End of the Year Post - May 2021

We Did It!!!

It's hard to believe that your child's kindergarten year is about to end! 

When we started this year, we knew it would be different but didn't know exactly what to expect. I am so happy with the way it ended up! Being in school all year and doing most of the things we usually do (maybe not quite the same way) has been so nice. Going to the park last Friday was SO FUN and made things really feel like they are getting back to normal.  

I really have enjoyed getting to know this great group of students and seeing them learn and grow so much! One thing I have missed A LOT is being able to see and get to know all of you. I love having parents come in to help and being able to meet with you in person for conferences. I love talking about your children and having you get to know the class. I hope next year you are all able to be a part of more things and even though I won't have your children in class, I will love seeing you! 

Here are a few things that may be helpful to know:

-These next few days we will spend time doing some things to wrap up our year together. We will be cleaning, sharing memories, continuing to practice skills, and just enjoying our last few days as a class. 

- Please return your child's computer charging cord! You will need to pay for this if it is not returned!

-Your child's report card will come home sometime next week. I will do my best to write specific suggestions of things to work on over the summer to keep your child prepared for first grade. Even though we are "out of school", please feel free to email me if you have any questions after receiving the report card.

- Over these next few days your child will be bringing things home that they have been using this year. Please check your child's backpack and folder and empty them out each night to get them ready to bring more things home. 

I can honestly say I have had a terrific year. I hope you and your child feel the same way. I hope you all have a wonderful summer and I can't wait to see everyone back in the fall when they are first graders! 

Kiwanis Park Slideshow

Below is a link to some pictures of our trip to Kiwanis Park on Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun! We got to see so many different construction vehicles on our walk and learned how to safely use a drinking fountain again! We wish everyone could have been there to experience our first taste of a 'normal' school event! 

An Afternoon at the Park 

May and June Snack/Leader Calendars

 

May Calendar

June Calendar

April 26th Newsletter

 

Upcoming Events

*4/28 Late Start

*May 6 NWEA testing

*May 11 NWEA testing

Please mark these dates down and have your child

well rested and ready for Spring Testing :)

*May 3 No School-Teacher Curriculum day

*May 12, 19, 26-Late starts

Checking Folders

I know spring can be a busy time with sports FINALLY starting, but please remember to check your child's folder every night and take out the papers that are in there. It makes it hard to put the new things in there when there are still paper from the previous days. 

Library Books

Notices went home with your child on Thursday if you have overdue library books. Please check the titles and look for them around your home. We want them to be able to take home new books but the others need to be returned first. Thanks!

Language Arts

Our focus this week in phonics was the sound of Letter Yy.  We are also learning that Yy sometimes "steals" the sound of Ee or Ii when it is at the end of the word.

Last week we learned when to use the letter C or K when we hear the /k/ sound at the beginning of a word. If the letter is followed by a A, O, or U, you use a Cc. If it is followed by an E, I, or Y, you use a Kk. These spelling secrets can really help us with our reading and our writing!

We are also learning spelling words with a double consonant at

the end:  kiss, yell. The secret for this is that when a one-

syllable word ends with a F, L, S, or Z, you double the consonant.

The sentence that helps us remember this is, Jeff will pass Buzz.

 We have been working hard to learn the H brothers--SH, CH, TH, and Wh.  We are learning their

sounds and listening for them at the beginning or the end of

a word.

 

In reading we are identifying cause and effect. We are thinking

about why something happened or what was the cause. We are

also figuring out what happened because of something else or

what the effect of an action was.

In writing, we are writing Informational (Non-fiction) Text.We have written a book about a person and an animal so far

in this unit!  We are including 3 facts about the topic of our

books. We will be writing at least one more book about an

activity to finish up this unit this week.

Math

In math we are learning the “Friends of 10”.  (4 and 6,

5 and 5, 7 and 3 etc…) This is our fun way to start memorizing

facts to 10.  We are practicing addition to 5 for fluency, which

means “knowing the facts quickly without counting”.

Your child is now making the transition from doing addition

and subtraction with pictures and objects, to doing this

without pictures and objects.

We are learning other strategies, like counting on/counting

back from the first number when adding or subtracting

without pictures/objects.

We will do daily fluency practice soon to help learn simple

addition and subtraction facts quickly.

March 22nd Newsletter

This week at School

3/22 P2 Character Strength: Identifying & appreciating the good in others

3/24 Late Start Day - arrival @ 9:45 a.m.

3/26 Read my Shirt & Hat Day

Welcome

We have two new friends who have joined our class from our St. Joseph virtual program. Genevieve Slavicek already knew some of our friends since she was in Young 5's last year. Zelda Mortenson is new to our district. They have both adjusted very well to our class routines and are great additions to our class! This means we now have 22 students in our class for when you send in snacks! 

March Reading Maddness

We have had a great time listening to all of the great stories in our reading month brackets! We just finished voting on Round 2. In Round 1, most of the winners were books that also won in our class voting. We also spent time rating the text and the pictures and thinking about the stories in our Scouting Report.  We are finishing up our opinion and letter writing unit by writing our opinions about some of these great books. 

What Are We Learning?

In Language Arts we are comparing and contrasting while learning about how children's lives were different and the same long ago. We are learning that the words 'but, while" signal things that are different and the words "too, also" signal that things are the same. In phonics we are learning about digraphs, or as we call them, the H brothers. They are sh, ch, th, wh, and ph. We learned that when we see these combinations, they make a new sound. Look for these when you are reading at home. 

In math we continue to work on using tens and ones to show numbers. We are also working on solving addition and subtraction number stories. 

Another goal we have is to know the combinations of numbers 

make 10 (like 8+2, 5+5, etc...). 

In science we are learning about living things and what they need to live. We are learning how different animals need different habitats to find shelter and food. 

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy this spring weather! 

Updated March Snack Calendar and April Snack Calendar

 

March 1st Newsletter

 This Week at Lincoln School

3/1  March is Reading Month begins!

       P2 Character Strength: Enthusiasm

         Wear your P2 shirt!

3/3  Late Start Day - arrival @ 9:45 a.m.

3/5  1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:34 p.m.

       End of second trimester 

       Dress in your favorite team shirt/hat today!

Coming Up...

3/8  First day of the 3rd trimester

        P2 Character Strength: Social Intelligence

            Wear your P2 shirt!

3/10  Late Start Day - arrival @ 9:45 a.m.

3/12   Dress as your favorite book character today!

Shoes Required!!!

PLEASE make sure your child has a pair of shoes at school EVERYDAY! With our playground being muddier now, we cannot wear our boots into the classroom. The shoes don't need to be gym type shoes. Any shoes they can easily get on and off are fine . I will need to begin calling home for you to bring shoes in if your child does not have them. Thank you so much!

Assessments and Report Cards

I have been assessing your child last week and this week in order to be ready for report cards. It is encouraging to see how much progress they are making! Report cards will come home next week. Remember: A score of 1 or a 2 this time of year is okay. A 2 means your child is on track to meet the end of the year goal. A 1 means that this is an area that needs extra attention and we will be sure to focus on that for the remainder of the year.  If you have any questions once you receive the report card, please email or call me.

March Reading Madness

Below is a link to the books that our school is reading and voting on for March Reading Madness. We are reading each book, rating the text and the pictures on a 5 point scale (5 is great and 1 is not so much), and drawing something to help us understand the story. Feel free to listen to these stories at home and ask your child which one is their favorite and why! 

March read- alouds

What's been going on in our Class?

In reading we working on making predictions as we read using clues that the author gives us and what we already know about the topic. In phonics we are really working on vowel sounds in the middle of words. We have focused on the short vowel sounds mostly but will be getting into the long vowel sounds also. In math we are working on adding and subtracting using drawings to show our work. We are also practicing adding and subtracting using a number line. In writing we are learning how to write a friendly letter with a heading (date), a greeting, the body of the letter, a closing, and a signature.  We are also going to be writing our opinions using this letter format. In science we are starting to learn about plants and animals! We are always so busy and learning so much! 

I hope you all have a terrific week!