Kindergarten News
Dec. 13-17, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Customs/Traditions/Christmas

Early Literacy Idea

Encourage your child to write a story—look for a capital at the beginning, spaces in between words and a period at the end.

DECEMBER

This week we will learn more about the December holidays celebrated in various cultures. We will celebrate the diversity of holiday traditions celebrated around the world.

The State Board of Education mandates that Kindergarten students be in school for a minimum of two hours a day. On Wednesdays we do not quite meet that requirement so beginning on January 5th our classes will now meet during the following times:
AM Kindergarten
8:50-10:50
PM Kindergarten
11:30-1:30

The bus garage knows of this change and will still bring your students home accordingly. For our PM classes, PLEASE DO NOT HAVE YOUR STUDENT ARRIVE BEFORE 11:25. Due to our shortened lunchtime, there will not be supervision until 11:25. We will have the students come and hang up their backpacks, coats, etc. and begin school immediately. Thank you for your cooperation!

Have a wonderful Christmas holiday! Thanks again for all you do!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Dec. 6-10, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Customs/Traditions/Christmas

Early Literacy Idea
Say a word and then ask your child to think of two or three words that rhyme with it.
For example: rock/sock/block/lock

DECEMBER

It is hard to believe that December is here already! It is an exciting month for us at school. There will be many great things going one. We will be working hard to master the concepts for the kindergarten curriculum. I appreciate you making school a priority for these young, great students!

Please remember to send back the November reading calendar if you have not already done so.
If you have missing items that your child brought to school and has not returned, please check the “Lost and Found” room next to the lunchroom. The custodians will be taking any unclaimed items after Christmas to Deseret Industries.

THANKS AGAIN for all you do to help unsure your child is having a successful school experience!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
November 29-Dec. 3, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Customs/Traditions

EARLY LITERATURE IDEA

Remember to encourage your child to write often! Have him/her write letters, stories, make cards, etc., using a capital at the beginning, spaces in between words, and putting a period at the end.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Thanks again for sharing your wonderful children with me. They are an impressive group!

Please remember to send the November reading calendar back with your child on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Thank you for reading with them! It is SO important and the benefits will last a lifetime!

Your child should be able to read the following sight words: me, see, I, can, like, look, here, the, on, at, and, in, up, to, my, this, is.

This week we will begin a unit on the December holidays observed in various cultures and will celebrate the diversity of holiday traditions around the world. If you have music, poetry, stories, etc. that are unique to your family or culture and you would like to come into the classroom and share any time before Christmas, it would be greatly appreciated. Just send a note, e-mail, or call me and we’ll make arrangements. THANKS!

Please feel free to contact me any time!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
November 22-26, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Native Americans/
Thanksgiving

No Centers this week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Have a wonderful vacation!

NOVEMBER

This is a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will have our Thanksgiving party on Tuesday. Those of you who volunteered to bring something, please send the items with your child by Tuesday. Thanks so much for your willingness to help! Remember school will be out Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

We have had fun learning about Native Americans and pilgrims and what life was like in early America.

One of the skills I would like each kindergartner to know is their address, phone number and birthday. Addresses are especially hard for them to learn, so please continue to help them with lots of encouragement. This is important information that each one needs to know but because it is so individualized, it is very difficult for me to teach. Thank you for your persistence!

Again, as it starts to get colder, please make sure your child’s name is on his/her coat or jacket so we do not loose them. There is a lost and found area right by the lunchroom. If you are missing anything, please check there.

As always, please feel free to contact me any time.
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
November 15-19, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Native Americans/
Thanksgiving

Early Literacy idea
When reading familiar stories to your child, try stopping once in a while and let him/her fill in what comes next in the story. This is a fun way to help with comprehension skills.

NOVEMBER

This week we will cover the letters Y and Z. HOORAY, we made it to the end of the alphabet! Make sure you look at their alphabet books and drawing books they will be bringing home. They are so excited to show you their awesome work! We will learn the sight words to, my.

We will have Centers this week, but because we are out Wednesday through Friday the following week for the Thanksgiving holiday, we will not have them during that week. (November 22-26). Thank you again to those who come each week and help with Centers. You are truly appreciated!

If you signed up to furnish something for our Thanksgiving Party, I will attach a reminder to your child’s homework. Our party is on Tues., Nov. 23. You can just send the items with your child on that day. If anyone would be willing to send some apple slices, please let me know. (5-6 apples cut up) I had one person sign up for apples in the PM class, but could use one more volunteer for that class and two volunteers for the AM class. Also if some one could send cheese cubes for the AM class, I would appreciate that too! Just send a note or e-mail me if that works for any one. (We are having a “mini” Thanksgiving dinner with some healthy snacks that day). THANKS SO MUCH!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK! Thank you for sharing your children with me. I am enjoying them and I am pleased with the progress they are making. As always, please feel free to contact me any time!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
November 8-12, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Native Americans

Early Literacy idea
Play “I Spy” using initial sound clues. For example, “I spy something that is green and starts with the sound /g/. (grass)

NOVEMBER

Thank you for your continued support at home. It is great that the homework and reading books come back consistently. You are wonderful parents. It is exciting to see the progress your children are making!

The students are becoming great readers and writers! We will continue to work on letters and sounds with V, W, and X. The sights words for this week are up, in, a. We will continue working on writing the numerals 0-10 and will also focus on recognizing and writing 11-20. Reversals are common at this age, but we are working hard at writing the numerals the correct way! Simple addition from 1-5 and graphing will also be introduced.

Just a reminder about green ribbon week sponsored by our wonderful PTA—your children are encouraged to wear their green wristbands every day this week. In addition, the following colors can be worn : Monday-green, Tuesday-yellow, Wednesday-red, Thursday-orange, Friday-purple. Healthy snacks will be provided each day to the class that has the most participation.
On the following Monday, please return your pledge sheets and money for the walk-a-thon. We are earning money for more playground equipment. A small prize will be given for returning the pledge sheets on time.

We are starting to get quite a collection of coats/jackets left at the school. Please remember to write the name of your student on their coats so we can tell whom they belong to. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
November 1-5, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Mapping

Early Literacy idea
Help your child understand how books work. As you read, point to words to show left to right, spaces between words, and word patterns.

NOVEMBER

Happy November! Thanks again for sharing your wonderful children with me. We have a super group and each child is progressing and contributing to our class. Please remember to fill out and send the October reading calendar back to school by Friday, November 5th. Reading is such a great way to help your child be successful in school.

Please continue to ask your child often to tell you what sound each letter makes. We will finish up the letters and sounds of each of the alphabet in two weeks. This is a great accomplishment for these little ones. Thanks for your help at home! The sight words we have learned are: me, see, I, can, like, look, here, the, on, at.

Reflections are due on November 3rd. The theme is “Together We Can”. Refer to the flyer that is stapled to your child’s homework packet.

Green Ribbon Week is scheduled for November 5-12. Saturday, Nov. 6th is Family Fitness day at the SUU PE building from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will be given a green bracelet at school and if they wear their bracelets they will get in free. Family members will get in at a reduced price. Your student will also bring home a pledge sheet for the walk-a-thon taking place at the school during their PE time. All donations will need to be returned to the school by Monday, Nov. 25th for a prize.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! YOU ARE WONDERFUL!!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
October 25-29, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Halloween

Remember our reading goal is 15 minutes a night/five nights a week. Please read to your child and have him/her read to you. This is so important! Thanks for all you do!

OCTOBER

This week we will be doing some Halloween activities and reviewing the concepts we have learned since school started. We will have a classroom Halloween party on Friday. Please do not have your child wear a costume on that day. If you signed up to bring something, a note will come home on Tuesday, Oct. 26 in your child’s homework folder. You can send the items any time by Friday. THANK YOU!

Please make sure your children have their name on their coats and jackets that they bring to school. This will help so we do not lose them or have any mix-ups.

Remember this is Red Ribbon Week. Please refer to the flyer that was sent home a few days ago for the daily activities/dress ups you may choose to have your child participate in. Thank you PTA for sponsoring this! Also, the PTA will be sponsoring Green Ribbon Week from Nov. 5-12, which emphasizes healthy lifestyles. A flyer is coming home with more information about it in your child’s homework packet on Tuesday. Don’t forget about the Reflections contest—the theme is “Together We Can”. Further information is available in the office.

A parent training meeting will be offered on Wednesday, November 3rd at 6:30 PM at Iron Springs Elementary. Sharon Coonon and Sue Harris from South Elementary are two of the presenters. For questions or further information, you may contact them at 586-2850. Everyone is welcome!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
October 18-22, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Five Senses

Box Tops
Please continue to send in box-tops. It is a great say for our school to earn money! We appreciate your help!

OCTOBER

We have learned the letters A-O. We will continue with P and Q this week. Thank you for helping them form them correctly on their homework sheets. We have been doing quite a bit of writing in our class. The more kids write, the better writers they become. Research shows that kids who are good writers are usually good readers. Encourage your child to write grocery lists, make cards, write letters to their grandparents, etc. We have also been practicing “stretching out” words by listening for the sounds we hear in each word and writing down the sounds we can hear. Don’t worry that your child does not spell each word correctly—encourage them to (1) slowly say the word they want to write, (2) stretch out the word, (3) listen for each sound, (4) write down the sounds they know and (5) do their best!

Here is a head’s up for Halloween—we will have a classroom party on Friday, October 29th. Please do not have your child wear a costume on that day. We will have some snacks/treats and play some games. I try to keep the parties simple. If you signed up to bring something, I will send a reminder home a few days before the party.

I have had great attendance this year and appreciate you making school a priority! As always, please feel free to contact me anytime!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
October 11-15 2010

Weekly Theme:

Five Senses

Early Literacy Idea
Please continue to read with your child or have him/her read to you. Visit the library and enjoy a new variety of books.

OCTOBER

We have learned the letters A-M. We will continue with N and O this week. Each student should be able to write both upper and lower case letters correctly as well as tell you the sound each one makes.

We have learned the sight words me, see, I, can, like, look, here, the. This week we will learn on, at.

We have been working on the numerals 0-10. Ask your child to name each one and write each one correctly as well.

Each child should also be able to identify a circle, square, triangle and rectangle. The rectangle is the one that is giving some of the student’s trouble.

Please encourage your child to write his/her first name with a capital for the first letter and all lower case for the rest. Thanks so much for your help at home. If they are receiving reinforcement from school and home, it is so much to their advantage! You are wonderful parents!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
October 4-8 2010

Weekly Theme:

Colors/Shapes

Early Literacy Idea
Play with letters! Magnetic letters are good for word play. Also, let your child trace letters in sand, salt, rice, etc. as they say the letters and sounds.

OCTOBER

Please look over your child’s pre-assessment scores that will come home on Monday, October 4th in his/her homework folder. Keep in mind that this assessment was given five weeks ago. This year the guidelines have changed a little bit. We do not count reversals. This means that if your child writes a number backwards, for example, it is not counted as correct. You will notice a part on the assessment that says, FSF. This stands for First Sound Fluency. Your child is asked to tell the first sound he/she hears in a variety of words. It is timed for one minute. The goal for this time of year is 10. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I will gladly explain anything on the assessment that is unclear to you. You have wonderful children and it is exciting to see the growth they are making. Thanks for making a difference in their education!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
September 27-October 1, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Colors/Shapes

Parent Volunteers
I will let you know for sure the week we will begin our centers. It will probably the week after SEP Week, but I will contact you to confirm the date. Thank you so much for your help!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

During SEP Week, October 4-8, we will not be having individual appointments for kindergarten students because of our assessments in August. However, it you have concerns and you want to meet with me, I would love to do that. Please just let me know. I may call some of you as well. Remember that the students will be dismissed early, allowing me to more effectively plan and prepare our curriculum to meet the needs of your children. Students will be dismissed every day at 10:35 for the AM students and 2:30 for PM students, even on Wednesday for that week. PM students attend from 12:45-2:30—NOT the usual 11:45-1:30. Extended Day students will stay until 2:30 as well.

Your child will bring his/her pre-assessment and DIBELS scores home in the homework folders on Monday, Oct. 4th. Again, if you have questions or concerns about anything, I would love to talk to you about them. You may call or e-mail any time and we can set up an appointment.

Thank you for your support at home! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
September 20-24, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Friendship/Feelings/Autumn

Early Literacy Idea
Help your child understand how books work. (Concepts of print) As you read, point to words to show left to right, spaces between words, and the word patterns.

SEPTEMBER

We are excited for our Field Trip on Monday! We will travel to Wood’s Ranch to look for signs of Autumn, which goes along with our theme for this week. Please send a sack lunch and have your child wear good walking shoes.

Last week we talked about the letters E and F. Your child should be able to recognize them, tell you the sounds they make and write them correctly. We also learned the sight word can. This week we will work on the letters G and H and learn the sight words like and look. We have also been working very hard on forming the numbers correctly. Thanks again for your help and encouragement at home.

There is an exciting free opportunity for all children in our community on Friday and Saturday. Keve Wilson, a touring artist and Broadway musician living in New York City will be presenting music demonstrations and discussions for families (kids get to try out the instruments). These events are very relaxed, enjoyable and kid friendly. Friday at 3:30 is a master class and a question and answer session. Saturday at 10:30--“Music Unwrapped”; 2:30--Open Rehearsal and 7:30--concert. All events are in the Thorley Recital Hall.

As always, please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or concerns!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
September 13-17, 2010

Weekly Theme:

Friendship/Feelings/Autumn

Names
I would love it if you could help me reinforce the fact that our names (with one or two exceptions) start with a capital and all the rest of the letters are lowercase. If your child is used to using all capitals, this is a hard habit to break, but I know if we work together we can do it!

SEPTEMBER

We are making great progress in kindergarten! Thank you for your support at home. We are focusing on alphabet letters at this time. Your child should recognize all 26 letters—both capital and lower case by the middle of November. In addition, he/she should be able to write them correctly. I appreciate you taking the time to reinforce how to form the letters correctly on the homework assignments. Parent involvement is such an important part of their success, so thanks again for making sure their homework is complete and reading to them on a daily basis. Just 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference! We have learned the sight words me, see, I. We have started working on numerals 0-10.

The “three books in a bag” come home today. These are the books that your child will read to you (with help if needed, of course)! Please keep them at home for the entire week and send them back the following Monday. I have not had a chance to listen to those students who are already reading, so don’t be alarmed if your child brings home books that are not on his/her level. I will get that done as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding!

As always, please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or concerns!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
September 6-10, 2010

Weekly Theme:
“All About Me”/Self-Esteem

Save your Box Tops!
Please remember to send in box tops with your child. Each box top is worth 10 cents for our school, so tell your relatives and friends to help with the collecting too! Help our class earn a reward by bringing the box tops in.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

We had a great first week of school! We have worked hard on establishing a routine and effective classroom management skills so optimal learning will occur with each child. Let me explain how our classroom management works. If a student is disrupting the rest of the class and needs a reminder of the rules, he/she gets a clothespin on the green stop light at the front of our room. This is just a reminder. If he/she needs two reminders, the clothespin goes to yellow and five minutes of recess is missed. If three reminders are needed, he/she sits on the “thinking chair” in my office, away from the other children. After a few minutes, I visit with him/her and ask if they are ready to join the class. If the problem persists, he/she will visit Mr. Oldroyd and it will be determined if the Skills Building program is needed. Your child will bring a paper home for you to sign if he/she was on the yellow or red stoplight. You will also receive a phone call from me if your child was on red so we can discuss how we can work together to improve your child’s behavior.

This week we have practiced the correct way to write the letters A and B and what sounds they make and have worked on many educational activities. Please continue to reinforce having your child write their name using a capital for the first letter and all the rest lower case. Thank you!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
August 30-September 3, 2010

Weekly Theme:
“All About Me”/Self-Esteem

Save your Box Tops!
Please remember to send in box tops with your child. Each box top is worth 10 cents for our school, so tell your relatives and friends to help with the collecting too! Help our class earn a reward by bringing the box tops in.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

We are very excited for our first week of school! We will be doing lots of fun, educational activities throughout the week. We will spend two days on each letter of the alphabet. The first day we will talk about the letter, its sound and how to write it correctly. We will also do one page in our alphabet book. The second day we will learn a poem and draw an object beginning with that letter in our “I Can Draw It” books.

We will also be working on our “All About Me” books. Be sure to ask your child to see their great work when these books are completed next week. Of course, math concepts and other areas of the curriculum will be interspersed with our learning.

We will send a Scholastic book order in your child’s homework folder tomorrow. If you are interested in purchasing books, please make one check to Scholastic Books and return the money and order form by Tues., Sept. 7th.

Thank you for your support. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
August 17, 2010

Weekly Theme:
“All About Me”/Self-Esteem

Literacy Idea
Sing the alphabet song. Be creative—sing it as a rap, skip every other letter, sing quietly, loudly, or backwards.

AUGUST

We are so excited that you will be a part of our kindergarten family this year! We will have a great experience as we work together to ensure academic and social growth, development and success for your child.
Our core curriculum contains a multitude of skills necessary for a five-year olds academic and social development. We will be engaged in literacy skills, math concepts, computer skills, life skills, science, social studies and physical education experiences.
Please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns you may have. We appreciate your support and look forward to meeting with each of you!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
May 17-21

Weekly Theme:
Review

Literacy Idea
Provide “real” reasons to write: letters, lists, cards, journals, etc.

MAY

Thank you for attending our Kindergarten Program. Your support is greatly appreciated and your children are wonderful!

Thank you also to those who volunteered to help with Field Day next Monday. We will begin at 9:30 for the morning class and 1:30 for the afternoon class.

Our Field Trip to Park Discovery will be on Tuesday, May 25th. Please watch for the permission slip to come home with additional information in your child’s homework folder.

The last day of school is Friday, May 28th. On that day, both morning and afternoon classes will meet from 8:50-10:30/10:40. From past experience it works much more smoothly if we dismiss the AM students at 10:30 and the PM students at 10:40. All PM classes need to be picked up in the kindergarten classroom. The buses will not be running for the PM students. There is no Extended-Day on that day. We need to do it this way in order to allow all students the chance to meet their 1st Grade teachers. We appreciate you changing your schedules accordingly. Have a great week and please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
May 10-14

Weekly Theme:
Insects

End of Year Program

Remember our program on Thursday, May 13th at 6:00 for the AM class and 7:00 for the PM class!

MAY

Once again, the time continues to go by so quickly! All take home and school library books need to be returned by Thursday, May 13th.

The students are excited to present the Kindergarten program on May 13th. If your child is in the morning class, please have him/her meet in the school library at 5:45. The afternoon class will meet in the library at 6:45. The morning class will perform at 6:00 PM and the afternoon class will perform at 7:00 PM in the school gym. Please dress your child in Sunday clothes if possible.

The last day of school is Friday, May 28th. On that day, both morning and afternoon classes will meet from 8:50-10:30/10:40. From past experience it works much more smoothly if we dismiss the AM students at 10:30 and the PM students at 10:40. All PM classes need to be picked up in the kindergarten classroom. The buses will not be running for the PM students. There is no Extended-Day on that day. We need to do it this way in order to allow all students the chance to meet their 1st Grade teachers. We appreciate you changing your schedules accordingly. Have a great week and please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
May 3-7

Weekly Theme:
Time

We will be doing DIBELS and Kindergarten Assessment Testing the next two weeks. If your child will be gone during this time, please contact me ASAP!!

MAY

Wow, the end of the year is coming so quickly! All take home and school library books need to be returned by Thursday, May 13th. The students are excited to present the Kindergarten program on May 13th. If your child is in the morning class, please have him/her meet in the school library at 5:45. The afternoon class will meet in the library at 6:45. The morning class will perform at 6:00 PM and the afternoon class will perform at 7:00 PM in the school gym. Please dress your child in Sunday clothes if possible.

The last day of school is Friday, May 28th. On that day, both morning and afternoon classes will meet from 8:50-10:30/10:40. From past experience it works much more smoothly if we dismiss the AM students at 10:30 and the PM students at 10:40. All PM classes need to be picked up in the kindergarten classroom. The buses will not be running for the PM students. There is no Extended-Day on that day. We need to do it this way in order to allow all students the chance to meet their 1st Grade teachers. We appreciate you changing your schedules accordingly. Have a great week and please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
April 26-30

Weekly Theme:
Time

Help your child develop good comprehension skills
• Talk with him/her about the story and pictures
• Have him/her predict what a story will be about
• Have him/her retell the important parts of the story

April

We are working hard at end-of-level testing, DIBELS, and the kindergarten program. Thanks for your continued help and support! This time of year it is needed perhaps the very most. Please keep up the daily reading. It is so exciting to see the progress of each child! We will continue to practice and review skills that will give your kindergartner the opportunity to be successful in first grade.

The students are excited to present the Kindergarten program on May 13th. It will be held in the school gym. If your child is in the morning class, please have him/her meet in the school library at 5:45. The afternoon class will meet in the library at 6:45. The kids are great performers and are doing well learning their speaking and singing parts.

Have a great week and please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
April 19-23

Weekly Theme:
Vowels

Help your child develop good comprehension skills
• Talk with him/her about the story and pictures
• Have him/her predict what a story will be about
• Have him/her retell the important parts of the story

April

Thanks for all you do at home to help with your child’s education. I appreciate your support! Keep up the great work with the leveled books and the homework!

We will be testing your child beginning the first part of May for DIBELS, Kindergarten Assessment, and current reading levels. I encourage you to look over your child’s assessment from 3rd quarter and review with him/her any items that have an “N” by them. The 4th quarter assessment covers the following skills:
• Predicting what a story is about by looking at the pictures
• Retelling a story including beginning, middle and end
• Creating a series of 3 rhyming words (ten, hen, men) for example
• Reading all 25 kindergarten sight words
• Writing a story with a picture (including capital, spaces, and ending mark)
• Subtraction to 5
• Naming days of the week in order
• Identifying parts of a calendar
• Time/Money

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
April 12-16

Weekly Theme:
Weather/Seasons/
Vowels

Literacy Idea
Ask open-ended questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer. Ask “what if” questions. You might be surprised at the answers your children can come up with!

April

The kids are excited to present our kindergarten program to you! We had our first practice this week and they did a great job! We will continue practicing our singing and speaking parts so that we will be ready for May 13th! I’m sure you will be impressed—they are awesome little performers! Please mark this very important night on your calendars and let grandparents know about it as well.

Your children should have brought their Spring picture packets home. Please either send the money back to school with your child if you decide you want to purchase them or if you do not want to purchase them, please send the picture packet back. Lifetouch Photography wants to collect all money and pictures by next week.

Thank you for bringing in box tops! The Spring contest goes until April 30th so please continue to send them in! It is a great way to earn money for our school.

Mr. Oldroyd will be taking teacher requests for next year until April 15th. They need to be in writing, have a 1st and 2nd choice, and have a valid, educational reason for the request.
Thanks for all you do. As always, please call or e-mail with any questions or concerns.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
March 29-April 2

Weekly Theme:
Easter

Kindergarten Program
We will have our Kindergarten Program on Thursday, May 13th at 6:00 PM for the morning class and 7:00 PM for the afternoon class. It will be held in the school gym. Please mark it on your calendars. THANKS!

March/April

Time is going so quickly! We will be doing lots of important learning during these last nine weeks of school. Please continue to make school an important priority. Every child has made remarkable improvements since the beginning of the year. Thank you for your support at home!

Our Easter party will be on Tuesday, March 30th. Thank you again for the parents who volunteered to provide items for the party! It is greatly appreciated!

Please return the March reading calendar with your child’s reading time recorded on it by Monday, April 5th. To qualify for the free pizza, remember our goal is 15 minutes a night for five nights a week. (300 minutes a month)

Thank you for bringing in box tops! The Spring contest goes until April 30th so please continue to send them in! It is a great way to earn money for our school.

Mr. Oldroyd will be taking teacher requests for next year from April 1st to April 15th. They need to be in writing, have a 1st and 2nd choice, and have a valid, educational reason for the request.
Thanks for all you do. Please call or e-mail with any questions or concerns.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
March 22-26

Weekly Theme:
Animals/
Animal Homes

Kindergarten Program
We will have our Kindergarten Program on Thursday, May 13th at 6:00 PM for the morning class and 7:00 PM for the afternoon class. It will be held in the school gym. Please mark it on your calendars. THANKS!

March

Please continue to keep track of your child’s reading times for our read-a-thon and return the calendar (the one on tan paper that was sent home in your child’s homework folder) this Monday and again on Friday with the minutes your child reads to someone or someone reads to them. Please put your signature on the paper as well. The final day to bring the calendar back is Friday, March 26th.

Lin’s Food Market now has boxes at the front of their store for each school in the district. Please turn in your Lin’s receipts in the South box. You no longer need to send them to the school—Lin’s will count the receipts for us which will be so helpful!

Our Easter party will be on Tuesday, March 30th. If you signed up to bring something, a reminder will come home on Monday, March 22nd in your child’s homework folder.

Thank you for your support and help at home. It is greatly appreciated. You have wonderful children!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
March 15-19

Weekly Theme:
Animals/
Animal Homes

Kindergarten Program
We will have our Kindergarten Program on Thursday, May 13th at 6:00 PM for the morning class and 7:00 PM for the afternoon class. It will be held in the school gym. Please mark it on your calendars. THANKS!

March

We had a wonderful celebration for our Read-a-thon kick-off. The PTA once again gave the students a fun, exciting experience to get them pumped up for reading. Please continue to keep track of your child’s reading times for the next two weeks and return the calendar (the one on tan paper that was sent home in your child’s homework folder last Monday) each Monday with the minutes your child reads to someone or someone reads to them. I know it includes other activities to do as well, but thought it would be easier to have you put the reading times on this same paper rather than return the classroom calendar each Monday. Please put your signature on the paper as well. The final day to bring the calendar back is Friday, March 26th.

Please talk to your children about “Stranger Danger” without causing them alarm. Two attempted abductions have occurred In Iron County in the last few weeks. A reminder about safety is always helpful!

Thanks for bringing in box tops. We are collecting quite a few and appreciate your help! As always, thank you for your continual support in making your child’s education a success! Please feel free to let me know of any questions or concerns!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
March 8-12

Weekly Theme:
Community Helpers/
St. Patrick’s Day

Kindergarten Registration
We will be having kindergarten registration on Wednesday, March 10th from 12:00-3:30. Please spread the word to those who have kindergartners attending South next year.

March

Thank you so much for coming to your child’s SEP (Student Education Plan). I enjoyed meeting with you and appreciate your effort and support in making your child’s education a top priority! You are wonderful parents! It is exciting to see the progress in each one of them. They are awesome and I enjoy spending my days with them.

We will begin our South Elementary read-a-thon Monday, March 15th. Thank you to our PTA for helping with this event. The theme is centered on the Olympics and students can earn gold, silver, and bronze awards depending on how many minutes they read. You do not need to do separate times for the Olympic reading but instead just combine the reading times with our classroom reading calendars. I’m sure more information will come and then I will send home a flyer explaining the details.

We will continue to learn more sight words (are, do) and write in our journals. We will master the numbers 21-30 and learn about subtraction, time and money.

Have a great week and thanks again for everything!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
March 1-5

Weekly Theme:
Health & Safety

Kindergarten Registration
We will be having kindergarten registration on Wednesday, March 10th from 12:00-3:30. Please spread the word to those who have kindergartners attending South next year.

March

Because of SEP Week, remember that kindergarten will be held from 8:50-10:35 for the AM class and 12:45-2:30 for the PM class, even on Early Out Wednesday. The Extended Day Students will be dismissed each day at 2:30 also. Please bring your child with you at your scheduled time. THANKS! The PTA is holding the book fair in the gym during SEP week. The hours are printed on the flyer that came home with your child today in his/her homework folder.

Please remember to check out the South Elementary blog that can be accessed through the link on this blog for updated events happening at South. Our PTA does a wonderful job and we certainly appreciate all they do to help in so many ways!

We are having a great time learning in kindergarten and you are awesome parents. Your support is very much appreciated. It will be exciting to discuss your child’s progress during SEP’s. Please call the school or e-mail me if you need to change times to meet with me. I am looking forward to seeing each of you and your children during that time. Have a super week!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Feb. 15-19

Weekly Theme:
American Symbols

Kindergarten Registration
We will be having kindergarten registration on Wednesday, March 10th from 12:00-3:30. Please spread the word to those who have kindergartners attending South next year.

February

I hope you all have a relaxing holiday for President’s Day! We will finish up talking about American symbols this week. We will also continue to work hard on literacy and math skills as well as other aspects in the kindergarten curriculum.

Please check out the monthly PTA newsletter attached to our blog for important information from our wonderful PTA! They do so much for our school and are greatly appreciated!

A fun early literacy idea for this week is to help your child notice the print in their environment. Look at signs, displays, food packages, cans, jars, and other everyday items for a variety of words.

Thank you as always for your help and support at home. You are the best and are making such a difference in your child’s education!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Feb. 8-12

Weekly Theme:
Valentines/
Patriotism

Kindergarten Registration
We will be having kindergarten registration on Wednesday, March 10th from 12:00-3:30. Please spread the word to those who have kindergartners attending South next year.

February

We will have our Valentines party on Friday, February 12th. A letter will come home in your child’s homework folder on Monday giving you all the details. Please look for it. Thank you to those who have signed up to bring something! (If you did, a reminder will be attached to the letter).

We are doing another Scholastic book order. If you are interested in purchasing any books, please send one check (they do not accept cash) to Scholastic Books and return the money and order form by Tuesday, February 16th.

This week we will be discussing patriotism and the birthdays of Presidents Washington and Lincoln. We will talk about some of the things they did to contribute to our great country. We will also be learning about American symbols.

Last week we learned the sight words he/she/yes and next week we will add no/said. The students will also be practicing and reviewing the skills they have learned thus far in mathematics and literacy.

I love your children. Each one has a special place in my heart. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. As always, please continue to read to your child and have him/her read to you. Both are very important!

Thanks for your continued help and support at home. You are wonderful parents and I appreciate all of you.
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Feb. 1-5

Weekly Theme:
Dental Health

Early Literacy Ideas
• Read rhymes, poetry, nursery rhymes and stories that “play” with language
• Sing songs together and do finger plays

February

Wow, it is hard to believe that February is already here! January was a very productive learning month for us. The DIBELS testing went well and we are now learning some first grade sight words. We have been working hard to master the 25 kindergarten sight words and the students are doing well with those. Our 3rd Quarter Kindergarten Assessment begins next week and will include the following skills:
• Identifying rhyming words
• Reading kindergarten sight words
• Writing last name
• Recognizing and writing numbers to 20
• Counting to 50
• Adding sums to 5
• Graphing

Please send your child’s January Reading Calendar back to school with your signature on it. Thank you to those who are reading to your child or having him/her read to you for at least 15 minutes a night, five nights a week. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is! Please also send the leveled library books back and forth each day.
Thanks for your continued help and support at home. We will continue to work on those skills not yet mastered and encourage you to do the same.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Jan. 25-29, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Ocean Life/Whales

Help your child develop comprehension skills

• Talk with your child about the story and pictures
• Have your child predict what a story will be about
• Have your child retell the important parts of the story

JANUARY

We have enjoyed learning about Antarctica, winter, and penguins. We will now begin studying whales and other sea mammals. The students are working hard. We are emphasizing the importance of always doing nice, neat work. The year is going by so very quickly! Thank you for making it so enjoyable and for helping your child have a successful year. Please continue reading with your child each night and send the take home library books back and forth. It really makes a big difference in your child’s reading success!

The students did well on their DIBELS assessment. It is exciting to see improvement in each child. We love to celebrate their successes! Have a wonderful week and thank you again for your support at home.

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Jan. 18-22, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Penguins/Ocean Life/Whales

Thank you for sending box tops and Lin’s receipts with your children. It helps earn money for our school and is greatly appreciated!

JANUARY

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend! Your children are making great progress and I am thrilled with the things they are doing. Next month we will begin our third quarter assessment. Please make sure your child can write his/her last name. Also, it would be helpful if you could look over the kindergarten assessment and review any concepts your child did not master in the first and second quarters. Thank you for your support!

We have learned all twenty-five-kindergarten sight words and will now begin learning some first grade sight words. The students are required to read all twenty-five-sight words as part of the third quarter assessment. Please look on the assessment for the list of sight words. If you need another copy, please let me know. We will also continue reviewing numbers from 11-20, graphing, and simple addition. We will continue with lots of practice on writing with a capital, spaces between words and punctuation when writing sentences. We will also continue to work on rhyming words.

I appreciate all you do to help unsure a quality education for your student!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Jan. 11-15, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Penguins

Early Literacy Idea
Encourage your child to write the names of the people in your family. Drawing pictures to go along with the names is fun too.

JANUARY

We had a great week back in school and the children are adjusting well after the long break. January is a good learning time and I am excited to see the continued progress of your wonderful children. Each one is improving. Please look over the second quarter assessment to review the skills your child has not mastered. It is a great help if you work on these skills at home (especially the phone number, birthday and address section) and we will continue to work hard on these skills at school too. Your help is greatly appreciated!

We will continue to talk about winter, Antarctica and penguins. We will discuss the characteristics of wintertime, fascinating facts about Antarctica, and learn about penguins and how to categorize animals according to similarities and differences. We will conclude that there are many different types of animals found around the world.
We will learn the sight word run this week, which is the last of the twenty-five kindergarten sight words! We will now learn some first grade sight words. What a great accomplishment for them!
On Friday the students can bring a toy to play with in P.E. that they are willing to share with the other children in our class.

Thank you again to all of you for your help and support at home! Please let me know of any questions or concerns!
linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850

Kindergarten News
Jan. 4-8, 2010

Weekly Theme:
Winter/
Antarctica


Please ask your child to tell you his/her address, phone number and birthday!


JANUARY

Thank you so very much for the nice gifts, cards and remembrances. I appreciate each of you and your thoughtfulness!

Happy New Year! I hope that you had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas holiday. January will be a great learning time for us in kindergarten. Your children are progressing nicely. Thanks for your support at home. Please send back the December reading calendar by Wednesday for the free pizza certificate. Remember the minimum goal for kindergarten is 15 minutes a night, 5 nights a week, which includes when someone reads to them and when they read to someone.

This week we will start a unit on Antarctica and oceans. It will be exciting to learn about this strange and beautiful place. We will also be reviewing skills in preparation for the next DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment. These skills include letter recognition, beginning sounds, nonsense words (for example: ig, xup, taf) and segmenting words (for example, the tester says, “Tell me each sound you hear in “hat” and the student would say /h/a/t. Each segment of the assessment is also timed for fluency. The sight words we will learn this week are: we, run. We will continue to practice recognizing and writing the numbers 11-20 and have lots of writing experiences.

Thanks again for all you do to help ensure your child is having a successful school experience. You truly make such a difference!

linda.wood@ironmail.org
ginger.ekker@ironmail.org
586-2850