February

We're back into the swing of things and looking forward to a busy month! Following are some of the things we will be working on this month.

• We will be continuing to learn our letters and sounds with the Animated Alphabet. We have done Aa to Hh so far and will hopefully get to Ll by the end of the month. 
• We're continuing to work on writing. I've been very impressed with the writing skills our kids are developing already! We encourage the kids to listen for the sound in the words and write down those letter sounds they hear. This is a good way to prep them for eventually sounding out words which will be a big part of Grade 1. 
• Talking about our favorite stories. We talk about our favorite parts and favorite characters. This goes hand in hand with the Daily 5 model. We have introduced Read to Self, Read to Someone and Listen to Reading. Our class has so far been very successful with the Daily 5. The students understand that in Kindergarten we "read the pictures" and they are getting very good at inferring what is happening in the stories by looking at the pictures. 
• Focusing on numbers 6-10 - number recognition and relating numbers to respective quantities. We will be completing our math activities in a play based format through math games and hands on activities. This will take place in small groups during center time. Lately, our Grade 2 buddies have been helping us by playing math games with us!
• Community members and how to stay safe in our communities.
• Music with a focus on beat, rhythm and instruments.
• Continuing with the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. We have just completed Habit 4: Think Win Win.
• We will be continuing with our Winter and Ocean themes. Our celebration this month is Valentine's Day!

Please note: We have implemented some "quick skill checks" for students who are struggling with some of the concepts we're doing at school. These concepts include shapes, colors, numbers 1-5, writing their name and recognizing the letters in their name. In the mornings we will be doing a quick activity for students to complete. These will go home with a note asking parents to help us reinforce these skills at home. If you get any of these notes, I thank you in advance for working with me at home! Your teamwork is appreciated!

We have two important events this month!

1. Bowling and Valentine's Day

We will be going bowling on February 9 in the morning. Thank you to those who have volunteered and thank you to those who have already brought back your permission slips!

We will be having our Valentine's Day celebration on February 11 in the afternoon. I will be asking students to volunteer to bring some snacks for our party. If you would like to bring something, let me know. There are 22 students in our class and the help is always appreciated! I will also be sending a class list home for Valentines. If you child does not want to bring Valentine's that is completely fine, but if they are bringing please make sure they are bringing for everyone!

2. Student Involved Portfolio Conferences

We will be having portfolio conferences during the evening on February 25. Please note this is not a formal parent/teacher interview. This will be an opportunity for you to come with your child and have them show you what they have been learning at school. You will have half an hour to explore the different centers and complete activities with your child. You will then be able to look through your child's portfolio and take it home with you. The sign up sheet will be posted outside our classroom. Further information will be sent home soon. Because the Kindergarten classes are not having formal interviews like the rest of the school, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child please don't hesitate to contact me and I will do the same for you!

Please note we do not have school February 15-19.