Weekly Updates

Weekly updates keep you in the loop with what's going on in our classroom. They will be posted here at the end of each week. Check here for lots of fun pictures and classroom news!

Today is Friday, May 10th

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we worked on comprehension of informational texts. We read a book called Plants and the Seasons.

-In phonemic awareness, we practiced manipulating vowel sounds in words (for example, say "sit". Change the short i sound to the long i sound and the word becomes "site").

-In writing, we did some writing that involved planning what we wanted to do at choice time and which friends we wanted to play with.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on decomposing teen numbers as a group of ten and some extra ones (for example, 15 is a group of ten plus five extra ones).

-In Artful Learning, we learned about force and motion! We had a very special guest, Mrs. Emmons who taught at Meadow View for many years, come and help us make a really cool force and motion art project called Flow Art!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Wednesday, May 15th: Summer countdown begins! Click here to read more about this.

-Thursday, May 16th: Kindergarten field trip to the Philip Miller Library in downtown Castle Rock! Click here to access the information document. Remember that if you are a chaperone, you must arrive to Meadow View at 9:00 am and come to the classroom to be assigned your group. Then, you will drive to the library and meet us there!

-Thursday, May 23rd: KINDIE GRADUATION and last day of school! Graduation will happen from 9:30-10:30am in the gym here at school (immediate family members invited- cookies and juice outside to follow and goodbyes to teachers). Please click here for more information.

Today is Friday, May 3rd!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we started Unit 8: Weather and the Seasons.

-In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice blending and segmenting words with 4 sounds. We have also been working on manipulating the final sound in words!

-In writing, we worked on comparing our writing from earlier in the year to our writing now. We practiced "seeing with new eyes" and adding details to our writing to make it more exciting!

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we took our unit 6 assessment and did an AWESOME job! These are coming home in folders today.

-In Artful Learning, we learned about change in writing. Next week, we will learn about force and motion!

Things coming up + other important information:

-May 6-10: Teacher appreciation week (May 7th is Teachers' Day)

Today is Friday, April 12th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we focused on a book called Happy New Year! This book talks about different New Year's Eve traditions around the world.

-In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice blending and segmenting words with 4 sounds. We also practiced words with r blends (like break, greet, crop, and drive).

-In writing, we started working on How-To writing, where students think about the different things they know how to do and then choose one to write as a book.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! We recently learned the words are and have. Next week we will start learning how to spell the number words for one, two, and three! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on Lesson 20: adding fluently within 10. Students practiced counting on to help them add more quickly!

-In Artful Learning, we learned all about Change in Feelings. We read the book My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss to understand how different colors can represent different feelings.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, April 12th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Thursday, April 25th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Friday, April 19th: NO SCHOOL

-Friday, April 25th: NO SCHOOL

-Thursday, May 16th: Kindergarten field trip to the Philip Miller Library in downtown Castle Rock! Information about volunteering to chaperone this field trip will be coming soon.

-Wednesday, May 1st: Miss W has a sub (working in building)

-May 6-10: Teacher appreciation week

Today is Friday, April 5th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we started Unit 7. This week, we focused on a book called Taking Care of the Earth.

-In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice blending and segmenting words with 3 and 4 sounds. We also continued to practice blends (words that begin with two letters, such as fl-, bl-, sw-, gl-, cl-).

-In writing, we finished up our unit on narrative writing. Next week, we will come back to working on how-to writing.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on Math in Action and finished up our unit by taking the unit assesment. Next week, we will go back to working on addition and subtraction within 10.

-In Artful Learning, we learned about our Master Artist and Masterwork for this unit: Pablo Picasso and Two Girls Reading. We made Picasso bracelets on Friday and brought them home.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Tuesday, April 9th: Ms. Ashley's birthday!! :)

-Friday, April 12th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Thursday, April 25th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Friday, April 19th: NO SCHOOL

-Friday, April 25th: NO SCHOOL

-Thursday, May 16th: Kindergarten field trip to the Philip Miller Library in downtown Castle Rock! Information about volunteering to chaperone this field trip will be coming soon.

-Wednesday, May 1st: Miss W has a sub (working in building)

-May 6-10: Teacher appreciation week

Today is Friday, March 29th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we finished up our unit and took the comprehension test. We will begin Unit 7 next week!

-In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice blending and segmenting words with 3 and 4 sounds. We also worked hard on continued practice with blends (words that begin with two letters, such as fl-, bl-, sw-, gl-, cl-). It can be difficult for students to hear all 4 sounds in these words, so we practice both verbally sounding these words out and also writing them together to help us learn.

-In writing, we continued working on personal narratives. Students took their planning template ("Many Moments") and started transferring this information into a book with 3 pages for a beginning, middle, and end of their story. Students are bringing home their ouch stories to share with you this weekend! Enjoy. :)

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on composing and decomposing the numbers 8 and 9. We played a variety of games to help us understand this concept. We also practiced solving math equations where the equals sign comes first (8=4+4).

-In Artful Learning, we started our new unit which is all about the concept of Change. We will be doing some fun family-involved activities during this unit, including having families send pictures of students as babies, toddlers, and children, as well as creating a piece of Found Art using recycled materials at home (more to come soon... this will happen around Earth Day in April!).

Things coming up + other important information:

-Tuesday, April 9th: Ms. Ashley's birthday!! :)

-Friday, April 12th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Thursday, April 25th: ROAR Store visits our class

-Friday, April 19th: NO SCHOOL

-Friday, April 25th: NO SCHOOL

-Thursday, May 16th: Kindergarten field trip to the Philip Miller Library in downtown Castle Rock! Information about volunteering to chaperone this field trip will be coming soon.

-Wednesday, May 1st: Miss W has a sub (working in building)

-May 6-10: Teacher appreciation week

Today is Friday, March 8th!

Spring conferences are next Thursday, March 14th. Not all students will require meeting for a conference if they are meeting grade level expectations and behavior expectations. You will receive an email from me tomorrow letting you know whether or not I would like to meet with you about your child. :)

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we read a new type of book called a legend. We are still working on learning about how some stories have a lesson or a moral at the end. When we read a legend, it is usually a "came to be" kind of story. The Legend of the Coqui, which we read this week, taught us about how the Coqui frogs in Puerto Rico got their song and their name.

-In phonemic awareness, we started working on blending and segmenting words with FOUR sounds this week! We introduced the following blends: bl-, sl-, fl-, cl-, gl-, and pl-. We are continuing to practice blending and segmenting digraphs as well.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on numbers to 100 this week! We played lots of fun games, practiced choral counting together, and practiced counting on and counting up from large numbers in any order.

-In Artful Learning, we countinued working on patterns in the weather. We learned about the seasons and how the Earth's tilt makes us have seasons. Next week we will do our final piece of this unit - our Original Creation. Students will bring home their suncatchers that they made before spring break.

Things coming up + other important information:

-March 4-15: Meadow View Schoolwide Read-a-Thon!

-March 14: Spring conferences! Not all families will be meeting for a conference this time around. :)

-March 18-22: No school ~ have a great spring break!

Today is Friday, March 1st!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we started our new unit - "Stories Have a Message". This will focus on the way that some stories teach us a lesson or have a moral at the end.

-In phonemic awareness, we are still working on blending and segmenting with digraphs at both the beginning AND end of words. The ones we are focusing on include: sh, ch, th (both sounds).

-In writing, we started learning about Personal Narratives, which are stories we can draw and write about ourselves. We came up with ideas and started drafting a short personal narrative book with a beginning, middle, and end this week.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we started our next unit which focuses on counting and writing teen numbers. We will also be working on counting on starting at ANY number (for example, starting at 11 and counting up to 30).

-In Artful Learning, we worked on patterns in the weather! We started learning about the water cycle and how that impacts weather. Next week, we will continue to learn about weather patterns.

Things coming up + other important information:

-March 4-15: Meadow View Schoolwide Read-a-Thon!

-Wednesday, March 6th: Schoolwide Pajama/Read-in day

-March 18-22: No school ~ have a great spring break!

Today is Friday, February 23rd!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we finished our current unit about technology in the past and present. We took our reading comprehension assessment on Tuesday.

-In phonemic awareness, we are working on digraphs a ton! The ones we are focusing on include: sh, ch, th (both sounds), wh, and ph. We are listening for them at the beginning and end of words as well as segmenting and blending words with digraphs.

-In writing, we took our opinion writing assessment. Students chose a type of technology from the past or present that they liked and then gave a reason why they liked it using the word because.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we finished up our current unit by working on Math in Action. Students got to plan a pretend playground by choosing different types of equipment that had to add up to 10 pieces of equipment total. They sketched their ideas down and then got to build using blocks, legos, and magnatiles!

-In Artful Learning, we worked on patterns in music all week! We learned about what a steady beat is (like your heartbeat), played music using Boom Whackers (tubes of different lengths that you hit on the floor to create different pitches), and listened to Beethoven's 9th symphony "Ode to Joy".

Things coming up + other important information:

-March 18-22: No school ~ have a great spring break!

Today is Thursday, February 15th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-We had such a fun Valentine's Day! We made some art together, enjoyed some cookies, and exchanged valentine cards with our friends. :)

-In reading, we worked on listening to and answering comprehension questions about the story The No Tech Day of Play. In this realistic fiction book, two kids go visit their grandparents but the power is out so they can't play on their electronics. Instead, grandpa and grandma show the children how they can still have fun even without technology.

-In phonemic awareness, we are working on long and short vowels, as well as special letters that have more than one sound (these include c, g, s, and y).

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list! There are some updates to this list! :)

-In math, we worked on composing and decomposing numbers to 10. We learned a new game called Sleeping Bears to help us practice ways to make 10. Students partnered up and each got 10 plastic counting bears, a cup, and a recording sheet. They took turns taking some bears out of the cup and counting how many bears were "awake". Then, they had to figure out the number of bears that were still "sleeping" (in the cup). Our math interventionist Mrs. Meyer showed us this game and we can't wait to keep playing heading into next week.

-In Artful Learning, we finished up learning about healthy eating by taking a visit to our own cafeteria where our wonderful lunchroom workers gave us a tour! We got to see how to prepare the food, how they choose healthy foods to serve, where they keep the food (the fridge and freezer sure were chilly!!), and how they clean the trays. What a fun visit! We also worked on patterns in reading and writing for Artful learning this week by writing our own "I love" books. We are getting really good at sounding words out independently!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, February 16th AND Monday, February 19th: NO SCHOOL!

Today is Friday, February 9th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we read the book How to Make a Solar Oven. We talked about how-to books and the importance of explaining things in order in these types of books.

-In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice segmenting and blending words to help us read and write.

-Just a reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list! There are some updates to this list! :)

-In math, we worked on composing and decomposing numbers to 10. We made bracelets by choosing a number partner to 10 (like 5+5) and then got to bring them home.

-In Artful Learning, we learned all about healthy eating. We got to sample some fuel foods (fruits and veggies) and then also painted using fruits and veggies with Mrs. Streit's class! We had so much fun!!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day ~ We will not be having a party, just doing some fun heart-themed activities and then exchanging valentines with our friends in the afternoon.

-Friday, February 16th AND Monday, February 19th: NO SCHOOL!

Today is Friday, February 2nd!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we began our fifth unit - technology at home and school. We read an informational book called Technology at Home & School Then and Now. Don't be surprised if your student comes home talking about old phones, using wells for water, or old cars vs. new cars. :)

-In phonemic awareness, we learned that some special letters can make more than one sound (in addition to the vowels having a short sound and a long sound). These letters are: c (can also make the /s/ sound), g (can also make the /j/ sound), s (can also make the /z/ sound), and y (can also make the long /e/ and long /i/ sound).

-Just another reminder to practice reading, writing, and identifying these sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on composing and decomposing 2d and 3d shapes. Next week, we will work on composing and decomposing 10. We have already done some of this, but will be working on it again to really solidify ways to make and break 10.

-In Artful Learning, we worked on patterns in math. We learned that we can make shape patterns, color patterns, or number patterns. Next week, we will learn all about healthy eating!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Wednesday, February 7th: Class picture day! Please dress nicely!

-Thursday, February 8th: 100th day of school! All kindergartners may choose to dress up like they are 100 years old (and teachers will too!) and we will be doing fun hundreds activities all day long.

-Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day ~ students will come home with a letter soon about making a Valentine's day box to collect their Valentines from classmates. We will not be having a party, just doing some fun heart-themed activities and then exchanging valentines with our friends in the afternoon.

-Friday, February 16th AND Monday, February 19th: NO SCHOOL!

Today is Friday, January 12th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-This week, we spent a lot of time reviewing expectations, practicing rules and routines, and sharing about our winter breaks! We will get back to more of our normal routines, including reading groups, beginning on Monday.

-In reading, we listened to a new story called "My Big Family". We talked about how families are different and some of the people who are in a family. We also talked about how families can change and grow over time.

-In phonemic awareness, we began learning the long vowel sounds and talked about how every vowel has two sounds, the short sound and the long sound. We also talked about how some other consonants can make more than one sound. We are still reviewing digraphs as well (sh, th, ch, wh, ph).

-Reminder to practice sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we practiced writing and counting groups of 6-10 objects. We worked hard not to reverse the way the numbers face when we write them.

-In Artful Learning, we shared our quilt squares! We will continue sharing a few a day heading into next week. Please return these if you haven't already done so! They look beautiful when we hang them all up together out in the hallway. :)

Things coming up + other important information:

-Thursday, February 1st: Kindie graduation pictures! Flyer coming home soon.

-Wednesday, February 7th: 100th day of school! All kindergartners may choose to dress up like they are 100 years old (and teachers will too!) and we will be doing fun hundreds activities all day long.

Today is Friday, December 15th

Here's what we have been working on this week:

**No pictures this week! I apologize... The days got away from me!**

-In reading, we used some new work mats to sound out words with 2 and 3 sounds! We also heard some winter stories and did our reading jobs with our awesome volunteers Ms. Cassie and Ms. Sarah! Thanks for joining us to help us write and read!

-In phonemic awareness, we continued listening for beginning, middle, and ending sounds in CVC words (words like pot, big, pup, mug).

-Reminder to practice sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we finished our unit by doing a Math in Action activity which involved choosing shapes, coloring and cutting them out, and then constructing a mobile! We brought these home on Wednesday afternoon.

-In Artful Learning, we started our next unit on Patterns! We read a book called Elmer, who is a patchwork elephant with lots of colors that wishes he were a regular gray elephant. At the end of the story, he discovers that it is best just to be himself!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Wednesday 12/20: Kindie/Third grade buddy party! Thank you SO MUCH for all of the donations to make this the best winter party EVER!

-Friday 12/22-Monday 1/8: Winter break! No school! Students return to school on Tuesday, January 9th.

Today is Friday, December 8th

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we finished our third unit and took the unti comprehension test, where students listen to me read them a story and then answer questions about the story. Our class did fantastic on this!

-In phonemic awareness, we are continuing to practice segmenting and blending CVC words with three sounds.

-Reminder to practice sight words at home! Click here for the current list!

-In math, we worked on determining if we needed to add or subtract to solve math stories. We worked on drawing pictures to help us solve and also talked about the differences between using addition and subtraction.

-In Artful Learning, we finished our Relationships unit by making our suncatchers! These will be hanging in the windows outside of our classroom for a bit before I send them home.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday 12/8: All School Movie Night! Check the Meadow View parent email communication from the school for more details.

-Tuesday 12/12: Kindergarten-3rd grade music concert at Castle Rock Middle School from 5:30-6:30pm. A flyer is coming home TODAY!

-Wednesday 12/20: Kindie/Third grade buddy party! Please click here to sign up to donate items!

-Friday 12/22-Monday 1/8: Winter break! No school! Students return to school on Tuesday, January 9th.

Today is Friday, December 1st!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In reading, we read a book called The First Time I... which told stories from different kids' perspectives on the first time they did certain things. This will lead us into "how-to" writing.

-In phonemic awareness, we are working hard to segment and blend words with 3 sounds (words like pet, big, dot).

-In math, we did an introduction to subtraction with numbers 0-5. Next week we will compare addition and subtraction and tell math stories using both operations.

-In Artful Learning, we learned about shape art and the Swiss artist Paul Klee, who incorporated many colorful shapes into his work! Next week, we will do our Original Creations - a relationships sun catcher!

Things coming up + other important information:

-11/28-12/15: Middle of Year iReady Testing! Please be sure to have your student at school for this!

-Friday 12/1: Pep Rally Assembly from 8:45-9:25am

-Friday 12/8: All School Movie Night! Check the Meadow View parent email communication from the school for more details.

-Tuesday 12/12: Kindergarten-3rd grade music concert at Castle Rock Middle School from 5:30-6:30pm. A flyer will be sent home with a reminder about this soon!

Today is Friday, November 17th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we practiced connecting sounds to letters using our whiteboards. We also wrote in our reader's and writer's journals about friends.

-In reading, we read Rules Are Cool. This was a realistic fiction book about rules at school.

In phonemic awareness, we started working on hearing middle sounds (vowel sounds) in words. We can use our rollercoaster hands or tap our body to help us hear these sounds in CVC words.

-In math, we continued to learn all about 2d shapes and what happens when we turn them, flip them, and put them together.

-In Artful Learning, we finished up our work on habitats! Students used oil pastels to create a puzzle piece as a habitat of their choice. We will hang these outside of our classroom as a tribute to our hard work learning about habitats.

Things coming up + other important information:

-NO SCHOOL the week of November 20-24. Happy Thanksgiving!

-Thursday 11/30: Middle of Year iReady Testing Begins! Please be sure to have your student at school for this!

-Friday 12/1: Pep Rally Assembly from 8:45-9:25am

Today is Friday, November 10th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we wrote about friends. We also started practicing using Elkonin Boxes to stretch the sounds in words, find the letter, and write them down. We will continue to practice this daily moving forward.

-In reading, we continued our reading groups. We also started our new unit about rules at home and school. We also learned two new sight words: SHE and CAN!

In phonemic awareness, we continued to practice identifying and producing rhyming words. We also continued to practice hearing ending sounds and blending words with 2 and 3 sounds.

-In math, we started lesson 8, which is all about 2d shapes! We started learning about how many sides and corners the most common 2d, or plane, shapes have. We also started practicing ways to put together some shapes to create new shapes. We will continue working on this heading into next week.

-In Artful Learning, we worked on our habitat journals all week long! We also made habitat dioramas and put animals inside of them.

Things coming up + other important information:

-NO SCHOOL the week of November 20-24. Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thursday, November 2nd!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we did some work with drawing a picture and writing a short sight word sentence to go with it. We started working in a new writing journal that helps us practice both letters and numbers too.

-In reading, we started our reading groups this week! Students rotate to three stations every day and are pulled from these groups to work with me in a small group on letters, sounds, and reading little decodable books (that they get to bring home to practice!) each day. Everybody did a wonderful job remembering to stay in their groups, keep working the whole time, and keep a quiet voice.

-In math, we started lesson 7 which is all about addition within 5! We are learning that the concept of addition means putting two numbers together to make a bigger number.

-In Artful Learning, we began learning all about wants, needs, and animal habitats! We will continue this heading into next week.

-In other news... Our class earned a super cool trophy from our music teacher Ms. Ferguson for doing the best job participating and listening last month during music!

Things coming up + other important information:

-November 6-10: Book fair week! You can shop before school from 8-8:15 or after school from 3:45-5:00.

-Thursday, November 9th: Artful Learning night (time TBD)

-Friday, November 10th: Roar Store visits our class!

-NO SCHOOL the week of November 20-24. Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Friday, October 27th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-Welcome back after fall break! We spent some time readjusting to routines and rules this week. We also have a new student named Rhett who joined us! Welcome Rhett and Lazar family!

-In writing, we wrote about what we did over fall break. We practiced stretching sounds like bubblegum and then finding the right letters to write down.

-In reading, we finished Unit 2! Readers and writers journals will be sent home today. Please take a look at these and feel free to play the game at the back of the book!

-In math, we finished Unit 2 and took the test. Students did a great job with 3d shapes, comparing weight, and comparing numbers to 5.

-In Artful Learning, we did an introduction to wants and needs. Most of our artful learning time this week was spent sharing our pumpkins! These turned out so great. Thanks for your help at home with that!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween party 2:00-3:00pm

-November 6-10: Book fair week! You can shop before school from 8-8:15 or after school from 3:45-5:00.

-Thursday, November 9th: Artful Learning night (time TBD)

Today is Friday, October 13th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we worked on looking at books to get ideas. We practiced writing together using clipboards at the carpet. We drew pictures and added labels to them.

-In reading, we read a story called Wolf Cub's Song. We focused on learning about story elements this week, including the characters, setting, and events (beginning, middle, and end).

-In math, we did the End of Unit activity called "math in action". This involved making puppets with more than five and less than five traits (for example, two eyes, two buttons, etc).

-In Artful Learning, we learned about ways to get to school in the United States and ways to get to school in other countries. We also learned about ways that kids in the United States help at home vs ways that kids help at home in other countries.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, October 13th: Donuts with Grown-ups at 7:45am in the lunchroom. All are welcome and I hope to see you there!

-Monday, October 16 - Friday, October 20: NO SCHOOL for fall break. Hope you have some fun plans! :)

-Class Halloween party date and sign-up to volunteer and/or donate items... TBD!

Today is Friday, October 6th!

Note: I will be gone this afternoon (heading out of town for a running race), but will be back on Monday!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we practiced looking around us to get ideas for writing. We chose an area of the classroom that we love and wrote a sentence and drew a picture about it. We also practiced using whiteboards for writing our sight words.

-In reading, we learned two new sight words: we, the. Now we have learned 4 total sight words... I, like, we, the. Be sure to be practicing reading and writing these at home!

-In math, we did a lesson about 3d shapes and comparing weight. The shapes we learned about include: cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, and pyramid. Check out this fun 3d shapes song! We loved moving and grooving to it this week.

-In Artful Learning, we did an introduction to maps! We are learning about our relationship to maps and where we fall on different types of maps.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Wednesday, October 11th: Vision and hearing screening at 9:30 am

-Wednesday, October 11th AND Thursday, October 12th: Parent-teacher conferences from 3:45-7:15pm. Please sign up for a time slot by clicking here.

-Friday, October 13th: Donuts with Grown-ups at 7:45am in the lunchroom. All are welcome and I hope to see you there!

-Monday, October 16 - Friday, October 20: NO SCHOOL for fall break. Hope you have some fun plans! :)

Today is Friday, September 29th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-In writing, we did our first writing assessment. We chose an animal and wrote a fact about it. I will be sharing these with families during parent-teacher conferences.

-In math, we started our next unit on comparing numbers to 5. We worked on making groups of objects and using the words more, less, and the same to describe the groups.

-In Artful Learning, we learned about the relationship between us and the sun. We focused on ways to be protected from the UV rays that the sun emits.

-In handwriting, we finished our ABC handwriting books! Students will be bringing these home today. Feel free to go back and work on any letters that seemed to be a struggle for your student.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, September 29th: Apple day! Our class will be making applesauce and will get to meet a special visitor... My mom, Ms. Chris!

-Wednesday, October 11th: Vision and hearing screening at 9:30 am

-Wednesday, October 11th AND Thursday, October 12th: Parent-teacher conferences from 3:45-7:15pm - sign-up will be sent out TODAY

-Monday, October 16 - Friday, October 20: NO SCHOOL - Fall break

Today is Thursday, September 21st!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-We read a personal narrative book called My Desert Home. We talked about narrative texts and the use of first person point of view. We also used context clues to help us understand what tricky words mean!

-In writing, we got our kindergarten writing folders! We put some work inside, including a page about our favorite letter and our sight words books.

-We learned our first two sight words on the first sight word list (purple list): I, like!

-In math, we started our second unit on counting and writing numbers 0-5. We also worked on iReady math lessons using our iPads.

-In Artful Learning, we started learning all about the sun! We did some experiments to see how light and the sun impacts us and we discussed our relationship to the sun.

-We have TWO new students joining our class soon - welcome Embaya and Rhett! We are excited to meet both of you!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, September 22nd: No school! (teacher workday)

-Tuesday, September 26th: Fun Run event at 9:00 am

-Thursday, September 28th: Miss W has a sub for the morning (in the building working on assessments)

-Friday, September 29th: Apple day! Our class will be making applesauce and will get to meet a special visitor... My mom, Ms. Chris!

-Wednesday, October 11th: Vision and hearing screening at 9:30 am

-Wednesday, October 11th AND Thursday, October 12th: Parent-teacher conferences from 3:45-7:15pm

-Monday, October 16 - Friday, October 20: NO SCHOOL - Fall break

Today is Friday, September 15th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-We read a new informational book about what plants need. We talked about informational text features like a table of contents, page numbers, labels, and diagrams. These text features help us better understand the topic of the book!

-In writing, we continued adding to our inspiration board, which gives us ideas for our writing. We made signs, a special note for a loved one, and we also continued our handwriting practice with the letters Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, and Rr.

-Practice your fine motor at home! Give your pencil grip some practice using this new song!

-In math, we did our final part of the first unit, which is called Math in Action! We solidified our understanding of sorting and basic measurement (length and height).

-Continued practice writing our names independently. We are making great progress on this!

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, September 15th: Boosterthon Fun Run kickoff! Please donate to our class and our school!

-Wednesday, September 20th: Picture retakes

-Friday, September 22nd: No school (teacher workday)

-Tuesday, September 26th: Fun Run event (they set up a track on the field for kids to run around and get marked for laps. Parents are welcome to come watch and PTO will be asking for volunteers soon if you're interested!)

-Thursday, September 28th: Miss W has a sub for the morning (in the building working on assessments)

Today is Friday, September 8th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-We started our first reading and writing units! We read a book called What Do Animals Need? We talked about the five things that animals need: food, water, oxygen, shelter, and space.

-In writing, we talked all about different types of writing that we can find in our world and added many things to an inspiration board. This will give us ideas for our own writing!

-In math, we learned about sorting objects in various ways. We used buttons to try new sorting rules (rather than just the typical color way of sorting objects).

-We continued our handwriting books by working on letters Jj, Kk, Ll, and Mm. We continued practicing with our good pencil grip! Give your pencil grip some at-home practice using this new song!

-Continued practice with letter names and sounds.

-Continued practice writing our names independently.

-We continued/almost finished iReady testing on the iPads. Yippee! The next time we test will be in the winter.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Friday, September 15th: Boosterthon Fun Run kickoff! Stay tuned for additional information on how to donate to help your student earn prizes and help our school earn money to fund field trips!

-Wednesday, September 20th: Picture retakes

-Friday, September 22nd: No school (teacher workday)

-Thursday, September 28th: Miss W has a sub for the morning (in the building working on assessments)

Today is Friday, September 1st!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-Writing our names by ourselves! Some students are still practicing this and trace their name over yellow marker to help them move towards meeting this goal independently.

-In math, we learned about length - we talked about the meaning of the words longer and shorter and we compared objects to determine which one was longer or shorter. We used playdough to help us understand the concept of length too!

-We continued our handwriting books by working on letters Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii. Ms. Anika (our Occupational Therapist) came in and taught us a lesson on pencil grip! Give your pencil grip some at-home practice using this new song!

-Letter names and sounds.

-We learned about the difference between fiction and informational books by comparing two stories: Koko Bear and His Socks and My Whale of a Tale.

-We went to PE with Coach Bauer (Coach B) for specials all week.

-We started the iReady reading test on the iPads.

Things coming up + other important information:

-No school on Monday, September 4th (Labor Day).

-Friday, September 8th: Lunch with your child day! You are invited to come to Meadow View for kindergarten lunchtime from 11:25-12:05 and bring your kiddo some special lunch to share.

-Wednesday, September 20th: Picture retakes

-Friday, September 22nd: No school (teacher workday)

Today is Friday, August 25th!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-Writing our names.

-We started our handwriting books! We did letters Aa, Bb, Cc, and Dd. Practice pencil grip at home using this song (linked here is the video).

-We learned all about how to use the individual whiteboards in our class. We practiced red choices/green choices and how to treat these like a treasure.

-Continued practice of rules and routines!

-Letter names and sounds.

-We started our reading curriculum this week. We read two books: Little Koko Bear and His Socks and My Whale of a Tale! We discussed these books and tried a strategy called turn and talk to retell these stories.

-We went to art with Ms. Rodgers for specials all week.

-We went to library with Ms. Osborn for the first time and chose a book to borrow and bring home! Please know that books will be due back the Tuesday/Wednesday before each week.

Things coming up + other important information:

-No school on Monday, September 4th (Labor Day).

Happy first Fri-Yay of the kindergarten school year!

Here's what we have been working on this week:

-Getting to know the friends in our class by sharing our All About me bags!

-Writing our names.

-Practicing rules and routines!

-Practicing literacy centers and rotations.

-We tried out the iPads - just the Moose Math and StarFall ABCs apps so far.

-Letter names and sounds - we already started some phonemic awareness and phonics lessons because we were ready for the challenge!

-We went to music with Ms. Ferguson for specials all week.

Things coming up + other important information:

-Tonight is the MDVE Back to School Picnic! There will be ice cream for sale ($1) as well as food trucks with food for purchase, but you can also just bring your own dinner and enjoy it with friends and classmates. 4-6 pm on the field!

-Our class begins library next Thursday! We will get to visit Ms. Osborn and choose books every Thursday morning. Please know that books will be due back the Tuesday/Wednesday before each week. Thank you!