A snowy Friday=so much excitment!!!!
Now that the snow is officially here, it is important to remember the snow policies at May Watts. We do still go outside everyday (if the blacktop is not too slippery or messy), and only kids wearing snow pants and boots are allowed on the playground and in the snow. If a child does not have these items, they must stay on the blacktop. Although if the snow is just a dusting as it was today, snowpants are not really necessary! It is important for kids to wear their hats and gloves everyday as well. We are outside for at least 30 minutes in the afternoon, and it is COLD! Thank you all for helping your children learn to zip and pull their sleeves out of their coats..things are going smoother...we will see how it goes with snow pants and boots added into the mix! :) I have been trying to teach the students to place their hats/gloves into their sleeves when they take them off, this keeps the winter items from getting lost. Last night there were 7 mittens, 3 hats, and 2 scarves left behind. Please label your childs winter items so it is easier to find their owners!

Next week we will be learning about things that start with the letter D. Students will hear stories about dogs and dinosaurs. We will discuss the difference between fiction and non-fiction and talk about the beginning, middle, and end of stories. Students will brainstorm verbs that start with D, and use them to write about a dinosaur. In writer's workshop, we will continue to make grocery lists and nice notes. I have seen some AMAZING writing going on in Kindergarten, and all the kids love to share their original work. Always encourage your child to write. They should sound out words on their own, but should be held accountable for spelling our popcorn words correctly!

In math we will continue to work with measurement as we measure out the length of a dinosaur in the hall and practice balancing things in the pan balance. We have begun writing larger numbers (2-digit ones) and are practicing counting by 5's, 10's, and backwards. This month we will start doing story problems at calendar and work on writing number sentences (3 + 4=7). Students are also counting coins (nickels and pennies) and singing our coin songs everyday. This is a good time to pull out the math checklist and go over the second quarter skills at home.

Thank you to all the families who sent in $2 for our holiday project and gingerbread activities. I hate to ask for money, but it gets expensive to always buy these items on my own. I truly appreicate you pitching in and helping me out. I also am thankful that so many of you wanted to come in to help with the gingerbread decorating and also offered to make playdoh. I had so many volunteers that I had to turn some people away. I will be contacting my helpers soon.