April 8-12

During this week we introduced the letter V. We reviewed verbs and vowels. Your child has been introduced to nouns, verbs, and adjectives this year. They may not be able to recall those names (nouns, verbs, adjectives) but when we talk about them in regards to their writing, they understand how to use them to make their writing more interesting. Vowels are tricky in Kindergarten. It is typical for your child to mix up e/i, and o/u....but we really want to do a push this last quarter to see if they can master the vowel sounds (this will be an expectation when common core LA is adopted). It would be helpful if you have a chance to practice this skill at home. A good way to practice it is by showing them a list of nonsense words and having them sound them out. For example, have them sound out words like vej, zop, dev, faz, etc. Our goal would be to have them able to "read" these words without having to sound them out first.( They should always use the short vowel sound.) It is ok if your child needs to say the individual sounds first, but encourage them to then blend the sounds together. Another way to practice vowels is to have them sort pictures of things that have the same middle vowel sounds ( cat, cap, jam, mat, and jet, red, bed, set). Having a good grasp of vowels will help your child be more prepared for first grade! Students will also learn about how to use a venn diagram to compare things.

In math this week we will continue to work on problem solving and subtraction. The kindergarten students need to be fluent in subtraction facts up to 10. This means they should not have to use their fingers, objects, or drawings to solve problems within 10. This is a new expectation for a K student. We are working on this through exploration, games, and continued practice. We also want them to understand WHAT subtraction is and not just have memorized the facts. You can work on this at home using real world examples. For example...have your child put away groceries with you...count how many objects are in the bag. Put away 4 and ask how many are left...check and see if they are correct. Students should be able to generate their own problems too. Ask them to come up with a subtraction problem that has a difference (answer) of a specific number...example....7...students can write 10-3=7 or 9-2=7. They should be able to draw a picture or use fingers/objects to show you what this problem "means".

Thank you to Mrs. Karellas for leading the Art Awareness lesson on Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.  The kids were very creative in their own interpretations of this famous painting.

Please read below for a volunteer opportunity!!!

Calling all Kindergarten Parents!

Kinderpress will be kicking off in May this year and we are in need of at least 25 volunteers to make the project a success for our Kindergarteners. Kinderpress is a PTA sponsored activity in which the kids create stories. The stories are transferred to a hard cover book and illustrated by the kids. It is such a great project and keepsake! As you can imagine, their little fingers need a lot of help to make their books special.

The big day in the classroom is the morning of May 10. After that, we'll need parents to help assemble the books at home. It is helpful if the volunteers can both spend time at school on May 10, and work with the same books at home. However, if you are only able to help out at school or at home, we would still appreciate your help. Detailed instructions and materials will be provided. If working at home, you will need access to a computer and printer.

Please sign up via signup genius:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B4BAFA62AA20-kinderpress

If you are unable to access Sign Up Genius, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you in signing up.

Some of you may have already indicated you would volunteer for this program on the PTA form at the beginning of the year. Even if you did, please sign up via signup genius to confirm that you are still able to help out.

If you have any questions please can contact Kanela Afshari (630-369-7061 -nkafshari@aol.com) or Tamara Stamenkovic (630-848-1324 - tamaroza@yahoo.com).

Thanks in advance for your help!

Kanela Afshari and Tamara Stamenkovic

Co-Chairs, Kinderpress

 

Please read information about the upcoming Book Exchange.  You will find it in my latest email.

 

We hope to see all volunteers at the dessert tea on Thursday , April 18 2:00-3:30.

 

Have a great weekend!