Kinder News 2.21

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS
Writers Workshop: Students practiced writing before drawing during Writer's Workshop and used phonetic spelling to tell a story about something that had happened to them. (Students practiced using the alphabet chart to help identify letter sounds)
Math: Mrs. Chiappe and the children have been focused on teen numbers, and completed their "Teen Numbers Book".
Science: We continued our examination of snails. We drew them scientifically, and added labels of their parts (shell, foot, tentacles, and eyes).
Chinese New Year: This week was the start of Chinese New Year. We did a mini rotation to learn about different parts of the holiday. In Mrs. Robinson's room, the children learned the character for "Gung Hay Fat Choy" or happy new year in Chinese. In Miss Casellini's room, they created dragon puppets and learned about the symbolism of the dragon in Chinese tradition. In my classroom, students learned about the Zodiac calendar, and created their own. We talked about what the different animals are supossed to say about someone who was born in that year. You can use their Zodiac calendar to find out what you are if you don't already know.
Cooking: IInstead of cooking, we focused on EATING (with chopsticks). Students had the opportunity to experiment with using chopsticks to pick up and eat popcorn (a little easier to grab than rice).
Music: This week we continued with all Kinder classes to practice songs for our February concert.
Literacy: We learned and practiced weather words (like snow, rain, wind, and sun). We also learned a new pocket chart song "Mr. Snowman" which plays with letter sounds.
Guided Reading: Students have now all had a chance to read one-on-one with me to find out where we are starting for guided reading levels. I will begin to pull small groups next week, and book bags will begin to be sent home with your students to practice what they learn.
Art: We water colored paper plates to create a large dragon display for our back window. The children used bright colors, since that is said to scare off the bad from the previous year to start our new year with only positive.
Snow: On Monday, we had the treat of REAL snow. Students had a chance to have hands-on observations. We talked about how snow is water, but that was really noticed when kids came out to recess and realized that the snow we'd been playing with was all gone and only puddles remained.

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Kinder Concert: Just a reminder that our Kindergarten Concert will be happening on February 10th. Students will be asked to wear a red or pink shirt with blue jeans.
100th Day Homework: Your child's 100th day homework is due by Tuesday (the 100th day of school). Please do your best to help your child submit a creative collection.

*Throughout all Kindergarten classes, it has come to our attention that bullying on the playground is becoming a growing issue. A small number of students are hitting, pushing, or using unkind words toward their classmates and friends. We are working in Room 4 to create an atmosphere of respect and caring both inside the class and out. We have daily class meetings where we can discuss solutions to problems encountered both in class and on the playground. PLEASE urge your child to report any bullying or unsafe situations to an adult WHEN IT HAPPENS. (That part's important, that's why it's in CAPS) It is very difficult to solve a problems days, or even hours after it happens. Best results happen when it is dealt with in a timely fashion. I do my best to mediate and solve any situations, but please help me by reminding your child of the best way to deal with a problem when it arises.
1) Use Your Words (tell the person to stop because you do not like what they are doing)
2) Walk Away
3) Tell an Adult (again, the success of resolution is directly linked to the shortness of time between the incident and reporting it to an adult)

I appreciate your help because I know that, just like I teach the kids, we will be more successful if we work as a team. I want your children to feel safe and happy and eager to attend school everyday. Thank you for valuing that as well :)

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday February 2nd: Groundhog Day
Tuesday February 3rd: 100th Day of School
Tuesday February 10th: Kinder Concert
Monday February 16 - Friday February 20: No School