Our New Year So Far

Language Arts

Over the past two weeks, we've learned three new sight words including "and," "this," and "that." There were a few sight word cards left on the floor yesterday while we were packing up and I could find the folder that was missing their cards. So, if your student didn't come home with theirs yesterday, please let me know and I'll be sure to send them home on Tuesday!

We've started our Guided Reading Groups. Each of your students should have brought home a plastic bag with a letter home to parents and a book that we've read together once, they've read by themselves once and I'm hoping, can read to three people at home by Tuesday. Please remember that these books are ones they can use pictures to figure out the more difficult words written on the page. They are also using their knowledge of sight words and beginning letter sounds to figure out other words that might trick them up while reading.

Our new Fundations unit is underway and we're learning the Fundations way of writing both upper and lower case letters. This coming Tuesday, I will be sending home a new homework packet for them to practice their new letter formations including A, B, C, D, E and F. This homework packet needs to be completed by the following Tuesday so that your student can take their time practicing writing all of our new letters.

Math

As we begin the New Year, we also are beginning a new unit in Math focusing on numbers to 20. We've begun using 10-frames to count to 20. Your student will use these 10-frames throughout the year to help see the composition of numbers and to build (add) and take apart (subtract) numbers to 20.

We're also learning the correct names of 3-D shapes like cylinders, rectangular prisms and cubes during our daily calendar.

Science

Our conversations since the beginning of the year are focusing on living and non-living things. We've discovered that a tree is living because it needs water, food and air to survive. This past week, we've begun discovering the properties of non-living things like rocks, buttons and pom-poms. Next week, we'll have our Bubble Workshop and learn more about liquids and gases.

Important Reminders

*The new share calendar is up on the website. This new calendar also includes all important school dates, too.

*Please remember to send your child to school with both snow boots AND snow pants. If they do not have both items, they will not be able to play in the snow or on the playground structure.