USE THESE RESOURCES AT HOME!
⭐Tap HERE to find HEART WORDS that we focus on in kindergarten.
⭐Tap HERE to find the verbal paths for writing LOWERCASE letters correctly.
⭐Tap HERE for find the verbal paths for writing UPPERCASE letters correctly.
⭐Tap HERE to find a video that shows LETTER-KEYWORD-SOUND for the alphabet.
⭐Tap HERE to find the NUMBER POEMS we use for correct number formation!
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
student work
Specials Next Week: C and A Week (ABC Calendar)
We have art on Monday and music Tuesday-Friday.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: Our favorite from this week is Rainbow Color Hunt. Just sit with a mindful body and mind and look around for the colors of the rainbow!
We are revisiting the book What If Everybody Did That? to help us understand why it's important for everyone to follow the rules of our classroom and school. When everyone makes good choices we all stay safe and can all learn. We are all part of the team!
Friday Fun - free play outside in the sunshine
We created name tags for our bears - one with our names and one with our teddy bears' names. We started writing and illustrating a book about our bears, too. We will be able to read our All About Me books and All About My Bear books to our teddy bears!
We made monster pictures that incorporate character (who), setting (where and when), and plot (the what)!
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
We spent a rainy and cold day inside:
creating raindrop paintings with liquid watercolors
reading rainy day books
doing rainy day brainbreaks
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
We put into Reading on hold because we finished Module 2 and are a little ahead of our pacing guide. This gives us an opportunity to reteach skills and strategies as well as read some other great texts to further our learning and connections.
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
We continued Week 6 (see below).
I did a mid-unit 1 assessment with each child. We are working hard learning letter names, letter sounds, and correct letter writing formation!
Writing
We finished our first narrative writing! We focused on the writing process, starting our sentence with an uppercase letter, leaving spaces between our words, putting punctuation at the end of the sentence, matching our words to our picture plan. It was wonderful watching our smallest writers taking risks!
We are learning the writing process: think about my story, talk about my story, draw and label my picture plan, write the words that match my illustration
Illustrative Math - updated site so you can find ALL units HERE without having to log in
We continue Unit 2: Numbers 1-10
We are exploring different ways to collect and see "how many" questions.
We are practicing talking about fewer, more, and the same. We are comparing while learning how to disagree respectfully, show evidence of our thinking, and try new ways to solve problems.
Some Favorite Books from the Week
Soaked!; The Big Umbrella; Orris and Timble: The Beginning (a chapter book trilogy by Kate DiCamillo)
Questions to Ask Your Child
What did you name your bear? Why did you give your bear that name?
Do you like when it rains? Why?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
October 26: field trip to WOW! Children's Museum in Lafayette (no volunteers needed) - return signed permission forms
October 29: Pumpkin Day (more info soon)
October 30: Halloween celebrated (more info soon)
November 11: Veterans Day - no school
November 23-27: Conference Exchange Days and Thanksgiving Break - no school
Thank you..
...to everyone who attended conferences. In spite of conference days being 10-12 hour days for me, I truly love spending time with all of you, talking about our favorite little ones!
Reminders:
There is no school on Monday, Oct 12 and Tuesday, Oct 13.
Return library books and Friday Folders on Wednesday, Oct 14!
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
permission form for WOW! Children's Museum
please fill out all the information on top and sign and date at the bottom
return the completed form on Wednesday, Oct 14th
we will take a school bus and return to Creekside in time for lunch and specials
information from Mr. Eric about his bullying curriculum
student work
Specials Next Week: C Week (ABC Calendar)
We have art.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: Our favorite from this week is Dragon Breath.
We are highlighting what good choices look like and sound like while we learn, when we transition, and when we line up.
Friday Fun - free play outside
The most exciting news is that we each got a teddy bear to keep at school! We are figuring out rules/agreements for our bears as well as when we can use our bears. We will be naming our bears and taking such good care of them until the very last day of school...when we can take them home! We are using bears to help us with big emotions, creativity, empathy, and so much more.
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
We played games at Martin Park:
Mother May I and Red Light, Green Light
parachute games
Bean Bag Boogie (movement break to practice balancing a bean bag on different parts of your body)
Frog Catcher (hula hoop and bean bag game)
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 2: There's Only One Me!
Week 4: Feeling Proud of Who I Am - being my best self and knowing I am one of a kind
Essential Question: What makes each of us special?
Texts: Tiny Rabbit's Big Wish and My Friends
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
enormous
height
wish
reflection
shell
stripe
bother
change
same
celebrate
different
special
pronounce
research
participate
Concepts
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we learned more about plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
theme: the message or lesson in a story
check for understanding: stop and think, "Do I understand what is happening?"- reread, use what I know, look for clues, ask questions
synonyms (words that have the same meaning) and antonyms (words that have the opposite meaning)
genres: fiction, informational, poetry, persuasive text (when the author tries to get you to do something)
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
Week 6 Family Letter: d and s
What we have done this week:
practice letter-keyword-sound
Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters d, s, a, g, c, o i, u, n, m, t, b, and f
sentences
count how many words
spaces between words
sentences start with uppercase/capital letter
sentences end with a period
identify and produce rhyming words
segment words into syllables in words and blend syllables into words
vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants
alliteration - when two or more words start with the same sound
blend word parts to make a compound word and segment compound words into smaller parts
practice segmenting words into sounds to spell and read some words
Writing
We start a new genre of writing: narratives
We are learning the writing process: think about my story, talk about my story, draw and label my picture plan, write the words that match my illustration
We will be publishing our own stories after we write them. Mrs. Young is the publisher (she writes our words in the final book) and kids do "artist drawings" for their final illustrations. We will keep these books in our reading bags. This is a long learning process and and equally long creating process. Stay tuned!
Illustrative Math - updated site so you can find ALL units HERE without having to log in
We continue Unit 2: Numbers 1-10
We are learning how to write numbers 1-10 correctly. We played Tic Tac Numbers and Number Search. See our Number Poems at the top of this page!
We are continuing to learn different ways to see "how many", finding the most efficient ways so we can be better mathematicians. Our math vocabulary has increased so much and we are talking more to each other about math. We are all students and teachers!
Some Favorite Books from the Week
We Are In a Book; We Are Growing; A Visitor for Bear
Questions to Ask Your Child
What are you going to name your bear?
What have you learned from watching animals? (from My Friends)
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
October 12 & 13: Fall Break - no school
October 26: field trip to WOW! Children's Museum in Lafayette (no volunteers needed) - return signed permission forms
November 11: Veterans Day - no school
November 23-27: Conference Exchange Days and Thanksgiving Break - no school
Meet Miss Fifi and Miss Lizzie, our wonderful practicum students!
Looking forward to seeing you at conferences next week!
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
Scholastic Book Club flyers
student work
Specials Next Week: B Week (ABC Calendar)
We have PE. Wear sneakers that tie or Velcro!
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: We imagined we were standing on a beach and breathing in and out with the ocean waves. Breathe Like the Ocean.
We are spending lots of time practicing LEAP. When we are in the green zone we are ready to learn. This helps our friends to be in the green zone. Everyone can learn and have fun!
Kindergarten Neuroscience: We are learning about our brain and using our hand brain to help us when we have "flipped our lid". We breath, eat a snack, get a drink, and move to reset our brains and bodies.
Friday Fun - free play outside
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
We played games and will play these games next week, too!
Mother May I and Red Light, Green Light
parachute games
Bean Bag Boogie (movement break to practice balancing a bean bag on different parts of your body)
Frog Catcher (hula hoop and bean bag game)
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 2: There's Only One Me!
Week 3: Staying True to Myself - making my own choices and accepting me for me
Essential Question: What makes each of us special?
Texts: Snail and Worm Again and Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
reflection
shell
stripe
bother
change
same
celebrate
different
special
pronounce
research
participate
Concepts
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we learned more about plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
theme: the message or lesson in a story
check for understanding: stop and think, "Do I understand what is happening?"- reread, use what I know, look for clues, ask questions
synonyms (words that have the same meaning) and antonyms (words that have the opposite meaning)
genres: fiction, informational, poetry, persuasive text (when the author tries to get you to do something)
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
Week 5 Family Letter: a and g
WE CONTINUED WITH THIS LESSON THIS WEEK
What we have done this week:
practice letter-keyword-sound
Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters c, o i, u, n, m, t, b, and f
sentences
count how many words
spaces between words
sentences start with uppercase/capital letter
sentences end with a period
identify and produce rhyming words
segment words into syllables in words and blend syllables into words
vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants
alliteration - when two or more words start with the same sound
blend word parts to make a compound word and segment compound words into smaller parts
practice segmenting words into sounds to spell and read some words
Writing
Most of us finished our "All About Me" books.
Once finished (it may take us a few weeks), we are keeping in them in our room so we can read them. We will be noticing what is the same and what is different about each other. YOU CAN SEE YOUR CHILD'S BOOK AT CONFERNECES!
Illustrative Math
We continue Unit 2: Numbers 1-10
We learned different ways to play Math Fingers and Shake and Spill.
We made connecting cube towers and compared them using the language: My tower has fewer cubes than your tower. My tower has more cubes than your tower. Our towers are the same!
The first part of this unit is all about more, fewer, and the same.
Some Favorite Books from the Week
Norman Didn't Do it (Yes, He Did!); Mother Bruce; Out Cold
Questions to Ask Your Child
How are you different than everyone else?
Do you have a favorite story about your family? Can you retell it? Who are the characters? Where and when is the setting? Is there a problem and a solution?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
October 6, 7, 8: Parent Teacher Conferences - PLEASE SIGN UP
October 12 & 13: Fall Break - no school
November 11: Veterans Day - no school
November 23-27: Conference Exchange Days and Thanksgiving Break - no school
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
individual photos
The Zones of Regulation from Mr. Eric
Fun Run, donations, and Creekside Spirit Wear info
student work
Specials Next Week: A Week (ABC Calendar)
We have music.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: We did Hot Chocolate Breathing
Mr. Eric: Please see Mr. Eric's announcement in Apptegy for more details!
Friday Fun was spent playing hot dog tag with friends outside.
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
We listened to The Listening Walk.
Once at Martin Park, we went on a silent listening walk.
We shared what we heard. It was amazing what we heard when we were quiet and mindful!
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 2: There's Only One Me!
Week 2: Feeling Good About Me - on the inside and on the outside
Essential Question: What makes each of us special?
Texts: I Like Myself! and ABC I Like Me!
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
bother
change
same
celebrate
different
special
pronounce
research
participate
Concepts
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we learned more about plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
synonyms (words that have the same meaning) and antonyms (words that have the opposite meaning)
genres: fiction, informational, poetry, persuasive text (when the author tries to get you to do something)
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
Week 5 Family Letter: a and g
What we have done this week:
practice letter-keyword-sound
Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters c, o i, u, n, m, t, b, and f
sentences
count how many words
spaces between words
sentences start with uppercase/capital letter
sentences end with a period
identify and produce rhyming words
segment words into syllables in words and blend syllables into words
vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants
alliteration - when two or more words start with the same sound
blend word parts to make a compound word and segment compound words into smaller parts
practice segmenting words into sounds to spell and read some words
Writing
We started a book called "All About Me". We are each writing a book about what makes us special. Kids are starting to see themselves as authors and illustrators.
Once they are finished (it may take us a few weeks), we are keeping in them in our room so we can read them. We will be noticing what is the same and what is different about each other. We will send them home eventually!
Illustrative Math
We started Unit 2: Numbers 1-10
We learned a fun partner math game called Math Fingers. One partner chose a card showing "how many fingers" and the other partner had to tell "how many". Partners then switched. Lots of great math vocabulary was happening!
We learned another game called Shake and Spill. One partner put 2-color counters in a cup, shook them, and spilled them onto a 5-frame mat. Then the other partner counted to see "how many". We learned that the number of objects doesn't change when they are arranged differently.
Some Favorite Books from the Week
Stuck; Lost and Found; Up and Down
Questions to Ask Your Child
What makes your family special? Why?
What do you like about yourself? Why?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
October 2: Fun Run
October 6, 7, 8: Parent Teacher Conferences - PLEASE SIGN UP
October 12 & 13: Fall Break - no school
November 11: Veterans Day - no school
November 23-27: Conference Exchange Days and Thanksgiving Break - no school
I have two CU practicum students this year! They are juniors in the elementary education program and will be with us Wednesday mornings and all day Thursdays. Miss Lizzie and Miss Fifi came Thursday for the first time and are fantastic additions to our learning community!
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
Fun Run info
student work
student created math book - We learned how to show our math thinking using drawings. We found groups of 1, 2, 3, and 4 objects in our classroom.
math workbook - This is Unit 1 of our new math curriculum. We didn't use the book because everything we did was whole group so we used the big TV screen to see everything. The kids can tell you about the pages!
Fundations practice - We did a beginning sound sort and practiced correct letter formation.
Specials Next Week: C Week (ABC Calendar)
We have art.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: We did a shaking mindfulness activity. Here is a similar one. We also do 7 Shakes throughout the day. Have you child teach you!
This week has been filled with big emotions. We learned how to do a Butterfly Hug. This is a bilateral stimulation technique that helps to self-soothe. You can take your butterfly anywhere!
Friday Fun was spent playing with friends outside.
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 2: There's Only One Me!
Week 1: Celebrating Differences - our names, our feelings, ideas, and experiences
Essential Question: What makes each of us special?
Texts: I Am René, the Boy and Being Different Rocks!
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
celebrate
different
special
pronounce
research
participate
Concepts
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we learned more about plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
genres: fiction, informational, poetry
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
Week 4 Family Letter: c and o
What we have done this week:
practice letter-keyword-sound
Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters c, o i, u, n, m, t, b, and f
sentences
count how many words
spaces between words
sentences start with uppercase/capital letter
sentences end with a period
identify and produce rhyming words
segment words into syllables in words and blend syllables into words
vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants
alliteration - when two or more words start with the same sound
blend word parts to make a compound word and segment compound words into smaller parts
practice segmenting words into sounds to spell and read some words
Writing
We wrote and illustrated our first writing together! We wrote I can play. We practiced counting how many words are in the sentence, starting our sentence with an uppercase letter, using a finger space between our words, writing a Heart Word, segmenting a CVC word, and putting a period at the end. Then we drew a picture to match our words. We are writers and illustrators!
Illustrative Math
warm-ups - warm-ups give us independent thinking time and then sharing our ideas with a partner
Notice and Wonder
Questions About Us
How Many?
For our last formal lesson of Unit 1, we used math tools (connecting cubes, pattern blocks, geoblocks, 2-color counters) to build models of something in our classroom. All kids were engaged and excited to share their creations. We took turns doing a gallery walk to look at other models and ask questions, including "What did you make a model of?", "What math tools did you use?", "How many ____ did you use?" It was inspiring to see and hear everyone using complete sentences, math vocabulary, and being kind and respectful. Go kindergarten!
Here are models that were made - ask your child what model they made and what math tools they used!
tables
chairs
our pizza with crusts and pepperoni spots (our gathering spot on the floor)
pepperoni spot (the number 6)
Piggie stuffie
Mama Echo/Owl puppet
my teacher desk with a document camera, pencil sharpener, and chair
a water bottle
a plant
their name
subitize - With my eyes, I can subitize! (knowing how many without having to count)
Some Favorite Books from the Week
Watch Me Throw the Ball!; Can I Play Too?; The Monster Who Lost His Mean; A Porcupine Named Fluffy
Questions to Ask Your Child
What is your favorite math tool to use? Why?
What is something at our house that you could build a model of? What tools would you use? Why?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students
October 2: Fun Run - more info coming
October 6, 7, 8: Parent Teacher Conferences - more info coming
October 12 & 13: Fall Break - no school
November 11: Veterans Day - no school
November 23-27: Conference Exchange Days and Thanksgiving Break - no school
Please look at Friday Folders, keep information at home, and return empty folders on Monday. Thank you!
I have included links to mindfulness activities, songs and brain breaks that we used this week to help make learning fun while we move.
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
International Festival information
Support Your Cougars information
Sweet Cow Fundraiser info - Sept 15th
Zones of Regulation from Mr. Eric's lesson
student work
Specials Next Week: B Week (ABC Calendar)
We have PE. Wear shoes that Velcro or tie!
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
a favorite from Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: Reboot has not been working so learned and are practicing Rainbow Breathing and Bubble Bounce.
Mr. Eric taught us Five Finger Breathing. We also learned about The Zones of Regulation. Here is a video that Mr. Eric shared with us.
We added to our strategies to help us learn. We added table talk and inside outside circle to the ways we share ideas and listen to other's ideas. We continue to practice "across the street neighbors", "next door neighbors" and mix and mingle.
Friday Fun with Ms. Ellie's class was all about finding new friends to play with on the playgrounds.
Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's Class
We thought of some nouns we might find at the park. We thought of some verbs that we might do at the park. We made two big posters.
While walking to and from the park, we sang The Ants Go Marching. We had fun with rhyming and rhythm.
We noticed nouns and verbs all around us.
We explored with friends and found lots of nouns.
When we returned to our classroom, we added lots of nouns and verbs to our posters. We will keep adding to our lists!
We finished our class book, We Like Martin Park (we changed the title). We wrote and drew about what we like to do at Martin Park because it helped us share our opinions. We also found nouns and verbs in our very own writing!
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 1: Curious About Kindergarten
Week 4: Noticing the World Around Us - we are the same and different; being kind
Essential Question: What will I discover in kindergarten?
Texts: Schools Around the World and Annie, Bea, and Chi Chi Dolores
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
city
country
map
clue
mistake
puzzled
idea
offer
stuck
discover
dream
partners
plan
polite
share
Concepts
parts of a book: author, illustrator, front and back cover, title page, pages, spine, title
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we learned more about plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
genres: we added informational texts (teach us about real people, events, places, and things) this week and reviewed fiction (made up stories about characters, places, and events) and poetry
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles and in family letters)
Week 3 Family Letter: i and u
What we are working on:
practice letter-keyword-sound
Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters i, u, n, m, t, b, and f
count words in a sentence
I love school! (3 words)
It is sunny today. (4 words)
recognize and produce rhyming words - we scoop the words with our hands (ask you child to show you)
cat, hat, they both end in /at/
blue, shoe, they both end in /oo/
count syllables in words
pen/cil = 2 syllables
door = 1 syllable
vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants
alliteration - when two or more words start with the same sound
put two small words together (blend) to make a compound word - rain + bow is rainbow
we started segmenting words into sounds to spell and read some words now that we are learning some vowels
/i/ /t/ it
/f/ /u/ /n/ fun
fun ABC videos:
Writing
We wrote and illustrated our class book called We Like W Martin Park. Each of us are writing and illustrating a page about what we like to do at Martin Park.
We talked about the character (me!) and the setting (where and when) of our individual pages.
We are authors (the person who writes the story/words) and illustrators (the person who draws the pictures or take the photos)!
We learned more about sentences:
starts with an uppercase letter
ends with punctuation: a period or an exclamation mark
spaces between words so it is easier to read
Illustrative Math
warm-ups - warm-ups give us independent thinking time and then sharing our ideas with a partner
Questions about Us: we are exploring different ways to keep track of counting larger sets
We continue having center time exploring and using our tools. We are doing Stage 3 centers - we moved from exploring, to building, to counting.
connecting cubes
pattern blocks
geoblocks
picture books
subitize - With my eyes, I can subitize! (knowing how many without having to count)
Some Favorite Books from the Week
Let's Go for a Drive; This Book Just Ate My Dog!; This Book is Out of Control!; We're in the Wrong Book!
We also reread some favorites!
Questions to Ask Your Child
To practice stating our opinions, we are doing lots of Would You Rather questions. Here are some examples:
Would you rather swim in a pool filled with ice cream or a pool filled with your favorite candy? Why?
Have your child answer in a complete sentence: "In my opinion, I would rather swim in ice cream because ____."
Would you rather sleep in a tree house or sleep at the bottom of the ocean? Why?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
September 14: Individual Student Picture Day
September 18: International Festival
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students
Ocotber 2: Fun Run - more info coming
October 6, 7, 8: Parent Teacher Conferences - more info coming
📚SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
ordering books is OPTIONAL
it's a great way to build a home library
you can order books by:
going to Scholastic Book Clubs and creating an account
then search by school and teacher ("Creekside" and "Young")
you can use our classroom code: K2CJG
shop by grade level, book collections, and from different flyers than just the one that is sent home
when you order books from Scholastic and use my name or our classroom code, our class earns points that I can use to buy books and materials for our classroom
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
Scholastic Book Club flyer - optional!
student work
Specials Next Week: A Week (ABC Calendar)
We have music.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
a favorite from Roboot with Mr. Ozzie and Mr. Derris: We learned how to count to 10 while breathing in and out. Focusing on counting our breaths can help us feel calmer. Here is an example called Cosmic Counting.
We are working on earning more whole-class LEAP stars. The first student earned 10 LEAP tickets and we all celebrated their hard work!
We learned how to partner talk with our "across the street neighbors". We are continuing our partner talk with our next door neighbors.
We continue to practice our voice levels - 0 is silent, 1 is a whisper, 2 is a partner talk, 3 is a whole class level, 4 is an outside voice while 5 is used for true emergencies. We are learning that we have to use different voice levels for different situations and areas of the school.
We continue learning appropriate ways to use the Calming Corner.
We are singing and dancing to practice skills and concepts in fun, engaging, and active ways!
Friday before lunch, we celebrated earning 200 LEAP stars with a special Choice time and treat from me. We opened up the play kitchen, practicing being okay with disappointment when our "pick me" wasn't chosen for the kitchen.
We do Friday Fun with Ms. Ellie's class. We have painted a group mural, played together, and explored the back of the school together.
Wonderful Wednesday
We did our first Wonderful Wednesday with Ms. Ellie's class at Martin Park.
We focused on "I notice..." and "I wonder..."
We used our shared experience to start writing our class book "We Like".
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 1: Curious About Kindergarten
Week 3: Solving Problems - learning from mistakes and being curious
Essential Question: What will I discover in kindergarten?
Texts: Kindergarten Kids (a book of silly poetry) and School Bus
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
clue
mistake
puzzled
idea
offer
stuck
discover
dream
partners
plan
polite
share
Concepts
parts of a book: author, illustrator, front and back cover, title page, pages, spine, title
story elements: characters and setting (where and when) - we introduced plot (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution)
genres: fiction and poetry
Writing and Fundations
Fundations - check out the family letters to learn and support correct letter formation (you can find all the verbal paths at the top of the Kronicles!)
Week 1 family letter (t, b, f)
Week 2 family letter (n, m)
We continue to practice letter-keyword-sound.
We use Student Notebooks, magnetic boards, and white boards to practice letters n, m, t, b, and f
Writing
We are working on a class book called We Like... We each are writing and illustrating a page about what we like to do at Martin Park. We started introducing noun and verb.
We talked about the character (me!) and the setting (where and when) of our individual pages.
We are authors (the person who writes the story/words) and illustrators (the person who draws the pictures or take the photos)!
Illustrative Math
warm-ups - warm-ups give us independent thinking time and then sharing our ideas with a partner
Notice and Wonder - we use "What do I notice?" and "What do I wonder" in every content area.
Act It Out! - this is a fun way to share our math thinking and use math vocabulary. We pretended we were frogs, we sang and used our fingers, and we drew the story.
We started having center time exploring and using our tools. This gives us time to share and talk about math! We are learning new ways to interact with the math tools. We added counting mats to our exploration. The mats can help us organize our counting so we only count each object once.
connecting cubes
pattern blocks
geoblocks
picture books
subitize - With my eyes, I can subitize! (knowing how many without having to count)
Some Favorite Books from the Week
The Bad Mood and the Stick; Leonardo the Terrible Monster; Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World; All Are Welcome; Bark, George
Questions to Ask Your Child
What did you do this week to be a good friend?
What do you like to do with your family? Why?
What do you NOT like to do with your family? Why?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
September 7: Labor Day - no school
September 14: Individual Student Picture Day
September 18: International Festival
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students
A huge thank you...
for sharing wonderful family photos for our kindergarten family wall (it only took 4 days!)
for returning walking field trip forms in just two days
for coming to Back to School Night
for sharing your little ones with me. We are already building a supportive and loving learning community!
Coming Home in Friday Folders
(You may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information.)
Lifetouch - individual photo information (September 14)
International Festival information
Mr. Eric - Power in My Hand!
student work
Specials Next Week: C Week (ABC Calendar)
We have art.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
a favorite from Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: We learned that slowing our breath down and doing deep belly breathing can trick our brain into thinking we are calm. When we practice belly breathing when we are calm, it is a great strategy to use when we are feeling angry, frustrated, and having other big feelings. Practice with Rosita from Sesame Street!
We are working on earning more whole-class LEAP stars. We introduced individual LEAP tickets and many students earned them by showing Leadership, Empathy, Accountability, and Pride!
We are continuing our partner talk with our next door neighbors.
We learned about voice levels - 0 is silent, 1 is a whisper, 2 is a partner talk, 3 is a whole class level, 4 is an outside voice while 5 is used for true emergencies.
We learned new greetings and ways to share during Morning Meeting.
We are learning how and when to use the Calming Corner. We are taking turns practicing and exploring the Calming Corner.
We are singing and dancing to practice skills and concepts in fun, engaging, and active ways!
We added our birthdays and photos to our color resist names we created last week. I hope you saw them at Back to School night!
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 1: Curious About Kindergarten
Week 2: Exploring New Ideas - learning to read and write while sharing ideas
Essential Question: What will I discover in kindergarten?
Texts: A Squiggly Story and One Happy Classroom (We discovered that this is a counting forward and backward book!)
Power Words (vocabulary) - new ones are at the top in red
idea
offer
stuck
discover
dream
partners
plan
polite
share
Concepts
parts of a book: author, illustrator, front and back cover, title page, pages, spine, title
story elements: characters and setting (where and when)
genres: fiction
Writing and Fundations
Fundations
We continue to practice letter-keyword-sound.
We practice writing t, b, and f in our Student Notebooks.
We introduced magnetic boards with the letters t, b, and f.
We practiced writing t, b, and f on our Fundation white boards using correct letter formation.
Writing
We finished writing a class book called I Can... We each are writing and illustrating a page about what we can do in school.
We talked about the character (me!) and the setting (where and when) of our individual pages.
We are authors (the person who writes the story/words) and illustrators (the person who draws the pictures or take the photos)!
Illustrative Math
warm-ups - warm-ups give us independent thinking time and then sharing our ideas with a partner
Notice and Wonder - we use "What do I notice?" and "What do I wonder" in every content area.
Act It Out! - this is a fun way to share our math thinking and use math vocabulary. We pretended we were little ducks and mother ducks. We also used pattern blocks to create ducks to tell the story!
We started having center time exploring and using our tools. This gives us time to share and talk about math!
connecting cubes
pattern blocks
geoblocks
picture books
subitize - With my eyes, I can subitize! (knowing how many without having to count)
We are using our fingers as a way to help us explain our math thinking.
Some Favorite Books from the Week
We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish; Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets; Press Here; If Rocks Could Sing
Questions to Ask Your Child
Take a walk outside. What do you notice? What do you wonder about?
Notice groups of objects around your house. Do you know "how many" by just subitizing? How do you see the objects? (I see two and two and I know that's 4. I saw 4 and then 1 more...that's 5. The objects looked like they were a square.)
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
September 7: Labor Day - no school
September 14: Individual Student Picture Day
September 18: International Festival
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students
Coming Home in Friday Folders (you may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information)
walking field trip form - sign and return
Family Resource School (FRS) after school classes information - return if you would like your child to do an after school class
Creekside Fun Run Fundraiser information
school lunch calendar
Specials Next Week: B Week (ABC Calendar)
We have PE - all students need sneakers that tie or Velcro!
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
a favorite from Roboot with Mr. Ozzie: We learned how to do a color belly breath - think of one favorite color while breathing in through your nose and think of another favorite color while breathing out through your mouth.
We are working on earning more whole-class LEAP stars. We already earned 100 and had a celebration on Friday!
We are learning how to talk with a partner - this week we did "nextdoor neighbors".
We created a color-resist name to hang in the classroom.
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Module 1: Curious About Kindergarten
Week 1: Learning is fun - working and playing together
Essential Question: What will I discover in kindergarten?
Texts: Keisha Ann Can! and School Day!
Power Words
discover
dream
partners
plan
polite
share
Writing and Fundations
Fundations
Here is video so you can see the main components of Fundations.
We have introduced our Student Notebooks, learned how to sit and hold our pencils and paper to be the best writers we can be.
We have learned and are practicing letter-keyword-sound for all 26 letters!
Writing
We jumped into writing by learning The 5 Elements of Shapes. This will help us build our confidence as illustrators and helps us with letter formation. We will quickly move to labeling our illustrations while we have fun learning how to draw and write.
Illustrative Math
warm up: Notice and Wonder - we use "What do I notice?" and "What do I wonder" in every content area.
We use tools!
connecting cubes
pattern blocks
2-color counters
5-frames
geoblocks
Some Favorite Books from the Week
We Do Not Eat Our Classmates!; We Will Rock Our Classmates; How Will I Get to School This Year?
Questions to Ask Your Child
What is your favorite part of the day? Why? (recess, reading, Choice...)
What has been a challenge for you? Why? (making friends, reading, writing, learning letter sounds...)
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
August 26: Back to School Night
September 7: Labor Day - no school
September 14: Individual Student Picture Day
September 18: International Festival
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students
Coming Home in Friday Folders (you may not see all the information as students who are the oldest or only children at our school receive all the information)
This is where you can find out what is in your child's Friday Folder every Friday.
Look at it every weekend. Keep information at home unless you need to sign and return a form.
Return Friday Folders every Monday.
Specials Next Week: A Week (ABC Calendar)
This is where you can find out what special is for the upcoming week.
This coming week, we will have our A special, music!
Welcome Days
We sang The Good Morning Song to help us learn our new friends' names.
We learned The Freeze Dance and Dancing Machine, fun movement breaks that help our brains and bodies be able to learn better.
We read The Gingerbread Man and he left us a note at the end of the book. We followed his clues all over the school and when we returned to the classroom, he left us a present! The present was apples, gingersnap cookies, a craft, and gingerbread people sticks that we are using at school.
We had fun getting to know each other!
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
We learned how to do Morning Meeting, practicing each other's names and learning how to do different activities.
We learned about Reboot, our morning mindfulness practice. We listen to Mr. Ozzie every morning after school announcements to learn different mindfulness activities. Here is a little bio about one of the co-founders: Patricia Schrader, CEO and Co-Founder - Patti is a restauranteur turned certified guided mindfulness instructor. In 2016, she began a K-12 daily mindfulness program at Nederland Elementary School, CO in the Boulder Valley School District and instructs regularly on curriculum development for students and teachers. She serves on the Board of Directors of Teens INC., a facility and program devoted to serving kids from the Front Range mountain communities of Colorado.
We started learning about Creekside LEAP behavior: Leadership, Empathy, Accountability, Pride. Every time we work together as a class family to help our community stay safe, calm, and have fun, we earn a LEAP star on our number line. When we get 100 stars, we have a celebration.
into Reading (reading & writing)
HMH into Reading is a spiraling curriculum, meaning that topics are introduced and revisited throughout the year.
Here is where you can find information about what we books we are reading and what topics we are learning about to help us become better readers.
I will share the module, the essential question, power words (vocabulary), and our focus topics.
Writing and Fundations
Fundations is our phonics and handwriting curriculum. We started learning letter names - keyword - sound for A-J. At the top of this page, you can find resources to use at home. Check them out!
We will jump into writing by learning The 5 Elements of Shapes. This will help us build our confidence as illustrators and helps us with letter formation. We will quickly move to labeling our illustrations while we have fun learning how to draw and write.
Math
We have a new math curriculum called Illustrative Mathematics, or IM. Here is an overview of the curriculum. This section might change over time as I'm better learning the curriculum.
I am planning on posting videos and other family resources here, as well as topics and fun centers that we explored.
Favorite Books from the Week
Here is where you can find a few of the books we enjoyed. These books are from our Welcome Days.
I Will Surprise My Friend, Pigeon Has To Go To School, The Gingerbread Man
Questions to Ask Your Child
Here is where you can find questions that pertain to topics from the week. Asking questions is a good way to find out information!
What is your favorite part of school so far? (recess, lunch, reading, singing, dancing, etc)
Did you meet a new friend? Can you remember their name?
Upcoming Dates - Creekside Calendar
August 18: Creekside Welcome Back Community Potluck Dinner
August 26: Back to School Night
September 7: Labor Day - no school
September 14: Individual Student Picture Day
September 18: International Festival
September 21: District Professional Development - no school for students