BERNIE FALL FEST:
The Fall Fest is this Saturday!  The parade begins at 10 am.   I am sure it will be a fun time for your kids! 

Practice Makes Perfect

Please be practicing the basic skills to putting on a jacket; specifically, taking off a jacket without pulling the arms inside out, getting the jacket on, and zipping it. This will minimize the time it takes for our class to get to outside activities and lunch, and will lessen the frustration some of the kids have as they struggle with their jackets.

Also as you have time, please work on tying shoes. I will continue to assist the students in putting on their jackets and tying their shoes, but I also want to help them gain their independence. We will continue to practice these skills in class, but your assistance is always appreciated as you help your child master the skills they are learning in kindergarten.

SKILLS TO PRACTICE:

• Cutting


• Tracing


• Coloring in the Lines


• Holding a Pencil Correctly


• Writing Name (one capital and the rest lowercase)


• Recognizing and Naming the Letters


• Recognizing and Naming the Numbers 1-20


• Counting to 100

KINDERGARTEN T-SHIRT ORDERS:
All orders are due by Thursday, September 19th. 

SCIENCE:

Ask your child what we have been learning about in science.  It seems to be everyone's favorite subject in kindergarten! :)

Our first science unit is "Plants." To give you a general overview, they have learned the basic parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaf, flower), what plants need to live (air, water, sun, soil), and that we can eat plants (fruits and vegis). 

When we are outside, the boys and girls are always finding weeds to pull up and discover their parts.  During many of our lunches, the kids realize they are eating plants (corn, beans, etc) and sometimes get to eat roots (carrots and potatoes)! It is so neat to see them apply our lessons in class to the real world. 

MATH IN FOCUS:

 

Your kindergartener is participating in a new math program titled "Math in Focus."  This is new for the students here at Bernie and is replacing our past Saxon Math program. 

 

Math in Focus is set up quite a bit differently than our past Saxon program.  Your child will not bring home a nightly worksheet from that day’s lesson.  Instead, we have math workbooks.  My goal is to send home a packet of completed workbook pages at the completion of each chapter.  Last week you received your child's chapter one packet.  We will finish chapter two this week, and once I get a chance to cut out the pages and review them with the students, I will send home the chapter two packet.  Be looking for it in your child's blue folder at the end of this week or the beginning of next week.  

It is important that you review the pages with your child--"quiz" him/her with similar questions and have him/her practice writing the numerals we have been working on in class.  This helps reinforce what we have been learning and helps your child advance in math.   

 

Handwriting Without Tears

Our school uses a handwriting program called “Handwriting Without Tears.” This program helps your child learn how to properly form individual letters so s/he will have neat handwriting. I ask that you please be patient with your child as he is learning how to write properly. Over the next few weeks, please work with your child on pencil grip, placing the paper properly, and doing hand exercises (to strengthen the muscles in the hands). Please reference the sheets from my teacher’s guide that were sent home a few weeks ago regarding ways to practice handwriting.

Birthday and Holiday Parties  

You may send snacks for your child’s birthday and holidays, but they must be in a commercialized, sealed package. Please let me know when you will be sending birthday treats, and I will give you the current number of students in the classroom. Details about food for holiday parties will be given closer to times.

 

Save Your Labels

Please save your Best Choice and Box Top labels and send them to school. Our classroom gets money for each label. Don't forget to remind grandparents and friends to save them for us too! Thanks for your help!

KINDERGARTEN PREASSESSMENT:

Please review the “Kindergarten Preassessment” checklist that was sent home today in your child's blue folder.  This is the same assessment that was sent to you before school began.  As stated before, students must master all of these skills by the end of January or they may be recommended for retention.  Items noted in red are items that are not yet mastered and need special attention and practice at home, after school hours.  Please continue to practice these skills with your child for the next several weeks or until they have been mastered.  I will recheck the Kindergarten Preassessment in October, before first quarter conferences. 

KINDERGARTEN T-SHIRTS:
Order forms were sent home today (Wednesday the 4th) and will be due back September 19th.

BOOK-IT AND AR STORE: 

 

Pizza Hut has a reading incentive program called “Book It.”  The idea for this program is that the teacher sets a monthly goal for each student in reading, and if the student reaches the monthly goal, s/he receives a coupon for a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.  This year, the school is adding another incentive—if the student reaches his/her monthly reading goal, s/he receives a prize from the AR (Accelerated Reader) store!  Considering our kindergarten kids are just learning to read, I have created a goal that includes reading, but also incorporates classroom effort. 

Let me explain:

At some point each week, your child brings home a phonics reader (small paper folded in half to create a “book”).  This reader should be practiced at home and is also read at school during reading workstations/small groups.  Additionally throughout the week, other short stories are read during our small group time. 

The monthly goal I have set includes:

1.    The child demonstrates, through fluent reading, that s/he practiced his/her decodable reader at home nightly. 

2.    The child shows his/her best effort during our reading workstations/small group times as we read other short stories daily.

HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION:

 Each day, your child will bring home a blue folder. The right pocket will be labeled “Keep at Home” and the left pocket with be labeled “Return to School.” The left side of the folder is where the behavior log is kept. Your child’s color status for each day will be filled out on the behavior log. Please look over your child’s folder every day and discuss with him/her how the day went. Once you have reviewed the behavior log and your child’s paperwork, please sign the behavior log for that day.