We survived the first full week!!!

The first full week went well. It was HOT but the kids remained upbeat and excited about learning. By the end of the week more students were able to independently open their snacks and were completing the morning routines on their own. It is exciting to see the changes in them already.

During the week we began our jolly phonics program. Your child learned the motions/sounds for s, a, t, i. Please have your child show you the motions and review the sounds at home. The motions are pictured on the side of the jolly phonics worksheet your child brought home. We also read lots of books about kindergarten. We compared the classes in these books to our own classroom and discovered that they are very similar. Students also explored unfix cubes and pattern blocks as we began to be introduced to our math tools. In addition, this week we spent a lot of time learning routines. The Kindergarten classroom runs very smoothly when routines are in place. We practice everything together, slowly, and then gradually release control. We aim to produce independent thinkers and learners. My goal is to help your child feel confident with their own abilities and comfortable enough to express themselves and explore their interests.

Next week we will be getting to know our friends better, meet more teachers at May Watts, and read/write about colors. By the end of the week we hope your child can read at least one color word by sight. In math we will explore our junk boxes as we begin to sort, pattern, and practice our one to one counting skills. The class will also work together to make a graph of our favorite colors. Each day we will learn about how our class centers work and we will practice them together. It is a short week (Wed-Fri.)but filled with lots of activities!

Enjoy the long weekend. Maybe I will see you at the Last Fling!