrupting and not complaining if we don't get our way. We will be practicing being patient in and out of the classroom.

Reading: We will continue to ask questions, make predictions, and use our schema before, during, and after our reading. We will continue reading AR books and taking AR quizzes to assess our comprehension. This week, we will read books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and our poem of the week, “Presidents Day”.

 

Writing: This week we will continue to write stories, letters, and books. We will continue our new writing program called "Step Up to Writing". Kindergarten SUTW is writing in a paragraph format with a topic sentence, three sentences about that topic, and a conclusion sentence. For example, "I know three things about George Washington. First, George Washington was our first president. Next, he is known as the father of our country. Last, George Washington was a great leader. As you can see, I know a lot about George Washington."

Math: We will continue to work on all of our math concepts that we have learned so far. Students have been doing a great job on Excel Math. Please go over these pages everyday. I circle math problems that children have a difficult time with in class. Please go over these problems with your child during homework time. Thank you!

Homework: February 22

READING:

• Make new flashcards for the new sight words.
• Study flashcards EVERYDAY! 
• Read Fluency Passage 3 times everyday! 
• Read AR Books.
• RAZ-Kids Reading and quizzes - these quizzes will come back to me so I can see how you are doing!
• Have a parent read to child, asking HOTS comprehension questions before, during, and after reading. 
• Initial the Reading Log. 

WRITING: 

• Sharing - Write two sentences about Abraham Lincoln. Draw a picture to go with your sentences. Sharing is due any day this week.
• Write sight words - Practice writing your sight words of the week (challenge: write a sentence with each sight word!) Due Friday.
• Write a story -  write a short story consisting of two-three sentences on one topic. Don't forget your details, Neat Nancy penmanship, and proper punctuation. Due Friday.
• Take a practice spelling and dictation sentence test on Thursday to prepare for your Friday test!

MATH: 

• Excel Math Homework- we are now doing TWO Excel Maths a day so you will have TWO homework sections each day. 
• Please ALSO continue to practice math concepts ONLY AS NEEDED:
• Write numbers 1-30 (challenge: 1-100). Focus on number reversals!
• Read numbers 1-30 (use number flashcards if your child is still struggling with number identification out of order).
• Practice counting 5s and 10s.
• Practice telling time to the hour and half hour.
• Practice counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters). 
• Practice making patterns (AB, ABB, ABC, AAB)
• Practice what number comes before, after, in between.
• Practice larger than, greater than, less than, fewer than.
• Practice days of the week and months of the year. 
• Practice addition (story problems are great too!)
• Practice subtraction.
• Practice LEFT and RIGHT - for example, ask your children to raise their right hand/left hand, draw a square in the upper left corner, draw a circle in the lower right corner, etc.

Homework due Friday. Please write your name on the Reading Log and staple that to the front of homework. Thank you!

Weekly News: February 15

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day!! Thank you all SO MUCH for my Valentines goodies AND ALSO for my 1/2 Birthday surprise and presents!!!! I WAS SO SURPRISED! I am sooooo lucky to have the best class and parents EVER!!!!!!!!!! 


Copy/Staple Party in the office on Friday! Thank you in advance for helping us prepare our kindergarten activities!


Report cards and conferences are coming up next month and I will begin my testing this week. That means instead of bringing home RAZ books, we will once again have our online RAZ KIDS competition! The top three readers online will receive a special award before we leave for Spring Break.

We are excited about our upcoming field trip to the theatre NEXT WEEK, Wednesday, February 23rd. Please send your $10 donation in your child's GO Folder. This will cover the cost of the ticket and bus ride. Look for the permission slip coming home in your GO Folder and please return as soon as possible! Thank you! Also, look out for the field trip permission slip this week in your child's GO Folder and return to school ASAP!

Read for Magic Mountain Tickets! Six Flags Magic Mountain is offering free tickets to students who read 6 hours before February 28, 2011.  Please see the Inland Leaders Website to download the student reading log and parent letter.

A Look Ahead: NO SCHOOL Monday, February 21st due to President's Day and March 14 through March 25 due to Spring Break.

Community Service Project: Every student at Inland Leaders is required to participate in a Community Service Project of his or her choosing. The requirement for kindergarten students consists of 6 hours of service. Projects in the past have included: collecting food and clothing for homeless shelters, collecting and donating to various organizations and charities, volunteering at senior citizen homes, animal shelters, and the humane society. Each child is then required to present their project in class. Presentations in the past have included: posterboards, journals, slideshows, books, and pictures documenting the project from start to finish. This is a great way to serve the community as a family. Completed projects will be due and presentations will take place after Spring break. 

 

What Are We Learning This Week??:

Sight Words: ANY, MANY, BUT, WERE.

Letter Team: We have learned all of our letter teams! Please review ALL letter teams!  

 

Leadership Theme of the Month: PATIENCE. We are learning that patience is waiting our turn without interrupting and not complaining if we don't get our way. We will be practicing being patient in and out of the classroom.

Reading: We will continue to ask questions, make predictions, and use our schema before, during, and after our reading. We will continue reading AR books and taking AR quizzes to assess our comprehension. This week, we will read books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and our poem of the week, “Presidents Day”.

Writing: This week we will continue to write stories, letters, and books. We will also introduce a new writing program called "Step Up to Writing". Kindergarten SUTW is writing in a paragraph format with a topic sentence, three sentences about that topic, and a conclusion sentence. For example, "I know three things about George Washington. First, George Washington was our first president. Next, he is known as the father of our country. Last, George Washington was a great leader. As you can see, I know a lot about George Washington."

Math: Our new math curriculum is off to a great start. While I am meeting with differentiated math groups, students are learning to work independently on various worksheets at their desks. We are starting to learn how to subtract and how that is different than addition. Some of us are getting tricked by the signs, so please help your child to remember to look at the sign and tell you if they are supposed to add + or subtract -. We are also learning the words that will be a clue to our brains to add or subtract. For example, the words "flew away" in a story will mean I need to subtract, while the words "more came" tell me to add. 

Homework: February 15

READING:

• Make new flashcards for the new words and letter teams. 
• Study flashcards EVERYDAY! 
• Read Fluency Passage 3 times everyday! 
• Read AR Books
• RAZ-Kids Reading and quizzes - these quizzes will come back to me so I can see how you are doing!
• Have a parent read to child, asking HOTS comprehension questions before, during, and after reading. 
• Initial the Reading Log. 

WRITING: 

• Sharing - Write two sentences about George Washington. Draw a picture to go with your sentences. Sharing is due any day this week.
• Write sight words - Practice writing your sight words of the week (challenge: write a sentence with each sight word!) Due Friday.
• Write a story -  write a short story consisting of two-three sentences on one topic. Don't forget your details, Neat Nancy penmanship, and proper punctuation. Due Friday.
• Take a practice spelling and dictation sentence test on Thursday to prepare for your Friday test!

MATH: 

• Excel Math Homework- we are now doing TWO Excel Maths a day so you will have TWO homework sections each day - THERE WILL BE NO MATH HOMEWORK ON WEDNESDAY THIS WEEK. 
• Please ALSO continue to practice math concepts ONLY AS NEEDED:
• Write numbers 1-30 (challenge: 1-100). Focus on number reversals!
• Read numbers 1-30 (use number flashcards if your child is still struggling with number identification out of order).
• Practice counting 5s and 10s.
• Practice telling time to the hour and half hour.
• Practice counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters). 
• Practice making patterns (AB, ABB, ABC, AAB)
• Practice what number comes before, after, in between.
• Practice larger than, greater than, less than, fewer than.
• Practice days of the week and months of the year. 
• Practice addition (story problems are great too!)
• Practice subtraction.
• Practice LEFT and RIGHT - for example, ask your children to raise their right hand/left hand, draw a square in the upper left corner, draw a circle in the lower right corner, etc.

Homework due Friday. Please write your name on the Reading Log and staple that to the front of homework. Thank you! 

Weekly News: February 7

We will be celebrating Valentines Day with Valentines Centers on Friday. Please see the sign up sheet on the classroom door if you would like to donate any items (or volunteer!) for our special celebration! The students will be decorating treat boxes to pass out valentines and treats to their friends on Friday. If your child would like to bring valentines for the class, please help him/her to write names on valentines. This is great writing practice for your child! A list of boys and girls names were sent home in your GO Folder last week :)

Congrats to Lena for winning BINGO on Friday! I hope you all had fun! 

ILCS Del Taco Fundraiser Night is this Thursday from 4:00-7:00 at the Del Taco in Calimesa! Come have dinner with your family and a portion of the proceeds will go towards ILCS! I will be there at 4:00 on Thursday - hope to see you there!

We are excited about our upcoming field trip to the theatre on Wednesday, February 23rd. Please send your $10 donation in your child's GO Folder. This will cover the cost of the ticket and bus ride. Look for the permission slip coming home in your GO Folder and please return as soon as possible! Thank you!

Read for Magic Mountain Tickets! Six Flags Magic Mountain is offering free tickets to students who read 6 hours before February 28, 2011.  Please see the Inland Leaders Website to download the student reading log and parent letter.

A Look Ahead: NO SCHOOL Monday, February 14th and February 21st due to President's Day and March 14 through March 25 due to Spring Break.

Community Service Project: Every student at Inland Leaders is required to participate in a Community Service Project of his or her choosing. The requirement for kindergarten students consists of 6 hours of service. Projects in the past have included: collecting food and clothing for homeless shelters, collecting and donating to various organizations and charities, volunteering at senior citizen homes, animal shelters, and the humane society. Each child is then required to present their project in class. Presentations in the past have included: posterboards, journals, slideshows, books, and pictures documenting the project from start to finish. This is a great way to serve the community as a family. Completed projects will be due and presentations will take place after Spring break. 

 

What Are We Learning This Week??:

Sight Words: EACH, PHONE, LAUGH, ENOUGH, PEOPLE.

Letter Team: GH and PH (both sometimes say the F sound - like in laugh and phone)
 

Leadership Theme of the Month: PATIENCE. We are learning that patience is waiting our turn without interrupting and not complaining if we don't get our way. We will be practicing being patient in and out of the classroom.

Reading: We are learning all about QUESTIONING this month. We will learn that good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading. Asking questions will help us understand the story and understand ourselves as readers. We will also learn various ways to find answers to the reading questions we have. This week, we will read books about Valentines Day and our poem of the week, “Heart”.

Writing: This week we will be learning the parts of a letter and how to write letters. We will be focusing on the five parts of a letter: heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature.We will be writing letters to our valentines and friends. We will also introduce our  new post office center this week! You can support your child at home by practicing writing letters to family, friends, etc.

Math: Our new math curriculum is off to a great start. While I am meeting with differentiated math groups, students are learning to work independently on various worksheets at their desks. We are starting to learn how to subtract and how that is different than addition. Some of us are getting tricked by the signs, so please help your child to remember to look at the sign and tell you if they are supposed to add + or subtract -. We are also learning the words that will be a clue to our brains to add or subtract. For example, the words "flew away" in a story will mean I need to subtract, while the words "more came" tell me to add. 

Our 100th Day of School!

Homework: February 7

There are a few additions to the homework in RED. Please take the time to read... Thank you!

READING:

• Make new flashcards for the new words and letter teams. 
• Study flashcards EVERYDAY! 
• Read Book Bag books 3 times each everyday! 
• Read Fluency Passage 3 times everyday! 
• Read AR Book of the week! Students will have a weekly AR book living in their book bags. Please read this book every night and be ready to take your AR quiz on Thursday or Friday. 
• RAZ-Kids Reading and quizzes - these quizzes will come back to me so I can see how you are doing!
• Have a parent read to child, asking HOTS comprehension questions before, during, and after reading. 
• Initial the Reading Log. 

WRITING: 

• Sharing - This week we are going to be practicing reading, reading, and memorizing our phone numbers. For sharing, please write the following sentence: "My phone number is...." and be prepared to read it to the class. If you have multiple numbers (mom's cell, dad's cell, etc.), consider it a challenge to memorize ALL of them!
• Write sight words - Practice writing your sight words of the week (challenge: write a sentence with each sight word!) Due Friday.
• Write a story -  write a short story consisting of two-three sentences on one topic. Don't forget your details, Neat Nancy penmanship, and proper punctuation. Due Friday.
• Take a practice spelling and dictation sentence test on Thursday to prepare for your Friday test!

MATH: 

• Excel Math Homework- we are now doing TWO Excel Maths a day so you will have TWO homework sections each day.
• Please ALSO continue to practice math concepts ONLY AS NEEDED:
• Write numbers 1-30 (challenge: 1-100). Focus on number reversals!
• Read numbers 1-30 (use number flashcards if your child is still struggling with number identification out of order).
• Practice counting 5s and 10s.
• Practice telling time to the hour and half hour.
• Practice counting money (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters). 
• Practice making patterns (AB, ABB, ABC, AAB)
• Practice what number comes before, after, in between.
• Practice larger than, greater than, less than, fewer than.
• Practice days of the week and months of the year. 
• Practice addition (story problems are great too!)
• Practice subtraction.
• Practice LEFT and RIGHT - for example, ask your children to raise their right hand/left hand, draw a square in the upper left corner, draw a circle in the lower right corner, etc.

Homework due Friday. Please write your name on the Reading Log and staple that to the front of homework. Thank you!