Centers

We will not have centers the week of December 13-17. We will be busy watching a full length movie and getting a visit from a man in a red suit! (sshhhhh!)

December

This month will fly by, but we still have some big things going on:

Literacy: We are working on lower case alphabet. I had my eyes opened when we tried to do a dot-to-dot! Most of the students couldn’t follow in ABC order! We are also looking for the beginning sound in words.

Math: patterns, AB, AAB, ABC, etc. we are learning the names of patterns and seeing how they grow. We are also working on counting to 50 and writing numbers to 10.

Writing: We are still practicing letter formation, and starting every letter AT THE TOP! We are also learning the 3 things good writers use: Uppercase at the beginning, spaces between the words, and punctuation at the end.

Social Studies: Christmas, family traditions.

Upcoming dates:

Dec. 8 Read-a-thon. Only the books with the purple schoolhouse stamp are allowed! Students can bring one small treat and a drink with their bag or box or books. Watch for more info next week.

Dec. 17 The last day of school before the Christmas break. Enjoy the holiday! School will resume on Jan. 3.

Other important info:

Each time your child reads 10 books send a note with their name on it. We are keeping track at school to help send books to needy children. Also, reading is part of homework. Students should be reading 15 minutes a day, four days a week. Make sure they start with the title of the book, and use their finger to point to every word. It is important for children to track while they are reading.

Sit with your child while they are doing homework. Watch how they hold a pencil, stabilize their paper, sit in a chair, and form each letter. Homework needs to be done in pencil.

Several students are missing library books. If you find one please send it back. Library is on Mondays and all books should be returned each week.

PE is on Thursdays. Students should be dressed in clothes and shoes appropriate for physical activity.

Very few students have returned the new sight word list ready to pass off the words. Please work on those nightly as part of reading homework. I am sending the next list. When your child can read the words without prompts, or mistakes send back the note that they are ready to pass off the list.

We are quite loaded with snacks! Thank you so much for your support. Please don’t send any more until I let you know if we need them!

We are still struggling with news. Please help your child be prepared for his/her news day. Children love the opportunity to ‘share’ and it is important for them to be able to stand in front of their peers and “present”.

Remember to send $1.50 for your child’s secret gift. If you are unable to send the money please let me know.

If your child is sick or going to be absent call the office (586-2840) and let them know. Also, as you can see we have entered the cold season! Students must wear a jacket or coat to school. I will not let them go outside without one.

We finally have our blog up and running! It is in the beginning skeleton stage, but you can check it out at jonesjems.blogspot.com

Finally, as I ponder this time of year and all the many blessings I have, I am so grateful to be able to come to school each day and interact with your children. I love them so much. I appreciate every one of you and the support you show to your children and me. I learn so much from them! They are so eager to learn and so fun to be around. Thank you for trusting me with your greatest treasures and for touching my life every day! Have a safe, Merry Christmas!!

AM Kindergarten Dancers

PM Kindergarten Dancers

The first one from the audience to dance!

Working hard with Mrs. Kenney

Learning to make prints at Braithwaite Art Gallery Fieldtrip

"All The World's A Stage"

PM Crazy Hair Day

AM Crazy Hair Day

Talking to "Barney" at the bus garage

Bus Garage Fieldtrip

PM Class Pumpkins

"I think I can carry this all the way to the bus"

AM Class perfect pumpkins

Cleaning the tables??

Shaving Cream Day

Cotton Candy beard

Yum!

Working hard!

November

November
Wow! Another month has flown by. Thank you to those who came and supported our PTA Halloween Carnival. I saw some cute spooks there! Here are some things we will be talking about this month:
Literacy: We are still working on the letters of the alphabet. We will be starting on lowercase letters for our bellwork soon. We are also working on initial sounds in words and reading the kindergarten sight words.
Math: Recognizing and writing numbers to 10. Counting to 40. Patterning.
Writing: Writing our names with uppercase at the beginning and lowercase for the rest. Starting every letter AT THE TOP everytime! Writing all the uppercase and lowercase letters.
Social Studies: Thanksgiving, Native Americans, Nutrition.
Other important information:
• Remember to return the reading calendar, golden sneaker calendar, and skills sheet. They are part of homework and are due back the first of each month. Remember students can earn a Pizza Hut Pizza for meeting the reading goal (4 hours/month).
• We are having a lunch and learn for “Student “Success in School” on Monday, November 8 from 11:45-12:30. It is for Kindergarten students and their parents only. Please watch for the note and return it ASAP.
• There is NO SCHOOL November 24-26. We are out for Thanksgiving Break.
• We are starting into the cold weather season. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately, and has his/her name on all outerwear clothing.
• When your child is doing homework please help/monitor them. I am seeing a lot of writing starting at the bottom. ALL letters need to start at the top! It is important students learn correct handwriting now as they are developing writing habits. Students need to use a PENCIL for all homework. They need to hold the pencil correctly in a “tripod grasp”, and stabilize the paper with their “free hand”. Make sure they have a clean, quiet place to work and are sitting up straight facing the table or work space. Developing good study habits now will help them through their educational career.
• Every student has an assigned news day. Please help your child be prepared to share news. If you don’t help them they are still sharing! (usually things you wouldn’t want us to know about!) Also, I am not collecting newspaper. Some students bring in a news article and hand it to me to read. The point of news is for them to get up in front of their peers, not for me to read the news. I read the newspaper at home!
• We have yet, another fieldtrip! We will be walking to the Paiute Tribal building to watch the Native American Program on Tuesday, November 9. Please sign and return the permission slip when it comes home so your child can attend.
• Progress reports for the 1st quarter will be coming home this week. Please review it and return the attached signed slip.



If you have any questions please call me 586-2840.
Mrs. Jones

September

September
Welcome to Kindergarten, and welcome to East Elementary! We are ready for our first week. The students are excited about school, eager to learn, darling, and overall well prepared for school. Thank you, parents for helping them get to this point! I am looking forward to getting to know each of you better. I am even more excited to get to know your cute Kindergarteners! Here are some of the things we will be talking about for the next couple of weeks:

Literacy: Uppercase letters and the letters in our names. Understanding the difference between a “word” and a “letter”

Math: Recognizing and writing numbers to 10. Colors and shapes.

Writing: Writing our names with uppercase at the beginning and lowercase for the rest. Starting every letter AT THE TOP everytime! Writing all the uppercase letters.

Social Studies: All About Me. We will talk about our wonderful selves,
families, pets, homes, friends, and favorite things.

Other important information:
• Reading folders need to be returned every Monday.
• 200 E is for bus loading only. Parents need to pick up students outside our kindergarten door.
• Centers will start the first of October. We still need several parent volunteers. We could use some help on Mondays (we also need a reading mom)and Fridays (a.m. 10:00-10:30)and Tuesdays (p.m. 2:00-2:30) Reading moms please start on Sept. 13.
• Library is every Monday. Remember to return books then.
• Every Wednesday is early out. Morning will dismiss at 10:40. Afternoon will begin at 11:45 and dismiss at 1:30.
• Remember snack each month.
• If your child will be absent please call the office to excuse them.





Thank you all for coming to our Kindergarten pre-assessment. It was good to meet all of you. If you have any questions please call me. 586-2840
Mrs. Jones

Thank you all for coming to the Pre-Kindergarten assessment. We had 100% turnout! I am looking forward to school starting and can't wait to have all the students here!

Kindergarten

WOW! Another year is almost over.
We are working hard getting ready for our Kindergarten Program. The students are really excited and so am I. They know almost all their parts and really sing well.
Please note the time on the invitation.
a.m. class 5:30
p.m. class 7:00
Don't be late!
Girls need to have their hair down or their hats won't fit. Also, please make sure they have on shoes that won't fall off....no flip-flops or sandals without a heel strap.
I can't wait to see you there!