Dear Parents,

         On Wednesday, January 25, we will have been in school for 100 days!  In order to help children develop a concept of this large number, we will be having a 100^s day.

        Each child will need to bring 100 of something.  It does not have to be expensive or edible.  The items will be counted and divided into groups of ten.  This is an exciting way to use our math skills, and children are sure to enjoy this activity.

         Here are some suggestions for items to bring:

 toothpicks         macaroni           pennies             cotton balls

 cheerios            pasta                        buttons             gummy bears

 skittles             dried beans       balloons            erasers

 miniature marshmallows             candy hearts     stickers

 popsicle sticks   M&Ms               crayons

         As you can see, the possibilities are endless!  Please make sure your child brings exactly 100 items to school by next Wednesday, January 25^th.  Please put your child’s items in a ziplock bag.  I will take a picture of your child holding his/her 100 items.

        Thank you for your help!

                                                                   Sincerely Yours,

                                                                   Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

What cold weather we have experienced today!  Be sure to bundle up your little one with gloves, coat, scarf, and hat!  We go out when it is 32 degrees.  0f course we will not be out on snowy days.

Please send back the “Early Dismissal Permission Note.” It was on yellow paper.  There is NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, JANUARY 16^th! Have your child wear their red t-shirton Tuesday.  McTeacher Night is Monday, January 23^rd. Willard South teachers & Mrs. Crighton-Smith will be working at McDonald’s (160 & Chestnut) 4:00-8:00.  I will be working there from 4:00 -5:00. I would love to see all of you!  A percentage of the money will go to our school. 

In reading we have focused on letter Qq as in “quarter” and “queen” as well as the rest of the alphabet.  I am introducing the blends & digrah chart, too. ex. sh, ch, gr, etc. We have been working on the “ip” word family, also. ex. Ship, chip, lip, tip, skip, etc.  We are working in our reading groups, practicing the strategies for figuring out “tricky” words, as well as, becoming fluent readers. We go to the computer room several times a week to practice the Raz-Reading books.  Thank you for listening to your child read the easy books, along with getting A, B, C books from your local library.

In writers workshop we are practicing listening and writing the first and last letters of words.  Please practice this at home, too.  We are learning to make a rough draft for the beginning, middle, and ending of a story.  Then we will transfer our words to make a book. The book we are using is The Little Penguin. We also read a nonfiction penguin book and have drawn a picture and written a fact. This will be a class book.

In math we have been learning the concept of counting objects and finding the means to record the information on paper.  What strategy was used to accomplish this task?  Thank you for helping your child complete the assignment of drawing the eyes of each family member. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, we will celebrate our 100^th day in school!  I will send out a letter on what your child can bring.

Have a great day!

                                                                             Sincerely Yours,

                                                                             Mrs. Linda Shortt

Dear Parents,

 It’s the season to be jolly!  We are busily working to complete everything before our Christmas vacation! Reminders:Fundraiser pick-up is Dec. 13^th, 3:30-6:30 pm. Our class party is Dec.16 2:30-3:30.   We would love to have you! PTO Santa Store is on Dec. 20th-Every thing is $1. Remember ALL SCHOOL PAJAMA DAY ON Wed., DECEMBER 21st.  SCHOOL IS DISMISSED AT 12:30. Christmas vacation begins December 22nd-January 3rd.  School resumes on Wed., January 4th.

In reading and writing we have focused on letter “Oo” and its sounds as in “ox” and “ocean.”  We have worked on the “ig” word family, ex. big, dig, pig. We have learned to be an author of a number book and we will learn how to make a color book.  Your child can do this at home, too. Have your child practice reading easy books (A level for most students, & B for others). Please give paper, pencils, etc. so your child can practice making a story.  We are learning to write the beginning and end of a story.  We are still stretching out the words to write the letters we can hear.  Please help your child with this.  Thank you!

In math we practiced writing our numbers to 20 and have practiced recognizing them. I still need your help in this area. We have had fun playing “What’s Next, Two Color Counters (patterning), and What is Missing?” (memory game)  We will be going to the next unit and working with shapes.

In science we have been talking about “Our Five Senses.”  I have read a small book for each sense.  We have been working on our senses book called Something Wonderful!  Each page focuses on a different sense.  I will send it home at the end of the week. 

I also want to thank you for working so hard with your child on the Christmas Tree project!  The trees look so nice in the hallway!  You have done an excellent job! Your child was able to talk to their classmates about their Christmas tree; who they worked with and the materials they used.  You may take your child’s Christmas tree off the wall and take it home after our class party.  If you are not there, I will try to send it home, too.

2ND QUARTER TESTING: Practice letters & sounds; printing name correctly on lines; writing beginning consonants as a stage of writing; counting to 50 or more; count to 100 by 10′s; recognizing numerals to 20; writing numerals to 20, correctly, rhyming words. Thanks!

                                                                                            Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

We have been very busy this week!  In reading we have focused on letter Mm and its sound as in “mailbox.”  We are practicing our reading clues to figure out unknown words:  Look at the pictures. Look at the beginning sound. Try reading the word. Does it make sense in the sentence? Does it sound right? Go back and read it again.  You can use these reading clues at home with your child.  We worked on the “at” word family, too. ex. Cat, sat, mat, rat, fat, etc.

In writing we have continued to write the beginning letter of each word we write.  We are also stretching out the word and writing the letters we hear.  This week I read the big book, Moccasins. We learned how the Indians sewed different colors of beads on their moccasins.  The students colored a moccasin and decorated it with a color(s) of beads.  Then they wrote about it.  We have become authors of our own ABC Book.  We will read them to each other and our reading buddies.

In math we learned how to make a cube train with rainbow colors and with a repeating pattern of two colors.  An AB pattern would be, for example, red, blue, red, blue, and so on.  We will begin to make patterns with pattern blocks, too.  Work with your child on making an AB pattern at home.

In social studies we have talked about the Native Americans.  We will talk about the Pilgrims and their trip to America.  We will talk about the hard time they had on the Mayflower and the scarcity of food during the winter months.  The Indians helped the Pilgrims learn how to hunt and fish.  Next week we will talk about the first Thanksgiving.

Reminders:Scholastic Book orders are due, tomorrow, (Friday) if you are ordering.  Please send back the fundraiser kit and any orders, if you haven’t already. Wear theschool t-shirt on Tuesday. There isNO SCHOOL on Wed.,Thursday, and Friday of next week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.Schoolresumes on Monday, November 28^th. Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

I want to thank you for coming to the Parent-Teacher Conference. I enjoyed talking to each one of you! Together, we can strive for success for your child.
Thank you for sending money for our Fall Harvest Party. A big thanks goes to Tonya Lyons, our room mother, and all of you who helped with the party! The children had a great time!
In reading this week we are focusing on letter Kk and its sound as in “kangaroo.” We colored our My Kk Book; wrote and drew pictures beginning with Kk in our My Word Book. We will do a letter search for Kk; color, cut, & glue pictures beginning with Kk; and practice writing Kk on lines. We have been doing a great job in our Daily 5 program. We have been working in our reading groups while the other children are doing the Daily 5. I am sending home the sight words for you to practice with your child. You can cut them out to make flash cards. These words are called “popcorn words” because they pop up a lot as we are reading. Practice “has, can, the, is, you, look.”
In writers workshop we have made our own books. We know we need a title, picture, & our name on the front. On each page we draw the picture and write words to match our picture. We are making sure that each page is about our topic. We will read these to each other and our reading buddies from Mrs. McKann’s Second Grade Class.
In math we have compared our name towers with each other to see which is shorter, longer, or the same as our own name tower. We have lined up four name towers and put them order from the fewest to the most letters. We will, also, line up all our name towers from the fewest number of letters to the most letters. Thanks, for helping with the “names” homework page I sent home. We are also learning the game, “Ordering Cards.”
Reminders: Wear your tiger t-shirt on Tuesday. SCHOOL IS DISMISSED ON NOV. 11TH AT 12:30. There will be a Veteran’s Program on the morning of Nov. 11th to honor our Veterans.
Sincerely Yours,
Mrs. Linda Shortt

Dear Parents,

         This month is going by quickly!  We are continuing to learn more skills!  I have sent your conference note back to you, so you can have quick access to the day & time of your child’s conference.  I look forward to meeting with you about your child’s progress.  Some conferences are back to back, so I would appreciate you being on time.  I will set a timer, so I will be on time, too.    Tonya Lyons is our room mother and is planning our “Fall Party.”  I sent the note out.  Note the new time for the party-2:00-2:50.   Our party is on Monday, Oct. 31^st.  You are invited to come! Don’t forget to send the $2 for treats/materials needed for a successful party for your child.

        Next week our library will have a book fair.  It will be opened before and after school until 3:50 p.m.  The book fair will be opened during the parent-teacher conferences, too.

        In reading we have focused on letter Ii and its sounds as in “igloo” and “ice cream.”  We have focused on the book, Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington.  We have done the different writing traits, such as ideas, organization, word choice, fluency, and conventions.  We are doing the Daily 5 and have been using the “netbooks” for the segment “Listen to Reading.”  I am so happy to have Mrs. Robbins to man this station.  She also helps listen to children read and gives more practice in math skills.       In math we have played new games:  Grab & Count & Compare and the Game of Compare with a deck of number cards.  We measured objects to see if they were longer or shorter than our tower of ten cubes. Soon, we will make name towers. Last week in science, we tasted red, yellow, and green apples to see which ones we liked the best.  More students liked the red one.  We have graphed this.  This week we have been learning the life cycle of the pumpkin.  Reminders: Chili Cook-Off-Saturday, Oct. 22^nd 5:00-7:00 pm. Wear school t-shirt on Tuesday.  NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28^th.

                                                                                       Sincerely Yours,

                                                                                       Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

I want to thank you for helping your child on the skills I mentioned  in the previous newsletter.  Please continue to work with your child on these things.  I will still do testing next week and more if necessary.  Also, please fill out the conference times and I will try to accommodate you the best I can.  I need to know as soon as possible. Just a reminder that the PTO Chili Cookoff is on Saturday, October 22 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!

This week we focused on letter Gg and its sound as in “goat.”  We read our big book, The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Janet Stevens.  We had practice predicting what would happen next and later, retelling the story.  Then we made our goat sack puppets.  We did other activities, too, to reinforce letter Gg.  We practice all the other letters, too.  Keep doing this at home, also. Please practice the sight words:  me, my, have, went, you, the, I, am, like, and, can, this, go, in, on, see.

In math we have continued to work on our counting and writing our numbers.  Please have your child practice writing to 10 correctly. Your child  is expected to write these numbers with no reversals.  We have also practiced our counting and writing the numbers by using the Counting Jar, Build It , and Roll & Record. 

This week in social studies, we have talked about maps and the globe. Tomorrow we will learn about Christopher Columbus.

Last week we talked about “Fire Safety.” Captain Holland and the Willard firefighters from Station 3 spoke to our students and showed their equipment. The students were able to see the fire truck and ambulance.  Thank you, Willard Firefighters, for your dedication & service to our community!  Below is the link you can click on to see our pictures. http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d6a63774d4441334d44493d0d0a&blogview=true

Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

The time is passing by quickly and we are learning as much as we can!  In reading we focused on letter “Ee” and its sounds as in “elephant & eagle.”  We did activities to reinforce this letter such as reading our My Ee Book. We are learning sight words such as “can, the, see, I, a, this, have, my, and is.” Have your child find these words as you read easy books to them and your child reads to you.  We are working on “Word Work,” another component of the Daily 5 which fosters independence in literacy.  We will use different materials to practice spelling our sight words correctly.  In math we played “Roll & Record” on the smart board and on our papers.  The children used their dot cubes by rolling them, counting the dots, and writing the number in the correct column.  This gave practice in writing the number.  Please practice with your child the concepts of recognizing and writing numbers from 1 through 10.  Some children can go farther.  In social studies we learned about each other. I read the “Kindergarten Kids” information sheet for your child and have displayed them on the hall wall. We will talk about friends and being a friend.  Next week we will talk about “Fire Safety.”  Reminders: Wear the school t-shirt every Tuesday.  School pictures will be taken on Wednesday.  NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (TOMORROW). Giant garage sale/booths at our school on Saturday, September 24th-9:00-2:00.  You’ll find lots of things to buy!

Soon, I will be testing your child for report cards, so I need you to practice these skills with your child.  I will test on these things:  

1. Letters and sounds for Aa to Zz

2. Printing correctly first name

3. Identifying shapes:  circle, rectangle, triangle, square

4. Counting to 25 or more out loud; counting objects to 30

5. Recognizing numbers to 10 and more; writing numbers to 10 or more 

I will check on “Work Habits/Behaviors” too.  Thanks for your help!

Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Shortt

Dear Parents,

The time is going by quickly!  This week we are focusing on letter Dd as in the word “dog.”  We are doing activities to reinforce this letter and sound.  This week I will send My Aa Book home so your child can practice reading, using his/her pointer finger.  Have your child point to the first letter of each word, going left to right.  Encourage your child to get his/her mouth ready for the next beginning letter and its sound.  We are keeping Bb, Cc, and Dd books in our book boxes for more practice in reading. Next week we will study letter Ee and its sounds and in “elephant and “eagle.” Also, study the sight word, “can.”

We are learning the next component of the Daily 5, Read to Someone. We know that reading to someone is fun and helps us become better readers.  The children can practice fluency and begin to learn reading skills and strategies.  We are learning about EEKK (Elbow, Elbow, Knee, Knee).  This is how we sit with our partner.  See if your child can remember this.  We are learning how to check for understanding of what is read.  “I heard you say…”   We will learn how to choose books, classroom spot, and choosing a partner. Keep reading to your child!  It is valuable time that is not wasted!

In math we are counting out loud to 25 and more, counting objects in the counting jar and recording the number/drawing pictures on a sticky note and placing it on the chart paper.  We will answer “Today’s Question” by signing our name in the right column.  An example is “Are you the oldest child in your family.”  We have learned how to sort attribute blocks using a variety of cards.  We are continuing to explore pattern blocks, geoblocks, attribute blocks & connecting cubes.

In science we are learning our colors through songs, word search, etc. Reminders:  Scholastic Book Club order is due on Sept. 16, at the latest, if your are ordering. If ordering online, I won’t submit it until this Saturday the 17^th.  You can still order. Here’s the link http://clubs.scholastic.com/ and our code is GX87V.  NO SCHOOL, Friday, Sept. 23.

Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Shortt