September 30, 2016

Dear Parents,

We will begin a study of fire safety next week. We will discuss what we would do if there was a fire in our home. The fire safety tips we will review are listed below.

  1. If you hear the smoke alarm or see smoke, get down and crawl on the floor. Feel the bedroom door.
  2. If it is hot, do not open it, but go to the other fire exit (window or second door).
  3. If the door is not hot, exit with caution, but keep low. Immediately, go outside and then go to a neighbor’s house to call 911.
  4. Make sure that your child knows where your family will meet in case of a fire in your home.

Wewill review all of the letters and their sounds next week. We will also learn the “chunks” ay, ai, and ar. “Chunks” help the children to write words in a more conventional manner. We will also work onpositional words (beside, next to, in front of, behind, above, and below), drawing shapes, and noticing shapes in our world. The children need to be able to identify and describe and drawa circle, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, and a hexagon.

____Have your child help you write a family fire safety plan on the enclosed sheet. You may want to let your child write some of the words. Have your child tell you what he/she would do if he/she woke up and smelled smoke. Please return this to school.

____One of our kindergarten objectives is for each child to recite his or her address and telephone number. This is an auditory memory skill, as well as an important safety skill. Teach your child his/her address and telephone number. Review this information with your child while you are running errands in the car, during bathtime and during other routine times. You will need to give your child lots of practice so that he or she will remember it. Even after your child can recall this information, review it several times a week. It is easy for little ones to forget information like this. I have enclosed some songs that will help teach addresses and phone numbers.

____Math Focus: Have your child complete the enclosed math pages (pp.659 and 660). The directions are at the bottom of each page. The pages will give your child practice using positional words, identifying shapes, and describing shapes.

____ Continue to review all of the letters and letter sounds that we have learned. Ask your child to locate letters in books and on signs. Say a word to your child and ask him or her to identify the beginning sound. Most of the children will be able to identify the medial and ending sounds as well. We are all working toward our Letter League Grand Slam party. Please help your child practice all of the letters and sounds so that our class will have the most homeruns!

____ Other things to review: recognizing and describing shapes, identifying the five senses, reciting the days of the week and the months of the year, counting to at least 35, naming body parts, naming colors, recalling his or her birthday, recalling telephone number and address, identifying numbers to 10, identifying letters and the sound each letter makes, and writing his or her first name (appropriate sizing and letter formation.) Please make sure that you check your child to make sure he/she has mastered these skills.

____ Handwriting: Please help your child practice tracing his/her name. The only letter that should be capitalized is the first one. Let your child trace the letters Yy and Zz on the enclosed sheet. After your child has traced the letter, have your child say the letter name. Please use a pencil. Remind your child to always start writing at the top.

____New word: Our new word for the week is “am.” Please let your child write this word on a soapy leg while bathing, in shaving cream, and with pencil and paper. Have him/her chant the word. Remember to review: I, like, and, the, a

____The book, I Am a… , is enclosed. Have your child read this book to you and place it with the other reading books that I have sent home. Let your child read the books frequently. Keep this book at home for future “readings.”

____Readfivebooks to your child. List the books on the lines below. (Please read to your child. It is very important for your child’s education.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

____Did you and your child read 50 minutes (1 book = 10 minutes) this week?

Reminders

*Book Fair-September 30th-October 6th

*Our Fall festival is a PTO sponsored event. It will be held on Thursday, October 20th. There will be more information soon. Please plan to attend!

*Picture money is due on October 4th.

*Make-up pictures will be taken on October 14th.

*The ABC chants that your child has been learning are enclosed. Put them in the “Songs to Learn By” folder.

*The ABC book that your child has been working on is finished. Please put this book with your child’s other books and have him/her read it frequently to you.

*Friday, November 4th-Conference Day-Students do not attend.

*Next week I will be sending home a conference time for you to meet with me about your child’s progress. I will be available all day on Friday, November 4th. I can also meet on other days during recess (10:25am), my planning time (1:20-1:50), and after school (3:00-4:00pm). The conferences will last about 15 minutes.

I appreciate the effort you are making by doing the VIP with your child and returning it to me. Together we can make a positive difference in your child’s education.

Your Partner in Education,

Ginger Carter

Parent Signature: Child’s name: