Kindergarten Newsletter- Week 1

Dear Kinder Parents,

Happy Friday! Our junior geologists have had so much fun learning about rocks and the layers of the Earth. Developing an appreciation of God's majestic handiwork is an integral component of our Kinder curriculum, and we have loved listening to their questions, observations, and nurturing their curiosity about this fascinating discipline of science. Next week we will continue to talk about the Earth, think about the ways that Earth gives us what we need (resources), and talk about ways we can take care of the Earth...

One of our big class-wide goals is developing students who are organized and ready for each new day of learning! Helping your child become responsible for their belongings at home, and asking them to prepare their uniform and backpack for school each day the night before, carries over into their classroom behavior and contributes to their confidence, work ethic, and independence as learners. Thank you for helping us Build Future Leaders by implementing these age appropriate "chores" as recommended by our school Student Achievement Coordinator, Ms. Finch and our Social-Emotional Coordinator, Ms. Sanborn. We are following up by asking students about other "chores" they may have at home. Remember, resist the urge to do for your child those things which they can-and should-do for themselves!

If you have not yet done so, we encourage you to open the attached link to sign up for a slot as one of our fall Mystery Readers! Remember, this Sign-Up Genius link is for BOTH of our classes. When you sign-up, you will read in your child's classroom, but with both classes in attendance. For the October 30 and December 17 dates, we will need one Mystery Reader from each class, as you will be reading to your child's class as part of their class party celebration. Please sign up for only one date, as we want everyone to have an opportunity! (We will be posting slots for the spring semester in December!)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AFAE2CA7F4C34-65779862-mystery

Have a great weekend, and we look forward to conferences with each of you next week!

"The earth is a garden and we are its caretakers."

Blessings,

Mrs. McIntire and Mrs. Pruitt

Next week's lessons will focus on 6 through10, in both numeral, word and pictorial form. Our classes are practicing "subatizing," or the instant recognition of amounts by pictorial images (sets)-such as the dots on a dice or fingers on hands. To reinforce your child's learning at home, ask them to gather and sort small items into groups of 6 through 10; play "I Spy 6-10" by going on a number walk around your house, neighborhood or a store, or looking for numbers on book pages. This helps your with identifying numbers and developing interest in and fascination with math in real-life settings. Our goal is for each scholar to use counting to quantify items in a set, understand concretely what numbers (amounts) mean.

Sight Words: I, a, and, at

Phonogram focus: /Pp/, /Ff/

We are working with identifying upper and lower case forms for each letter ("What do you notice about the lower case letter form of /Pp/? /Ff/? Is it a tall letter or short letter? Does it sit on the line or go below the line? Is it rounded, straight or made with both kinds of lines?") Ask your child to tell you how the upper case and lower case forms are similar and different.

As we continue to develop listening and comprehension skills, next week we will introduce elements of a story: characters, setting, plot (problem/solution), and theme (big idea). Asking your child to tell you about each of these elements after you read a fiction selection to them at night will help reinforce these concepts. We continue to work on blending consonant-vowel (cv) words and consonant-vowel-consonant (cvc) words, and have introduced leveled readers in class. We will begin sending reading folders home for your child to practice with you next week!

It's that time of year-our scholars' Flat Stanleys will soon be traveling from SLES to various locations around our state, nation, and the world! Please write the name and address of your child's recipient on the large white envelope we are sending home this Friday, and return the addressed envelope to us in the blue Take Home folder Monday morning. Thanks!

Our focus next week will combine science and social studies, as we think about the natural resources that people need/use to meet their needs and wants. Scholars will learn about the three forms of matter (solid, liquid, gas), the importance of taking care of our amazing Earth, and ways to use our resources wisely. (Think reduce, reuse, recycle!) Be sure to ask your budding scientists to share everything they are learning with you. We think you will be fascinated by their comments!

List of Important Events:

Sept. 26 - SNIPSA Race for the Rescues

Oct. 2nd - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Oct. 5-9 - Episcopal Schools Week

Oct. 6 - Blessing of the Pets

Oct. 8 - Spirit Day/Pep Rally

Oct. 9 - Student Holiday

Oct.12 - School Holiday

A huge Hilltop THANK YOU to our wonderful parent volunteers for serving as your grade-level Class Captains! Please be sure to join the Kindergarten Group on the St. Luke’s App to stay connected and receive important updates and communication throughout the year.

Rebecca Allen - Rebecca.allen0706@gmail.com

Katy Ray - Kateray922@gmail.com