Happy Holidays!

We had a very special visitor today, Santa! The students enjoyed talking and taking pictures with Santa.

I wish all of you a very Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Enjoy!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

December is a fun time to be in kindergarten! We have been busy making decorations for the holidays! Last week we made reindeer and this week we made Santas. Please remember to send in a wrapped gift (around $10) to the school office labeled with your child's name. All gifts are due by Friday, December 10th! Santa will be delivering the gifts on Monday, December20th.

Thank you for sending in postcards. So far we have 39 postcards. We still need a lot more by February so if you or your family or friends will be traveling over the holidays please send us a postcard!

This week we began Unit 3 in Language Arts. You should have received the Unit 3 sight words. This week we will be working on words (she, me, with). We will also be working on comparing and contrasting and letters Nn and Bb. For grammar we are reviewing nouns and adjectives and we are learning about verbs.

In Math we are working on solid figures, shapes, symmetry and equal parts. Please look at your child's math worksheet for ideas on ways to practice the skills at home.

In Science we finished our unit on body parts. Last week we started learning about the five senses.

Enjoy the pictures!

Our Thanksgiving Feast!

Well better late than never! Right? We hope you enjoy the pictures from our Thanksgiving Feast! We were lucky to have Mrs. Ginther in to read a story and teach the "turkey dance"!

Our New Podcast!

We hope you enjoy our new podcast titled "Kindergarten Is Thankful For...."!

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving!

This week we have been working on some Thanksgiving projects. Today the students wrote about things that they are thankful for. We are also learning about Pilgrims and Indians. Today we made Pilgrims and the students smiled for a group picture to show off their work.

Remember that your child is welcome to dress up as a Pilgrim or Indian for our Thanksgiving Feast next Wednesday. We will be making Indian headbands in school for students who do not dress up.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to come in for parent/teacher conferences. It is so nice meeting with all of you!


New Thanksgiving podcast coming very soon.....

Kindergarten's Got Mail!

The 100^th Day of School is quickly approaching. This year Kindergarten is trying to collect 100 postcards by the 100^th Day of School in February. We need your help to achieve our goal.

We are asking all parents to mail a post card to our school. If you are traveling it would be fun to receive a postcard from you, but you could also send a post card from your home. Please pass this on to any family members or friends (especially those who live in other states or countries) to help us reach our goal.

Our students will love receiving postcards from you, and this will be a great way to learn about other places! We look forward to hearing from you!

Here is the address:

Miss Korsak’s Kindergarten

George Wolf Elementary School

300 Allen Street

Bath, PA 18014

Our First Podcast!

This week we recorded our first podcast titled "Kindergarten Alphabet Chant". We hope you enjoy!

November!

I can't believe it is November already! We have been learning so much in Kindergarten. I am very excited to share everything with you during our conferences later this month!

In Language Arts we are continuing working on naming letters and sounds. We are also working on decoding simple 3 letter words (map, sat, Pam, Tam, Sam, pat, mat, tap). This week I introduced main idea. When reading to your child each night, you can ask them to identify character, setting, and the main idea of the story. This week I also introduced adjectives and we reviewed nouns.

In Math we continued to practice numbers 0-10. Some of the number are difficult to write so I encourage you to have your child practice writing them at home.

In Science we learned about bones and muscles. I hope you child is sharing them fun facts that we are learning !

Last week we worked on a project with Mrs. DiOdoardo's second grade class. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Halloween!

It's hard to believe that October is almost over. During the last two months the students have learned so much. They are beginning to read and write independently already. It certainly is an exciting time in kindergarten!

In Math we just finished Chapter 3 and we will begin Chapter 4 next week. We will be learning about numbers 6-10. Continue to practice writing numbers 0-10. Some of the numbers are very tricky to write! We will also continue talking about before and after on a number line.

In Language Arts we are reviewing setting, character and sequence. We will be learning about main idea next week. So far we have focused on letters Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss and next week we will practice Pp. We have also been learning that nouns are naming words and they name a person, place, thing or animal. We also discussed proper nouns this week. Next week I will be introducing adjectives.

I am very excited to share kid writing journals with you at conference time in November. I think you will be impressed with how well you child is writing. I have a handful of students writing completely independently and by late December my goal is to have the entire class writing one complete sentence independently. Continue to practice the sight words and sounds at home because that makes writing much easier! In the picture above, Aiden shows off his wonderful kid writing work!

This week in Science we learned about our hands. We did a little activity where each student had to write his/her name without the use of their thumb. We learned how important our thumbs really are! Next week we will learn about bones and muscles!

Look for the November Newsletter in the Weekly Communicator Folder that will be sent home Friday. It has some important information on it!

In the pictures below, Adrian is working hard on his tissue paper pumpkin. Mackenzie and Reilly are showing off their pumpkins!

Happy Halloween!

Parent Visitation Week!

Thank you to all of the parents who came in to visit our kindergarten classroom. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

This week in Math we continued talking about the terms more and fewer. We also started learning numbers 1-5. Since it can be difficult to write the numbers, I would encourage you to have your child practice writing them at home! When we learned numbers 1-4 the students glued pumpkin seeds onto their pumpkin worksheet. In the picture above, Aiden is gluing his seeds. In the pictures below Matthew and his family smile for a picture and Lea shows her finished math project!

In Language Arts we talked about compare and contract. We review letters Mm and Tt and we learned letter Aa. At home you can review these sounds along with the sounds for the other letters in the alphabet. You could also say a word and ask your child to identify the first sound they hear in that word. Also, you can say two words and ask your child to identify whether the words begin or end with the same sound. We are beginning to learn how to decode words. Some words we learning to read are (mat, map, at, Tam). We also learned two new sight words, have and is.

In Science we continue our discussion about external body parts. We also learned about some internal body parts like the brain, lungs, heart and stomach.

Have a great weekend!

This Week...

We are officially finished with Unit 1 in Language Arts. We will have our Unit 1 test on Monday, October 18th. I would be good to review the sight words, rhyming words, letters Tt/t/ and Mm/m/, character and setting. I have placed the Unit 2 sight words in the weekly communicator folder so you can begin to practice those new words with your child!

In Math this week we worked on the terms fewer, more and equal groups. Next week we will learn numbers 0-5. We continue practicing counting from 1-31 and identifying shapes and colors. It might be a good idea to have your child practice drawing the shapes at home. Also, please continue to practice patterns!

In Science we began discussing external body parts. Next week we will finish making our scarecrows and we will talk about internal body parts. In the pictures below Kyla and Adrian and Kiersten and Collin are taking turns identifying external body parts.

Parent Visitation is Tuesday, October 19th and Wednesday, October 20th. I look forward to seeing you! Please remember to keep to your 30 minute scheduled time period since I have many visitors coming in both days.

Thank you to everyone who donated Clorox wipes and tissues. I greatly appreciate it!

Fire Prevention Week!

This week we learned all about fire safety. A special thank you to the Bath Fire Department for coming to our school and talking about fire safety. I would encourage you to talk more with your child about fire safety at home! In the picture to the left, Gizem and Ashley smile by a fire truck. In the pictures on the bottom, Mrs. Ginther in wearing the full firefighter gear while Nate is wearing the hate and jacket.

In Math we will be having our Pattern test on Tuesday. Children will be expected to copy a pattern, identify what comes next in a pattern, and identify what shape is missing. On Wednesday we will start Chapter 3 and we will begin learning the terms more and less.

In Language Arts this is our last week in Unit 1. We will be reviewing character, setting and classify and categorize. We will review all sight words (to, the, I, am, little, a). We will review letter Mm /m/ and we will concentrate on our next letter, Tt /t/. We will also continue working on nouns for people, animals and things. Remember to save those tan booklets that are sent home each week. You can have your child practice reading those throughout the year!

Since we do not have school Monday (10/11) I will be sending homework home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night. Please make sure your child writes his/her name on the homework and that it is completed neatly.

This week we also made some seasonal crafts to decorate our classroom and hallway. Vrai and Matthew are holding the bats they made Friday.

Patterns, Patterns, Patterns!

Chapter 2 in Math is ALL about patterns. We staretd off copying basic AB patterns (red, blue, red, blue, red, blue) and now were are practicing extending a pattern (what comes next). We are also learning AAB patterns (red, red, blue, red, red, blue) and ABB patterns (red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue) and ABC patterns (red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow). You can practice making patterns at home with various items. You could use cereal, fruit snacks, noodles, leggos, cars, and other toys. You could also have your child create patterns on paper by using crayons, markers or even paints.

In Language Arts we will finish the alphabet by Friday. Your child should be practicing letters A-Z and the letter sounds each night. The more familiar they are will letters and sounds the easier it will be for them to read and write! This week we are also reviewing character, setting, and sequence. You could review these skills when reading to your child each night.

Congrats! We returned all of our library books on time last week! Keep up the good work!

You will receive an October Newsletter and a new VIP list in the "weekly communicator" folder on Friday.

Please continue to practice your child's 4 digit lunch pin number at home. There are still several children that do not know their number.

Remember to send in your child's sight words once they know all of the Unit 1 words. They should be cut into flashcards with your child's name on the back. Please put them in an envelope, paper clip, baggie or rubber band as well.

Thanks for your continued support and cooperation! Have a great week!

Kindergarten Writers!

Kid writing is in full swing in kindergarten. The students are doing an excellent job writing in their journals. Their pictures are so detailed and creative. They have such imaginations! They are starting to learn their sight words and letter sounds which is making it easier for them to write sentences. You can encourage your child to write at home. Maybe they can write about something they are learning in school. They could always write about their pets, family members, friends or favorite activity. Please encourage your child to write making only the first letter in the sentence capital and the rest lowercase. They should also use meatball spaces between each word. They also know to start writing on the left side of the paper (I usually make a star where they should start) and they know they need a period at the end of the sentence. Be sure to give lots of encouragement and praise so they learn to love writing!

In Math we will be starting Chapter 2 which is patterns. We will begin by learning sound and movement patterns and we will be creating basic AB patterns for this week. We also practice counting to 30 and identifying number 1-10. We also practice colors and shapes daily.

In Language Arts we learned the sight words (the, little). Remember that when your child knows all of the Unit 1 sight words please return them to school so your child can be tested. This week we are reviewing character and setting and I am introducing sequence (first, next, last). By the end of this week we will have learned letters A-T and the sounds. I would encourage you to make alphabet flashcards and have your child name the letter and sound each night. We are also reviewing rhyming and identifying syllables in a word.

Have a great week and enjoy the pictures!

This Week In Kindergarten....

This week in Language Arts we learned letters and sounds A-O. We have also been working on rhyming words and syllables. We have also been identifying character and setting in a story. We continued to practice the sight words (I, am). Next week will be working on the words (the, little). Please return your child's Unit 1 sight words once they know them all. Please cut the sight words into flashcards and write your child's name on the back of each card. The flashcards should be placed in a plastic bag or paper clipped together when they are sent in to school. I forgot to mention this on the note that was sent home with the sight words. Your child will be bringing home tan reading books (one piece of paper folded in half) each week. I would encourage you to save those booklets to have your child practice reading them to you at home. Those booklets will contain the new sight words we are learning along with some new words we are learning to read.

In Math we continued to practice top,middle, bottom, above, below, over, under, in, out, left and right. We will be having our first Math Test next week!

This week you should have received paperwork regarding out "Be a Phanatic About Reading" Program. Although this is not mandatory I do encourage you to participate. All you have to do is read with your child for 15 minutes each night. Please use the paper that was sent home to keep track of each time you and your child read.

***I could use old magazines for a learning center that we will be working on this year. If you have any magazines you are throwing away could you please send them in with your child?

Off To A Great Start!

We were very busy learning new things this week! In Language Arts we learned the letters A-D and their sounds. We also learned to identify characters in a story. We practice two sight words (I, am). We will be learning more sight words next week so please practice all of the Unit 1 sight words each night with your child! We started kid writing this week. Please listen to my podcast for more information about our kid writing program! We are also practicing reciting the days of the week and months of the year.

In Math we learned the terms top, middle, bottom, above, below, over, under, left and right. Learning left and right is very difficult for many children so try to practice that daily. We are also practicing counting from 1-30.


We Need Your Help!!!!
The kindergarten staff is looking for volunteers to help kindergarten students in the lunch room. We would need volunteers from 11:10-11:50 each day. You will need a TB Test before you are able to come in to help. If anyone is interested in helping us you can contact Heidi Wruble, the Volunteer Coordinator, at wrublefamily@verizon.net. We would greatly appreciate any help!

Today we sponge painted apples for the hallway! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Welcome To Kindergarten!

Our first week of kindergarten went very well. We were very busy learning about the rules of our school. We did several projects, read books and played a lot the first few days. Today we stared our first language arts and math lesson. In language arts we talked about characters in a story. We also briefly discussed rhyming words and the letter A. We learned two sight words (I, am). Next week you will be getting a list of sight words to practice at home. Students are expected to memorize these words as it will help them with reading and writing. In math we learned about top, middle, bottom. Each night your child will be bringing home a math worksheet. At the bottom of the worksheet there will be an "At Home Activity" section that you can work on at home to reinforce the lesson.

** Please remember to send lunch money in a labeled baggie or envelope.
** Please remember to practice writing first names at home.
** Please remember to send a snack in with your child, even if he/she is buying a lunch.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Summer Reminders!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer. Kindergarten is just around the corner so I wanted to remind you to practice all of the material in the Kindergarten packet you received at Kindergarten testing. In case you did not receive the packet here are some things you should be working on with your child:

• Writing his/her first name (making only the first letter capital)
• Writing numbers and letters
  
• Capital and lowercase letter recognition (all 52)
  
• Number recognition 1-10
• Shape and color identification

Please mark your calendar because Kindergarten Orientation is Wednesday, August 18th at 1:00 at George Wolf Elementary School. At this time you will meet our new principal, Mrs. Robyn Ginther. You will also meet your child's teacher and have a chance to see the classroom. You will also receive important information regarding the school year!

Thanks For A Great Year!

I want to thank everyone for a wonderful year. I will certainly miss this class. I truly enjoyed working with all of my students and parents. I wish everyone the best in first grade and I hope you all come back to say hello once in a while. I hope you all have a wonderful summer! See you in September.

Enjoy the pictures of Mr. Monaghan in the dunk tank! This was the 25 book challenge celebration! Congratulations to Lucas for dunking him!