Upcoming Events
*January 17- No School, MLK, Jr. Day
* January 19- Late Start
*January 27 and 28- 1/2 Days of school, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Computers
Now that our computers have been coming home for a week, I wanted to send out a few reminders.
First, PLEASE make sure your child's computer is charged when they bring it to school.
Second, the charger stays at home. When it is left in the computer bag, it takes up more space in their backpacks and they are already stuffed full!
Third, please help your child practice logging into the device using their student number and password (Bears123). This information is found on the back of their folder. They often have to do this when they come in each day and the extra practice would be very helpful.
NWEA
Last week we used our computers to take the NWEA test to show your child’s growth in Reading. The test was about 30 minutes. This week we will take the Math test.
We will do these again at the end of the year.
Sight Words
We will be starting something new to help us learn our sight words. We have 6 lists of words, one for each color in the rainbow, going in order from red to purple. When your child can read a whole list, he/she can color in that strip on a rainbow we have here at school. When all the colors are colored in, on their rainbow, meaning that your child knows all of our Kindergarten sight words, they will bring home their rainbow and a pack of Skittles to celebrate. We are going to be checking how they are progressing from now until the end of the year. When your child gets to a word he/she does not know, they will bring that list home with the word circled. Please practice that word and the words after it on that list. They can then have another chance to read the list correctly and color in the corresponding strip on their rainbow. They will then move on to the next list. I will be sending home a copy of these words so you can begin practicing at home.
This Cycle
In language arts we are focusing on the story elements of character, setting, problem and solution. Please talk about these in the books you read at home!
In phonics we have been practicing the letter Oo. As with all of the vowels, we discuss how they are mostly found in the middle of words and that they can have at least two different sounds. Please practice the sounds of a, i, and o and look for them in words! We have also begun to take regular spelling checks where we practice writing words that we can spell using the sounds we have learned. If your child makes a mistake, I will go over the correct spelling of each word before sending the paper home. Please look these over to see how your child is doing.
In science we began to learn about motion and forces. We will learn that everything needs a force, a push or a pull, to get moving. We will do some fun experiments in class to learn more about these concepts. In math we are practicing adding and subtracting objects. In Writing, we are learning how to write a story about something we have done. This is called a personal narrative. We are learning how to start our story with who was with us and where it happened (the characters and setting) and then move into what happened first, next and last. We finish up with how we felt or another sentence to finish!
Homework Websites
Please remember that you have access to Lexia, IXL math and Raz-Kids websites at home. These can be used on the computer or ipad and are an excellent way for your child to practice their skills at home! The links to these sites can be found on the Lincoln School Media Center Symbaloo.
100th Day
We will celebrate our 100th day of school on Friday, February 11th. A letter will come home explaining the project you and your child are to do and bring in beginning on Monday, February 6th. We will display these for the week in the hallway and then return them home at the end of the day on Friday the 11th. The projects can be a collection all together in a container, a collection displayed in a creative way, or items in groups of 5’s or 10’s. Our 100th day is coming soon so start planning now what your child would like to bring in for their project!
Parent/Teacher Conferences
It’s hard to believe that it is time to start planning for the last scheduled conference for this school year. The end of second trimester is not until March 4th, but we are doing conferences a little different this year. Our winter parent-teacher conferences can start the week January 25th and will continue a few weeks into February. I will plan on doing my conferences the week of February 14th. These will be scheduled with parents on an ‘as needed’ basis. The goal is to schedule conferences with parents of children needing additional academic, social, or emotional support and those with ongoing improvement plans. I will email you to schedule a conference if I would like to meet with you. If you would like to meet even if I don't request it, I always welcome a chance to connect. Please email me by February 1st if you would like a meeting. I will be emailing parents by February 4th if I feel there is a need for a conference. Report cards won't come home until the week of March 7th, so this is a way to touch base in between report cards to inform you of any concerns and update you on progress. If you have questions about your child’s progress at any time, please let me know.