KLM Newsletter

November 1, 2019

Halloween was a big success this week and we want to thank our class parents and volunteers for helping with the Halloween fun. We hope you enjoyed the parade and the concert, it was most definitely a memorable day for your little ones.

Enjoy the pictures on the homepage!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 25, 2019

This week in KLM...

Mrs. Grant, the school counselor, came into our classroom for Red Ribbon week. Red Ribbon week revolves around making healthy choices. She had some fun activities and interactive games where the children had to decipher between healthy and not healthy choices.

We wrapped up our apple theme by making a yummy apple strudel. The kiddos cut apple slices into small pieces, rolled out cinnamon dough, and then wrapped the apples in the dough. We baked the strudel's and enjoyed them as an afternoon snack.

We carved pumpkins! This was our favorite activity of the week. Each table group had the opportunity to design their jack-o-lantern, scoop out the seeds, and watch as it was carved. We saved all the seeds and roasted them for a delicious snack.

Information about Halloween and the parade will be coming home in your child's folder. Have a fabulous weekend!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

Thank you to all the families who helped and joined us for our apple/pumpkin picking trip this week. It was a successful trip and we had so much fun. The weather turned out be perfect and we had a very happy class.

Mrs. Grant, the school counselor, came into our classroom this week for a discussion on feelings. In coordination with our apple picking trip, she used apples to demonstrate how we all may look different on the outside, but we are all the same on the inside and we need to take care of each others feelings. She followed up her mini lesson by cooking the children some yummy apple pancakes.

Following our apple/pumpkin picking field trip, KLM had an apple taste test. We tried a variety of apple items...apples, apple sauce, apple jacks, apple pie, and apple cider...and then voted on which one we liked the best. We then graphed our votes and compared the results.

Information about Halloween and the parade will be coming home next week in your child's folder.

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

It was a short week in KLM, but we sure did make the most of our time. We are cruising right along in Fundations and Math. The children are very familiar with the routines now and are mastering the letters and sounds, as well as becoming very comfortable with numbers 0-10. They enjoy working in small groups and rotating.

As part of our bee study, this week we focused on honey. We learned all about how bees make honey and how many positive benefits there are to eating local honey. On Thursday we had a honey taste test of four different kinds of local honey. The children tasted each one and voted on their favorite. On Friday, we made a yummy banana-honey snack to enjoy. Thank you so much to the families that sent in honey!

We are looking forward to our field trip next week to the Sag Harbor Firehouse and The Milk Pail. We do not need parents to ride the bus with us to the Milk Pail, but you are welcome to meet us there! If you have not already sent in the $10 for the apple/pumpkin picking trip, please do so. Money should be sent in a marked envelope with your child's name in the daily folder.

Have a lovely weekend!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

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October 4, 2019

Thank you so much to the parents who have sent in supplies for our classroom, we greatly appreciate it! Be sure to check the KLM webpage for an updated "wish list" of items we are looking for throughout the school year.

This week in Fundations we introduced the letters "Ii" and "Uu" and identified them as vowels. We worked in rotating small groups, practicing letter and sound identification and handwriting formation. We also worked on sentence structure and punctuation.

As discussed at Curriculum Night, one of our goals is to build and strengthen fine motor skills (hand and finger muscles). We do this in the classroom through various activities: play dough, small manipulatives, stringing beads, and tweezer games. We encourage you to provide activities at home for reinforcement as well. You can reference the packet that came home on Curriculum Night for some engaging home activities.

Math was a huge hit this week. The concepts revolved around numbers 0-10 identification and number writing.

Next week there is no school on Wednesday, October 9th in observance of Yom Kippur and no school on Monday, October 14th in observance of Columbus Day

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

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September 27, 2019

Here's the scoop on what's been going down in KLM this week...

We introduced letters new lowercase letters in Fundations. Small group centers revolved around letter identification, handwriting, and letter sounds. Sentence structure play is also part of our daily routine. The children can now identify that a sentence always begins with an uppercase letter and ends with punctuation.

Small group math centers focused on identifying numbers 0-5, 1:1 correspondence, and number handwriting. We are really working on building those fine motor skills with a variety of hand strengthening activities.

This week we continued our study of bees as we examined their lifecycle and anatomy. This bee study has been so much fun that we have decided to continue it a bit longer before we transition into farm life and apples.

It was so great getting to see so many parents last night at Curriculum Night. We loved having the opportunity to chat and get to know everyone better.

Have a wonderful weekend, we will see you Wednesday!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

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September 20, 2019

It has been a very busy week in KLM! The children have the class routine down and they are working the classroom on their own. We are looking forward to seeing you next week, Thursday 9/26, at Curriculum Night. KLM is looking for class parents to help throughout the school year, please let us know that evening if you’re interested. We will be in the classroom from 7:45-8:30 where you will have the opportunity to hear all about your child’s day and the curriculum, as well as speak to the teachers. You are then welcome to visit the Special Area teachers from 7:00-7:30.

This week in Fundations we introduced letters "Bb" and "Ff". The children broke into small group centers where they worked on handwriting, letter identification, and letter sound. Be sure to check your child's folder for a Fundations packet reviewing what we worked on this week.

We focused on numbers 0-5 in Math. We are working on handwriting, counting, quantifying, and partners that make-up each number.

Next Tuesday, 9/24 is picture day. We know all the kiddos will look adorable, however, they have PE that day so make sure to send sneakers in their backpack.

Enjoy the weekend!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

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September 13, 2019

This week, the children had the opportunity to visit every special area subject and meet their other teachers. They are becoming more familiar and comfortable with the building. The children loved ending the week with the Back to School Picnic and the concert on the field!

We began our orientation of Fundations, with the introduction of letter “Tt”, the writing grid, and pencil grip. A packet will be sent home in your child’s folder, providing detailed information of what we worked on. The children worked in whole groups and small group Fundation centers.

In Math this week we worked on what makes thing “exactly the same, the same, and different”. The children also worked in whole and small learning groups for Math.

As an introduction to Writer’s Workshop, the children learned how to draw a person through the help of “Matman”. Matman uses song to teach the shapes and parts needed to draw a person. The class loves this activity; maybe you’ve even heard the song at home this week!

The children are working hard to earn golden tickets. These tickets are awarded when a student is spotted making a great choice, such as following directions, doing their best work, or helping a friend. Once they earn 10 golden tickets, they may pick a coupon reward. The children helped brainstorm coupon ideas and we got some great ideas!

We were so happy to see how many parents ordered Scholastic books this month! A flyer will come home every month and it’s a great opportunity for you and your child to pick out books to read together. Every time you order books, KLM receives bonus points so that we are able to order books for our classroom library.

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim

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September 6, 2019

It has been a fabulous first few days of Kindergarten and we couldn't be happier! These days have been a nice chance for us to get to know each other, and for the children to get to know the classroom. These kiddos are already coming out of their shell and becoming comfortable with their new class family.

The children have had the opportunity to visit the music room, violin room, and the gym this week and look forward to library, art, computer, and spanish next week. Of course, there was also lots of fun out on the playground. The children have been introduced to their class job, which will start on Monday and rotate weekly. Everyone has a responsibility in helping to take care of our class family.

Tuesday, the children will join our SHES family at Morning Program for the first time. Parents are welcome to join us at Morning Program when possible, we'd love to see you there.

We are very proud of these little kiddos in their first week and we are super excited for a wonderful Kindergarten year!

Enjoy the weekend~

Ms. Montaldo & Mrs. Luzim