It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here!  The children are settling nicely into our classroom routines, and we are all working hard.  They are so anxious to learn.  Each child in our class is a unique and special person and I am enjoying getting to know each of them! 

LANGUAGE ARTS

In September, we concentrated on these three rules for reading:  1.  Look at the words.  2.  Stay still.  3.  Think about what you are reading. 

We also concentrated on the left to right direction of words and sentences, and that reading has to make sense. The children are being exposed to many basic words through meaningful stories with much repetition.  Finger tracking word for word of familiar songs and poems is important in the beginning reading process. 

We are beginning the Guided Reading component of our language program next week.  Children will be divided into flexible groups where they will be reading stories at an appropriate level for them to best learn and practise reading strategies and retelling skills (comprehension).  Their Ziploc reading bags will be sent home frequently, but not every night. The reading bags may contain a book from the guided reading lesson or a book they have chosen during independent reading.   

It is a good idea to discuss your child=s reading homework with them before you have them read it to you (or with you).  This helps them to have an idea of what the story, song, or poem is about, and it will be easier to decode all those new words.  Doing a “picture walk” before a story is read, where you discuss all the pictures using special vocabulary words from the story and build a story from the pictures, is very helpful.  Once read, retelling a story with the book closed is a very important skill that could be practiced with stories that your child has read, as well as with “read together / read to child” stories.  

Please record the homework books on your child’s reading log in their Ziploc reading bag.  You may also include other books from home on this log - if you have used the story to help your child develop any reading skills.   Keep track at home of these stories so that you may add the titles to your child’s list when the Ziploc bag does come home every few nights.  The book, list, and bag need to be returned the next day.  We already have a few children who have read 25 or more stories.  Each time your child reads 25 stories, your child gets a certificate and their name is added to our “Bookworm” display in the hallway. 

In our word study lessons, we have reviewed rhyming words and are now studying beginning sounds.  Encourage your child to listen for beginning sounds (the “popper”) and have your child point out and find sounds at the beginning of words.  Sounding out words completely is NOT an efficient reading strategy for beginning readers.  It is better to look at just the first sound (the “popper”) and incorporate other reading strategies, at the same time.  These are listed in the reading duotang and Ziploc bag.                    

The children are also learning actions to go along with each letter sound we study.  This kinesthetic learning approach will help them not only in their reading but also in their spelling.  It is a good idea for parents to learn these actions also, as you will be able to use them when helping your child.  For example, when your child is stuck while reading, you can point to the first letter and make the action.  Chances are your child will then know the beginning sound.  Also, when your child wants to know how to spell a word, you can break it down into sounds and make the actions at the same time, which helps your child to better recall the proper letter for the sound.  This phonemic awareness is a crucial step to good reading and good spelling - being able to break down a word into its sounds.  Knowing the SOUNDS of the letters is more important for reading and spelling than knowing the names of the letters. 

In writing, we have finished up our unit on “Recount Writing” and are now beginning to write “Narrative Stories”.  Children will get a chance to use their imaginations to write make-believe stories with problems and solutions.  We also continue to work on developing our stories with a beginning, middle and end.  Children are encouraged to think about or plan their stories first and then write one sentence at a time first using one “magic line” to represent each word.  (ex.  ____    ______  ______. )  This helps beginning writers to put spaces between words.  We then encourage the children to correctly spell words that they can copy from the “Word Wall” or that are on charts around the room.  They are then encouraged to use their phonetic spelling (we call it grade one spelling) to put the sounds they hear in the other words.  (ex.  I       lv         you     . )

MATH

In Math, we have learned to identify, create and extend patterns.  We are learning about the concept of equal sets, as well as more and less.   We are now studying numbers to 30. 

The Nelson Math program is used in our school board from Kindergarten to Grade 8.  I will be sending a letter home in the Math duotangs at the beginning of every new unit, discussing the topic as well as how you can help your child at home to better understand the math concepts for the unit.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Our three rules for attentive listening are:      1. Look at the person.     2. Stay still.     3. Think about what you hear.  You may wish to use these at home!  

I remind the children daily that it is their responsibility and part of their homework to make sure that they have their  PARENTS SIGN THE BACK OF THE LAST PAGE OF EVERY HOMEWORK DUOTANG.  This is the easiest way you can communicate to me that you have reviewed new and old material with your child each day.  Babysitters, grandparents, or much older siblings could also sign the homework books if they did the homework with your child.  If there is no new work in a duotang (especially reading), just re-initial the back of the last page indicating that you have reviewed a few of the pages.  

At times you may notice comments such as “with teacher’s help” or “with assistance” on your child’s work.  This is to indicate to you that your child is experiencing difficulty in this area and that extra help at home would be beneficial.  

We continue to be a “nut-aware” school and require peanut/nut-free lunches and snacks, which includes foods which state “may contain traces of nuts.”  Please check the list of ingredients before sending any food. Thank you to all for respecting this most important practice.   

Please also ensure that your child has at least two nutritious snacks for morning snack time at 11:15, as lunch time is not until 1:35.  Two drinks or one large reclosable drink should be sent to cover the two eating breaks. 

Please save and send in any Foodland receipts, as well as pull tabs from all beverage cans. 

Please continue to check your child’s hair for head lice and nits. 

Questions have been raised as to what is appropriate to send for prizes for our “Class Store.”  Here are some ideas - jewelry, barrettes, wrapped candy, pencils, erasers, sticker sets, prizes from restaurants (ex. McDonalds), little toys your child is no longer interested in, prizes from cereal boxes, etc.  The “store” is usually operated in the first week of the month, and you should expect a note in your child’s note pocket about it being store day.  Thanks to Mrs. Slocum for volunteering to be the “storekeeper.” 

We will be traveling by bus to the Chatham-Kent Safety Village on Monday, November 2.  A note will be going home soon.   Parent volunteers are welcome!   

Information about special activities for Hallowe=en will be sent home towards the end of the month.  Please keep in mind, that only prepackaged manufactured treats with the ingredients listed will be accepted to be passed out for Hallowe’en.  Homemade treats are not accepted at our school due to deadly allergies of some of the children. 

Thank you for working with your child each night.  Your continued support will certainly enhance their learning this year!