August 25th - August 29th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  We continued to practice the three ways to read a book. 1) Read the words 2) Read the pictures & 3) Retell a familiar story. We learned that reading involves thinking and learning.

Alphabet: We learned how to identify and write the letters Gg, Hh, Ii, & Jj. We rotated through several centers to practice them. Ask your child if they enjoyed using Play-doh to practice.

Writing: We learned that when we think we are done we have just begun! Your child was encouraged to add more detail to their writing.

Math: During math this week, we continued to create our numbers book.  We drew pictures to represent the numbers 0-5. We also counted and sorted M&Ms based on their color.

Theme: During Theme this week we reviewed our colors. We sang several color songs to help up learn how to spell them.

Popcorn Words

Popcorn words are words that “pop-up” a lot when we read. These are high frequency words that your child needs to be able to read automatically without using a strategy to figure them out.

This week’s words:

me & can

Previous words:

the & is

Rest Time

I've noticed that rest time can get rather chilly in our room.  I told the kiddos that they are welcome to bring in a small blanket that fits inside their backpacks if they would like.  The only thing that I am requesting is that they leave their stuffed animals and pillows at home.  I’m hoping this allows everyone to rest comfortably during rest time.

Individual Assessments

This week I have been busy individually testing your child on the following skills:

·         Upper and lowercase letter recognition

·         Counting to 100

·         Recognizing and writing numbers to 20

Soon I will be updating the colored data sheets in your child’s take home folder.  This will allow you to see what skills you can reinforce at home. Even though many of these skills do not have to be mastered until the end of kindergarten, any extra practice you can provide at home will greatly benefit your child. Also, regularly check the flashcard portion of your child’s take home folder as well.  Alphabet flashcards will be coming soon! Thank you so much for all your support!

Dates to Remember

September 1st- No School (Labor Day)

September 19^th- Dismiss at 12:30

September 24^th- Tiger Pride Assembly

September 27^th: WOHE 5K

September 30^th- Picture Day

What We Are Learning

Reading:  We learned three ways to read a book. 1) Read the words 2) Read the pictures & 3) Retell a familiar story. We also built stamina during read to self.

Alphabet: We learned how to identify and write the letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, & Ee. We rotated through several centers to practice them. Ask your child if they enjoyed using our classroom iPads!

Writing: We learned how to picture a story in our minds and then recreate it on paper.  We also tried to add labels with our pictures we drew. Ask your child what they chose to write about.

Math: During math this week, we started creating a numbers book.  We drew pictures to represent the numbers 0-2. We also practiced writing them neatly and correctly.

Theme: In order to establish a positive classroom community, we worked on several character building activities this week during our All About Me unit.  We created an All About Me book and talked about what makes us special. Ask your child about the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.

Popcorn Words

Popcorn words are words that “pop-up” a lot when we read. These are high frequency words that your child needs to be able to read automatically without using a strategy to figure them out.

This week’s words:

the & is

Special Thanks

I want to send out a special thanks to all who donated items from our classroom wish list!  We greatly appreciate your generosity.  These items will help us have a productive year! Feel free to frequently view our classroom website where I will post items throughout the year as we need them.   

Special Class Schedule

Monday- Music

Tuesday- Art

Wednesday- Library

Thursday- Computers

Friday- P.E.

Always Remember…

I want you to always feel free to contact me through school (417-869-0600) or by e-mail (laurahappel@willardschools.net). If you have any questions, send a note in your child’s take home folder, and I will write a quick response back.

Dates to Remember

September 1st- No School (Labor Day)

September 19^th- Dismiss at 12:30

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome new kindergarten friends and families! I can't wait to meet you and get to know you better! Hope to see you at our Kindergarten Practice Day on Wednesday, August 13th. That day you will get to see your new classroom, get your supplies organized, and see what it's like to be a kindergartener! We're going to have a great year, and I know you will just love being WOHE kid. See you soon!

What We Are Learning

Reading: Because your child has learned so much this year, they are now in charge of teaching the class! Your child has picked a book to share with the class.  While they read aloud and practice their fluency, they are also teaching their classmates about making predictions, making connections, retelling the story, visualizing, and expanding our vocabulary. Ask your child what book they chose to share and what skills they are teaching us.

Writing: In writing this week we realized we are experts in all things first grade. Your child is now writing about things they learned this year.  Look for the finished pieces in your child’s take home folder next week.

Math: This week your child is moving through 7 math centers.  These centers review skills they have learned this year. Ask your child which center they like the best.

Field Day

Field Day will be Tuesday, May 27^th. This will be a really exciting day.  Coach has planned several water activities. Here is what your child needs to bring that day:

·        An extra change of clothes and shoes

·        Sunscreen (I get sunburnt ever year!)

·        Tennis shoes that are ok to get dirty

·        Sack lunch from home or school sack lunch

First grade will have Field Day in the morning.  Your child will be pretty miserable the rest of the day if they do not bring an extra set of clothes!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Thank you all for an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week! I feel so blessed!

My Transition Back

Thank you all for being so flexible while I was on maternity leave.  We are now working on getting back into our predictable routine. Here is a picture of my beautiful baby girl! I’m one proud Mamma! J

Dates to Remember

May 26^th: Memorial Day No School

May 27^th: Field Day

May 28^th: Dismiss at 12:30 Last Day of School

Guess who is going to come and visit you guys this Friday! This girl!

Introducing Abigail

Hello Friends! I miss you all so much! I know that you are working hard for Mrs. Thomas. I can hardly wait to hear about everything I have missed.  I know you will all impress me so much with how much you have learned while I've been gone. Abigail and I will come and visit you all soon. Until then, here are some pictures of Abigail:

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week in reading we worked on making our reading more fluent. We practiced changing our rate and voice depending on the text we are reading.  We also set new reading goals. Ask your child about their new goal.

Writing: In writing this week we continued our opinion writing unit. We finished revising, editing, and publishing our pieces persuading our audience which pet is the best to own. Ask your child about what topic they chose to write about.

Math: This week we continued our new math unit on adding numbers to 20. We focused on adding by counting by 2s, 4s, and 5s.

Theme:  During Theme Time this week we looked at how weather can affect water.  Ask your child about the difference between snow, hail, sleet, and rain.  

Valentine’s Day Party

On February 14 at 10:00, we will be having our Valentine’s Day Celebration! Your child is encouraged to create a Valentine’s box at home and then bring it to school. I am asking that your child not bring them to school before February 13^th. The party will start at 10:00 and end at 11:00.  Feel free to come and enjoy the fun with us! Your child may also bring in Valentines for their classmates.  However, if they choose to bring them, please make sure that they bring one for every student.  We have 20 students in our class.

Word Family

Please practice making words with the following pattern:

This week’s Word Family

_ake

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

could  have  make  any  into

Dates to Remember

February 7^th-13^th: Book Fair

February 14^th: Valentine’s Day Party 10:00-11:30

February 14^th: Dismiss at 12:40 (Make Up Snow Day)

February 17^th: Make Up Snow Day

February 27^th: Baby Happel is due J