- Continue reminding your child what is for snack, and what is for lunch
- Go over the hot lunch menu with them in advance
- Make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep! They were all very tired by the end of last week.
We are excited to welcome parents into the classroom for centers this week! If, for some reason, you are ever unable to join us on your scheduled day (illness in the family, etc.), please email me as soon as possible so that I can put an email out to the class and get a substitute for you Please come to campus at about 12:15 so that you can check in at the office. Remember to bring your driver's license so that you can be scanned through the Raptor system to get your visitor's badge. Then head down to K1, and just enter the classroom through the front door (redwood tree side) and wait at the back while I explain the centers to the students (and you). Discuss with your child ahead of time that when you are in the classroom, you are another teacher, and will need to be helping all the students-- in fact, sometimes parents may not even be at a center that their child goes to on that day. We look forward to seeing you on your center day!
Walkathon
We are so excited for the Spooky Sprint on Friday! This is Alta Vista's biggest fundraiser, and a true community event. We will start the walking at school between 9:00 and 10:00, but any kindergartners who would like to come back and continue walking are invited to do so after school on Friday (2:40) with an adult (parent or friend's parent) accompanying them. The event continues until 6:00, and there will be additional booths and fun at that time, such as the Haunted Hangout and Crazy Hair. Come out and join in on this fun & worthwhile event, which supports Alta Vista's enrichment programs.
Spirit Day
Thursday the 12th, we will have our first schoolwide Spirit Day, in advance of the walkathon. Participation in these days is totally optional, but always a fun way to show your Alta Vista spirit. This Thursday's Spirit Day is a "Rainbow of Spirit." Kindergartners should wear red for our part of the rainbow.
Author Visit
Also on 10/12, we have author Trudy Ludwig coming to Alta Vista to read one of her stories and have a Q & A session with students. For more information about her and her books, visit trudyludwig.com
Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up quickly. Kindergarten conferences will begin on November 7th and end on November 17th. All conferences will be in-person in the classroom. Please note that during conference weeks, dismissal is at 1:15 daily, instead of 1:40. Conferences are for parent(s) only so that we can talk openly about your child’s progress, and there is one conference per child. Please see this document to sign up to meet with me for your child's conference.
Language Arts
After this week, we will have introduced 11 letters and sounds. The letters your child should recognize & know the sounds of are: Aa, Bb, Cc, Ff, Gg, Ii, Mm, Nn, Oo, Tt, and Uu. This week, we are introducing another vowel, Aa, as well as another consonant, Gg. If you notice that your child is having difficulty recognizing letters and knowing letter sounds, please provide additional reinforcement at home. Watching and singing The Better Alphabet Song is a great way to continually review letters and sounds. It is also important to keep checking your child's letter formation in handwriting. Reading the weekly Fundations Family Newsletter is a great way to support your child's learning.
Our sight words this week are on and not. This week we will begin studying spiders and arthropods in preparation for our YSI Presentation on October 24th. We will read both fiction and nonfiction books about spiders.
Math
We have now introduced all numbers 0-10 and seen how they look on a 10 Frame. We will continue counting and writing numbers this week. I have noticed that many children need additional reinforcement on correct number formation. All numbers should be written by starting at the top and moving downward. Please work with your children to ensure they are forming their numbers correctly. Tips for this Module can be found here.
Kimochis
This week, the Kimochis® Character named Bug will join our classroom to teach children about the feelings left out, shy, brave, and scared. Bug is the Kimochis® Character who is thoughtful and very careful. He is very smart and loves to talk. But Bug is afraid of change, and because he is a caterpillar, this is hard for him. Although Bug is afraid, he secretly dreams of flying, but it is hard for him to try new things. Children who have a temperament like Bug’s, benefit from learning how to be brave in order to manage shy and scared feelings and try new things. It is helpful to tell your child that bravery means you might feel afraid, shy, or unsure, but you can still get yourself to say and do something that is right or try something new. In our lesson, your child learned to use positive self-talk to help Bug take his wings out and fly. This self-talk tool will help your child manage emotions and develop confidence and resiliency.
**Remember to send in your child's library book by Tuesday each week so that s/he can check out a new book on Wednesday
This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Centers (Aida & Brian)
Tuesday: Return library books, centers (Judy & Grace)
Wednesday: Library (Ryan & Sean), dismissal @ 1:15
Thursday: Rainbow Spirit Day (wear red), Return white envelopes, author visit @ 1:00
Friday: Spooky Sprint from 9:00 to 10:00, Music, Spooky Sprint continues (2:40 to 6:00)
Upcoming Events
Friday, 10/13: Alta Vista Walkathon
Wednesday 10/12: First Art Vistas Lesson
10/19-10/22: Fall Break
Tuesday, 10/24: YSI Presentation: Insects, Spiders, and other Arthropods
Tuesday, 10/31: Schoolwide Halloween Parade & Class Party
11/7-11/17: Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 11/10: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day
10/19-10/22: Fall Break
Tuesday, 10/24: YSI Presentation: Insects, Spiders, and other Arthropods
Tuesday, 10/31: Schoolwide Halloween Parade & Class Party
11/7-11/17: Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 11/10: NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day
