Kindergarten Newsletter 9/17

 Reminders and Upcoming Important Dates:

Thursdays- Thank you for helping your kindergartner remember to return their library book!

October 7th- School Picture Day

October 11th - Indigenous People's Day- NO SCHOOL October 12th- Teacher In-Service- NO SCHOOL for Students

ENRICHMENT The kindergartners had their first music class with Mrs. Corey this week! They sang and danced along while she played her accordion. We also explored the forest with Joan, one of the school's outdoor coaches, on Wednesday. Joan challenged the kindergartners to build a shelter that would protect a mouse from rain or heat or snow. She provided them with paper pictures of mice to use. The kindergartners took on that engineering challenge with gusto! They gathered materials (sticks, wood, rocks, leaves, etc.) and got right to work building and re-building and improving their designs. On Thursday (after the big rain on Wednesday night), we went back to the forest to check on their mice shelters. Ask your child how their mouse shelter held up! We had a variety of results (some damp mice, some safe mice and some missing mice!)

BUTTERFLIES We had another monarch butterfly emerge from its chrysalis! We released the monarch butterfly in the garden. Ask your child how to tell a male monarch from a female monarch (males have two dots on their lower wings.) We talked about the big trip our monarch will soon be going on as it migrates to warmer climates in search of food. The kindergartners have been making caterpillar and butterfly artwork to decorate our classroom! These art projects enhance the content study and provide opportunities to develop fine motor strength and skills.

MATH

During math, the kindergartners have begun to discuss what it looks like to do math in kindergarten. They have come up with ideas such as, "In our math community, we build, sort, listen, and talk." We have introduced and explored math tools we will use during math activities and centers throughout the year such as connecting cubes and geoblocks. With partners and during class discussions, students are encouraged to use their own language to describe their work and listen to the ideas of others (an important lesson that kindergarten mathematicians have interesting and worthwhile ideas to communicate and share.)

We are now moving into recognizing quantities as we focus on small groups of objects and images. You can support your child's mathematical learning at home by counting and asking, "How many are there?" and "How did you count them?" (for example, "How many plates are there?" when you set the table with your child or "How did you know there are three kittens?" while you read a book together.)

Thanks for all of your support!