Mrs. Brady’s Kindergarten Newsletter

          It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Parent Visitation Night.   The children have become familiar with our daily schedules and have established some nice friendships these first sixteen days of school.  Our young learners show respect and respond with prayer and song at our Friday morning 8 o’clock Mass.  Recess and lunch are special times for social skills.  We encourage the children to eat efficiently whether it is hot lunch or a lunch brought from home.  Please remind your child to bring home a non-perishable food item that cannot be finished in time.  This will eliminate waste and your child can share this food item at home.      

      In Religion, we have read our flannel board stories from our I AM SPECIAL religion series.  Our focus has been self, family, and friends.  We extend our stories with song, prayer, and activities which include our Family Tree and our Happy Friends Day card/picture.   I also read trade books that incorporate the theme.  The children are very good listeners when it comes to our story books!  There are always discussions at the end of each chapter to relate to everyday life.  Twice a week, we read an Old Testament story and broaden our understanding with songs and an activity, such as, Noah’s Ark and the Baby Moses basket boat.

            Our calendar routine is a major focus every day since we integrate counting, patterns, number recognition, and letter/sound recognition.   Though most of the children are able to count one through thirty or above, it is important to recognize these numbers randomly.  The same holds true for letters.  We have fun with phonics lessons which include action songs from Dr. Jean, The Learning Station, or Jack Hartmann.  Letter sounds and rhyming words are so very valuable.  We include activity pages to help develop these skills.  

            Reading and Writing are an important part of our day.  Each week, we read a poem, a Big Book, and rhymes after listening to a background building CD.   We have shared and modeled writing as an extension of our reading program.  With a letter each week, we sing our Alphabet Book, choral read our “little letter” book, and share our tub of toys beginning with the particular letter.   Last week, we read Bossy Bear, BIG and Little, and graphed gummy bears. We incorporate fine motor skills with handwriting practice and an activity page. We will be reviewing our first set of sight words by the end of the month.  Please review the sight words daily at home and include reading with your child in your schedule as often as possible. 

            We have fun using our Math manipulatives whether it is with sorting, sequencing, counting, one-to-one correspondence, or patterning.  The children will be experimenting with our geo boards in making geometric shapes.  We also play number or shape/color BINGO once a week.  We should begin using our new Math books by the end of the month.  With the upcoming fall weather, our young scientists will be sampling and graphing apples, investigating seeds, and collecting leaves.  We integrate weather and review the seasons at calendar time.

            An extensive part of our first several weeks in school has been upholding our life skills through taking turns, good listening, sharing, being respectful, kind, prayerful, and showing good manners.  It is also important to be helpful to ourselves and to others.  I feel a vital part of early childhood learning is to empower our children with independence and responsibility.  This may include getting dressed, bathroom habits, and eating habits.  I often share my “fish” quote with many friends and family.  We will be working on birthdates, telephone numbers, and addresses in the upcoming weeks. 

           I hope you will be enjoying our beautiful change of season and the brilliant autumn colors brought to us by God.  Upcoming events are Olympic Day, Oktoberfest, and our field trip to the Firehouse.  I will keep you posted with dates.