Week of October 6 - October 10
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 7: PTO Meeting - 6pm
October 8 and 9: Parent Teacher Conferences
October 13 - 17: Fall Break!
October 28: Picture Make-up Day!
Art Fundraiser! Click here for more information.
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish (PE - Tuesday and Friday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Art (PE - Wednesday)
Ms. Watson: Music (PE - Monday and Thursday)
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.
🌈 Learning with Wayfinder
In kindergarten, we use the Wayfinder program to help children learn about feelings, kindness, and making good choices. Through fun stories, games, and class discussions, students practice being good friends, solving problems, and showing empathy. These lessons help build confidence and support a caring classroom community where everyone feels safe and valued.
💛 Learning About Kindness and Bullying in Wayfinder
This month in Wayfinder, our kindergarteners are learning about kindness, friendship, and what to do if someone isn’t being kind. We talk about how our words and actions can make others feel, and how to stand up for ourselves and our friends in safe and respectful ways.
Students practice using kind words, including others in play, and telling a trusted adult if they see or experience unkind behavior. These lessons help children understand that everyone deserves to feel safe, cared for, and included at school.
Week of September 29 - October 3
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
October 3: Rock Ridge Fun Run Prize Day!
October 7: PTO Meeting - 6pm
October 8 and 9: Parent Teacher Conferences
October 13 - 17: Fall Break!
October 28: Picture Make-up Day!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Art (PE - Monday and Thursday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Music (PE - Tuesday and Friday)
Ms. Watson: Spanish (PE - Wednesday)
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 reveiwed all sight words: the, I, and, a, is.
Week of September 23 - September 26
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 22: No School - Professional Development Day
October 3: Rock Ridge Fun Run Prize Day!
October 7: PTO Meeting - 6pm
October 8 and 9: Parent Teacher Conferences
October 13 - 17: Fall Break!
October 28: Picture Make-up Day!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music(PE - Wednesday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Spanish (PE - Thursday)
Ms. Watson: Art (PE - Tuesday and Friday)
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 F and the sound /f/ it makes, like in fun and fish. The will practice saying the sound, writing the letter, blending it with other letters to read simple words, and learned 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, 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.
Week of September 15 - September 19
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 19: Rock Ridge Fun Run! 1:20pm
September 22: No School - Professional Development Day
October 3: Rock Ridge Fun Run Prize Day!
October 8 and 9: Parent Teacher Conferences
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish (PE - Wednesday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Art (PE - Monday and Thursday)
Ms. Watson: Music (PE - Tuesday)
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.
Week of September 8 - September 12
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 9: Fun Run Kick Off assembly
September 19: Rock Ridge Fun Run! 1:20pm
September 22: No School - Professional Development Day
October 3: Rock Ridge Fun Run Prize Day!
October 8 and 9: Parent Teacher Conferences
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Art (PE - Tuesday and Friday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Music (PE - Wednesday)
Ms. Watson: Spanish (PE - Monday and Thursday)
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.
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. 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.
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 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.
Week of September 3 - September 6
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
September 3: Rock Ridge Run Kickoff!
September 19: Rock Ridge Run!
September 22: No School - Professional Development Day
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Music (PE on Thursday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Spanish (PE on Tuesday and Friday)
Ms. Watson: Art (PE on Wednesday)
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.
Week of August 25 - 29
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
August 27: Picture Day!
August 29: National College Colors Day
September 1: No School - Labor Day
September 19: Rock Ridge Run!
Specials:
Ms. Donohue: Spanish (PE-Tuesday and Friday)
Mrs. Kiehn: Art (PE-Wednesday)
Ms. Watson: Music (PE-Monday and Thursday)
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.