December News
Thursday December 1st 2011
Dear Parent(s),
The Christmas season is upon us! The kids are all very excited for Santa’s visit. The countdown to Christmas is on (only 23 more shopping days left!!). I’m sure you are feeling the excitement at home because we are certainly feeling it here at school! The students are all gearing up for an exciting month. Last month was equally exciting as we learned about the letters Kk, Ee, Rr, and Hh, about rhyming, reading, Remembrance Day, numbers and bears. We were busy learning the first two I-Care Rules. These rules are: We listen to each other and Hands are for helping, not hurting. This month we will celebrate the importance of giving rather than receiving, of cooperation rather than competition and we will focus on what is right with the world. Here is an outline of what we will be doing in December:
Language Arts: This month we will focus on our printing skills as we will continue to print our first and last name. We will be printing more and more words in our journals as well. Now that we know many of the letter names and sounds, we are able to put these together to make words. We will also be learning all about the letters Mm and Dd. Our sight words for the month are: the, in, it.
Math: In Math we will be focusing on the numbers to 5. We will be counting and creating sets of 5, representing the numbers 0-5 concretely and pictorially, identifying the number 5 on five frames and recognizing “at a glance” arrangements of 1 to 5 objects or dots. Basically, we will be learning how to make sense of numbers by relating numbers together, in sets, and in patterns. We will also be having a “Math Week” for all of our Kindergarten classes. Each Kindergarten class will have a chance to learn a new Math game/skill with every Kindergarten teacher. It will be fun for the kids to learn with another teacher and fun for me to teach the other classes!
You and Your World: Holidays are our focus this month. We will be learning about the various traditions during the Christmas season. We will learn about how we celebrate Christmas and how our families celebrate together. We will also learn about the holiday of Hanukkah as we read stories and play games related to this special holiday.
Homework: Homework will officially begin in January. Homework in Kindergarten focuses mainly on ROUTINE rather than product. As we all know, homework is something that is inevitable at school and in life as we succeed at our jobs. Our goal in Kindergarten is for the children to establish a successful homework routine so that homework becomes an accepted part of the day (just like brushing your teeth). Homework in Kindergarten should take no longer than 10 minutes. The activities are designed to reinforce what we are doing in school, to make that home and school connection to the importance of learning and working at home as well as at school. On Monday December 5th I will send your child’s homework duo-tang home with him/her. Included in the duo-tang will be a “preview week” of homework to give you and your child an idea of the homework activities that will be brought home in the New Year.
Items of Interest:
Winter Weather: Please ensure that your child has extra mitts and hats in his/her book bag. When the snow begins to fall, your child will have to wear his/her snow pants to school in the morning as the children are out on the playground for at least 20 minutes each morning. The children need to be dressed properly when arriving to school.
Christmas Party: We will be having our Christmas party following the Kindergarten Christmas Concert on December 21st. The Christmas Party Group (Ben Dorcas, Ava Brown, Alexander Urquhart, Julia Kenel, and Ryan Lordon) will be responsible for providing the treats for that party. More details will follow.
Christmas Concert: As you all know we will be having our Christmas Concert this month. All of the Kindergarten classes are participating and we have begun practicing our songs. We will be singing a lot of songs together with the other Kindergarten classes and we will be singing a selection of our own. The concert is very exciting for our children. I hope that you are all adjusting your schedules to ensure that you are in the audience for your child’s very first school concert.
Goodbye: As you all know December 23rd will be my last day with all of our kids. I have truly enjoyed every minute with them! I just want to give a big “Thank You!” to all of my Kindergarten families. It is exciting to watch how hard your children work and the gains they make as the year progresses. It is only through your support outside the classroom that the children come as far as they have (and will continue to go). I am very proud of all their accomplishments, both small and large, and hope that they not only enjoy the rest of their year in Kindergarten but also develop a love of learning that will continue as they move ahead through the future. I know you will all love working with Mrs. Kilpatrick for the remainder of the year! Have a wonderful and safe Christmas!
Dates to Remember:
Thursday December 15th-Happy Birthday Izzie!
Sunday December 18th-Happy Birthday Julia!
Wednesday December 21st-Christmas Concert at 12:30p.m.
Friday December 23rd: Last day of School Night before Christmas Break. Wear your pajamas! ½ day of school
Sunday December 25th-Merry Christmas!
Friday December 30th-Happy Birthday Ava!
Saturday December 31st-Happy New Year!
Tuesday January 10th-Welcome back to school!
Once again, we are facing another busy month. I’m sure that you are too! I hope that you will take the time to appreciate the magic of the season, the joys of giving, and the spirit of Christmas as you spend some time with our family this month. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas Concert. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Mrs. Creamer
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