Shoesmith Kindergarten

May 25, 2009

Dear Parents,

Special thanks for your support with Market Day.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the idea of planning and operating their own business.  The opportunity to exchange money, count change, and move around independently was an experience they will never forget.  This week, we will continue our End of theYear Testing for kindergarten.  Please continue to review songs and poems for the Kindergarten Celebration.  Thanks again for your cooperation.

• • • • Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Theme: Animal Families

Reading: School Readiness Tests

• Vocabulary
• Identifying Letters
• Phonemic Awareness:  Beginning, middle, ending sounds and rhyming words
• Comprehension and Interpretation

Math: School Readiness Tests

• Number Recognition
• Counting Sets of Objects
• Identifying Coins and their value
• Ordinal Numbers:  first –tenth
• Recognizing time on a clock
• Identifying Shapes and three dimensional shapes
• Number stories:  addition and subtraction
• Fractions:  ½ , ¼, ¾, and a whole

Science

• Observing animal behavior

Social Science

• Using the arts to explore and express ideas:  practicing for the Kindergarten Celebration

Homework

Daily Practice:  Poems and songs for Kindergarten Celebration

Final Project

“What I Learned in Kindergarten” Poster:  Work with your child to compose a poster that reflects what your child learned this year in kindergarten.  You may include art work, stories, writing samples, pictures, stickers and words.  Posters are due on June 4, 2009.  Projects will be displayed at the Kindergarten Celebration.

Spirit Week

(The children will dress to represent each scheduled day.)

Tuesday- Nerd Day

Wednesday – Twin Day (Dress like a friend)

Thursday – 70’s -80’s Day

Friday – Backwards Day

For Your Information

• Spirit Week- May 26-29
• Primary Field Day, Wednesday, May 27, 2009.
• Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo, Friday, May 29,2009. Cost:  $5.00.
• Kindergarten Celebration-June 10^th, 10:00 a.m. Fee: $25.00.

*Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  We will be going out side daily.

You may contact us at via e-mail: lstuttley@sbcglobal.net or phone (773) 535-1765  or (773) 535-1949 if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you!

PARENT INFORMATION SHEET

Market Day – On Market Day, our children will share business ventures in an “All Day Fair”.  Proceeds will be used to purchase extra treats and prizes for the School Picnic.  Our class will host a business called, “Kindergarten Oasis”.  We will sell pop, juice and water.

• Friday, May 22, 2009
• Donation per student - $2.00
• The children will need extra money on that day to purchase items from various vendors.

Live Science Show – A “Live Science Show” will be presented at Shoesmith from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2009.

Parents and students are welcome to attend.

Fine Arts Recital – The Shoesmith Band and Choir will host a “Spring Recital” on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.  Please contact the school for more information.

School Picnic – The entire school will participate in an “All Day Picnic” on Friday, June 5, 2009.  Family members are invited.  Pack a lunch, bring a blanket and enjoy the fun!

Pictures – Please return money or the pictures to school on or

before May 29, 2009.

Field Trip – We will culminate our theme on Animal Families with a field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Friday, May 29, 2009. Family members are urged to attend.  We will have lunch in the park.

Cost of Trip:  $5.00. Please send trip slip and money a.s.a.p.

Kindergarten Celebration - End of the year culminating program for kindergarten students and their parents.

• Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
• Time:  10:00 a.m.
• Fee:  $25.00 per family (2 Tickets)
• Attire:  Girls- White dresses, skirts, or pants

Boys- White shirts, dark pants or suits

(Parents, if you need extra tickets, please let us know.)

FINAL PROJECT – for grading purposes, your child will be expected to complete one final project.  No additional homework will be required during this time period.

• “What I Learned in Kindergarten” Poster:  Work with your child to compose a poster that reflects what your child learned this year.  You may include art work, stories, writing samples, pictures, stickers and words.  Posters are due on Thursday, June 4, 2009.  They will be displayed at the Kindergarten Celebration.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call us at (773) 535-1949 or (773) 535- 1765.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

The Kindergarten Team

May 11, 2009

Dear Parents,

Happy Mother’s Day to our moms and grandmoms.  We appreciate all you do to help us learn and grow.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  On Tuesday, the Kohl/McCormick Storybus will visit our kindergarten class.  We are excited about the opportunity to experience this Literacy Museum on wheels.

• • • • Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Theme: Animal Families

Reading

• Self-Questioning:  Asking questions before, during, and after reading
• Identifying lower case letters
• Blending consonants and vowels
• Identifying words that are opposites
• Recognizing sight words: Days of the Week; Color Words

Math

• Developing a sense of the duration of an hour
• Number stories
• Adding and Subtracting
• Understanding place value (How many tens, how many ones?)

Science

• Comparing guppies to goldfish

Social Science

• Exploring the concept of teamwork

Homework

Monday –Practice writing  the lower case letters of the alphabet a-z. Math- Home Link 8-2

Tuesday- Write your color words.  Draw and color pictures to match.

Math – Divide a sheet of paper into 4 parts.  Write a time of day at the top of each box.  Draw pictures of events that could possibly take place at specific times of the day.

Wednesday –Write a letter to a special friend.

Math- Write numbers from 1-30.

Thursday – Write a list of sports and a list of vehicles.

Math- Practice counting from 1-100.

Friday- Complete a Reader’s Response worksheet.

For Your Information

• Kohl/McCormick StoryBus
• Parent Volunteer Breakfast, Thursday, May 14, 2009.
• Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo, Friday, May 29,2009.
• Kindergarten Celebration-June 10^th, 9:45 a.m.

*Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  We will be going out side daily.

You may contact us at via e-mail: lstuttley@sbcglobal.net or phone (773) 535-1765  or (773) 535-1949 if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

May 4, 2009

Dear Parents,

This week we will be celebrating “The Big Read A Thon”.  We have various reading activities planned for our children.  Special visits from storytellers, and Clifford The Big Red Dog.  On Thursday, there will be an “All School Pajama Party” held the gymnasium.  Your child can dress in pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal buddy.  Don’t forget to read to your child for twenty minutes every night. Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Theme: Animal Families

Reading

• Identifying story structure:  characters, setting, and events
• Summarizing a story
• Identifying vowel sounds:  “i”
• Identifying words that are opposites
• Recognizing sight words
• Asking questions using:  why, what, when, who, how

Math

• Ordering Numbers:  placing random numbers in consecutive order
• Number stories
• Adding and Subtracting
• Exploring eqivalent numbers (different ways to make 5 or7, etc.)
• Understanding place value (How many tens, how many ones?)

Science

• Observing the behavior of golfish and guppies

Social Science

• Understanding the concept of creating poems for various occasions

Homework

Monday –Cut out or write words that have short “i” sound.  Write sentences using  four of your words. Math- Home Link 7-14

Tuesday- Write a story about The Very ____________Firefly.  Draw pictures to illustrate.  Math-Find small items at home to make patterns.  Glue them to paper and write your pattern rule.

Wednesday –Complete a Who, What, When,Where book about a story you have read. Write sentences and or draw pictures.

Math- Write your numbers from 1-50.

Thursday – Sing and write a list of your Sight Words.

Math- Practice counting from 1-100.

Friday- Complete a Reader’s Response worksheet.

For Your Information

• Young Author’s Tea, Tuesday, May 05, 2009 at 11:00 am.
• LSC Meeting, Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm.
• All School Pajama Party, Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 9:30 am.
• Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo, Friday, May 29,2009.
• Kindergarten Celebration-June 10^th, 9:45 a.m.

*Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  We will be going out side daily.

You may contact us at via e-mail: lstuttley@sbcglobal.net or phone (773) 535-1765 or (773) 535-1949 if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

April 27, 2009

Dear Parents,

Many thanks to our student teacher intern, Miss Carrie for all she knowledge she imparted, and  for assisting in the development and growth of our children.  We are especially appreciative of the love and care she gave to each child.  We will miss her dearly.  Thank you parents for allowing her the opportunity to be a part of their learning experience.

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Theme: Animal Families

Reading

• Making connection:  text to text
• Summarizing a story
• Identifying vowel sounds:  “o”
• Identifying action words
• Recognizing sight words
• Asking questions using:  why, what, when, who, how

Math

• Understanding time and order of events:  morning, noon, night
• Number stories
• Adding and Subtracting
• Exploring eqivalent numbers (different ways to make 5 or7, etc.)
• Understanding place value (How many tens, how many ones?)

Science

• Understanding the life cycle of ladybugs
• Identifying the parts of a ladybug
• Observing guppies

Social Science

• When I Grow Up ________________
• Understanding the education it will take to reach my goal

Homework

Monday –Cut out or write words that have short “o” sound.  Write sentences using  four of your words.  Complete worksheet on order of events – What I do in the morning,  at noon, and in the evening.

Tuesday- Write a story about  The Very __________ Ladybug.

Math- Home Link 7-9

Wednesday –Complete a worksheet on beginning and ending sounds

Math- Work with a family member to use dimes and pennies to repressent a given number of cents (42 cents = 4 dimes and 2 pennies)

Thursday – Draw a picture of a ladybug.  Write at least three facts about ladybugs.

Math- Complete a Number Scroll at home

Friday- Complete a Reader’s Response worksheet

For Your Information

• College Days:  Wednesday and Thursday; April 29th, and 30th
• Kindergarten Celebration-June 10^th, 9:45 a.m.
• Friday, May 1^st, End of the Year Dance.  Cost $1.00 for kindergarten.

(Your child will need extra money for refreshments.)

*Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  We will be going out side daily.

PARENTS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO OUR CLASS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GOING TO COLLEGE OR SHARE YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY OF THIS WEEK.   Just give us a call.

You may contact us at via e-mail: lstuttley@sbcglobal.net or phone (773) 535-1765 if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

April 20, 2009

Dear Parents,

Happy Spring to you!  We have entered into our final semester with  lots of energy and much anticipation.  The children are really beginning to bloom into independent learners and readers.  It is exciting to watch them develop and grow through various learning experiences.  We are approaching a very busy time for our school community.  Please watch the newsletter for updates and information. Again, thank you for your continued support and assistance in your child’s educational process.  We appreciate you!

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Theme: Animal Families

Reading

• Making connection:  text to self
• Identifying the feelings of characters
• Summarizing a story
• Identifying vowel sounds
• Blending sounds: c-a-t; f-u-n; b-o-x
• Recognizing compound words
• Identfying sight words

Math

• Understanding time and order of events:  morning, noon, night
• Number stories
• Adding and Subtracting
• Counting on forward or backward
• Recognizing 2 and 3 dimensional shapes

Science

• Understanding the life cycle of ladybugs
• Observing the signs of Spring

Social Science

• To identify emotions and how they affect our behavior
• Learning to respect others

Homework

Tuesday- Complete a worksheet on ending sounds

Math- Think of a Number Story.  Draw an illustration and write a number sentence to go with it.

Wednesday –Worksheet /beginning and ending sounds

Math- Home Link 7-4

Thursday – Write a list of compound words.  Use 3 of them in a sentence.

Math- My First Math Book-P. 17

Friday- Complete a Reader’s Response worksheet

Math- Home Link 7-7

For Your Information

• Spring Pictures- Monday, April 20^th
• Kindergarten Celebration-June 10^th, 9:45 a.m.
• Saturday, April 25th– Clean and Green Day

*Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  We will be going out side daily.

You may contact us at via e-mail: lstuttley@sbcglobal.net or phone (773) 535-1765 if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

March 3, 2009

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for your overwhelming support with “Family Night”. Your presence meant so much to the administration, children, teachers, and staff.  We appreciate your interest and concern in your child’s education.  It really makes the difference!

Sincerely,

Ms.Stuttley and the

Kindergarten Team

Theme: Exploring Our Surroundings

Reading

• Story Sequence: Beginning, middle, end
• Identifying letter sounds:  Focus letter “Tt”
• Identifying Rhyming Words
• Blending Phonemes:  b-e-t; e-g-g; b-e-d
• Comparing and Contrasting stories

Math

• Counting from 1-100
• Identifying two and three dimensional shapes
• Using surveys and graphs

Social Studies

• Identifying Community Helpers

Science

• Observing and describing seasonal changes
• Caring for goldfish

Homework

Tuesday: Draw or cut out pictures of things that begin with Tt.

Math-Practice counting to Math Home Link 6.3

Wednesday: Complete worksheet on syllables

Math- Write numbers 1-50.

Thursday –Complete worksheet on sequence.

Math- Complete worksheet on addition.

Friday- Complete a Reader’s Response sheet

For Your Information:

• March 3-6  ISAT Testing; Grades 3^rd through 6^th
• March 4, 2009 – LSC Meeting

**I will be contacting you to schedule a parent/teacher conference as soon as possible.  It is our desire to identify strengths and weaknesses now, so together we can provide the necessary support for your child.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us: by phone at (773) 535-1949 or

Kindergarten blog: www.shoesmithk.cuipblogs.org

E-mail: www.lstuttley@comcast.net

KINDERGARTEN NEWS

February 16, 2009

Dear Parents,

We hope you enjoyed your long week-end. This week we will celebrate the 100^th day of school with many activities and projects.  We are excited about our field trip to the Ice Arena on Thursday.  Feel free to join us in any or all of our learning experiences.  You are a vital part of the educational process and we appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Ms.Stuttley and the

Kindergarten Team

Theme: Exploring Our Surroundings

Reading

• Making connections:  Text to Self; Text to Text
• Identifying letter sounds:  Focus letter “Rr”
• Identifying the vowel sounds:  “Ee”
• Blending Phonemes:  b-e-t; e-g-g; b-e-d

Math

• Counting from 1-100
• Grouping objects by 5s and 10s
• Identifying Coins:  Penny, nickel, dime

Social Studies

• Honoring Dr. King with 100 Acts of Kindness

Science

• Observing and describing the sun as a source of energy

Homework

Tuesday: Draw or cut out pictures of things that begin with Rr.

Math-Practice counting to 100- by 1s, 5s, 10s

Wednesday: Worksheet on blending sounds: Home Link p. 52

Math- Counting pennies worksheet

Friday:  BioBag Assignment

For Your Information:

• Family Field Trip: Ice Arena, February 19, 2009.  Cost for children $6.00.  Parents Free. We are asking at least one family member to attend if you can.
• Kindergarten Family Night:  Thursday, February 26, 2009, from 5:30-7:30. Please make a special effort to attend and invite other family members.
• Parent Conferences will begin February 17^th.  Please let me know what day or time will be best for you.

**Please dress your child warmly in layers for the Ice Skating Trip. Try to avoid bulky clothing that prohibits movement.  Hats and gloves will be necessary.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us: by phone at (773) 535-1949 or

Kindergarten blog: www.shoesmithk.cuipblogs.org

E-mail: www.lstuttley@comcast.net

  KINDERGARTEN NEWS

                   January 20, 2009  

Dear Parents,

      Kudos to you and your family for enduring the challenges of this snowy, cold, wintry season.  Last week was a very trying experience for many of us.  We are pressing forward during this time to complete necessary tests and assessments.  Please review the Study Guide to locate areas that need reinforcement and practice.  Thank you for all you do to assist in making this school year a most rewarding experience for your child.

                                        Sincerely,

                                       Ms.Stuttley and the            

                                        Kindergarten Team

STUDY GUIDE

Reading

• Book Print Concepts
• Rhyming Words
• Letter Recognition:  Capital and Lower Case
• Letter Sounds
• Segmentation:  What sounds do you hear in rag? /r/a/g/
• Sight Words:  in, is, a, I, go, to, the, will, not, and, on, we, see, he, me, she, can, it, you
• Identifying Colors
• Writing names; writing words; writing sentences
• Retelling a story
• Following one, two or three step directions

Math

• Counting from 1-100
• Counting Objects 1-30
• Counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s
• Recognizing numbers 1-20
• Recognizing number words: one - five
• Identifies shapes:  circle, square, triangle, oval, diamond
• Identifies coins:  penny, nickel, dime, quarter
• Responds to positions:  right, left, above, on, below, top
• Interprets information from a picture graph
• Identifies equal and unequal groups
• Solves story problems
• Adding and subtracting sets of objects1` 

Social Studies

• Identifying good and bad character traits
• Identifying the responsibilities of family members
• Identifying the contributions of famous Americans: Dr. Martin Luther King
• Identifying United States flag; the pledge to the flag; and the leader of the United States of America

Science

• Identifying the parts of a goldfish:  fin, tail, eye, mouth, gill
• Reading the temperature using a Thermometer:  hot, cold
• Identifying the characteristics of the Winter Season:  What is the weather like?  How do we dress?  What kind of activities can we participate in?

Homework

Your may construct any activities or use any practice sheets to reinforce necessary skills for mastery.  Don’t forget to utilize our Kindergarten Blog:  www.shoesmithk.cuipblogs.org  
 

For Your Information:

• Please send extra shoes if your child will be wearing boots.
• Monday, January 19^th -No School- Commemorating the birthday of Dr. King.
• Tuesday, January 20^th - “INNAGURATION DAY!” Celebrating the inauguration of our 44^th president, Barak Obama.
• Thursday, January 22^nd: Field Trip to the Kohl Children’s Museum.  Please send all trip slips and money by Wednesday.
• Friday, January 23^rd, Staff Development Day. No school for children.

KINDERGARTEN NEWSLETTER

January 5, 2009

Dear Parents,

Welcome back!  Seasons Greetings to you and your family!

We are looking forward to a very productive new year with many engaging and challenging learning experiences.  Please check newsletters weekly for updates on special events.  Thanks so much for your continued support and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Ms.Stuttley and the

Kindergarten Team

THEME:  Family Ties

Reading : Focus Text - “The Mitten”

• Making Predictions
• Retelling a Story
• Identifying the number of syllables in words
• Recognizing Letters and Letter Sounds:  Mm
• Vocabulary Words: mittens, snug, warm, argue, winter, wear
• Understanding how to write Small Moment Stories across pages

Math

• Counting from 1-100
• Recognizing numbers 11-20
• Measuring weight using the pan balance
• Analyzing Bar Graphs
• Skip Counting:  by 5’s and 10’s
• Addition and Subtraction using the Number Line
• Math Problem Solving- Number stories

Social Studies

• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of family members

Science

• Observing the structure of goldfish

Homework

Monday: Draw or cut out pictures that begin with Mm.

Math- Practice skip counting by 5’s and 10’s

Tuesday: Practice retelling the story using ordinal numbers: first, second, etc.  Math- Home Link 4-2

Wednesday: Mini Book of Winter words. Math- Math worksheet

Thursday: Complete Rhyme Time worksheet.

Math - We Lost Our Mittens Math worksheet

Friday: Complete a Reader’s Response Worksheet

For Your Information:

• Please send extra shoes if your child will be wearing boots.
• Family Night - January 15, 2009.  Please plan to join us for a night of fun and engaging learning activities in Science, Math and Literacy just for Kindergarten. Volunteers and suggestions are welcome. (Time 6:00-8:00)
• Field Trip to Kohl’s Children’s Museum on Wednesday, January, 28, 2009.

**Check out our Kindergarten Blog www.shoesmithk.cuipblogs.org for activities and extra practice.  We’d love to hear from you!