December 3rd-7th

December 3rd- 7th Dear Parents, In Phonics we will be learning about the letter “R” as in ran and rabbit. We have already introduced the memory word “are” and that can be practiced at home. We are working on or wordlists and you should have wordlist # 5 in the weekend folder. In math next week we will learn about comparing objects by weight (mass). The students are learning how to use geoboards, and relative position. Our Reading next week will take us to a new story “Little Panda”. The genre is “Informational Text” and the comprehension skill is “compare and contrast”. We will be integrating the social studies skills-sequence and responsibility, and many science skills about animals. We will learn about a wonderful panda called “Hua Mei” in our Reading story “Little Panda”. There is a wonderful internet site from the San Diego zoo that you can observe a live “panda cam (along with other animal cams.) Check it out, the children will love it! We will be making “reindeer food” next week to go along with the letter “R”, and also to make sure Santa gets to our houses. We will still have show-and tell on Friday for the letter “R”. The kindergarten children will not be exchanging presents with each other. I bought little holiday boxes and we will fill them with a treat for the 4th grade buddies so it’s not necessary to buy gifts for them. We spent some time graphing with m&m’s this week at learning centers, along with learning some facts about the “Fox”. We made a “fish bowl” for our memory book with paint, and we learned to recognize the “plot” in our stories. In phonics we learned about “twin consonants” and we learned how to code them. We finished the week with a program about “safety” and show-and-tell for the letter “Ff”. Monday will be day # 2 and we will have music class. Have a good weekend! Mrs. Bernosky PS- Don't forget the letters to Santa next week!

Nov.26th-Nov.30th

Kindergarten newsletter November 26th- November 30th  Next week in Phonics we will be focusing on the letter “F” and its sound as in fish and feather. We will have show and tell on Friday as usual. Wordlist # 4 was sent home and I will be testing it next week. Most of the children did a great job on wordlist # 3. Math- We will continue with pattern, and we will compare objects by weight and explore the use of a geoboard. Reading- Our new book will be “Who’s Garden is It”. It is a rhyming story, and the comprehension skill is “realism and fantasy”. We ended our unit for Thanksgiving by writing about what we were thankful for, and making butter in our classroom almost the same way as the pilgrims did. We watched “Charlie Browns Thanksgiving while munching on popcorn with our read-a-long friends. Reminders: Book orders are due Friday, November 30thth. Due to the holiday rush we must order early to get it shipped in time for Christmas. If you would like to use any of the books for Christmas presents that you ordered, I will hold them for you and you can pick them up in the office. You can order on line by simply using a one-time activation code(GMXW8). When you do this we get $3.00 in free books for out class every time you order on line, and you get a coupon for a book worth up to $5.00. Please make sure your child is dressed warmly for the cold weather. We will be playing outside for recess in the cold weather until we get a snow covering. Tuesday will be day # 3 and we have library class. Please return the letters to Santa in an envelope before Monday Dec. 3rd if possible. The postman will be coming to school sometime during the week of Dec. 3rd.

Thanksgiving Week---- Nov.19th-23rd

Kindergarten News Phonics We will be finishing the letter “S” as in sun and snake. Due to the shortened week for the Thanksgiving holiday, we will not begin a new letter next week. Wordlist #4 was sent home today in the communication folder, but I will not test the students until November 29th or 30th. Most of the children are doing very well on their wordlists. Math We will continue to learn about money and time, and continue to identify the numbers 0-10. We will identify before, after and between. Directions are important for many areas of study. At home you can help with this skill by playing Simon Says, and including words like: up, down, in front of, behind, below, up, left, right; etc. Reading We will continue the story “A Bed for the Winter”. The genre is “informational text” and the comprehension skill is sequence. Many science concepts will be covered in this book including day to day weather changes, preparing for winter weather, and the four seasons. FYI We did an experiment for the letter “I” with Total cereal to show the children how to find iron in the cereal we eat. They were amazed. To conclude our unit for fall, we painted pieces of pumpkin pie and then made a predictable chart about one fact that we knew about pumpkin pie. We then made our own “pumpkin pie with pumpkin and vanilla pudding, and graphed if we liked it or not. Next week we will make some Native American vests and headdresses that will be taken home on Wednesday just in time for your Thanksgiving dinner. We have been invited on Wednesday morning to watch “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving” in Mrs. Burda’s room (4th grade classroom), and celebrate Thanksgiving together with our friends. Popcorn will be enjoyed by all. Wednesday November 21st will be an early dismissal @ 1 PM. There will be no school from Nov. 22th through November 26th. We will return to school on Tuesday, November 27th. There will be no breakfast served on Wed. November 21st due to early dismissal. The kindergarten will eat lunch at 9:15-9:45 on that day!!!!!!!!! Please remember not to send candy for snack time. We encourage healthy snacks. Monday, November 19th is day # 5 and we have gym class. Fundraiser pickup-Monday Nov.19th from 3:45 until 8:00pm

November 5th-November 9th

Kindergarten News- Nov. 5-9, 2012 FYI- Picture retakes and/or make-ups will take place on Monday, November 5th. If you were not satisfied with your child’s picture, you must return it, in order to have your child’s picture retaken. Thanks to everyone for making the Halloween parade and party so much fun!!!!!! The kindergarten report cards will be sent home, Tuesday, November 6th, 2012. Please look over the report card, sign it, and return it as soon as possible! If you have any questions or concerns, please notify me and we can discuss them. The parent-teacher conferences will be held on Tuesday ,Nov. 6th. If you requested a conference, look for your confirmation in your child’s folder today (Monday). Those who requested a phone conference will be called after you have had an opportunity to look over your child’s report card. Many of the students are forgetting to bring their show-and tell on Fridays. I will begin sending brown lunch bags home as a reminder on Thursdays . The children get very disappointed when they forget something to share. Friday November 9th is an Act 80 day. There is no school for students. Day light savings time ends on Sunday, Nov. 4th @ 2 AM. Remember to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. School policy states that shorts may not be worn until the spring! Coat zipping can be a major problem for kindergarten, please practice this skill at home. The children hate being late for recess because they need help! Also feel free to send gloves for recess, we will be going out whenever possible, even when it is cold. READING: This week we read “Animal Babies in Grasslands”. The children learned about calves, cubs, joeys pups, and foals. This week our story is “Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. Its genre is animal fantasy and the comprehension skill is realism and fantasy. Phonics: We will continue learning learn about the letter Mm as in monkey and mom, but we will also introduce the letter Ii if possible. I will be testing wordlist #2 early in the week, and wordlist #3 might come home so that you can begin to work on it . Math: We are learning how to have a mathematical conversation by naming a shape piece using three attributes (shape, color. and size). We will also learn how to identify a missing piece in a matrix, and describe the relative position of objects.

Oct. 29th -Nov. 2nd

Kindergarten News October29th-Nov. 2nd Next week in Phonics we will be working on the consonant letter Mm as in monkey and mom. We will have show & tell on Friday as usual. Our theme will be a “mish mash” of M topics, and we will learn a little about magnets and measurement. It will be “marvelous”! In Math we will be acting out story problems , and continue with identifying and counting 0 to 30. In Reading, we are introducing the story “Animal babies in grasslands.” Its genre is animal fantasy and the comprehension skill is setting. I will be sending wordlist # 2 with your child in their Friday folder. This copy does not have to be returned to me. Have your child practice the words all week, and I will individually test them on Thursday or Friday. I will then send the graded list home for you to review, sign it and return it to me. The “NSE” T shirts are a gift from the PTO. It is very important that your child wears this shirt on our field trip in the spring. The shirts can be worn on spirit days and gym days but please not to misplace it or you will be responsible for purchasing a new shirt. We have been having some problems with some children having bathroom accidents, and because of this we are asking for clothing donations of pants, socks, and shoes to be kept in the nurse’s office. If your child comes home with clothes from the nurse please make sure you return them after they are washed. Report cards will be sent home in your child’s folder on Please review it, sign it, and return it to me ASAP. If you have any questions, please contact me. Since the weather will be getting cooler, we ask that the boys and girls practice at home putting coats on themselves and zipping/buttoning them. We often spend lots of time struggling with coats and zippers at this time of year. Thanks for the help! The Halloween party and parade had been rescheduled for Friday Nov.2ndst @ 2:15 o’clock due to the impending bad weather on Wednesday. Please have your child bring their costume to school, they should not wear it, and please make sure it is in a bag with their name on it, so that you are assured of getting it home. There will be homeroom parents at school to help me get the children dressed. If you are a homeroom parent that has notified me that you are helping at the party, please be here at 1:40 PM. The book orders are due on Monday November 5th and our online activation code is GMXW8. Report cards will be given out Monday, Nov. 5th. Please sign them and return them ASAP. A schedule for parent conferences is in your child’s folder, if you would like to discuss your child’s progress please fill it out and return it to me. I will send a note next week informing you of the time of your conference. Monday is day # 3 and we have library class. Have a great weekend!