We are now beginning Unit 6 in Language Arts. Here are the power words, oral vocabulary words, letters, and sounds we will be mastering during the next 3 weeks. Note: We are learning two letters and two power words each week (instead of one letter and one word each week). Your support and encouragement at home will be beneficial as we increase the learning rate.

In math, we are composing and decomposing number partners for 10. We are also practicing our math facts fluency. We have been counting the days we are in school and we are looking forward to celebrating our 100th day of Kindergarten on February 9. We are also continuing to work on our individual math pathways (on Nearpod). 

And in science and STEM, we are comparing weather patterns throughout the year. We are answering fun questions related to seasons. For example, we will discover which season our birthday occurs in and we will explore why birds lay eggs in the spring.

Valentine’s Helpful Hints:

1. We have 21 students in our class (if students choose to bring Valentine’s to share, please make sure they bring one for everybody in the class).
2. Only write who the Valentine is FROM. Do NOT address Valentine’s to each student (this will help the students distribute their Valentine’s faster).
3. Each student will be decorating a bag in class to collect their Valentine’s in.
4. Students are able to bring a store-bought wrapped treat/candy for their peers on Valentine’s Day. These treats will be sent home to be consumed under parent supervision. Non-food Valentine items are wonderful as well! A permission form will be posted in the next couple weeks.

*Reminder: Please bring a water bottle each day. Even though it’s cold, we still get thirsty after recess. Thanks!

Looking Ahead:

• Wednesday-Thursday, January 31-February 1: Parent Teacher Conferences
• Friday, February 2: NO SCHOOL
• Friday, February 9: Kindergarten celebrates 100 Days of School
• Wednesday, February 14: Valentine’s Day Party

Here’s a quick overview of new things we learned this week:

Comprehension strategy/skill: “Reread”/”Topic and Details” . We read different stories to go along with our theme “What kinds of things grow on a farm?”

2 New High Frequency Words: “he” and “with”

New sound/spellings/handwriting: /f/ Ff and /r/ Rr

*To reinforce high frequency words, phonics and fluent reading, please keep reading the decodable stories that are sent home. Thank you!

Vocabulary: fresh, delicious, beneath, raise, special

Math: Continued Lesson 10 “Add and Subtract Within 5” and Lesson 13 “Compose Shapes”.

Looking Ahead:

• January 12– 2nd Term Ends
• January 15– No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Wednesday-Thursday, January 31-February 1: Parent Teacher Conferences
• Friday, February 2: NO SCHOOL

*NOTE: We’re incorporating handwriting into our journals, so we sent handwriting books home. They can be used at home for extra practice each week as we introduce 2 new letters for handwriting. (Next week, we are learning the correct formation of the letters Ff and Rr.)

Here’s a quick overview of new things we learned this week:

Comprehension strategy/skill: “Reread”/”Topic and Details”. We read different stories to go along with our theme “How do living things change as they grow?”

New High Frequency Word: “are”

New sound/spelling/handwriting: /e/ Ee

Vocabulary: develop, amazing, enormous, imagine, content

Math: Lesson 10 “Add and Subtract within 5”. Students continue working hard on their individualized math pathways using “Nearpod”.

Science: We learned about the four classic “seasons.” Your child was given a series of drawings and looked for patterns to figure out the seasons’ order. We also discovered which season our birthday occurs in.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, January 31 and Thursday, February 1.  Please note: There will be no school on Friday (February 2).

Your child has a special presentation to share with you. Please select the date and time that is most convenient for you and your child to attend together. There are enough appointments available if a child needs more time slots to accommodate parent/guardian situations. Please sign up by clicking the following link: Conference Sign Up Form

Looking Ahead:

• January 12– 2nd Term Ends
• January 15– No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Wednesday-Thursday, January 31-February 1: Parent Teacher Conferences
• Friday, February 2: NO SCHOOL

Here’s a quick overview of new things we learned this week:

Comprehension strategy/skill: “Reread”/”Character, Setting, Events”. We read different stories to go along with our theme “What do living things need to grow?”

New High Frequency Word: “my”

Phonics:blend and isolate sounds in CVC words.New sound/spelling: /h/ Hh

Vocabulary: require, plant, harmful, soak, crowd

Math: Unit 3 Math in Action (Review of Shapes and Adding and Subtracting within 5)

Science: We are keeping track of the weather and how it changes. Students are bringing home a “weather window”. Each day for 4 days, they can note three things about the weather. Is it sunny, cloudy, or partly cloudy? Is it hot, cold, or mild (somewhere in between)? Is it rainy, snowy, or dry?You can encourage your child to notice the weather by asking them about it. What was the weather like today? Did you play outside during recess? Was it sunny or cloudy? Was it hot or cold, rainy or dry?

We are currently working on Unit 5 in Language Arts. Here are the power words, oral vocabulary words, letters, and sounds we will be mastering during this unit. We are continuing to work on handwriting and blending sounds to read words. We are reading decodable passages (found in the student take home folders), so please continue to invite your child to read to you.

In math, we are adding and subtracting. We are learning to be watchful for the + and – signs. One of our standards is to fluently add and subtract within 5 (answers that are 5 or less). You can help us achieve this goal by practicing these math facts with us. Click here for flashcards you can print at home: Adding/Subtracting Flashcards.

Finally, in science we will begin our Seasons unit. We will discuss what to wear for different types of weather and explore the season cycles.

Free Dress Down day will be FRIDAY. Students are welcome to wear comfy pajamas that day (or regular dress down).

Quest families,

The time has come for us to select a yearbook cover for our 2023-24 elementary yearbook. We will be holding a Yearbook Cover Contest to select two students whose artwork will be featured on the front and back cover of the yearbook. This year, students can choose to do artwork that is created digitally or hand-drawn. Each entry must be brought in on a white 8 ½ X 11” paper, and include the school name along with the student’s first and last name in one corner. We will be looking for entries that represent this years theme which is “BE GREAT!” 

Entries are due by Friday, January 5, at 8:30 am.

List of digital art programs suitable for children: Adobe Fresco, Gimp, Krita, Artweaver Free, ArtRange, Sketchpad, Astropad Studio, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Vectr, FireAlpaca, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, Procreate, Tux Paint, Drawing for Children.

Feel free to call the school with any questions. 

Thank you, and happy drawing!

We are sending home a “Snow Day” packet on Friday. Please hold onto and wait to do these lessons and activities until/if we ever have a snow day this Winter. (An exception to this is The “Letters and Numbers for Me” orange book. It is part of the packet, but your child is welcome to work on this anytime and doesn’t need to wait). Thank you!