Words from Walsh February, 2019
Staying connected with Walsh School
Greetings from Principal Martin
Dear Parents and Guardians:
At this time of the year, I like to remind parents to continue to stay vigilant in following the drop-off pattern in the North Street parking lot. Stay alert when moving in the line, and follow the instructions of our aides. Our district is continually reviewing procedures in an effort to stay current with not only our own safety standards, but also those recommendations shared with us by the first responder organizations. If you ever have concerns about our procedures, please feel free to call me.
February 12th will mark our 100th day of school. This is a fun-filled day with many counting games and surprises. This year, our Valentine’s Day parties will be run by classroom teachers on Thursday, February 14th. Please follow your teacher's direction regarding this celebration. Remember we are a “no food” treat school when sending in valentines. We will also have a day off in February, some spirit days, and a fun Math Night. Please make sure to check our calendar for those special days and times.
Registration for students entering kindergarten for the 2019/2020 school year has been set on our calendar for the afternoon and evening of March 12th and during the day of March 13th. Look for more details coming home soon or check the Walsh webpage for exact times and requirements.
Lastly, the PFA will hold a Daddy Daughter Dance on February 8th. Mark your calendars, and remember if dad is not available, your daughter can attend with a special friend. Reservations highly recommended. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. ~ Mrs. Teresa Martin, Principal/Walsh School
Registration Dates: March 12 & 13
100th Day of School ~ Feb.12th
Daddy Daughter Dance ~ Feb. 8th
Important Dates in February
Mark Your Calendars
6 - Math Night
6 - 7:00 pm Parent Informational Meeting on Student Vaping - click here for more information.
8 - 6:00-7:30 pm Daddy/Daughter Dance
12 - Bulldog Buddies Field Trip
12 - Walsh Spirit Day - Dress Old/100th Creative Day
12- 100th Day of School
14 - Valentine's Day/Spirit Day - wear red
15 – School Improvement - 11:55 Dismissal - No EC Classes
18 – NO SCHOOL - President's Day
19 – BOE Mtg./District (7:00 pm)
22 – Spirit Day/Crazy Hair Day
26 - Teacher Institute NO SCHOOL
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
Smiles...Giggles...and Sunshine
2018/2019 YEARBOOK
Don't Forget to Order Your Yearbook!
All yearbooks must be ordered online by March 11, 2019.
Please use this school code when ordering: 12828519
Click here to order your yearbook YBPAY.LIFETOUCH.COM
We do not anticipate having any extra books, so make sure you reserve your copy today. Walsh, Reed and Ludwig schools share the same yearbook. Oak Prairie has a separate book.
A Note from the Nurse
Remember to dress your child appropriately with a coat, hat, scarf, mittens, and boots. Students will be outside on days where the wind chill is above 10 degrees. All students will be going out unless they have a doctor’s note to keep them inside for medical reasons.
The dental bus will be at Walsh School on February 7th. Information was sent via email before the winter break. If you didn't receive the flyer, or If you have any questions,
please contact the school nurse.
P.E. News by Mr. Wallace
Kindergarten News
The cold weather outside is not stopping the kindergarteners from working hard inside our warm classrooms!
In February, we will work on blending, segmenting and spelling consonant-vowel-consonant words. Students will also learn to distinguish between long and short vowel sounds. In math, our focus will be on three-dimensional shapes and teen numbers. We will practice sorting three-dimensional shapes by various attributes and build the shapes using Polydrons. We will also explore numbers from 11 to 20 and understand the relationship as, "ten and some more." Additionally, we will continue our Mo Willems author study and begin our nonfiction unit of study.
This month, we will have our Valentine's Day party and students will be bringing in Valentines for classmates!
Please continue to set time aside for your child to read his or her baggie book and practice sight words every night.
We are so proud of the progress that the kindergarteners have made up to this point in the school year!
Happy Valentine's Day!
We LOVE kindergarten!
Yahoo! We LOVE spirit days!
We LOVE first grade!
First Grade News
During Fundations, we are going to continue to build on digraphs, blends and glued sounds. Students will work on blending and segmenting up to five sounds in a closed syllable. We will work on vowel teams. In addition, suffixes “–ing” and “-ed” will be introduced. Students will also learn about the silent ”e”. It is amazing to see how these students progress!
We will work on our Schoolwide Fiction Unit of Study. Students will learn the difference between the different types of fiction as well as the structure. The narrative structure and the story elements will be analyzed to deepen understanding and retell stories. Comprehension strategies will be taught for students to monitor and synthesize what they read.
In math, we will focus on addition and subtraction to 20. First graders will develop fluency with addition and subtraction facts to 10, and strategies will be utilized with facts to 20. They will learn how to write and solve equations that involve unknowns in all positions, and determine whether addition and subtraction equations are true or false.
Early Childhood and Community Preschool News
The Reading Corner by Mrs. Squires, Kindergarten Reading Specialist
Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. These tips from readingrockets.org offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Don’t leave home without it
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor’s office. Always try to fit in reading.
Once is not enough
Encourage your child to reread favorite books and poems. Rereading helps children read more quickly and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story
Ask your child questions about the story you’ve just read. Say something like, “Why do you think Clifford did that?”
Be patient
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
Pick books that are at the right level
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
Play word games
Use magnetic letters to make words. Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip
Write, write, write!
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.
Music News by Mrs. Rutkiewicz
February is a great month for singing fun songs. For the 100th day of school we sing a song called “One, Zero, Zero” and Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day also give us the chance to learn some great songs.
First graders are learning to sing with musical syllables (Do-re-mi) and are learning to recognize some music symbols and notes. We have played a game called “Music Symbol Fun” and have learned a song called “Whacky Do Re Mi.” We will learn more musical terms with ‘Freddie the Frog’ and his adventures.
Kindergarten students are learning about different kinds of sounds that instruments make and the unique quality of their own voices. During February and March, we will be learning about instrument sounds, the concept of fast/slow and the up/down movement of melodies. I am teaching kindergarten students some beginning circle games and folk dances.
The kindergarten musical program will be on Friday, April 26, 2019. Put that date on your calendars! Ms. Bruecks, Ms. Naylor, Ms. Finnen and Ms. Walsh’s classes will perform at the 9:30 A.M. performance. Ms. Sadowski, Ms. Tomasek, Ms. Lopez and Ms. Tyrell’s classes will perform at the 1:30 P.M. performance. Classes perform only at their designated times (they do not perform twice). More detailed information to come soon.
Keep on singing and dancing! It will keep you warm!
Mrs. Rutkiewicz
News from the Media Center
In the Media Center we have been using the site “Pepple Go” to learn about animals. Students are able to log in and learn about habitats, the food they eat, life cycles and fun facts about each animal. Students enjoy that the articles can be read to them by using the speaker option and some animals also have short videos that students can view.
Art News by Mrs. Deckinga
The first grade classes will be learning about abstract art. We'll study the work of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, who is considered to be the father of abstract painting. We'll use black glue to "paint" lines and shapes similar to those found in Kandinsky's work, then surround them will colors painted with watercolor. For homework, the students are asked to make a trip to Pop's this month. The entire restaurant is decorated with Kandinsky art!
The First Kindergarten Class to Count to 100 ~ Congratulations Mrs. Bruecks!
Making Math Count by Mrs. Romeo
Students at Walsh School are continuing to work hard. Our 100 Wall is almost filled! Thank you, parents, for all of your help. All students are working hard on DreamBox at school, but we would love to see them working on it more at home. Several classrooms have incentives and rewards for students who put in time at home. It is a great way to reinforce skills and expose them to some new ones. We are looking forward to family math night. It will be February 6th. This year it will be run by DuPage Children’s Museum. They will be providing a variety of activities that will open up a whole new world of math fun that you can explore as a family. If you have not returned your RSVP, please do so as soon as possible.