Ms. Ross' Kindergarten Stars December 9

It was a busy two week in Kindergarten studying Bears.  The children engaged in a short video clip on Discovery Education, listened to a nonfiction book, listed facts they had learned in their bear fact books.  Many bear activities included sorting real and fictional bears, comparing and contrasting fiction and nonfiction bear books, building their own bear and writing true facts on their bear's tummies, brainstorming adjectives to describe a bear, bear habitats, and bear hibernation. I enjoyed observing their enthusiasm daily when we began our lesson on bears.

In math our focus is on partners of number 1-10, telling addition and subtraction story problems, number writing 1-20, teen numbers, attributes,  and patterns.

Reading groups are going strong.  Many reading group activities include identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds, sight word recognition, reading sight word stories, and word family words.  Continue reading with and to your Kindergarten Star everyday.  :-) They are proud of their reading successes.

In the next few weeks, we will be studying community, community helpers, and engaging in many gingerbread activities.  If anyone is interested in coming in and sharing information about their job with the kiddos please let me know. We can be flexible around your schedule.

Have a great week and thanks so much for your support and sharing your child with me.

Ms. Ross

Ms. Ross' Kindergarten Stars ....November 25, 2012

I hope everyone had a relaxing Fall Break.  We return to a full week of school.  The children will be getting right back into the routine of Animated Literacy, handwriting, math, reading groups, math groups, and social centers. Our theme will foucs on Bears (fiction and nonfiction).

We had a great week leading up to Thanksgiving. Our social study theme focused on Friends and friendships.  Our discussions included what being a good friend looks and sounds like and how to be a good friend and how to have one. The children each brought fruit to share as we made a group "Frieindship Fruit Salad." During our class meetings, the children have the opportunity to share happening on the playground, lunchroom, classroom, restrooms, etc...positive or areas of improvement. They are working on building a wonderful, friendly classroom community.

Look for a new Helper of the Day calendar for December, poetry notebook, and math homework this week.

All of the snacks and glue sticks are very much appreciated.  You all are so supportive and helpful. Thanks from my heart.

Thanks for all of your support.

Ms. Ross

Kindergarten Stars..... November 4, 2012

We have had two wonderful productive and fun weeks.  In those two weeks, we celebrated the 50th Day of Kindergarten, celebrated Halloween, and completed many assessments for the end of the trimester.

It is hard to believe the children have been in Kindergarten for 55 days.  I have wathced them learn how to be a 3R Superstar everyday.  They have learned morning routines, reading group and Daily 5 procedures, lunch room manners, how to check books out of the library, attend art, music, and PE, learn letter and sound relationships, and recognition of sight words. They are at school a full day and their day is full of learning.

We just finished a unit on Spiders. They love non-fiction information. Before beginning the unit, the children we built our schema and listed everything they already knew. We read many Spider books, created their own individaul spiders and labeled its parts, read spider poems, and the most fun was the book each student got to compare his/her self to a spider. I enjoyed completing our spider chart with everything they learned.

In math, the children completed Unit 2. I observed the children learning to write numbers 1-10, creating a variety of patterns, learning how groups are equal and not equal, learning to tell addition and subtraction story problems.  Any counting practice to 100, by ones, twos, fives, and tens would be beneficial.  Also, practicing recognizing teen numbers. We will foucs on making and recognizing teen numbers by modeling using groups of tens.

Reading groups have been running smoothly. The children are in a good routine of working in reading groups on letter-sound relationships, sight words, and sequencing activities. When not in reading groups the children have learned to work independently reading to self, listening to reading, reading to someone, word work, and work on writitng.

I look forward to seeing all of you this week at Parent-Teacher Conferences. Parent-Teacher Conferences are Wednesday, November 7 from 4:15pm-7:35 and Thursday, November 8 8:00am-7:30pm. If something changes please let me know.  Thanks in advance for all your support and help.

Have a great week.

Leslie Ross

It has been a very exciting two weeks in Kindergarten.  We have focused on the season of Fall.  Some of our Fall activities have included shading the months of each season a different color on a calendar, journaling the weather for a week, and brainstorming signs of Fall.  The children investigated leaves in our science area. Investigations included weighing leaves, leaf rubbings, and weighing pumpkins and apples. As a whole group, we scraped the chlorophyll off of a leaf onto a coffee filter and then put the coffee filter into rubbing alcohol to see the color the leaf will turn pulled out of the green chlorophyll.  It worked and was exciting to try to guess the color each leaf would turn.

We are turning our attention to pumpkins, pumpkin life cycle, pumpkin drawings, and pumpkin investigations. :-) Fall continues.!!

Math Talk included: counting by ones, fives, and tens, repeating patterns, number partners, quick count to 5 and then slow to 6,7,8,9, 10, story problems, and comparing shape

An exciting activity was illustrating the 5 Little Pumpkins with their third grade book buddies.

If you have not signed up for Parent-Teacher Conferences you may do so in the office.

The weather has gotten a little chillier. We do go outside when at all possible.  Please be sure to send a jack or coat to school with your kindergarten star.  Be sure to write their name inside. :-)

Homework Ideas:
*Practice writing name
*recognizing numbers
*practice counting objects
*watch for Animated Literacy characters and songs and practice
*read, read, read
*bring pic to school to match letter we have learned
* watch and complete math homework
*practice letter and number writing

Thaks for all of your support.

Ms. Ross' Kindergarten Stars....September 30

It has been another great two weeks in Kindergarten.  We completed our unit on Nursery Rhymes. Your Kindergarten Star brought home a Collection of Nursery Rhymes in a yellow book.  A great place for this book would be your Reading Treasure Box.  Your child can practice reading each Nursery Rhyme, hunt and find sight words, or practice letter recognition. 

We took our first math assessment for Unit 1.  I was very proud of each one.  We will begin Unit 2 this week. Number writing will continue to be a focus, days of the week, months of the year, counting, and number partners.

"Make-It, Take-It" Night was a hit. It was a great way to create and gather materials to help your child become a successful reader.  I sent packets home with each family that could not attend.  Have fun making and playing fun word games.

It was an exciting week during our leveled math groups. The children rotated through many differentiated math activities such as completing tens frames, playing "No Ones" game, Race to the Top, Number Partners, Number Writing, working with Numbers and Tallies, and Numbers and Links.  The children enjoyed the math activities with their partner.

During Daily Five, the children began exploring Word Work. Word Work activities included....Word Building, Keyboard Fun, Word Writing, Letter Stamping, Sight Word Spelling with tiles, Name Building, and Sight Word Bingo.  Word Work will be an individual work choice during the Reading Group Block. 

This week we will focus on Fall and Fire Safety.

I will be out of the building at a training on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Have a Great Week. 
Leslie Ross

Kindergarten Stars: September 16, 2012

We have had another wonderful two weeks of Kindergarten already.  Do not be surprised with how fast time flies when you are having fun. 

Thank you for sharing your parents or special adult friends for Grandparents Day.  It was a huge success.  The children love sharing their classroom, songs, and activites with their grandparents and special friends. I enjoyed it too. :-)

Our focus in Animated Alphabet have been the letters P=Polly Panda, U=Uncle Upton, O=Ollie Ostrich, and songs and poems to incorporate their sounds.  *HAVE A 3-RING BINDER OR FOLDER AT HOME TO KEEP EACH ANIMATED ALPHABET PAGE THAT COMES HOME IN SO THAT YOUR CHILD MAY REVIEW AND PRACTICE THESE LETTERS AND SOUNDS AT HOME. It is a great way to study.

During Animated Alphabet, I have introduced 4 sight words....the, is, can, A. You can practice finding these in nursery rhymes or poems that come home as well as books you read with your child daily.

Our math focus has been grouping, comparing objects for likenesses and differnecs, graphing, making partners of numbers, positional words, 3-D and 2-D shapes, and number writing.  Number writing can be a challenge.  I am proud of their perserverance this week and at home with practicing their number writing. 

* I want to thank everyone for their diligence in completing math homework and returning it to school daily in their purple folders. 

We are continuing to work on Nursery Rhymes.  The children are creating story boards and puppets to be used in their retelling and reading of the nursery rhymes in class. We are learning about and practicing rhyming words withing these nursery rhymes.  Dr. Seuss book are fabulous to read together at home to practice rhyming words.

This week we will celebrate the Five Senses.  I will be sending home a note explaining what sense we will be celebrating and on which day and what your Kindergarten Star will need to bring to school. 

Monday, September 17 is Constitution Day.  Have your child wear Red, White, and Blue in honor of our wonderful country.

Have a great week and thanks for being an awesome parent group.

Leslie Ross

First Two Weeks of Kindergarten Friday August 31, 2012

These first few weeks have school have been exciting and full of learning.  Our focus have been on learning our new friend's names, class and school expectations, ABCs, color words, building graphs, learning about our new math series, and beginning to think about handwriting grip and strokes.  We have accomplished so much in a short time.

Our social centers are an all time favorite.  I have listened to great conversations in the kitchen area over a very creative meal cooked in the wooden refrigerator and microwave. :-) Detailed block and lego structures have been constructed.  Masterpieces have been painted on the easel. Exploration with numbers has been visible in the math center. Letters in the writing center have been written and words created with magnet letters at the magnet center. Retellings of classroom stories are being retold at  the puppet theatre.  Our room is a "buzz" at this time.  A time that makes me smile.  :-)

Exploring our letters, numbers, and sounds, and names have  been so much fun these first two weeks. A favorite activity was painting with water ourside making our handwriting strokes, letters, name, shapes, and numbers.  What a fun way to learn and easy clean up.  I suggest you paint with water at home. :-)

Your kiddos have been working on being responsible upon arrival in the morning by hanging up backpacks, putting lunch boxes in lunch tub, and getting out purple Daily Folders. They have worked just as hard at putting office notes, homework, and work into folder and packing up at the end of the day.  I am so proud of each one of them.  Thank you for helping get the Purple Daily Folder returned emptied and returned each day.

I enjoyed seeing everyone at Back to School Night.  Remember to email or call if you have any questions that arise throughout the weeks or in our classroom parent packet.

I hope everyone enjoys Labor Day Weekend.  There will be No School on Monday, September 3 and Tuesday, September 4.

 Thanks for all of the yummy snacks that are coming to school.  The children appreciate it greatly.


*   A giant thank you for all of the extra supplies, help preparing projects, and help at lunch has been amazing.  Its going to be a great year.

I am so excited to have your child in my Kindergarten class this year.  I am looking forward to building a great relationship with you and your child for a great Kindergarten experience and to help your Kindergarten Star reach his/her full potential.  Looking forward to meeting each one of you Monday, August 13 from 6:00-7:00pm at Langston Hughes in our classroom for
 School Supply Drop-Off.  I will have parent packets available that night. See you soon.