Week of November 2 - November 5
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
November 2 - 5: Spirit Week! Please click here for more information. November 6: No School! Professional Development for Teachers November 23 - 27: Thanksgiving Break! 🦃
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish- Group A, PE/Music - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Music/PE - Group B, PE/Music- Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Art - Group C, PE/Music - Group D
Math:
Subtraction and Addition Review: We will continue to work on understanding plus and minus signs, and using those symbols to accurately add and subtract numbers within 5. We will begin to work on addition and subtraction within 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 3, Rules at Home and School, Week 3: We will read a personal narrative text this week. There are three authors and three different stories! The title is The First Time I... by Kiara Davis, Felix Stan, and Joshua Harris. This story will continue to deepen the students' knowledge and understanding of how a book differs when photographs are used, instead of illustrations.
Our shared reading this week will be the poem "I Can" and the decodable story "Pam the Cat". As the poem is read, the students will listen for the important words of the poem, the words that are most important to understanding the poem.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 11: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, segmenting, blending, letter names and sounds, and deleting and adding sounds to words.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lesson 17:
In Lesson 17, students learn the letter b and the sound it represents: /b/ as in bat. They practice identifying, saying, and writing the letter b while connecting it to words and pictures that begin with the /b/ sound.
Students continue building their decoding skills by blending and segmenting sounds to read and spell simple words. They also review previously taught letters and sounds to reinforce their phonics knowledge.
This lesson introduces the new high-frequency word “of.” Students practice reading and writing this word in sentences and stories to support fluency and comprehension.
UFLI Lesson 18:
In Lesson 18, students learn the letter e and the sound it represents: /ĕ/ as in egg. They practice identifying, saying, and writing the letter e, and connect it to words and pictures that begin or contain the /ĕ/ sound.
Students also strengthen their phonemic awareness by blending and segmenting words with short e, as well as reviewing previously taught letters and sounds. They practice reading and spelling simple words using the short e vowel pattern.
Learning with Wayfinder
Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 3 please click the link below.
Week of October 26 - October 30
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 27: Picture Make-up Day!
October 30: Costume Parade! 9:35am - 10:05am
October 30: Monster Mash! 5pm - 7pm
November 1: Daylight Savings - fall back!
November 23 - 27: Thanksgiving Break! 🦃
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music/PE - Group A, Spanish - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Art - Group B, Spanish - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: PE/Music - Group C, Spanish - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 3, Lesson 9, Session 1-5: We will begin Lesson 9 this week. This lesson focuses on subtracting numbers up to 5. The students will have many opportunities to practice applying subtraction within 5.
The students will begin to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 3, Rules at Home and School, Week 2: We will read a realistic fiction text this week. This means a story isn’t true, but could happen in real life. The title is Rules Are Cool by Brenda Parkes, illustrated by Sarah Jennings. This story will continue to deepen the students' knowledge and understanding of rules and why they are so important.
Our shared reading this week will be the poems "I Wiggle" and "Rules at Home and School". As the poems are read, the students will listen for the important words of the poem, the words that are most important to understanding the poems.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 10: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, segmenting, blending, letter names and sounds, and deleting and adding sounds to words.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lesson 15:
In this lesson, students learn the letter u and the sound /u/ as in “up.” They practice saying, reading, and writing the letter u in both uppercase and lowercase. Students blend and read words with the short u sound and continue to build confidence with familiar letters and sounds.
UFLI Lesson 16:
Lesson 16 introduces the letter g and its sound /g/ as in “gum.” Students practice identifying, reading, and writing the letter g and blending it into simple words. The irregular words to and do are introduced, and students practice recognizing and reading them in phrases and sentences.
Learning with Wayfinder
Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 3 please click the link below.
Week of October 19 - October 23
NO BUS THIS WEEK! 🚍
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 27: Picture Make-up Day!
October 30: Costume Parade! 9:35am - 10:05am
October 30: Monster Mash! 5pm - 7pm
November 1: Daylight Savings - fall back!
November 23 - 27: Thanksgiving Break! 🦃
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Art - Group A, Music/PE - Group D
Mrs. Watson: PE/Music - Group B, Music/PE - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Spanish - Group C, Music/PE - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 3, Lesson 7, Sessions 1-5: In this lesson, the students will learn about addition. The students will learn that when you start with a group of objects, and add more, the group becomes larger.
The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 3, Rules at Home and School, Week 1: We will read an informational text this week. That means the text tells us facts, or real information. The title is Why Do We Have Rules?. A rule is something you are told to do. It keeps you safe. The author of this text is Margaret McNamara. She wrote the words we are going to read. We will discuss how this book has photographs instead of illustrations. The photographs are clues which tell us the book is giving us real information.
Our shared reading this week will be the poems "Let's Be Friends" and "Good Morning". As the poems are read, the students will listen for the important words of the poem, the words that are most important to understanding the poems.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 9: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lesson 13: In this lesson, students learn about the letter d and the sound /d/, as in dog and dad. They practice identifying, saying, and writing the letter d correctly. The new sight word said is introduced, and students practice reading and using it in sentences. They also blend and segment words with the /d/ sound, such as dog, dip, and mad, and review previously taught letters and sight words to strengthen reading fluency.
UFLI Lesson 14: In this lesson, students learn about the letter c and the sound /k/, as in cat and cup. They practice identifying, saying, and writing the letter c and listening for the /k/ sound at the beginning and end of words. They also blend and segment words with the /k/ sound, such as cat, cap, and cup, and review previously taught letters and sight words to build reading fluency and confidence.
Learning with Wayfinder
Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 3 please click the link below.
Week of October 5 - October 9
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 6: PTO Meeting: School library, 5:30pm. Every parent is welcome!
October 9: Fun Run Prize Day!
October 12 - 19: Fall Break! No School!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: PE/Music - Group A, Art - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Spanish - Group B, Art - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Music/PE - Group C, Art - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 2, Lesson 6, Sessions 1-5: Shapes! Lesson 6 will focus on naming solid shapes and describing their attributes. We will also compare the weight of objects using words like heavy/heavier and light/lighter.
The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 2, Every Story Has Characters, Week 3: This week, we will continue to build genre knowledge when reading Dog Days of School by Kelly DiPucchio. This is a fantasy book.
Our shared reading this week will be the poems "The Gingerbread Man" and "The Little Red Hen". We will use these stories to identify rhyming words, build vocabulary, and continue our learning of concepts of print by focusing on the directionality of reading, punctuation, and expressive reading.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 8: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lesson 11
In this lesson students learned about how the short a changes slightly when it comes before nasal sounds (like m, n, ng). We practiced listening for that nasalized quality, and applying it when reading, spelling, and writing. Activities will include listening and phoneme-segmenting games to hear the difference (listen for an / am / ang), reading and decoding words with nasalized a (examples: an, and, man, ran, ham, hang, sang), and writing practice: forming the letter(s) and spelling simple decodable words and short sentences that include nasalized a. These activities help children notice sound changes and use those patterns to read and spell more accurately.
UFLI Lesson 12
This lesson introduced the letter o and its short vowel sound (as in on or not). Students will practice naming and forming the letter o, hearing and saying the short o sound in words, decoding and spelling short o words (examples: on, not, hot, dog, pot), and reading simple decodable sentences that use the new sound so they connect letter → sound → reading. This helps students add a new vowel to their decoding toolkit and read a wider variety of words.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 2, please click the link below.
Week of September 28 - October 2
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 1: Cozy Day!
October 2: Fun Run Money Due!
October 6: PTO Meeting: School library, 5:30pm. Every parent is welcome!
October 9: Fun Run Prize Day!
October 12 - 19: Fall Break! No School!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish - Group A, PE/Music - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Music/PE - Group B, PE/Music - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Art - Group C, PE/Music - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 3, Lesson 8, Sessions 1-5: In this lesson, the students will learn about two-dimensional shapes, or flat shapes. We will focus on the attributes of these shapes, such as sides and corners (vertices). The students will have access to pattern blocks including a square, circle, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, trapezoid, and rhombus.
The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 2, Every Story Has Characters, Week 2: In this unit, we will continue to build genre knowledge when reading Wolf Cub's Song by Joseph Burchac, which is a folktale. We will learn that folktales are stories that were told a long time ago, and that all groups of people had their own special stories to share across many generations.
Our shared reading this week will be the poems "Little Bo-Peep" and "Gregory Griggs". We will use these nursery rhymes to identify rhyming words, build vocabulary, and continue our learning of concepts of print by focusing on the directionality of reading.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 7: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lesson 9
In this lesson, children practiced listening for the sounds in words and matching those sounds to letters. They learned the new letter n and practiced blending it with letters they already know to read simple words. We also introduced the sight word is.
UFLI Lesson 10
In this lesson, we continued practicing blending and segmenting sounds to build early reading skills. Children reviewed the new letter n and used it with other letters to read and spell short words. We also reviewed all sight words: the, I, and, a, is.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 2, please click the link below.
Week of September 22 - September 25
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 21: No School - Professional Development Day
September 23 - 24: Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4pm to 7pm
September 25: Rock Ridge Run! 1pm - Parents are welcome to join us!
October 1: Cozy Day!
October 2: Fun Run Money Due!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music/PE - Group A, Spanish - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Art - Group B, Spanish - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: PE/Music - Group C, Spanish - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 2, Lesson 5, Sessions 1-5: This lesson will focus on comparing groups of objects and numbers up to 5, and we will learn to recognize that each counting number is one more than the last.
The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 2, Every Story Has Characters, Week 1: In this unit, we will continue to build genre knowledge when reading Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman, which is a fantasy/fiction book. We will define what makes a story fantasy while focusing on characters, setting, and concepts of print.
Our shared reading this week will be the poems "Little Miss Muffet" and "Humpty Dumpty". We will use these nursery rhymes to identify rhyming words, build vocabulary, and continue our learning of concepts of print by focusing on the directionality of reading.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 6: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lessons 7 and 8: In Lesson 7, children will learn the letter Ff and the sound /f/ it makes, like in fun and fish. They will practice saying the sound, writing the letter, blending it with other letters to read simple words, and learn the sight word a.
In Lesson 8, we will introduce the short vowel i (as in sit and pin). Students practiced reading and spelling words with the short i sound, and read a short decodable story to build fluency.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 2, please click the link below.
Week of September 14 - September 18
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
No Bus this Week!
September 21: No School - Professional Development Day
September 23 - 24: Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4pm to 7pm
September 25: Rock Ridge Run!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Art - Group A, Music/PE - Group D
Mrs. Watson: PE/Music - Group B, Music/PE - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Spanish - Group C, Music/PE - Group D
Math: iReady Unit 2, Lesson 4, Sessions 1-5: Unit 2 will focus on the numbers 1 through 5. The students will count, show, write, and compare these numbers. The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 1, Plants and Animals Have Needs, Week 3: In this unit, we will continue to build genre knowledge by reading the book My Desert Home by Charlie Alolcoy, which is a personal narrative. As a whole group, we will discuss how a personal narrative text is an informational text about a real person's experiences.
Our shared reading this week will be the poem "Baby Mice". We will search for the sight word I, and continue our learning of concepts of print by focusing on how letters make up words, and words make up sentences.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 5: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
UFLI Lessons 5 and 6
In Lessons 5 and 6, we will continue practicing letter sounds and blending them together to make words. The children are learning to look closely at letters, say their sounds, and put those sounds together to read and spell simple words. We will also practice recognizing the sight words the and I, as well as learning the sight word and.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths. Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community. For more information about Chapter 2, please click the link below.
Week of September 8 - September 11
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 7: No School! Labor Day!
September 11: Rock Ridge Run Kickoff!
September 21: No School - Professional Development Day
September 23 - 24: Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4pm to 7pm
September 25: Rock Ridge Run!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music/PE - Group A, Art - Group D
Mrs. Watson: Spanish - Group B, Art - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: PE/Music - Group C, Art - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 1, Lesson 3, Sessions 1-5: Lesson 3 will help the students understand how to sort objects into different categories based on their unique attributes. Then the students will practice one-to-one correspondence by counting the sorted objects.
The students will continue to work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 10.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 1, Plants and Animals Have Needs, Week 2: In this unit, we will continue to build genre knowledge by reading the book What Do Plants Need? by Debra Castor. As a whole group, we will discuss the differences between books which are meant to provide information, and books which are meant to tell us a story. Our shared reading this week will be the poem "Soil, Water, Air and Light". We will search for words that begin with the letters S and T and circle them. We will also listen for rhyming words.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 4: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
This week, during lessons 3 and 4, children will learn to listen carefully to the sounds in words and begin connecting sounds to letters. They are introduced to the letters s and t and practice blending them into simple words. We will review the irregular word the, and introduce the sight word I.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths.
Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community.
For more information about Chapter 1, please click the link below.
Week of August 31 - September 4
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 4: National Colors Day! Wear your favorite college gear!
September 7: No School! Labor Day!
September 11: Rock Ridge Run Kickoff!
September 21: No School - Professional Development Day
September 25: Rock Ridge Run!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish - Group A, PE/Music - Group D
Ms. Watson: Music/PE - Group B, PE/Music - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: Art - Group C, PE/Music - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 1, Lesson 2, Sessions 1-5: In lesson 2, the students will learn to describe and compare the length and height of two objects. We will use precise measurement language such as long/longer, short/shorter, and tall/taller The students will also work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence.
Literacy:
Benchmark Unit 1, Plants and Animals Have Needs, Week 1: In this unit, we will build genre knowledge by reading the book What Do Animals Need by Margaret McNamara. As a whole group, we will discuss the differences between books which are meant to provide information, and books which are meant to tell us a story.
Our shared reading this week will be the poem "Bears Eat Honey". We will focus on how letters make up words, and how we can tell the difference between the two.
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
This week, during lessons 1 and 2, children will learn to listen carefully to the sounds in words and begin connecting sounds to letters. They are introduced to the letters m and a and practice blending them into simple words. The sight word I is also introduced.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 3: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
Kindergarten Readiness:
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.
Wayfinder SEL: Wayfinder is our social-emotional learning curriculum that helps kindergarteners build the skills they need to feel confident, connected, and ready to learn. Through playful, age-appropriate lessons, students learn to understand and manage their feelings, communicate with others, build friendships, solve problems, make positive choices, and recognize their own strengths.
Our goal is to help every child learn how to care for themselves, care for others, and feel a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community.
For more information about Chapter 1, please click the link below.
Week of August 24 - 28, 2026
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
August 25: Picture Day!
August 27: Back to School BBQ!
September 4: National Colors Day! Wear your favorite college gear!
September 7: No School! Labor Day!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music/PE - Group A, Spanish - Group D
Ms. Watson: Art - Group B, Spanish - Group D
Ms. Youngberg: PE/Music - Group C, Spanish - Group D
Math:
iReady Unit 1, Lesson 1, Sessions 1-5: The students will learn to describe where objects are. We will use words like above, below, beside, in front of, behind, next to, across, around, beneath, between, down, far, inside, nearby, near, on top of, outside, over, under, and up.
The students will also work on number formation, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence for the numbers 1 through 5.
Literacy:
Benchmark Advanced, Launching Week 2: This week in Benchmark Advance, we continue helping children adjust to routines and build strong foundations for learning. Students practice listening and speaking skills, learn how to share ideas with the class, and explore stories together. We focus on recognizing letters and sounds, building vocabulary, and developing print awareness. Children also practice working with partners, following directions, and expressing their thoughts through drawing and early writing. These activities help set the stage for a year full of reading, writing, and learning success!
UFLI: UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) is a research-based reading program we use in kindergarten to help children become strong, confident readers. Through daily lessons, students practice connecting letters to sounds, blending sounds to make words, and building a strong foundation for spelling and reading. It’s hands-on, fun, and gives children the tools they need to grow as readers step by step.
During Week 2, students continue building the foundation for reading success. We focus on hearing and identifying beginning sounds in words, practicing how to listen closely to the parts of spoken words, and strengthening alphabet knowledge. Children also play with rhymes, work on recognizing their names, and practice important routines that will help them feel confident when we begin formal reading lessons.
Heggerty, Phonological Awareness, Week 2: Heggerty is a phonological awareness program. This part of our day typically takes about 10 minutes. We will focus on rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, compound words, letter names and sounds, and how many words make up different sentences.
Kindergarten Readiness
GOLD: GOLD is a way for teachers to see how ready children are for kindergarten. Instead of a test, teachers watch and take notes during everyday play and activities. This helps them understand each child’s strengths, such as making friends, using language, recognizing letters and numbers, and moving their bodies. The information gives teachers a full picture of your child so they can support their growth and learning in the best way possible. For more information, please click the link below.