Mrs. Tarantelli's Kindergarten News

Mrs. Tarantelli's webmix

2012-02-17T09:22:00.000-05:00

This is a newly created webmix! Feel free to browse!

Kindergarten News for the week of February 20th - 24th

2012-02-15T18:35:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten News for the Week of February 21st – 24th
There is no school for students on Friday- February 17th or on Monday- February 20th .
In phonics next week we will be learning the letter Dd. We will be doing dinosaur projects and your child should have a paper with the dinosaur name they selected and their assigned date. We will not have our regular show and tell. We only have 6 more alphabet letters to learn. The girls are anxiously waiting to be queens for a day when we learn the letter Qq! Unfortunately, it is the last letter we learn! Don’t forget to study the next word list that was also in your child’s folder today!
In math we will be learning the following math concepts: identifying nickels, counting by 5’s to 100, comparing events according to duration of time, counting nickels to 25 cents and paying for objects up to 25 cents, identifying a cylinder and ordering objects by height, and making ABC patterns.
In reading we will begin reading the story If You Could Go to Antarctica. This is an earth science story and is considered an informational text. We will learn to classify and categorize.
Book orders are due to me by Thursday – February 23rd if you are interested in buying anything. You may also order them online. Use my code when entering your order on Scholastic.com .
A big “Thank You” to the homeroom mothers for planning a great Valentine party!! We had a wonderful time. Thank you also for sending in party money!
I did want to let you know that our school phone system was down last week and I lost all messages in my voice mail box! If you even call me and I don’t get back to you, please call back! Sometimes in this world of technology, these things happen!

Kindergarten week of February 6th - 10th

2012-02-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of February 6th – 10th
We will have our Valentine Party on Tuesday- Feb 14th . Your child should make sure they have a valentine for everybody in our class and bring them on Monday morning. Just in case you haven’t done the Valentine cards yet, it’s easier if you would please PRINT all names. The children cannot read cursive writing!
In math this week we will be copying line segments and designs of varying complexity on a geoboard. We will measure objects using nonstandard units. We will also be making patterns more difficult by making ABC patterns.
In phonics we will learn the letter Ee as in elephant and equal. Some of the concepts that will be reviewed this week are same/different words, rhyming, alphabetizing words and recognizing the /e/ when heard in words. The sound is difficult for the letter /e/! We will practice. In reading next week we will be reading a story One Little Mouse. This is considered a rhyming/concept book. We will discuss the sequence of this story. We will also discuss the concept of consonant blends.
Please check the note in your child’s folder that will tell you about the special dress days for Bully Awareness Week!
We learned how to make predictions this week for Groundhog day and the super bowl!!
Monday is day 3 on our rotation week! We have gym! Please wear or bring sneakers!

Act 80 half day reminder!!!

2012-01-24T07:19:00.000-05:00

I would like to remind everyone that there is an early dismissal on Friday- January 27th at 11:45 for an Act 80 ½ day! It is listed on the yearly calendar and on the monthly calendar, but I forgot to put it in my weekly newsletter!! Enjoy the afternoon with your child!

100th day in kindergarten

2012-01-19T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents,
In just a few more school days your child will be celebrating his/her 100th day of school! Can you believe it?? The year is flying ! We are planning a special day with lots of activities involving “100” and we need your help. The 100th day will be on Tuesday January 31st, if we have no snow days before that day!
One fun activity you may like to do is dress your child as if he/she were 100 years old. You can use wigs, baby powder, canes, walkers, glasses and old jewelry. Use your imagination! This is a great photo op!
We will be counting to 100 many times that day. We will see where 100 steps takes us in the building, how long it takes to melt 100 ice cubes, and does 100 licks take us to the center of a tootsie pop! (and much more)
We are excited to be 100 days smarter! Thanks for your continued help! It is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Anne Tarantelli

Kindergarten News for the week of January 23rd - 27th

2012-01-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten newsletter for the week of January 23 rd - 28th
Report Cards came home today. Please look over the report cards and return as soon as possible. Call me with any concerns. (874-3661 ext 3241)
Snow Days! I did put this tip on my blog. When we have a day of school off for an in-service day or snow, we don’t skip that day. Let’s say it is day 1 on Monday, when we have school, and we’re off Tues. and Wed. for snow, it is still day 2 on Thursday. This is so the children don’t miss the same special class all of the time.
I know some of the children were upset that we didn’t get to present their report on their assigned day. We had days off, dibels testing and had to do our regular lessons! I promised them that we will continue them next week until we’re finished! We were scheduled for dibels testing last week but didn’t take it until Thursday!
In phonics next week we will learn the letter Zz as in zebra. The children generally do not have difficulty with the sound, but the formation is tricky! We will have show and tell!
Book orders are due on-line or in school on Jan. 26th if you want any books!
In math we will continue working with the numbers from 0 – 20. Many children can put them in order, and rote count them but can’t remember the numbers of each teen number individually shown out of order. You may want to practice this! The children are also confusing the coins. We only focus on penny, nickel and dime.
Monday will be Day 3 on our schedule and we will have gym. Please have your child bring sneakers if they wear boots to school.
Our tissue supply is running low! Some thoughtful children have brought tissues again! Thank you!! We are OK with hand sanitizer!
Watch for a note about the 100th day. So far it should be January 31st!

Kindergarten week of January 16th - 20th

2012-01-12T14:22:00.002-05:00

Uu Kindergarten Newsletter for the week of January 16th – 20th

• The second marking period will be ending on Tuesday and we will continue testing. Students will be asked to write correctly their first and last names, numbers 0-10, and capital and lowercase letters learned. They will need to identify letter and sounds, numbers 0-10, count orally to 30, basic shapes, and rhyming words. Students will be asked to blend 2, 3, and 4 letter words and read some already learned high- frequency sight words. Please take some time to review these skills with your child. Report cards will be sent home some time on or around January 20th. It is hard to believe our year is half way over!

In phonics next week we will learn the letter Uu as in umbrella and unicorn. We will not have show and tell in the regular way. We will have a United States report! Your child should have received a state, papers and the date that it is due. Let me know if you did not!

• Our next math lessons will be about identifying and ordering the numbers 0-20, identifying what numbers come between two given numbers, before a given number and after a given number, identifying a 1 cup measuring cup and following a recipe and discussing full, half full and empty containers.

• Our next story in reading will be called Hide, Clyde. It is a life science concept book about chameleons and the children really enjoy it!!

• Tuesday will be day number 4 on our rotation schedule.

• We took the dibels test again. I will only let you know if the results were not as good as they should be for this time of the year. We should know the results in the next few weeks.

• I will send the January book orders home on Tuesday!

• The children are looking forward to the 100th day. We only have 11 more school day!

Kindergarten News for the week of January 9th - 13th

2012-01-05T20:09:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of January 9th – 13th
I will test word list 8 on Thursday or Friday. We will also take the second session of the dibels test on Thursday or Friday. Your child will have to read nonsense words, name letters, use words in sentences and identify pictures that have similar sounds as those named.
In math we will be comparing sets of objects and numbers through 6. We will weigh objects using nonstandard units and ordering objects by weight. Lastly, we will be combining sets by counting on and using numbers to describe how many objects are in a set.
In phonics we will be learning the letter Bb. We will have show and tell on Thursday. If I ever forget to send a bag home, a grocery bag would be fine.
In reading we will read the story Seeds. We will learn the comprehension skill of drawing conclusions. This is an informational text.
Please continue to dress your child for the weather! We go outside every day that it is possible. Hats and gloves make their time outside more enjoyable. Also some of the children have been asking to put on their coats in our classroom because they are cold. I am wearing 2 or 3 layers myself every day because the large blower makes our room feel cold! You may want to send a dress code appropriate sweater or hoodless sweatshirt for your child’s cubby!
We will be testing for report cards next week. We have learned the letters L,O,G,H,T,P,A,N,M,I,S,F,R and K. Your child should recognize these (capital and lowercase letters) and know the corresponding sound. They should be able to read all sight words taught, recognize numbers to 20, and recognize the penny, nickel and dime and name their value. Your child will be asked to name time to the hour and recognize rhyme. They should also be able to tell a rhyming word that rhymes with a word given by me!
Please continue to call me with any questions or concerns! My school phone number is 874-3661-ext. 3241.

Kindergarten week of Christmas break!!

2011-12-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten News for Christmas!
First, I’d like to thank everyone for their thoughtful gifts! The children were thrilled when I opened them!
In phonics when we return from the holiday we will finish the letter Kk. The boys will even get to be “king” for a day!
In math we will continue counting dimes and doing work with patterns.
In reading we will read the story Farfallina and Marcel. It is an animal fantasy book and we will work on Plot with this book.
It will be day 5 on our rotation schedule. Day 2 will be book exchange! Try to find any “missing” books over the holidays!
You may want to go over word list 7. I will test it when we return from the holiday. Also, it is almost at the end of the marking period. Please review the letters and sounds we’ve already learned. (l,o,g,h,t,p,a,n,m,i,s,f,and r) Your child should also be able to count to 50 without help! I know some children can count to 100, but the grade will be based on 50 this time!
I hope everyone has a restful holiday and gets rid of those bad coughs! Our Elf has to go back to Santa, but he said “Merry Christmas”!

Kindergarten News for the week of December 5th - 9th

2011-12-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of December 5th – 9th
The Christmas concert for grades K-2 will be on December 12th at 9:30am. There will also be a PTO meeting on that evening at 6:30 in the school cafeteria.
The PTO sponsored movie night is December 9th. A paper is in your child’s folder today. The party sponsored by NSHS Interact at St. Catherine’s Hospital will be on December 4th. Please respond to the phone number that was on the invitation that your child received.
In math next week we will be making shapes on a geoboard, placing items on a real graph, identifying ordinal position and paying for items using pennies.
In reading we will be reading the story Little Panda. We will check out the live panda cams at the San Diego zoo and National zoo in Washington DC.
In phonics we will be learning the letter Ff as in fish. We will also be reading some frog books. Your child should now know Ll, Oo, Gg, Hh, Tt, Pp, Aa, Nn, Mm, Ii, and Ss. They should know how to recognize the letter and know the sound.
Please practice word list 5. We will be having show and tell for Ff on Thursday and will be tested on word list 5 on Friday!
Monday will be day #5 on our rotation schedule.
You may want to send in a small box of crayons for your child. Many children spend a lot of time walking back and forth to the “extra” crayon box in the back of the room!

Kindergarten News for the week of November 23rd - December

2011-11-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week after Thanksgiving
• I will test word list 4 after Thanksgiving.
• Tuesday will be day 1 when we return after Thanksgiving.
• Please note that out Santa’s shop day will be Wednesday- November 30th in the morning.
• Children still need a snack and a drink each day. I have 5 children that do not bring a snack and drink regularly.
• We will begin the letter Ss on Tuesday.
• Your child should have brought home an invitation for a Christmas party sponsored by the high school Rotary Interact club.
• Don’t forget that there is no school store until after Christmas.
•
Please send in party money if you forgot so far!

Kindergarten News for the week of November 7th - 11th

2011-11-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of November 7th – 11th
This weekend ends Daylight Savings Time. Remember to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night. (Spring forward—Fall back!) No more shorts are permitted until the spring!
Next week in phonics we will be learning about the letter Mm as in monkey. You can see how your child did on their first word list test. This will come home on Monday. Word list 2 is in their folder to practice for next week. Your child may grow a mustache by the end of the week! I did have many parents that said they would like a list of the sight words we’ve learned so far. These will come home next week in an envelope. Please keep them at home to practice!
In math this week we will be learning more about acting out story problems using pennies, naming shapes according to the three attributes of color, shape and size, and telling time to the hour. We are continuing to do the calendar using an ABB pattern for November. We are counting up to 50 this week!
In November we will be learning about Pilgrims and Indians as well as Thanksgiving. It’s hard to believe it is less than 3 weeks until Thanksgiving!
It was so nice to see and talk to so many parents at our parent/teacher conferences and speak to by phone! The children were excited that we were in touch with each other!
Book orders are due on Nov 14th. They make good Christmas presents!
Please don’t forget that there is no school for students on Friday- November 11th!
In Reading we will read one of my favorite books Bear Snores On. I have several other bear books we will compare/contrast this week! I even ordered them the movie about the book for us to watch on Thursday!

Kindergarten News for the week of October 31st - November 4th

2011-10-27T19:56:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October 31st – November 4th
This week in phonics we will be learning the letter Nn as in nest. We will have show and tell on Thursday!
In math we will be ordering 0-10 number cards and recognizing a missing number, identifying the days of the week, solving a problem by looking for a pattern and identifying and counting pennies.
In reading we will be reading the story Animal Babies in Grasslands. This is a life science concept book text and we will learn the concept of main idea.
The parent/teacher conferences have been schedule for Tuesday – November 1st. If you didn’t request a conference and would like one, you can still join us for the 4:00 or 4:30 group sessions. If you wish to schedule an individual conference after you see the report card, you can contact me then.
I would like to thank our homeroom mothers for volunteering to plan and help at our wonderful Halloween party for the children today and helping with the parade. Dressing 26 kindergarten kids and keeping them in a parade isn’t the easiest task! Anyone still wishing to help at the Christmas party is welcome!
Friday – November 4th is report card day. Enjoy your child’s card and celebrate their success!
Monday- October 31st will be day 4 of our rotation schedule!
Our class received a treat bag from PTO for the most Campbell’s soup labels collected in the month of September.

2011-10-27T19:55:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten week of October 24th - 28th

2011-10-21T08:03:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October 24th – 28th
Please dress for red ribbon week if you can- Monday -shirt backwards, Tuesday – crazy sock day, Wednesday- wear crazy hats, Thursday- shirts inside out, Friday Spartan Spirit Day!!! A pink paper came home with a full description of this!
We will NOT learn a new letter this week! We will finish Aa and begin testing for report cards!
In math this week we will learn about more sorting, ordering numbers 0-10, counting backwards from 10 and identifying a missing number from the 0-10 order. We will also learn about the ordinal numbers first, second, third and fourth.
The Halloween parties will be on Friday- October 28th. Children should bring their costumes in a bag with their name on it. They will change into their costumes after lunch! Children should not wear their costumes to school! The parade will begin at 2:15. Everyone is welcome!
Picture retakes will be on Tuesday- November 8th.
Please return your conference form to me as soon as possible!
We had a wonderful time at our fall festival! Thank you to all who helped to make it a wonderful day! We also had a great time at Mr. Gustitus’s farewell party! We wish him much success in his next placement and he has promised to come back to visit us!

Kindergarten news for the week of October 10th - 14th

2011-10-07T10:45:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News

Remimders: -Fall Festival money is due ASAP
-Book orders are due by Wednesday, October 12th
Please read the school newsletter for additional information! (Yellow and also enclosed in the folder.)
Our New Week:
Monday will be day 4, art with Miss Pasco. Monday lunch will be hamburger, cheeseburger, meatball sub, or chicken wrap. Friday will be gym again.
We will be working with the letter Pp and reviewing Ll, Oo, Gg, Hh and Tt. We are now sounding out and spelling words with these letters. Thursday is our ‘Pp’ show-and-tell. Friday will be our ¬Pajama Party! Children may come to school wearing their pajamas. They can change into bedroom slippers, but should wear regular shoes for coming, going, and gym.
We finished reading Julius in Reading. Your child should know the meaning and be using the words crate, granddaddy, scary, protect, sneaked, and sharing. We also practiced counting syllables and rhyming as well as identifying the characters, sequence, and setting.
In math we will continue working with the calendar, AB patterns, sorting, ordering the numbers 0-10 and practicing counting backwards from 10 to 1. We will also explore the words more, fewer, and equal.
We are kidwriting everyday after recess. The children are doing a great job expressing themselves through drawings and their new writing skills.
Enjoy the beautiful weekend!
Sincerely,
Mr. Gustitus

Kindergarten news for the week of October 3rd!!!

2011-10-03T10:29:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October 3rd – 7th

There will be another fall festival planning meeting on this Wednesday- October 5th at the Mine Shaft at 6pm. Please attend if you are able! Also, please send in your child’s $3.00 fall festival money.

In the upcoming week, we will be learning Tt as in tent, tail, and tie. . Take some time to find items at home that begin with the letter Tt sound! Also, boys and girls are asked to learn their telephone numbers. Please practice at home! They will get a “T”reat if they can tell me!!

Our themes for the upcoming weeks and October will be Fire Safety and fall. We have many activities planned to teach the students about fire safety and fall such as; videos, stories, and art projects. Don’t forget to ask your child what he/she has learned!

In Math we will continue with matching a number card to a set of items 1-5, creating and reading an AB color pattern, acting out story problems, and identifying ordinal number places first through fourth.

The Kindergarten Fall Festival will be held at the school on Thursday, October 20th. Parent and grandparent volunteers who have the necessary clearances are welcome and needed to help the homeroom moms with this fun-filled day! Please contact your child’s teacher and show proof of updated clearances, and we will be glad to have you join in the festivities!!!

Parents are encouraged to check out your teacher’s BLOG for homework and important information for the week. You can access each teacher’s blog by going to the NS website at www.northschuylkill.net and clicking on Elementary School; then drop down to Homework Helpline and click on the teacher’s name. This should take you directly to each teacher’s blog. (The blogs will be updated at least once a week on a Monday.)

Monday, October 3rd will be Day 4 on our special classes’ schedule.
Hip, Hip, Hooray it’s the weekend!

Kindergarten week of September 26th - 30th

2011-09-23T11:55:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of September 26th-September 30th

In the upcoming week we will be learning the letter Hh as in hat, hippo, and horse. Letter Hh is a consonant. As part of our study with the letter Hh we will have a “Hat Day” on Friday, September 30th . Students are asked to wear a favorite hat, a funny hat, or even a homemade hat. You can be creative with this if you want! Students will be able to wear the hat all day—we do just ask that students do not share hats. Show and Tell will be with items that begin with the /h/ sound on Thursday! Watch for your brown bag!
Next week we will be learning about “APPLES”. We were sorting, graphing, and tasting all apples. We ask that each child bring one apple to school on Monday. Our applesauce will be delicious!
In Math we will be learning about acting out story problems, identifying, describing and comparing circles and rectangles. We will also be identifying and ordering the numbers 1 – 5 and identifying a missing number.
We have been practicing writing our first names. Please watch your child as he/she is writing. Be sure to check if letters are beginning at the top, not the bottom and also guide him/her to use the lines when forming the letters. Capital letters should only be used at the beginning of your name.
The PTO store will be open on Mondays. Kindergarteners are asked to shop only on a Monday from 8:25-8:45. Please do not put school store money in your child’s folder. (Teachers will not see it until after the store closes.) Students should keep it separate in book bags where they can reach it easily for shopping before homeroom.
Reminders:
There will be a meeting on Wednesday- September 28th at 6:00 pm at the Mine Shaft in Ashland for anyone interested in helping to plan our kindergarten fall festival. We need lots of help to make this day successful for your child!!
Boxtops for education and Campbell’s labels will be collected at any time. If you have any at your home, then please send them to school with your child. The box tops and labels help our school to earn extra money and the homeroom with the most collected each month will receive a treat from PTO!
Monday will be Day 4 on our special classes’ schedule. Please try to follow the schedule I gave you in your child’s yellow folder! Also, labels coats and sweaters your child is wearing to school! I had phone calls this week about missing items and they’re very difficult to find without names in them!
Kindergarten children do not receive progress reports!
Have a Great weekend!

Kindergarten week of September 19th - 23rd

2011-09-19T07:26:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten news for the week of September 19thth – 23rd
Anyone interested in helping with the Kindergarten Fall Festival is invited to a meeting in the NSE cafeteria at 2:00 on Wednesday September 21st. The Fall Festival will be held on Thursday October 20th. There will be no rain date. The meeting MAY run until the end of the school day. Please let me know if you will be taking your child as a walker at the end of the day!
• Next week in Phonics we will be learning the letter Gg and its sound as in goat. Please review the sounds and how to write the letters we have already learned. We will have Show & Tell for Gg on Thursday. If your child loses or rips their brown bag for show and tell, you may use any bag at all! The bag is really a reminder!
• In math next week we will create pattern block designs, cover designs using pattern blocks, sort objects by color, create a real graph and act out some story problems.
• In our reading story Fix-it Duck! The children were introduced to the letters Ff – Nn. Our next story is about a plaid platypus called Plaidypus Lost. The genre of this book is fiction and we will discuss the comprehension skill of sequence. The children will be introduced to the letters Oo- Ss.

We have already completed three weeks of school and many students are familiar with their bus numbers, however, we are asking that students continue to wear their bus tags or at least be sure to have them handy inside their backpacks. If your child has lost his/her bus tag then please write your child’s name, the teacher’s name, the bus number your child rides to and from school, and any other information you would like to include (address, phone #, child’s destination, etc…) on an index card or piece of paper and place it inside your child’s backpack. This will be very helpful for teachers on bus duty and for any substitute teachers or substitute bus drivers. Thank you for your support!

• Parents please check folders daily and remove all “KEEP” items. It becomes difficult to handle folders with too many papers inside (both for the students and teachers). Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Please note that the blue September calendar is off one day of the rotation due to the day off due to the flooding last week! Monday will be day #4.

Now that the weather is a little cooler your child needs to be dressed properly to be outside for recess for ½ hour!

Have an Outstanding Weekend!

1st week newsletter

2011-09-06T08:51:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News………
Congratulations!! You made it through the first week of kindergarten! There is no school on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. Enjoy the long weekend.
Tuesday, September 6th will be day 1. Please check your special schedule. Remember your child needs sneakers on every day 3 for gym.
*Next week we will be learning the letter Ll as in lion, lemonade and licorice. Please review the letter and sound with your child at home. On Thursday, September 8th Kindergarten will have a Luau. Students are permitted to wear tropical clothes. (Bright colors, floral prints and Hawaiian shirts etc.) More details will be sent home next week. No flip flops please!
*We’ve started our saxon math series.
*We will begin show and tell on Thursday. Please help your child find an item or two around the house that begins with the letter /l/. The items should be small enough to fit in the brown bag that will be sent home on Tuesday. Each week the show and tell will be on Thursday, but the letter will change each week.
*I’m sure the children have been telling you things about our day. If you have any questions, please call me! The following is a general outline:
We begin each day with attendance and lunch count.
We read the morning message.
We count the days we’ve been in school and learn about place value.
We do the calendar and read the fun fact, joke or question of the day.
Kidwriting will begin in a few weeks when we learn more letters.
Saxon phonics teaches us our letters and sounds. We will work on proper letter formation as we learn the letters.
All children need a snack and a drink every day. Snack time is usually at 2:35. I’m not sure if I mentioned this at Meet the Teacher. In order to eliminate confusion about whether something is a snack or a drink, you may want to pack your child’s lunch in a regular lunchbox/thermal tote and his/her snack in a paper bag marked “snack”. Some children have eaten snack for lunch when they were supposed to eat in the cafeteria!
We have literature/story time each day.
Lunch is 10:50 – 11:20 and recess follows from 12:30 – 1:00. We go outside if possible.
We will learn science using FOSS science units.
We have a new and very comprehensive reading program. We will be working with a story every 6-days. We’ll be reading soon!
Please continue to check your child’s communication folder daily.
Lastly, we will be doing an “All about Me” activity. It is in the shape of a t-shirt and the student will be featured as the student of the week. We will do one or two per week on a Friday. The children will share their poster and then we’ll hang it in the hall for all to see. I will send the poster home the week before they’re due.
You may want to send in a sweater or jacket for your child to keep in his/her cubby. Our room is often chilly due to the constant blowing of our air system. You may also want to send a change of clothes to be kept in case of spills or accidents. These are completely optional and up to you!
Let me know if you or your child needs anything!
Mrs. Tarantelli

Kindergarten week of May 9 - 13

2011-05-09T09:16:00.002-04:00

*Monday, May 9th is Day 4.
(Sneakers are needed for gym on day 3)
Kindergarten News
In Phonics we will be learning the long vowel rule for a vowel consonant silent e pattern as in the words hose and kite. We refer to the silent e as a “sneaky e” which makes the vowel says its name. Please take some time to review long vowel sounds. No Show and Tell!!

For Math we will be finishing up our Saxon Math lessons and reviewing Test Taking Strategies. We will begin to review concepts and skills learned throughout the school year and will begin 4th marking period testing. Take some time to review the coins; penny, nickel, dime, and quarter and their values.

We will begin our last Reading story in Unit 5. It is titled; This is the Way We Go to School. It is a fiction story about children around the world. We will focus on the comprehension skill, drawing conclusions and will work with the letter sounds /y/ and /kw/ for the letters Yy and Qq. Watch for your new Family Times newsletter!

This coming week the Reading teachers will test each Kindergarten child. Children will need to write a dictated sentence, recognize, write, and give the sound of every letter of the alphabet, be able to provide a word that begins with every letter of the alphabet, and write as many words correctly in 10 minutes. Please try to have your child at school and try at home to work on some of the areas to be tested to ensure that your child is fully prepared.

The last book exchange for the school library this school year will take place during the rotation schedule from Monday, May 9th through Friday, May 13th. Be sure to locate and return books on your child’s scheduled day for book exchange during May 16th -20th. All books must be returned to the library by May 20th!

Yellow field trip permission slips are being sent home in your child’s folder. Please complete, sign, and return the permission slip form as soon as possible. Attached is a field trip lunch form to be completed and returned as well. (This is optional, but the form needs to be completed and returned either way.) **Just a reminder, students will need to wear their blue NSE shirts (that were given to them from the PTO!

Green order forms for our Kindergarten Graduation DVD are being sent home in your child’s folder too. Please return it to your child’s teacher no later than Wednesday, May 25th. Details are listed on the form.

The last Scholastic Book orders are due on Friday, May 13th for anyone interested in ordering. Orders can be done online or given to the teacher. Thank you to all who participated this school year!! Happy Reading!

Upcoming Dates:
Sunday, May 8th – Mother’s Day
Monday, May 23rd – Kindergarten Graduation @ 6:30.
Thursday- May 26th Field Trip- Ringling Brothers Circus @ Giant Center in Hershey.
Friday- May 27th – Carnival Day!
Monday, May 30th – NO SCHOOL Memorial Day
Thursday, June 2nd – Last day of school (Early Dismissal @ 11:45) & Orientation for new kindergarten students!

Kindergarten News for the week of May 2nd

2011-04-28T21:14:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News

 Next week in Phonics we will be learning the two sounds of digraph oo as in the words hook and tooth. Please review digraphs ck, sh, and voiced and unvoiced th. We will not have Show and Tell.

 In Math we will be learning how to use indirect comparisons to compare the heights or lengths of objects. We will share a whole by dividing into 2 equal parts. We will use objects to represent numbers and use numbers to represent groups of objects.

 FYI: Any boys and girls involved in tee-ball and are a part of a team are discouraged from wearing their team baseball caps to school. It has been said that players will not be allowed on the field without their team caps, and we do not want to have any hats lost or left at school on game days.

 We are approaching the end of the year testing for kindergarten. Each child will be tested by the Reading teachers. Children will need to write a dictated sentence, recognize, write, and give the sound of every letter of the alphabet, be fluent in phonemic segmentation, be able to provide a word that begins with every letter of the alphabet, and be able to use a word in a sentence. Please try at home to work on some of the areas to be tested to ensure that your child is fully prepared.

 Field trip permission slips will be sent home shortly in your child’s folder. Please complete, sign, and return the permission slip form as soon as possible. Kindergarten will be traveling to The Ringling Brothers Circus on May 26th in Hershey.**Just a reminder: Students will need to wear the North Schuylkill T-shirts that was provided by the PTO on the field trip—so be sure you have it ready.

 In Reading we will read the story The Little Engine that Could. We really enjoyed the dvd this week!

 It is cold in our room since the air is on! Your child may want to bring a jacket or sweater!

Other Upcoming Dates:
Carnival Day – Friday, May 27th
Memorial Day/ No School – Moday – May 30th
Kindergarten Graduation – Friday, May 2 3rd @ 6:30 pm.

Kindergarten week of Easter!!

2011-04-21T07:43:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News

~Next week we will be focusing on the two sounds of digraph th. It makes a voiced (vibrating) sound as in feather and an unvoiced sound as in thimble. This is difficult so going over daily worksheets to review would be helpful! Please continue to practice writing and reviewing sounds with your child at home. For Show and Tell your child can bring something that contains either or both of the digraph th sounds. (Thursday)

~In the upcoming week we will be talking about the environment to prepare for Earth Day. Earth day is a day to remember to take care of our planet by keeping it clean. We will discuss the important rule that tells us to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” and how following this rule can make a difference!

~We will continue in Math with beginning subtraction, identifying and making symmetrical designs, counting pennies to pay for items that together cost less than 30 cents and writing numerals through 30 to label sets.

In reading we will read a book called Messenger, Messenger. This will talk about different kinds of transportation that help people do their jobs.

~DIBELS testing will begin on Tuesday and continue through the week. All students in grades K-6 will be tested for the last time this school year.

~Even though spring has arrived, we do have several weeks of school remaining. Students need to try and stay focused on their schoolwork and to continue to do their best. Let’s try to finish the school year with lots of effort and good behavior!!!

I hope everyone has a restful Easter Break! It will be day 3 when we return on Tuesday!

Kindergarten week of April 18th - 21st

2011-04-15T08:47:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of April 18th – 21st
This week we will learn digraph sh as in shark. We will also be reading sheep books, Mrs. Wishy Washy books and Mrs. McNosh books!
In math class we will be Identifying a cone, sorting 3-dimensional objects, identifying time of day, sequencing events, beginning to count by 2’s and identifying odd and even numbers up to 10.
In reading we will be reading the story Messenger, Messenger. This is a rhyming story. We will review the comprehension skill of compare/contrast. Our question of the week is, “What kind of transportation help people do their jobs?”
We will shortly finish our unit on wood and paper. Next, as part of the spring season and our FOSS Science curriculum, Kindergarten will be learning about Living Things and Animals. Over the next month, we will be getting a close up look at Goldfish and Guppies, the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly, and maybe even some worms or insects!
When we return to school on Monday it will be day # 3. We have gym on day #2. We have book exchange on WEDNESDAY!
You may want to begin to hand in your boxtops, Redner’s receipts, Campbell’s soup labels, and moo lids from Turkey Hill before the end of the year!
I will try to have one more book order before the end of school!
Our graduation pictures went very well! All children were present! They turned out great!!
I wanted to tell everyone that I am very proud of our class! We had a popcicle and fudgecicle party today to celebrate everyone in our class getting all of the words on our word list correct!! We’ve been waiting all year for this to happen and we had to celebrate!! Keep practicing and I hope we do it again next week!!
We will have a small Easter Egg Hunt and party on Thursday! Show and tell this week will be to show and tell anything that can be fit into an Easter Egg that I send home! Have fun with that! We will also dye an egg this week!

Kindergarten news for April 11th

2011-04-10T19:24:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of April 11th

 Next week in Phonics we will learn the digraph ck as in duck. Show & Tell can be any item that has the digraph ck as part of the word (for example; truck, black, chicken, etc…). Please send it on Thursday. Our next sound will be sh as in shark. Please continue to practice the word lists and the take home readers for fluency! You can also continue to help your child practice writing words on their own for a time limit of 10 minutes. You can give them hints while they are working, ex. Yes, no, mom, dad, up etc.

 In reading this week we will be reading a story called Max Takes the Train. This story has the familiar character Max from the Max and Ruby series by Rosemary Wells.

 In math this week we will be studying identifying and matching equivalent sets and identifying doubles, acting out some, some more stories, solving problems by guessing and checking, and drawing pictures for some, some more stories.

Reminder: Kindergarten Physicals will also be held on Thursday, April 14th.

 The Easter vacation has been revised. There will be NO school for teachers and students Friday, April 22nd and Monday, April 25th .
 Kindergarten pictures went very well!! It was great because everyone was there!!

 Please continue to send a drink and a snack for your child each day. Many children have been coming in recently with no snack or drink. I always have extra snacks but don’t have extra drinks!

FYI: Kindergarten Graduation will be held on Monday, May 23rd! Please mark your calendars.
The 4th and last marking period has now begun—less than 37 school days left until summer vacation!!

Kindergarten week of April 4th

2011-03-31T19:37:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of April 4th- 8th
Please send in your Graduation picture order forms by Wednesday- April 6th. (The reason for this is because our class is going first and it would be very difficult to call parents to see if you want pictures.) The children should wear a white collared shirt if possible since that is all that will show from under the gown. Every child’s picture will be taken for the group picture, so we would appreciate if you would dress your child appropriately, even if you are not purchasing pictures. The pictures will be taken promptly at 9:00 and there is no scheduled make-up day, so please try to have your child there in time so your child is not rushed.
We have finished learning all of the letters, but we still have much to learn! Next week we will learn the long vowel rule. (If a vowel is not followed by a consonant, the vowel is long and it is coded with a macron. Examples are: a, hi, me so)
In math we will be learning about tangrams , identifying largest and smallest shapes, identifying and covering half of a shape, paying for items using pennies, nickels , dimes or a quarter.
We are continuing to learn about wood and paper in science. The children are really enjoying this!
In reading we will read a story called Abuela by Arthur Dorros. This is a fictional story and we will focus on the comprehension skill of setting.
We are now in the last marking period and the time will fly by until the end of the year! If you have questions or concerns about your child’s report card or their progress, please call me at school anytime between 7:45 and 3:45.
Our field trip will be on May 26th and we will be going to The Ringling Brothers Circus in Hershey! It will be a great day!
We really enjoyed the wedding of Q and U and hopefully everyone will remember that Q and U are stuck like glue!
Monday will be day 1 on our rotation schedule and we will have gym on Tuesday! Library book exchange will be on Wednesday!

Kindergarten week of March 21st - 25th

2011-03-18T12:25:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News

 Next week we will be working on the letter Ww and its sound as in wagon and watermelon. Review identifying and writing letters learned. Also practice blending letters in three, four, and five letter words. We will have Show & Tell so please follow your classroom schedule. Word list 18 is in your child’s folder.

 To go along with our letter Ww, we will have Wacky Hair Day on Tuesday, March 10th. Start thinking about a wacky hairstyle for the day. Remember boys with short hair can always wear WIGS—they are wacky too!!!

 Wednesday, March 11th will be WATERY WEDNESDAY in Kindergarten. We will be talking about water and completing different experiments involving water throughout the day. It will be WONDERFUL!

 As a theme for the week we will be discussing different kinds of weather. Maybe we will even have a future meteorologist in our midst!

 In Math we will be working with lots of concepts and testing for report cards!

It will be day 3 on Monday!
Kindergarten graduation pictures will be taken on April 7th! Your child should have a packet in his/her folder today! More info will follow!
Kindergarten Graduation will be on May 23rd in the evening! Mark your calendars!!

Kindergarten news for March 14th- 18th

2011-03-13T20:08:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of March 14th – 18th

Next week we will be working on the letter Xx as in the end of fox and x-ray. Students will go on a treasure hunt throughout the building to find the “X” that marks the spot of their hidden treasure! This treasure hunt will be on Friday. How exciting!!! There will be NO Show and Tell.
I hope you enjoyed the newspaper activities this week!
In reading this week we will read the story One Little Mouse. This is a rhyming concept story that focuses on consonant blends and sequencing. Continue to read the little books I send home for fluency practice.
In kidwriting the children are beginning to attempt to write 2 or more sentences on their own each day! This is scary for some children but some took right off with it!
In math we will work with tangram pieces, identify small and large shapes, begin to measure length, graph a picture on a pictograph and explore slides, flips and turns with shapes.
***Please remember that gym is always on DAY 2---wear sneakers!
Monday will be day 2 on our rotation schedule.
***Library day is always on Wednesday! Please help your child locate his/her book so they can get a new book each week!

Kindergarten week of February 28th - March 4th

2011-02-25T07:38:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten Newsletter for February 28th – March 4th
This week in school we will be learning the letter Vv. This is easy for the children! They seem to understand it after Valentine’s Day! The formation is simple too! We will count the number of syllables in words. We will practice the words on word list 15 each day. We will start homework again next week and we will have show and tell. If I ever forget to send a bag, you can use any bag and our show and tell is always on a Thursday!
Library book exchange is always on Wednesday! Please bring your books!
In math we will be creating, identifying and extending ABC patterns using sound and movement. We will be paying for items up to 50 cents using nickels. We will divide by sharing, identify and order numbers and compare sets of objects. We will compare numbers up to 10. Please review skills as they come home each day.
Monday will be day number 4. Remember, we have gym every time it is day 2. Your child needs sneakers to be able to take gym.
In reading we will begin unit 4. I had intended to begin it this week but we had many absences of the children in our class and I didn’t get to give the review test until Thursday! Our first story in this unit is called Bunny Day. It is an animal fantasy book and we will learn the skill of sequence. We will also review the letter Hh.
Congratulations to the children who did a great job with their Dinosaur project!! Many children helped us all learn more about their chosen dinosaur.
A note went home with information about a spaghetti supper that will be held next Friday- March 4th to benefit the families that were burned out because of the terrible fire in Girardville.
We will celebrate Read Across America day on Friday March 4th. We will have guest student teachers from Bloomsburg University come to teach a lesson using a Dr. Seuss book! My husband will also come to read Green Eggs and Ham! He will be in uniform in case they say a police officer read to them!

Kindergarten week of February 21st - 25th

2011-02-22T12:56:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten News for the Week of February 21st – 25th
There is no school for students on Monday- February 21st
In phonics next week we will be learning the letter Dd. We will be doing dinosaur projects and your child should have a paper with the dinosaur they selected and their assigned date in his/her folder today. We will not have our regular show and tell. We only have 6 more alphabet letters to learn. The girls are anxiously awaiting being queens for a day when we learn the letter Qq! Unfortunately it is the last letter we learn! Don’t forget to study the next word list that was also in your child’s folder today!
In math we will be learning the following math concepts: identifying nickels, trading 5 pennies for a nickel, counting by 5’s, comparing events according to duration of time, counting nickels to 25 cents and paying for objects up to 25 cents, identifying a cylinder and ordering objects by height.
In reading we will begin unit 4. Our first story in this unit is called Bunny Day. It is an animal fantasy book and we will learn the skill of sequence. We will also review the letter Hh.
Book orders are due to me by Thursday – February 24th if you are interested in buying anything. You may also order them online. Use my code when entering your order on Scholastic.com .
A big “Thank You” to Mrs. Haslam for planning a great Valentine party!! We had a wonderful time. Thank you also for sending in party money!
We will be collecting any change you would like to send in for “Pennies for Pets”! We saw a program last week during our anti-bullying week about taking good care of your pets and not bullying them.

Kindergarten week of February 14th - 18th

2011-02-14T07:42:00.001-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of February 14th – 18th
We will have our Valentine Party on Monday from 2:00 – 3:00. Your child should make sure they have a valentine for everybody in our class and bring them on Monday morning. Just in case you haven’t done the Valentine cards yet, since the list was made two students have moved. Jenna Sallade and Connor Adams are no longer in our class. Please PRINT all names. The children cannot read cursive writing!
In math this week we will be ordering objects by length and measuring with non-standard units. We will also be making patterns more difficult by making ABC patterns. Lastly we will begin addition and subtraction by calling it some and some more and some and some went away. I will also use the proper terms along with their wording and explaining the names of the signs “plus” and “minus”.
In phonics we will learn the letter Yy as in yarn. Some of the concepts that will be reviewed this week are same/different words, rhyming, alphabetizing words and recognizing the /y/ when heard in words. ***The next letter after Yy is Dd and the children are very excited to be doing a dinosaur project! They will choose a dinosaur next Friday and they will also be given a presentation date for their project!
In reading next week we will be reading a story about a chameleon called Hide, Clyde! It is a cute fiction book but we will also be discussing real chameleons and how they camouflage themselves.
The lunch for February 18th will be a hot dog with pizza and wrap as alternates. This will be a school day now. The children will only be off on Monday - February 21st for President’s Day.

Kindergarten week of February 7th - 11th

2011-02-04T15:40:00.001-05:00

Kindergarten news for the week of February 7th – 14th
~~In Phonics next week we will be finishing the letter Cc and begin learning the vowel letter Ee with its short sound as in elephant and egg and its long sound as in equal and eagle. We will be focusing on the short vowel sound. We will not have show and tell!
~~Homeroom parents have begun planning for the Valentine’s Day party, so please send in your child’s party money as soon as possible. We have asked for $4.00 to cover the cost of the Valentine’s and Easter parties. I am missing about half of the party money.
~~In reading next week we will read the story Seeds. Ask your child what they learned about seeds and watch for the Parent Newsletter to come home on Monday!
~~In math this week we will learn how to compare length by identifying shorter and longer, order objects by length, naming a shape piece by using the attributes of shape, color and size and copying line segments, shapes and designs on a geoboard.
We had a fabulous 100th day! Ask your child about all the “100” activities we did. (We saw how long it takes to melt 100 ice cubes, how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, which weighs more 100 cotton balls or 100 q-tips etc!!!!)
Please return the physical forms as soon as possible. Not everyone needs a physical. A purple half sheet was sent home with those that need one!

Kindergarten week of January 31st - Feb 4

2011-01-28T10:59:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of January 31st – February 4th
Next week in kindergarten we will celebrate the 100th day of school----hopefully without weather delays or cancellations! We will also celebrate Groundhog Day and Chinese New Year! We will make our Groundhog Day predictions on Tuesday!
In phonics we will be learning the letter C as in cat. Since you can’t distinguish the sound without knowing how to spell the word, we will write this sound as k,c for spelling sound tests.
In reading we will read a story called Farfallina and Marcel. In this book we will talk about the comprehension strategy “plot” and how friendships are formed and change. We will also review the letter Ff.
In math we will practice handwriting the numbers 12-17 and review the concepts of counting by 10’s, comparing lengths, and problem solving with shapes.
Monday will be day number 3. Book exchange is always on Wednesday. If there is an early dismissal we miss our special class and the day just changes to the following day. If we have a 2 hour delay we still have a special but it is shortened.
Please continue to practice the word lists as you get them. We will be working on word list 11 this week. Some children are still struggling with their sight words. We do practice these daily in class. Let me know if you need an extra copy to practice at home

Kindergarten week of January 24th - 28th

2011-01-24T09:10:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten newsletter for the week of January 24th- 28th
Report Cards will come home on Monday- January 24th. Please look over the report cards and return as soon as possible. Call me with any concerns. (874-3661 ext 3241)
Snow Days! I did put this tip on my blog. When we have a day of school off for an in-service day or snow, we don’t skip that day. Let’s say it is day 1 on Monday, when we have school, and we’re off Tues. and Wed. for snow, it is still day 2 on Thursday. This is so the children don’t miss the same special class all of the time. * We always have library on a Wednesday!
I know some of the children were upset that we didn’t get to present their report on their assigned day. We had days off, dibels testing and had to do our regular lessons! I promised them that we will continue them next week until we’re finished!
In phonics next week we will learn the letter Zz as in zebra. The children generally do not have difficulty with the sound, but the formation is tricky! We will NOT have show and tell!
Book orders are due on-line or in school on Jan. 27th if you want any books!
We had a really great program in school on Thursday presented by our PTO. Ask your child about it if they forgot to tell you!
In math we will continue working with the numbers from 0 – 20. Many children can put them in order, and rote count them but can’t remember the numbers of each teen number individually shown out of order. You may want to practice this!
Mrs. Tarantelli just wants a normal week!!!

Kindergarten week of January 17th

2011-01-20T08:13:00.003-05:00

This week has been a little crazy due to snow and days off!! If your child was scheduled to do a state report, they will do it soon! I will also be displaying these in the hall! I will try to test word list 9 on Friday. We will have a program today and will not have art class.
When we miss a day of school, we have that number day the next day. For example if Friday is to be day 1 and we have no school, Monday becomes day 1. We just don't lose it. Also keep in mind that every Wednesday is library day. Many children did not have their books for book exchange this week!

kindergarten week of January 10th

2011-01-10T13:13:00.002-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of January 10th – 14th
Next week is a short week due to having no school on Friday- January 14th. I will test word list 8 on Thursday. We will take the second session of the dibels test on Wednesday or Thursday. Your child will have to read nonsense words, name letters, use words in sentences and identify pictures that have similar sounds as those named.
In math we will be comparing sets of objects and numbers through 6. We will weigh objects using nonstandard units and ordering objects by weight. Lastly, we will be combining sets by counting on and using numbers to describe how many objects are in a set.
In phonics we will be learning the letter Bb. We will have show and tell on Thursday. If I ever forget to send a bag home, a grocery bag would be fine.
In reading we will read the story Little Quack. We will learn about sequence and responsibility while enjoying this story. We will also learn the comprehension skill of plot.
Please continue to dress your child for the weather! We go outside every day that it is possible. Hats and gloves make their time outside more enjoyable.
We will be testing for report cards next week. We have learned the letters L,O,G,H,T,P,A,N,M,I,S,F,R and K. Your child should recognize these(capital and lowercase letters) and know the corresponding sound.

Kindergarten news for January 2nd

2011-01-02T12:37:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is day number 2. Your child needs to dress for gym. Library book exchange will be on Wednesday. We will also have gym again on Friday!
I hope everyone had a restful holiday and a very happy and healthy new year!

Kindergarten News for the week of December 6th - 10th

2010-12-02T19:35:00.001-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week of December 6th – 10th
The fundraiser pick-up will be on December 8th from 3-8pm.
The Christmas concert for grades K-2 will be on December 13th at 9:30am. There will also be a PTO meeting on that evening at 6:30 in the school cafeteria.
The PTO sponsored movie night is tonight. (December 3rd) The PTO sponsored K-2 dance is on December 10th. The party sponsored by NSHS Interact will be on December 12th. Please respond to the e-mail address that was on the invitation that your child received.
In math next week we will be making shapes on a geoboard, placing items on a real graph, identifying ordinal position and paying for items using pennies.
In reading we will be reading the story Whose Garden is It? This is a rhyming life science story and your child will be learning if something is reality or fantasy. We will also review the letter and sound for Ii.
In phonics we will be learning the letter Ff as in fish. We will also be reading some frog books. Your child should now know Ll, Oo, Gg, Hh, Tt, Pp, Aa, Nn, Mm, Ii, and Ss. They should know how to recognize the letter and know the sound.
Please practice word list 5. We will be having show and tell for Ff on Thursday and will be tested on word list 5 on Friday!
Monday will be day #4 on our rotation schedule. That means your child will have gym and book exchange on Wednesday.

Kindergarten week of November 30th - December 3rd

2010-12-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten News for the week before Thanksgiving
This is just a short note to let you know what’s going on next week!
There will be no school store until January! The pto ladies are busy getting set up for Santa’s Shop! We will be shopping at Santa’s shop on December 1st. We will shop in the morning before lunch.
The lunch menu for Wednesday Nov 24 2010 is:

Hot Dog on a roll
Baked Beans
Fruit cup
1/2 pint of milk

The Alternate will be Pre-made PIZZA...

No Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches will be offered

No Wraps will be offered....
There is no breakfast that day. We will be eating LUNCH at 9:15. We will also not be eating snack that day due to the early dismissal!

We will be reading the story Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. We will not be learning a new letter. We will begin the letter Ss when we return after Thanksgiving! We will have a new word list!

In math we will be comparing objects by weight using a balance. We will also be working with shapes and using the attributes of shape and color.

We will be making a craft with our reading buddies and watching Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving with them!

Kindergarten week of November 1st - November 5th

2010-11-01T07:26:00.003-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of November 1st – 5th
This week in phonics we will be learning the letter Nn as in nest. We will have show and tell on Thursday!
In math we will be identifying and counting pennies, matching 0-10 number cards to sets of objects, naming a shape piece using shape, color and size and acting out story problems using pennies.
In reading we will be reading the story Life in an Ocean. This is an informational text and we will learn to compare and contrast.
The parent/teacher conferences have been schedule for Tuesday – November 2nd. If you didn’t request a conference and would like one, you can still join us for the 4:00 group session. If you wish to schedule an individual conference after you see the report card, you can contact me then.
I would like to thank Ann Marie Halsam and her husband Ian for volunteering to plan and help at our wonderful Halloween party for the children today and helping with the parade. Anyone still wishing to help at the Christmas party is welcome!
Friday – November 5th is report card day. Enjoy your child’s card and celebrate their success!
Monday- November 1st will be day 3 of our rotation schedule!

Kindergarten week of October 25th - October 29th

2010-10-25T15:41:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News

Next week in Phonics we will be learning the vowel letter Aa as in apple and acorn. We will focus on the short vowel sound. Show and Tell for letter Aa may be a bit of a challenge—do your best!

We will be talking about “pumpkins”, learning about the life cycle of pumpkins, reading some pumpkin stories and maybe even explore the inside of a pumpkin!

**Friday, October 31st will be a very busy day! Our classroom Halloween parties and school Halloween parade will be held in the afternoon. Parents who are helping and have clearances on file will be able to enter the building at 1:00pm. The parade will begin at 2:00pm. Parties will end by 3:00. Your child should NOT wear his/her costume to school! Please send the costume to school in a bag with your child’s name on the outside. Students will get dressed in costumes with the help of teachers and homeroom helpers. Keep in mind that students will be dressing at school, so keep the costumes as simple as possible; (No spraying hair at school, or a face full of make-up at school) All are welcome to come to see the children parade!!

**Next week the students and teachers will be recognizing Red Ribbon Week. The following is a list of themes for Monday through Thursday.

Monday- “Turn your back on drugs”—wear shirt backwards

Tuesday- “Sock it to drugs”—wear crazy socks

Wednesday- “Put a cap on drugs day!- wear crazy hats

Thursday- “Drugs will turn you inside out”- wear shirts inside out

Friday- Friday will be red spirit day- Wear red school spirit shirts

Conferences will be scheduled for Tuesday November 2nd,as noted on your calendar. Fill out the form in your child’s folder if you would like a conference. A phone conference is also an option.

In math we will be identifying the numbers 0-9, identifying the days of the week and sequencing them, identifying pennies and counting them.

We really enjoyed the diabetes walk that we had on the high school track!

Kindergarten week of October 18th - October 22nd

2010-10-18T08:13:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October18th – 22nd
Picture retakes will be taken on Monday- October 18th. Let me know if your child needs to get their picture taken again!
This week in kindergarten we will be learning about the letter Pp as in pig. To celebrate the letter Pp we will be having a Pajama Party on Thursday October 21st during the regular school day. Children may come to school wearing their pajamas. They can change into bedroom slippers, but should wear regular shoes for coming and going. We will begin the day eating Pancakes and punch. You may want your child to have a light or no breakfast so they have room to eat in our room! We will check how many pancakes tall we are!! We will do our Pp show and tell and many center activities to celebrate the letter Pp. They may make polka dot puppies and pig puppets among other things. The letters we have learned so far are Ll, Oo, Gg, Hh and Tt. You may want to check if you child knows them to recognize and their sound!
In math we will continue working with the AB pattern, sorting objects, ordering the numbers 0-10 and practice counting backwards from 10-1.
On Friday we will participate in the diabetes walk in the afternoon! We will walk on the track as a class after our music class. Monday will be day 1. Remember day 2 is gym day and Wednesday is always library day!
We would like to extend a huge “Thank You” to the homeroom parents who volunteered their time on Thursday to make our fall festival fabulous! Even though it was raining outside, it was sunny inside! The mothers had many fun stations and activities for the children to do! It was well planned and very organized! The fourth grade and kindergarten children had a great time together!
Please continue to label all of your child’s belongings! I have and orange sweatshirt, a navy sweatshirt, a pink zip jacket and a navy zip sweatshirt. No child in the room recognizes any of these! Please let me know if you are missing anything! It may be right in our room and your child doesn’t remember that it belongs to them!
In reading we will continue to read the book Julius. This is an animal fantasy story and we will discuss the term “character”.
Have a great weekend! Go SPARTANS!!

Kindergarten week of October 11th - October 15th

2010-10-11T07:51:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October 11th- 15th
There will be no school for students on Monday – October 11th or Tuesday – October 12th! We have teacher training days. Have a great long weekend in the fall weather!
We will not be learning a new letter this week so there will not be show and tell on Thursday.
We will be continuing with math, reading, kidwriting and science.
Our fall festival committee is still looking for any volunteers to help with our kindergarten fall festival on Thursday- October 14th (raindate- October 15th). The parents will be there to begin setting up for our fun day at 7:30 am. If you are able to help, please let Dana Oravitz know. (Clearances need to be verified.) Her email is danao2@verizon.net or 874-2031.
School picture make up day will be on October 18th. If you want retakes you need to return the entire package.
We had a lot of fun at the pep rally today in the gym! Go Spartans!
If your child is having difficulty cutting, you may want to have them try cutting out the coupons in the Sunday paper.
Please remember to label all coats, lunch bags and backpacks. This helps to eliminate end of the day confusion!

Kindergarten week of October 4th - October 8th

2010-09-30T19:30:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of October 4th – 8th

There will be another fall festival planning meeting on this Monday- October 4th following the PTO meeting in the elementary school cafeteria. Please attend if you are able! Also, please send in your child’s $6.00 party money. This will go towards fall festival, the Halloween party and the Christmas party!
In the upcoming week, we will be learning Tt as in tent, tail, and tie. . Take some time to find items at home that begin with the letter Tt sound! Also, boys and girls are asked to learn their telephone numbers. Please practice at home! They will get a “T”reat if they can tell me!!

Our theme for the upcoming weeks and October will be Fire Safety. We have many activities planned to teach the students about fire safety such as; videos, stories, and art projects. Don’t forget to ask your child what he/she has learned!

In Math we will continue with matching a number card to a set of items 1-5, creating and reading an AB color pattern, acting out story problems, and identifying ordinal number places first through fourth.

The Kindergarten Fall Festival will be held at the school on Thursday, October 14th with a rain date of Friday, October 15th. Parent and grandparent volunteers who have the necessary clearances are welcome and needed to help the homeroom moms with this fun-filled day! Please contact your child’s teacher and show proof of updated clearances, and we will be glad to have you join in the festivities!!!

Parents are encouraged to check out your teacher’s BLOG for homework and important information for the week. You can access each teacher’s blog by going to the NS website at www.northschuylkill.net and clicking on Elementary School; then drop down to Homework Helpline and click on the teacher’s name. This should take you directly to each teacher’s blog. (The blogs will be updated at least once a week on a Monday.)

Monday, October 4thth will be Day 1 on our special classes’ schedule, and students are asked to dress with School Spirit (red and blue) on Friday, Oct. 8thrd. There will be a Pep Rally in the gym for all students. Show your Spartan Spirit!
Hip, Hip, Hooray it’s the weekend!

Kindergarten week of September 27th - October 1st

2010-09-24T09:56:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten News for the week of September 27th-October 1st

In the upcoming week we will be learning the letter Hh as in hat, hippo, and horse. Letter Hh is a consonant. As part of our study with the letter Hh we will have a “Hat Day” on Friday, October 1st. Students are asked to wear a favorite hat, a funny hat, or even a homemade hat. You can be creative with this if you want! Students will be able to wear the hat all day—we do just ask that students do not share hats. Show and Tell will be with items that begin with the /h/ sound on Thursday! Watch for your brown bag!
We had a great time learning about “APPLES”. We were sorting, graphing, and tasting all apples that were brought in this week! Our applesauce was delicious!
In Math we will be learning about acting out story problems, identifying, describing and comparing circles and rectangles. We will also be identifying and ordering the numbers 1 – 5 and identifying a missing number.
We have been practicing writing our first names. Please watch your child as he/she is writing. Be sure to check if letters are beginning at the top, not the bottom and also guide him/her to use the lines when forming the letters. Capital letters should only be used at the beginning of your name.
The PTO store will be open on Mondays. Kindergarteners are asked to shop only on a Monday from 8:25-8:45. Please do not put school store money in your child’s folder. (Teachers will not see it until after the store closes.) Students should keep it separate in book bags where they can reach it easily for shopping before homeroom.
Reminders:
There will be a meeting on Monday- September 27th at 6:00 pm at the Dutch Kitchen in Frackville for anyone interested in helping to plan our kindergarten fall festival. We need lots of help to make this day successful for your child!!
Boxtops for education and Campbell’s labels will be collected at any time. If you have any at your home, then please send them to school with your child. The box tops and labels help our school to earn extra money and the homeroom with the most collected each month will receive a treat from PTO!
Monday will be Day 3 on our special classes’ schedule. Please try to follow the schedule I gave you in your child’s yellow folder! Also, labels coats and sweaters your child is wearing to school! I had phone calls this week about missing items and they’re very difficult to find without names in them!
Have a Great weekend!

Kindergarten week of September 20th

2010-09-20T07:26:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten news for the week of September 20th – 24th
Anyone interested in helping with the Kindergarten Fall Festival is invited to a meeting in the NSE cafeteria at 2:00 on Monday September 20th. The Fall Festival will be held on Thursday October 14th (rain date will be October 15th.) The meeting MAY run until the end of the school day.
• Next week in Phonics we will be learning the letter Gg and its sound as in goat. To help reinforce the sound of Gg, Please review the sounds and how to write the letters we have already learned. We will have Show & Tell for Gg, so please follow your classroom schedule.
• In math next week we will learn the
• In reading we will continue with the story Fix-It Duck. In this story the children will be introduced to the letters Ff – Nn. Ou next story is about a plaid platypus called Plaidypus Lost. The genre of this book is fiction and we will discuss the comprehension skill of sequence. The children will be introduced to the letters Oo- Ss.

We have already completed three weeks of school and many students are familiar with their bus numbers, however, we are asking that students continue to wear their bus tags or at least be sure to have them handy inside their backpacks. If your child has lost his/her bus tag then please write your child’s name, the teacher’s name, the bus number your child rides to and from school, and any other information you would like to include (address, phone #, child’s destination, etc…) on an index card or piece of paper and place it inside your child’s backpack. This will be very helpful for teachers on bus duty and for any substitute teachers or bus drivers. Thank you for your support!

• Parents, please check folders daily and remove all “KEEP” items. It becomes difficult to handle folders with too many papers inside (both for the students and teachers). Thank you for your cooperation and support!
• Parents- please send in any color apple next week on Monday. We will be doing apple tasting, making applesauce and apple printing activities.

Have an Outstanding Weekend!

Kindergarten week of September 20th

2010-09-17T15:50:00.001-04:00