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Dear Families,
October arrives this week, bringing a season full of color and discovery in Kindergarten! As we move into the first weeks of autumn, our class will explore the changing seasons through activities like leaf collecting and apple picking. Along the way, we’ll continue to build creativity, kindness, empathy, and a love of learning together.
Important Dates
10/01/25 - No After School - Yom Kippur
10/02/25 - School Closed - Yom Kippur
10/10/25 - Apple Picking Field Trip
10/13/25 - School Closed - Indigenous Peoples’ Day
10/17/25 - Crazy Sock Day
10/18/25 - Pumpkin Patch & Great Halloween Costume Swap!
10/20/25 - School Closed - Diwali
10/21/25 - Guest Parent Speaker: Jennifer Wallace - 6:30 PM Virtual
10/22/25 - State of the School - 6:00 PM Virtual
10/23/25 - United Voices, 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM (Sign-Up Sheet)
10/24/25 - Snapshots shared in Parent Portal - 4:00 PM
10/25/25 - LS Haunted House 5:45 - 7:45 PM
10/31/25 - Dress Up Parade - No After School: Halloween
Here are some important reminders for the week:
If you haven’t already, please let your child’s teacher know ASAP if you plan to attend the October 10th apple picking trip. We need a final headcount to ensure everything is ready for this fun and exciting day.
Please take a moment to explore the Mindfulness website, where Ms. Marie 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.
In addition, check out the other specialists’ websites for updates and happenings in their classrooms.
Art Dance Library Music PE Science Spanish
Ms. Ruiz’s friend, The Good Ms. Padgett, is a children’s singer and songwriter (and also a fellow kindergarten teacher in NYC)! She’ll be performing a family-friendly show in Brooklyn on Saturday, October 5th. You can find more information about her upcoming show here.
Kindergarteners will begin their Family Study soon. Please sign up here for your Family Share! We would love for everyone to participate! Please sign up as soon as possible so your child has the chance to share something special about your family with the class. This is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn more about one another and celebrate our diverse classroom community.
DEIB SPOTLIGHT: Please take a moment to view the video and message in this week’s Poly Pulse shared by Olugbala Williams, our Lower School Diversity Coordinator. In it, you’ll find an example of how to talk with children about the importance of our Heritage Month celebrations, as well as insight into the philosophy behind this meaningful work. Heritage Months and the My Story Project are rooted in affirmation, love, and respect, offering children essential “mirrors” of their identities while also educating our entire school community. These initiatives create space for every child to feel recognized, valued, and empowered. We encourage you to watch the video and continue these conversations at home.
If you have not already, please complete the Parents as Partners Questionnaire as soon as possible.
Please take the time to sit down with your child to review lunch menu options from Nutrislice. We are encouraging all of the children to try the hot food items. Please use this link to review the menu.
If your child wears rainboots on rainy days, please also send an extra pair of shoes. This will make it easier for them to move safely on the stairs and participate comfortably in other classes such as PE.
Please read below for this coming week’s learning goals and a few pointers for what you can do at home:
Social Emotional Learning
Friendships
Empathy
Feelings/Emotions
How to overcome difficult feelings, especially at school
When feeling frustrated, sad, angry, worried, etc. we talked about the various ways you can deal with these heavy feelings:
Take deep breaths
Ask others for some space
Share how you are feeling with your friends
Talk to a teacher
Reading
How to take a picture walk
Before reading a book, look through it from beginning to end using the illustrations to anticipate what the book will be about.
Word of the week
The sight word this week will be the. Have your child find the word “the” 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.
Print Concepts
Directionality
Understanding that text is read from left to right and top to bottom on a page
Distinguishing between letters and words
One-to-one correspondence
Pointing to words as they are read aloud; Using your “pointer power”
Fundations / Handwriting
Letters i, u, c and o
Recognizing lowercase letters i, u, c, and o
The sounds of i, u, c, and o
Writing lowercase letters i, u, c, and o
Fundations At Home Pack for letters “i and u” and “c and o”
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
We will continue with our first writing unit called "We are all Writers!" This unit introduces children to writing by exploring both informational pieces and true stories. Students are encouraged to think, draw, label, and write about their pictures in their own way. It's an exciting step in developing their storytelling skills.
We will 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
Numbers to 10
Count, read, and write numbers from 6 to 10
Use ordinal numbers to tell order by naming the position of objects in a small ordered collection
Order numbers to 10 in both increasing and decreasing order
Students will learn how numbers work together and take numbers apart through purposeful activities
Social Studies
Seasons
Naming seasons and discussing why they change
What happens in nature and in our lives during the four seasons
We are also celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month or Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana. Every grade has been assigned a Spanish speaking country to learn more about. Kindergarten is learning more about Mexico.
What You Can Do At Home
Have fun with a letter hunt! Use sticky notes to write letters i, u, c, and o and hide them around the house and have your child go on a letter scavenger hunt. As they find each letter, ask them to say the letter's name, sound, and motion.
Letter Formation: use materials like building blocks, connecting cubes, playdough, or magnetic letters to form the letters i, u, c, and o. Encourage your child to trace the letters with their finger and say the letter sounds aloud.
Counting Fingers: Use your fingers as visual aids. Ask your child to show different combinations of fingers to make 5. For example, they can show 2 fingers on one hand and 3 on the other.
Number Hunt: Hide number cards or objects around the house, each representing a number from 0 to 5. As your child finds them, ask them to find another card or object that when added to the first, makes 5. Feel free to add a challenge and increase the number.
Story Problems: Create simple story problems related to everyday scenarios. For example, “You have 2 apples,and your friend gives you some more. How many apples do you have to make 5?” Story problems help connect math to real-life situations.
Discuss the importance of celebrating Heritage Months: In September, we take time to celebrate the history, cultures, and contributions of people whose families come from places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America. We celebrate because Hispanic people have shared so many important traditions, stories, foods, music, and ideas that make our communities stronger. It’s a way to honor them and to learn about different cultures.
National Hispanic Heritage Month: Introduce your child to famous Hispanic artists like Frida Kahlo or Pablo Picasso. Let them create their own artwork inspired by these artists using crayons, markers, or paints. You can also explore traditional crafts like papel picado (colorful paper banners) or molas (colorful textile art).
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