Kindergarten News

Please check back here every week.
  A new letter will be posted on Mondays.

September 5
What a great beginning! We’ve had a terrific day and the children are making great progress adjusting to kindergarten. Many thanks for your prompt response to our supply request.

Some notes on our day:
Lunch:
Kindergarten lunch time is 12:00 PM. If your child is buying lunch, place the money in a sealed envelope. Write your child’s name, class, choice of lunch, and amount enclosed on the front of the envelope.
Snack:
Since we are eating so late in the day it is very important that you send your child with a snack every day. In order to avoid confusion, please pack lunch and snack in separate containers. It would be preferable if you included two separate drinks for your child rather than using a thermos for both. Please send in healthy snacks. Some suggestions are: fruit (cut or peeled, if necessary), crackers, nuts, cheese pretzels, etc. Candy will not be permitted at snacktime.
Clothing:
Since children will be physically active, we prefer that your child wear sneakers to school every day. Dress your child appropriately for an active school day. Your child will be playing and working with many materials on a regular basis. They need to feel comfortable about getting their clothes dirty. Please make sure they wear clothes they can manage alone. Belts, jumpsuits, etc. can be difficult during bathroom visits.
Transportation:
If your child will not be taking his/her regular bus home, please send a note to that effect. If someone other than yourself will be picking up your child, this must be stated in the note. We are required to place your child on the regular bus unless otherwise notified.
Birthday Parties:
If you choose to send in a treat, please send it in the morning or drop it in the office by 12:30 PM. Cupcakes or munchkins seem to be best. Some parents send in a drink and cups. Two 46 oz. containers are sufficient. There are 20 children in our class.

Thank you so much for your cooperation! I look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 12th. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Week of September 17
My weekly letter to you is arriving somewhat later than I expected. The tragic events of this past week have turned our world upside down. Our thoughts & prayers have been with all those affected by this tragedy. I have chosen to approach this issue by focusing on a pride in America. We have make paper chains for our door and will be creating a flag mural this week. Please let me know if your child has had any adverse reactions to news coverage or is showing uneasiness with any recent events. I will do my best to reassure them in any way I can.

We have tried to establish and maintain a classroom routine. Our theme for first few weeks in school has been centered around our names. Each child will have a chance to be our "Star of the Day". Each day a child is chosen to be interviewed. We learn how to read & write each name and make a special book of drawings for our "star". Some of you have already received your child’s book. We hope you liked it!

This week we have been reviewing shapes. We learn a new song each day. Next week we will start to review our colors. Please check the list below to see the color of the day. On each color day, please dress your child with something related to the color (shirt, socks, etc.). Thanks!
Tuesday 9/ 25          Red Day
Wednesday 9/26        Blue Day
Friday 9/28              Yellow Day

Monday 10/1           Green Day
Tuesday 10/2          Orange Day
Wednesday 10/3        Purple Day

Please remember that Back to School Night will be held on Tuesday October 2nd at 6:30 PM. I can’t wait to meet all of you!

Week of September 24

We have wonderful news! Mr. Glenn Barbach will be joining us as a student teacher for the next few weeks. He will be a wonderful asset to our class. He is currently working towards a master’s degree in education from NYIT. The children love him already. Welcome, Mr. Barbach!

This week we will continue to review shapes and start to review our colors. Please remember to check the list below to see the color of the day. On each color day, please dress your child with something related to the color (shirt, socks, etc.).

Tuesday 9/ 25 Red Day
Wednesday 9/26 Blue Day
Friday 9/28 Yellow Day

Monday 10/1 Green Day
Tuesday 10/2 Orange Day
Wednesday 10/3 Purple Day

We are also continuing our "Star of the Day". The children are having a wonderful time learning about each member of the class.

The class has been working on a large hand-print flag to continue the feeling of pride in our country. We hope to have our flag displayed somewhere in the community. When it is finished, I’ll let you know where it can be viewed.

Don’t forget that school will be closed on Thursday in observance of Yom Kippur. For those of you who will be celebrating this holiday, I will keep you in my thoughts on this holiest of days.

Week of October 1
Fall is here! The weather is getting cooler and in kindergarten that can only mean one thing... time to label all sweaters and jackets! Although your child may recognize their own clothing at home, when faced with several navy blue sweaters in school, they all start to look alike. Your child’s name will insure that clothing goes home to the right family!

This week we will continue to review our colors. It might be a challenge to dress your child for the colors this week. Not many of us own orange clothing! If you can’t dress your child in the color of the day, try sending in an orange or purple snack.
Monday 10/1 Green Day
Tuesday 10/2 Orange Day
Wednesday 10/3 Purple Day

We will be reading The Tree Billy Goats Gruff this week and will also start to work in our Literacy Centers. We’ll learn how to use our Workboard to make sure we visit all of our centers at least once during the week. I will be attending another Literacy training session for 1/2 day on Thursday. Starting this month, I will be training with our Literacy Coordinator every two weeks for a Thursday morning or afternoon session. This will continue throughout the school year, so don’t be surprised if you hear about our substitute teachers. I will still be in school, if you need to reach me.

Back to School Night will take place on Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:30 pm. We will meet in the gym for a welcome by Mrs.Victor and then walk down to our classroom.
I will be giving you an overview of our class and will answer any questions you may have. Our session should be completed by 7:30 pm to allow for parents of upper grade students to meet with their teachers. Please remember that this is an evening for parents only.
I can’t wait to meet all of you!

Week of October 15
This week we will be learning all about fall leaves. Please help your child to find an interesting leaf and bring this to school on Tuesday. Look for an unusual shape, size or color. We will be comparing each leaf, writing about them, and using our math skills to graph them.

On Monday the PTA is sponsoring it’s first RIF distribution. This program provides a free book to each child in the school to help promote literacy. Your child will be able to select the book of their choice from an assortment of titles appropriate for kindergarten. Thank you, PTA!

Looking ahead...

Classroom volunteers: I am currently working on a classroom volunteer schedule. We will begin our program in the month of November. If you have not returned the volunteer form, but still wish to help, just drop me a note. I will check your availability and add you to the schedule. Thanks to all who have offered to join us!

Pumpkin Day: On Friday, October 26, the Terryville Kindergarten will be celebrating Pumpkin Day. We will be needing volunteers to help with our activities in the morning. Please consider joining us! More details will follow.

Halloween Party: We will be having a Halloween celebration during the afternoon of October 31st. In addition to cupcakes and juice, we are planning several activity centers based on a Halloween theme. Our class mothers, Pat Bonventre and Patti Scott, are coordinating volunteers and donations. Please call Patti Scott (473-2959) to help with our celebration.

Week of October 22
What a busy week we have coming up! As you can guess, our theme for the week is scarecrows. On Monday and Tuesday we will be making our own child sized scarecrows. On Wednesday we will catch up on anyone who has been absent or who was not able to complete their scarecrow. If you have any extra shirts, pants or pillowcases, you may still send them in. Thanks to all who offered to come in and help.

Picture Day is Thursday. The children will have individual pictures taken. Class pictures are taken later on in the year. I have been asked to present a workshop on Superintendent’s Conference Day in November and must attend a training session at district office that day. Mr. Barbach will be available to make sure all goes well with our substitute teacher.

Our Pumpkin Festival will be held on Friday. We have lots of activities planned for the morning. If you are able to volunteer, please be at school by 8:30 am.

Thanks again to all who offered to help at our Halloween Party. You may still contact Patti Scott who is coordinating our celebration.
A word about Halloween costumes...

Kindergarten students are permitted to wear their costumes to school. In planning for your child’s costume, please remember that your children must be able to use the bathroom independently. Ties, snaps, etc. are difficult to manage on some costumes. Please make sure your child does not bring in a mask, or any accessories that may be lost or broken.

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