Wow! What a wonderful holiday party we had yesterday.  Thanks so much to our great room Moms for all of their planning and to the many Moms who came to help out.  Thank you to everyone for their donations for all of the activities.  The children had a really fun day.  Mrs. Guelzo, Mrs. Druhot, Ms. Melinda and I, all send a big "THANK YOU" for the great holiday baskets from the class.  We can't wait to enjoy them during the relaxing days ahead.  We hope the children's gingerbread houses made it home in one piece.  They had lots of fun making them. 

     In January, we'll be starting a unit on Winter.  This will include the world in winter, weather, arctic animals and Eskimos, as well as fiction and non-fiction winter books.  Please check out a great web-site at www.janbrett.com.  Jan Brett has written many wonderful winter children's books and she has a fun web-site with activities available. 

     In Phonics, we will be working with the letter sound of "L" when we return. Keep working on those sight words and helping your child to "sound-out" what they hear in words.  We have many excited writers in the classroom who are really taking off. 

     In math, we will begin a unit on measurement.  This will include time, money, and units of measurement.  Give your child real life opportunities at home to explore these. 

     I hope that all of you and your families have a wonderful holiday season.  Enjoy some extra time with your child.  I'll see you in 2009.  (Students return to school on 1/6). 

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials week of 1/6:

T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-PE

     The countdown is getting close.  Ask your child how many links are left on their countdown to Winter Holidays chain.  Next week we will pack our suitcases and continue our study of traditions and cultures around the world.  Monday through Wednesday the children will visit other countries in each of the other Kindergarten classrooms and learn about Holland, Sweden, Israel, Germany, China, Mexico and France.  You will enjoy learning from your child if you take a peek into their suitcase and ask them what they've learned about places and people around the world.

     On Wednesday, we will be making gingerbread houses.  We are asking each child to bring two items to share.  Each child needs 1 can of vanilla icing and one decorating item.  A note is coming home todaywith the specific list of items.  Please send in these items on Monday or Tuesday so that we'll know if we have everything we need.  Mrs. Guelzo and I will be "hot-gluing" graham crackers to small milk cartons to form the gingerbread houses on Monday during our "specials" time (12:40-1:20)  If anyone is available to come in during that time to help in the assembly process, please let me know. 

     Thursday we will have our class holiday party in the morning during our regular center time.  Thank you for the donations that you are sending to help make this a special time for the class. 

     Friday we'll take our last trip of the season all the way to the North Pole.  Friday will be Pajama Day and we'll take an imaginary ride on the Polar Express.  Your child is encouraged to wear pajamas to school on this day.  Our Book Buddies will join us for the ride with hot chocolate, candy canes and lots of fun magic. 

     Your child will be bringing home a family gift next week.  Please help them to carefully place it under your tree.

     Due to our traveling plans, we will not have a letter of the week, but we will continue in Math working with numbers to 30. 

     The Garrison Mill canned food drive will be completed on Monday.  There is still time to send in your donations.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-Music

     Porter's Pups are on the "GO". We've had a great week learning about transportation by air, land, and sea.  Our study of maps has helped the children to begin an understanding of other countries and continents.  We have read fiction and non-fiction books about vehicles and written stories about places we would like to go.  We have also introduced concepts of motion and gravity and how the day and night sky change each day.  Next week, as we begin our holiday unit, we will continue learning about the world around us through a study of cultures and traditions around the world.  We will read about children in other countries and how they are the same and different in many ways.  If you happen to have any items of interest from other countries that you would be willing to let us share and display in the classroom, please send them in.  We always strive to be sensitive about holidays celebrated by our families here at Garrison Mill.  Although we enjoy making seasonal projects, we do not teach religious concepts.  If you have any questions or concerns related to our activities, please feel free to let me know. 

     In Phonics, our letter of the week will be "U".  We now have introduced all of the vowels which will increase the number of words that we can blend using a consonant-vowel-consonant.  This blending skill is very important in decoding new words and knowing how to "sound out" words when we write.  Please keep working on the Rainbow Words at home.  We will be assessing "yellow" words soon. 

     In Math, we have begun working on numbers greater than 10.  Your child needs a lot of practice counting items up to 20 and writing numerals up to 30.  We are helping to establish an understanding of ten's and one's.  We will be using what is called a ten's frame (a box with 2 rows of 5 boxes) to count ten's and ones.  If we have 1 ten's frame filled and another with 6 filled, then we count "10, 11,12,13,14,15,16".  This will help with addition as well as the concept of "adding on".

     Our Room Moms are beginning to plan a wonderful Holiday Party for our class on 12/18.  If they call for any help or donations, please give them your support.  On 12/17 we are going to decorate gingerbread houses.  You will receive a note next week to ask for a small donation of a certain type of candy to send in. 

     Our Student Council is sponsoring a "Canned Food Drive".  Please send in any non-perishable food items next week.  Thank you to the families who have already sent gifts for the "giving tree".  Many families will be blessed by your generosity. 

     One last reminder: Next Friday, will be another "Relay for Life Hat Day".  Your child may wear a hat to school if they bring a dollar to donate.    

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-PE

     Thank you for attending our special luncheon for grandparents, family and friends this week.  We were delighted to have such a wonderful turnout of guests.  The children love to show off their classroom to you.  I was very proud of them for their performance.  We held our own Thanksgiving Feast in our class today complete with tortilla tepees, Friendship Fruit Salad, costumes. 

     When we return on Dec. 1st, we will continue working with "The World Around Us" by studying modes of transportation and how we can travel by land, air, and sea.  Science Sstandards in this unit include motion, gravity, and day/night sky.  We will explore how things move and how the day and night sky changes with the rotation of the earth.  Our map skills will continue to develop an understanding of the difference between cities, states, countries, and continents.

     In Phonics, our letter sound of the week will be "E".  Each time we introduce a vowel, we practice both the short and long sound.  Although we work with initial sounds quite a bit, vowels work primarily within a word to blend phonemes such as bet, men, set, red.  Every time your child practices blending sounds, he/she will improve their reading and writing ability. 

     In Math, we have been having great fun with our Geometry unit.  We have learned the names of all basic 2-dimensional shapes as well as several 3-dimensional shapes.  We have explored shapes in the world around us and how shapes can be put together to create other shapes and designs.  Our math vocabulary has included: geometry, sides, angles, faces, corners, lines, curves, equal sides and points.  We will finish this unit soon and then begin a unit on numbers greater than 10.  Your child needs a lot of practice counting items up to 20 and writing numerals up to 30.  We are helping to establish an understanding of ten's and ones'.  We will be using what is called a ten's frame (a box with 2 rows of 5 boxes) to count ten's and ones.  If we have 1 ten's frame filled and another with 6 filled, then we count "10...11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16".  This will help with addition as well as the concept of "adding on". 

     As always, I am thankful to be working with your children at such a wonderful school as Garrison Mill.  I hope that you all have a wonderful ThThanksgiving and special times spent with family and friends.      

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials: Week of 12/1-12/5

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-Art

Dear Parents,

     We are enjoying the Thanksgiving season as we consider what we are all thankful for.  Of course our families are at the top of the list, but young children also tend to focus on special toys, pets, and favorite activities.  We have be doing several writing activities to explore this whole idea of "thankfulness".  The more children can expand their ideas, the larger their spoken vocabulary and then their written vocabulary become.  We will continue this unit by learning a bit of American history.  We will compare and contrast living long ago with today.  I am always amazed at the knowledge that can be obtained by our little ones.  They love to hear the details and descriptions of life long ago.  This would be a great time of year to discuss your family's heritage, where they came from and how important thankfulness can be to a family and community. 

     As we prepare for the special Thanksgiving luncheon day for Grandparents and families, we will also look forward to presenting our play "Hooray for Thanksgiving" (Wed. 11/19).  Please meet us in the lobby before lunch (11:15) and then you'll be invited back to the room after lunch in the Dining Room.  If you are planning to have pictures taken by the school photographer, you'll have time after that to go with your child to the Media Center. 

     The School Book Fair will be open this next week.  Be sure to come by to shop.  There will be great selections that will make super holiday gifts.  While you are there, you can also put in your bid for a homemade baked good by our wonderful GM teachers and staff.  This will be set up like a Silent Auction.  You'll get to see the list of selections and then the winner of each bid will pick up their baked good on Friday, Nov. 21st, just in time for Thanksgiving.  All proceeds from this will be donated to our Relay For Life Team. 

In Phonics next week, we will work with the letter sound "S".  Practice blending at home by putting three letter words together like: sat, mat, bit, fin, hat, and sip.  Your child will benefit from this individual work with you at home.  When you are reading together, begin to let your child try to "sound out" these types of simple words.  Keep practicing our sight words too.  The children are beginning to use these words in their journal writing, which is great. 

     In math, we will continue to explore geometric shapes and solids.  The children love to learn big "math" words such as Geometry, circumference, and angle.  They need to be able to identify the solid shapes: sphere, cube, cone, and cylinder.  Help to look for these shapes in objects around the house. 

     Please note:

• We will eat lunch in our classroom on Thursday and Friday while other grade levels have their luncheons.  Students buying a lunch will receive a sack lunch with a chick-filet sandwich.  That will be the only choice on those two days.
• On Thursday, we will be having our own little feast in the classroom while we eat lunch.  We will be making a Friendship Fruit Salad to share as part of our nutrition unit. We will wash, cut, and mix our fruit salad here at school.  I will send a reminder next week. 

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-Music

Dear Parents,

     November is in full swing with Thanksgiving on its way.  We began our unit of study this week with several stories and projects to explore our country's history and compare it with the celebration of Thanksgiving today.  We are building a conceptual understanding of past and present and learning how to compare similarities and differences about people, places, and ways of life.  You can check your child's understanding by asking them to name several chores that pilgrim children did "back then" that they do not do today.  This is a great unit to continue our work with maps and globes and an understanding of where we live.  Please review the "Where in the World Am I ?" homework packet that came home on Wednesday.  Help your child to record their information and take some time to discuss where your family has lived and places that you may have traveled.  Right now we are working on state (Georgia) and country (America) and will move out into the world in December with our Transportation and Holidays Around the World unit.

     We'll be working hard during the next two weeks in preparation for our Thanksgiving Lunch on Nov.19th.  After lunch, we'll have our play in our classroom and then you will be able to take your child to the Media Center for the Book Fair, Family Photographs if your wish and to check out our faculty's 2nd Annual Relay for Life Baked Goods Silent Auction.  You can bid to win a delicious homemade dessert ready to be picked up fresh on Friday, Nov. 21 just in time for your Thanksgiving dinner at home. 

     In Phonics, our letter sound of the week will be "D".  We are making good progress in learning how to blend sounds to make words.  In writing, everyone is learning how to form sentences using a combination of strategies: some words are sight words (our rainbow words) which can be found on our big word wall, some words are vocabulary words (like pilgrim, indian, Mayflower, corn..) and are listed in our word bank, and some words can be written by "sounding them out" and writing what you hear (like "saln on the oshun" for "sailing on the ocean").  As we learn additional spelling and phonics rules, more words will become correct rather than "inventive".  The children are very proud of the details they are now adding to their pictures and their ability to "write" about their picture. 

     In Math, we have completed our unit on numbers to 10 and will begin a Geometry unit next week.  This will include work with 2 and 3 dimensional shapes and a lot of exploration of their attributes.  Vocabulary will include: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, sphere, cube, sides, corners, faces, edges, round, and straight.  We will learn how to combine shapes to make other shapes as well as find shapes in everyday objects. 

     Please note that you have until Tuesday, Nov. 11 to turn in the "Giving Tree" permission form if you would like to participate as a family.  (The flyer said Nov. 8)  This is a wonderful tradition that we have had at Garrison Mill for many years to help needy families during the holiday season. 

     Congratulations to our class for earning a popcorn party this month for good Dining Room behavior.  Congratulations also for collecting the most Box Tops for Kindergarten.  Everyone received a 50 cents coupon to the School Store.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-PE 

   Dear Parents,

    Happy Halloween!!  We had a great day today culminating our Pumpkin Theme with special centers and costume dress-up day.  Thanks so much to all of the parents who contributed items and came to help and join the fun. I hope that everyone has a fun and safe weekend Trick-or-Treating.

     We will begin our Thanksgiving and Nutrition units next week.  As we continue to explore the world around us, we will learn about Pilgrims and Indians, compare living today and long ago, work on map skills and continue to build on the concept of living in a neighborhood, city, state, country and world.  Nutrition will include identifying and sorting types of food and making healthy choices. 

     A special Grandparents Luncheon Invitation will be coming home this next week for you to pass on to any family members who are planning to attend our Thanksgiving luncheon on Nov. 19th.  Parents are welcome to attend as well.  We need your reservation response sheet to help the cafeteria in their planning.  We will be presenting a short little play in our room after lunch called "Hooray For Thanksgiving".  Please remember to send in 1 over-sized white t-shirt this coming week so that we will be able to make our Indian costumes for the play.  A photographer will also be available in the Media Center that day if families would like to have photos taken.

     In Phonics, our next letter sound of the week will be "G".  Everyone is doing a great job learning how to identify beginning sounds in words.  Consistent practice blending sounds together will help your child begin to "make sense" of the reading process.  Keep reading and rereading each of the little books that come home weekly.

     In Math, we will finish up our unit on numbers to 10.  We will continue all year practicing proper numeral formation.  Reversing numerals and letters is developmentally normal at this age.  You can help by modeling correctly and practicing in a variety of ways: (trace in the air, roll play-dough snakes to form numbers, write in the bathtub with shaving cream, verbalize the motions as you make it).  Forming good writing habits and much repetition and practice will establish proper formation. 

     As the weather changes daily during this season, please remember to send your child with a jacket to school.  We go outside daily and it is often too chilly to play without one. Names in jackets are also helpful. 

      If your child misses a day of school, please send a written note when they return to school, so that I can send it to the office to file with the Attendance clerk.  I do appreciate your e-mails in letting me know about your child when they are sick, but I also need the written note with your signature acknowledging that your child was out of school and the date.   

     Have a great weekend.

     Sincerely,

     Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-PE, F-Art

Dear Parents,

     Families are fabulous.  We have enjoyed sharing about families and how each member of the family plays an important part.  I hope that you have some family fun at the Pancake Breakfast tomorrow morning. 

     Next week we have many fun centers and activities surrounding our "Pumpkins" theme.  We will be reading fiction and non-fiction stories, sequences the growth of a pumpkin, learning rhyming poems, and using our sight words in a "Boo" book.

     In Math, we will continue our counting and numeral writing unit as well as having fun with "Pumpkin Math".  We will estimate our class pumpkin's weight, circumference, lines, and seeds.  We will graph our favorite jack-o-lantern face to decide how to carve our pumpkin.  By Friday, we'll be ready to light it up for our special Pumpkin Center time. 

      Please remember that your child may bring their costume to wear on Friday in class.  You should send it in their bookbag and we will change here. 

     Our letter sound next week will be "O".  I will be assessing the "orange" rainbow words for those who are ready.  Don't stop reviewing them all.  They should get comfortable enough with all of the sight words to know them anywhere, not just when reading off the list.  Mix them up, have your child spell them outloud, look for them in print, write them in many ways, type them on the computer...anything you can think of to reinforce their memory of the words. 

     Reminders:

• Pancake Breakfast- Oct. 25
• Square One Art orders due- Oct. 27
• Red Ribbon Week- Oct. 27-31
• No school on Tues., Nov. 4th- Be sure to VOTE
• Mark your calendars for Kdgn. Grandparents & Family Thanksgiving Luncheon- Nov. 19. Please return your reservation form.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Denise Porter

Specials next week:

M-Art, T-PE, W-Music, Th-Pe, F-Art