Words from Walsh November, 2018
Staying connected with Walsh School
Greetings from Principal Martin
Dear Parents/Guardians:
At the end of this month, we will be conducting our Parent/Teacher Conferences. Hopefully, you have already set up your PowerSchool account, and have set your conferences up in PowerPTC. If you need help setting up your account or conferences, please call the office. Before your conference, write down any questions that you may want to cover with your teacher and present those during your conference. Keep in mind we are on a tight schedule, and would like to have every parent meet with the teacher in a timely fashion, to keep things running smoothly. Please stop by if you have any questions that I can help answer for you.
I hope you have time to reflect on your blessings, and celebrate in some way with your family this November. Happy Thanksgiving ~ Teresa Martin
Important Dates in November
Mark Your Calendars
1- Picture Re-Takes
2 - 51st Day of School~Dress 1950 Style
4 - Daylight Savings - Fall Back 1 Hour
6 - Teacher Institute - No School
9 - 1st Trimester Ends
11 - Veterans' Day
12 - No School (Veterans' Day)
13 - Board of Education Meeting 7:00 pm
14 - 1st Grade Musical (see article below for times)
16 - Report Cards
16 - Spirit Day - Disney Day
19-20 - Parent Teacher Conferences - No School
21-23 - Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
26 - Classes Resume
Drop off times: no earlier than 8:40 a.m.
Please be prompt for pick-up at 3:30 p.m.
Remember to call the office by 9:00 a.m. if your child will be absent.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. ~ 815-838-7858 www.d92.org
A word about the Child Lures Program...
Have you heard about ERIN’S LAW? On January 24, 2012, Erin’s Law was passed in Illinois, mandating age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades pre-K through 12th grade. Walsh School has been providing this for the past ten years. The Child Lures Prevention Program will once again be taught to our kindergarteners, and our first graders will get a refresher class from last year. Child Lures is a program, designed by Kenneth Wooden, to teach people various ways to keep themselves as safe as possible from predators. At Walsh, only the introductory lessons are taught. This is a highly acclaimed, statewide, research-based program. Dr. Jackie Duffy-Hook, our school social worker, will be facilitating Child Lures Prevention. An overview of the program will be provided to you, as a parent, prior to the series beginning in kindergarten. This overview will be offered the evening of conferences on November 19th. Please watch for a separate flyer. All new Walsh families will also receive a parent guide at their child’s conference.
P.E. News by Mr. Wallace
Kindergarten News
We have been very busy in kindergarten. We have doing a variety of math activities. The children have been very engaged while learning the following math skills:
· compose and decompose numbers to 5 and 10
· subitize numbers to 10
· build 3-d shapes using 2-d shapes
· build with geometric shapes
· count by 1’s and 10’s to 100
· count 100 objects
· use critical thinking to create patterns
· make estimates of quantities and compare them to determine which has greater or fewer
· identify missing numbers in a sequence
We have been reading some great books. After we read a story, we will practice retelling the story. (What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story?) We will answer questions about the story and discuss the meaning of the following vocabulary words: author, illustrator, illustrations, character, setting, fiction and non-fiction. We will begin studying fiction books.
We are also learning how to write. We are learning how to write simple sentences. We have been learning the following punctuation marks: . , ? ! We are starting sentences with a capital letter, leaving spaces between words and ending with a punctuation mark. We have also been learning how to use inventive spelling. Students are using what they know about letters and sounds to spell words. For example, students might write pilo to represent the word pillow.
First Grade News
It is already the month of November, and we are well on our way with the first-grade curriculum. Our first graders are really working hard! They are beginning to complete material related to the state standards independently. We are so thankful for your support throughout this first-grade year!
In our Schoolwide Reading Nonfiction Unit of study, we will learn the elements of nonfiction and how nonfiction is different from other genres. We will also explore various types of nonfiction texts. Students will learn all about the text features of nonfiction books. By reading and studying three types of nonfiction (reference, literary and biography), students will develop an understanding of various forms, features, and purposes of nonfiction. In addition, the first graders will continue to develop their own narrative and opinion writing pieces.
In math, we will begin Unit 3~Adding, Subtracting, Counting and Comparing. Students are encouraged to master math facts and fact strategies for single-digit addition and subtraction facts. We will use various strategies to help students recognize number combinations, find the sum of two numbers, and compare two numbers to find the difference between them. We will also focus on developing place value, solve addition combinations to 20 and develop an understanding of the difference model of subtraction.
Our "Baggie Book" program is in full swing. The boys and girls seem to enjoy the self-selection of books and, of course, the quality time spent reading with an adult! Your child should be reading these books to you, being that they are at your child's reading level.
In conclusion, don't forget about our Fall Musical on Wednesday, November 14th!
Whose got the cutest little pumpkins in the patch? We do!
Early Childhood and Community Preschool News
The Reading Corner by Mrs. Price-Senders, First Grade Reading Specialist
Vocabulary Boosters
A large vocabulary can turn your child into a better reader and writer. Try these everyday ways to help him/her learn new words.
Keep your ears open -- When you and your child go places, point out words that people use. Maybe a waiter describes an entrée or the dentist talks about molars. Encourage your child to figure out what the words mean by the way they’re used.
Go beyond nouns -- Help your child add adjectives and verbs to her vocabulary. Sports and games offer opportunities to use action words. Let your child hear you comment on the softball that soars or the runner who sprints. When he/she sends thank-you notes or greeting cards, suggest descriptive words (a polka-dotted shirt, a fantastic birthday). (Reading Connection, 2018)
Music News by Mrs. Rutkiewicz
Kindergarten Music.
During October, we had fun singing our “Pumpkin Stew” song and playing games. We learned movement games like “King’s Land” and “Charlie Over the Ocean” and a singing game called “Silly Monster Game.” As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we will learn a rhyme called “Turkey and Duck.” We will be dancing to the “Turkey Tango” and singing songs of thanks to prepare for Thanksgiving.
First Grade Music.
In October, first-grade students began to practice songs for their musical. We also practiced tying our own shoes to a song called “Can You Tie Your Own Shoes.” It’s fun to tell a story using music. We were creative as we performed a Halloween sound story using our voices and several classroom instruments.
First-grade students will be performing their musical program on Wednesday, November 14, 2018. The 9:30 AM show will feature Ms. Wise, Ms. Manietta, and Ms. Budds classes. The 1:30 PM show will feature Ms. Dennis, Ms. Polson, and Ms. Carter’s classes.
We hope you can come and enjoy the show!
Keep on gobbling! (Oops, I mean singing)
Mrs. Rutkiewicz
News from the Media Center
We have been working on some typing apps to help the students locate letters on a keyboard. The two apps they have been using are “Tapkins” and “ABCkeyboard." They are free apps with in-app purchases. The students also created word clouds using the site WordArt.com. Classes brainstormed a list of Halloween words that they entered into the program and then created a Halloween Word Cloud. We even discussed how creating a word cloud is a great way to practice spelling and site words.
Art News by Mrs. Deckinga
The 1st-grade classes will be honoring Native American Heritage month with a special project. We'll be learning about the Navajo and the ancient art of Navajo sand painting. The students will be drawing simple Navajo symbols on sandpaper, then use colored sands to add colors and designs.
Making Math Count by Mrs. Romeo
I would like to remind you about using DreamBox at home. A letter was sent home earlier in the year with the passcode k6d6/5ex8. This code is specific to Walsh school students. The DreamBox Learning Math Program is an online Intelligent Adaptive Learning program that helps all students achieve better, faster math proficiency. Your student can access DreamBox Learning from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using this link: https://play.dreambox.com/login/k6d6/5ex8. Students can also access DreamBox on an iPad or computer by simply using the Walsh media center web page. All students have used this program in school and are encouraged to use it at home.