This past week we talked a lot about fall. Many of the kids got the chance to visit our Wonder Center and explore some of our fall collection-we have leaves, seeds, and books all about this beautiful season. We brainstormed MANY fun things that you can do in the fall, and the class enjoyed talking about the fun things they did over the beautiful fall weekend! I heard about pumpkin patch visiting, apple picking, and trips to the zoo. It has been a beautiful fall.
On Friday we started our flex groups. Your child has been placed in a flex group that meets their needs. Each flex group will focus on reading skills and learning how to use reading strategies to become a better reader. Your child MAY be with a different teacher during flex group time. These groups are "flexible", so their placement/teacher could change within the next few weeks as their needs are met and new ones are developed.
Next week we will introduce the letter R. During the week we will read about things that start with r like...rabbits, rocks, and rain. Students aare asked to bring in a rock this week for our science lesson (it can be a rock from outside...it doesn't have to be anything special). Our main focus though will be rhyming. Students will practice making rhyming words with partners, make a rhyming dog, and play games with rhyming words. We of course will read lots of books with rhyming patterns and discuss how they make the stories sound. During math, students will learn about the tricky teens, as we practice reading and writing teen numbers. Teen numbers are sometimes difficult for kids to read and write, so be sure to practice them at home as well. Jolly Phonics is almost over. Hopefully you have been practicing the sounds and motions for the letters each week. At this point, we are doing a lot of blending together of the sounds. At home, you can slowly say the sounds of words and ask your child to blend it together to make a word, or you can ask them to write the sounds down that you say. Many of the kids have become very good at this skill, they just need practice and confidence.
In addition, I will be assessing math skills for first quarter this week. At conferences, I will share with you a snap shot of your child's school performance and we can discuss any concerns that we have together. On Oct. 19th, I will be sending home your assigned conference time. Please send back this form quickly so I can confirm your scheduled time. If you need a different time, please let me know and we can work on finding a time that works for both of us.
Once again I want to thank you all for the concern and support you shared with me during this difficult time of my husband's accident. It has been so wonderful to know that I work with so many kind and understanding people. It was important for me to be home with him and help him figure out how to move around on crutches. My own children were also comforted knowing I was here for their dad, and for them, when they were home from school. It has been a tough week on all of us! We are optimistic that his 2nd surgery went well and that he is now on the path to healing. I will be back to school on Monday and I look forward to seeing all the smiling faces of my KW kids!
Have a super weekend!
