Mrs. Miller & Mrs. O'Toole's Kindergarten Class

We are so happy to be your child's teacher. This kindergarten year will be a year of new beginnings, a year filled with large and small accomplishments, a year of trying new things and making new friends. Kindergarten is an important year in your child's education. It sets the foundation for future years.We are honored to be on this very memorable and special journey with you and your child! We will be updating this website weekly with our K1 Newsletter, class photos, important dates and information.

We look forward to working with you this year! 

Important Dates:

September 18 - Fall Picnic

October 12 - Teacher workday - no school for students

October 19-23 - minimum days - conference week - all K classes meet 8:15-11:45

October 30 - Halloween celebration - Minimum day for K all students meet 8:15-11:45

Hello Families!   

In Bridge to Reading this week we focused on the sounds of /n/ /f/ and/v/. We are learning how to correctly write these letter’s capital and lowercase letters correctly and we listened for their sounds at the beginning of words. 

We read the book, The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater. This is a beautiful lyrical story that introduces the concept of individuality, accepting of others' differences, and respect for those around us. After reading it, each child created their own house reflecting their own style and personality. The houses are each unique like each child!

In math this week we worked on the math concepts of: how many, bigger or equal, we practiced organizing quantities and counting them and compared groups of objects.

Our Teddy Bear day was GRRRRREAT! The children were so excited to share their stuffie or bear with the class. The day was all about bears: bear poetry and songs, reading our completed Brown Bear Book, bear hats and having free choice with our bears! This was a perfect way to celebrate finishing our Brown Bear Book! Make sure that you listen to your child read their book this weekend and share the sweet treat that was attached to their Beary Great Reader Award at the end of the story!

In our social emotional work this week we worked on the concept of “body in the group.” This lesson centered on the concept of keeping and maintaining a comfortable physical presence around others, not too close or not too far away. When your body is in the group , it sends a nonverbal message that you are interested in others and that you are following the same group plan. Following the group plan is something that we continue to work on each day.

On Tuessday, Ms. G. came into our class and discussed ways we can regulate our bodies when we are in the “red or blue or yellow” zones. Being able to regulate ourselves is a fundamental tool to access learning, improves our relationships and helps with impulse control. Some tools we use every day in K1 to help with our regulation include; breathing, calm mindful moments, yoga, songs, movement and affirmations. 

We read the book, Gratitude Soup, by Olivia Rosewood. This is a lovely book to talk about the importance of practicing gratitude with children. There is scientific evidence showing that gratitude dramatically changes brain chemistry, leading to a peaceful mind and healthy body. In one study performed at UC Davis, published in the Journal of School Psychology, those who had a daily gratitude activity had more positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, and energy. Gratitude can lead to fewer physical ailments, as well as an enhanced feeling of well being. Children who practiced gratitude showed more positive attitudes toward their school and their families. They are less likely to judge others, and also less jealous. They are more likely to share and to want to help. Without a doubt, gratitude is a powerful life tool and part of our mindful moments each day.

We will begin a unit on rhyming next week. Hearing rhymes and being able to rhyme are prerequisites to being able to read. Rhyming words is a key element in helping students segment words into sounds and hear patterns in words, thus improving their decoding skills and fluency. They also help students as they work with CVC words and other literacy skills in the future. 

Classroom volunteers will begin the first week of October! Be on the look out for the Sign Up Genius. Please remember in order to volunteer, you must have registered on Be A Mentor.

Have a wonderful weekend! - Kathy & Stephanie