I MUST start this by saying a BIG Thank You to all of you for your kind words and gestures of appreciation during Teacher Appreciation Week. I enjoyed all the hand made cards, flowers, voice mails and gifts. If it isn't already obvious, I love my job and working with (and playing with) your child. This is what I look forward to each day. We are having a great year and are sadly counting down the days until school ends.
This week we will be welcoming the "newbies" and giving them a tour of the classroom along with reading to them.
Our studies on ants is coming to an end as the ten"ants" in our formicarium (ant farm) are dwindling. Thank you to Mrs, Lenck, our resident myrmecologist. The children were fascinated by her wealth of knowledge in this area. Hopefully your child has shared several ant facts with you. Ask them to name the parts of an ant and some jobs that ants have.
All children are progressing nicely with their reading and have recently gone "shopping" for new books. We read daily with our "just right" books and the students are very proud of their accomplishments. Having a strong word base of high frequency words and "power" words are critical in being a successful reader. Continue to practice these words daily and point out words that show up frequently in your reading together.
Throughout the year I have been sending home weekly reading assignments. Hopefully you have been implementing these strategies and applying them whenever you are reading with your child. Using picture clues, and looking at beginning, middle and ending letter sounds, are 2 strategies that kindergartners should have mastered. These will help them as they move on to more challenging books. When choosing books for your child, please use caution, as you do not want to pick books for your child that will be frustrating for them. If they cannot read at least 3 words on several pages then the book is too difficult. Keep this tip in mind when shopping for your book selections. Following is a suggested list of books that you might enjoy reading to your kindergartner (almost first grader!) during the summer months.http://www.pineview.leon.k12.fl.us/Shared%20Documents/Summer%20Reading%20List.pdf
As the year is coming to an end I hope you will look back on your child's first Public School experience here in Summit, NJ. Thank you for your support throughout the year. You were ALL instrumental in making this first year at the Wilson Primary Center a success. We could not have done it without you and your wonderful child!
I will continue to update this blog through the summer and I hope you will occasionally check
Enjoy your weekend.
