Hello, Kindergarten Griffins!
This is an exciting milestone in Kindergarten as our Literature classes will shift from teacher read-alouds to the student-led reading of some wonderful books! We began with Little Bear today, March 30th. It is important that each student have their own copy at school to complete with the readings for Literature class each day. Please only send in one book at a time and label the book with your child's name. Thank you!
There is no school this Friday and next Monday in observance of the holiday. We will collect reading logs and homework on Thursday. Due to the shortened week, your scholar will only have one reading check-in with their teacher. We hope you enjoy a restful and relaxing long weekend!
Please read a few reminders about the dress code below:
napshot of our Uniform Guidelines:
- Shoes: Shoes are all white or all black or the Navy and White "Keds School Days" shoes.
- Socks: all white or navy, free of logos and must be visible
- Shorts/Pants: Navy Blue for k-4 and Khaki for 5-6
- Shirts: GH Shirt that is sky blue, or white and tucked-in appropriately.
- Boy’s Hair: MUST be above ear, neck, and brows. Those who choose to have longer hair MUST style it in such way the hair MUST be pulled back neatly and smoothly with a hair band (possibly with hair gel) in a bun or ponytail OR get a hair cut.
- Girl's Hair: Hair should be neatly combed or styled. Neat bows, barrettes, headbands, and hair ties are permissible so long as they coordinate with the uniform. Hair must be natural-looking and conservative in its color and cut (no bleaching or unnatural streaking/highlighting, no artificial jet‐ black coloring, and no unnatural colors).
- Jewelry: No rings, bracelets, or fitbits. Simple analog watch is allowed.
- Outerwear: Only GH sweaters and quarter zip pullovers inside the building!
Looking Ahead:
Classics to Keep
As you purchase these books and prepare to send them in, please help us preserve our class Sense of Wonder as we explore these stories and have the scholars experience them for the first time in class. We will be sending them home as we finish each book, and we love when the students enjoy them again and again at home. Stated simply, please do not read the books with your child before we read them in class.
Below is a list of all 5 books we will read in the upcoming weeks, along with the ISBN. Please try to purchase the same ISBN as we will be using in class so that all students will have the same page numbers to follow along as we read together. All books are readily available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble, for about $5 each.
Little Bear 978-0064440042
Little Bear’s Visit 978-0064440233
Mouse Soup 978-0064440417
Mouse Tales 978-0064440134
The Grasshopper on the Road 978-0064440943
Promotion: Caps/Tassels
Each student will wear a graduation cap and a tassel along with their Great Hearts uniform. Your child’s cap and tassel can be ordered via the following link: Caps and Tassel order Link. These are one size fits all and sold as a set for $12. The set will be delivered to school. Please complete your order by Wednesday, May 14th so we will be ready for Promotion!
Each ceremony will conclude with light refreshments for the families and scholars to enjoy before the students return to class. Family and extend family will be able to attend and RSVPs will go home closer to the promotion date.
All scholars will need to arrive at school on time as usual, and we will have our regular mid-morning/afternoon schedule following the ceremonies. Great Hearts scholars' complete academic lessons through the last day of school, so we will have lessons and activities planned for the remainder of our ceremony day.
Reading Bags/Check-Ins:
Reading logs still need to be signed and completed each night for homework. Please make sure that your child brings their reading bags back to school each day in their backpack. Due to the short week, your child will read once this week. They will not receive a new book unless they can show fluency and comprehension when reading with the teacher. We are having a hard time reading with each student in the morning, due to tardies and late arrivals to school. We are not able to pull students from instruction time during the day for one-on-one reading. It is very important that your child is at school first thing in the morning and through the end of the day. Thank you!
Library:
KA/KB - Wednesday
KC/KD - Thursday
This Week Academics:
Math Skills
- Subtraction
- Write our own subtraction equations and stories using numbers and pictures.
- Assessment: Subtraction (Thur, 4/2)
- Write our own subtraction equations and stories using numbers and pictures.
- Assessment: Subtraction (Thur, 4/2)
Language Arts Skills
- Spalding Phonograms: ti (tall)
- Spelling Words: our, time, may, into, him
- Identify letter names
- Isolating sounds in words
- Identify phonogram sounds
- Identifying rhyming words
- Letter formation/pencil grip, writing phonograms on paper
- Distinguishing upper- and lower-case letters; naming letters
- Identifying rules and markings on spelling words.
Grammar
- Compound Words
Literature
- Prediction
- Story Elements
- Table of Contents
- Parts of a Book
Core Saying
Poetry
History/Science
- Science:
- Natural Resources
- Renewable and nonrenewable resources
- Natural Resources
- Renewable and nonrenewable resources
- History:
- Assessment of the Mount Rushmore Presidents
- Be sure to read daily for 20 minutes; 60 minutes this week. Reading Logs will be collected Thursday. Please record on the Reading Log page. If you miss a night, please record 0 minutes and initial rather than leaving it blank.
- Spalding handwriting practice. Spalding homework will continue to be in the Written Phonogram and Spelling Word Review format-please read the GH logo homework sheet for instructions. On Monday-Wednesday scholars write the list of phonograms and words once; on Thursday in preparation for our spelling test the list is written twice.
- Memorize poem by Friday!
Upcoming Assessment
- History Assessment (Mount Rushmore Presidents) – Monday, March 30
- WPR Assessment – Wednesday, April 1st
- Math Chapter 10 Assessment - Thursday, April 2nd
- Spelling Assessment – Thursday, April 2nd
Upcoming Events
- April 3 ~ No School
- April 6 ~ No School
- April 10 ~ Full Day Friday
- April 17 ~ Early Release
- April 18 ~ Viva La Fiestaval 4-8pm
- April 24 ~ No School (Battle of Flowers)
