Mrs. Thomas' Kindergarten

Our big book this week is about Antarctica.  The students are really excited about this non-fiction book and have been learning a lot about continents, penguins, whales, seals, and scientists.  Ask them to tell you about what they have been learning.

This week we have been focusing on the vowel Ee!  Please continue to practice reading and writing words such as:  red, bed, hen, pen, pet, set, leg, peg…

New High Frequency Words:  here, from, go  (last week’s words: one, two, three, four, five)

Here is a video we have been using in school to help us learn how to spell our number words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzfFzJGwwZQ&index=16&list=PLXofoXOytWk8BqWQ04O4t4CFI_vuOw1Se

In math we just finished up our measurement unit and will begin another geometry unit next week.  Keep an eye out for our math newsletter that will tell you all of the things we will be learning about in this unit.  Don’t forget to continue to practice identifying, writing and counting up to 100!

TONIGHT!  Brecknock’s 2^nd Book Bonanza!  Hope to see you there!  Our night starts at 6:15.  Enter through the gym  lobby doors and listen to retired teachers & community members read some of their favorite books as we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday!  Kids can wear their pajamas and may also bring a gently used book to exchange for a new one.  Cookies and milk will be served in the gym after the readings.

Specials:

Friday- STEM

Monday- Art

Tuesday- Library

Wednesday- Music

Thursday-P.E.

Dates of Interest:

March 3^rd– Brecknock Book Bonanza 6:15-7:15 – Hope to see you there!  (Please RSVP – one form per family!)

March 11^th– March Scholastic Orders are due

March 18^th– PTO Spaghetti Dinner, Talent Show & Basket Raffle (Mark your calendars… one of my favorite nights of the year!)

March 18^th– ST Math Celebration

April 6^th– Box Tops Store

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

This week we are reviewing many skills we have previously learned.  Due to the snow day and delays last week we fell slightly behind schedule which is why your child did not receive a new Family Times sheet or paper book this week.

In language arts, we have been practicing the letter/sound for Hh and our new high frequency words that, are and do.  We have also been hard at work learning how to “read like a grown up.”  We have been practicing reading our CvC words without saying the sounds aloud.  We are “teaching” our brains to say the sounds in our head and then just read the whole word.  Try practicing this at home with words like:  top, mop, cob, rob, hot, dot…

Tomorrow is our 100^th Day of Kindergarten celebration!  The students have been anticipating this day since the first day of kindergarten.  They can’t believe it is here!  Thank you to all of the parents who sent in items and who will be volunteering their time tomorrow.  We have a lot of fun activities planned!  Don’t forget to have your child bring in their 100^th day of school collection.

Last week we started ST Math and the children are super excited about this.  Our first ST Math celebration will be February 19^th.  Students who have completed 15% or more of the program will be invited to attend.  You can see your child’s progress on the blue screen right before your child logs out.  It says “syllabus progress” with a percentage.  I am also sending home a JiJi Math award certificate for each 10% of the program complete.  Some of you may have already seen one of these come home.  Practicing at home for 10-15 minutes a day would be very helpful.  In school we are rotating every other day using ST Math and Reading Eggs.

If you have any questions about this program please let me know.

Specials:

Thursday- Art

Friday- Library

Monday- Music

Tuesday- Gym

Wednesday-STEM

Dates of Interest:

February 4^th– Kindergarten 100^th Day of School Celebration

February 11^th– Valentine’s Day (at school)

February 12^th– NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-service

February 15^th– NO SCHOOL- President’s Day

February 19^th– PTO Science Fair

February 19^th– ST Math Celebration

February 23^rd– Spring Picture Day

March 3^rd– Brecknock Book Bonanza 6:15-7:15 – Hope to see you there!  (Please RSVP – one form per family!)

March 18^th– PTO Spaghetti Dinner & Talent Show (Mark your calendars… one of my favorite nights of the year!)

March 18^th– ST Math Celebration

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

This week we are learning:

*Letter/Sound:  Ll

*Consonant Blends:  We are also working hard to learn about consonant blends this week.  Including: cl, st, gl, tr, sp,fl….  See if your child and can read and write some words like:  flag, spot, trap, glad, clap…

*We are continuing to practice how to read like a grown up…. Meaning instead of saying the sounds aloud when figuring out a word we are teaching our brains to say the sounds in our head and then just read the whole word.

*New High Frequency Words:  one, two, three, four, five (please practice reading and writing these words)

In math we continue to practice identifying, writing and count up to 100.  We are also working through our measurement unit and this week we are learning about length and weight.

Bookmark this site to get to a page with lots of great sites for the students to use at home.  ST Math and Reading Eggs are also bookmarked on this page so this may be a great page to set as your child’s homepage at home.

http://pages.elanco.org/br/

Specials:

Wednesday-Gym

Thursday- STEM

Friday- Art

Monday- Library

Tuesday- Music

Dates of Interest:

February 19^th– PTO Science Fair

February 19^th– ST Math Celebration – first goal is 15% complete

February 19^th– Book Exchange

February 19^th– Box Tops due

February 23^rd– Spring Picture Day

March 3^rd– Brecknock Book Bonanza 6:15-7:15 – Hope to see you there!  (Please RSVP – one form per family!)

March 18^th– PTO Spaghetti Dinner & Talent Show (Mark your calendars… one of my favorite nights of the year!)

March 18^th– ST Math Celebration

April 6^th– Box Tops Store

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

On Friday your child should have brought home with them information about how to access STMath from home.  STMath is a computer program the entire school uses from K-6.
This year the teachers have implemented a reward system for students who progress through the program at a designated rate. (I will be sending more information about this home soon.)  At school, we only use Google Chrome and STMath seems to work well with that browser.  Your child’s username/ password is the same as their Reading Eggs username/ password.  I have also taped an STMath log in card inside your child’s take home folder.  If you have any questions about STMath or have difficulty logging in at home please let me know.

Specials:

Thursday- Art

Friday- Library

Monday- Music

Tuesday- Gym

Wednesday-STEM

Dates of Interest:

February 4^th– Kindergarten 100^th Day of School Celebration

February 11^th– Valentine’s Day (at school)

February 12^th– NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-service

February 15^th– NO SCHOOL- President’s Day

February 19^th– PTO Science Fair

February 23^rd– Spring Picture Day

March 3^rd– Brecknock Book Bonanza 6:15-7:15 – Hope to see you there!  (Please RSVP – one form per family!)

March 18^th– PTO Spaghetti Dinner & Talent Show (Mark your calendars… one of my favorite nights of the year!)

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

A reminder of our procedures regarding school changes due to inclement weather:

On some occasions, the school has called for an EARLY DISMISSAL due to worsening weather. Should a dismissal be called prior to 11:45, your child will be sent home on the bus. If your student does not ride a bus to school, or you wish to pick them up, you must contact the school to make arrangements.

1 hour delay: AM Class: 10:00-12:15     PM Class: 1:15-3:30      NO ELK

2 hour delay: AM Class: 11:00-12:45     PM Class: 1:45-3:30     NO ELK

3 hour delay: Kindergarten cancelled.

This week we are learning about:

Letter/Sound: Oo (Ask you child if he/she can name all of the vowels.  We have been learning about the 2 sounds that vowels can make.)

CvC Words:  See if your child can read and write these words with short o:  mop, top, pop, rot, hot, not, fox, box, Rob, Bob…

New High Frequency Words:  they, you, of (practice reading and writing these words)

This week we are reading a book that compares life today to the way it was many years ago.  I have asked the children to talk to their parents and grandparents about what it was like when they were a kid.  I told them about how when I was a kid we didn’t have cell phones and I think all of their jaws dropped with surprise and their eyes got soooo big!

Writing:  The students have been doing such a great job with their writing.  We are now using lined paper and focusing hard on using “two finger” spaces in between our words.  We are adding more details to our story and students are now expected to write two sentences independently.  The students are able to hear many sounds in each word and for most students if they write a story you should be able to figure out what most of the words say.  Keeping looking for everyday opportunities for your child to practice writing at home.  (Write a note to grandma, thank you card for a Christmas gift, write your shopping list, write a note to Mrs. Thomas…)

Well I never thought the winter weather would ever get here.  Just in case we get any more I wanted to remind you of our schedule if there would be a delay or early dismissal.

(On some occasions, the school has called for an EARLY DISMISSAL due to worsening weather. Should a dismissal be called prior to 11:45, and your child is in the AM class, your child will be sent home on the bus. If your student does not ride a bus to school, or you wish to pick them up, you must contact the school to make arrangements.)

1 hour delay: AM Class: 10:00-12:15      PM Class: 1:15-3:30 NO ELK

2 hour delay: AM Class: 11:00-12:45      PM Class: 1:45-3:30 NO ELK

3 hour delay: Kindergarten cancelled.

Specials:

Wednesday- Art

Thursday-Library

Friday- Music

Monday-Gym

Dates of Interest:

January 15^th– End of second Marking Period (Report cards coming home soon!)

January 15^th– Early Dismissal – AM Students will ride the bus to and from school on this day.  AM students may pack a snack and drink on this day. (PM STUDENTS WILL NOT ATTEND SCHOOL)

January 18^th– NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-service

February 12^th– NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-service

February 15^th– NO SCHOOL- President’s Day

February 19^th– PTO Science Fair

February 23^rd– Spring Picture Day

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

I hope everyone had a good Christmas break!

Since we have returned the students have been practicing writing their first and last names in school.  Also, if you child has a nickname I am now asking them to write their full name.  The children are excited about this and have been doing a great job practicing already.

This week we are focusing on:

Letter/Sound:  Ff

High Frequency words: see/look (Please continue to practice all of the high frequency words we have learned so far.  Remember, these are the word students need to be able to read and write automatically by the end of the year in kindergarten.)

Comprehension Skill:  Plot- Have your child tell you about the beginning, middle and end of a story after reading

In math we are working on finishing up our numbers to 20 unit.  We will be taking our final math assessment for this unit next week.  Please continue to practice counting to 100 as well as writing and recognizing numbers up to at least 20  (if you child can go higher, great!)

Here are a couple math songs to help your child with those tricky teen numbers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W5aYi3lkho&list=PLXofoXOytWk-07lbGJ6usq6t9GssuMsCc&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uedvwH6Ay18&index=15&list=PLXofoXOytWk-07lbGJ6usq6t9GssuMsCc

Specials coming up:

Thursday- Library

Friday- Music

Monday- Gym

Tuesday- STEM

Dates of Interest:

January 15^th– End of second Marking Period (Report cards coming home soon!)

January 15^th– Early Dismissal – AM Students will ride the bus to and from school on this day.  AM students may pack a snack and drink on this day. (PM STUDENTS WILL NOT ATTEND SCHOOL ON THIS DAY)

January 18^th– NO SCHOOL- Teacher In-service

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

The month of December always seems to FLY by!  (Sorry my emails have been coming a little late.)

This week we are learning:

Letter/Sound: Rr

NEW High Frequency Words:   me, with, she…. Remember these are the words that students need to be able to read and write automatically by the end of the year.  (Don’t forget to continue to practice I, am, the, little, is, have, a, to, we, my, like, for, he)

In Math we are working on our numbers to 20 unit.  Here are a few videos we use to help us remember the names of those tricky teen numbers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W5aYi3lkho&index=5&list=PLXofoXOytWk-07lbGJ6usq6t9GssuMsCc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azIG0kLIlgs&list=PLXofoXOytWk-07lbGJ6usq6t9GssuMsCc&index=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uedvwH6Ay18&index=15&list=PLXofoXOytWk-07lbGJ6usq6t9GssuMsCc

Specials:

Thursday- Gym

Friday-STEM (This week… we are visiting the Ag. Lab…A mobile Agriculture Lab on a Bus that will parked outside our school!   Ask your children about this exciting adventure.)

Monday- Art

Tuesday- Library

Wednesday- Music

Thursday- Gym

Friday- STEM

Dates of interest:

December 16- In School Dental Lessons

December 18- Gifts for the gift exchange due (Just so I know if I need to purchase anything myself ahead of time.  Thank you for sending them in early.)

December 23- Class Christmas Party & Gift Exchange (Please return the green paper to let me know if you child will/will not participate ASAP.)

December 24-January 1- Christmas Vacation

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

This week we are learning:

Letter/Sound: Bb and Nn (practice reading words with Bb and Nn at the beginning and end)

NEW High Frequency Words:   me, with, she…. Remember these are the words that students need to be able to read and write automatically by the end of the year.  (Don’t forget to continue to practice I, am, the, little, is, have, a, to, we, my, like, for, he)

*Continue to practice reading CvC words with short a (AND NOW SHORT I) in the middle like:  cat, mat, sat, Sam, Pam, pat, sap, map, tip, pit, pig, win, pin, fin, big, did…

In math we are beginning a new unit on numbers 0-20.  The teen numbers can be tricky for some students so please practice these at home.  Have you child count as high as he/she can being really careful when they get to those teen numbers (we want students to be able to count up to 100), write numbers up to 20 and identify numbers up to 20 (make your own cards and play go fish, concentration or other fun card games).  A new math newsletter (study guide) should have come home today.

Specials this week:

Wednesday- Music

Thursday- Gym

Friday-STEM

Dates of interest:

December 4- Scholastic Orders Due- Last orders before Christmas!  If you would like me to hold any as gifts we can set up a special time for you to pick them up so that they can remain a surprise!

December 7- Picture Retakes

December 23- Class Christmas Party & Gift Exchange (Please return the green paper to let me know if you child will/will not participate ASAP.)

December 24-January 1- Christmas Vacation

**There are lots of volunteer opportunities in December keep an eye out for information from our homeroom moms! **

*** Thank you to everyone who helped make our Thanksgiving Celebration so much fun!***

Mrs. Kelly Thomas

Kindergarten Teacher

Brecknock Elementary

http://blog.elanco.org/kthomas/

BOOK FAIR- Our class will have the chance to shop at the book fair on Wednesday, November 18^th during our regularly scheduled library time.  If you wish for your child to shop at the book fair please send money in an envelope with your child’s name.  Parents are welcome to stop in at the book fair during conferences as well as before school on Dad’s & Donuts day.