November News
Dates to Remember
November 1, 8, 15, 29-Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 7 (Election Day, No school for students)
November 23-24 (Thanksgiving Break)
School-to-Home Connection
Dear Families,
I want to tell you a bit about our Second Steps program in school. Success in school is not just reading and writing and math but it is also knowing how to get along with others. Second Steps is a program that teaches the following critical skills:
1. Skills for Learning: Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be assertive when asking for help.
2. Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their feelings and others' feelings. Students also learn to take another's perspective and how to show compassion.
3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.
4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems in a positive way.
Throughout the year, your child will be brining home Home Links which go with several of the lessons. Home Links are simply and fun activities for you and your child to complete together. They are a great way for you to understand what your child is learning and for your child to show what he or she knows. These Home Links are optional and can be completed at any time. Or you may decide to simply have a conversation with your child about it. Do what suits your needs and schedule best. Thank you so much for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and life!
Mrs. Fox
Classroom Update
In Reader's Workshop, we will finish up our Storybook/Emergent Readers. We continue to practice retelling a story by sharing what happened in the beginning, middle, and end, being sure to include details about the characters, setting, problem, and solution.
Towards the end of the month, we will begin our "Just Right Reading" time. As we work to "Read the words," we will work to put our Reading Finger (pointer finger) under each word as we read. We have been introduced to the following sight words: I, a, me, my, like, the. You can find a complete list of kindergarten sight words on the home page of our site. List A of snap words will go home this month. It is a colored mini book for you and your child to practice these words. When your child has mastered them, send the book back with your child and we will go over them together. Then, the next list will be sent home. We will learn our Reading Super Powers- we have Pointer Power, Picture Power, Sound Power, Pattern Power, SNAP Word Power, Partner Power, and more! Please help us practice these skills and strategies at home!
During Writer's Workshop, our new unit is called Show and Tell. Students are growing as writers by including labels. detailed pictures and beginning to generate simple sentences using their understanding of letters and sounds while including SNAP words.
During Phonics with Mabel. students are becoming WORD SCIENTISTS. The primary goal of this unit is to build upon their phonological awareness and high frequency words. Mabel and the student have fun studying Alphabet charts and new SNAP words.
In our All About Us unit, we are learning about families and how to get along with others and be a good listener.
In science, students will learn how scientists view our world and explore the weather and the sun.
In Math, we are learning how to count and match numerals 6-10. We are also learning how to compare numerals 6-10. We are using a variety of materials and a lot of ten frames to help us develop a solid understanding of the relationship between numbers 1-10. We will also work on number formation and representing numbers in a variety of ways during our math stations.