Kindergarten Newsletter- Week 1

Dear Kinder Parents,

Communication between home and school is a critical component of success as your children progress through the school year. Stay in the know by looking through all papers that come home in the blue plastic "Take Home" folder, and be sure to check SeeSaw daily. Talk about what you are seeing/reading with your children. Ask questions every evening about what they are learning at school, and any favorite activities they may have or particular challenges they may be facing. ("Are you being a polite listener? Are you keeping your hands to yourself? Tell me something you did today that was an act of kindness...") Asking open-ended questions about their learning day that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" is a great way to stimulate recall. This also sends the message that you value their learning, and establishes a pattern of communication between you and your child that will become even more important as they move into upper grades.

One of the most important skills our scholars need to master this year is that of self-reliance. Tying shoes, laying out their own uniform (including underwear, socks and shoes) the night before, packing backpacks with folders, books and and water bottles, learning how to peel their oranges and bananas-these are all age appropriate tasks that nurture independence and build self-confidence in young children. Remember, resist the urge to do for your child those things which they can-and should-do for themselves!

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with

my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8

Blessings,

Mrs. McIntire and Mrs. Pruitt

Next week's lessons continue to focus on numbers 0 through 5, in both numeral, word and pictorial form. Think of a dice. Recognizing an amount immediately by seeing a pictorial image (set)-such as the dots on a dice face-is called subatizing. To reinforce your child's learning at home, play games that require rolling a dice; gather together objects such as buttons, stuffed animals, pennies, rocks, small toys, etc. and have your child practice sorting them into groups of 1 through 5; play "I Spy 1-5" by going on a number walk around your house, neighborhood or a store. This will help your child practice identifying numbers and develop interest in and fascination with math, in real-life settings. Scholars will also continue to practice counting orally and practice writing numerals 0 through 9. (Correct handwriting includes numeral formation, as well as letters!) Our goal is for each of them to be able to use counting to quantify items in a set, understand concretely what numbers (amounts) mean, and form all numerals correctly. "Count on Kindergarten" to make math FUN!

Sight Words: the, of, and, a, to

Mastering alphabetic phonograms (sounds that letters make, alone and in combination with other letters) is a crucial step in building early reading and writing skills. Our goal this year is for scholars to recognize, name and write correctly all the letters of the alphabet, to associate letters and letter combinations with their sounds, and to develop a mastery of sight words in order to become confident readers and writers. To that end, next week we will be assessing alll of our scholars on mastery of the first five sight words which we have been posting in our newsletters. Help your child prepare so they will feel confident and take pride in their success! We have been working with identifying upper and lower case forms for each letter ("What do you notice about the lower case letter form of ____? 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?") We are continuing to introduce leveled readers in class, and we will begin sending reading folders home for your child to practice with you toward the end of this month.

Our focus in social studies the past two weeks has been "Me and My Community." We asked that you to help your child memorize your home address and phone number. If your child has not yet done so, please practice this essential information with him/her! Thank you for helping your child feel confident with this critically important safety knowledge.

Next week our curricular focus combines both social studies and science, as we begin "Me and My World." Scholars will learn about geography as they are introduced to the seven continents, the five oceans, and the cardinal directions of north, east, south and west. Additionally, they will explore conditions that create the various biomes of planet earth (forest, plains, desert, mountains, tundra, wetlands), including climate, plant and animal life, and geographical features.

Finally, it's that time of year-FLAT STANLEY will soon be traveling from SLES to various locations around our state, nation, and the world! Watch for more information about this literary character, and how you can help us track his adventures to visit friends and family both near and far...

List of Important Events:

Sept. 7 - School holiday (Labor Day) Enjoy the last long weekend of summer!

Sept. 15 - International Dot Day (Scholars are encouraged to wear "dotted" clothing.)

Sept. 16 - September "Monthly Birthdays" school-wide celebration

Sept. 26 - SNIPSA Race for the Rescues

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