Newsletter Archive - 12/15/25

Dear Families,

What a wonderful Celebration of Learning! The children were ECSTATIC to share their work with you, and it was truly special to see how proud they were of themselves. As we wrap up the year, we want to thank you for your partnership and support throughout 2025.

Here’s to continued growth and discovery in 2026! Wishing you all a joyful, restful winter break. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Important Dates

• 12/15/25 - POLY PM: MakeUp Week for Fall Enrichment Courses (12/15 - 12/18)

• 12/15/25 - United Voices - 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM 

• 12/19/25 - Winter Lost & Found Recovery Day

• 12/19/25 - 12 PM Dismissal. No After School

• 1/5/26 - School and Poly PM Resumes

• 1/9/26 - LS Photos Makeup Day

• 1/16/26 - Poly Pep Day & Oasis Night

• 1/19/26 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed

• 1/20/26 - Professional Day - School Closed

• 1/23/26 - Jammin’ June & Poly Math Camp registration camps

• 1/26/26 - Food Drive Begins

• 1/29/26 -  United Voices - 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM 

• 1/29/26 - Parent Shopping Day at Used Book Sale

Here are some important reminders for the week:

1. We warmly invite families to join our classroom in January to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month. For planning ahead, if more than one family would like to participate, we would be delighted to connect families for a shared presentation so students can hear from multiple perspectives.

2. Send in Gently Used Books for our LS Book Sale by Friday, January 23

We are currently collecting gently used books for our upcoming book sale. We are also collecting used bags/totes so that we can offer our shoppers a bag with purchase! Please drop off books for babies, kids, and adults, as well as used bags, in the library or by the security desks any time before Friday, January 23. Contact Kristen Robb (krobb@polyprep.org) with questions, and thanks for helping to make this annual event such a success! Click here for a printable flyer.

3. Click here for a message from Ms. Carmen about science shares and to find out which day your child is scheduled for a share. Every student has been assigned a date between now and December. 

4. During this busy time of year, mindfulness is more important than ever! Here is the link to Ms. Marie’s Mindfulness website, where she shares lessons, activities, and resources. You’ll find information about what mindfulness is, what lessons look like in the classroom, and simple ways to practice mindfulness at home with your child.

Please read below for this coming week’s learning goals and a few pointers for what you can do at home:

Social Emotional Learning

• Navigating Friendships:

  • How to be a flexible friend and practice compromise 

  • How to include others

  • It’s ok to play different games at recess–you are still friends even when you have different interests! 

Reading

• Word of the week

  • The sight words of the week will be your. Have your child find the word your in magazines, newspapers, etc. They can circle, underline or highlight (also good for fine motor) every time they see the word. As you or they are reading books, they can also count the number of times it shows up on the page. 

    • Learned words: and, the, a, I, to, do, he, me, she, we, my, you

• Print Concepts 

  • Distinguishing between letters and words

  • One-to-one correspondence

    • Pointing to words as they are read aloud, using your “pointer power”

• “Get your mouth ready.”

  • Look at the first letter in the word, think about the sound it makes, and then get your mouth ready to make that sound.  

• Phonemic awareness:

  • Rhyming 

    • We are learning that words rhyme when the middle and ending sounds are the same.

    • Rhyming words and word families help children discover many common word patterns.

      • Here are the word families we have taught thus far: -an, -at, -ag, -ad, -an 

  • Identifying beginning sounds 

  • Identifying ending sounds

  • Breaking words into syllables

Fundations / Handwriting 

• Letters v and w

  • Recognizing lowercase letters and sounds of v and w

  • Writing lowercase letters v and w

  • Review: t, b, f, m, n, i, u, c, o, a, g, d, s, e, r, p, j, l, h, k

• Fundations At Home Pack for letters for v and w 

  • The Fundations Home Support Pack provides you with the “why” and the “what” regarding our reading program, Fundations. The Fundations Home Packet also provides you with the language that the teachers use when forming their letters. Please use the same language when instructing and practicing with your child at home.

Writing Workshop

• Writers will use booklets to create and stretch a story across three pages. We will practice:

  • THINK: something that happened to you, or something you did

  • PRACTICE: telling with a storyteller’s voice (touch each page as you say aloud how it might go)

  • PICTURES and WORDS tell: who, where, what

  • Use speech bubbles to say more 

• We will continue to practice the rhyme, When you think you’re done, you’ve only just begun. Children often say they are done, but we ask them to add more details to drawing, labeling, and writing.

Math

Flat and Solid Shapes

• MIF School-to-Home Connections 

• Name and identify flat and solid shapes by their specific attributes

• Compare the similarities and differences between flat shapes and solid shapes

• Use position words such as “above” and “below” to name the relative positions of shapes

• Use attribute blocks to create new shapes and use pictures to create new flat shapes 

• Identify a sequence of shapes that form a pattern 

• Determine the similarities and differences when observing patterns formed using flat shapes and solid shapes    

Social Studies

• Family Study: We will continue our family unit with an exploration of our own families and what we like to do together: special traditions, food we like to eat, holidays we celebrate, etc. Read-Alouds this week will include: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and My Family is Forever by Nancy Carlson.

• During our read-alouds, we will notice the diverse range of family structures, including same-sex and different-sex parents, mixed-race families, adopted children, and more. 

Anti-Racist Read Aloud: 

• Our school-wide anti-racist read-aloud this month is Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. This story celebrates imagination, confidence, and courage while reminding children that everyone deserves the chance to try new things and follow their dreams. 

  • Our focus for the month is on fairness, understanding what it means and why it matters. We talk about fairness as treating people with kindness and respect, giving everyone what they need to be successful, and making sure everyone has a turn and a voice. We’ll explore fairness through classroom discussions, stories, and play, helping children notice when things are or aren’t fair and how they can take action to make things right. By practicing fairness, we build a classroom community where every child feels seen, included, and valued. 

What You Can Do At Home

• Letter Sound Identification: Play word games at home or in the car. Think of a word that begins with the sound of /v/ and /w/. 

• Rainbow Writing: To practice letter and number formation, provide a sheet with letters or numbers lightly outlined. Your child can trace over them multiple times using different colored markers or crayons to create a “rainbow” effect.

• Make a Rhyme Chain: Start with a word (e.g., "cake"), and take turns coming up with rhyming words. Keep the chain going as long as possible, adding a silly story or phrase for extra fun.

• Spelling: Have your child practice spelling learned sight words in shaving cream or sand: a, the, and, I, to, do, he, me, she, we, you 

• Shape Collage: Provide magazines, old greeting cards, or colored paper. Have your child cut out flat shapes and glue them onto a larger paper to create a picture or design using only shapes.

• Fine Motor Skills: Practice fine motor skills with exercises like beading, buttoning, zipping. Foster independence and build confidence at home by encouraging your children to peel their own oranges, open a snack, clean up after themselves when they eat, and practice tying their own shoes and zipping their own jackets.

• Discuss the importance of celebrating Heritage Months: While December isn’t officially a heritage month, it’s still a wonderful time to explore and celebrate cultures, traditions, and holidays from around the world. In kindergarten, we’ll be learning about how different families celebrate this season, fostering understanding, curiosity, and appreciation for the diverse ways people live and celebrate. You can support this learning at home by exploring and celebrating your family’s holiday traditions together.

• Native American Heritage Month: We will continue to honor Native American Heritage month into December! Introduce your child to Native American artists and storytellers, such as Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kay WalkingStick, or T.C. Cannon. Look at their artwork together and talk about the shapes, patterns, and colors they use to tell stories and share traditions. Encourage your child to create their own artwork inspired by these artists using crayons, markers, or paints. You can also explore traditional crafts like beadwork patterns, woven designs, or nature-inspired art using leaves, sticks, and natural colors. This is a wonderful way for your children to celebrate creativity while learning about the beauty and diversity of Native cultures.