Bonkowske Bulletin
Morganton Day School Jr. Kindergarten January 20-24
Dates to Remember
1/20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
1/23 Parent Meeting
2/7 Annual MDS Gala Auction
2/17 Teacher/Portfolio Workday NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
3/4-3/5 Student Led Parent-Teacher Conferences in the afternoon (half day for all students)
3/28 Teacher/Portfolio Workday NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
What's Happening in Jr. Kindergarten
We had a great full week of learning and fun in JK. This week, we learned about the letter Hh and the sound that it makes through songs, shared reading and hunting for our letter of the week in print. We also began creating small letter books to keep in our new STAR folders. STAR stands for "Stories That Are Right" for me. Each student is collecting books that they can read independently, and throughout the week I have them pull out their STAR folders and buddy read together. They are learning a lot about reading fluency, inflection and the pure enjoyment of sharing a book with a friend.
In math, we continued working with numerals through different games. In particular, we practiced our one to one correspondence while counting to twenty in many different, silly ways. We also learned the song "The Ants go Marching" and used it to practice subtraction.
For our Unit of Inquiry we read, watched and continued acting out the story of The Little Red Hen. We practiced retelling the beginning, middle and end of the story to help us remember what we read. We also discussed how the characters actions related to our IB Principles and how we would have acted differently. Finally, we recorded a very special movie that you will find embedded below. Enjoy!
Reading
Next week, we will be working on the consonant "Kk." We will learn about letter K's sound through songs and other activities. Please continue to support their learning at home by pointing out letters we have covered so far (Aa, Bb, Tt, Jj, Dd, Ff, Pp, Ee, Oo, Ii, Uu, Cc, Gg, Qq, Hh and Kk) when you see them and ask them what sound they make, or brainstorm words that start with that sound. Back by popular demand, I have embedded the link to our letter Hh song in the newsletter this week. :0) I had a few parents request this at conferences and I am happy to bring it back! I have also embedded the link below of a website called Starfall that is great to reinforce what they are learning in JK. It offers many literacy activities for all levels and is absolutely free! I have also sent home ABC cards and/or snappy words and decodable books in every child's folder. Please continue to review letter sounds and/or snappy words and decodable books three times a night. When you finish, you can place the materials back in the bag, place the bag in their folder and send it back to school each day. This way, when I assess them and they are ready, I can move them forward as they are ready. Please remember that learning to read is a learning and developmental process. Each child progresses in their own way at their own rate. We want them to develop a LOVE and PASSION for reading and we want to avoid frustration as much as possible. Make this time with your child a fun and exciting time. :0)
White Board Writing
Letter of the Week
Class Visitor
Math
In math, we will continue our development of number recognition and representing numbers in many different ways. We will play a Cover All Game, where students practice recognizing numbers in print, and by counting objects. We will also practice numbers 1 to 10 through a Racing Cars and Itsy Bitsy Spider game. We will also continue our practice with writing our numbers one through 10. Please continue to work with your child at home on writing and recognizing their numbers one through 10, as well as counting to 20.
Unit of Inquiry
This week, we will continue our work with Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes and assisting Mother Goose with identifying characters who need some help with their attitudes and actions. They know and love Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater, Little Miss Muffet, The Eensy Weensy Spider, Humpty Dumpty, The Three Little Pigs and The Gingerbread Man and The Little Red Hen Nursery Rhymes. This week we will continue to focus on the classic folktale of Jack and the Beanstalk. Students have heard different versions of the story, discussed the characters and related their actions and behaviors to our IB Principles. This week, we will create a way to retell our own version of this classic story. Students will choose how they'd like to share what they know. Watch for that in next week's newsletter! These activities that revolve around Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes are wonderful for building reading stamina, fluency and inflection. It is also great for phonemic awareness skills as they begin to hear rhyme and rhythm of reading. As you are riding to and from school this week, see how many they can remember, maybe try saying them in silly voices for extra practice, or change an important part of the story and see if they notice. :0)
Routines and Information
This week, I will be sending home Take Home Folders and Planners. In these folders you will find work that your child has completed at school along with any information I need to send home each day, including homework. The left side is labeled "Left at home" and the right side is labeled "Right back to school." Please try to remember to send the folder back each day.
I have sent home January book orders. They are due back to me by this Friday, January 24th.
I am so happy to announce that we have a new friendly little face in our class! Her name is Katherine Harrison and she is kind, intelligent and has the most beautiful smile. Her family is new to MDS so let's make them feel welcome! I was so proud of my JK friends this week, as they were right there to help her get accustomed to our routine and the school. You are raising some pretty amazing friends! Welcome to the Harrison family. We are so glad to have you here! :0)
Special Thanks
Again, I'd like to thank Aaron Joyner for taking time to come volunteer in our classroom. They loved learning to play a new game.
Please see the new link below to sign up to volunteer in our classroom. I appreciate any and all help. :0) Also, a big thank you goes out to the family of Mathias Collett for providing snack for our class this week. I have embedded the link for our winter/spring snack sign up below. I appreciate all of you!