Mrs. Wheeler's Kindergarten News

During the first two weeks of school, we will spend most of our time getting acquainted with each other.  We learn names, rules, the schedule, and learn about our school, teachers, and principal.  This is an important time for the students so please make sure your child attends school each and every day.  We wait to begin our learning activities until the students feel comfortable in their environment.  We will also have PTA open house very soon after school starts.  I look forward to meeting each parent and also would love to talk briefly with each of you about your concerns or questions.  Thanks for sharing your child with me this year.  I will take good care of them, and I will work hard to help them grow and learn. 

September 3- September 21

We have been working so hard in Kindergarten these past few weeks.  The children are now having phonics instruction each morning except on Wednesday.  We will begin assessing them on each Wednesday for their understanding of the letters and sounds for the week.  The children have learned the letters/sounds for the letter L and for the letter O.  They are working so hard and learning so much.  We have started learning about Johnny Appleseed, whose real name is John Chapmen.  They are learning that Johnny lived durning the past and helped plant apple orchards  throughout Ohio, Illinois , and Indiana.  We have many wonderful apple activities that the studnets are learning about in centers.  We are also getting to taste homemade applesauce and apple peanut butter sandwiches. 

Important Events

 Fall Festival-   Saturday, October 6th.  More information will come as the date grows closer. 

Parent/teacher conferences- October  I will send some information in order to schedule a time to meet with each of you.

September 28- 1:00 dismissal  end of first six weeks

October 1- October 12

We continue to work hard in Kindergarten each and every day.  The kids are learning so much about each other and their unique and similar talents.  The teachers will be meeting with each parent this week to discuss the progress of your child and also any concerns that we may see.  We have been learning about your children each and every day in order to help them be as successful as possible in Kindergarten. 

This week, we are talking about the five senses durning center time and story time.  They are touch, smell, taste, feel and see.  The studnets have been doing hands-on activities in order to develop an understanding of these important Kindergarten SOL's  We have also been talking about fall, and each child has been encouraged to bring in a sign of fall from their home (leaves, nuts, flowers, or another sign of the change in season).  We have also started talking about needs and wants and good citizenship in social studies.  Each of us are working hard to be good citizens each day. 

Our new letter this week will be the letter P as in the work pig.  We will continue to work on the other letters that we have already learned (L, O, G, H, and T) .  We now know our numbers 0-10.  Please work with your children at home on their homework and we will continue to do activities in math to help them learn how to count and how to write their numbers. 

The other teachers and I would like to thank you for your wonderful response to our letter about the fall festival theme basket.  We are happy to say that our basket is awesome!  We have so many wonderful items and can't wait to auction it off at the fall festival, which is this Saturday, October 6.  Thank you again if you contributed to this fund raiser for our school. 

We will also begin taking our Pals Tests in Kindergarten.  This is our standardized test that will help us understand the exact needs of your children.  We will be taking them next week October 8-12.  Please do your best to make sure your child is in school each day of that week, and that they are on time.  Thank you for working with us.

Important Upcoming Dates:

October 3rd - Picture money due

October 1-5- parent teacher conferences

October 5 -  Raffle Ticket money due

October 6 - Fall Festival

October 11 -  Picture retakes

October 15- October 26

We have been busy, busy in Kindergarten.   The PALS test is now complete, and the students worked so very hard to do their best.  We are beginning to complete activities for Halloween.  The students are making pumpkin puppets, making sequencing stories, creating a pumpkin man, and other activities that incorporate pumpkins.  We are working on the letter A in phonics, and the students will get their first little reader book this week.  Please read the book with your child at home. You will be surprised how well they can read already.  We will continue talking about maps and globes in Social Studies and also continue talking about fall.  Our Halloween Party is coming up and the homeroom mothers will be calling you if you need to send something for the party.

We had a nice turn-out for McTeacher night.  Thank you if you came and supported Stonewall Jackson School.  Also, I appreciate all of the parents that came for parent-Teacher conferences.  It was nice sitting and talking with each of you about your child's progress in Kindergarten.

Important Dates

October 21-26  School Bus Safety Week (thank your bus drivers)

October 31     Halloween  Wear Black and Orange

November 6   No School for Students

November 9   1:00 Dismissal  end of six weeks

November 13  PTA Family Academic Night

October 29th-November 16th

We will begin working on our November activities.  We will be talking about the Native Americans and begin working on activities related to them.  We will complete crafts in our centers incorporating Native American beliefs.  The students will also begin working to earn their Indian Headbands.  Each feather will represent an important piece of information that each child must know.  They must know their name, age, birthday, address, phone number, parents' names and how to zip and tie clothing.  So far, I have one Indian Chief in my class because she has earned all of her feathers. 

We are also checking report cards during the week of November 5th- 9th.  Each student will be assessed individually with their teacher so please make sure your child is at school this week unless they are sick.  You will receive the studnets report cards on Wed. November 14th.  

There is NO school for students on Tuesday November 6th. 

Friday November 9th is an early dismissal day. Studnets will dismiss at 12:50 p.m.

We will have a fruit party as our Thanksgiving celebration.  Each student will receive a letter about which piece of fruit we would like you to bring into school.  After we receive all the fruit, we will talk to the students about each fruit.  Then we will invite some parents in to our room to help cut up the fruit in order to serve it at our party.  Our Thanksgiving party will be on Tuesday, November 20. 

There will be no school from Wed. November 21- Friday November 23 as this is our Thanksgiving break.

Please do not forget to attend our 1st PTA academic night.  More information will be coming in your child's folder.