![]() Meet the Teacher: Welcome to Kindergarten at All Saints Academy - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne School! My name is Mrs. Jamie Austin and I will be your child's Kindergarten teacher this year! This is my 21st year teaching - my 3rd at All Saints Academy - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Campus. I taught 13 years at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (previously known as St. Thomas the Apostle, where I taught for 3 years before the name changed), 20th year teaching in the St. Louis Archdiocese, and my 21st year of teaching, believe it or not! I have been married to my husband, Wade, for 16 years and I also have two beautiful daughters. My oldest daughter, Kelsey, is 19 and a Sophomore at SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University). She graduated from St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in 2015 and Alton High School in 2019. My youngest daughter, Maggie, is 14 and a Freshman at Alton High School she graduated from All Saints Academy - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne School in 2020. I feel very privileged to have been able to send my children to such a wonderful school where they could not only learn academically, but also grow closer to God and learn about our Faith. Your children may bring home many stories about our dogs as well. We have two dogs, a little terrier named Dakota and a Beagle, named Doodle Bug. I am looking forward to teaching your child this year and watching them grow and blossom as they begin their academic adventures! My Amazon Classroom Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Kindergarten
A Quick Update to the Start of Our Year 😊
Hi! We have had a great start to the school year and the Kindergartners are all doing a wonderful job of adjusting to our daily routine. They are especially adjusting to having to wear their masks a good portion of the day, I am especially proud of their enthusiasm and willingness to make good choices :). My distance learners are doing a wonderful job as well. I enjoy seeing their smiling faces each morning, even if it isn't in person. They seem to be enjoying our live meetings and the activities that they are being asked to do at home :). Please, if you haven't done so yet, accept the invite for Google Classroom. To do so, follow the instructions sent home last week with your child. If you are still having trouble getting your child logged in to Google Classroom, please contact Mr. Murphy to set up a time so that he can walk you through getting everything set up and ready to go. I still have 6 students who have not done this yet. It is beneficial to do this, even if your child is not a distant learner, for many reasons. I post all daily lessons on Google Classroom - the lessons I post online each day for our distant learners are the same lessons we do in class together. This will give you a good idea of what we are working on as not all children like to engage in the "What did you do today?" conversation ;). Also, it will allow you to access work to complete when your child is absent instead of waiting until your child returns to school to get the assignments and then complete as time allows. Also, and most importantly, if we were to return to all distance learning/everyone online only sometime within the school year, you are already familiar with Google Classroom and ready to go instead of struggling to get logged in and caught up. If you have not joined our Google Classroom, I encourage you to sit down and do so asap. Don't forget, we have PE on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please send your student to school dressed in their All Saints Academy PE uniform and tennis shoes on these days. I would encourage your child to wear tennis shoes daily as they have been playing hard at recess and have been doing a lot of running ;) A few things to work on with your Kindergartner: Please work on helping your child learn to tie his/her own shoes. Normally, I don't mind helping a student tie his/her shoes when they come untied, but I am trying to stay as "contact-free" as possible to help keep everyone safe and healthy ;). Other good skills to start practicing with your child is full name (first, middle, last), address, and the phone number that you would like them to know. As always, thank you for sharing your child with me this year, I am excited to watch each child learn new things and grow in so many ways :). Please do not hesitate to contact me via Fast Direct, note, voicemail, or in person at afternoon pickup. I'm more than happy to listen to your concerns and/or suggestions. Together, we can work to make this a special year of learning for your child :). |
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN 2020-2021!
This year, Kindergarten will look very different. Some of you have chosen to send your child to school for face-to-face learning in the classroom/building and some of you have chosen distance learning for your child at home. Whether your child is learning at school or learning at home, you likely have many questions about what this school year will entail. I can assure you that my number one priority is to make your child feel special and valued as a member of our class community and to promote meaningful, lifelong learning. Whether your child will be learning face-to-face at school, or via distance learning at home, I will do my best to teach to the individual student. We will be using Google Classroom for distance learning and a number of digital assignments for all students. Each student has been issued a GSuite for Education account address to access Google Classroom by the school. I will post the lessons we cover in class face-to-face on Google Classroom for the distance learners each day. Distance learners will need to have access to a technological device and internet so that they can attend our virtual morning meeting each day (time to be determined and posted on Google Classroom after the first week of school) . Those students participating in distance learning will also need to complete all posted lessons to stay caught up. We will schedule times for “live” reading and math lessons for the distance learning students to attend as well. Our school will be using Google Classroom as a form of contactless communication between home and school for all students. *Note: Information in this document is split into sections for “In-Person Learning” (face-to-face learning at school) and “Distance Learning”. Please make sure to read both sections because at some point, you may decide to switch from one type of learning to the other. *IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR IN PERSON LEARNERS* Our Schedule for In Person Learners(exact times may vary slightly.) 7:30-7:50am: The school building will open for arrival. *MORNING PROCEEDURE: student temperatures will be taken and Covid questionnaires will need to be filled out upon arrival in order to enter the building. Once inside the building, students will go straight to the classrooms. Teachers will help students use hand sanitizer before they enter the classroom. Students will go straight to their assigned seat with their belongings. There will be a hook on the side of each desk for students to hand bookbags. Students will quietly play with individual activity boxes while waiting for the bell to ring. 7:50-8:30am: The Tardy bell will ring at 7:50. Attendance and lunch count will be taken. We will begin our day after this with morning prayer and the pledge of allegiance, followed by Morning Meeting. Morning Meeting will be live streamed each morning via Google Meets (details will be posted in Google Classroom for the Distance Learners the first week of school). 8:30-9:15/30am: Special Class/Religion (Thursday, Friday) 9:15/30-9:45am: Snack*/Get ready for recess 9:45-10am: Morning Recess (hands will be washed before we go outside and again upon entering the building) 10-10:45am: Reading/Fridays, Art/Music 10:45-11am: Wash hands/get ready for lunch/walk to the cafeteria 11-11:20am: LUNCH 11:20-11:40am: LUNCH RECESS 11:45am-12pm: Wash hands upon entering the building/story time 12-1pm: Math 1-1:20pm: Wash hands/walk to Special Classes (Monday-Thursday) 1:20-2:05pm: Special Class (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) 2:05-2:45pm: Religion (Monday, Tuesday)/Snack* 2:45-2:55pm: Pack up and walk outside for dismissal *NOTE: this year, we will walk out through the courtyard doors down by the chapel and stand on the concrete platform outsidethe chapel entrance. *SNACK: Depending on the day,, we may eat snack in the morning or in the afternoon. Please send one type of snack only, no drinks this year. SPECIAL CLASSES for In Person Learners Mondays: Spanish, PE Tuesdays: Computers, Art/Music Wednesdays: Mass. PE Thursdays: Art/Music Fridays: Art/Music Important Things to Know: During the first week of school, we will be reviewing the many rules and procedures of Kindergarten. The most important ones we will be discussing will include the following:
Masks: Students must bring a mask with them to school each day. The desks in our room are spaced 6 feet apart, so we will not be required to wear a mask while in our classroom. But, we will be required to wear them anytime we go out into the hallway. Students will not be required to wear a mask at recess either as we will be practicing social distancing while playing and staying in our class pod to play. Students will also not be required to wear their mask while eating lunch/in the cafeteria. Please make sure to send a brown paper bag to school though so that your child may place his/her mask inside of it when not wearing. *PLEASE NOTE, THIS “POLICY” IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Behavior Charts: I plan on using a daily behavior chart so that you will be aware of any problems during the school day. I believe in keeping the lines of communication as open as possible between school and home. Most days they will consist of a GREAT Day accompanied by a smiley face. If any problems arise, I will note it briefly for you to discuss with your child. Keys To Success: We will continue to use “The Keys to Success” positive reinforcement behavior program. It is intended to promote the education of the whole child. Folders: Students will have a nightly folder. Please check, and clean out (as needed) your child’s folder each evening. Your child will bring home papers we completed in class each day and his/her behavior chart in these folders. Birthdays: We love to celebrate birthdays in Kindergarten! Each student is allowed to “dress down” on his/her birthday. If a student’s birthday is in the summer, they may celebrate on their “half” birthday. If a child’s birthday falls on a day we do not have school, they may pick to celebrate on either the school day before or the school day after their birthday. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SHARE BIRTHDAY TREATS THIS YEAR. We will do some sort of celebration though. Snack: Snack time will vary depending on the day. Some days we will eat snack around 9:30 am, some days we will eat snack around 1:30/2 pm. I ask that you send one type of snack that your child can open on his/her own. Please do not send a snack that requires silverware. Also, since students will have water bottles in the classroom, please do not send a second drink for snack. *IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR DISTANCE LEARNERS* During the first week of school (August 18-August 21), distance learners should prepare to not see much work posted. Instead, we will be concentrating on establishing and practicing school and classroom expectations, routines, and proceedures with the students who will be at school learning in person. I will start posting lessons/assignments on MONDAY, AUGUST 24. I will schedule a few Google Meet sessions though so that the entire class (both in person learners and distance learners) can spend some time connecting and introducing themselves and getting to know one another. Look for this information to be posted in our Google Classroom. Materials/Supplies: Online learners will need classroom textbooks and workbooks (these are the books you will pick up from school on Sunday, August 16). They will also need pencils, an eraser, crayons, scissors, glue, and extra writing paper to write on. Some lessons/assignments will need to be printed out in order to complete. Lessons and Assignments: I will post the day’s lessons/assignments every morning by 8am in Google Classroom. Once we begin posting lessons/assignments online, I expect each distance learner to start the day by completing his/her “Morning Check-In” that will be posted for that day. THis is how I will take attendance for online learners. This needs to be completed by 12pm/NOON each day for attendance purposes. We are going to try to do a livestream Morning Meeting each morning (time to be determined and posted in Google Classroom) with both in person learners and distance learners in attendance. The timing of this event all depends on the number of classes online at one time due to the bandwidth of our school internet connection. I will do my best to record and post most/all lessons for new skills being taught to help aid you in teaching these particular skills to your child while they are learning from home. Each day, an assignment will be posted with the day and date. When you click on the appropriate day, you will see the list of instructions of what distance learners are asked to do for that day. Links for the lesson and videos will be provided as necessary. Once a day’s lessons have been completed, distance learners will be asked to complete an “Exit Ticket”. This will also be attached to the day’s lesson. Distance learners can complete lessons and assignments throughout the day that works for the student/parents as long as everything is turned in on time (by 8am the following day) unless stated otherwise. Most assignments will be sent as a PDF and need to be printed out to complete. Once the assignment is completed, the parent will need to take a picture of the completed assignment (a clear enough picture so that I can read it, please!) and upload/submit it to me via Google Classroom. Work completed by distance learners will not be submitted in person at this time. There will also be some assignments that students will complete via Google Forms or Google Slides. Completion of this work does not require the parent to take a picture or upload anything to Google Classroom. Simply click “Mark as Done” when your child completes the assignment. *NOTE: If you are unsure of how to do any of these previously mentioned tasks (use of Google Classroom, submitting a photo of an assignment, completing an assignment using Google Forms, Slides, etc., please email Mr. Murphy, our building tech, at jmurphy@strpdschool.org. Google Meets Meetings As soon as we are able to get a camera up and running, the plan is to start having regular interactions between our in person learners and our distance learners to keep everyone connected as a “WHOLE” class. If you were to have questions about or issues with Google Meet, please contact Mr. Murphy at jmurphy@strpdschool.org. I will always post the time and purpose of these meetings via Google Classroom well in advance. Weekly updates will be given on Fridays via Google Classroom. Finally, please note that if you have questions about lessons or assignments during the day, I will not be able to respond right away. I will get back to you as soon as I can during my prep time (when the in person learners go to special classes) and after school from 3:15-4:15pm. *OTHER INFORMATION FOR BOTH IN PERSON LEARNERS AND DISTANCE LEARNERS* Mass: Until further notice, we will not be attending Mass as a school community. Starting in September, the plan is to live stream Mass from the parish site. We will be participating in Mass on Wednesdays from our classroom when this begins. Distance learners are encouraged to attend the live stream at home as well. A link will be provided. In the meantime, until we begin live streaming Mass. we will be participating in grade level/classroom Prayer Services. I will post these and the times we will be doing these so that the distance learners may participate as well (most likely via Google Meets). Finally :), Please feel free to contact me throughout the school day. I look at my email throughout the day, but mostly during my planning periods (when the students go to special classes) and between 3:15-4:15pm after school during the week most days. I ask that yuo contact me via Fast Direct. I will use Fast Direct to contact you as well. If a phone call is warranted, I will call/return your call during the above listed times. I look forward to partnering with you to make this year one of fun learning experiences for your child whether it be in person or from a distance. Thank you for sharing your child with me and for your cooperation and trust in me throughout the upcoming school year. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Here’s to a GREAT year! |
Happy "Almost" Spring!
Good afternoon! I'm so sorry for the delay in updating the Kindergarten page, we have been super busy learning many new things! We have been working very hard to learn our sight words and sound out new words as well to read them in sentences! 1/2 of our class have already passed the first list of sight words and are well on thier way to finishing the 2nd set. I will continue to chec kthe students weekly until they have all passed the first set and will start assessing those students who have been working on the 2nd set of words beginning when we return from Spring Break (starting Monday, March 23). Just a quick reminder, the 3rd quarter ends on Friday, March 13th. The 4th quarter will begin when we return from Spring Break on monday, March 23. Friday, March 13th is also the deadline for reading and testing on AR books for the 3rd quarter. Just a reminder, each child is asked to read and test over 5 AR books for both the 3rd and 4th quarter. Those who have met thier 3rd quarter goal have been rewarded with Smarities (given to them by myself) and will be rewarded by the library for meeting thier goal as well. The Kindergartner's Accelerated Reading goals will stay the same for the 4th quarter - read and test over 5 AR books by the end of the quarter. Keep up the hard work, Beginning Readers! I have received an email from the Six Flags Read to Succeed program. If you are planning on registering your son/daughter for this oprogram, and to earn a free pass to Six Flags for your son/daughter, please do so soon. If you find out you are having trouble registering your son/daughter, please send their reading log to school in thier blue take home folder and Ican try to register them for you. At one point, the program was not allowing some parents to log in and register so they sent the link to the teachers to try. It seems to be fully working on the teacher side of the program, but still spotty on the parent side. So, if you are having trouble registering your son/daughter, please let me know and I can take care of that for you :). The information/instructions to register your son/daughter is as follows: Parents can register for Read to Succeed using the details below:
Finally, we are working very hard to make sure our classroom stays "germ free" until the end of the school year. We all know the Kindergarten class has had it's fair share of germs this winter! In accordance with this, I am making sure each table has it's own box of tissues (and replacing as they become empty) sending home all chapsticks which are frequently used and by now are full of germs ;) and teachingthe children to cough and sneeze into their elbows. I am also frequently having the children wash thier hands, especially after digging in thier noses and other unmentionable places, as well as after coughing, sneezing, and using tissues. We have also increased our use of hand sanitizer and wiping down of tables and chairs for the same purposes. AlSo, in the same aspect, if your child is sick, please keep him/her home until he/she has been symptom free for 24 hours as well as fever free for 24 hours, the key thing to remember with being symptom free and fever free, is that your child is back to normal without having to take medicine (tylenol, motrin, ibuprophen, etc) for 24 hours. Once they have surpassed that "24 hour mark" then they should be germ free as well and can return to school (after being disinfected from head to toe of course, :) lol!). In hopes to keep everyone healthy for the remainder of this school year, please help out by washing coats, book bags, lunch boxes as well as sanitizing library books and folders while we are off school next week for Spring Break. JUST AS FEW REMINDERS: 1. March Book Orders are due Friday, march 13th if you would like to still place an order. 2. Six Flags registration: give yourself enough time to complete the online submission, review and approval process before the
deadline of April 17, 2020. 3. Mission Carnival in the gym - Friday, March 13th from 12:35-1:20pm 4. NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20. School will resume on Monday, March 23 |
Kindergarten Update :)
It has been a while since my last post, but we have been super busy in Kindergarten! We continue to learn and practice new words. The kids love our daily practice sessions :) We also started our Homework routine of daily Math Attack (Monday-Thursday) and Accelerated Reading at home to continue to build our Reading Comprehension skills. Our handwriting skills are also improving and the students are getting better at writingthier letters and numbers correctly and knowing when to use a capital letter versus a lower case letter. We have a lot planned in the near future! The most recent plans are for next week, We wil lcelebrate the 100th Day of School on Monday as well as CatholicSchools Week! Lots of fun activities are planned to help us celebrate the blessings of being able to attend a Catholic School. If you know of a family weho is looking for a GREAT school to send thier child(ren) to, please encourage them to attend our Open House on Sunday, January 26, 2020 from 11:30am-1:30pm. We'd be happy to discuss our programs and answer any questions they may have! Registration packets for returning families will be sent home later on in February, so be on the look out for those as well. Continue to practice the sight words as I will continue to assess the students as time allows. I will be sending home the 2nd set of words for them to learn as soon as they pass the first set 100%. I will wait to begin assessing them on the 2nd set until late March. Hopefully, this will give them ample time to learn all 92 of the Kindergarten Sight Words. As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Many Things To Be Thankful For In Kindergarten
There ar eso many things to be thankful for - Family, Friends, Our Health, and so on. I am thankful that you entrust me to mentor and teach your child on a daily basis. They are each unique in thier own way and are a true blessing of God. They each continue to grow in their learning each and every day and being able to witness this growth is part of that blessing. We will discuss the many things we are thankful for this coming week as part of our Religion lessons. I can't wait to hear about all of the neat things each of the studetns are thankful for. In Reading, we have begun to practice our sight words and continue to practice the sounds that each letter makes in order to put these sounds together in order to read new words. In Math, we are continuing to practice writing our numbers correctly and counting objects in a set. There are many reminders that I need to share with you as we push forward into the 2nd half of the 2nd quarter: Please pay close attention to the school uniform policy in the school handbook (pages 37 and 38). Belts ar erequired if your child has belt loops on his/her uniform pants. Also, students should wear tennis shoes that tie or velcro to school each day. Slip on shoes are not part of the uniform policy. Also, please make sure your son/daughter has on plain socks. Socks can be white, black, navy, red, or gray. Any other color than those listed or have designs of any kind on them are not part of the uniform policy. Also, pajama pants or sweatpants are not allowed to be worn in the classroom under jumpers or sweatpants. They can be worn to school and outside for recess as well as to go home, but they will have to be removed while we are in the classroom/school building. Girls are allowed to wear leggings as long as they are white, navy, red or gray under thier jumper in the classroom and building though. As the temeratures start to stay cold, lips and hands will begin to get chapped. I am more than willing to allow your child to use chapstick while at school, but I must have a note from you stating they do indeed need it and just aren't sneaking it to school in thier book bags. I have a bucket on the shelf that I keep them in and the students are allowed to access and use after each bathroom break and when we return to the classroom after each recess. I am willing to do the same with hand lotion, but it has to be a small tube or travel size bottle and must also be accompanied by a note. As noted in a previous note, I have started sending home reading logs at the beginnign of each month. Completing this log each month is not a requirement, but it will allow your child to be rewarded with a free meal certificate from The Pasta house Company as well as Pizza Hut. I have registered online with Pizza Hut and have had links sent to each of the email addesses that you as parents provided in your registration packets. You have to approve this link for me to be able to reward your child with Pizza Hut Certificates. As far as the certificates from The Pasta House Company, I send in a list each month to them with names of all students who turned in a reading log. The list is then sent back to me to use for sending home the certificates. If you have approved the link for Pizza Hut, I am able to send you the certificate for a free personal pan pizza via email when your child turns in his/her reading log. If for any reason you can't access this certificate, please let me know and I can print it out for you. The Pasta House Company ones take a little bit longer. I have to have the form mailed to The Pasta House Company by the 5th of the month, so it is very important to have it returned to school by the end of each month. If I receive it after the 5th of the month, I will simply add it to the next month. I usually recieve the certificates and list back from The Pasta House Company around the 20th of the month and will send them home stapled to your child's reading log. Reminder to return/turn in the following items that have been sent home in the past two weeks: If you plan to order books for yuor child from the November Book Order, please have that submitted either online or via your child's take home folder by Monday, November 18th. I realize we just had the book fair and understand if you are waiting to order. I will not be sending a book order home forthe month of December though. Please note, if you are wanting to order books for your son/daughter for a Christmas gift, I am very good at keeping secrets and disguising them so your child will be none the wiser ;) and know they are bringing books home for thier own presents. Send me an email or note letting me know that this is what you would like to do and I can make it happen. You can always look at mor ethan the flyers sent home online which includes flyers from previous months as well as flyers for upcoming months such as December and possibly january which will include books about Christmas and Snowy weather type books. Also, a blue Highlights Magazine flyer was sent home in your child's take home folder. It is not a requirement to sign up for this, but I wanted to give you the option to do so. Please though, even if you are not wanting to subscribe to it, sign and return the form marked no back to school as I can get fun things for our classroom. If you are wanting to subscribe, please return the form with your information filled out or you can even submit it online and return the form with a code given to you. Thank you for returning these to school as promptly as you can. Finally, don't forget, Tom The Turkey Family Projects are due back to school soon! I am hoping to have them all returned to school no later than next Friday, november 21st so that I can get them all hung up in the hallway in time for our schoolwide Grandparent's Day celebration. I have enjoyed the projects that have already been returned to school and can't wait to see the rest of the creative "costumes" you and your child are preparing for Tom the Turkey! Invitations for our schoolwide Grandparents Day celebration were sent home this week in your child's take home folders. Please refer to these for the schedule of the morning as it has changed a little bit this year from years past for those of you who have older children at ASA-SRPD. Last but not least, we will be going on our field trip to the Civic Center to see the play, Rosie Reveere, Engineer, next Thursday, November 21st. We will eat lunch a little bit earlie rthan we are used to so that we can use the restroom and get ready to walk to the Civic Center by 11:45 or so. We should be back to school by 2 or 2:30 at the latest. As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Another Week of Learning Fun!
We have wrapped up another week of learning in Kindergarten! We are almost done with our letter review unit and will also be finishing up our numbers unit within the next week. As we continue to plug away at learning new skills, look for many exciting stories to come home about each new thing we learn! I have also started assessing some of the skills we have been working on this quarter to have a good idea of how well your child is doing in Kindergarten. The Kindergarten students do not receive official report cards for the first quarter, but I am ready to discuss their progress with you at Parent/Teacher conferences. If you have not already signed up for a time slot on either October 29th from 4-8pm or October 30th from 4-8pm, please do so at your earliest convenience. My plan is to discuss your child's progress to this point and to also talk to you about the many things we will be focusing on throughout the year, It will be a lot to cover in 10 minutes ;). Hopefully, everyone received the note i sent home this past week about our Halloween party and trick-or-treating at The St. Catherine's Retirement Community just up the hill from our school. We will have our party and participate in trick-or-treating, both on Wednesday, October 30. Please refer to the note for exact times and breakdown of the day. Please note, there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday, October 31st and Friday, November 1st. If you are still wanting to place a book order, please do so asap. I will extend the due date. Please send me an email if you have any questions ;). Also, don't forget the school book fair will be in the building, and available for students to shop at starting Monday and will remain open until the end of Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, October 30. As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Happy Fall!
We finished up the week with more letter review and learning how to say the correct sounds and write them correctly. We are still working on the same skill with our numbers. Today we finished our unit on Apples - we taste tested 3 different kinds - red delicious, granny smith, and golden delicious. We also made applesauce with the apples that were brought into school. The kids all had so much fun! Next week, we will continue to work on identifying and reviewing our letters, their correct sounds, and how to write them correctly. Soon, we will begin putting these sounds together to read simple words and working our way up to harder words! In Religion, we will continue to discuss the great gifts that God has made for us :) In Math, we will continue to review our numbers and how to write them correctly. We wil lbe able to identify sets of things by counting them as well. We wil lread our 2nd AR book 2 more times and take our 2nd test. Johnny Appleseed :) As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Another week of learning :)
We have completed yet another full week of learning and the students are improving daily! We ar eworking hard to review our letters and the correct sound each letter makes as well as learning how to write each letter correctly and neatly. This is not always an easy task, but the students are completing each of these tasks without fail and fixing thier mistakes without much complaint. They have the same attitude when it comes to reviewing and learning how to corrrectly write each number as well :) Next week, we will be starting a unit on apples. If you have not sent in an apple to school with your son/daughter, please do so by Monday, September 30. The end of this unit is always my favorite, and from what I have heard past students say and remind me about, they enjoy it too. I can't wait to share this surprise and the excitement of it with your child and also have them share it with you on Thursday :) This past week, I sent home 3 login codes for three different educational/learning websites/apps. If you have not looked at these papers that came home in your child's folder earlier this week, please take the time to do so over the weekend. Not only will these learning sites help your child "learn new things", they will be able to continue to review and refresh the skills taught/learned as well as keep them "at thier finger tips". The educational/learning websites/apps are: 1. Lalilo - this website/app focuses on phonics and reading. It builds on lettersounds and putting those letter sounds together in order to read, as well as has activities and games to help your child learn and practice the Kindergarten sight words that they will need to know before being promoted to 1st grade. 2. Freckle - this website/app focuses on many different curriculum subjects, epsecially language arts/reading, and math. It will also build on skills taught and strengthen skills your child might be struggling with. 3. Epic! - This is a website/app that actually reads books to your child and helps them focus on comprehension of what is read. IT has been brought to my atention that this one has a fee attached to it, so I get it if you do not want to pay for it. As an educator, I am able to access it for free, so it may just be a website/app we use strictly in the classroom. I am still looking in to this to see if there is indeed a fee or not. I will update you if it turns out there is and apologize in advance. It really is a good website to help build reading comprehension and to be able to experieince reading at a whole new level. As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Kindergarten, Week 6
Welcome to the end of week 6! We have survived the quietest week yet, due to the upper grade classrooms completeing thier ITBS tests. We are definitely learning how to walk down the hallway without talking, as well as remaining quiet in the hallways while using the restroom, waiting to go to recess, lunch, or our next special class. With each passing week, the routine is getting easier and the children are getting better at doing what is being asked of them. We will continue to work on our review of the letters - the name of each letter, the sound each letter makes, and how to write each letter correctly and neatly. We are also working on recognizing these letter sounds at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of words. We will hopefully be taking our first Accelerated Reeading test next week. I have read the book 2 times so far, so, by Wednesday (hopefully) we will be able to start the process of taking our first test. In Math, we will be continuing to learn about each number, 1-10. We are working hard to learn how to spell each number as well as how to write it correctly. In Religion, we will continue to learn about How God Created the World and Everything In It.. We are also building our stamina up to 5 minutes of "Quiet Time With Jesus" each morning asking him to help us have a good day as well as guide us to be a good friend and student who has good listening ears, to do the best we can to make others proud. By doing this, hopefully, we will build a strong relationship with God and Jesus, and ultimately become a better person :). Once again, thank you for sharing your child with me this year. I am enjoying each of them individiually and together as a group. I truly enjoy watching each of them as they learn new things and make many new discoveries along the way. As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |
Another Week in Kindergarten :)
Good afternoon! We have finished our 4th week of Kindergarten and boy has it been interesting ;) We are learning many new things, especially how to get used to our new routine and days without "rest time". It is a lot for the Kindergartners to take in, but they are all adjusting very well! We will continue to work on bettering our listening skills and paying attention to the task at hand. We will increase our abilities to focus longer as well ;). If you have not turned in your 3 forms (1. parent signature page saying you saw and read the Back to School packet with your child, 2. Child information page, and 3. student information square for emergencies) please do so as soon as possible. If you have by chance misplaced your copy, please let me know and I can send home a 2nd copy. If you are unsure if you turned in one or all of these papers, please send me a note and I can double check for you and let you know. Please note, all students are bringing home a weekly "behavior log" each evening for you to get an idea of how their day is going. I do my best to mark them accurately, and will start being more detailed with them starting in the 2nd quarter as some, if not most, of our Kindergarten friends are adjusting to the new routine. Some friends spent time in Preschool learning how to sit still and not talk for maybe 15 minutes at a time, but were able to enjoy playtime for a big part of their day. Our days in Kindergarten will consist of more actual learning time and less play time. Our time of completing tasks will improve as time goes on. My main concern is keeping you informed of how the day here at school went so that you can assist me in helping your child grow into a well rounded learner who enjoys coming to school each day. Just a few reminders for the upcoming week: *Tuesday, September 10th - School Picture Day Please refer to the note that came home on Thursday (9/5) about proper dress attire. Please make sure your child wears his/her school tennis shoes to school as your child will only be photographed from the chest up. We have PE on this day as well, but you do not have to dress your student in or send his/her PE uniform to school to change into. They will be fine for one day. We should have our pictures taken in the morning so no worries ;). Also, don't forget to send in your picture envelope with the appropriate amount inside for the package you choose to purchase. If you want to send them in on Monday so you don't forget, that is fine. I will put them in a safe place on my desk and hold on to them until Tuesday when I will pass them out in time to get our pictures taken. *Wednesday, September 11th - Safe Touch Presentation (reminder, if you do not want your child to participate in this program, please let the office, and myself, know in writing). *Friday, September 13th is a half day of school. Dismissal is at 12pm. If your student is going to aftercare on this day, please make sure to send him/her to school with a lunch as lunch will not be provided on this day. *Monday, September 16th - Book Orders Due! As always, have a GREAT weekend! Please feel free to donate items to our classroom to make it a fun learning environment for all students. For your shopping convenience, teachers have been asked to create an Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ACS626L464UR?ref_=wl_share |