Important Updates:

Make Up Snow Day:

Just in case you haven’t heard, this next week will be different due to our surprise snow day this last week.

Friday, February 13^th: We WILL have school

Monday, February 16^th: School is out for students but will still be a teacher work day.

Valentine’s Day Party:

Our Valentine’s Party will still be on Thursday afternoon at 2:15.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Show and Tell Day:

I’m extremely happy to inform you all that our class has earned another classroom celebration for awesome behavior! We voted on several activities we would like our reward to be.  The majority of the class chose to have a Show and Tell Day. On Friday, February 13^th, your child is invited to bring something special to show their classmates. This item must be SMALL enough to fit inside your child’s backpack and cannot be anything electronic. I have also reminded everyone that sometimes items break or get lost. They should not bring anything that is too sentimental or valuable.  So, congratulate your child on their awesome behavior and encourage them to keep up the good work.

February 2nd - February 6th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new reading strategy to solve tricky words.  Skippy Frog reminds us we can skip a word, think about what makes sense, and reread the sentence.

Alphabet: This week we started looking at word families. We started with the _at family (example: cat, rat, mat, etc.). We practiced creating words that rhyme with at. We also learned what two sounds the diagraph “th” makes.

Writing:  This week we continued writing nonfiction/fact books. We made sure that our stories do not have “floating letters” and reviewed that each word has to have a vowel in it.

Math: We continued our addition and subtraction unit this week. We reviewed subtraction strategies and practiced subtracting from 10.

Theme: During theme this week, we learned about Groundhog’s Day.  We researched what groundhogs are, what groundhogs have, and what groundhogs can do. Did you know that groundhogs are woodchucks? Your child should be an expert! Ask them what they learned!

Valentine’s Day Party

Our Valentine’s Day party will be on Thursday, February 12th.  For this day, your child is invited to bring valentines to pass out, as well as a box or bag to keep their valentines safe.

Your child can make a Valentine Box (or bag) at home.  They can be as simple as a decorated brown paper bag or as complicated as papier-mâché. It’s up to you!  Just make sure there is an opening for kindergarteners to easily place their valentines into.

Your child needs to bring a valentine for each child in our class. These can be store bought or homemade! (If your family does not have the resources to provide valentines for your child, please let me know and your child can make some at school.)

Please be sure to send your child’s valentines and valentine boxes ON February 12th.  Our room can get really crowded, so please do not send them ahead of time.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

will & play

Previous words:

she, did, for, of, you, come, here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

February 12th: Valentine’s Day Party

February 13th: No School

February 16th: No School

March 3rd: McTeacher Night

March 6th: Dismiss at 12:30

March 7th- March 13th: No School/Spring Break

January 26th- January 30th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new reading strategy to solve tricky words.  Chunky Monkey reminds us to look for parts of a word we know (examples: -sh, -ch, -ing, -s, etc.).

Alphabet: We learned how to chunk words by beginning consonant sounds (example: bl-ack). We also learned how to put these words back together. This skill is called onset and rime. We also learned what sounds wh & ph make. 

Writing:  This week we started writing nonfiction/fact books. We brainstormed animals or things we know a lot of information about.  We are now working on writing nonfiction books about the topics we chose

Math: We started a new unit on addition and subtraction this week. This unit will review adding and subtracting facts fluently within 5 and using strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10. We will also review how to solve story problems as well.

Theme: During theme this week, we looked at the difference between the daytime sky and the nighttime sky. We discussed what you see in the sky and what you do during these times of day.

Valentine’s Day Party

On Thursday February 12th, we will be having our Valentine’s Day Celebration! Your student is invited to create a Valentine’s boxes at home and then bring them to school on that day. I will be sending more information home about the party as time gets closer.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

she & did

Previous words:

for, of, you, come, here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

February 6th: Spring Pictures

February 12th: Valentine’s Day Party

February 13th: No School

February 16th: No School

We Know Our Letter Sounds

I upload this video onto YouTube as an unlisted/private video. Enjoy!

January 19th- January 23rd

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned how to identify characters, the setting, and retell events from the beginning, middle, and end of a story. These story elements will help us to comprehend the stories we read.

Alphabet: We focused on syllables.  We learned how to say a word and count the syllables by clapping.  We will use this strategy to help us break apart words into smaller sections. This should help us read and spell bigger words correctly. We also learned the sounds sh and ch make.

Writing:  This week we finished writing “How To” stories.  We put the finishing touches on our How to Build a Snowman book. Ask your child to tell you about the cover of their book!

Math: We finished our geometry unit this week. We reviewed 2D and 3D shapes, sorted shapes based on their attributes, and practiced combining shapes to make new ones.

Theme: During theme this week, we did a book study on the book Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. We did a fun writing activity and craft after reading the book. Ask your child what they would do if they were a snowman at night!

Alphabet Video

We have been working hard and practicing all the sounds the letters make.  The students were so proud of themselves that they decided you all needed to see what they know. I have uploaded a video on our classroom blog of the kiddos saying the sounds they have learned. Feel free to watch it and tell your child you are impressed with everything they have learned this year.  I bet you will even be surprised with some of the sounds the letters make!

100th Day of School

Thank you all for donating items for the 100th day of school! You all really made this day special. I plan on adding several pictures from our fun filled day onto our classroom blog. Feel free to check out all the different ways we celebrated the number 100!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

of & for

Previous words:

you, come, here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

January 29th: Tiger Pride Assembly

February 6th: Spring Pictures

February 13th: No School

February 16th: No School

January 12th - January 16th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new reading strategy to solve tricky words.  Flippy Dolphin reminds us to flip the vowel sounds when a word doesn’t sound right.

Alphabet: We focused on vowel sounds this week. We reviewed long and short sounds the letters Ii, Oo, & Uu make. We also reviewed that vowels are glue that stick words together.  Ask your child to sing you the Sticky Letters song!

Writing:  This week we continued writing “How To” stories.  We practiced together how to create a title and describe three steps on how to do something.  Ask your child about their “How to Build a Snowman” story.

Math: We continued our geometry unit this week. We moved on from 2D shapes and started learning about 3D shapes. We learned how to recognize cones, spheres, cubes, and cylinders in real world items.

Theme: During theme this week, we learned about Martin Luther King Jr.  We read several books to learn about his life and how he helped people.  We used the information we learned to create a sentence describing him. Ask your child about the craft we created once our sentence and research were complete.

Report Cards

Report cards went home on Monday. I attached a paper describing your child’s strengths and areas they need to work on in reading, writing, alphabet and math.  Remember, many of these skills do not have to be mastered until the end of kindergarten. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

100th Day of School

Can you believe the 100th day of school is January 23rd?  This day is a HUGE day in kindergarten.  That day we will be doing several fun activities to help us understand what exactly the number 100 is. To make this day special, I need your help! I would appreciate any of the following items donated before Thursday, January 22nd:

Fruit Loops    

M&Ms      

Pretzel Sticks

Small Marshmallows              

Goldfish Crackers       

Teddy Grahams   

Chocolate Chips

Cheerios 

Raisins

Thank you all for making the 100th day so special!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

you & come

Previous words:

here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

January 19th: No School

January 23rd: The 100th Day of School

February 6th: Spring Pictures

February 13th: No School

February 16^th: No School

Janurary 5th - January 9th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  Because two weeks is a long time to take a break from our Daily 5 reading routine, we reviewed expectations for read to self, read to someone, word work, work on writing, and listen to reading.  We also practiced retelling and sequencing stories.

Alphabet: We focused on vowel sounds this week. We reviewed long and short sounds the letters Aa, Ee, & Ii make. We also learned that vowels are glue that stick words together.  Ask your child to sing you the Sticky Letters song!

Writing:  This week we started a new writing unit.  We are now writing “How To” stories.  We practiced together how to create a title and describe three steps on how to do something.  Ask your child about their “How to Build a Snowman” story.

Math: We started a new geometry unit this week. We reviewed how to identify circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and hexagons. We also described the attributes these shapes have (sides and corners). Ask your child about the activity they are doing with magazines.

Theme: During theme this week, we did a book study on the book The Mitten by Jan Brett.  We retold the story using pictures, created our own class book, and wrote a sentence describing a mitten we created.

Holiday Party

A HUGE “Thank You” to everyone who helped with the Holiday Party! The kids loved everything! I have uploaded several photos from that day onto our classroom blog (mrshappelslittleapples.blogspot.com).

Glue Sticks

We are in despite need of glue sticks. We use them regularly and could really use some for our classroom.  Thank you all for your generosity!

Class Blog

I make updates weekly onto our classroom blog (mrshappelslittleapples.blogspot.com). On the front page of the blog, I have placed a section you can enter your email address to get updates when I create a new post. Feel free to sign up so you can stay up to date on what is happening in our classroom.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

here & have

Previous words:

said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

January 12^th: Report Cards Go Home

January 19^th: No School

January 23^rd: The 100^th Day of School

February 6^th: Spring Pictures

February 13^th: No School

February 16^th No School