Mrs. Welcomer's Class News

Hello K2 Families,

Please remember that next Wed, Dec. 18th at 8:45 is the Springhill Winter Sing. The concert will be held in our multi purpose room. All kinders are encouraged to wear their pajamas that day to school! Please arrive early, parking will be tricky! The children are so excited about performing!

In reading this week we talked about how a reader points to a word, then reads, then points, then reads. We have been reading books that are decodable that work on the short /a/ and /i/ sounds. Decodable texts allow students to practice the letter-sound relationships they are learning in phonics. They can be in the form of books, short texts, or even words, phrases, or sentences for practice. Some of the tools we use to practice decoding and encoding include using white boards, and magnetic letters. 

In math we continued counting in the teens. We had fun playing, “Guess my number!” using number lines and snowmen erasers, and used pattern blocks to build Holiday Items. Families, please continue to practice rote counting at home, and give your child lots of opportunities to practice counting real objects at home. Many of your young mathematicians still need help with one to one correspondence, and real items help with this growth.

This week we began creating a holiday traditions song book that features three holidays; Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Another family tradition and celebration that we will learn about next week is Las Posadas. The children are enjoying reading about new traditions that they may be unfamiliar with and of course they get very excited to share their own family traditions with others. Learning about different holidays is important because it helps us understand and appreciate diverse cultures, while fostering empathy and respect for different traditions. It also helps children connect common themes of family, and community, across cultures and it promotes cultural awareness and inclusivity.

We have been singing songs about the celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa in class. Ask your child to sing one for you! They even can sign and sing the song White Christmas!

We have been reading many books about December celebrations. One of our class favorites is Daddy Christmas and Mama Hanukkah, by Selina Alko. This book is a joyous celebration of a family that celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah. Many of our children can see themselves in this book. Another favorite was Mr Willowby’s Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry. This heartwarming story of kindness and sharing also has a subtle message of conservation and recycling. 

Thanks for the volunteers each day! Please consider signing up to help in the New Year. I appreciate all the families that have signed up to donate items and partake in our fun Holiday Workshops morning on Friday Dec. 20th from 9:00-10:00. Please remember that all kindergarten students will attend school 8:15-11:45 on Friday December 20. It is also an early release day for upper elementary grades.

Have a wonderful weekend! - Katherine