Newsletter ~ September 20, 2012

Hello Rascal Families,

Did you get the word?  Reading is a preferred pastime in Kindergarten.  Student-made books are an all-time favorite!  Budding Kindergarten Authors and Illustrators have made a request.  They have been waiting patiently for class books to be sent home to share and read with their families.  A class book will be sent home with several children.   Please return it to school the very next day in the same bag it came in.  Everyone will be impatiently waiting his/her turn.  Thank you in advance from all the Kindergarten Authors and Illustrators!!!

It is no surprise that the class books we’ve been publishing since the beginning of the year have motivated your child to read.  Each day (except Friday & Holidays) children will be allowed to borrow a class book to share at home.  The books in circulation are: Mrs. Rich’s Class Gets Ready for Kindergarten,  Read Our Names, Proud to be Friends and Happy Birthday.   You’ll see all of these books at our Open House.  Yes, the day has come for your child to read the bedtime story.  Recline and enjoy!!!

Speaking of reading, letter names Aa – Ee have been introduced this week.  Next week’s activities will focus on letter names:  Ff, Gg, and Hh and sight words:  a, the.  We’ve been using our little eye to spy introduced letters in words and first names of students and teachers.  Have you noticed the papers going home this week?  We’re becoming experts at creating rainbow letters!

More fun with the new season…. Fall studies include Harvest activities, of course!  We are anxiously waiting for a father, grandfather, uncle, etc., to come into our classroom to carve the pumpkin.  We need a pumpkin carver for both the morning and afternoon sessions.  I will work around your schedule.  If you have any free time, please contact me immediately. 

Guessing and predicting engage us in the learning process.  We do lots of this in our daily lessons.  It’s the perfect game to play Surprise Show & Tell on Monday.  Let’s hide a Fall object in a bag and give clues about what’s inside.   Others will try to guess what it is.  Concentrate on color, shape and sound.  For example:  (“It is orange, round and begins with the /p/ sound.  What is it?)  Practice at home during the weekend.

Current research shows that books and stories help us develop listening and comprehension skills.  The story told at the end of class today gave us some food for thought…. Can you think of the little red house that has a chimney?  It has no windows and no doors, but has a star inside it.  What is it?

Ask your favorite Kindergarten Star!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

After School Care/Transportation form is due Friday, September 21

NO SCHOOL on Friday, September 28, Teacher Workshop Day

Welcome Fall!

                                                             June A. Rich