Saturday, September 26, 2015

Apples


Thank you for your patience this week!  The wedding went wonderfully.  It was a very busy day.  My husband was the officiant, myself a bridesmaid and my son was a ring bearer.  We all got dressed, there on time, and they are now legally married!  A win in our book!

Please send in those family photos!  They love to see their family when they may be missing you as well as make them feel like we are a part of a school family!  Thanks



We started our two week apple theme this week.  We started Monday with listening to a catchy song about apples.  We then stamped apples on a page that was made into a class book.  First students were encouraged to write their name on their own.  Then they glued the words to the book "I stamped ___ apples.  My apple star has ____ points."  Students could stamp as many apples as they wanted but they had to fit and we had to count them.  I then wrote the number in yellow for them to practice writing it over the top. We then looked inside and apple that had an apple star and counted the points.  They also traced the 5.  The book is now in our reading center.  Books with predictable text and repeated text such as this one helps students to understand print concepts: start at the front, go to the back top to bottom, left to right.  They can also start pointing to each word as they read.



Wednesday we read Ten Apples Up On Top and then we counted our 10 apples.  We colored the 10 apples either red, yellow, or green (because they dont always have to be red!) and then cut them out. We then glued them up on top of our heads (student photos).  They had to count to 10 again to make sure that all 10 apples were still there.  This worked on their endurance and completely filling a shape when coloring, cutting straight lines, counting, and proper use of a glue stick.

We  are still working a lot on name writing.  It is important that your child can write their name because it is the foundation of a lot of their writing skills, the beginning of their letter recognition, strengthens and refines their fine motor skills, and it is important to be on all papers so we know whose it is!  Please work on name writing at home. Sheets are in our writing center to help them at school.



We have been working on proper writing in general.  Here is a look at our lines. There is the sky line, the plane line, and the ground. (eventually there will be a worm line but we aren't to worm line letters).  We always start at the sky line. ALWAYS.  For T, it is start at the sky, pull down to the ground.  Across the sky.  for t, it is pull down, across the plane line.  Encourage this language and proper formation as it will truly help the with their fluency down the road.
The letter of the week was Tt. We learned the sign language for a letter, the literacy link sound symbols, the letter sound, and looking at and writing it in both capital letters and lower case letters.  Click here to view the many ways we learn the letter of the week!

Each week we watch letter videos from "Have Fun Teaching" and the students are really picking up the names of letters, formations, and the sounds of letters.  Check out these videos with you child!  Click HERE.

The Tuesday project of letter of the week is to 
decorate a letter with 
something that starts with the letter. This week we decorated the letter T with  tearing tiny tiles.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, T is for Turtle.

Students also do a maze of the letter helping get from one object to another starting with that letter, find and color all of the letter, color a page of something that starts with that letter, and make a crown at the end of the week to be the Kings and Queens of the letter!


We also do a handwriting sheet.  This is important because writing the letters correctly helps with efficency as well as learning cursive down the line.  We ALWAYS START AT THE TOP.  Please encourage students to write the letter correctly!

Important Notes:

  • Field Trip is Tuesday.  All slips are in and parents have been contacted about chaperoning.  Please send your child dressed for the weather (in layers if needed) and in shoes that will be appropriate for walking through an orchard.  We go rain or shine.  Please understand that what you send them in could get sticky with apple juice and could get mud on it.  Please plan accordingly.  The trip runs during our regular school day.  Please plan on your child being there the whole time even if you are chaperoning as we have activities planned before and after still.
  • As a part of our room decorations and to make every one feel at home, we have a "family and friends" board in our room.  Students will feel more at home and have a school family if they have their home family with them.  (The same as you putting a family picture on your desk).    Please feel free to send in a family photo that will be stapled up on our wall for the duration of the school year. Send in those family photos!
  • Background checks. When it comes to these, we assume you are good unless we get a note otherwise, but we are counting on it not being processed (and will not make that assumption that it was run and you are good) until 2 WEEKS AFTER TURNING THE FORMS IN.
  • Homework Some parents have asked about homework and keep home stuff.  Homework would be the only blank stuff sent home.  We have a homework stamp page in the back of you child's every day folder.  When you do homework with your child and send it back, we stamp the homework, stamp the homework page, and then send it back. Anything with a stamp on it or a project that is already done is yours to keep.  The homework page in the back of the folder explains more about homework. Homework TYPICALLY comes home on Thursdays and it is some reinforcing of letters at home (same sheet different letters so they also become independent).
  • Folders. Please be checking your child's daily folder each night.  We put notes on the notebook pages in their folders as well as any notes we may have for you.  Artwork is also sent home this way. As we start letter of the week, we will also start sending home homework to help reinforce the letter concept and identification.  Please work on this with you child to help the students make the connection between home and school. 
  • Also, Please check the student's Wednesday Folders.  Please try to take info out and return the folder and any forms/info/payments in those folders a day or two after receiving. 
  • Literacy Bags come home every three weeks.  Students will have a week to complete the project inside and can then return the bag with completed sheets in it on MONDAY.
  • Library Books come every week.  We go to library on Monday and student have the opportunity to check out a book and keep it for a week. It can be kept in their back packs or at home, but please remember to bring it on Mondays. 
  • Book Order is submitted.  Books will be sent home with your child when they come in unless you send a note that you would like it done differently.  We do encourage books to be gifts so if this is the case, please send a note and we put them in brown paper bags and tell the student it is mom/dad's homework.  The next book order is due OCTOBER 21st.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms. 
Next Week:
Theme: Apples (again)
Letter of the Week: Ii
AM Snack: Vosters

PM Snack : Woerpel
***Thanks to a parent suggestion, here is a healthy snack list site that can help with some ideas!***
Snack List


Some photos of us playing this week:






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