Class Updates:
Club Hennessy Families, I continue to be in awe of your support and your willingness to enrich students' education with your generous donations. Thank you thank you thank you to Shane and his family for donating LED drawing boards from our Amazon Wishlist! We were all so excited to receive this gift, and we have LOVED using it this week in our reading groups. It has been such a fun way to practice writing and spelling and a super engaging switch from the usual whiteboards! Mrs. Korot is excited to use them during her small group time with our class, as well!
This week, we have been making a very conscious and intentional shift to reduce our screen usage. Students do not spend more than 45 minutes on average using their iPads per week in class; we have only ever used it for iReady lessons and benchmark testing. This is not a new change; we have seldom ever used iPads in our class. However, we do use online brain breaks and educational videos to promote learning and engagement. Beginning this week, we put a cease to online brain breaks and limited our use of videos. I would like to promote creativity, provide students with opportunities to stimulate their minds, and foster a love of research and ideas through books and good old fashioned pencil and paper. Reducing screen time also helps to clear our minds! Please see below for a comprehensive list of how this shapes our classroom:
I have created brain break slides! These slides include freeze dance (upbeat dance music with no words- suitable for everyone!), exercises, the game Four Corners, solving mystery pictures, and different activities with corresponding exercises depending on the question/answer. Some are simply "fun" themes, but a lot of them will allow students to review phonics and math concepts, as well as tap into their critical thinking skills. Students have really enjoyed them this week! Students were able to learn and have fun at the same time!
No more videos during snack! We have been putting on a 15 minute timer with relaxing background music and enjoying conversation with our friends.
We have reduced our online read alouds. We still use them from time-to-time, but we prefer to stick with physical books to promote print concepts.
We will still use educational videos every now and again, but we plan to begin fostering our research skills like "big kids" and adults through the use of books and using the resources available in our classroom (i.e. our letter wall, sight word wall, number wall, hundreds chart, shape and color wall, math board, and literacy board).
Our Secret Student this week was Mac! Mac's dream is to be a singer, his dad makes him laugh, he's really good at playing games, his favorite subject is lunch, his favorite sport is basketball, and he loves Pokemon. It was tough for students to guess who this week's Secret Student was because so many friends in our class love Pokemon! It was so fun to see how much we all have in common. The K-2 trivia question this week asked what do you call the blue parts on a globe or map, and we didn't even need a video to help us this week! We recently completed our georgraphy unit, and we learned this information a couple weeks ago in Social Studies. All 14 students that opted to participate in trivia correctly answered water, and I was so impressed that they committed our geography unit to their long-term memory! Our very own Hayes was the lucky Kindergarten trivia winner, and we were all so happy for her. That makes three weeks in a row that Club Hennessy has won trivia! Three cheers for Club Hennessy!
Don't forget to check out some new pictures added to our class picture archive! You may view new and previously added pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional reminders:
If you haven't already, please sign up for a Fall Conference linked here (also available on our "Links" page for you to refer back to). Please note that Fall Conferences are mandatory. I met with five families this past week, bringing our grand total to eight. I have met with half our class and am very much looking forward to meeting with the other half!
Our class will visit the Fall Book Fair on Monday, 10/26 from 12pm to 12:25pm. If your schedule permits, I welcome and encourage all families to join us for the Fall Book Fair! Please note that you must be registered as a volunteer to attend. To RSVP for the Fall Book Fair, please use the Sign-Up Genius linked here (also available on our "Links" page) so I know to expect you. So many families are planning to join us; hooray! Please see below for some helpful Book Fair tips:
Send your child to school with cash in a Ziploc baggie labeled with their name and my name on it. I will hold all students' cash until our scheduled Book Fair time. If you plan to shop with your child, you do not need to send cash to school; you can hold onto it and pay when you visit the register with your child.
If you prefer to use the Scholastic e-wallet for payment, that is an option, as well. However, I am not familiar with the e-wallet process.
I recommend sending somewhere between $10 and $30. This will guarantee your child at least one book! $30 is a lot of money for young children, but it would probably allow your child to purchase three or four books. My daughter is in 1st Grade, and I usually send her with $30; however, I usually shop with her class since I'm already at school. Mrs. Korot will watch our class in my absence! It will be about 25 minutes.
If finances are a concern, please let me know privately. I will purchase your child two books, and you do not need to worry about paying me back. Early literature exposure is so important, and I am happy to provide your child with an opportunity to add to their home libraries. If students forget their cash at home- no worries! I will still purchase your child two books. No one from Club Hennessy will leave the Book Fair empty-handed!
The Book Fair does offer "toy-like" items. This includes pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, journals, posters, etc. If you prefer your child steers away from these items, please let me know! If I do not hear from you, I will assume the toy items are okay. However, I do have one rule at the Book Fair: students must purchase at least one book first, and if they have money leftover, they may purchase one toy. I like to stress to students that it is a BOOK Fair, not a Toy Fair.
If you are unable to join us at the Book Fair and have specific books, genres, or reading levels you prefer your child purchase, please don't hesitate to let me know! I or a Book Fair volunteer will help students with their selections.
Friday, 10/30 will be Sharon's annual Storytelling Festival! This is always such a fun event for students. We will have parent volunteers read books to our class, and students are welcome to dress up as their favorite storybook character! Please note that students are not permitted to bring toy weapons as part of their costume. I saw that some parents in our class volunteered to read; thank you! I like to keep this a surprise for students until the day of, but you are more than welcome to tell your child that you plan to read.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow - highlights not visible in Parent Square, only on our website):
October 26: Mrs. Hennessy's class visits the Fall Book Fair! (12pm - 12:25pm, RSVP here!)
October 29: Students' goal-setting sheets go home
October 30: Storytelling Festival (students may dress up as their favorite storybook character)
November 2 and 3: Teacher Workdays (no school)
November 6: Field trip to Hunter Farm!
November 6: Father Friday (Kindergarten will not be here; we will be on our field trip and will eat lunch at the farm)
November 13: Quarter 1 Report Cards will be visible in Infinite Campus
November 19: Kindergarten Half-Day Planning (7:45am - 11:45am; Mrs. Christine Fenn will be our substitute in the morning today. Mrs. Fenn is a well-known Sharon mom, PTA volunteer, and past PTA President; we are so lucky to have her!)
November 25: Teacher Workday (no school)
November 26 and 27: Thanksgiving Break
November 30: Students return to school from break!
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: We finished our Toys and Play unit and begin our Weather unit (my favorite!) this coming week, so we used this week as an opportunity to do a mini pumpkin study! We began the week with a fun pumpkin craft that will be displayed on our hallway bulletin board. Students continued to learn more about adjectives, and as students decorated their pumpkin, they were challenged to write three adjectives to describe it. We also read the books There Was an Old Lady Who Picked a Pumpkin and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and did some comprehension activities to follow. We also learned about the pumpkin life cycle and wrote our own pumpkin life cycle mini books to practice labeling the parts of a pumpkin. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
There Was an Old Lady Who Picked a Pumpkin (I do not have this book in our classroom library, so we listened to it online)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (I do not have this book in our classroom library, so we listened to it online)
Skills Block: This week, we learned letter-sound correspondence for the letters s and v. We practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper and sorting words that begin with these sounds. Our key picture for s is a snake, and our key picture for v is a vulture. We also continued to practice our humming strategy to identify how many syllables are in a word and followed up with a fun spiderweb syllable activity. Every time we hummed a syllable, we watched the spider spin one part of its web. Students also identified pairs of rhyming words and the ending sound and letters the words had in common. Students were also read riddles with clues to identify the rhyming word I was thinking of; this was a lot of fun! We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and reviewed all our Quarter 1 sight words.
Math: We continued to identify and make groups that were greater than, less than, and equal in number. We also continued matching numbers to quantities. We emphasized three main talking points: 1) all numbers have an amount, 2) when we have extra in our group, it means that group or number is greater or more in quantity, 3) when a number is closer to zero in the counting sequence, it means that group or number is fewer or less in quantity. Students had a blast drawing different groups on their whiteboards! We also practiced identifying one more and one less than a number. Students built cube towers from one to ten and then put their towers in order. We recognized that each cube tower increased by one snap cube each time, and that our towers resembled a staircase as a result! We also practiced subitizing to 5 and counted to a new decade number this week: 80! We choral counted to 80 using the hundreds chart on our number wall. Please see below the video we used to help us subitize:
Science: This week, students learned about their five senses and how scientists use models. Students learned about their senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch and how they help us investigate the world around us, and we learned various textures our skin helps us feel. A big talking point was how we don't use our hands to feel and touch; it's actually our skin that helps us feel different textures. We also learned how models are a helpful tool for representing and explaining our ideas. To emphasize this concept, we looked at different representations of ten, a model ship, a chart labeling parts of an apple, and a representation of the solar system. The Science curriculum used videos to help teach the five senses. Each video had the same characters, so it was a fun mini series to keep students engaged and interested in the content. Please see below for the videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Class Updates:
We had such a great week! I would like to begin by thanking families for more donations from our Amazon Wishlist! This week, our class received keychains for a fun treasure box prize, but I am not sure who sent them. Nonetheless, thank you! If you donated the keychains or the bandaids, first aid wipes, or pencils from last week, please let me know. I would love to send your family a thank you card! Mrs. Korot and I are floored with the influx of class donations. There has not been a single week since school began that our class has not received a donation, and we are so thankful!
I very much enjoyed meeting with so many families at the Curriculum Parent Event! I also noticed that some families opted to attend the virtual session. The virtual session was presented by Ms. LaFollette, Kindergarten Grade Chair. Thank you all for your continued support at home! For those that were unable to attend, I have linked the Slides used at our in-person session (presented by me) here for you to review. I have added the Slides to our "Educational Resources" page, as well. At the in-person session, I emphasized to families that nothing brings me greater joy than mentoring children. Being a teacher is a responsibility I don't take lightly, and I am eternally grateful to you all for entrusting me with your children throughout the day. I will always stress the importance of teaching academics, but my biggest priority is helping your children grow as a person and become the person they are meant to be. I wholeheartedly believe that every person is put on this Earth for a reason, and my reason for being here is to help kids thrive through all walks of life, and I so hope you all feel the love I pour into your children each day. They're my very best friends! I don't say this to be redundant; I say this because I feel it so deeply in my heart.
This week, Mrs. Phelan presented the first Eagles with Character awards. Every month, teachers are asked to select one student that does an exemplary job of demonstrating a particular character trait. October's character trait was responsibility, and Cora was our class's Eagle with Character! Cora was also our Secret Student this week, so it was a big week for her! Our class is most fortunate to have Cora in our class. Cora is wise beyond her young years and always does what's expected. Cora never looks for recognition or seeks a prize for her good deeds; rather, she does the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do. That is the hallmark of responsibility! Cora is kind-hearted by nature, follows our class rules and gently encourages others to do the same, thoroughly and beautifully completes all her work, and is the utmost reliable. Cora leads by example every day, and Mrs. Korot, your class, and I are so proud of you! Congratulations, Cora! The remaining character traits are as follows: November - honesty, December - caring, January - respect, February - citizenship, March - courage, April - perseverance, and May - integrity.
We also participated in trivia, and 14 students opted to give it a try. The question asked does ice float or sink in water, and all 14 students correctly answered float. To answer trivia, we watched this video, and our very own Evie was the lucky Kindergarten trivia winner! Congratulations, Evie!
Don't forget to check out some new pictures added to our class picture archive! You may view new and previously added pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional reminders:
If you haven't already, please sign up for a Fall Conference linked here (also available on our "Links" page for you to refer back to). Please note that Fall Conferences are mandatory. I met with three families this past week, and we had some very productive conversations!
Sharon will hold its annual Fall Family Festival from 2pm to 4pm tomorrow, Sunday, 10/18. I will be in attendance with my own children, ages 2 and 6, and we hope to see you all there!
Our class will visit the Fall Book Fair on Monday, 10/26 from 12pm to 12:25pm. If your schedule permits, I welcome and encourage all families to join us for the Fall Book Fair! Please note that you must be registered as a volunteer to attend. To RSVP for the Fall Book Fair, please use the Sign-Up Genius linked here (also available on our "Links" page) so I know to expect you. Teachers will receive more information about the Fall Book Fair this upcoming week, and I will send a separate Parent Square message with all the specifics. If finances are a concern, please reach out to me privately. I will personally buy your child two books! If students forget their money at home- no worries! I will buy them two books, as well. No student in Club Hennessy will leave the Book Fair empty-handed.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
October 18: Sharon's Fall Family Festival! (2pm - 4pm)
October 26: Mrs. Hennessy's class visits the Fall Book Fair! (12pm - 12:25pm, RSVP here!)
October 29: Students' goal-setting sheets go home
October 30: Storytelling Festival (students may dress up as their favorite storybook character)
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: We finished up with Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon and wrote about what Gertie learned from Molly Lou. Students wrote that Gertie learned to use her imagination and then drew a picture of one example from the text that showed Gertie using her imagination. Students also practiced interviewing a friend about their toy preferences and wrote what their friend preferred. In case there was some confusion when looking at the work in students' blue folders, students brought their partner's interview home! This was intentional so students could describe to family members who their partner was and what their partner asked them. We also read some of my favorite October-themed books to strengthen our comprehension skills! We read Spookley the Square Pumpkin and brainstormed some words adjectives to describe Spookley, we read Little Blue Truck's Halloween and wrote about our favorite part in our writing notebooks, and we read Pumpkin Jack and wrote about how the pumpkin changed throughout the seasons. Through these three activities, students learned that an adjective is a word used to describe something, practiced opinion writing, and learned the importance of sequencing events from beginning to end. Please see below the links to our read alouds:
Skills Block: This week, we learned letter-sound correspondence for the letters m and r. We practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper and sorting words that begin with these sounds. Our key picture for m is a mountain, and our key picture for r is a rabbit. We also continued to practice our humming strategy to identify how many syllables are in a word and followed up with a fun pumpkin syllable activity. Students also identified pairs of rhyming words. Students were challenged to listen for what part of the rhyming words was the same, as well as brainstorm more rhyming words in the same word family. We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and learned our remaining Quarter 1 sight words: as and said. Hooray for learning all 20 sight words from Quarter 1! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
The Syllable Song (this is probably our class's favorite warmup to date!)
Math: We continued to identify and make groups that were greater than, less than, and equal in number. Our classmate, Hillie, suggested we read the book Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins, so that's what we did! This was a great book to get students thinking about how and why the group of pumpkins became fewer and fewer in number. Thank you, Hillie! We also practiced matching numbers to quantities. Students learned that all numbers have an amount, and we emphasized this concept through two different activities. The first was counting groups of objects and drawing lines to match it to the correct number. We also used our imagination to make our own pizzas! We discussed different toppings people put on pizza, and we drew a select number of toppings after writing the corresponding number on the side. Students had a lot of fun with this! We also practiced subitizing to 5 and counted to a new decade number this week: 70! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Social Studies/Science: We finished our Social Studies unit on geography and made the switch to Science! In Social Studies, students learned about the continents and oceans on the globe and made a tear-art craft of the Earth. Students also made their own mini geography books to complete the unit. Students also learned what Science is and what scientists do. Students learned that Science is centered on learning about the world around us. Students also learned that scientists wonder, predict, investigate, observe, use their senses, count and compare, think, make models, use evidence, and share their knowledge with others. Students also had the opportunity to act as a scientist! Students wondered about pumpkins, so we used our sense of sight and hearing to investigate. We learned some really cool pumpkin facts, and students wrote one fact that they learned. Since scientists share their knowledge with others, we are going to display our pumpkin facts on our hallway bulletin board for all to see and learn more! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Class Updates:
We had an action-packed week this week! As always, I would like to start by recognizing our incredible families. I received bandaids, first aid wipes, and pencils from our Amazon Wishlist, but I am not sure who they are from. If you purchased any of these items, please let me know! I'd love to thank you properly. Also, thank you to my mom for donating our class paint from our Amazon Wishlist! We began our week by taking Fall Pictures for the yearbook. The opportunity presented itself to take pictures earlier in the day, so that's what we did! We had our pictures taken at 9:30am and were done before lunch and recess. Hooray! Fall Pictures will be available to purchase online, and when I receive the link, I will let you all know. We also celebrated Henry's birthday on Monday! Happy birthday to Henry, and thank you to Henry's family for bringing in cupcakes for the class! They were a hit! Students with allergies were provided with an allergy-safe birthday treat.
We also filled our class star jar for the second time! Half our class voted for a Stuffy Day, and the other half voted for a movie party. We combined the two prizes and had a lot of fun during our stuffy/movie party on Fun Friday! We watched Spookley the Square Pumpkin, which is a movie based on one of my favorite October-themed books. Students also got to choose a snack from our "movie theater concession stand." Students could choose between chips or popcorn, and all students were able to choose one piece of candy, as well. It was a great way to end our week!
We participated in trivia again this week, and 14 students opted to give trivia a try! The question asked what is the process called when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and the correct answer was metamorphosis. To answer the trivia question, we watched this video, and our very own Hunter was the lucky Kindergarten trivia winner this week! Congratulations, Hunter! We were all so happy for our friend. Our Secret Student this week was Shane. Shane's favorite sport is basketball, his favorite subject is Math, he's really good at riding a horse, jokes make him laugh, and his dream is to be a doctor. My favorite subject growing up was Math, as well, so it was fun to learn that he and I have something in common!
Don't forget to check out some new pictures added to our class picture archive! You may view new and previously added pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional reminders:
Thank you to EVERYONE for signing and returning their Technology forms prior to Friday. You guys are the best!
If you haven't already, please sign up for a Fall Conference linked here (also available on our "Links" page for you to refer back to). Please note that Fall Conferences are mandatory. My hope is to have all conferences completed before Thanksgiving break.
Thank you to Mrs. Morris (Hillie's mom), Mrs. Roberts (Penn's mom), Mr. Boshart (Henry's dad), and Mrs. Allison (Lincoln's mom) for volunteering to be our four chaperones for our upcoming field trip to Hunter Farm! Mrs. Cummings (Eiress's mom) and either RJ's mom or grandma will join us, as well, and we thank you all for volunteering your time! If you haven't already, please sign and return the permission slip, as well as pay for the trip, as soon as possible. The PTA distributed our class shirts, and I will keep them in our classroom until the day of our field trip. Students will change into their class shirt when they arrive to school that morning. Students will wear their shirts home, and you will be able to keep them at home for future field trips and Spirit Days. Our class color is neon green!
Wednesday, 10/14 will be an Early Release Day. Dismissal will begin at 12:05pm, and we will eat in the classroom today. I highly recommend packing your child a lunch from home on days we eat lunch in the classroom. When classes eat in the classroom, the cafeteria provides a pre-selected bagged lunch, and unlike when students go through the lunch line and can pick their entrees and sides, students are not afforded that option on bagged lunch days. Bagged lunches always consist of a sandwich and fruit, and I have noticed in years' past, they are not the most popular option with Kindergarteners. I do not want students to risk not eating and being hungry if they do not like what the cafeteria prepares. We will also dismiss before snack time, so there is no need to pack your child a snack today- only a lunch.
Wednesday, 10/14 will also be Sharon's In-Person Curriculum Parent Event. The first session will be held from 4pm to 4:30pm, and the second session will be held from 4:30pm to 5pm. The same information will be presented at both sessions, so you do not need to attend both. You may pick the time that works best with your schedule.
Sharon will hold its annual Fall Family Festival from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, 10/18. I will be in attendance with my own children, ages 2 and 6, and we hope to see you all there!
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
October 14: Early Release Day (dismissal begins at 12:05pm)
October 14: In-Person Curriculum Parent Event (Session 1: 4pm - 4:30pm, Session 2: 4:30pm - 5pm)
October 15: Mandatory Fall Conferences begin (Sign-Up Genius linked here)
October 18: Sharon's Fall Family Festival! (2pm - 4pm)
October 26: Mrs. Hennessy's class visits the Fall Book Fair! (12pm - 12:25pm)
October 29: Students' goal-setting sheets go home
October 30: Storytelling Festival (students may dress up as their favorite storybook character)
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: This week, we read the book Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon. The book explores how the characters, Molly Lou and Gertie, prefer to play with different types of toys. Gertie prefers to play with newer, store-bought toys. Molly Lou prefers to use her imagination to create new toys out of recycled materials. Throughout the book, students are inspired to use their imagination, and students had the opportunity to draw a new toy they'd like to create themselves. We also read the book Comparing Past and Present: Playing with Friends and compared toys from long ago to now. Students then shared if they preferred to play with a toy from the past or present and provided reasons as to why. We had some very productive conversations!
Skills Block: This week, we learned letter-sound correspondence for the letters c and n and practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper. Our key picture for c is a cat, and our key picture for n is a newt. Students also practiced something new this week- word sorting! Students sorted pictures that began with c and n. We also continued to practice our humming strategy to identify how many syllables are in a word, as well as identify words that rhyme. This week, students were challenged to listen for what part of the rhyming words was the same. For example, the words play and day have the sound /ay/ in common, and the words not and hot have the sound /ot/ in common. Previously, students only listened to hear if words sounded the same. We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and learned three new sight words: if, do, and at. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: We continued to explore numbers in terms of more, fewer, and same. We used our "less, same, more" mats as a helpful visual, as well as compared snap cube towers. We learned we could visually identify groups that had more and less without counting; the taller cube tower had more, and the shorter cube tower had less. Students were prompted to use the phrase, "There are more _____ and fewer _____ . I know this because _____ ." I was very impressed with how well students tapped into their critical thinking skills! When comparing groups of objects, we learned that sometimes it's not always easy to visualize which group has more and which has less. We practiced matching objects, and the object(s) that had no other object to match with meant we had extra. When we have extra of something, we have more of something. We also practicing arranging the same number of objects in different ways. This helped us understand that the arrangement does not matter; the quantity will only change if you put more objects into your group or take some out. We also practiced subitizing to 5 and counted to a new decade number this week: 60! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Social Studies: We continued learning more about maps and compared digital maps to paper maps. We learned that digital maps can be used from a computer, iPad, or phone and that they make traveling easier when you're "on the go." As a fun follow-up, we searched for and found Sharon Elementary on Google Maps! Students thought it was so fun to see their school on the "TV." We also talked about how we read paper maps from a "bird's eye view," which means it looks like we're looking down at something from up above. Students also learned about the city, state, and country they live in and practiced finding them all on a map. On the map, we also used the map key and symbols to learn about the terrain and geography in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the United States.
Class Updates:
Happy October! It's so hard to believe we already have one month of Kindergarten in the books, and I am so proud of the growth I have seen in your children thus far. There has been so much growth in such a short amount of time, and I am most impressed! Of course, this wouldn't be possible without all the outside support from our incredible families. Whether it be supporting student learning at home through reading (don't forget to log your books to become a member of Mrs. Hennessy's 100 Book Club!), completing optional practice assignments, supporting the PTA (I've seen a few of our parents around the school helping out!), supporting individual students' needs, and the generous donations from our Amazon Wishlist and the sprinkling of gifts for Mrs. Korot and myself- we are SO grateful, and please know your support does not go unnoticed. I would like to thank Henry and his family for donating bouncy balls from our Amazon Wishlist (such a fun treasure box prize!) and for the Fall Fuel class gift! I'm a big snacker, and those extra calories definitely help to keep me going throughout the day. Not to mention, Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday (it might even be my favorite day in the calendar year- ever since I was a little girl!), and the Halloween-themed basket made my heart smile so big. Thank you thank you thank you!
Before I get into all the exciting things that have happened in our class this week, I would first like to recognize RJ! RJ is our new classmate, and we have had a great time getting to know him. Students have been so kind and so helpful in welcoming RJ to Club Hennessy, and it's been so great to see all our students make friends so quickly. Mrs. Korot and I would like to give a shoutout to RJ for being so brave in joining our class later in the year and for adjusting so well, as well as a shoutout to the rest of our class for being the greatest support system. I love being a teacher, and I love your children more than you know. They are simply the best of the best!
This week, Club Hennessy participated in something new! Every Wednesday on the morning announcements, the student broadcasters ask a series of trivia questions. Mrs. Hennessy absolutely LOVES trivia day (I get super into it!), and we decided as a class that, after a full month of school, we were ready to add to our responsibilities. Every Wednesday after recess, we will watch an educational video to teach us information about the trivia question. In the video, students will need to listen for the answer, and if they would like to participate in trivia, they will tell me their answer to the question when the video is over. If students answer correctly, I will put their name in the trivia box. This week, 13 of our 16 students opted to participate in trivia, and all 13 students answered trivia correctly! Amazing job! The trivia question was which animal is known for having a long neck and eating leaves from the tops of tall trees, and the correct answer was giraffe. Check out the video we watched for trivia linked here! Every Thursday, the student broadcasters randomly pick a trivia winner from each grade level. The trivia winner from Kindergarten was a student in Mrs. Ferguson's class, and we were so happy for our friend next door! I have revamped our "Educational Resources" page to include all the trivia videos Club Hennessy uses. Be sure to check it out!
Our new Secret Student this week was Charlotte! Charlotte's brother makes her laugh, she is really good at coloring, her favorite subject is Music, her favorite sport is basketball, and her dream is to be a doctor. Charlotte's brother is in Ms. Race's Kindergarten class, and I know him well, so I can confirm he is quite funny! Mr. Young (Sharon's Music teacher) will also be thrilled to know how much Charlotte enjoys his class. We wonder who our next Secret Student will be! In some more exciting news, every Friday on the morning announcements, Mrs. Phelan spins the Wheel of Fortune (Club Hennessy refers to this as the Wheel of Excitement), and whichever staff member it lands on wins a prize. We were so excited to see that Mrs. Korot won the Wheel of Excitement on Friday, and our class cheered so loud!
Don't forget to check out some new pictures added to our class picture archive! You may view new and previously added pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional and very important reminders:
Fall Picture Day will be Monday, 10/5! Our class's scheduled time is at 12:50pm. Fall Pictures will be used for the yearbook, so make sure your child comes dressed and ready for the day! Please note that our class will be taking pictures after lunch and recess, so I recommend packing your child an easy cleanup lunch. In an intentional effort to keep students looking pristine for their pictures, we will do indoor recess today so students do not get hot, sweaty, or dirty. If you would like to pack your child a hairbrush/accessories, I am happy to help touch them up before we go! I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son, so I know how much parents treasure these photos. I can confidently say I am a professional at tidying up and fixing any hairstyle for both boys and girls!
On Wednesday, I sent home students' DIBELS and iReady benchmark score reports. We will discuss the score reports more in depth at Fall Conferences. Please note that Fall Conferences are mandatory. To sign up for a Fall Conference, please use the Sign-Up Genius linked here. I have added the Fall Conference Sign-Up Genius to our "Links" page for you to refer back to. For students whose parents do not live together, please reach out to me privately if you would like to attend a conference separately. It is preferred that parents attend together; however, I recognize family dynamics look different for everyone, and if you feel more comfortable meeting at different times, I am happy to accommodate this.
Last week, I also sent home a permission slip for our upcoming field trip to Hunter Farm. We are eagerly anticipating our first field trip! Please sign and return the permission slip, as well as pay for the trip, as soon as possible. The field trip will be on Friday, 11/6, and the plan is to leave Sharon around 9:50am and return to school around 1:15pm. If you are interested in being a chaperone, please fill out the chaperone form linked here. If you do not fill out this form, you will not be able to chaperone the trip. Spots are very limited (I have room for definitely 3 and maybe 4 parents), and chaperone slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. If you are not one of the first 3 or 4 parents to fill out the form, I will write your name down to be considered first for our next field trips. Please note that all students and all chaperones are required to ride the bus to and from the field trip. Chaperones are not permitted to take their own vehicles or drive their own children. Secondly, please note that only approved chaperones will be permitted to join us; this means that younger siblings or other family members are not permitted to come. Third, all chaperones must be a cleared volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. To register as a volunteer, please click here.
On Monday, 10/5, I will send home the CMS Technology Agreement form. Some of you have filled this out online, but to be safe, I am going to send the form home to all families. This form must be signed and returned to school as soon as possible and no later than Friday, 10/9. If the Technology Agreement form is not filled out, Mr. Jennings (Technology teacher and coordinator) will be required to collect your child's assigned device, and they will not be permitted to use it. It's very important that students have access to iPad use at school for iReady lessons, benchmark assessments, and Technology class.
On 10/1, I sent home a letter-naming fluency practice sheet. This is exactly how DIBELS is structured for this subtest! Students are presented with a randomized list of uppercase and lowercase letters and are asked to name as many letters as they can in one minute. This is not required to do at home, but it is a very helpful resource to build students' fluency and prepare them for benchmark testing. I only ever want the best for your children, and although not required, I highly recommend practicing this sheet from time-to-time. Every month, I will send a new fluency practice sheet home!
If you haven't already and would like to receive room-parent communications, please reach out to me or our rockstar room parents: Mrs. Boshart or Mrs. Allison. Room-parent communication is very important, and I encourage all families to opt in!
If you haven't already and are interested in your child and family being included in Sharon's student directory, please fill out the form linked here.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
October 5: Fall Picture Day! (12:50pm)
October 5: Today is the first day Kindergarten welcomes parents to join their children to eat lunch! (Kindergarten eats lunch from 10:45am - 11:10am)
October 9: Technology Agreement forms due back to school
October 9: Father Friday! (10:45am - 11:10am)
October 14: Early Release Day
October 14: In-Person Curriculum Parent Event (Session 1: 4pm - 4:30pm, Session 2, 4:30pm - 5pm)
October 15: Mandatory Fall Conferences begin (Sign-Up Genius coming soon!)
October 18: Sharon's Fall Family Festival! (2pm - 4pm)
October 26: Mrs. Hennessy's class visits the Fall Book Fair! (12pm - 12:25pm)
October 29: Math and Reading iReady score reports go home
October 30: Storytelling Festival
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: This week, we took a break from toys and play and did a mini apple study! On Monday, students took their iReady reading assessment, and we spent the rest of the week doing some fun apple activities. Johnny Appleseed Day was on 9/26, so we read Johnny Appleseed and then did a followup activity to practice labeling. We learned that labels can help tell more information about a picture. We also read the book Curious George Apple Harvest and practiced sequencing events from the beginning, middle and end. Lastly, we learned about the apple life cycle, and students wrote their own apple life cycle books to show what they learned! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Skills Block: This week, we learned letter-sound correspondence for the letters h and p and practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper. Our key picture for h is a house, and our key picture for p is a parrot. We emphasized that the sounds for h and p do not have the extra "uh" sound at the end; these sounds do not use our voice, they only use a breath of air. We continued to practice our humming strategy to identify how many syllables are in a word and practiced identifying words that rhyme. We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and learned three new sight words: in, on, and my. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: This week, students began to explore numbers in terms of more and fewer. We learned that more is synonymous with greater than and fewer is synonymous with less than. More also means a group of objects is bigger in number, and fewer means a group of objects is smaller in number. To emphasize this concept, we practiced building snap cube towers, and whichever tower was bigger had more, and the tower that was smaller had less. We also discussed how if a number is closer to zero in the counting sequence, that also means the number is smaller. We emphasized that a group of objects that is bigger in size (i.e. basketballs compared to golf balls) does not necessarily mean there are more; a group of objects can only have more if it is bigger in quantity, and we agreed that counting is a good way to double check ourselves. We also continued to practice counting to the decade number 50. Please see below the video we used to help us count:
Social Studies: We continued our geography unit and learned about map symbols, positional words, and map keys. Students learned that map symbols are pictures that represent something and help us find our way on a map and that map keys tell us what these symbols mean. Students also learned that positional words describe an object's location. Please see below the video we used to learn about positional words:
Class Updates:
Another week of learning has equated to another week of more generous donations from our Amazon Wishlist! I can't begin to express how grateful Mrs. Korot (our class Teaching Assistant!) and I are for your continued support and your contributions to help our class succeed. We are the luckiest and so appreciative! I would like to take the time to recognize Marley and Hillie from last week- Marley donated the baby wipes, and Hillie donated the Elephant and Piggie book set. Thank you thank you thank you! Also, I would like to recognize Cora and her family for generously gifting our class bandaids and keychains! You can never have too many bandaids in Kindergarten, and it's going to be so fun for students to be able to customize their backpacks when they earn a treasure box prize.
We accomplished so much and had a bunch of fun this week! We began Secret Student on Tuesday, and our first Secret Student was Eiress! Some fun facts about Eiress: her dad makes her laugh, she is really good at reading, her favorite subject is math, her favorite sport is any outdoor activity, and her dream is to be the best person she can be. Wow! What an incredible dream! We had a great time learning more about our friend, and we are excited to see who next week's Secret Student will be!
On Tuesday, our class visited with Gus the Bus. We began by attending a bus safety presentation with Mrs. Ferguson's Kindergarten class, and we had a visit with Gus later in the afternoon. Students had a blast visiting with a talking school bus! All students completed their beginning-of-year iReady math assessment, as well. The iReady benchmark assessments take about 30 minutes on average for students to complete, and I am very proud of their perseverance, tenacity, and patience to sit through a new testing format of a longer duration. They did a great job! We also began small-group reading lessons during Skills Block time, and now that iReady math is completed, I have ability-grouped students for math, and we will begin small-group math lessons next week. We also had a lot of fun during Fun Friday! We enjoyed some of our favorite free time activities, and all students got to choose a "fun pencil" as a fun little surprise.
Don't forget to check out some new pictures added to our class picture archive! You may view new and previously added pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional reminders:
Thank you to Mrs. Boshart (Henry's mom) and Mrs. Allison (Lincoln's mom) for being our room parents this year! We are so lucky, excited, and grateful to have you both supporting our class this year! If you haven't already and would like to receive room parent communications, please reach out to me, Mrs. Boshart, or Mrs. Allison. The Google form to opt-in to room parent communications is closed, but we would love to connect all parents if we're able!
Many students in our class have not registered to be included in Sharon's student directory. This is not required to be included in! However, if you would like your child to be included in Sharon's directory, please fill out the form linked here.
If you haven't already, please register as a volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. You cannot participate in class/school activities without being registered as a volunteer. You can register as a volunteer by clicking here.
Students will take their beginning-of-year iReady reading assessment on Monday, 9/28 at 8:30am. Please make sure your child receives a good night's sleep, eats a well-balanced breakfast, and arrives to school on time.
Friday, 10/2 is a Teacher Workday. Students will not have school today.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
September 28: Beginning-of-Year iReady Reading Assessment
September 29: Quarter 1 Progress Reports and DIBELS score reports go home
October 2: Teacher Workday (no school)
October 5: Today is the first day Kindergarten welcomes parents to join their children to eat lunch! (Kindergarten eats lunch from 10:45am - 11:10am)
October 9: Father Friday! (10:45am - 11:10am)
October 14: Early Release Day
October 14: In-Person Curriculum Parent Event (Session 1: 4pm - 4:30pm, Session 2, 4:30pm - 5pm)
October 15: Mandatory Fall Conferences begin (Sign-Up Genius coming soon!)
October 18: Sharon's Fall Family Festival! (2pm - 4pm)
October 26: Mrs. Hennessy's class visits the Fall Book Fair! (12pm - 12:25pm)
October 29: Math and Reading iReady score reports go home
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: This week, we read the book Toys Galore and learned some new vocabulary words that taught us how we can play with and describe different toys. We also continued to learn about and discuss preferences, and students wrote, drew, and described their favorite classroom toys. Through this activity, we learned that different people prefer different things, and that is okay! Most students in our class prefer to play with blocks the most, some students prefer to play with paint and puppets, and no students chose playdough as their top preference.
Skills Block: This week, we began our deep dive into specific letters. We learned letter-sound correspondence for the letters t and a and practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper. We also learned some key pictures to help us remember the sounds these letter makes. We talked about how keys help unlock things, and a key picture helps to unlock a letter's sound (the picture begins with the letter sound). Our key picture for t is a tern (a type of bird!), and our key picture for a is an alligator. We also learned about syllables and did some work with rhyming words. We learned that a syllable is three things: 1) a part of a word, 2) a beat that can be heard, and 3) they always have a vowel. We also learned a new strategy to count syllables! To count syllables in a word, it is helpful to hum the word out loud. However many times you hum is how many syllables there are in the word! For rhyming words, we practiced listening for pairs of words that sound the same at the end and brainstormed more words from the same word family that rhymed. We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and learned three new sight words: up, we, and it. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: Students continued to practice one-to-one correspondence and emphasizing the importance of counting one object only one time. This helps us to be accurate mathematicians! This week, we had some fun with it. In one activity, students wrote their own apple counting books! Students got to be their own author and illustrator, and our books helped us practice correct number formation and count using a tens frame. We also listened to the Dr. Seuss book Ten Apples Up On Top! and did a craft to match! We also practiced counting to the decade number 50. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Social Studies: We finished our unit on rules and laws, and we began a new unit about geography! Students learned what a map is and that they help people travel to different places. Students also learned about a globe and how it differs from a map. A globe is an accurate representation of the entire Earth, whereas a map is flat, so some places might become distorted. Students also did a directed drawing activity to learn how to draw a globe! Please see below the directed drawing video if students would like to do it again:
Class Updates:
First of all, wow! The donations from our Amazon Wishlist have been pouring in like crazy, and we are so grateful. I have received baby wipes (students use these to clean their tables at the end of the day) and an Elephant and Piggie book set (my favorite book series for early readers!). These were very pricey items, and we are so appreciative! The items did not have names attached, so if you donated these items, please let me know! I would love to thank you properly and give your family and child the recognition they deserve.
This week, we continued to practice our safety drills. Students learned the importance of bus safety and practiced exiting the rear of a school bus safely. We also practiced a school-wide fire drill. Students did a great job with both! I am also continually impressed with the amount of students completing and returning their optional homework assignments! I was also super excited to see how many students have been reading at home! Reading logs can work one of two ways: 1) leave the reading log in the "return to school" section of your child's blue folder (this is preferred!), or 2) keep the reading log at home and return to school when both the front and back are filled out. If the reading log is left in students' blue folders, I will put a smiley face sticker next to each book read to indicate I have reviewed the log. The same applies to student work- if student work has a sticker on top, it means that they have completed that work with either me or Mrs. Korot and I have checked it. If students bring work home that does not have a sticker, it is something they completed in Specials.
This week, I sent students' iReady login cards home. The six-digit code on the card will log students into Mrs. Hennessy's class. The three pictures are students' specific passwords which will allow them to access the lessons I have personally assigned to them. Students are not required to complete iReady lessons at home, but I do like to provide families the option to support student learning at home. If you need another iReady card, please let me know, and I'd be happy to send one home. I am very excited to report that all students completed their blue iReady lessons this week, and all students earned Fun Friday! Students enjoyed free time at the end of the day and received a lollipop as a fun little treat. We also read the book KINDergarten (donated by our classmate Samuel!) and discussed different ways we can be kind in Kindergarten.
I have also begun adding pictures to our class picture archive! You may view the pictures by clicking here or by clicking the "Class Pictures" tab in the top-right corner of our class website.
Please see below for some additional reminders:
If you haven't already, please register as a volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. You cannot participate in class/school activities without being registered as a volunteer. You can register as a volunteer by clicking here.
Monday, 9/21 is a Teacher Workday. Students will not have school today.
Gus the Bus will visit Sharon on Tuesday, 9/22. This is always such a fun activity for students! Gus the Bus is an interactive experience to teach students the importance of bus safety. This will be a great follow-up to the Bus Evacuation drill students partook in this past week.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
September 21: Teacher Workday (no school)
September 22: Gus the Bus visits Sharon!
September 24 and 25: Beginning-of-Year iReady Math Assessment
September 28 and 29: Beginning-of-Year iReady Reading Assessment
September 29: Quarter 1 Progress Reports go home
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: We continued to build on what we learned from last week and learned more about attributes. Last week, students learned that an attribute is an identifying trait and can be used to describe different things. For example, Mrs. Hennessy has green eyes. One attribute Mrs. Hennessy has, and one way we can describe her, is that she has green eyes. The attributes students learned about this week are shape and texture. Students then practiced sorting toys in accordance with their attributes. We also read the book Toys Galore and learned some key vocabulary words that helped us understand how we can play with different toys. To end the week, students learned about preferences. Students learned that when you prefer something, it means that you like one thing more than another. However, people are allowed to like different things! Having a conflicting preference with someone else does not mean the other person is wrong. To reinforce this concept, we played a game of "Would You Prefer" (similar to Four Corners), and students then provided reasons for why they prefer one thing over another.
Skills Block: This week, we addressed common misconceptions between letters that look and/or sound similar. Students learned to differentiate between b and d, b and p, p and q, m and n, and f and v. We also practiced proper letter formation for these letters on our house paper. The top line is the roof, the dashed line is the ceiling, the solid line below the dashed line is the floor, and the line at the very bottom is the basement. Students learned that all uppercase letters stay between the roof and floor, and most lowercase letters stay between the ceiling and floor. However, some lowercase letters are tall, and some have tails. For example, b, d, and f are tall, so they touch the roof. In contrast, p and q have tails, so they go in the basement. We practiced color-coding our houses with red and green. Red means stop, and green means go. If a line is colored red, it means the letter does not go there. If a line is colored green, it means the letter does go there. We also continued to practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook and learned three new sight words: to, is, and he. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: This week, students practiced one-to-one correspondence. When counting, it's important to count one object only one time to be accurate. To reinforce this concept, students practiced counting small groups of objects using two different strategies: 1) placing one object in a cup as it was counted, and 2) a counting mat where students could move one object to a different box as it was counted. Students also practiced subitizing. When we subitize, we are identifying an amount automatically without counting. This is because our brains are like super computers that can recognize small groups of objects! We are able to recognize certain patterns quickly and without counting because we encounter these patterns in real life (i.e. on dice/dominoes) and our brains memorize them over time. We learned that subitizing helps us to be quick and efficient mathematicians, it helps us play games better, and it will help us when we start adding. We also practiced counting to the decade number 40! Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Social Studies: We continued to learn about the importance of having and following rules. We read the books Clark the Shark to reinforce rules at school and The Tale of Peter Rabbit to reinforce rules at home. Students also learned how to be an active citizen in their community to do their part to help keep the community safe and clean. We also discussed some rewards and consequences of following rules. Please see below for the books we read:
Class Updates:
Happy Saturday! First, I'd like to thank you all for the class birthday gift, the individual birthday gifts, and the continued donations from our Amazon Wishlist! A special thank you to Lincoln and Shane (students in our class) for donating books, snacks, and treasure box prizes; we appreciate you! I also received some birthday pencils, cleaning supplies, and breakfast snack items from our wishlist, but I am not sure who they are from. Please let me know if you sent these items; I would love to thank you properly! I feel so lucky to be part of such a thoughtful and supportive class family.
We had a blast during Fun Friday yesterday, and I loved seeing everyone's pajamas! Our class actually had 8 votes for a pajama party and 7 votes for a fun treat during snack; we were split evenly down the middle, so to be fair, we combined both prizes for double the fun! Students also enjoyed some m&m cookies during snack time (students with allergies were provided with Jonny Pops rainbow fruit pops).
This week, students learned how to use iReady on their iPads. iReady is a differentiated learning application to help students develop reading and math skills. Every week, I assign students two reading lessons and two math lessons (students know these as their "blue lessons" because they appear in a blue box) that coincide with their ability level and what they are practicing in small groups. I explained to students that, moving forward, there is a caveat to Fun Friday. I like to emphasize the importance hard work and accountability, and students will have to earn Fun Friday. To earn Fun Friday, students must complete all four of their blue lessons on iReady. If students do not meet their iReady goals, they will not be able to participate in Fun Friday and will be required to finish their classwork instead. I provide ample time throughout the week for students to work on iReady in class, and in years past, most students have been able to meet their iReady goals by Wednesday.
Some students like to practice iReady at home, as well. Students are not required to complete iReady lessons at home, but it is a great way for them to be an active participant in their own learning. On Monday, 9/14, I will send home all students' iReady login cards in their blue folders if they would like additional practice. I like to steer away from iPad-use and screentime as much as possible, so once students complete their blue lessons, iPads are not to be used unless we are in Technology class. The only other time iPads are used is during benchmark testing to keep noise levels at a minimum. If students have completed their iReady lessons, the only app they are allowed to go on is Starfall, which has a bunch of educational games, songs, activities, and books. All students' DIBELS benchmark assessments were completed on Thursday and Friday of last week, so please let your children know we will not be using iPads as much moving forward (students were super excited about iPads, so they may be a little bummed). DIBELS assesses students' early literacy skills, and score reports will be sent home with Q1 Progress Reports or Report Cards and will be discussed during Fall Conferences.
Thank you to everyone that returned the Star Student posters, green Emergency Dismissal form, the blue health card, and the photo release form. If you have not returned any of the aforementioned, please return to school as soon as possible. I was also super excited to see so many students return their practice assignments! Silly Mrs. Hennessy forgot to send home students' reading logs last week, so I will do that on Monday 9/14. Apologies!
Please see below for some additional reminders:
If you haven't already, please opt-in to Room Parent communications throughout the year by clicking here. This is very important!
If you haven't already, please register as a volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. You cannot participate in class/school activities without being registered as a volunteer. You can register as a volunteer by clicking here.
September 15th is International Dot Day! Students are encouraged to wear dots to school on Tuesday, 9/15. Students will also have their Bus Evacuation safety drill at 9:45am today.
Important Dates (upcoming dates for this week highlighted in yellow):
September 13: Mrs. Hennessy's birthday!
September 15: International Dot Day! (wear dots to school!)
September 15: Bus Evacuation Practice (9:45am)
September 21: Teacher Workday (no school)
September 22: Gus the Bus visits Sharon!
September 24: iReady beginning-of-year benchmark testing window opens
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: Students identified four different ways to play nicely together: 1) include others, 2) take care of materials, 3) share, and 4) use kind words. Students also made play commitments, and each student committed to doing one of these four things during playtime. Students learned that a commitment is a type of promise they make and drew their play commitments in their writing notebooks. Students also began learning about toy attributes and how to describe toys based on their attributes. This week, students learned about color and size attributes and played a few rounds of "I Spy" to practice describing toys using only those two attributes.
Skills Block: This week, students learned about short vowel sounds and reviewed all the letters of the alphabet. Students also completed various independent activities, including their iReady lessons, while DIBELS benchmark testing was being administered. We also began a new daily warmup! Every morning we will practice phonological and phonemic awareness skills using the Heggerty Bluebook. These skills will help students manipulate the different sound parts in words when learning to read and spell. We also learned three sight words this week: go, an, and the. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: This week, students practiced counting and recognizing small groups of objects. We also discussed how the way objects are arranged does not affect the amount. The only way to change the amount is if you put more in the group or take some out of the group. The pattern of the objects doesn't matter! We also practiced counting to the decade number 30. Please see below for the video we used to help us count:
Social Studies: This week, students learned the difference between a rule and the law. Rules can look different across different groups (i.e. families, classrooms), but laws are a set of rules that everyone must follow. Like rules, we learned that our community has laws so we can stay safe. Students also learned about Labor Day and completed a follow-up activity where they wrote about what they want to be when they grow up! Please see below the video we watched for Labor Day:
Class Updates:
We had a great first full week together! We learned a lot about our classroom, each other, and had a lot of fun. We also celebrated Penn's birthday on Tuesday! Happy birthday to Penn! Thank you to Penn's parents for sending in a birthday treat (students with allergies were provided with allergy-safe treats). Additionally, thank you to Penn and Hudson (students in our class) for contributing snacks, gifts, and treasure box prizes to our class from our Amazon Wishlist. We appreciate you so much!
Our big emphasis this week was following our classroom rules and being a kind friend. We have shown exceptional classroom behavior, and we almost filled our entire star jar this week! Students have also been working very hard to earn their prize punches and Quiet Critters. To continue learning about each other, we will be starting Secret Student on Monday, 9/14. On Friday, 9/4, I sent home a Star Student poster. I encourage you and your children to work on this poster together! We will use the information on these posters as clues to guess our Secret Student, and when it's your child's turn to be Secret Student, I will hang their poster in our classroom. Please return the Star Student posters by Friday, 9/11. Please see below for some additional reminders:
If you have not already done so, please fill out and return the green Emergency Dismissal form and the blue health card as soon as possible. These forms were sent home at Open House in your child's clasped yellow folder. If you need an additional copies, please let me know.
On Friday, 9/4, I sent home a photo release form. I love to take pictures of our class and send to parents, but I cannot do this without your permission. Please note that any pictures I take of your child will only be seen by our class. Our class website is only made public to my students' families for privacy concerns. Secondly, I hold an annual end-of-year celebration at the end of Kindergarten. Sharon does not hold a formal Kindergarten graduation, so I use this as an opportunity for students to "graduate" and move up to 1st Grade. I always feature a slideshow of students from throughout the year, and I would love for your child to be included! Our end-of-year celebration is only open for families of students in our class to attend. Please fill out and return the photo release form as soon as possible. I hope you will grant me permission! As a mom myself, I understand the want and need to protect our children, and you have my word that your child's photo will not be publicly published. All photos remain confidential and only for our class's eyes to see!
On Tuesday, 9/8, students will receive their first practice assignment. These worksheets are not required to complete and return; they are completely optional. However, if students complete and return the worksheet, they will earn a treasure box prize! I will begin by sending one worksheet home per week, but the goal is to build students' stamina to complete three per week! On Tuesday, 9/8, all students will receive their reading log to track the books they read at home, as well. Likewise, when students fill out the front and back of their reading log, they will earn a treasure box prize.
Many families have started to send in spare clothes for their children in the event they may need to change their outfit. Thank you! My intentions were to send a Ziploc bag home this week in students' blue folders, but I have already received so many outfits that I didn't want families to think I hadn't received them. I will go through our class closet, and I will send Ziploc bags home on Tuesday, 9/4 for students whose clothes I have not yet received.
If you haven't already, please register as a volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. You cannot participate in class/school activities without being registered as a volunteer. You can register as a volunteer by clicking here.
Important Dates:
September 7: Labor Day (no school)
September 10: DIBELS beginning-of-year benchmark testing begins
September 11: Star Student posters due back to school
September 13: Mrs. Hennessy's birthday!
September 15: International Dot Day! (wear dots to school!)
September 21: Teacher Workday (no school)
September 22: Gus the Bus visits Sharon!
September 24: iReady beginning-of-year benchmark testing window opens
What We Learned This Week:
Literacy Module: Literacy Module is a time where students practice core speaking, listening, and writing skills. Students will practice these through four different modules. The first module is all about Toys and Play, and this week, students have been practicing using kind words and sharing during social interactions. We also read the book Llama Llama Time to Share. We practiced identifying the characters in the story, using the illustrations to help us understand the context of the story, and discussed why Llama Llama changed his mind about sharing. We had some very productive conversations!
Skills Block: Skills Block is a time where students practice reading and spelling skills. Skills Block consists of a whole-group lesson, which addresses Kindergarten benchmark standards, and small-group time. Small-group lessons are tailored to what each individual student needs to practice. Some students may need extra practice with letter-sound correspondence while others be may ready for decoding and sentence writing. I have four reading groups, and students are grouped by ability level (no more than 5 students per group), and each group practices skills that their specific group is ready for. While I work with one group, the other three groups are working independently to practice a previously taught skill. Benchmark testing begins next week, and I like to make reading groups when testing is complete. Thus, students practiced working in small groups this week on some of the small-group activities they will be using. Our whole-group lesson this week addressed misconceptions with letter sounds. We also practiced identifying how our mouth looks and feels when saying certain sounds. We also learned three sight words this week: a, me, and I. We discussed how a and I are also letters, but I is only a word when it is uppercase. Please see below for some videos we learned to help address these concepts:
Math: This week, students had the opportunity to explore and build with various math manipulatives we will be using this year. Students explored connecting cubes, pattern blocks, two-color counters and 10-frames, and geoblocks. Like Skills Block, I have four leveled math groups. Benchmark testing for math begins on 9/24, so, like Skills Block, students practiced working in small groups on some of the small-group activities they will be using. Every week, we will practice counting to a different decade number. This week, we practiced counting to 20! Please see below for the videos we used to help us count:
Social Studies: Social Studies and Science rotate about every month. Once two units of each content area is completed, we switch. We began with Social Studies and will make the switch to Science in a few weeks! Our Social Studies lessons this week got us thinking about various rules we have in the classroom, school, home, and community. We brainstormed some great safety rules and discussed the importance of why we have rules. The biggest reason we have rules is to be safe! Students did a great job.
Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year at Sharon Elementary! I am so excited to be your child's teacher this year and am very much looking forward to working with everyone! Prior to our first full week with our class, I wanted to provide you all with some important information that will carry us through the first week of school and the school year.
I encourage you all to read and review our Class Handbook, linked here. You can also find the handbook by clicking the "Class Handbook" tab on our class website to refer back to at any point in the school year. In addition, please visit our "Links" tab to refer back to for any and all important links for the duration of the school year. I also encourage you to visit our "Educational Resources" tab to support your child's learning at home.
Please complete the Class T-Shirt form, linked here, by Monday, 8/31. All class shirts are free of charge and provided by the PTA. Class shirts are to be worn on class field trips, spirit days, pep rallies, Field Day, and the June Jamboree. Our class color this year will be neon green!
Please complete all required forms in Infinite Campus, no later than Friday, 9/4. Additionally, please check the contents of your child's clasped yellow folder from Open House. Please fill out and return the Emergency Dismissal form, the blue health card, and the photo release form by Friday, 9/4, as well. Additionally, you will find an accident insurance form; this is optional to complete and return. In your child's yellow folder, you will also find extra blue stickers. Please fill out the blue stickers and have your child wear them to school every day until they run out. You will also find a card rider sign; if your child is a car rider, you must fill out this sign. I recommend writing on the car rider signs with a sharpie or dark-colored marker. You will show the car rider attendants at dismissal the sign, and they will call for your child.
If you haven't already, please download and register with Parent Square to stay updated with Sharon School information. Parent Square is my main line of communication with parents. To join Parent Square, please click here.
If you haven't already, please register as a volunteer with CMS and Sharon Elementary. You cannot participate in class/school activities without being registered as a volunteer. You can register as a volunteer by clicking here.
All students will be given a blue Sharon School folder they will bring home on Monday, 8/31. This folder is to be brought home and returned to school each day. Students will bring home any work they have completed and important forms for parents to review. Students will also keep a reading log in the "Return to School" section of the folder. Although not required, I strongly encourage you all to read with your children daily. Once students fill out an entire reading log (front and back), another reading log will be provided and stapled to the one previously completed. The goal is to read 100 books this year, and students that reach this goal will receive a certificate at our end-of-year celebration and get to choose a treasure box prize. I also send home weekly practice assignments. Please note that all weekly assignments are optional. I do not assign homework, but I do like to send home additional practice for those that may want to work with their children. If students return the practice worksheets, they will get to choose a treasure box prize.
In your child's blue folder, I have placed a Ziploc bag in the "Return to School" section. In the event that your child may ever need to change clothes, I ask that you please place a spare change of clothes (shirt, pants, socks, and underwear) for your child to keep in the classroom in the Ziploc bag and return to school no later than Friday, 9/4.
Please remember to pack your child a snack! We eat lunch at 10:45am, and students are very hungry by the end of the day. I recommend packing snack separate from their lunch because students tend to eat their snack at lunch if everything is packed together. However, in the event that students forget to bring a snack or are otherwise unable to provide one, I always have extra snacks in the classroom.
I highly value and place strong importance on the teacher-family relationship and communication. Families will receive correspondences from me very frequently throughout the school year. Please never hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns. You can reach me via email (jennifern.degroof@cms.k12.nc.us) and Parent Square (preferred).
Newsletters will be posted here and on Parent Square every Sunday. Stay tuned for our first "official" newsletter on September 6th!