Bonkowske Bulletin
Morganton Day School Jr. Kindergarten January 6-10
Dates to Remember
1/9 Open House (informational for prospective 2014-1015 students and families)
1/20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
2/17 Teacher/Portfolio Workday NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
What's Happening in Jr. Kindergarten
Prior to our Holiday Break, JK students continued to balance learning with a lot of fun! We learned about the letter Gg and the two sounds that it makes through songs, shared reading and hunting for our letter of the week in print. In math, we continued learning how graphs can depict different information in many ways. In particular, we created a graph depicting the different emotions we feel when we come to school. We also spent a lot of time playing the role of "elves" as we completed and wrapped special projects for our families for the holiday. They were so excited to have them all wrapped up and ready to put under the tree. I hope you all had a wonderful break and I am looking forward to getting back into our routine this week!
Reading
We will be working on the consonant "Qq" this week and talking about how knowing how to write letter Cc will help them write lowercase the letter Qq. We will also learn about letter Q's 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, and Qq) 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 Qq song in the newsletter this week. :0) I had a few parents request this at conferences and I am happy to bring it back! 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! I have also sent home ABC cards and/or snappy words and decodable books in every child's folder. Please continue to review letter sounds and/or snappy words and decodable books three times a night. When you finish, you can place the materials back in the bag, place the bag in their folder and send it back to school each day. This way, when I assess them and they are ready, I can move them forward as they are ready. Please remember that learning to read is a learning and developmental process. Each child progresses in their own way at their own rate. We want them to develop a LOVE and PASSION for reading and we want to avoid frustration as much as possible. Make this time with your child a fun and exciting time. :0)
Math
In math, we will continue our development of number recognition and representing numbers in many different ways. We will go on a "bear hunt" and count how many bears we can find in a short amount of time. We will also sort and count the bears we find, as well as investigate how many we didn't find (deductive reasoning). We will use the song "Five in the Bed" to represent numbers one through five and introduce the concept of subtraction. 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 Nursery Rhymes. This week we will focus on the classic folktale of The Little Red Hen. Students will hear different versions of the story, discuss the characters and relate their actions and behaviors to our IB Principles. They will also work on the reading comprehension skill of retelling the beginning, middle and end of a story by sequencing story pictures. Last, they will create character headbands to practice acting out our story for their peers. 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.
I will be sending home January book orders this week. They are due back to me by Friday, January 24th.
As we transition back to school this week, please remember that it is natural for students to revert back to feeling a little more anxious at drop off time. Please be assured that often times they settle right down once mom or dad is out of sight. The best way to help them is to say your good byes in the hallway and let them walk in. If they are reluctant, I will be there to help out as best as I can. Being a mom, I understand how difficult that can be, so be assured that I will be there to comfort them until they feel confident to begin their day. Thank you for your support in helping them become more and more independent as we prepare for the transition to Kindergarten.
Special Thanks
A special thank you to all of you for your participation in our student gift exchange and holiday music program. It was my first time experiencing this MDS tradition and it was wonderful to see their little faces light up when it was their turn to give their special gift. We had some wonderfully original gifts given. They also did a wonderful job in their music program. I was very proud of them, as I know all of you were!
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 Aida Ruechel for providing snack for our class this week. I have embedded a new link for our winter/spring snack sign up below. I appreciate all of you!