Super Reader Day and Science Day!

December 19-22

I hope you have a wonderful break full of family, friends, rest, and laughs.
See you next year!

On Thursday children should dress as super heroes!  They can use existing costumes or create one from materials at home.  We will be making capes as a class project.
We are still in need of plastic table clothes and foam letter stickers for this project!  If you are willing to donate please send these items to school with your child.

Upcoming events:
December 22: Super Reader Day
December 24-January 2: No School--Enjoy your break!

What’s happening in Kindergarten this week?

Reading: Just wanted to give a quick reminder that as students move up in reading levels, the books they bring home may seem more difficult! With practice and perseverance, they will have an easier time with the new level!

We will have our Super Reader celebration this week! Kindergartners will create a cape to show that they really are Super Readers! They will build sight word towers to knock down! Swat at letters to match a sound! Read with other Super Readers! It will be a day to celebrate how far we have come as readers!
**We will not be bringing book bags home over break.

Writing: Writers will publish a true story this week. Writers will bring all of their writing home on Wednesday! Ask your child to read their stories to you by pointing under their words and checking the pictures to remember what their story was about.

Math: We will work on teen numbers this week. As mathematicians, the most efficient way to see teen numbers is to see the group of ten and the extras. We will also work on finding the partners of the numbers 2-6.
Here are centers that will help us with this work:

• listening to story problems on the iPad and then using pictures and equations to solve them
• creating a book using break apart strips to show partners of numbers 2-6
• using equations and math tools to solve both addition and subtraction problems within 5
• using marbles to show partners and writing equations to match

Word Study: Check out this sight word link as a reminder of the sight words your child can be searching for and spelling with you!

Science: The Kindergartners will continue to work in different science centers to wrap up the unit. They will work in the following centers:

• Scientists will match body coverings to the correct animal
• Students will  create their own animals using stencils, body coverings paper and other art supplies
• Students will sort animals into different groups based on color, body covering, number of legs, etc.
• Scientists will read, mark with post its, and write about what they learn! 

December 12-16

Hello!  I am getting our news out early this week!  I wanted to let you know I will be attending a literacy training on Monday.  Mrs. Otto will be the substitute teacher. You can email me or call the office if you need anything!

Few reminders:

• If you did not pick up Square1 Art, you can pick it up in the office or let me know if you would like it sent home in your child's backpack. 
• Remember to send snow gear to school! Students will be able to use it during recess times and getting ready to go at the end of the day.
• Please continue to send a snack to school every day! Some families find it helpful to pack an entire bag of snacks for the week or you could leave a box of snacks in your child's locker. Thanks!

Upcoming Events:

• December 13: No School
• December 14: Wear your favorite college gear!
• December 22: Wear holiday colors!
• December 22: Super Reader Day in Kindergarten (more info coming soon)

Reading: While reading with your child at home, you might wonder "What is the best way to help when they are struggling to read a book?" Here are some tips to help them learn and practice the skills needed to read their book on their own.

• Remind them to use sight words to help them figure out how the book goes
• Have them check the picture
• Look at the first letter of the word and ask yourself "What would make sense?"

Writing: Writers will work on elaboration this week. Whenever we are writing true stories, we can add more details by showing in pictures and writing in words. Writers think about what more to add by asking the following questions:

• Who was there?
• Where is the story taking place?
• What happened?
• What did people say? (speech bubbles)
• How were they feeling? 

Math:
We begin Unit 3 this week, which focuses on identifying 10 groups in teen numbers, finding partners of a number (i.e. partners of 5 are 3+2 and 4+1), and addition and subtraction. Students will learn about identifying 10 groups with a ten bug (ladybug)

• Identify groups of objects and state the partner numbers
• Students will have 10 buttons and a box. They will remove or add buttons to tell an addition or subtraction story. Then, they can write the equation.  
• Create a ten bug & do a hunt around the room for 10 groups in teen numbers 
• Foam 10 frame teen number building

Word Study:   The sight words for this week are: one, two, & three.

Science: Scientists will investigate reptiles, scales, and amphibians! We will read books about snakes, toads, frogs, and more. Scientists will create charts to compare the animals and discuss the purpose of the different body coverings.

December 5-9

You can pick up your child's Square 1 artwork at the family night on December 8th by the music room or in the office (after the 8th).

Here is a link to our new homework calendar.

Upcoming Events:

• December 6: Kaukauna Christmas Parade
• Students who are accompanied by an adult can meet at 5:30 at 809 Wisconsin Ave to walk by or sit on the float. Remember to dress warm and bring a blanket if you plan to sit on the float! 
• December 8: Pajama Day AND Family Night: PJ's and Publishing
• December 13: No School
• December 14: Wear your favorite college gear!
• December 22: Wear holiday colors!

Reading: This week, readers will work on adding post it to their books to track character feelings. We will also work on retelling our books. Students will continue to bring new books home as they book shop. If your child is unsure of how the pattern in his/her book goes, you can tell them to use the sight words and then check the pictures to help them figure out what they words might say. 

Writing: As students learn more and more about writing stories and revising, they will go back to add more to old stories. We are beginning to add “flaps” when we run out of room to write on the original page. Students will explore familiar books to notice how the authors put a lead, or beginning, in their stories. Then they will try it. Finally, partners will work together to find gaps in their stories and fill them to get ready for publishing next week!

Math:
We will be wrapping up unit 2 this week. Students will complete the Math Expressions assessment after finishing up the following centers:

• Students will create their own number lines with digits, dot representations, and +1 equations. 
• Mathematicians will work with shapes using geoboards.
• We will use chips and a ‘break apart stick’ to find the partners of a number. Then, they will write the equation that matches.
• Students will practice number identification and number order with a partner. After lining up the dotted number tiles, partner 1 will secretly remove two of the tiles. Partner 2 will need to figure out which tiles are missing.

Word Study:   The sight words for this week are: come, like, look, my, to. A fun way to practice writing sight words is to spread shaving cream or salt on a cookie tray and let your child write the words with their finger!

Science: Scientists will investigate birds and feathers this week. We will rub vegetable oil on our skin to replicate how oil on feathers keep birds warm and dry. We will explore different kinds of feathers too!

Here is a picture from science last week. We played "Predator Prey" outside.

November 28-December 2

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend and had a chance to spend some quality time relaxing and enjoying the company of others!

You can pick up your child's Square 1 artwork at the family night on December 8th by the music room.

Here is a link to our new homework calendar.

Upcoming Events:

• November 28: Wear Packer gear
• December 8: Pajama Day AND Family Night: PJ's and Publishing
• December 6: Kaukauna Christmas Parade
• Students and families are welcome to join the NDLC float. More information will be coming soon! 
• December 13: No School
• December 14: Wear your favorite college gear!
• December 22: Wear holiday colors!

Reading: 

As readers, we will supercharge our pointer power this week. We will learn that while you are pointing, you can:

• Point under the first letter of the word. 
• Get your mouth ready for the 1st sound. 
• Stop and check, is your finger under the right word?  

All of these skills will help readers as they get into the challenging work of figuring out a word by using the letter sounds. Try using these prompts at home to help your growing reader!

**Please send the book bag back to school every day to exchange the books!

Writing: This week, writers will continue to work on adding sounds to words, creating detailed pictures, and adding beginnings to stories. As students write, they are working so hard to stretch out words focusing on the vowels in the middle, put sight words down quickly, and remember spaces. This is some hard work! Remember to praise the efforts you see when writing comes home.

Math:
We will continue to work heavily on adding and subtracting as it is a new and sometimes difficult concept! Students will begin to explore partner numbers using a break apart stick.

• Students will draw math pictures as illustrations for a poem book that teaches about the +1 pattern in numbers 1-10.
• Mathematicians will illustrate a poem book that teaches about the -1 pattern in numbers 1-10.
• We will learn more about adding and subtracting using cubes and a ‘break apart stick’. For instance, seeing 00 l 000 as 2+3=5.
• Students will practice building a number with tiles, taking a tile away, and writing the equation to match. 

Word Study:  Students are working hard to find their sight words in their new reading books. The new sight words for this week are: come, like, look, my, to.

Science: Scientists will investigate mammals and fur. Our read aloud books and discussions will focus on camouflage, mammals, fur, and fur that is used as protection. Did you know that a porcupine quill is actually a modified hair? We will look at fur under a magnifying glass, create animals using stamps and rubbing plates, and play a camouflage game.

November 14-18

It has been a pleasure meeting with you during conferences this past week. I am excited to continue sharing the awesome Kindergarten work on Tuesday night!

As you may have heard, rest towels do not need to return to school because we will not be having a rest time anymore. Students are ready for that time to be used for a quiet activity such as shared reading, handwriting, etc.

On Friday, we had a special visit from a veteran. It was great opportunity to learn more about his job and say thank you for all he does!

Upcoming Events:
November 15: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 17: 1/2 day- 11:30 dismissal
November 18: Wisconsin Badger Day
November 23-25: No School

Reading: Beginning this week, students will be bringing home a book bag each night. These book bags will have 2 books at your child's reading level. Ask your student what he/she is working on when reading (pointing, using pictures, and using beginning sounds are a few examples). Read the books with the student when you are able or ask them to spend time with the books each night. Please send the book bag back to school every day so we can exchange the books!

Writing: The writers will begin to work on true stories this week. In Kindergarten, we work on oral storytelling and transferring those stories to paper.  We will think about writing stories that people are excited to read. Then, we will make sure they can read them by adding drawing and making our sentences easy to read by using spaces and many letter sounds.

Math: Here are the math centers for the week:

•   Using a Math Expressions activity page, students will practice identifying and then building shapes using pipe cleaners and straws. After, they will use geoboards on the Ipads to build more shapes.
•  Each student will have a five frame with all five spaces filled. They will roll a 0-5 dice. They will cross out the number they rolled and write the subtraction equation that matches.  
• Students will choose a prewritten equation. They will show the subtraction problem using chips and write the equation.
•  Mathematicians will play “Garbage” This is a card game that focuses on number order. Grab a deck of cards (without the jacks, queens, and kings) and ask your child to teach you how to play at home!  

Word Study:  As you read with your child at home, continue searching for sight words and start to focus on the beginning letter sounds as well as sight words on the page. Our sight words for this week are: see, in, you, big, little.

Science: It is an exciting time in Kindergarten as we begin our first science unit! The unit is called Fur, Feathers, Skin, and Scales. We will begin our inquiry with questions like

• What are the different body coverings that animals have? 
• Why do animals have different body coverings?
• What covers you?
•  How do you take care of your skin?

We will begin to explore these questions through books, videos, and class discussions

November 7-11

I look forward to meeting with some of you this Thursday for our portfolio conferences! These Kindergarteners have been working hard and I can't wait to show you some of their work.

On Tuesday, students will have the opportunity to vote! We will visit our school's voting booth and read a few books that explain the election and president. Information provided to students will be taken from the following site: http://election.scholastic.com/

On Friday, we will celebrate Veteran's Day by wearing red, white, and blue as well as having a parent from our class share about his experience as a veteran!

Upcoming Events:
October 31-November 8: All District Food Drive
November 10: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 11: Red, White and Blue Day
November 15: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 17: 1/2 day- 11:30 dismissal
November 18: Wisconsin Badger Day
November 23-25: No School

Reading: As readers, we have been working on using three powers: pointer power, picture power, and sound power to figure out tricky words. Readers will get to shop for books at their level to fill their own personal book bin this week! We are very excited for this change!  You will learn more about your child's strengths and next steps as a reader during conferences.

Writing: We will publish our final writing like scientists pieces this week. Students will check to make sure they have the following in their writing:

• zoomed in, detailed pictures
• labels
• sentences
• sight words spelled correctly in their writing 

Check the hallway during conferences to see their published pieces! 

Math: Mathematicians will work on addition and subtraction stories, equal and unequal, and learning the attributes of a triangle this week.

• We will create a mat that shows numbers 1-10. We will talk about patterns we see, five groups, and more!
• Students will build numbers using chips. They will decide if the numbers they build are equal or unequal.
• We will tell math story using pictures from the Math Expressions book.
• Students will work on position words by creating a book about above, below, next to, etc.

Word Study: We will start our sorts this week! These individualized sorts will fit the specific spelling needs of each student. The sorts focus on skills like beginning sounds, short vowels, and digraphs. Our sight words for this week are: see, in, you, big, little.

Social Studies: We will wrap up our School Study unit this week! We have learned so much about our school helpers. The last project we will do is create a school map. We will design pictures that show the different parts of our school in teams. We will take a tour of the school and build a map using the pieces we created.

October 31-November 4

Today, we will celebrate by dressing in orange and black and doing flashlight reading in buddy classrooms. We will also share a snack with Ms. Linton's class and end our day with an all school story and dance in the gym!

Notes from the PSC:  

• The Fall Book Fair is coming! Please sign up to help set up, cashier, or clean up! Slots are only 30 minutes in length to accommodate parent schedules with conferences. Feel free to sign up for more than one slot if you would like. Sign up at...http://signup.com/go/EQHxM2. Email ndlc.psc@gmail.com with questions!
• Show appreciation for the NDLC staff by bringing an item or two    For their conference meals. We'll be providing for for our teachers plus support staff and specialists. Thursday, Nov. 10th will be a Taco Bar and Tuesday, Nov. 15th will be Soup and Sandwiches. Please sign up to contribute at... http://signup.com/go/i1k9Qj

Upcoming Events:

• October 31: Orange and Black Day
• October 31-November 8: All District Food Drive
• November 10: Conferences 4-7:30pm
• November 11: Red, White and Blue Day
• November 15: Conferences 4-7:30pm
• November 17: 1/2 day- 11:30 dismissal
• November 18: Wisconsin Badger Day
• November 23-25: No School 

Reading: Last week, Reader Man left a note and pointers for our readers! They have been working hard to amp up their pointer power. Readers will learn that every word, no matter how long, gets just one point! We will also use our sight words to make sure we are pointing correctly in our books. 

Writing: Writers will work on adding sight words to their books and writing pattern books. These pattern books might sound like "I see a yellow leaf. I see a green leaf. etc." These books help students focus on adding descriptive words and spaces to their writing. 

Math: We will continue to practice telling addition and subtraction math stories. Students will also learn about equal and not equal.

1. Students will be working on writing numbers and showing the numbers in a drawing using activity pages from the Math Expressions book.
2. Using activity pages from the Math Expressions book, students will tell math stories for addition and subtraction.

3. We will be showing numbers in a ten frame. They will create the dots with bingo dotters. This is great for visualizing numbers and finding partners!

4. Students will be building numbers and comparing them using 5-groups tiles and number cards.

Social Studies: After introducing the new social studies centers, students will have a chance to work in each center this week. Students will create building block structures of where our school community helpers work. We will create webs that describe the work of the school community helpers. Finally, students will look at an assortment of pictures, determine the problem, and decide which community helper(s) could be called to fix the problem!

Word Work: We will continue to work with here, can, we, it, and me. 

October 24-28

Hello K families! 

This week,  I will be doing PALS testing Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. There will be a sub in our room but I will be just down the hall so I will be able to stop in and make sure everything is running smoothly. PALS focuses on literacy concepts/skills such as letter sounds, beginning sounds, word identification, and so on. I look forward to sharing the results of this screening with you at conferences.


Notes from the PSC: 

Family Skate Night at Skate City
NDLC has reserved the entire rink for a fun night of skating. Bring your family and friends and join your NDLC friends on Thursday, October 27th from 5:30-8pm at Skate City in Kimberly.

*$5 admission includes skate rental (no discount for bringing your own skates)

*No charge for anyone who comes to observe and doesn't skate

The Fall Book Fair is coming! Please sign up to help set up, cashier, or clean up! Slots are only 30 minutes in length to accommodate parent schedules with conferences. Feel free to sign up for more than one slot if you would like. Sign up at...http://signup.com/go/EQHxM2. Email ndlc.psc@gmail.com with questions!


Show appreciation for the NDLC staff by bringing an item or two    For their conference meals. We'll be providing for for our teachers plus support staff and specialists. Thursday, Nov. 10th will be a Taco Bar and Tuesday, Nov. 15th will be Soup and Sandwiches. Please sign up to contribute at... http://signup.com/go/i1k9Qj


Upcoming Events:

• October 24-26: Student Council's hat and mitten drive! 
• October 24-Oct 26: Red Ribbon Week 
• Mon. Oct. 24:  Wear "Red, White, and Blue” …I Elect to be Drug Free!!
• Tues. Oct. 25:  Wear “Active Wear/Sweats”…Stay active and be drug free!!
• Wed. Oct. 26:   District Wide Wear ”RED DAY”… Unite against drugs!!
• October 27 and 28: No School for Students
• October 27: Skate City
• November 10 and November 15: Portfolio Conferences

Reading: This week is the beginning of our most EXCITING reading unit yet: Super Readers! Students will learn that readers are like super heroes because they can use super reader powers. After getting their very own book bins, which contain books at the student’s reading level, they will learn about their super powers! For example, Super Readers can use pointer power to point at each word while reading a book.

Writing: Writers will make sure that they are writing their sight words correctly in their writing. What a great way to transfer our word study into writer's workshop!  They will also learn about adding descriptive words to their writing. 

Math:We will finish up centers from last week and complete a monster glyph to work on shapes. Students will also get a math notebook. These notebooks will track students' math thinking and ideas. Students were very excited to learn about the plus and minus sign next week. We will be sure to practice those signs by drawing math stories in our notebooks. 

Social Studies: This week, we will wrap up our interviews with different school helpers. We have learned so much about the people that work in our school and will be digging even deeper next week when we start our school study centers. 

Word Work: We will continue to work with here, can, we, it, and me. We are excited to start our spelling sorts after the long weekend. 

Enjoy the long weekend!

Heckrodt and the fire station

We had a great time on our field trip! We have so much to write about and loved exploring with friends. 

This picture was taken from the top of the fire truck ladder. We counted as a fireman climbed...72 steps! 

P

October 17-21

Our field trip is this Wednesday! We will hopefully be outside exploring at Heckrodt; please dress your child accordingly. Remember that students and chaperones need a bag lunch and drink (no lunch boxes) unless you preordered a bag lunch from school!

The Penny War for the Romenesko's raised almost $2,000! AMAZING! We are so lucky to have such supportive families in our school community. Thanks for all your support!

Upcoming Events:

• October 18th: Family Night--Grandparents and Games
• October 19: Field Trip to Heckrodt Nature Preserve and Kaukauna Fire Dept
• Please return your field trip form if you have not done so yet! 
• October 24-Oct 26: Red Ribbon Week 
• Mon. Oct. 24:  Wear "Red, White, and Blue” …I Elect to be Drug Free!!
• Tues. Oct. 25:  Wear “Active Wear/Sweats”…Stay active and be drug free!!
• Wed. Oct. 26:   District Wide Wear ”RED DAY”… Unite against drugs!!
• October 27 and 28: No School for Students
• October 27: Skate City-more info coming soon! 
• November 10 and November 15: Portfolio Conferences

Reading: Now that are books are filled with labels, we will talk about going back to reread the post its while reading the book! These labels really helped tie word work and writing skills into Reader’s Workshop. Toward the end of the week, students will create puppets to act out the story for our celebration. Acting out stories is a great way for early readers to develop comprehension skills.

Writing: Our scientific writers will work on drawing zoomed in pictures to teach with even more detail in their writing. They will think about looking closely to show everything they notice about the object. Then, students will learn to add labels and sentences to their pages to teach through pictures and words. I'm sure will will have many writing ideas after visiting Heckrodt!

Math:

• Five Finder: Students need to look quickly and be able to identify a group of five objects. They will be searching for five groups in pictures, circling them, and writing and equation to match the picture. 

• Students will create a counting book with objects for numbers 6-10.
• Students will be given a piece of paper with an equation at the bottom. They will trace their fingers on the page to match the equation. 

• Students will roll two dice with numbers 0-5 on them. They will show the numbers using tiles and then add or subtract using the tiles. 

Word Study: We will introduce sorts this week. Soon, students will be in word sorts that will support them in letter sounds and spelling. This week, we will sort food/drink pictures just to learn the routines for our sorts.  These are the sight words we have this week: it, me, here, can, & we. You can keep searching for our “old” sight words in books while you read! Click on this link for an ongoing list of our sight words.

Pictures from this week!

It has been a busy and exciting week here in room 82!

First, we ventured outside to start writing like scientists.

 We read with Mrs. Hixon's friends! It was fun to share with different partners. 

 On Friday, Grandma Sue (my grandma!) visited our classroom. She helped us make binoculars to help us look closely during writer's workshop.