Weekly News: The next TWO weeks :)

News:

I am giving you TWO weeks of news and plans since I will be getting married THIS WEEKEND!!! I will be taking Thursday, Friday, and Tuesday off to spend time with family, but I will be leaving you with the terrific substitute, Mrs. Metzler. I also wanted to let you know of all of our fun end-of-the-year events in advance, so grab a cup of coffee, because this is a LONG ONE :) 

Your community service projects have been fantastic! I have enjoyed watching your presentations on how you have been serving your community these past few months. It makes me so happy to see a class full of leaders!

The very last book order will be sent home this week. If you would like to order books for summer, now is the perfect time. Thank you so much for all of your orders all year long. By ordering online, you have helped build up our classroom library!

The last day for electives is Friday, May 31 and the last day of tutoring is this Wednesday, May 22. 

NO SCHOOL next Monday, May 27th due to the Memorial Day Holiday. Enjoy the time off with your families. 

You may have heard your child talking about "Lunch Bunch". This is a reward for those students who have been saving their "money" all year.  Students that have earned and saved up to one dollar {for excellent behavior in the classroom} are invited to have pizza with Miss Reeve after school on Friday, May 31. 

End of the Year Events:  

The end of the year is coming quick and I wanted to let you know {IN ADVANCE!} what we have planned! Make sure to SAVE THE DATES!

Friday, June 7th: Donuts with Dads. Dads, if you are able, please plan on joining us at 8:10 on this date for a quick donut with your child and a presentation of a special Father's Day gift for you! 

Monday, June 10th: We are having a fun and relaxing day in the classroom. Come in your PJs and bring your favorite stuffed animal. We will have fun reading our favorite library books and playing our favorite games all day! We will also celebrate summer birthdays on this day. If you were unable to celebrate your child's birthday this year because it is in the summer, please let me know and we can celebrate!

Tuesday, June 11th: We are having a school FIELD DAY with all of kindergarten, first grade, and even our TK friends! We will rotate through fun centers outside and we will also have a special assembly to attend. If you are able to help out, please see our room-mom, Tammy. You will also want to wear a lot of sunscreen and clothes that you can get wet!! Thank you so much for your support!

Wednesday, June 12th: We will have a very special last day of school KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM CELEBRATION on this day. We invite you to join us at 10:30 as we read our last book together as a class, look through our memory books, and watch our "Kindergarten Movie". We also have a special song prepared.

What Are We Learning THE NEXT TWO Weeks?:

Sight Words: VERY, EVERY, ABOVE, BELOW, ALWAYS {May 20-24}; FALL, WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, WEATHER {May 27-31}

Letter Team: There are NO new letter teams! Remember to practice ALL letter teams so that you are well-prepared for first grade. 

Reading: The next few weeks, we will continue reading and learning all about plants. We are learning the different parts of plants and also what plants need to survive. We will also begin reading about different kinds of weather and how weather changes through our four seasons. 

Writing: The students have been having so much fun with our writing center lately. We have been writing lists, cards, stories, and even making books! We will also begin working on a special end of the year writing project. 

Math: We are having so much fun playing math games that help us with our mental math, greater and less than, number sense, and many other concepts learned this year. 

Leadership: SERVICE. 

Homework

There is NO SHARING HOMEWORK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR! Please continue to read at home (Book Bags will still come home!), write at home, review math concepts, and log onto RAZ KIDS. Thank you for a wonderful year of homework and all of your support at home!

We have two more weeks of spelling tests and math tests so make sure you are practicing those spelling words and reviewing math facts!

Community Service Presentations

Community Service presentations this week will be in our classroom from 11:15-11:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday presentations will be first thing in the morning. If you would like to come see your child present, you are more than welcome! Unfortunately, students' names that have not turned in community service by the end of the week will be turned in to our administration (unless you have spoken with me already). Thank you! Looking forward to seeing all of the wonderful things you have been doing in our community :)

Weekly News: May 13-17

News:

We enjoyed honoring our mothers on Friday at our Mother’s Day Celebration.  Thank you for joining us for this very special day.  I hope all of your wonderful mothers enjoyed your day! 

Each of our caterpillars are now in a chrysalis. We are very excited to watch them come out as butterflies!

IT'S TIME! Community Service Projects will be presented THIS WEEK! Unfortunately, we had very few students sign-up for presentations. :( Please remember that your community service project is a required part of our curriculum at Inland Leaders, so if you have not yet signed up for a time to present, please email me or stop by to see me!

Save the Date!!!  We will be honoring all of our dads with DONUTS WITH DADS ON JUNE 7 AT 8:15.  Dads, please plan on joining us on this date for a quick donut with your child and a presentation of a special gift from your child.

SAVE THE DATE!!!  We will have a last day of school KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM CELEBRATION on Wednesday, June 12th.  Please mark your calendar and plan on joining us at the end of the day.

Upcoming Events:  
May 13-17: Community Service Projects Due
Monday, May 27: NO SCHOOL
Friday, June 7: Donuts with Dad - Father's Day Celebration 
Tuesday, June 11: End of the Year Field Day 
Wednesday, June 12: Last Day of Kindergarten Celebration 

What Are We Learning This Week?:

Sight Words: HIS, HER, HAD, GET, THESE.

Letter Team: There are NO new letter teams! For the rest of the year, we will be reviewing all letter teams that we have learned this year. The expectation is that students recognize the letter team within our three second rule, then be able to apply that letter team when decoding an unknown word. 

Reading: This week, we will read books all about plants. We will learn the parts of plants and what plants need to live. 

Writing: The students have been having so much fun with our writing center lately. We have been writing lists, cards, stories, and even making books!

Math: We have been practicing Mental Math in class. We have been practicing adding using various strategies such as doubles plus one, doubles minus one, seeing number combinations of fives and tens to add easier.  For example:  5+5=10 so 6+5 is one more.  Continue singing the doubles song (on the homework folder) as homework and then practice the doubles strategies to help with addition and sharpen Mental Math Skills.  

Leadership: Our leadership theme for the month of May is SERVICE. I am looking forward to seeing those community service projects this week! 

Homework: May 13-17

Flashcards: Don't forget to make new flashcards for each sight word and letter team. New words for this week are: HIS, HER, HAD, GET, THESE. There are NO new letter teams for the rest of the year - so study ALL old letter team flashcards!
  
Reading: READ your books in your book bag, READ your fluency EVERY NIGHT, READ those old books in your book box, and READ online at RAZ KIDS!!!!!

Math:  Excel Math Worksheets have been coming home for you to complete as homework. You do not need to turn these in! Also, continue going over our math concepts we are learning in class at home: counting coins, story problems, calendar questions, etc. 

Writing: WRITE EVERYDAY! 

Sharing: Sharing this week will be your community service presentations. I am looking forward to seeing all of them. 

Weekly News: May 6-10

News:

Thank you so much for all the teacher appreciation gifts, letters, school supplies, and flowers.  I truly feel appreciated each and every day when you send your children to me.  Thank you for all of your support this year.  It has been very much appreciated!

We have had so much fun watching our caterpillars get bigger and bigger and fatter and fatter as we read about their metamorphosis. We hope they will turn into a chrysalis soon. 

This week, we will be having a Classroom Spelling Bee. Students will be tested on spelling all of our sight words we have learned so far this year. The student that wins our Classroom Spelling Bee will get to move on to be a participant in our school Spelling Bee in June. Practicing old sight words each week is also important to better prepare your child for First Grade.  

We are excited for our very special Mother's Day centers on Friday, May 10th from 10:30-11:30. There will be activities, games, and even a snack! You will be painting with your children, so don't wear anything too fancy! Hope you are able to make it!

Community Service projects are due NEXT WEEK! Students will be presenting a short 3-5 minute oral presentation of their project next week. Please practice this presentation with your child so that they are prepared to present in class. We will have sign-ups for presentations on the Classroom Clipboard this week. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me. 

Upcoming Events:  
Friday, May 10: Mother's Day Celebration 
May 13-17: Community Service Projects Due
Friday, June 7: Donuts with Dad - Father's Day Celebration 
Tuesday, June 11: End of the Year Field Day 
Wednesday, June 12: Last Day of Kindergarten Celebration 

What Are We Learning This Week?:

Sight Words: AUNT, UNCLE, GRANDMA, GRANDPA, COUSIN.

Letter Team: There are NO new letter teams! For the rest of the year, we will be reviewing all letter teams that we have learned this year. The expectation is that students recognize the letter team within our three second rule, then be able to apply that letter team when decoding an unknown word. 

Reading: We will continue to read books about caterpillars, butterflies, and spring.

Writing: Students may choose if they would like to write a step up to writing or fictional stories about butterflies. 

Math: We have been working on greater than and less than in class. We have also become mathematicians as we study our new mathematical instrument - the rekenrek. This tool helps us with many math problems. Every day, we will also work on a critical thinking math story problem to answer in our new math journals. I will continue asking students to "explain their thinking" and how they solved their problems.

Leadership: Our leadership theme for the month of May is SERVICE. Keep working on those community service projects!

Homework: May 6-10

Flashcards: Don't forget to make new flashcards for each sight word and letter team. New words for this week are: AUNT, UNCLE, GRANDMA, GRANDPA, COUSIN. There are NO new letter teams for the rest of the year - so study ALL old letter team flashcards!
  
Reading: READ your books in your book bag, READ your fluency EVERY NIGHT, READ those old books in your book box, and READ online at RAZ KIDS!!!!!

Math:  Excel Math Worksheets have been coming home for you to complete as homework. You do not need to turn these in! Also, continue going over our math concepts we are learning in class at home: counting coins, story problems, calendar questions, etc. 

Writing: WRITE EVERYDAY! 

Sharing: No sharing homework this week due to your community service presentations next week. I would recommend taking time this week to finish up those projects and practice those presentations.