The Kindergarten Scoop
Mrs. Eckenrode's Classroom Newsletter
Welcome to "The Scoop"!
I apologize for the length. The first few will be longer as I am trying to communicate as much needed information as possible with all of you.
First Week Reflections
Thank you for a wonderful turn-out for our Back to School Night! Your commitment to your child's education was evident. I know a lot of information was "thrown" at you, so if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to ask. Open communication is key to a successful year.
A Week in Review
We have been focusing on five different rules to ensure that everyone is successful in school. They are:
- Be kind and respectful to everyone.
- Keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself.
- Listen while others are sharing.
- Follow the teacher's directions the first time.
- Try your best every day. (We will get to this one on Tuesday.)
We read many books (see below) that helped with our discussions about being good friends and respectful students.
We also began our calendar activities. They include naming:
- the date
- the season
- the weather
- the number of school days so far
We will also be recording and graphing temperatures beginning next week.
Dr. Garvin visited our classroom. She shared her responsibilities as the principal of Kutz and asked the students for suggestions for future activities and potential purchases for the school.
We had our first fire drill this week. The students learned the importance of exiting the building in a safe manner. They did an exceptional job with the drill and told me that the sound I made with my mouth to get them ready was much scarier and louder than the real alarm:)
Reading Matters
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun
Chrysanthemum
My Mouth is a Volcano!
What's Next?
- We will begin our work with letters. Each day, I will introduce a new letter (We do not go in ABC order.) and talk about the formation, sound, and words that begin with that letter. Be sure to ask your child the letter of the day.
- We will continue talking about and modeling appropriate school behaviors and being a good friend to classmates.
- We will graph our birthdays and ages.
- We will continue to read books like The Kissing Hand, How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?, and A Fine, Fine School as we discuss coming to elementary school for the first time.
- To learn more about your child's strengths and goal areas with beginning reading skills, the reading specialists and other instructional aides will be assessing each student. The information obtained will help me differentiate my instruction in small groups in the upcoming weeks.
- The students will begin reflecting at the end of each morning on behavior calendars. They will color each different day green, yellow, or red to allow you to see how the morning went and have discussions with them about making good choices. This calendar should remain in their daily take home folder.
- Mrs. Meekins, our school counselor, will visit our classroom to talk about how she supports the students at Kutz.
Homework Assignment
We are working on getting to know all of our friends in class. To help us learn a bit more about each other, I am asking each kindergartner to create their own “ALL ABOUT ME BAG” to share with the class.
Please help your child decorate the bag I send home on Tuesday with pictures of places or things that are of interest to them (ex. they like to play soccer – draw a soccer field or ball, they love to go on swings – draw a picture of themselves swinging etc…). Then assist your child in choosing 2 – 4 items that fit in the bag and describe them (ex. blue crayon if their favorite color is blue, a Lego if they love Legos, etc…).
Your child may bring in the bag to share as they are completed. The last day to share bags will be Friday, September 18.
Thank you for helping us get to know your child!
Important Dates
Monday, September 7th: Labor Day, No school
Monday, September 14th: Rosh Hashana, No school
Tuesday, September 15th: Lockdown Drill
Wednesday, September 23rd: Yom Kippur, No School
Thursday, September 24th: Johnny Appleseed Day (More info to come soon!)
Miscellaneous News/Information
- Thank you for remembering to send your child to school in sneakers today for gym. Mr. Durie appreciates it, and it keeps the children safe as they play.
- The forecast looks to be warm again next week. Please continue to send those water bottles in. Be sure that they can securely be closed to prevent spills.
- I appreciate you working with your child to open their snacks and tie their shoes independently at home, and I will do the same at school. The double knot on shoes before school is also helpful:)
- Originally, our class was supposed to go to the library on Wednesdays. Therefore, the labels on the bags say to return them on Wednesday mornings. Our library day is now Tuesday. Please send back the borrowed book on Tuesday morning in the bag, and I will replace the old label with the correct day. Thank you!
- Thank you for being patient as we are learning the dismissal procedures. The time it takes for dismissal is continuing to decrease, and hopefully, we'll have it down pat by June:) The names in the windshield are extremely helpful!
- Our class will be pairing up with sixth grade buddies in the upcoming weeks. This will be a great opportunity for the sixth graders to take on leadership roles and the kindergartners to receive extra assistance with projects.
- I am overwhelmed by the amount of volunteers who would like to help in our classroom! I will be sending out an e-mail through a website called Sign Up Genius to invite all parents to choose the days, times, and activities that work best for them.
- In the Back to School Night folder, you received a white census form with your information on it. Please check that all of the information is correct and return those as soon as possible.
- I have good news! I made a mistake (That obviously is not the good part!) I told everyone that our kindergartners would not be bringing home a hard copy of a progress report after the 1st, 2nd, and 4th marking periods because of the parent portal. I stand corrected! That will not begin until first grade. Your child will bring home an actual paper copy of their progress report. Make some room on the refrigerator for those in November!
Pictures of the Week
We were troopers in the heat!
We charted the number of letters in our names and tallied the results!
Contact Me!
Email: KEckenrode@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/1492
Phone: (267)893-3900