Kindergarten Newsletter

💡 Info Corner

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATE

Friday November 13th - 20th - Book Fair
Tuesday, November 17th - Thanksgiving Luncheons (teachers will send out class times)
Friday, November 20th- PBIS Pajama Day
November 23rd-27th- Thanksgiving Break

💻 Helpful Info

Please register with My Payments Plus: https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/

This website is how you pay for student lunch. You can add your student here and keep track of their lunch accounts. Breakfast is FREE at McKendree.

Free and Reduced lunch application: https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/29759
We encourage everyone to apply for Free and Reduced lunch.

Please label all extra clothes and sweaters your student brings. Please label water bottles and lunchboxes.

Math

New Content:

count up to 20 objects in a variety of structured arrangements
identify written numerals 0-20 and represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20
identify pennies, nickels, and dimes; know their name and value
create, extend, and describe repeating patterns with numbers and shapes
compare two sets of up to 10 objects; identify whether the number of objects in one group is more or less than the other group, using the words "greater than," "less than," or "the same as"

How to Practice at Home:

Ask students to go on a hunt around the house for different items that are between 11-20. Have students write a number to represent the amount that is counted. For example, "Count how many spoons we have." During this time, compare the items they find. "Are there more spoons or forks?"
Practice creating a pattern with different shapes or items around the house. The guardian can also make a pattern and have the student extend the pattern (ask: what comes next in this pattern?).
Review the coins with students. "What coin is this and how much is it worth?"

Practice using positional words to place things around the house.

Put your shoes under your bed.
Grab the paper from on the table.
Put the book beside the couch.

Science

Earth Systems & Energy

Students will obtain, evaluate and communicate observations about time patterns (day to night and night to day) and objects (sun, moon, stars) in the day and night sky.

Ask and answer questions using text/media and observation to classify objects
Collaboratively develop and refine a model to describe the patterns that occur in the sky
Ask and answer questions regarding the effect of sunlight on Earth's surface
Collaboratively design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area

Social Studies

Memorial Day

Students learned about Memorial Day and why we celebrate this day.
Students enjoyed listening to the read aloud, Memorial Day by Emma Carlson Byrne that included a song with movement.
Students learned that people remember soldiers by bringing wreaths to cemeteries. They also decorated their own wreaths for Memorial Day.

School/Classroom Reminders

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome to a new school year! We are excited to begin our kindergarten adventure together. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. We look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and fun!

Please don't forget your child can bring a snack and a water bottle to school. Please only water for the classroom. Students can bring the juice with them to lunch and drink it there in the cafeteria. They will not be allowed to have it during snack or throughout the day. This is a school rule that ensures the new carpets stays in good condition throughout the year.

If your child's transportation is changing please send a note in writing and send a message on parent square to the teacher so he or she is aware.

Keep a pair of seasonal clothes in child's backpack incase they spill something on themselves and can change.

Some important tips for a successful kindergarten year.

Help your child remember to use kind words, listening ears, and helping hands at school.
Encourage your child to clean up after themselves and take care of classroom materials.
Practice raising a hand, taking turns, and following directions at home to support classroom success.
Ensure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before school.
If your child will be absent or has a change in dismissal plans, please notify the teacher as soon as possible.

💛 Kindergarten Class Expectations

We are working hard on:

Walking safely in the hallways.
Using inside voices.
Keeping hands, feet, and objects to ourselves.
Listening and following directions the first time.
Being kind and inclusive to all classmates.
Taking responsibility for our belongings and learning materials.

🎒 Friendly Family Reminder

Kindergarten students are learning many important life skills. Encouraging independence at home, such as putting on shoes, tying shoes, and cleaning up toys, helps build confidence and success at school! 😊

🍎 Lunchroom Expectations

We are practicing good manners and responsibility in the cafeteria! Please review these lunchroom expectations with your child:

Use a quiet, indoor voice while eating and talking with friends. Only talk quietly on green.
Stay seated unless given permission to get up.
Use good table manners and eat respectfully.
Keep hands, feet, and food to yourself.
Raise your hand if you need help from an adult.
Clean up your eating area before leaving.
Follow directions from cafeteria staff the first time.
Walk safely to and from the cafeteria.

🌟 Our Lunchroom Goal

We want every student to enjoy a safe, clean, and friendly lunch experience. Students earn links when following cafeteria rules. Please remind them to SOAR in the cafeteria to receive all of their links. If they do not do well as a class they get a link taken away.

Thank you for helping reinforce these important habits at home! 💛🍎🎒

Eagle Bucks

As students do well throughout the day whether it's following directions the first time, cleaning their area, or completing a difficult task. Students can earn what we call eagle bucks. They can get it from their teacher or any teacher that see them doing well. These eagle bucks can be used at the Soar store at school. We know students like to bring them home to show parents but please remind them that they can use it at school to buy items from the soar store.

Reading

Reading to your child EVERY night is vital for them to become successful readers. Children learn so much from listening to stories. Currently in reading we are learning about weather wonders such as clouds, rainbows, sun, and snow. Students will focus on learning about weather around the world and how to dress for the weather. We are also learning about characters, setting, and major events in a story.

Writing

Kindergarten Writing

We have begun discussing weather and the components that make up weather in kindergarten! Components of weather, includes temperature, moisture, wind, and air pressure. Students are discussing and identifying as well as labeling different weather components and soon we will become weather scientists by observing the weather each day and recording our observations in a Weather Journal. Students will discuss weather patterns, make predictions, and describe what they see using weather vocabulary.

We learn a few letters at a time to ensure we know the letter name and sound. Pick a letter and have your child draw a picture that begins with that sound. For ex. Draw a picture of a dog for the letter D,d.

Letters Learned So Far.

Aa, Mm, Tt, Ss, Ii, Nn, Ff, Dd, Rr, Oo, Ll, Hh, Bb, Ww,Ququ, Uu,

How you can help at home

☀️ Weather Watcher

Look outside each morning and discuss the weather.
Ask your child to identify the weather components they see (temperature, clouds, wind, moisture).
Have them draw and label the weather in a journal.

Sight Word Flashcards

Practice writing a few sight words each day. Make flashcards with certain sight words and have them look at the word, write it 3 times and encourage them to write it again without looking at the word.

List of sight words that we have covered

I, am, a, the, an, and, is, of, go, so, no, to, do my, into, said, not, that, he me, she

Other important writing skills

✅ Continue to encourage your child to practice writing their first name daily using correct capitalization.

✅ Remind them to hold their pencil with a proper grip.

Phonics

Practicing letter recognition and sounds is very important. Students should be able to identify all upper case and lower case letters by end of kindergarten. Please practice letters and sounds at home. If you need activities or materials to support your child at home, please reach out to your child's teacher and we will be happy to send some home.
Letters learned are :Aa, Cd, Ff, Ii, Mm, Ll, Nn, Oo, Ss, Tt ,Rr, Hh, Dd, Bb, Ww, Qq, Uu.
We are also learning high frequency words.

We have learned: I, am, the, a, and, an, of, so, no, go, of, is, do, my, to, into, said, not, that, he, me, she, you, are.

Practice letter sounds
Practice writing your child's name using an upper case letter for the first letter and lower case letters for the remaining letters
Practice using a correct pencil grip
It is very important to read with your child each day.