Spring Arrives in Summit, NJ!

      
Has your child asked you to take a ride or walk to a store or building in Summit, New Jersey? 

This week the children continued their studies on their Community and also worked together as a community during several "Summit" centers this week. Those included visiting the Summit Post Office, where the children had an opportunity to write a letter to Mr. Gil and then fold it to fit into an envelope (this was a challenge!) and then "mail" it in the mail  basket. 

Creating a sculpture at Color Me Mine, eating snack and taking "orders" at the Broadway Diner; playing Candyland and pretending that we were having a party at Ricky's; and "driving" all around the town and playing with all the wonderful buildings that both classes created were enjoyed by all. Thanks again for assisting your child on that project. We will continue to have them on display outside our classroom. Please find the time to come in and view them. 

Continue this learning by pointing out establishments when you are walking and driving around town.  Next week we will focus on Community workers, so start looking for Postal workers, Police Officers, Doctors, teachers, construction workers, etc. 

Hopefully you heard how the leprechaun "trashed" our classroom; he turned over chairs, spilled crayons and even turned the water in the toilet bowl green!! One activity the children enjoyed was shining dirty pennies. Although it seems like magic, the mixture of vinegar and salt created a chemical reaction. Very scientific!  

We continue counting backwards as we do our calendar work. Can you believe there are only 61 days left of kindergarten?!!! 

In math, the students were introduced to the concept of symmetry. Challenge your child to find examples of symmetry in their world. They created kites, coloring various shapes to reflect this concept. They are on display on our hallway bulletin board, Soaring into Spring! 

As we discuss the newly-arrived season of Spring, why not take the time to "go fly a kite" on a windy day! Go on a pussy willow and crocus hunt. (Hocus pocus, it's a crocus!) How many signs of spring can you find? Click here and print out the booklet. Find the flowers and color them. Go to the local Arboretum and soak in the beauty of this, my favorite, season. Play some Vivaldi to really get you in the mood! Read some books on this season. 

Read  these

books,

The children were challenged during computer lab, where they had to create their name in Secret Code. 

Ask your child to demonstrate this to you. See if they can create your family members names in this "secret code". We will be using these to decode and reinforce letter sounds during future centers. (see example at top).

Have a beautiful, springy weekend!

Traveling All Around the Town

This week we talked about transportation and its importance. The children enjoyed several centers that focused on this topic,  including working cooperatively to design a sign/name for my wheelchair. YES! How convenient that I should get a stress fracture and have to keep off my feet as much as possible. Perfect timing! The children have been great, taking turns pushing me here and there, to get from one place to another! They also created their own lists of ways to travel using Kids Spelling and were so excited when both classes were able to read each other's lists! My son Ken and I working together on a long distance project doing some brain research regarding children and how they learn to read. The following is a brief video that explains the process:

http://www/scilearn.com/our-approach/the-fast-forward-program/brain-science-video/index.php

Take the time to view it, but it by no means is an endorsement or "sales pitch" for the product. You may be interested, however, in doing some of your own research to understand the process. Visit www.scilearn.com

Many of you have asked if  I have given new sight words recently; the answer: not written cards, but we have been making lists of words and doing more labeling in our writing activities. I am focusing on the children giving more detail during writing opportunities, which also includes drawing. You can continue this learning at home by having more detailed conversations with your child; ask them "why", "how", etc. When doing their buildings for the town of Summit, take the time to walk/drive past it and notice the details; are there windows, doors, lamp posts, chimneys, awnings, colors, etc? In Kindergarten, it's all about detail, detail, detail!

In the next few weeks we will learn about Community Workers. Do a little pre-teaching and start to notice people in Summit who help us; Postal Workers, Firefighters, teachers, Doctors, nurses, crossing guards, etc. 

Have some fun while you are out driving and make a list of all the different Environmental signs (STOP, Caution, Playground, Men at Work, etc.) that your child can read, (these are considered high-frequency words). We read a good book, I Read Signs, by Tana Hoban. Throw a little math in for good measure and have your child use tally marks to keep track of the different signs. Which sign got the most, least?

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day this Tuesday, let's try to wear a little bit o'green. Will that little Leprechaun visit Room 112? Stay tuned!

 Looking for a little luck? Click on the following site and have some fun! Hope that you get that dream at the end of the rainbow!  www.kidsdomain.com/craft/potgoldgame.html

Looking ahead:

March 20.....first day of Spring

April 2..........Shortened session. AM = 8:15-11:00  PM= 10:00-12:30

Oh Lawdy!

What a week it' s been!

Welcoming March in with a snow day was a treat so when we returned to school on Tuesday wearing our pajamas, we were ready to begin our  Read  Across America Week festivities. It was a great success. Thanks to all the Guest Readers who came to class with a variety of stories. Well done!

We had our first school-wide D.E.A.R. time and all enjoyed wearing pajamas and slippers and cuddling up with a good book in the hallway.

The children did a great job presenting their book reports. Thank you for encouraging and working together with your child. It gave us an opportunity to discuss fiction and non-fiction books as well.  Next month our reading  will focus on both fiction and non-fiction books. 

Some Centers enjoyed this week were: reading and writing rhyming words, playing rhyming bingo, practicing word families; _am, _in, _en, _op, _at, _ug. 

Have you met Little Bookworm? The children enjoyed cutting, coloring and reading a little booklet helping to re-enforce good book habits. Please continue to practice these at home. 

Playing a Green Eggs and Ham board game and Tic Tac Toe, doing a Dr. Seuss word search and reading many Dr. Seuss books were some activities enjoyed. A "Crazy Hat Fashion Show" was a big hit.

And if you haven't heard our newest song, "Pick a Bale of Cotton", the words to the song were included in your child's folder on Friday. It's a catchy tune and  both classes can't get it out of their heads. The children couldn't believe that their jeans, and coats and tee shirts came from a bush! We watched a brief video clip on where clothes come from and it included a segment on cotton bushes and how the cotton is picked. Most of the students just thought cotton was just on Q-Tips. 

We concluded RAA Week with a school-wide Assembly by gathering in the MPR to watch a Dr. Seuss DVD, the old version of The Cat in the Hat. The children loved getting together.

Mr. Gil gave the kids this challenge: How many Dr. Seuss books are there? (actually written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel). Will you take him up on this challenge? First to bring him the correct  answer wins a prize! (Hint: it is more than 20).

Things to look forward to: 

We will begin our Social Studies Unit on transportation and Community Helpers. Do a little pre-teaching over the weekend and try to take notice of all the different types of vehicles on the road. Use tally marks to keep track of the cars, busses, trucks, construction, big cars, little cars, convertibles, (yes! I just got mine back!), SUV's, red cars, trains, planes, etc. 

Don't forget to set your clocks one hour AHEAD over this weekend, giving us more hours of daylight! Yeah!

Although Spring and warmer weather is only a few weeks away, we still have sneezes and drippy noses. Our supply of tissues is almost depleted. If you would like to donate a box of tissues it would be greatly appreciated. We could also use a few packages of colored cellulose sponges to clean up after snack.  

Have a great weekend!

Read Across America Week

So...... right now now weathermen are saying that the "BIG" snow is on it's way. Good news and bad news! If we get a snow day, it delays some of our RAA activities (not to mention that it extends the school year to June 23rd) but also gives us a day to "cuddle up" with a good book and READ!

A schedule of events was sent home on Friday, so you can refer to that. To get you  started: 

Monday is red and white day;  come to school dressed in the colors of Dr. Seuss' hat. (If there is no school on Monday, let's make red and white day on Weds.)

Tuesday is Pajama Day. Coming to school dressed in your jammies should be lots of fun! (please wear shoes for safety). The week continues with several Guest Readers on tap and fun RAA centers planned, including getting together with other kindergarten classes to have some new reading buddies. 

Friday's finale is a school-wide Assembly to watch a Dr Seuss movie. 

Homework this week is, you guessed it, reading together, with your family, by yourself, with a flashlight, under the covers, in a secret hiding place, in the kitchen, in the car, in the bathroom. See how many different places you can read in this week! Try  reading a magazine,  a comic book,  a silly book or a serious one. 

A reading calendar was sent home, so your child can record  (with your help) the time he/she spends reading either alone or with a partner. 

Be a Reading Role Model. So......Turn off the TV and video games and grab a book. No batteries or assembly required!

Did you hear about our exploration of balls? The children came up with an extensive list of different kinds of balls. See how many you can think of and find at home. Our studies of balls and their "bounciness" will continue for the next several weeks. (Maybe you will have a chance to "explore snowballs" tomorrow!)

Coming up: 

This week I plan to talk about vowels (a, e, i , o, u)  and word families (_at, _op, _in, _en, _ig, _an, _ig.  While reading with your child this week try to point out any of these letters and word families. 

By the end of this week we will have covered all 26 letters of the alphabet and will have met ALL of the Letter People!

If you have not yet had an opportunity to be a Guest reader or want to come back again for more , please contact MaryAnn Bonomo. 

Happy Reading!