Newsletter - October 24, 2025
Everybody had such a great time during our Halloween party and parade! Thank you to our class parents for making the celebration so easy and fun. The class also loved the special Halloween snack after the parade.
Throughout the week, we practiced many important skills through role-playing, such as how to behave during a parade (all the students were amazing during the real one!), how to tell someone to stop when they’re bothering you, and how to line up before going into school.
As part of our Tree Unit, we weighed tree items using a balance scale, read Who Lives in Trees? and The Grouchy Ladybug, and acted out Abiyoyo a second time. I’ve noticed many students choosing Abiyoyo from the bookshelf and acting it out on their own. I love to see their enthusiasm and engagement in literacy.
The class has also been practicing reading their own Halloween book, which they’ll bring home next week to read with you.
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Class website
Special person Schedule:
October 27 - Milo
October 28 - Toma
October 29 - Isabella
October 30 - Logan
October 31 - Sebastian
November 3 - Nina
November 4 - Graydon
November 5 - Margot
Dates to remember:
October 27 - Class photos
November 3 - Early Dismissal - class time 8:30-10:30
November 4 - Early Dismissal - class time 8:30-10:30
November 5 - Early Dismissal - class time 8:30-10:30
November 14 - Pre-k Training Day - No School for Pre-k
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - October 17, 2025
We’ve been busy exploring trees like true “scientists” Using magnifying glasses, the students investigated different parts of trees — noticing the shapes of leaves, the veins running through them, the patterns on bark, and examining “tree cookies” (cross-sections of tree trunks that show a tree’s age through its rings).
The class also helped decorate our bulletin board by painting with leaf-shaped sponges and creating paper trees decorated with the letters of their first or last names.
We have read Abiyoyo (where students acted out a character by waving a magic wand), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Our Tree Named Steve.
We’ve also enjoyed a variety of fun fall and Halloween-themed activities, including:
Putting pumpkins in numerical order
Making patterns with Halloween characters
Practicing turn-taking and counting while playing the Bee Tree game
Identifying letters from the "pumpkin pot" that a friendly witch was stirring
Everyone had a wonderful time at the Pumpkin Patch!
Although I wasn’t able to show this video in class due to a technical issue with the whiteboard, I’m including it here in case you'd like to watch it with your child at home:It’s Diwali! Read Aloud | Read & Learn with Simon Kids
This involves oral and listening activities such as the ones we have done the last couple of weeks:
Make sure to look in your children’s backpack for the picture forms and their shape creations
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Class website
Special person Schedule:
October 20 - No School
October 21 - Graydon
October 22 - Margot
October 23 - Ella
October 24 - Nathalie
October 27 - Milo
October 28 - Toma
October 29 - Isabella
October 30 - Logan
October 31 - Sebastian
Dates to remember:
October 20 - No School - Diwali
October 24 - Halloween Parade
October 27 - Class photos
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - October 10, 2025
This week, we celebrated an "Extra Week of Respect", and our students were quite impressive! We acknowledged their respectful behavior by adding a ball to our “bucket” each time we noticed acts of kindness and consideration. We’re proud to share that they filled the bucket every day!
All the students were superstars at the Fire Prevention assembly today.
Today, we sent home a Nature Scavenger Hunt as part of our Trees & Fall unit. Your child is welcome to bring in their scavenger hunt "finds" next week to share with the class.
I will periodically post activities on the Seesaw learning app. You should receive your child’s access code today. Once you log in, you’ll find a few activities already posted that you can explore together at home.
I will also occasionally send Boom Cards links—another online learning tool. Please note that Boom Card links expire after 14 days. Here are a few to try: https://boom.cards/fastplay/bbam https://boom.cards/fastplay/drvh
Both Seesaw and Boom Cards activities are completely optional—just some extra ways to support your child’s learning at home.
Don’t forget to sign up for your parent-teach conference Bartok 2025 AM Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-up Sheet
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Class website
Special person Schedule:
October 13 - No School
October 14 - Logan
October 15 - Sebastian
October 16 - Nina
October 17 - No School
October 20 - No School
October 21 - Graydon
October 22 - Margot
October 23 - Ella
October 24 - Nathalie
Dates to remember:
October 13 - No School -Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day
October 15 - Pumpkin Patch
October 17 - Pre-K Training Day - No School for Pre-K
October 20 - No School - Diwali
October 24 - Halloween Parade
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - October 3, 2025
This week’s highlight was our exciting Touch-A-Truck event! Earlier in the day, we read Neighborhood Song, which introduced us to many community helpers - some of whom we met at Touch-A-Truck. We also had a sweet time baking cookies to share during Back-to-School Night. At the start of each month, we listen to a song about the months of the year. It’s always fun to see the children light up and stand proudly when their birthday month is called out.Months of the Year Song - 12 Months of the Year - Kids Songs by The Learning Station
Parent-Teacher Conferences are held on November 3rd and November 4th. Please click on the link and sign up for a conference. Bartok 2025 AM Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-up Sheet
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Please look at the class website to see the pictures of your children.
Special person Schedule:
October 6 - Ella
October 7 - Nathalie
October 8 - Milo
October 9 - Toma
October 10 - Isabella
October 13 - No School
October 14 - Logan
October 15 - Sebastian
October 16 - Nina
October 17 - No School
Dates to remember:
October 13 - No School -Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day
October 15 - Pumpkin Patch
October 17 - Pre-K Training Day - No School for Pre-K
October 20 - No School - Diwali
October 24 - Halloween Parade
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - September 26, 2025
This week, we played fun games in small groups to explore letters, numbers, and rhyming words. In our “Fundations” program, the students have been introduced to the letters A through F. The students were introduced to painting (with fall colors) on the easel.
To support our learning about Rosh Hashanah and the changing seasons, we watched the following videos: Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah Four Seasons Song | Jack Hartmann. We look forward to learning about other cultural observances as the year unfolds. We always welcome parents to come in and share about their cultural traditions
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Please look at the class website to see the pictures of your children.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at Back to School Night! My presentation starts at 6:45.
Special person Schedule:
September 29 - Nina
September 30 - Ella (birthday)
October 1 - Graydon
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
October 3 - Margot
October 6 - Ella
October 7 - Nathalie
October 8 - Milo
October 9 - Toma
October 10 - Isabella
Dates to remember:
September 29 - Touch-A-Truck
September 30 - Back to School Night
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
October 13 - No School
October 17 - Pre-K Training Day - No School for Pre-K
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - September 19, 2025
This week in Pre-K we explored the importance of school rules and the difference between good and bad choices. Through fun and engaging activities, students learned how rules help us be safe, kind, and responsible.
We began by reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb and reading David Goes to School by David Shannon. After reading, students worked together to create a chart comparing David's good choices versus his not-so-good ones. This sparked conversations about behavior and helped us brainstorm some classroom rules.
The class also enjoyed watching skits featuring stuffed animals demonstrating how to handle disappointment in positive ways and not so positive ways (which the students thought was quite funny) which led to interesting discussions about managing emotions.
As part of our schoolwide initiative, we’ve been working on filling our class bucket by making “safe, kind, and responsible choices”. This concept comes from the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Learning Through Play and Hands-On Activities
Students built “Mat Man” — a wonderful group activity that supports attention skills, body awareness, and turn-taking.
In literacy and math centers, students:
Measured their shoes using cube blocks
Searched for letters in friends' names
Practiced identifying and forming the letters A through D with wood sticks
They also played a memory games and explored the sand table
Special person Schedule:
September 22 - Isabell
September 23 - No School
September 24 - No School
September 25 - Logan
September 26 - Sebastian
September 29 - Nina
September 30 - Ella (birthday)
October 1 - Graydon
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
October 3 - Margot
Dates to remember:
September 19 - Pre-K Training Day - No school
September 23 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
September 24 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
September 30 - Back-to-School Night
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
Have a great weekend!
Kristin Bartok
Newsletter - September 12, 2025
The class has done a wonderful job settling into their new classroom! Over the past seven days, students have been learning classroom routines, exploring different centers, learning classroom and school rules, and getting to know one another.
We’ve been working on name recognition—both their own and their classmates'—through games and songs like “Do You Know My Friend’s Name?”. One favorite activity has been our class book set to the tune of Willaby Wallaby Woo, with each child’s name featured on a page. This playful use of language is a fun and important part of early literacy development.
We’ve been lucky to enjoy the playground every day so far. In addition to offering opportunities for movement and play, the playground is a great place for students to connect with their teachers and peers.
In the classroom, students have explored the dramatic play center, kitchen, and block area. They’ve also had fun rolling playdough and forming letters, painting with watercolors, practicing cutting skills, and creating a colorful bulletin board with their handprints.
During group time, we charted our favorite colors, practiced listening skills, and read a variety of engaging books and nursery rhymes, including:
The Color Monster
Love is a Family
Anansi the Spider
My Five Senses
Little Miss Muffet
Humpty Dumpty
We also introduced the letters “A” and “B”, practiced a lockdown drill, and participated in a school fire drill.
The class has enjoyed singing and listening to videos such as:
🌟 Little Bee Story Time: The Kissing Hand Animated Read Aloud! 🌟
Good Morning, Mr. Rooster | Greeting Song for Kids | Super Simple Songs
I’ve emailed this newsletter to both parents/guardians on file. If you’d prefer that only one parent receives it, just let me know.
https://sites.google.com/westfieldnjk12.org/kbartok. Please look at the class website to see the pictures of your beautiful children.
Special person Schedule:
September 15 - Ella
September 16 - Nathalie
September 17 - Milo
September 18 - Toma
September 19 - Pre-K Training Day - No School
September 22 - Isabell
September 23 - No School
September 24 - No School
September 25 - Logan
September 26 - Sebastian
September 29 - Nina
September 30 - Ella (birthday)
October 1 - Graydon
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
October 2 - Margot
Dates to remember:
September 19 - Pre-K Training Day - No school
September 23 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
September 24 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
September 30 - Back-to-School Night
October 2 - No School - Yom Kippur
Thank you,
Kristin Bartok