2 more things!

A field trip permission slip went home last week. The field trip is not until April, but we need the money to purchase tickets by Friday, 12/11. Please send $12 in cash in a baggie or envelope (if you pay your bills electronically, you'll have plenty of unused envelopes!)

Math-a-thon permission slips will go home this week. The math problems are fun, students win prizes, and it benefits St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Longfellow has raised over $21,000 over the past three years! At St. Jude's, families never have to pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

It's Getting Cold!

Snow is forecasted for Thursday and Friday - winter weather is on its way! Students love to play in the snow, so warm clothing is essential. We only stay inside if it is raining or the temperature or wind chill is in the single digits. Morning recess can be especially cold before the sun has had a chance to warm us up. Each student should have a coat that closes, a hat or hood, and mittens or gloves. Children should have boots when it snows. Snowpants make recess and lunchtime a lot warmer and more fun. (I tell students not to sit or lay in the snow if they don't have snowpants.) Consider asking for a pair for the holidays if you don't have them already. Feel free to send an extra pair of socks for your student to keep in his or her cubby in case a dry pair is needed.

Keep practicing tying shoes and boots, and zipping, buttoning, or snapping coats. I also recommend putting your name on everything you can! (I'm always amazed when the Lost and Found has ONE boot.)

Scholastic Book Orders

I sent home 4 book order forms today. If you choose to order, you can make 1 check out to Scholastic no matter how many forms you use. Please return them to me on or before Monday, 12/9. If any books are a surprise, let me know and I can get them directly to you.

Holiday gifts

Many children will be asking for holiday gifts this time of year. A few suggestions with a teacher's bias:

• reading books
• coloring books
• activity books (word searches, crosswords, sudoku, etc.)
• games that build strategy (Connect Four, Trouble, Checkers, Sorry, Uno; some children may be ready for Battleship or Rummikub)
• games that build counting skills (Candyland, Chutes and Ladders)

Many games also have a Jr. version for younger children, like Monopoly, Clue, Boggle, and Scrabble. I'm a fan of anything that gets kids' minds and bodies active!

I hope to see you tonight!

I'll be at Fitzgerald's tonight for the Parent Teacher Social. Food, raffles and fun start at 7! Whether I see you or not, have a great weekend!

Math Goals

I've been individually assessing some of our math goals:

• orally count to 35 (by the end of November) and to 50 (by the end of December)
• identify numbers to 15
• orally count back from 10 (by the end of November) and from 12 (by the end of December)
• generate, continue, and copy patterns
• understand concepts of greater/ more than and less than

I'll send a note home next week with your child's progress on these topics.

Calendar

Students are into our calendar routine each morning. We sing the days of the week and months of the year; we review today, tomorrow, and yesterday; we say the date in English and Spanish. We also keep track of the days of school and the weather. A student records the weather on a monthly graph. November has been much nicer than October! Another student adds a straw to our collection each day to record how many days we've been in school (56!) We count to 56 by 10s and 1s using straws, and again using dimes and pennies. Then we count to 56 by ones. The number gets bigger everyday! Counting by 1s, 5s, 10s, or even 2s, is something you can do in the car or while you're making dinner.

In the classroom...

• On Friday I sent home a template of a turkey with instructions on the back. I can't wait to see how creative you are in disguising your turkey. You can use just about anything to keep him from getting eaten for Thanksgiving dinner! Please turn them in by Wednesday.
• Don't forget - fresh fruits and vegetables are welcome for snacks. I tell students it should look like it was just picked. We usually eat our snack during recess and children are anxious to play. Something easier to eat (half an apple, cut up instead of a whole apple) is more likely to be eaten.
• A representative from Jr. Achievement has been coming to our classroom; your child may have mentioned Ann. Jr. Achievement is an organization that sends members of the business world to volunteer in classrooms. Ann has read stories about working together and saving money, and has follow-up activities for students.

Nonfiction Week

This Monday the 16th starts Longfellow's Nonfiction Week. We're making a special point to read lots of nonfiction books. Students love learning "real stuff!" Mrs. Pearce has also introduced kindergarteners to the nonfiction section of the library, so you may see different types of books coming home. (Don't forget - Monday is library day!) If you have a short nonfiction book at home, bring it in and I'll read it to the class.

Shadow Play

We've been reading about shadows in our big book. Does your child remember the three things it takes to make a shadow? We took advantage of a beautiful, sunny week and tried to make our own shadows do crazy things! It turns out they can swing on the monkey bars, hang upside down, and stick out their tongues!

Letters and Sight Words

Today I assessed students on their sight words. You should see a note in your child's backpack pertaining to this. So far, I have introduced 25 words from the paper books that go home each week. Students should point to words as they read, both in the paper books, and the books you choose to read at home. The sight words introduced so far are: a, an, and, are, big, do, down, go, has, have, he here, I, is, in, it, no, see, she, small, the, this, up, we, who. These are words students should know, or should be getting to know. They will be expected to know at least 26 words by the 2nd trimester report card. I'd hope they know at least 15 words by now so they are on track for that future goal.

Kindergarteners were expected to know all their upper- and lowercase letters by the time of October's conferences. I recently reassessed those students who had not met this benchmark. You'll see the results on the back of the note sent home today. If your child does not know all of his/her letters, please continue to work on them at home. Not knowing the letters makes learning sounds and sight words, as well as writing in journals, a struggle.

Besides reading, other ways to practice sight words and letters are with flashcards or a game (Bingo, Memory, Go Fish.) Some children are tactile learners; perhaps make the words (or letters) out of puffy paint, foam, or sand paper and have your child trace them with his/ her finger.

I'm Looking For....

• workshop volunteers! At the beginning of the year, several of you mentioned you would like to volunteer in the classroom on a regular basis. Students are into their everyday routines and have become accustomed to Workshop. They rotate between centers for 10-15 minutes at each center. We could use a volunteer at the writing center to help with topic ideas and sounding out. If you have about an hour a week you could work, or pair with a friend to come biweekly, please let me know. Check our weekly schedule to the left to see when we are NOT available. (Please consider this a time to work with ALL students, including your own. This is also a confidential position; even the "cute" stories should not be shared.)
  
• old button-down shirts! I got some great new paint, but would love to have some smocks to protect our clothes. An old button-down shirt worn backwards is great for protecting our fronts and sleeves. Adult sizes cover kindergarteners the best.