Kindergarten Newsletter
March 2019
Are you doing awesome things in your classroom or school?
If so, we would love for you to present a session during the Summer Learning Events in July.
Pasco County Schools will be accepting session proposal submissions to present during the 2019 Together We Lead Leadership Conference and the Together We Learn Summer Symposium. This call will be open to all staff with innovative approaches to share their high-quality practices that result in supportive learning environments for all students.
Be on the look out for the Summer Learning Call for Proposals invitation which will go out to all staff during the week of March 11th.
ELA
Also in unit 5, students will form opinions about the books and topics they learn about and write to tell their opinion. In module B, they will be writing books about patterns in nature. Consider opportunities to have students observe what happens when you add a carnation to a bottle of water combined with food coloring, grow grass seeds in milk cartons and observe patterns of growth, or observe lima bean seeds grow and record findings.
In foundational skills, students will continue to grow their sight word banks, they will continue to learn blends and consonant digraphs, and deepen understanding about long and short vowels sounds.
Intervention
Decodable Readers
Echo Reading Routine
#PascoSpringReads
WHEN
Friday, March 15th, 5pm to Sunday, March 24th, 11:45pm
WHERE
This is an online event.
MORE INFORMATION
We hope that you enjoy your spring break and spend some time recharging and relaxing! To celebrate and share great reads over break, please tweet a picture of yourself reading a great book with the hashtag #PascoSpringReads. Each person who posts a picture with the hashtag will be entered into a raffle drawing with the chance to win some additional great reads from our team.
Math
Looking for ways to create the conditions for student conversation? The My Math Talk Sentence Starter cards are a great resource to help students talk and ask questions about each other's thinking. These opportunities allow students to clarify or improve their own mathematical understanding. Click here for this amazing resource!
Students have worked intensively within 10 and have often counted to 30 using the Rekenrek during Fluency Practice. This sets the stage for Module 5, where students clarify the meaning of the 10 ones and some ones within a teen number and extend that understanding to count to 100. Be on the lookout for the Module 5 Study recorded webinar scheduled to be released on 3/6/19. It is recommended that Module 5 begin no later than 3/26/19.
New to Eureka Math? Be sure to join us for our Introduction to Eureka Math session on 3/27/19 from 4:30-6:30 PM. This training will be held at the District Office in Building 2 Magnolia Room. Registration for this session can be found through My PGS under Course #2119 Section #13242.
Science
In March, Kindergarten students will be exploring the patterns observed between the daytime and night time sky. They will also observe the differences between big and small as well as near and far. These concepts require that students practice with observing patterns. Using a variety of texts, images, video clips and models will help students to practice making observations. Each day that you walk to specials or recess, ask the students to look for changes in the sky. Point out days that the moon is visible. The curriculum maps provide a variety of resources including PBS Kids Predictable Patterns and the DE SOS Strategy Paper Slide Video to encourage students to create their own Day & Night drawings/models.
The Quarter 3 Science Academy Evening modeled lessons from the Kindergarten Space unit. You can access those Professional Development resources here- Science Academy.
Social Studies
Celebrating Women's History Month
Women's History Month in March is an ideal time to celebrate the brave, bold, and fearless women who have influenced history. The important role women have played in shaping our nation and the world can often be overlooked, whether in the fields of humanities, science, politics, law, the arts, and more. This month encourage your students to learn about her story. You may find suggested instructional resources to support student learning here.
March 25th is Medal of Honor Day
In Florida, March 25 of each year is designated as “Medal of Honor Day” and Medal of Honor has been added to s. 1003.42, F.S., Required Instruction, p.4. This is a perfect opportunity to embed the Medal of Honor Character Development Curriculum. Since the 25th is teacher planning day, this would be a wonderful way to kick off the 4th quarter on the 26th.
Reminder that the Medal of Honor National Convention will be hosted in Tampa next Fall and they have asked our county in welcoming all the attendees. Please find here directions for a letter writing campaign to have all Medal of Honor recipients welcomed by a personal note from our Pasco County students. Submit your student letters to Tina Stavrou in OLL by May 1st.
Art, Music, PE
PE Teachers please visit the Florida Safe Routes to School website for the free curriculum that is used with our Bike Trailers. We will be hosting a Safe Routes curriculum/Bike Trailer training on March 25th at 9:00 am. Register on myPGS.