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Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe we’re already in the final week of October! For those who attended the Haunted House, we hope you had a spook-tacular time! The students are excited to come to school in their costumes for Dress Up Day this Friday. We’ll also enjoy some Halloween-themed learning activities throughout the week. Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We can’t wait to see you at the parade!
Important Dates
Friday, Oct 30: Dress Up Day and Parade, 8:40 AM COSTUME GUIDELINES
Monday, Nov 2: School Closed: Professional Day
Tuesday, Nov 3: Solidarity Week
Wednesday, Nov 4: Solidarity Week Celebration
Friday, Nov 6: Fall Conference Sign Ups Shared in Poly Pulse
Saturday, Nov 14: HUGS B&L Friendsgiving, 6:00 PM (Details To Be Confirmed)
Monday, Nov 16: POLY PM Winter Enrichment Registration Opens, 10:30 AM
Tuesday, Nov 17: United Voices November Meetings, 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday, Nov 19: No After School: In-Person Conferences (3:30 - 6:30)
Friday, Nov 20: Regular Day of School. After School Open.
Monday, Nov 23: School Closed: Virtual Conferences (9:00 - 3:00)
Tuesday, Nov 24: School Closed: Lower School Professional Day
Wednesday, Nov 25 - Friday, Nov. 27: School Closed for Thanksgiving (Nov 25 - 27)
Here are some important reminders for the week:
Halloween Parade: The weather is looking great for Friday morning’s Halloween Parade. Students are invited to wear costumes to school. Parents cheer students on as the children parade outside, beginning at 8:40 AM. There are no after school activities on this day.
Toys from home: We talked with the children about keeping toys and special treasures at home. One small stuffed animal may stay in their backpack, but all other toys and trinkets should remain at home. We want to help keep their special things safe from getting lost or broken at school. Please take a quick peek in your child’s backpack each morning to help us with this. Thank you for your partnership!
Solidarity Day Colors for Wednesday, November 4:
Solidarity Week is an opportunity to learn about and practice being in solidarity with others, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Solidarity Week is Tuesday, November 3 to Friday, November 6. Each year during this week, our students learn about difference, respect, and safety for every member of our school community. On Wednesday, November 4, we will join the Middle and Upper School to stand up against bullying, gender stereotypes, and name-calling in schools, engage in meaningful learning and community-building activities, and take a picture in the colors of the rainbow. Students are asked to wear the following colors:
Pre-K, & Kindergarten wear purple.
Grades 1, 2, & 3 wear blue.
Grades 4, 5, & 6 wear green.
Trying Let Grow!
This year, we are excited to try the Let Grow program, which encourages children to build independence, confidence, and problem-solving skills through everyday opportunities to do things on their own. The idea is simple: give children a little more space to make choices, take on age-appropriate responsibilities, and experience the small challenges that come with growing up. We’re sharing a short parent introduction packet to give you a better sense of the program and some simple ways you might try it at home. Here are this month’s activities where you’ll also find an activities ideas list. There’s no pressure to do everything or do it perfectly. Give it a try and see what feels right for your family!
Please take the time to sit down with your child to review lunch menu options from Cater To You. 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.
Click here for a note from Ms. Carmen with your child’s specimen share date in science.
Please read below for this coming week’s learning goals and a few pointers for what you can do at home:
Social Emotional Learning
Kindness
How to stand up for yourself and others if you hear something unkind
Reading
Word of the week
The sight words this week will be to and do. Have your child find the words “to” and “do" in magazines and other printed materials around the home. 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, I, a
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
Identifying beginning sounds
Identifying ending sounds
Breaking words into syllables
Fundations / Handwriting
Letters d and s
Recognizing lowercase letters d and s
The sounds of d and s
Writing lowercase letters d and s
Review: t, b, f, m, n, i, u, c, o, a, g
Fundations At Home Pack for letters “d and s”
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.
A sentence…
Tells a complete thought. It has a who and a what.
Starts with a capital letter and ends with punctuation.
Has spaces between the words.
Promoting independence: We are “risk-taker spellers!” When we’re unsure of how to spell a word, we won’t let that stop us, and we won’t say to a teacher, “How do you spell…?” Instead, we can:
“Tap it out” (touch thumb to index finger, say first sound; then thumb to middle, say the next, etc.)
“Rubber band the word.” Say it very slowly several times. Each time you hear another sound, write the letter that makes that sound.
Check the word wall to see if it’s a learned “trick word.”
Take a risk! Write down any sounds you can hear, even if only the very first sound.
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
Anti-Racist Read-Aloud: This month’s ARRA is Spork by Kyo Maclear, a playful story about a utensil who is part spoon and part fork. Spork feels like he doesn’t quite fit in because he is different from the other utensils. He tries to change himself to fit in with the spoons and then the forks, but neither feels quite right. When a very messy new arrival comes into the kitchen, Spork discovers that being different is actually his greatest strength. Through this humorous story, we are exploring identity, individuality, belonging, and the idea that our differences can be what make us special.
What You Can Do At Home
Letter Hunt: Have fun with a letter hunt! Use sticky notes to write letters i, u, c, o, a and g 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.
Lowercase letter formation: To practice letter building/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.
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.
Visit the Green Wood Cemetery Day of the Dead Family Celebration on November 1st
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