September is here and the honeybees are busy learning many new things.  Our unit, "All About Me" was filled with fun ways to share our interests and likes/dislikes with each other.  We wrote poems about ourselves and practiced reciting personal information (address, phone number, and birthday).  Repetition and practice will assist your child in learning this information--thank you in advance for your help at home. 

This week the honeybees focused on the letter Ss.  We practiced forming the upper and lower case letter and worked hard to correctly print that letter in everyday writing.  Preschool children write using mostly upper case letters --in kindergarten, we work on using lower case letters in our writing.  We will be learning about the correct use of upper case letters such as at the beginning of a sentence or at the beginning of a name.  In reading, we had several take-home books featuring the letter and sight words of the week.  Please have your student re-read these titles at home.  Encourage him to find the sight words in print and use a reading finger to track the words one by one.  In math we began a new unit, Patterning.  The honeybees learned that a pattern is a series of things (actions, objects, etc.) that repeats over and over again.  Students identified, copied and extended patterns during our math time this week.

Coming next week . . . The letter of the week will be Ff and the new sight words (rainbow words) will be at and it.  We will continue to work on patterning in math, focusing on creating and transferring patterns.  In science we will study the Five Senses and how we use each of them to discover and investigate the world around us.

A few reminders:

• Congratulations to the "Honeybee of the Week", Kavya.  We enjoyed the poster, special snack, and stories read by her mother!
• Please send in a photograph of your child if you have not already done so.  We will be using them for a center activity next week.
• Permission slips and donations for High Touch/High Tech are due ASAP.
• Please return the GM Behavior Expectations Booklet if you have not yet done so--both you and your student should sign the back sheet. 
• GM's fund raiser, Sally Foster, ended today.  Please return any remaining orders on Monday.
• Box Tops for Education has begun--check your pantry for products with the "Box Top" coupon.  Clipped coupons may be sent to school and placed in the collection bin outside our classroom door.  GM recieves money for each Box Top collected!
• Our class will be going to the Media Center on Tuesday--please send in books prior to Tuesday's visit.
• Thursday, 9/11 is Patriotic Day--wear red, white, and blue.
• Specials next week will be P.E.

Thanks for a great week with your children!

Janie Hutcherson

The honeybees have completed our unit on nursery rhymes and classic tales.  This week we enjoyed favorites such as "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Little Red Riding Hood", "The Three Little Pigs", and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears".  Reading classic tales gave us the opportunity to discuss different versions of a single story and compare the similarities and differences of each.  The story elements of these classics--characters, setting, plot, problem, and solution--were studied as well. 

We began our letter of the week on Monday with the letter Mm.  During the week we learned to identify both the upper and lower case letter and the letter's sound.  We isolated the sounds in words to determine where the /m/ could be heard (ex. man=beginning, hammer=middle, am=end).  Letter formation of the D'Nealian style Mm was introduced and practiced both in class and at home.  Class activities such as take-home reading books, phonics games and art projects helped students with letter and sound recognition.  Our technology component, Kinder Keys, began this week as well.  Please remember to return the signed activity sheet and folder when complete. The due date for future Kinder Keys assignments will be on Fridays--this is a change from the earlier communication home.

     The first of many take-home books was sent home this week.  Have your child read the text aloud, using his/her reading finger to track the print from left to right, top to bottom.  You may wish to begin a book bag/box for these easy readers and guided reading texts--these titles will make a wonderful collection of appropriately leveled reading materials for your child. 

     Please continue to work on the words of the week, me and my.  These words are from the "red" list of Rainbow Words in kindergarten.  It is helpful to make flashcards as each week we will be adding to our list.  Review will be most helpful for your child. 

     We completed Chapter One in Math--Sort and Classify.  The children had many opportunities to sort objects by a given attribute: by shape, size, color, or other given criteria (ex. boys/girls, types of clothing, hair color).  You can help at home by sorting objects in various ways and having your child name the sorting rule.  Graphing was also introduced in this chapter.  We used objects to create graphs and then compared which set(s) were more/less/equal/empty.  Graphing is one way children learn to analyze and interpret data.

     Next week we will begin a unit called "All About Me!"  We will work on our addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays.  If your child does not already have these facts committed to memory, please begin working at home.  Also, please send in a photograph of your child (4 X 6 or smaller) for a class activity.  Next week our letter will be Ss and the new sight words will be am and is.  In Math we will begin Chapter Two, Patterns.

  Items to note:

• Thank you for your attendance at the Ice Cream Social last evening! 
• A special thanks to our room parents, Mrs. Suarez and Mrs. Mostyn, for their help with the volunteer schedule and class directory.
• Congratulations to Maya, our first "Honeybee of the Week".  We enjoyed learning about her favorite things and sharing cupcakes together.
• Dinner and Movie Night is coming soon--mark your calendar for Friday, September 5th at 6:30 p.m.  "High School Musical 2" will be the featured movie in the gym.
• Please send a bath-size towel for rest time each Monday.
• Specials for next Friday will be Music.
• NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 1st.  Enjoy the Labor Day holiday with your family.

               Janie Hutcherson

Our second week of school has come to an end.  It is wonderful to see how the children are adjusting to our routine and becoming more independent each day.  It was a pleasure to meet with you at our Open House program on Tuesday evening--thank you for making your child and our school a priority!  I am looking forward to having you assist with center, reading parent, and computer lab activities.  Also, thank you for the many donations for our class--all of the little "extras" make our learning even better!

     We continued our unit on nursery rhymes this week, featuring "Old King Cole", "Little Boy Blue", and "Hey, Diddle, Diddle".  Beginning reading skills such as tracking print from left to right, moving from top to bottom, one-to-one word correspondence, and phonemic awareness (rhyming, beginning sounds) were incorporated into each language lesson.  Next week we look at classic stories and fairy tales. The letter of the week will be Mm and the sight words (rainbow words) will be me and my.

     We began chapter one in Math--Sort and Classify.  The honeybees learned that sorting means putting things that are alike together.  We continued to work on positional words this week as well.  Please read the home connection letter from our math series that was sent home earlier this week--there are activities to do at home to reinforce skills covered in class.

     The honeybees had many new experiences this week:

• Visiting the Media Center for story time and book checkout with Ms. Haas
• Meeting our guidance counselor, Ms. Britton, and having a guidance lesson 
• Introducing ourselves to our book buddies from Ms. Beatty's third grade class--does your child remember his/her book buddy's name?
• Going to the computer lab with Ms. Schulman

  Important things to note:

• Garrison Mill's fund raising campaign, Sally Foster, began last week.  Proceeds from this event benefit our students.  Thank you for supporting our school.
• Mark your calendars for next Thursday, August 28th.  GM will be hosting an Ice Cream Social for kindergarten families in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.  This will be a great time to meet other parents and allow your child to socialize with his/her peers.
• Specials next Friday will be Music.   

Have a wonderful weekend!

Janie Hutcherson

     Our first week at Garrison Mill has been a very busy and exciting one!  The honeybees have been working on learning class rules and routines as well as the school-wide expectations for all Garrison Mill students.  The children have met many staff members and made new friends during the week. 

     We began our school year with nursery rhymes.  Singing familiar songs and sharing favorite poetry has been a wonderful way to introduce your child to reading.  The honeybees enjoyed participating in music and art activities with "Humpty Dumpty", "Hickory Dickory Dock", "Little Miss Muffet", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  Today we sang the classic song "The Wheels on the Bus" and even created and ate a yellow school bus!

    Our focus in Math has been on positional words--up, down, over, under, in front, between, behind, forward, and backward.  We also worked on rote counting and reviewed colors and shapes.  Our math lessons provided many opportunities for movement and interaction.

Just a few reminders. . .

• Please review your child's take home folder each day.  Notes from home should be placed inside this folder as folders are checked upon arrival each morning.
• Rest towels will be sent home on Fridays to be laundered and returned on Mondays.  Please send a bath towel only--blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals should remain at home.
• Please send a nutritious snack each morning.  Thank you in advance for keeping in mind our peanut-free, egg-free environment.  It is helpful to keep snacks separate from lunch boxes to help avoid confusion for your child.
• GM's fundraiser, Sally Foster, began today--please review the information packet sent home.
• Next Friday is Spirit Day--wear your GM t-shirt!
• Next Friday's special will be P.E. (remember appropriate footwear).

 Please plan to attend Open House on Tuesday, August 19th at 6:30 p.m.  We will be discussing classroom procedures, curriculum, and volunteer opportunities.  Thank you for a wonderful week with your children.  Enjoy some family time this weekend!

  Janie Hutcherson