March Benchmarks

Language Arts Benchmarks:

March:

• Can identify all uppercase and lowercase letters
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t)
• Reading Level C books
• Can print uppercase and lowercase letters
• Begins to use punctuation, spacing and begins a sentence with a capital letter
• Writes to a single topic
• In fiction texts, can identify characters, setting and major events.
• Can identify similarities and differences between two stories.  

End of the year benchmarks:

• Level D reading level
• Comprehension of text in fiction and non-fiction.  The students can identify characters, setting, and major events in a story.  They can also retell the story in order with a beginning, middle and end.
• Reading the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Spelling the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Writes an opinion piece (I think PE is the best special because we can play tunnel tag.)
• Writes a narrative.  (I lost a tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy came.)
• Writes a how to book including several steps (How to make a snowman.  First, roll a big ball.)
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t) 

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Read the leveled books found in the "book in a bag" every evening.  Please remind your child to bring home a new book each night.
• Continue to support the comprehension of text at home.  When reading with your child, ask about the characters, setting, and to retell the story to you.  What happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?  Is this story similar to one we have read before?  How?  
• Write at home about anything!  Let your child choose the topic and write as long as their interest level allows using inventive spelling.

Math Benchmarks:

March:  

• Can identify numbers from 0-20
• Has One to one correspondence
• Can count to 100 from any given number
• Can write numbers to 20
• Understands addition as putting together and subtraction as taking away
• Begins to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials

End of the year benchmarks:

• can add and subtract fluently to 5 without materials
• Can solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials\
• Understands place value (15 is 1 ten and 5 ones)
• Shape identification

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Continue to practice the math flashcards.  Try to see how many your child can do in a minute.
• Practice writing numbers (especially teens!) in fun ways!  Draw the numbers in sand, shaving cream or pudding!  Make it with play-doh, etc.

November 2-6

Important News

• No school on Tuesday!

Language Arts

We will be reading about our favorite characters from the stories Bear Snores On and Bears New Friends.     We will be comparing and contrasting these stories and the non-fiction story The Big Bears.  We will be continuing to work on ending sounds.

Our sight word this week is--AS.

Math

We will be playing the games grab , count and compare & the game compare (war).  The children will be working on comparing numbers.   We will also be working on solving story problems.  Please have the children continue to practice writing the their number from 1 - 10.

October 26-30

Language Arts

We will be reading fiction and non-fiction books this week about winter and hibernation.  We will be focused on asking students to share key details from the text.  For word study, we will be focused on ending sounds.

Our sight word for the week is HE.

Writing Workshop

We began writing workshop last week with the goal that our students begin to see themselves as writers!  Did they share that they are in a writing club?  We will be writing several times a week.  Last week we learned that "When we think we are done, we have only just begun!"  That means we can go back, reread our writing and add more details to our pictures or add more words.  We could also start a new paper.  The students chose their own topic.  We suggest they choose something they know a lot about.  What does your child know a lot about?  Talk with him/her about some possible writing topics.  Do they know a lot about animals, baseball, ballet, fishing, the beach, bike riding?  Any topic will work!  If you would like, you could create a list (with pictures) of ideas for writing and send it to school.  Your child can keep the list in his/her writing folder in case they get stuck and need an idea.

This week we will learn about stretching out words to write them and how to write about things that the students might think are too hard to write about.

Math
Our District Math coach, Mike Lipnos, will be working with our students this month during our math time.

Important Notes

• Picture Retakes are on Wednesday.
• Friday is our Fall Festival Party.  Please send your child's costume to school in a bag because the children need to change at the end of the party before they go home on the bus.  Please do not send any costume weapons or treat bags.  Thank you!  It will be a fun party!

October 19-23

Book Fair

Our Book fair will be here next week, October 19-22.  The class will browse the book fair during their library time (Monday for Mrs. Gallucci, Tuesday for Mrs. Haughey) and create a wish list.  Their wish list will be sent home to you.   If you want to purchase books, you have 3 options.

1.You can send money back to school indicating which book(s) from the wish list you would like to purchase.

2. You could visit the family night on October 21 from 4:30-7:30.  The time includes a story time with local author Eric VanRaepenbusch.

3.  You can go online and purchase books using the link below.

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=millerelementaryschool16&appesp=CPT/ib/20120101///txtl/FairFindertoHomepage

Also, please note:  Keep your library books at home for another week!  

 Language Arts

We will begin a unit on the seasons and weather.  We will be reading both non-fiction and fiction books about these topics.  While reading these books, we will focus on main idea and comparing and contrasting.  We will also be writing about the things we see during each  of the seasons.

October 12-16

Sight Words

Please continue to practice the first 20 kindergarten words.  When your child has mastered all 20, then move on to the additional ones sent home each month.  Remember when practicing these words, we want the students to say the word "in a snap".  That means they aren't sounding out the word. They should just know it.

Report Cards
Report cards will be given out at Conferences so that we can go over it with you.

Principal's Pals
On Monday, our classes will enjoy a special time with the Principal called "Principal's Pals".  We will hear a story and enjoy a special treat.

This week we will be reading several stories about Mrs. Wishy-Washy.  The children have enjoyed the versions we have read so far.  These stories will help us continue to focus on character and setting. We will also learn about how a pumpkin grows.

Don't forget next week (October 19-22) is the Book Fair.  The children will create a wish list during their library time and bring it home.  You can send in money any day that week.

No School on Friday!  Have a great week!

Craft Supplies Needed

Do you have extra craft supplies at home?  We would like to make a center that the kids could use their creativity!  We are looking for toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, buttons, cards, ribbon, cupcake liners, stamps, etc.  We would appreciate any materials you donate!  Thank you for your help!

September 28-October 9

Picture day is on Wednesday, September 30!

Important News

• Remember to send your picture envelopes to school on Wednesday!
• Thank you for remembering to send back the book buddy bags every day!  

Language Arts

We will begin a unit on apples that will last two weeks.  We will be reading several stories, fiction and non-fiction, about animals and the seasons.  This works perfectly with our Lake Farmpark field trip.  During the field trip, the children learned how to make apple cider from the apples at the farm.  They had an opportunity to taste apple cider!  We will continue practicing fluency with the Apple, Apple on the Tree poem in our poetry folder.

Phonemic Awareness skills:  letter names, letter sounds, ending sounds, syllables

Practice sight words!  We would like the children to be able to read 5 sight words by the end of the first quarter (October 15).  The words are: a, it, in, on, at

Math

We will continue our unit on counting.  We have learned some strategies for careful counting.  Ask your child to share these strategies with you.  Also, we are practicing counting from any given number.  We have been practicing counting by 10s to 100.  We are also working hard to learn what number comes next when crossing over a decade.  What number comes after 29, 39, 49...

Book Buddy Bags

Your child will be bringing home a "Book Buddy" or "book in a bag".  Right now, the book inside this bag is one that we chose for him/her.  We will begin guided reading lessons in the next 2 weeks.  Then, the book inside this bag will be the one your child received small group instruction on during guided reading.  This book MUST be returned tomorrow.  When guided reading begins, we will add  2 bookmarks with the reading strategies that your child is learning in guided reading.  The students have not received instruction on all of these strategies just yet, but will as the year progresses!  Please encourage your child to use one of these strategies when they get stuck on a word.   The letter you see below is also included in the book buddy bag for your reference.  Happy Reading!

Dear Parents,                                                                                                                   

“Book Buddy Bags” are an important part of our reading program.  Several days a week your child will bring home a guided reading book in the bag, home to practice.  This book will be one that he/she has practiced with me in our small guided reading group lesson.  Please have your child read the book as part of his/her homework.  It is extremely important the book be returned to school the following day.   We will be using it again for our guided reading groups.

At this stage of reading the story has a very predictable text (I like red, I like blue) and the pictures are very important, as they support the child’s “reading” of the words.  At times your child may forget the predictable part of the text (I like).  If that happens, you can help them by reading the first few pages together.

When working with your child, please encourage him/her to:

·         Point to each word as they say it (this helps develop their one-to-one correspondence)

·         Look at the pictures if they get stuck

·         Go back and re-read if they get confused (you may help them by saying “I like…). Then have them read the sentence again on their own.

·         Get their mouth ready for the first sound in the word

Learning to read is a lot like learning to speak. You must:

·         Believe your child will learn to read

·         Praise and encourage your child’s every attempt. Just like you did with their first words

·         Reread books over and over and over….

·         Make reading a relaxed and enjoyable experience

·         Let them see you reading.

Please be careful NOT to:

·         Get impatient or upset when reading with your child (if you or your child is frustrated put it away for another time)

·         Expect your child to sound out each letter.

·         Cover the pictures to prove your child is “really” reading.

Don’t worry if it appears your child has memorized the text…That is a Good thing!!  Just be sure they are pointing to each word as they say it.

A note of responsibility: The children are taught that these books are precious and their responsibility (not Mom’s or Dad’s).  It is their responsibility to keep them in great condition and to bring them back every day.  The “Book Buddy Bag” will keep them dry and protect the pages from being ripped as they are put in their backpacks.  Once they have finished reading their books, please remind them to put them right back in their backpack.

Thank you for all of your help and support as we begin our adventure in reading.

Happy Reading!!!!! 

September 21-25

Guidance Lessons
Tami Mazzella, our guidance counselor, will begin lessons in our classrooms this week.  She will be focusing on the following topics: Buddy Bench, Respect, Responsible, Problem Solving, Listening & Following Directions, Bucket Filling/Kindness, Perseverance, Making Mistakes, Tattling vs. Telling, Bully Prevention, and Acts of Kindness.  

Important news:

• Please send an extra set of clothes to school.  We will keep them in our classroom in case of an accident like a lunch spill, muddy clothes, etc.
• Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @kindernews44202 and send back the Facebook invitation letter with your email if you are interested.

RAZ kids

Have you logged in and tried out this fun reading app?  We sent home information with your child's password last week.  If you need help logging on, please let me know.  The students enjoy earning stars to build robots and rockets by reading and answering the quiz questions.

We will continue with our Language Arts theme (farm) and Math skills for one more week.  

We hope you have a great week!

September 14-18

Important News

• Please put all notes to the teacher or office on a large sheet of paper.  Small notes (like post-its) tend to get lost.  Thank you!
• Thursday we are taking our field trip to Lake Farmpark!  Please make sure you dress for the weather!  We will be walking outside rain or shine!  Also, please pack your child's lunch in a disposable bag. 
• Please practice tying shoes.

Homework

• Review letters and sounds with your child daily.  How quickly can your child name the letters? 
• If your child knows his/her letters and sounds, practice the sight words.  Start with only a few words at a time. 
• Ask your child to name the characters and/or setting in a story you read together. 

Field Trip Volunteers

Mrs. Haughey--Mrs. Bindus, Mrs. Horvath

Mrs. Gallucci--Mrs. Courtad, Mrs. Cost, Mrs. Kacmar

Language Arts
We will be learning about the farm.  We are reading several stories about the farm and farm animals.  We will be using these stories to learn about characters, setting, cause and effect and sequencing.

The focus for the next 2 weeks includes:

• rhyming
• letters and sounds
• final sounds
• syllables
• Left to right directionality

Sight words--a, the

Math

In math, we are learning addition and subtraction to five with materials.  Also, we practice counting from any given number to 100 forward and backward.

September 7-11

Browsing Boxes
Each student in our classroom has his/her own basket of books.  We use these baskets to do an activity called "Read to Self".  For this activity, each child finds a quiet spot in the classroom with their browsing boxes to read the books inside.  Each child has several books in the basket.  Some of the books are chosen by the student according to his/her interest (princess, baseball, animal, Clifford, etc.)  The other books are on their reading level.  If your child would like to bring a book from home to put in his/her basket, we encourage it!  This is the introduction to one of our Daily 5 literacy centers.

The students were taught that there are 3 ways to read a book.  The first way is to read the pictures.  We modeled for the students how to use the pictures to read the book to themselves.  The second way is to read the words in the story.  The third way is to retell a story that they have heard before.  Some students may have a book in their basket that they have read before such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Now, the student can retell the story as he/she reads the pages.

Mindset
The staff at Aurora City Schools have read a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck.  In this book, we learned about the importance of building a growth mindset in our students.  People with a growth mindset believe that basic abilities (intelligence for example) can be developed through dedication and hard work.  This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.  In a fixed mindset, people believe that intelligence and talent are fixed traits.  They believe that talent alone creates success without effort.

This year, we will be focused on encouraging a growth mindset because it creates motivation and productivity.  It teaches children to welcome challenges, to persevere and accomplish things they may never have believed they could do!  We are teaching them that mistakes are ok, because we learn from them!  We are teaching them that they may not be good at something YET, but they will be, with hard work and effort!

Please contact us if you have any questions or are interested in learning more about Mindset.  We are even willing to loan you our book!  It is a great read!  We love it as teachers and as parents.

Note: We will add the various Mindset messages to our blog each week if you are interested in talking with your child about it at home.

Important Notes:

• No school on Monday, September 7!
• Friday is September 11 so wear red, white and blue!
• We do not need to wear our bus tags anymore.  Thank you for always remembering to send it to school each day!
• HOMEWORK--Have you played a rhyming game with your child?  Practice rhyming by asking your child if two words rhyme.  (Do cake and rake rhyme?) Also, try asking your child to think of a word that rhymes with a word you say.  (Can you think of a word that rhymes with sun?)
• Mrs. Haughey's class has a student teacher!  Amy Rankin will be teaching with Mrs. Haughey until December.  She currently attends Kent State University.
• Please check the calendar daily to see the good news about your child's behavior!
• Mrs. Haughey's Class ONLY--Please remember to send in a picture of your child if you have not done so already!  Thank you!
• Please return the Lake Farmpark permission slips to school as soon as possible!

Language Arts
This week our stories will be about our five senses.  We will be reading both fiction and non-fiction books.  We will be experiencing all of the senses, except tasting, during our activities this week.

We will continue our practice of phonemic awareness with our "blue book" activities.  We will focus on rhyming.

Math
We are working on saying the number before and after any given number from 0-30.  What number comes before 18?  What number comes after 12? We 

Science:  5 senses

Pictures from this week...

Sorry, only 2 this week! 

August 31-September 4

Quick Reminders

• Please pack only ONE nut-free snack for your child each day.
• Please remember the red communication folder each day.
• Please remember to wear your bus tag every day!
• It is no longer necessary for your child to have a PE shirt!  

Language Arts

This week we will be reading 2 stories, The Little School Bus and Big Yellow Bus.  We will compare and contrast these stories and talk about the characters in each story.  At home, as you read books with your child talk about the characters in the story.  We tell the children that the characters are the people or animals in the story.

We will continue to work on fluency this week through poetry.  The children have enjoyed the mystery color poems.  Have they shared these with you?   We will also look at a new poem called Get on the Bus.

We will also complete a Name of the Day activity each day until each child in the class has a chance to bring home a special book.  During this activity we work on letter names, sounds, and formation of letters.

Every week throughout the year we will do phonemic awareness activities such as letter names and sounds, rhyming, listening for the beginning sounds in words, compound words, and listening for ending sounds in words.  Please practice these types of activities at home with your child.  The best part of these activities is that it doesn't require any materials or take a long time.  All you have to do is say "Can you think of a word that rhymes with dig?" or "What sound do you hear at the beginning of ball?"  "What do you hear at the end of mug?"

Sight words this week: a, the

Math

We will continue to work on counting!  We want the students to be able to count to 100 by the end of kindergarten fluently.  This means that they can count starting from any number.  Can you start counting at 8?  Can you count beginning at 87?  We are also learning how to count by 10s to 100!  We are also exploring our math tools such as attribute blocks, unifix cubes, and pattern blocks.

REVIEW:  Last week our focus was on rules.  Why do we have rules? What are the rules for the cafeteria, recess, bathroom, classroom and hallway?  Ask your child if they can share the rules with you.  

Here are some pictures from this week:

August 24-28

Quick Reminders

• Please pack only ONE nut-free snack for your child each day.
• Please remember the red folder each day.
• Please remember to wear your bus tag every day!
• Book orders are due on August 28.  

Language Arts

This week we will be reading a story called We Need Rules.  We are working on learning all the rules of school.  They are doing a great job remembering what to do!

We will work on fluency this week through poetry.  The children are enjoying guessing the mystery color poems.  Have they shared these with you?  

We will also complete a Name of the Day activity each day until each child in the class has a chance to bring home a special book.  During this activity we work on letter names, sounds, and formation of letters.

Every week throughout the year we will do phonemic awareness activities such as letter names and sounds, rhyming, listening for the beginning sounds in words, compound words, and listening for ending sounds in words.  Please practice these types of activities at home with your child.  The best part of these activities is that it doesn't require any materials or take a long time.  All you have to do is say "Can you think of a word that rhymes with dig?" or "What sound do you hear at the beginning of ball?"  "What do you hear at the end of mug?"

Sight words this week: a, the

Math

We are working on counting!  We want the students to be able to count to 100 by the end of kindergarten fluently.  This means that they can count starting from any number.  Can you start counting at 8?  Can you count beginning at 87?  We are also learning how to count by 10s to 100!We are also exploring our math tools such as attribute blocks, unifix cubes, and pattern blocks.

REVIEW:  We are focusing on the rules for the cafeteria, recess, bathroom, classroom and hallway?  Ask your child if they can share the rules with you.

Pictures from the first week

Here are some pictures from Mrs. Haughey's class.  Mrs. Gallucci sent a picture home to you on the first day of kindergarten!

Welcome

Welcome to our new Kindergarten Families!   It was so nice to meet you!  We are having a great first week.  We can already tell that it will be a wonderful year!

ALLERGY INFORMATION--Please be aware that both classes have a peanut/tree nut allergy.  Please do not send any snacks that have peanut or tree nut products in them.  We cannot have students eating these types of snacks in our classroom.  You are allowed to have items with peanut/tree nut ingredients at lunch.

Quick reminders:

• Please remember to wear your bus tag to school every day for the first 2 weeks.  Mrs. Haughey's class are paw prints and Mrs. Gallucci's class are frogs.
• Pack ONE snack daily for your child.  Please try to pack it separate from the lunch.
• Bring the red folder to school each day.
• Keep the PE shirt in your child's backpack because we wear them to all of our specials.  This helps our librarian (Mrs. Kudley), our music teacher (Mrs. Jones), and our PE teacher (Mrs. Barnes) learn names. 
• Please remember to complete and return all forms.  Thank you!

Below is our contact information:

Karen Gallucci  330-562-6199 ext. 2218 or kgallucci@aurora-schools.org
Cyndi Haughey 330-562-6199 ext. 2199 or chaughey@aurora-schools.org

Last Week Reminders

Monday
Remember to wear your tie-dye t-shirt!  Also, today is the last day you can purchase a school lunch or milk.  If you have any late fees for lunch or a library book, please send it in today!

Tuesday
It is our last day of kindergarten and our end of the year party!  Remember to wear your tie-dye t-shirt, sunscreen and a bottle of water!  Report cards will go home with your child.  Your child will not be able to purchase a school lunch or milk.  Please make sure your child has a packed lunch!

Thank you for such a great year!  We were lucky to have such amazing students and families this year!

If you are looking for a few ideas for summer, please read over the list of ideas from first grade that will come home in the report card.  RAZ kids will be available for students to access all summer! Also, you check out these recommended apps:

Writing Wizard--Letter formation
Letter Reversals--Letter formation
Friends of 10--Math
RAZ kids

Have a safe and happy summer!

Mrs. Haughey's class let their butterflies go!

We let our butterflies go!

May 18-29

Important News

• Field Day is Tuesday, May 19.  Please make sure your child is wearing tennis shoes, their tie dye t-shirt and has a water bottle. 
• We will being completing end of the year assessments during the month of May.  Therefore, please make sure your child is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast. 
• Please continue to work on sight words and math facts. 
• Please return your "book in a bag" as we are going to be concluding this program for the year and we would like to have all of our books returned.  Thank you!

Language Arts and Science
We will begin a unit on insects.  We will learn about all types of insects!  Have you heard about the caterpillars that we have been observing in our classroom?  We have been writing in our journals about our observations.  Now, we are waiting for them to make a chrysalis.

We will continue to talk about long vowel sounds, and adding -s and -es to make plural nouns.

Math
We will continue our unit on shapes, place value and practice our math fluency facts to 5.  We will solve addition and subtraction story problems.

Tie Dye Tshirt Dates

May 19--PE Field Day
May 28--Visit to Craddock
June 2--End of the Year Party

Spring Concert and Vehicle Day Photos

Vehicle Day (Mrs. Gallucci's Class)

                                      

Spring Music Concert  (Mrs. Haughey's Class)