Week of January 23rd

Go Birds! 

Happy Friday Kindergarten!

We can't believe January is almost over! This week we learned about where different animals make their homes! Our read alouds this week were Home for a Tiger and Home for a Bear, Turtle Splash!, Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, The Snowy Day, Nanook & Pryce, Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears, Creepy Pair of Underwear, and Mower Minions! (our star student Tony's favorite story!). We loved our poems by Mister Rodgers too!

In ELA this week we focused on where different animals make their homes! We talked about ponds, deserts, forests, etc! We focused on cause and effect during our read alouds. FUNdations continued this week and we finished our alphabet sounds! We introduced 'qu' and 'z'. In Unit 2 we will learn digraphs! Our letter of the week was 'Dd'! We met our next letter person Mr. D with a Dazzling Dance! We completed our Mr. D puppet and danced around the room :) In grammar we learned about past tense verbs and created sentences. We continued working through Chapter 5 in Math by identifying & writing numbers 26-31, comparing numbers, ordering numbers, and estimating groups! We plan on taking our Chapter 5 test next week. In Science we continued writing our informational book about polar bears! We even did an experiment seeing how blubber keeps bears warm in the cold! In Religion we learned about how Jesus teaches and helps us. The students painted beautiful snowy landscapes in Art! 

Centers kept us busy this week! In the Word Work Center the students matched pictures to CVC words (independently!). In the math center we began adding! I worked with the students playing "Dunk It Dominos", where we added the dots to find the total number. Then we dunked in the domino in the correct basket! In the Art Center the students made a special SKS craft with Mrs. Lowe for Catholic Schools Week! In the discovery center the students built different ways of transportation. Students read a book, played on the iPad, or did a puzzle in the free center!

For a fun Friday snack, Mrs. Lowe helped us bring some snow around! Mrs. Lowe treated the class to building snowmen snacks using donuts, chocolate chips, Hershey kisses, and pretzels! 

**I found an Apple Air Tag after school by our cubbies. Please let me know if it is yours and I will send home with them on Monday! 

Next Week: Catholic Schools Week! 

• Sunday: Opening Mass at 9:30 AM! Students who attend wearing their uniform will receive a Blue & White pass!
• Monday: Color Day! Students will dress down in their assigned colors. Kindergarten is wearing RED! 
• Tuesday: Crazy 8's Day! Students add 8 accessories to their uniform (shoes, jewelry, socks, hats, sunglasses, etc!). K-4 Spelling Bee!
• Wednesday: Beach Day! Students can dress down in their beach gear (no bathing suits)!
• Thursday: Hero Day! Students can dress down like their hero!
• Friday: Blue and White Spirit Day! Students can dress down in white and blue colors. Dismissal at 12:00 PM. 

 Valentine's Day: The children are allowed to bring in valentines and candy items for their friends! We will not be opening any of these treats in the classroom, but please be aware of nut allergies. There are 18 students in the class. We ask that the students only sign their own name on the valentines and now who the valentine is for (it is must faster this way :) ). We will exchange on February 14th and have our class party that day too. Info coming soon. Thank you!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Best,

Miss Ryan

Week of January 9th

 FRI-YAY in K!

Happy Friday Kindergarten!

We had a great full week in Kindergarten :) This week we learned about how animals use their body parts! Our read alouds this week were A Zebra's World, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?, We Will Rock Our Classmates, The Sour Grape, Squirrel's New Years Resolution, and The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend & Waiting Is Not Easy! (our star student Henry's favorite books!). We continued reading poetry from Mister Rodgers as well!

In ELA this week we focused on how animals use their different body parts! We talked about long elephant trunks, monkey feet, and more. We practiced identifying an author's purpose. We continued our phonics program reviewing the sounds & letters of b, t, f, m, n, i, u, o, c, a, g, d, s, e, r, v, and w. We introduced two more consonants 'x' and 'y'. Once we have completed Unit 1 we will move into Unit 2 learning digraphs, such as 'sh' and 'ck'. Our letter of the week was 'Rr'! We met our next letter person Mr. R with Rainbow Ribbons! We completed our R puppet and completed an R puzzle sheet. In grammar we used our knowledge of subject and verb to correct and rewrite complete sentences. We began Chapter 5 in Math and identified & wrote numbers 11 through 16. We split into two teams & competed to correctly show numbers using ten frames on the board! In Science we learned about polar bears and began writing our own informational book! Today in Social Studies we learned about Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and impact he made on our country during the Civil Rights Movement. We read Martin's Big Words and completed an art activity. In Religion we learned about why God chose Mary to be Jesus' mother! The students also completed their watercolor mitten project in Art!

We had a busy time in centers this week! In the Word Work Center I worked with the students reading Letter People decodable readers. I am so proud of how far they have come in their reading!! Next week I will be sending home with them for the week to continue practicing. In the Art Center the students made a 3D Cocoa & Cookies craft with Mrs. Lowe! In the math center the students counted and recorded numbers using a ten frame. In the discovery center the students build a polar bear habitat using tin foil covered blocks, cotton balls, and gems! Students read a book, played on the iPad, or did a puzzle in the free center!

Next Week:

** Thank you all again for your flexibility regarding conferences! If you have not signed up for a time, please do so! Here is the SignUp Genius link Conference Sign Up Again, if none of these times work for you please let me know and I would be happy to reschedule a better time. 

• Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
• Tuesday: After School Conferences
• Wednesday: Monthly School Mass @ 9 AM, all are welcome to join! & After School Conferences 
• Thursday: Mrs. Hendrickson Kindness Lesson
• Friday: Kindergarten Conferences - NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN

Looking Ahead ...

• Monday, January 30th: Beginning of Catholic Schools Week

Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Best,

Miss Ryan & Mrs. Lowe

Week of January 3rd

 Happy 2023!

We are so happy to be back in the classroom together again! I know it can be a difficult transition coming back into the routine of a long school day, but everyone did great! They had such a great memory of our schedule, transition routines, and work/playtime expectations. This week we learned about what animals do when the weather changes! Our read alouds this week were Storm Is Coming!, Snow, Froggy Builds a Snowman, Animals In Winter, and Sneezy the Snowman. Each morning this week we also read a poem from A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rodgers to teach values of kindness, self-awareness, and self-esteem! 

In ELA this week we focused on what animals do when the weather changes! We talked about hibernation and migration. We practiced drawing conclusions from a story when the author does not tell us everything we might need to know. We picked back up with our phonics program reviewing the sounds & letters of b, t, f, m, n, i, u, o, c, a, g, d, s, e, r. We introduced two more consonants 'v' and 'w'. Our letter of the week was 'Gg'! We met our next letter person Mr. G with Gooey Gum stuck in his hair! We completed our Mr. G puppet. In grammar we learned that the "action part" of a sentence is a verb. The class worked together to write verbs in order to make complete sentences. We finished Chapter 4 in Math and took our chapter test today! Everyone did great and remembered our test routines of staying quiet and working independently. In Science we read about Arctic Animals in a Scholastic Weekly Reader! We learned about Jesus' childhood in Nazareth and the Holy Family. They spoke greetings, counted numbers, and identified colors in Spanish, and played the xylophone in Music. The children also made the cutest mitten drawings in Art!

Centers were back! In the Word Work Center I worked with the students building CVC words, and blending/segmenting sounds. In the Art Center the students made polar bear pictures with paper plates and cupcake liners with Mrs. Lowe! In the math center the students used bingo dotters to fill in snowballs. In the discovery center the students read a Scholastic Newspaper learning about New Years traditions & defined resolution. Students read a book, played on the iPad, or did a puzzle in the free center!

Next Week:

• Wednesday: Dress Down Day - 
• Thursday: School Picture Retakes 
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Collection: Items are due Friday, Jan 13th if you wish to participate! This is not mandatory but any contributions are appreciated! Kindergarten has been asked to donate deodorant. 
• If there is any change in your child's dismissal please call/email the office OR email both Mrs. Lowe and Miss Ryan. Thanks! 

Looking Ahead:

Thank you all so much for your understanding and flexibility regarding upcoming conferences, I very much appreciate it! Here is the SignUp Genius link if you have yet to sign up: SignUp Conferences Again, if none of these times work for you please let me know and I would be happy to reschedule a better time. 

• Monday, January 16th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, Jan 17th & Wednesday, Jan 18th: Conferences after school if you have signed up for that time. 
• Friday, Jan 20th - Kindergarten Conferences NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Best,

Miss Ryan & Mrs. Lowe

Here are some pics from our fun Christmas week before break!