Love and friendship are in the air here in Kindergarten. This week the kindergarten students focused on what makes a good friend and ways to show how you care for others. If you have the chance, wonder down the hall and look at the work we have done! Next week will be thrilling – our Valentine’s Day party will be on Tuesday, starting at 1:30. Please see the email Carol Wada wrote concerning our volunteer needs for this fun event. The children will be making a craft, playing a game and eating ice cream! If your child has special dietary needs, it would be most helpful for you to attend and monitor what your child is eating. Valentine bags with cards and goodies from our friends will be coming home in the backpacks on Tuesday. We do not open those at school. Have fun reading the cards with your child! After Valentine’s Day we will be learning about what it means to be a president in honor of the upcoming holiday.
PRESIDENTS’ DAY HOLIDAY: No school for students on Monday, February 20th.
Donation Needed: Each child needs to send in an empty toilet paper roll by Friday, February 17th please. We also need some orange and yellow tissue paper. We will be making something with them the week of February 20th. Thanks!
Reading Group Reminder:: When your Kindergarten student reads his/her reading group book that was brought home in the reading book bag, please have him/her read it through and then close the book and retell the details in order as it is presented in the story. This is checking comprehension which is our ultimate goal in reading. When our students are assessed on their reading, they are required to retell the story AND make connections about the story. If they cannot successfully retell with all the details, they do not progress to the next level. Often times, you may think the book your child brought home is too easy. However, they need the instructional reading level they are on to properly develop comprehension skills.
Family Fun Fest: Family Fun Fest (our annual school carnival) is coming up on Saturday, February 25th from 2-5 PM. Mark your calendars for a great time for everyone in the family. In order to make it a success, we need volunteers to man the games, set up and clean up. You can sign up at www.canyoncreekpta.com/familyfunfest.php.
Also, if you have some leftover candy or small toys (like those from fast food restaurants) you want to part with, please donate them in the Family Fun Fest box by the stairs so we can use them as prizes. Teacher Treat forms went out in the last Tuesday folder so get those in to your teachers. We have some great stuff for the silent auction, which will be in the cafeteria during Fun Fest. If you have any questions or ideas, please contact Cory Vessa at vessacory@hotmail.com.
Kindergarten Fun Fest Teacher Treat: One lucky kindergarten student from each kindergarten class will win the opportunity to Cook with the Kindergarten Teachers on Tuesday, March 20th, from 2:45 – 3:45. To enter for a chance to win in the drawing, please follow the directions on the paper that was sent home in the Tuesday folder. The winning student will get to pick one friend to join him or her for this fun time! Thank you for supporting the Canyon Creek PTA.
Volunteer Opportunity: Our intern, Miss Duffy, drew our student silhouettes for us this past week. I am looking for a few parents to volunteer to cut these out at home, returning them to school by Wednesday, February 15th. We have 16 that need to be cut out, so if 4 parents volunteered it would only be 4 for each parent. Please email me if you are willing to help us out with this at home. These silhouettes will be the highlight of our writing about being a president and will be displayed in the hall late next week. Thanks!
Class Pictures: Class pictures will be next Wednesday 2/15. This is a full length picture of the whole class. There will also be individual pictures of the students taken. Please remember to send in your order envelope on or before 2/15 if you are ordering. The order envelope was in the Tuesday folder. If you need a new one, please let me know or stop by the office to pick one up.
Kindergarten Round-Up: Please encourage friends/neighbors in the Canyon Creek neighborhood to register their upcoming kindergarten students on this day! The district uses this number to decide how many kindergarten teachers will be needed for next year!
100th Day Pictures: Grace Lin (Caleb’s mom) has posted all the pictures she took on the 100th day on our Snapfish page at Snapfish.com The information to get into the sight was sent to you in an email. Thanks so much to all who took pictures and anyone may share pictures there!
RRISD Attendance: RRISD and Canyon Creek want your children here to learn daily! Did you know that the district gets money from the state for each child who is in the classroom at 9:00? If you are scheduling doctor’s appointments or need to take your child from the classroom, please try your best to schedule it so that your child can be in school at 9:00. A good deal of learning (math) happens before 9:00! If the appointment is later in the morning, please send your child in before so he/she may learn and be counted present for the day. Please teach your child the value of education from the start by ensuring they have good, daily attendance. Kindergarten, and every grade that follows, provide an important foundation which will follow children through their educational career through high school and even into college. The basic skills taught during these early development classes, such as letters, numbers, and reading, will be used as the basis in every class through graduation. In addition to the basic skills learned, Kindergarten is an ideal time to start teaching children the importance of school as they get their first taste of true educational instruction. Additionally, encouraging responsibility through daily attendance will instill good habits students will keep into adulthood. Thank you!
Lost and Found: The lost and found is full of really nice clothing—mostly jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts. I know these things are easy to leave behind when the temperatures are cold in the morning and warm in the afternoons. Please remind your child to take a look, or better yet, stop by before or after school to check. Thank you!
UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER:
February 10th or 13th – Class Valentines due
February 14th – Valentine Party
February 15th – Class picture day
February 15th- Group class pictures
February 20th- Student Holiday
February 25th- Family fun fest
March 6 – Kindergarten Round-Up Please encourage friends/neighbors in the Canyon Creek neighborhood to register their upcoming kindergarten students on this day!
March 12 – 16 – Spring Break, no school
THANK YOU:
*John’s mom for stuffing Tuesday folders this month
* Paras’ dad and Paras for being our Superstar readers
* Caleb’s mom for taking pictures for the 100th Day and posting them to our Snapfish page
* Aamir’s dad for being our guest reader
* Aamir for the window decorations
* Aamir, John, Jansen, Rachel, Quy for the Valentines stickers
* Mrs. Wada for arranging our volunteers for the Valentines Party
* Mr. Hawken for being a Watchdog this week and helping us with our writing
* Melissa Gaber, Kulsum Master and Jenny Ramsey for volunteering to help in the computer lab on Monday (2/13)
WOW! Thanks to everyone for all the help!
ASK YOUR CHILD ABOUT:
* Using our candy hearts in math – sorting, graphing and measuring length
* Filling in a 100s chart
* Filling in the February calendar
* Things I Love (heart shaped book)
* Friendship Flowers (up in the hall)
* I am a good friend because … writing (up in the hall)
* Friendship Venn Diagram (up in the hall)
* Sharing our family hearts (up in the hall)
* How writers use labels/captions
* Making a gift for our big buddies
* Reading poetry folders with our big buddies
* Decorating our Valentine bags
* Handwriting practice (M, N, K, L, U, V, W, X)
* Enrichment lesson with Mrs. Cerda
* Friendship/Love lesson with Mrs. McCall