Weekly Update for week of January 23-27th

January 23, 2012

A note from Mrs. Horn…

Wow!  Our year has flown by so quickly.  Tuesday is our 100^th Day of School!!!!  I cannot believe we have had 100 days of schools already!  I know this sounds cliché, but it seems like just a few weeks ago, 24 eager little bundles of energy walked into room 116.  Many students were still learning to write their names and were trying to decide whether or not they we going to like their new classmates, teacher and school.  Everyone has grown so much since those first few days of school.  Now we are all readers, writers, scientists, historians, and most importantly friends.  I would like to thank all of you for letting me educate and love your babies! 

100th Day Project Our class has been adding one number for each school day to our Growing Number Line.  The 100th day of school is coming up soon, and it will be a major celebration! One of the things we will do to celebrate is to hold a “100th Day Fashion Show.”  Please help your child glue, safety pin, or sew 100 things on a plain t-shirt.  Children have been thinking about things they could glue to their shirt including buttons, beads, pennies, paper clips, cereal, etc.  Be as creative as possible!  We have been talking about ways to count the collections without losing track of the numbers.  Making groups of 10 is a good way to count and display the objects.  Children may need a little help gathering materials, but they should be able to do most of the counting themselves.  Please have your child wear their 100th day t-shirt to school on January 24th (may change if we have any snow days)!

Mark your calendars for the Kindergarten Writing Celebration on February 10^th from 11:00-11:30 in our school library.  You are welcome to stay for lunch from 11:28-11:53.  Lunch order forms will come home soon.  Due to the long lunch line, I recommend you bring your own lunch.  The kids are so excited to share their books with you!  Please let me know if you will not be able to attend, I will try to ask a school friend to come read with your child. 

We will be going on a field trip to the Memorial Auditorium to see a performance of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” on March 15^th.  Each class is able to bring two chaperones.  If you are interested, please indicate that on the form and return it.  If we have more than two interested parents, we will pull names out of a hat during morning meeting and let you know if you were one of the lucky winners. 

Important Dates this Month:

January 24^th: 100^th Day of School!

January 25^th: Early Release Day

January 26^th: MegaSkills Assembly

What are we learning?

Reading Workshop

We are continuing to learn about questioning.  We are learning the difference between “thick” and “thin” questions.  Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading. 

Writing Workshop

This week we will continue working on our All About Me books.  They are very motivated to write a book all about themselves!  Family journals will be sent home on Friday.  Please take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter to you and respond. 

Word Study

This week, we will be learning about th and wh sounds. We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: are, come, if. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math

In math, we a solving number stories and celebrating the 100^th day of school.   

Science

We are finishing a unit about the five senses.  This week we will learn about sight.  We will also learn about the anatomy of our eyes and how the pupil changes shape based on the amount of available light.  On Friday we will begin our Science Biographies Unit.  The first scientist we are learning about is George W. Carver.     

Reminders

*Send in a healthy snack and water bottle every day.

* Our classroom gets very chilly sometimes.  Please send in a light jacket or sweater for your child to keep in their back pack. 

* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night!

* Library book due every Friday!

Related Arts Schedule

Monday                      Art

Tuesday-Friday      Music

Weekly Update for Week of January 17-20

January 17, 2012

A note from Mrs. Horn…

Wow!  They have learned so much about nonfiction text!  I am proud of their hard work and they are excited and very interested in the nonfiction section of the library now.  Way to go kinderpups!

Thank you for continuing to work on shoe tying and coat zipping at home.  The kiddos are so proud of themselves when they can share these skills at morning meeting.  Don’t forget to work on your 100^th Day of School t shirt at home so it is ready to wear on January 24^th.  If we have a snow day between now and then, we will adjust accordingly. 

Look for a “Save the Date” email and an invitation to be coming home soon.  When we finish our All About Me books, families are invited to come to our writing celebration and stay for lunch. 

We will be going on a field trip to the Memorial Auditorium to see a performance of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” on March 15^th.  Each class is able to bring two chaperones.  If you are interested, please indicate that on the form and return it.  If we have more than two interested parents, we will pull names out of a hat during morning meeting and let you know if you were one of the lucky winners. 

Important Dates this Month:

January 24^th: 100^th Day of School!

January 25^th: Early Release Day

January 26^th: MegaSkills Assembly

What are we learning?

Reading Workshop

We are learning about questioning.  Good readers develop questions about the text as they are reading.  This deepens their understanding of what they are reading.

Writing Workshop

This week we will continue working on our All About Me books.  They are very motivated to write a book all about themselves!  Family journals will be sent home on Friday.  Please take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter to you and respond. 

Word Study

This week, we will be learning about sh and ch sounds. We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: no, big, are. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math

In math, we are learning more about 2D & 3D shapes, and introducing the subtraction symbol.

Science

We are beginning a unit about the five senses.  This week we will learn about smell, sound and sight.  We will also learn about the anatomy of our eyes and how the pupil changes shape based on the amount of available light.   

Reminders

*Send in a healthy snack and water bottle every day.

* Our classroom gets very chilly sometimes.  Please send in a light jacket or sweater for your child to keep in their back pack. 

* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night!

* Library book due every Friday!

Related Arts Schedule

Tuesday- Friday       Art

 Thank you for all you do,

Mrs. Horn

                                                                                                                                                    

Weekly Update for Week of January 9-13th

January 9, 2012

A note from Mrs. Horn…

As you know, your child has been bringing home books from their guided reading groups all year.  Please make an effort to read these books with your child when they bring them home.  Rereading books helps build fluency, an important skill for proficient readers. Your child may read the book to an older or younger sibling.  This is considered all or part of their nightly reading homework (depending on the length of the book).  Keep in mind that shorter books are often read at least twice during school.  Word wall words should be practiced for 5-10 minutes per night.  If they can read the words, have them practice writing the words.  Make it fun by using markers, chalk, and shaving cream!

Thanks for your help!

Look for information to come home about our 100^th Day of School Fashion Show! 

Important Dates this Month:

January 16^th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School

January 24^th: 100^th Day of School!

January 25^th: Early Release Day

January 26^th: MegaSkills Assembly

What are we learning?

Reading Workshop

The kids are keyed up over the nonfiction books we have been exploring.  They have learned all about bees, pumpkins, sharks, spiders, France, and even penguins while searching nonfiction text features (table of contents, labels, diagrams, maps, charts, fun facts, etc).  We will continue investigating nonfiction text features this week. 

Writing Workshop

This week we will continue working on our All About Me books.  The kids are so excited about writing a book all about themselves and their family!  They cannot wait for you to read them.  Family journals will be sent home on Friday.  Please take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter to you and respond. 

Word Study

This week, we will be reviewing our previously learned word families. We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: would, me, will. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math

In math, we are learning shape vocabulary (side, corner, and angle), about attributes, and the differences and similarities between 2-D & 3-D shapes. 

Everyday Math Home Link Family Note: Manipulating, exploring, and discussing 3-dimensional objects helps children learn the names of these objects and build spatial sense.  Many familiar objects are common 3-D geometric shapes: balls are spheres; dice are cubes, for example.  Children have been learning about 2-D and 3-D shapes and noticing shapes all around them.  At home, encourage your child to think about 2-D and 3-D shapes as he or she looks for objects to place in our classroom Shape Museum.  Activity: Look around your home for objects that have 3-dimensional geometric shapes.  See if you can find examples like these: Sphere: ball, globe Cube: dice, square box Cylinder: can of food Cone: ice cream cone, party hat Rectangular Prism: cereal box, book Bring in a few objects to add to our classroom Shape Museum on Thursday or Friday.

Social Studies

Ms. Hammons our counselor will be coming in to teach us about Good Touch and Bad Touch.

Reminders

*Send in a healthy snack and water bottle every day.

* Our classroom gets very chilly sometimes.  Please send in a light jacket or sweater for your child to keep in their back pack. 

* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night.

* Library book due every Friday.

Related Arts Schedule

Monday-Thursday               PE

Friday                                     Art

Weekly Update

January 2, 2012

A note from Mrs. Horn…

Happy New Year!  I hope that you had time to relax and enjoy being with your children.  This is such a special time in your child’s life; it’s so wonderful to experience the traditions of the holidays through the eyes of your children!

Spa Day is on Thursday from 2:30-4:30.  As we get into January, please remember a few things.  We will go outside if it’s dry and 40 degrees or warmer.  School closings and delays are announced on all of the local TV and radio stations, and you will receive a phone call from the Oldham County board announcing any changes due to weather.

Do you like to be pampered like a princess?  Let Mrs. Horn treat you to a spa day!  Salon services include a pretty manicure, stylish hair style (with ribbons and bows if desired), and make-up.  You may wear a fancy dress if you’d like.   

The more princesses that join the better!  If you haven't signed up and would like to join, just send me an email or note and  just $15 per child (checks payable to Harmony PTA).  A snack and drink will be provided.  

What are we learning?

Reading Workshop

We will be exploring non-fiction books and comparing them to fiction books.

Writing Workshop

We will learn how to write an “all about” book.  Children will become experts on a topic, and learn how to write about that topic.

Word Study

This week, we will explore the word families –ip, -ig, and –ill.  Ask your child about the word family chants for all three.  We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: this, my and would. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math

In math we are continuing learning how to look at a group of objects and decide how to sort them.  We will also count, label and compare these group and learn how to explain “your rule” used for sorting (ex. By color, things that roll, heavy vs. light, etc.) .   We will also explore shapes.

Social Studies

We will be learning about the food groups, and why it’s important to make healthy food choices.

Reminders

*Send in a healthy snack and water bottle every day.

* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night, including the book title from nightly reading!

* Library book due every Friday!

Related Arts Schedule

Monday – Wednesday  Music

Thursday– Friday    PE

Thank you for all you do,

Christie Horn