Kindergarten Specials
Newtown Friends School :: February, 2016
Art
Kindergarden artists continue to explore collage and assemblage techniques inspired by the artist Romare Bearden. Currently, they are creating cityscape "blocks" and focusing on details like shops and restaurants. They enjoy adding color and pattern. Later we will be adding our assembled characters, portraits made from a menagerie of cut apart and glued together faces in the style of Bearden. Eventually each class will combine their works to create a large collaboratively displayed piece.
Library
Kindergarten continues reading picture book classics with connections to the Quaker SPICES including Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (integrity), One Morning in Maine (community), and The House on East 88th Street (simplicity).
Music
Students will continue to prepare for their show, “Wing it.” You should have received a practice CD in January, and you will be receiving a letter and script from me in next week’s Friday folder. Please help your child memorize their line. We will have some time this month to practice talking into the microphone! Our February composer of the month is Cole Porter.
P.E.
In physical education class we will continue to develop our physical fitness and work on muscular strength, core and cardiovascular endurance. Our lessons at the beginning of this month will focus on jumping rope. Students will participate in a variety of jump rope games, skills and challenges in preparation for our school wide event Jump Rope for Heart. In February we play a game called Flag Grab that involves running, dodging and defending, Doctors vs Viruses that uses the skills of running, dodging and tagging, as well as other tag games and racing games. During the month we will use the rock wall one time. There will also be a bonus football activity the week of the Super Bowl!
Science
Kindergarteners continue to explore, observe and recognize the interconnectedness of animals and their environments as well as the diversity of life. Last month, students received a fish tank where they could observe two types of fish interacting. This month we continue to discuss our fish, and talk about the change in their environment as they produce offspring. We will explore our schoolyard environment and the birds that visit NFS. We will compare our fish to different types of birds and talk about their basic needs, and their structures (beak, feathers, wings) that help them to live, grow, and survive. Then we will observe different types of pond snails and compare them to the birds and fish.
Spanish
In February we will truly begin our next major unit, “La Familia." I decided to spend a little more time on shapes since they were also talking about shapes in their classrooms. We will learn the names of various family members in Spanish, including pets, and will work on small final project for the unit. Kindergarten will look at images of all types of families and will learn to respond to the questions: Who is this? Who are they? They will also be introduced to giving someone’s name: His/Her name is… We have started adding questions about the weather to our classroom routine and we will continue practicing those phrases. The class will continue to recycle and review answering basic questions such as: What is your name? and How are you?
Upcoming Events:
Thursday 2/11 - Noon Dismissal, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 2/12 - No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday 2/15 - No School, Presidents' Day