SUPERSTAR: Drew - we can't wait to learn about this special Caterpillar!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: David (12/3), Amy (12/29)
DECEMBER TUESDAY FOLDER HELPER: Debasmita Roychowdhury
DECEMBER COMPUTER LAB HELPER: (Mondays at 7:55) Madhuir Reddy
DECEMBER GUEST READERS:
12/8/09 Shushma Chatram
12/10/09 Minhee Cho
12/15/09 Irene Fogelsong
12/17/09 Sabeen Ijlal
(Tuesday readers please come and read from 2:30 - the bell at 2:45/Thursday readers please come at 11:55) Plan on reading for about 15 minutes. Thank you!
This week we dove into the Winter Holidays learning all about Hanukkah and other special holiday celebrations. The students began working on several special holiday gifts for their families and friends. The highlight of the week was definitely the SNOW on Friday afternoon. Luckily we were able to get outside to catch snowflakes on our tongues and experience a little bit of winter. Next week the students will be visiting other classrooms to learn all about celebrations in Mexico, England, Sweden and Germany. Our class will begin to take on the holiday "feel" as we put up our class tree! Even in all this excitement, our learning continues!
READING GROUPS: This is the time of year when our schedule changes daily. I will do my best to hold reading groups as much as possible but do not be alarmed if your child does not bring home their book bag. We are still working very hard on reading and writing but not necessarily in the small group format.
HOLIDAY PRESENTATIONS: The students did a great job with their holiday presentations so far. We have just a few left. If your child did not bring something in to present they will have one last chance on Monday. It is a special treat to learn all about the different cultures and traditions here at Canyon Creek.
WINTER DRESS: Kindergarten classes will still be going outside for recess daily. We have morning recess and sometimes the wind can make things seem much colder than they are. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately and practice with your child putting on their own jacket and fastening it. As I’m sure you have noticed our class has been a little late to dismiss this week because we are working on putting on coats properly. Please have your child practice these things at home - inside out arms in a jacket are a particular challenge to our class!
FIELD TRIP: Thank you to those parents who promptly returned your field trip permission slip and $7.00. If you have not done so please do so.
HOLIDAY PARTY: Scheduled for Friday, 12/18 at 1:45. Mrs. Mock will be contacting parents if supplies and volunteers are needed.
HOLIDAY PARTY CHILDCARE: Childcare will be available for siblings (at least 1 year old) during the Holiday Party scheduled for Friday, December 18th in the Parent Resource Center located in the portables. You will be able to drop off your children at 1:30 pm and the center will be open until 2:45 pm. If you need additional time before 1:30 pm please let us know to see if special arrangements can be made. Cost is $5 per child. To make a reservation please contact Mary Anne Hettenhaus, Parent Support Specialist at Canyon Creek. Please include the name and age of the children you will be dropping off. You can email her at maryanne_hettenhaus@roundrockisd.org.
CHARACTER TRAIT: Character trait for the month of December is acceptance. Teachers will be looking for students go out of their way to include others in their activities. Students exhibiting this trait will receive a special sticker.
WATCH DOGS: The CCE Watch DOG is in full swing. A gentle reminder to please let us know if you have signed up to be a watch dog so we can request your help in our classroom.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO:
* Everyone who sent in toilet paper rolls, we have plenty!
* Greta's mom, Nikhil's mom and Ashleigh's mom for donating tissue paper
* Ashleigh, Shoumik, Aiden, Nikhil, Drew and Simoni for sending in homemade playdough
* Alex's mom for cutting out all the paper plate hats for the girls next week
* Brody's mom, Drew's mom and Brians mom for being our guest readers
I am afraid I have left people off - please email and remind me so I can thank you properly!
NEEDS:
Cotton Balls – 2 packages needed by Monday 12/7.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH - Your helping hands and hearts are greatly appreciated!
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DATES TO REMEMBER:
12/9 – Early Release: Students dismissed at 12:45
12/16 – Field Trip to Zachary Scott Theatre
12/18 - Holiday Party, 1:45pm
12/21 - 1/4 - Winter Break/No School
1/5 - Classes Resume
1/18 – MLK Holiday
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ASK YOUR CHILD ABOUT:
* Using several math skills to make chain link elves (patterning, ordinal numbers, positional words, counting, odd/even, etc.) - our buddies helped us finish them!
* Using MS Word in the computer lab using our names (changing font size and type)
* Mrs. Cerda’s lesson on nouns
* Story time in the library
* If I were an elf writing
* Patchwork Stocking Math
* Working on a special holiday book for our families (lots of glitter, glue and paint)
* Writing about what we did over the Thanksgiving break
* Using our fine motor skills to lace a stocking
* Writing a letter to Santa telling him three things we would like for the holidays
* Identifying patterns and sequences
* Our holiday tradition presentations (will complete on Monday)
* Ms. Jacki’s presentation on Hanukkah
* Going outside to see the SNOW!
Lisa Clarke
Lisa_Clarke@roundrockisd.org