Tuesday Note

Events of the Week: On Monday, we celebrated with Polar Express Day.  We watched the movie and ate some yummy snacks. We read Christmas books and completed some fun Christmas activities.  We continued with 2^nd quarter assessments and will send your child’s progress report home after Christmas break.     

Important Dates:

• Dec. 21 - Jan. 3 — NO SCHOOL
• Jan. 4 - Classes resume

Cold Weather

Just a reminder that we do go outside for recess, even on cold days. Please make sure your child brings the appropriate coats, hat and gloves to school each day.  If you are missing coats or jackets, you may want to check the lost and found "fence" located by the office.  Also as a reminder, children are only allowed to stay in from recess if we have a written note from the doctor stating that they need to stay inside during recess.

Parents: please wash and return rest mats when kids return from Christmas break.

Thank you so much for sharing your child with me.  I hope you have a blessed and joyous Christmas!

Mrs. Vaughn

Friday Note

Events of the Week:

• Math- In math, we continued working with “wholes” and “parts” using number bonds and ten frames.  When given a whole (i.e 8), students are learning to break it into part (4 and 4, 2 and 6, 8 and 0, 6 and 2, 3 and 5, etc).  This is setting the foundation of joining groups (addition), which is our next math topic.  

• Language Workshop— We read different gingerbread stories.  We had fun comparing and contrasting different versions.  We read The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Friends, The Gingerbread Baby and several others.  Ask your child about the different versions we read.   

• Writing Workshop— We wrote in a journal each day in response to the gingerbread book we read for the day.  The main focus was working on the writing goal they set for themselves last week.  They are doing a great job writing a response to the books we are reading.    

• Reading Workshop—Students are working daily in Literacy Centers while I work in small groups or one on one with students.  

• Word Study— We reviewed all the sight words we have learned so far.  I am very proud of how well my students tested on sight words!

Important Dates:

• Dec. 19: Polar Express Day (wear pajamas)
• Dec. 21-Jan.3: Christmas Break (NO SCHOOL)
• Jan. 4: Students first day back!

Thank you so much for all the donations to our Care to Learn Program!  You’re generosity is greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the Christmas Party!  

Next Week:

• We will have Polar Express day on Monday (wear pajamas).
• We will have our read-a-thon on Monday.    
• We will review all of our sight words.
• We will be finishing up our 2nd quarter assessments.

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn

Dear Parents,

 As most of you know I will begin my maternity leave over Christmas break so my last day with students will be December 20th.  When students return to school on January 4th they will begin with my long term sub.  I will be taking 8 weeks off so I will return the beginning of March.  After much searching I believe I have found the perfect long term sub for my students and I.  Her name is Betty Nance. 

Betty retired in May from teaching kindergarten in Nixa.  She has been teaching for many, many years and most of those years were in kindergarten.  She has been my substitute a few times while I was gone to the doctor.  She has come to my classroom on two separate occasions to observe me for the day so she can get acquainted with our schedule, routine and my way of teaching.   She already has such a positive connection with my students and they all seem to really like her.

Also, even though I will be out of the classroom for several weeks I will still be very much involved in your child's education.  I plan on communicating weekly with the other kindergarten teachers to come up with lesson plans every week for my class.  It is very important to me that my class still gets the same instruction they need to be successful this year. 

Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Nance with any question or concerns during my absence.  I am very confident come January that my students will make a smooth transition.  

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Kaleigh Vaughn

Friday Note

Events of the Week:

·         Math- In math, we’re learning about “wholes” and “parts” using number bonds and ten frames.  This week we focused on number 1-10.  When given a whole (i.e 8), students are learning to break it into two different parts (4 and 4, 2 and 6, 8 and 0, 6 and 2, 3 and 5, etc). 

·         Language Workshop— We read different versions of the story The Gingerbread Man.  We had fun comparing and contrasting different versions of this well-known story.  We completed a paper where students drew a picture of what they and their house would look like if they were a gingerbread boy/girl and from whom they would run away.  We sequenced the story and reviewed things like beginning, middle and end.  We also made a cute gingerbread man craft that is hanging in the hallway, as well as gingerbread man ornaments.    

·         Writing Workshop— We did NWEA testing during writing time but we spent a few moments every day writing in our journals.  The students are improving their writing skills so much.  We’re working on utilizing the pencil rubric to remind us to use capital letters, punctuation and finger spaces in our sentences.  Students are also applying the knowledge that they have learned about letter sounds to “stretch out” unfamiliar words. 

·         Reading Workshop—Students are working daily in Literacy Centers while I work in small groups or one on one with students. 

·         Word Study—Our letter for the week was “Uu”.  We talked about how Uu is a vowel and can make a short sound and a long sound.  We also learned the sight word “we”. 

Important Dates:

o   Dec. 10: Clever Christmas Parade (5:30pm)

o   Dec. 12: Kindergarten Christmas Program (6:00 at the High School)

o   Dec. 16: Final day to turn in the Reading Log for Reading Journey

o   Dec. 16: Christmas Party (12:00-1:00)

o   Dec. 19: Polar Express Day (wear pajamas)

o   Dec. 21-Jan.3: Christmas Break (NO SCHOOL)

o   Jan. 4: Students first day back!

Sight Words—Keep practicing!

I    is    like    see    my    a    the    be   

it   he    she   to  can   with  go  we  me

Care to Learn Program

In lieu of a gift exchange for Christmas, we would appreciate donations to Care to Learn.  To ensure that we have useable items for our Backpack program, our grade level has been asked to bring in single serve, shelf stable, microwaveable meals (macaroni & cheese, Chef Boyardee, soup in a cup, ramen noodles, Dinty Moore, etc.).  Thank you in advance for your support to such a great program. 

Reading Journey

Please be working on completing the Reading Journey before the deadline on December 16^th.  You can return the reading log as soon as it is complete.  If your child does not complete the journey and return and return his/her reading log, he/she will not be allowed to travel between classrooms and participate in our Polar Express read-a-thon on December 19^th.

Next Week:

• We will continue working on making numbers by breaking them into parts.
• Our theme will continue to be The Gingerbread Man.  We will be reading different versions of these books (The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Friends, The Gingerbread Baby, etc.)   
• We will review all of our sight words.
• We will be finishing up our 2^nd quarter assessments.

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn 

Events of the Week: In math, we are learning different ways to form numbers.  We have been practicing using a tens frame and number bonds how we can take a whole number (like 6) and break it into two different parts (3/3, 4/2, 1/5, ect).  We have also been reviewing counting and identifying numbers 11-20.  I sent home a few assessments on counting this week.

Our focus in reading this week was on tools and their many uses.  Here’s what we did in each workshop:

·         Language Workshop— We concentrated on three different books The World of Tools, Push and Pull, and The Mystery of Magnets.  We focused on the fact that different tools are used for different jobs and that magnets push and pull metal.  We introduced vocabulary words that are in the stories, such as push, pull, lift, compass, force, magnetic field, and poles. 

·         Reading Workshop—Literacy centers and small group work.

·        
Writing Workshop- We wrote in our journals this week.  We are practicing using our pencil rubric to check if we are remembering all the elements of being a good writer.  I am very proud of how hard they are working on writing!

o   My picture matches the words I wrote.

o   I used a finger space between each word.

o   I began my sentence with a capital letter.

o   I ended my sentence with an ending mark.

o   I stretched out any words that I did not know.

·         Word Study—Our letter for the week was “Oo”.  We learned that Oo is a vowel and can make a short sound and a long sound.

·         Content Workshop- We had fun conducting various science experiments and exploring with different science tools.  

 

Important Dates:

·        Dec.12: Kindergarten Program (6:00 at the High School)

·        Dec. 16: Final day to turn in the Reading Challenge

·        Dec. 16: Christmas Party (11:30-1:00)

·        Dec. 19: Polar Express Day-(wear PJ’s)

·        Dec. 19^:  Read-a-thon

·        Dec. 21-Jan.3: Winter Break (NO SCHOOL)

·        Jan. 4: Students first day back!

Sight Words—Keep practicing!

I    is    like    see    my    a    the    be   

it   he    she   to  can   with  go   me

Weather Alert!

With the temperature dropping, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.  We will make every effort to go outside for recess even on cold days!  Please work with your child on zipping their coat. If we have inside recess due to the weather, please encourage your child to keep a small toy in their backpack to play with. 

Christmas Party Our Christmas Party will be on Friday, December 16th.  Parents are welcome to come set up beginning at 11:30.  The party is from 12:00-1:00.

Next Week:

• In math, we will continue to work with different ways to make numbers 1-10. 
• We will be learning about the Gingerbread Man. 
• Our sight word will be “we”.
• We will learn about the letter “Uu” and the two sounds the letter makes.  After this, we have completed our review of all 26 letters!
• We will be NWEA testing.  Please make sure your child eats a good breakfast each morning and arrives at school on time.

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn 

Tuesday Note :)

Events of the Week:       How is it possible to fit so much into a short week?  We’re not really sure, but somehow, we did it!  We talked a lot about the first Thanksgiving and where Thanksgiving came from.  Each class made either Pilgrim, Native American, or turkey headbands.  We made macaroni necklaces to trade with the other kindergarten classes. During lunch we traded our necklace with the kindergarten class that sat across from us.  Then all the kindergarten classes got together and we had our Share Feast.  The kindergartners had a great time sharing and trading. 

We learned about the letter Qq and its sound!  The sight word for this week was “go”.   

Important Dates to Remember:            

o   Nov. 23-25:  Thanksgiving Break

o   Dec. 1:  Picture Retakes (send back the original picture package)

o   Dec. 1:  Cox Care Mobile

o   Dec. 12:  Kindergarten Winter Program @ 6:00 p.m.

o   Dec. 16:  Classroom Christmas Party

o   Dec. 21-Jan.3:  Christmas Break

Recess:  Even though the weather is turning cold, we still go out to recess.  It is important to remember to send your child to school with a coat EVERYDAY.  You may also send mittens, gloves, hat, scarf, etc.  Please write their name inside/on all of your child’s cold weather gear!  If it is too cold or wet outside, we will have inside recess.  Your child may bring a small toy to play with at recess when we stay inside.  These toys must stay in their backpack until recess time.

Rest mats are coming home today.  Please wash and return on Monday.  :)

Next Week:

    We will begin our unit on scientific tools. 

    In math, we will begin learning about the parts of numbers 1-10.

    We will learn about the letter Ii.

    Our sight word will be “me”. 

      

I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving Break!  Enjoy your time with your family!!

~Mrs. Vaughn

Friday Note

Events of the Week:

This was our last week to focus on reading folk tales.  Here’s what we did in each workshop:

·         Math- We finished our unit on comparing and ordering numbers from 0 to 10.  We learned about how one number can be greater than or less than another number.  We also found numbers that are two more and two fewer.  We practiced putting the numbers from 0 to 10 in the correct order. 

·         Language Workshop— We concentrated on the book The Three Little Pigs.  We focused on story elements, such as characters, settings, and major events.  We introduced vocabulary words that are in the story, such as: trot, sturdy, and furious. We also practiced retelling the story by telling what happened in the beginning, the middle, and the end.  We finished the week by reading other versions of the story. The students also enjoyed wolf’s version of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.  Today we had fun using different tools and supplies to build our own house for the pigs to live in.  Pictures to See Saw coming soon. 

·         Writing Workshop—We learned the sight word “with”.  We practiced stretching sounds as we wrote sentences about the pigs and the wolf.  The students are practicing using spaces between words, a capital letter at the beginning, and an ending mark at the end of each sentence. 

·         Reading Workshop—Students continue to practice previously taught skills by working independently on engaging activities during Literacy Centers while I work with small groups. We are continuing to read independently each day as well. 

·         Word Study—Our letter for the week was “Ii”.  We learned that Ii is a vowel and can make a short sound and a long sound. 

·         Content Workshop—We learned about the first Thanksgiving and did some fun Thanksgiving activities.

Important Dates:

o   Nov. 22:  Kindergarten Share Feast

o   Nov. 23- 25:  Thanksgiving Break            

o   Dec. 1:  Picture Retakes  

o   Dec. 12:  Kindergarten Winter Program - 6:00 p.m. at the high school 

Picture Retake Information

If you would like for your child to have his/her picture retaken, please return the original picture package.  The information on the package is needed so that the photographer knows what to re-enter in the system to ensure you get the same package you ordered.  Thanks!

Sight Words—Keep practicing!

I    is    like    see    my    a    the    be   

it   he    she   to   can   with

Share Feast

All of Kindergarten is coming together on Tuesday, November 22^nd to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.  Please send your child with a favorite individual-sized snack (cheez-its, chips, pretzels, m&ms, etc.) by Monday, November 21^st that we will combine together to make a Share Feast for all to enjoy. 

Lost and Found

Our lost and found fence is overflowing!   If your child has lost something come check out our lost and found fence in front of the office.  All unclaimed items will be donated after Thanksgiving break. 

The Cox Care Mobile is scheduled to be at Clever Schools on Thursday, December 1, 2016. Your child can be seen for FREE whether you have insurance or not. Services are available for children ages birth to eighteen years. You may call the school nurse to inquire about the services provided, to schedule an appointment, or to receive the necessary paperwork. Thank you!

Next Week:

• We will continue talking about Thanksgiving traditions. 
• Our share feast will be on Tuesday. 
• Our sight word will be “go”.
• We will learn about the letter “Qq” and the sound the letter makes. 

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn  

Friday Note

Events of the Week:

Math: We started a new unit on comparing and ordering numbers from 1 to 20.  We learned about how one number can be greater than or less than another number.  We also found numbers that are one more and one fewer.  We will continue this unit next week.

Our focus in reading this week was on folk tales.  Here’s what we did in each workshop:

• Language Workshop: Our mentor text for the week was The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  We focused on story elements, such as characters, settings, and major events.  We introduced vocabulary words that are in the story, such as: valley, meadow, rushing, troll, roared, gobble, and trampled.  We also practiced retelling the story by telling what happened in the beginning, the middle, and the end.  The students really enjoyed using the story pieces to retell.  We finished the week by reading other versions of the story.  

I am sending home a copy of the assessment I did this week on character, setting, and major events.  Remember if your child didn’t score proficient on this assessment we will continue working on it at school and re-test before the quarter ends.  

• Writing Workshop: We learned the sight word “to”.  This week we practiced using magnetic whiteboards and letters to build and write the sight words we have learned so far.  We also introduced “Writing Journals”.  Journals are used for students to write about whatever they choose while practicing the writing process.    

• Reading Workshop: I introduced a new reading strategy to help students sounds out unknown words.  Use your finger, look across the word, say the parts aloud.  

Students continue to work independently in literacy centers while I meet with small groups.     

• Word Study: Our letter for the week was “Ee”.  We learned that Ee is a vowel and can make a short sound and a long sound.  

Important Dates:  

• Nov. 22:  Kindergarten Share Feast
• Nov. 23-Nov. 25:  Thanksgiving Break (No School)
• Dec. 1:  Fall picture retakes

Share Feast  

All of Kindergarten will come together on Tuesday, November 22nd to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.  Please have your child bring in ONE INDIVIDUAL-SIZED favorite snack (Cheez-its, mini marshmallows, pretzels, M&M’s, etc.) before this day so we can combine it all together to make a Share Feast for all to enjoy. Thanks so much for your help!

Attendance

We have set an expectation that students should meet the 94% threshold in order to participate in clubs, field trips, dances, etc.  Participation in these types of events is a privilege, and this is earned, in part, by showcasing good behavior and maintaining excellent attendance.  Please make sure your child is attending school every day and is arriving on time.

Sight  Words  

I sent home a sight word assessment in folders on Wednesday.  I was very proud at how well my students did on correctly naming sight words!  Please be sure to work with your child at home on sight words.  

Reading Journey

I hope you are finding a special time to read every day with your child.  This is a great time to practice using reading strategies we have learned, finding the letters we have learned and sight words.  The Reading Journey ends on December 16th and we will have a reading celebration the following week.  

BOOK ORDER

I am waiting until Monday to place the Scholastic book order.  If you are wanting to order books please order online or send in money on Monday.  Thanks

Next Week:

• We will continue learning about story elements.  
• In Language Workshop, we will be focusing on the book The Three Little Pigs.
• We will learn about the letter “Ii” and the two sounds the letter makes.  
• We will learn about Thanksgiving.
• In math, we will continue to compare and order numbers 0-20.
• Our sight word will be “with”.

Have a great weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn