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Mrs. Wright’s Newsletter

October 2009

Dear Parents,

Time is flying! We have reached the end of the first quarter of the school year. CARES report cards will go home November 9^th. These are a brief assessment of your child’s social skills learning. Kindergarten does not complete an academic report card for the first 9 weeks, but you will receive one for the remaining three quarters. Please sign and return BOTH the CARES card AND the envelope by November 13^th.

Spotlight on Classmates

In this portion of the newsletter, I would like to introduce some of the children each month, highlighting the things that make them unique and special members of our class. Nevaeh enjoys reading Big Books. Angelina likes to try new art projects. Nathan loves to use the playdough to make lots of creations. WELCOME!

Tardies and Absences

As a working parent, I know how difficult it can be to get everyone out the door on time in the morning for school. BUT, as a teacher I know the importance of those first 10 minutes of the day. It literally sets the tone for the classroom and your child’s attitude for the day. PLEASE get your child into the school building by 8:20 every day. This allows them 10 minutes to do the following BEFORE Morning Meeting starts at 8:35: turn in folder, make lunch choice, use the bathroom, fill water bottle, interact with the Morning Message, say hello to friends AND do their Morning Work. THANKS!!!

Sweaters and Jackets

Fall is here…sort of. J Please make sure your child has the appropriate clothing for the weather. Khaki or navy pants are the uniform, and jeans are not allowed. Students may wear a white or blue long-sleeve under a polo shirt, but need to be able to remove it unassisted if the weather warms up during the day. You can leave a sweater or light jacket in your child’s cubby all the time. PLEASE write your child’s first initial and last name on the tag! MANY items show up in Lost and Found during the year, and it is hard to identify items that look similar. THANKS!

Fall Festival Success!

THANK YOU to all the families who contributed in many ways to make our 6^th Annual Fall Festival a success! Our basket looked great and sold for $145, very close to its retail value! The frozen duck pond was a huge hit, and I saw lots of smiles all around. A BIG thank you to Nikki Cleary, our room parent, for all her time and effort! Thanks to all the parents who volunteered time to make things run smoothly for us!

Pumpkin Math on Friday was messy fun! Thanks to Pedro’s family for donating the pumpkins!

Math

In math we have nearly completed our studies of sorting, graphing, and patterning. We are going into a long study of the numbers 0-20, which will take us into January. We will be learning to identify, write, count, & compare these numbers in many ways…get your thinking caps on!

Reading Groups

Reading groups are well under way! Each group is working at it’s own pace, and making great progress with letter names and sounds, sight words, and basic reading skills. We are learning all the things ‘good readers do’ so we can be good readers, too! With our ActivBoard and computers operating smoothly, students are utilizing technology to help them have more individualized learning time when they are away from the teacher. WOW!

Writing

We are deep into our journal writing and happy to have two helpers, Mrs. Cleary and Mrs. Jeglie! Students are learning to think of a sentence to match their picture, stretch the words and write what sounds they hear. Adults are guiding them to hear difficult sounds, use finger spacing between words, and use beginning punctuation. As a class, we are learning to spell one word for each letter of the alphabet. We just finished the letter Kk, and are getting close to the half-way point of the alphabet!

Special Visitors

Last week, we had a special visit from Firefighter Curt, parent of a former student and fantastic fire safety educator! We learned about stop, drop, cover your face and roll. We also learned about smoke detectors and practicing an escape plan for your family. THANKS for completing the special homework…your family’s safety is the most important learning that can come from this experience.

This week, we will have a visit from the Child Protection Center, Inc. to learn about “the touching rule.” Children are taught to remember the following, and we encourage you to practice and discuss this at home in your own language. “No one touches or looks at my private body parts, except to keep them clean and healthy.” More information will be coming home after the presentation. Again, your family’s safety is of the utmost importance, and we hope you will take the time to discuss this difficult subject with your child often.

Happy Birthday in October to Lucas, Caleb, and Lindsey!

Visit My Website weekly (linked at school site):

http://TeacherWeb.com/FL/SarasotaSuncoastAcademy/MrsWrightsClass/

Important November Dates to Remember

Nov. 2—Cookie Dough Sales begin to benefit 5^th grade Kennedy Space Center trip

Nov. 3—Last day to order sweatshirts

Nov. 3—Chick-fil-a Spirit Night at the mall 6-8pm!

Nov. 4—Picture retakes

Nov. 9—Report Cards go out, due 11/13

Nov.10—PT4SO general meeting, 7pm ALL welcome!

Nov.12—Mother and Son Sports Banquet

Nov. 16 -20—All Faith’s Food Bank food drive