Trash bag fund raiser kick off

Watch the school newsletter for information about this fund raiser!

I Can......... What Mrs. Catton knows I can do in kindergarten

What's Happening in September

Here are some highlights in September.

• September birthdays- Sophia, Dayana, Jayce and Danny. Happy Birthday Kiddos!
• Picture Day is Thursday, September 4th.

• Language Arts-  I am introducing Daily Five which is a structure we use in K-5 classrooms for reading. Part of Daily Five is Read to Self. During Read to Self the children will be reading texts from their book baskets. Each child has a book basket I put together especially for them. In their book basket is their ABC book they decorated, a counting book, a school book, ABC book, and a picture book. I will explain to the children that there are three ways to read a book (read the pictures, read the words, retell the story) and then I will model the three ways.  We will be building stamina over the next few weeks with the goal of the children being able to sit quietly "reading" from their book baskets. When we get to  20 minutes with some consistency I will introduce  the other parts of Daily Five- Listen to Reading, Writing, Word Work, Working with the Teacher (guided reading). You will be hearing more about Daily Five. We play a game with names where the children learn letters, sounds as well as syllables. 
• Math- In Math we are counting everyday and practicing what Math Workshop should look and sound like. I will be teaching the children math investigations. We will be looking and discovering attributes in attribute blocks and other items. They will be sorting and discussing how they sorted with each other. We will also be starting a number book that will be eventually going into their book basket. 
• Religion- We are learning to make the sign of the cross correctly. It is made with the right hand- head, chest, left shoulder, right shoulder, hands together.  We will be attending Mass starting on Wednesday. If you do not attend church regularly with your child you will want to prep them about proper church behavior. We are learning and practicing how to be friends. The story of Creation is our first Bible story. The children will be making a book about the story of Creation that they will keep in their book basket and read during Daily Five.
• Social Studies- We will be looking for and learning about the important people who help us at school. We will ask questions to find out what they do and discuss how their job is important to us. We are saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Early Prevention of School Failure (EPSF)- During centers, morning work, free time, and Daily Five I will have activities for the children who need to scored moderately or considerably below in any areas of the assessment. Strengthening those areas are the priority for them.  

Friendship

Mrs. Moran our school counselor came to teach us about friendship.

Using some of our smarts

8 Smarts

Today we completed our unit on the 8 Smarts. We learned a song that helped us learn the Smarts and that it doesn't matter how smart you are but rather how you are Smart. We read a book that went with each Smart to help us understand the Smart. During center time the children got an opportunity to explore the Smart by doing various activities. Ask your child if they can tell you the 8 Smarts (Word, Nature, People, Self, Art, Music, Body, and Number). We will refer to the 8 Smarts throughout the school year.

What's Happening in Room 23- Mrs. Catton's Kindergarten Class

Five days of kindergarten so far. Five days of meeting new friends, learning procedures and routines of school, and building a community. We are off to a great start. In Language Arts we are reading books about school  and doing a shared reading with the big book Buttons Buttons. In Animal Island we are learning vocabulary as well as practicing the ABCs.  Some children are just learning the ABCs and some are learning sounds. In Math we are counting. We count throughout the day. We are counting when we take attendance, line up, take lunch count, etc. I also introduced Math Workshop which will have everyday in kindergarten. During Math Workshop we will be learning about math using the math program Investigations.  In Religion we are focusing on our prayers. We pray during announcements, say a special kindergarten prayer, pray before and after lunch, and end the day with a prayer in the classroom. We are also building community in our classroom by getting to know each other, We are learning each others names, sharing about ourselves during the ME bag activity, and community circles where we talk and listen to each other. I have heard "Me too" a lot which is great because that tells me they are listening to each other. We have been getting together with Mrs. Hacker's kindergarten class in the morning to learn about the 8 Smarts. Our smarts help us learn. So far we have learned how we are Body Smart and Music Smart.
I am so excited about this school year!
Mrs. Catton