Hello, Kindergarten Griffins!
We hope everyone had a great weekend! This week we will be taking a break from the Classics to Keep as the students will be learning about the writing process and "publishing" their own books. The next book will be Mouse Soup on Monday, April 20th.
Morning arrival is from 7:30-7:50am, which is when we conduct one-on-one reading check-ins. If your student arrives late, they may miss their opportunity to receive a new book, as we have a busy day ahead. Thank you for your support in helping your child arrive on time!
As a reminder, please also send a complete change of clothes (including underwear) in your child’s backpack each day. Even if you feel your child will not need them, accidents do happen, and having a change of clothes available helps us respond quickly and comfortably. At this time, we are also very low on extra underwear for student accidents, so having these items sent from home is especially helpful.
Looking Ahead:
For an upcoming money/coin unit, in Math, we are asking that each scholar bring to school 10 pennies, 10 nickels, 10 dimes, and 4 quarters in a Ziploc baggie labeled with their name on it. We will return the baggie when the unit is completed. Thank you in advance! If you have any questions, please ask your classroom teacher.
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: 2026 Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony Cap & Tassel These are one size fits all and sold as a set for $12. The set will be delivered to school.
Each ceremony will conclude with light refreshments for the families and scholars to enjoy before the students return to class.
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.
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
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 (inside cover or on the front- we already have a few lost by the cubbies). Thank you!
This Week:
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. It will vary week by week when your child reads with their teacher and how often. Your child will receive a new list or book, as the teacher assess for fluency and comprehension when reading with each scholar.
Lost Books: Either replace the book (Amazon, Half Price, etc.) or pay $20 to cover the cost of the book on the PSO website.
KA/KB - Wednesday
KC/KD - Thursday
This Week Academics:
Math Skills
- Math stories- addition and subtraction
- Ch. 11 Assessment on Thursday, 4/16
Language Arts Skills
- Spalding Phonograms: ci
- Spelling Words: boy, book, by, have, are
- 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
- The Writing Process
- Author's Page
- Dedication Page
- Publish How-To Books
Literature
Poetry
History/Science
- Science:
- Objects in the Sky
- Day/Night
- Sun/Moon Patterns (Sun Moves, Moon Does Not)
- Stars and Constellations
- Objects in the Sky
- Day/Night
- Sun/Moon Patterns (Sun Moves, Moon Does Not)
- Stars and Constellations
- History:
Homework Reminders
- Be sure to read daily for 20 minutes; 100 minutes this week. Reading Logs will be collected this 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-Tuesday 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!
- Friendly reminder that you can find the phonogram video links by visiting this link and scrolling to the bottom of the page. We have officially learned all 70 phonograms this year! Look for this section:
Phonogram cards: Spalding Education – Your student's literacy begins with you
Upcoming Assessment
- Ch.11 Math Assessment (Addition and Subtraction) – Thursday, April 16th
- WPR Assessment – Thursday, April 16th
- Spelling Assessment – Friday, April 17th
Upcoming Events
- April 17 ~ Early Release
- April 20 ~ Mouse Soup (classic to keep)
- April 26 ~ Battle of Flowers; No School
- May 1 ~ Spring Concert
