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Classroom News
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February 12, 2012 Dear K3 Families, Report cards were distributed last week. The kindergarten report card can be overwhelming with its many assessment points. If you need any clarification on any of the grades, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email or note. Although it is the second quarter of the school year, it is the first time we have used these reports for kindergarten, so the grades are recorded in the first column. In Reader's Workshop, we began our author study of Laura Numeroff. Ms. Numeroff grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Her favorite possessions as a child were her microscope, crayons, and library card. She loved being a Girl Scout and her favorite book was The Cat in the Hat. Ms. Numeroff loved to draw, read, and make up stories. She wrote her first book as a homework assignment for a writing class in college. This week we read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and What Brothers Do Best/What Sisters Do Best. We learned about a "circular story structure" following our readings of the first two books. A circular story structure ends back at the beginning. The children were also interested in the way Ms. Numeroff designed the last book we read. She created this book as two books within one cover. The stories each end on the middle page of the book. We will continue this author study for two more weeks. The children also learned/reviewed the sound of the letter "R" (/r/) and brainstormed a list of words that begin with this letter. They also practiced legibly printing "Rr." In Writer's Workshop, we began writing a class nonfiction book about healthy eating. First, we brainstormed what we know about this topic. Then, we decided the order we wished to present the information in our book. Next week, our classroom illustrators will be creating illustrations for each page. Finally, we will bind the book up and send it home to you. In Religion, we read the Gospel story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law. The children then illustrated this reading in their Gospel Reading Journals. Our Promise magazine focused on Jesus helping people and ways children can help people, too. Our religion book, God Loves Us, taught us about Jesus sharing himself with us through the Holy Eucharist. On Thursday, we attended our monthly school Mass with Father Farano. On Friday, we prayed at Adoration in the chapel. We completed a rotation of Math and Science Centers this week. At the Art Center, the children matched hibernating animals with their habitats. At the Alphabet Center, the children created books entitled What is This? On each page, they used rubber stamps to write "This is the..." They then chose the name of a forest animal to print on each page. Reading these books back to me or to themselves during Daily 5 allows children to reinforce the sight words "this, is, the" and to build a collection of animal names they recognize by sight. At the Math Center, the children practiced their addition skills by playing Fishing Addition. At the Writing Center, the children also practiced addition by completing an activity called "Polka-Dot Pajamas." In Science and Health, we used our Weekly Reader magazine, "Are Your Teeth Healthy?" to learn about ways to care for our teeth. On Monday, we were visited by a teacher from the Scotia-Glenville Traveling Children's Museum. She taught us about the new food guidelines in a program called "Healthy Eating." In our classroom, we further investigated this topic by classifying foods into their food groups and using rubber stamps to create a healthy meal. We are using the information we learned to write a class book about healthy eating. We were blessed to have a guest reader this week. On Thursday, PSA President Maria Patrick visited us to teach the children about one of her favorite authors, Karma Wilson. Ms. Wilson loved reading and was dismayed when her own children told her that there were no good books in the library. This prompted Ms. Wilson to begin writing children's books. Mrs. Patrick read us two of her favorite books, Never Ever Shout in a Zoo and Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! Mrs. Patrick also read us another zoo- themed book entitled My School's a Zoo. The children and teachers enjoyed all of these books. Thank you, Mrs. Patrick! In our "Think First and Stay Safe" Child Lures Prevention Curriculum, we brainstormed what the children already know about staying safe around strangers. Then we discussed the idea that most strangers are just nice people we have never met. Unfortunately, there are a few "bad weather" people who might try to lure children away from their parents. Knowing what to do in this situation can keep a child safe. We talked about two lures that a predator might use--the lost puppy lure and the candy lure. This curriculum will conclude next week. This upcoming week we have our Valentine party on Tuesday afternoon beginning at 1:30. Mr. Mullahy has awarded a free dress day to the school on that day! On Thursday, we celebrate our 100th Day of School. I have asked each child to bring in a collection of 100 items to be used for counting and for the creation of a class book about our 100th day. These collections should be brought in to school by Thursday. Thank you for your assistance with this project! We have a half day on Friday with an 11:00 dismissal. Next week is our Winter Recess. When school resumes on Monday, February 27, it will be a day 1. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at school (465-4539) or email me (msmith@stpius-x.com). Have a great week! Meg Smith
Mrs. Smith's Kindergarten
St. Pius X
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