Bonkowske Bulletin
Morganton Day School Jr. Kindergarten January 27-31
Dates to Remember
2/5 100th Day of School Celebration
2/7 Annual MDS Gala Auction
2/17 Teacher/Portfolio Workday NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
2/21 Field Trip to Discovery Place Kids- Huntersville (sign up coming soon!)
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 Kk and the sound that it makes through songs, shared reading and hunting for our letter of the week in print. We also continued 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 and shapes through different games. In particular, we practiced our one to one correspondence while creating and reading a story called Shape Buttons. The students practiced tracking print and counting the shape buttons in the book, colored their book and read their book with a buddy. Their book then went into their STAR folder to read again and again! We also got out our math journals to continue working on writing our numbers 1 through 10. Their fine motor skills are developing each day and it is so amazing to witness.
For our Unit of Inquiry we read, watched and acted out the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. 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.
The Power of Creative Play
Reading
Next week, we will be working on two consonants "Ll" and "Mm," as we try to wrap up the few letters we have left to cover. We will learn about their 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, Kk, Ll and Mm) 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 Ll and Mm songs in the newsletter this week. :0) 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! As we approach the middle of the year benchmark in JK, I will be taking the week off from checking decodable books and snappy words so that I may use this time to conduct some informal assessments of the progress they've made since the beginning of the year. I will resume books/snappy words the following week.
Ready...
Set...
Read!
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 review the invariance of a number and 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, The Little Red Hen, and Jack and the Beanstalk Nursery Rhymes. This week we will continue to focus on the classic folktale of Three Billy Goats Gruff. Students will hear different versions of the story, discuss the characters and relate their actions and behaviors to our IB Principles. 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.
Believe it or not, we are narrowing in on the 100th Day of School! And in JK, that is a BIG deal and we plan to celebrate with lots of learning and lots of fun. Please sign up to either help provide materials, snacks or volunteer for this special day.
HOMEWORK...HOMEWORK...HOMEWORK...
I'd also like to pose a challenge to each of you to create a special shirt for the occasion, complete with 100 objects of your creative choice! Have your child help you decide and have fun with it! They will wear their creations on Wednesday, February 5th. I can't wait to see what they come up with! :0)
Special Thanks
I'd like to extend a big thank you to April Zook for volunteering in our classroom last week.
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 Ana Sic 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!