Show and Tell

On Wednesday, we will be doing show and tell during one of our Language Art periods. I told the children about it today and they are very excited. I told them they can bring in something small that is special to them. It can be a photograph, a small stuffed animal, a favorite small toy...just no pets please! Also, please do not allow the children to bring any electronics or valuable items (jewelery, irreplaceable things). 

We have been practicing asking the questions: What did you bring? Why is it special?

If it goes well, this is something we will do more of. It is nice to have the children practice speaking and listening by bringing in something that is important to them! Thank you for your help at home.

Week 5 Update

I’m so excited to officially announce that Ms. Karen will join us as a full time assistant for the rest of the school year!  The children and I alike are thrilled to have her in the classroom with us. She knows the children well from working with several of them in KG1. We are so happy to have her part of our KG2B family. J

In Language Arts, we are continuing to practice our sight words. I know how excited they are when they are able to read a simple sentence. We will be reviewing all of our sight words so far next week (I, like, the, and). We will practice reading sentences such as “I like the (picture of a park) and the (picture of the zoo)”. They can no longer say they can't read!

In Math, we are reviewing numbers from 0-5. While the children all know how to count to 5, we are really working on how to write the numbers. Many children write the 3, 4 and 5 backwards or from bottom to top. We are working on identifying numbers that are written correctly and that are written backwards. 

In Science, we learned about the four things animals need to live: air, water, food, and a home. We drew water, a home, and food onto a three piece puzzle and cut and pasted it onto colored paper. They are displayed in our classroom and look great. 

In Social Studies, we are discussing the importance of taking responsibility. It is a big word but the children understand after some examples they could relate to! For example, when you spill something, it is your responsibility to clean it up. We also talked about being responsibility for taking care of our environment and what it is to recycle. We added a recycling bin to our classroom this week and the children love putting plastic and paper in it.

Like last week, we managed to squeeze Art into our agenda with some simple paper hand puppets. The children loved them! They decorated their puppets as different animals and had fun using silly voices for them. They were so easy to make that some children decided to make two for their siblings and themselves. If you would like to make some at home, they are a fun and easy weekend craft. They’re great for the kids because they can practice their oral and motor skills.

Here’s the link for instructions:  http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/paper-puppets-909092/

Some of the children probably came home yesterday very excited to show you their blue folder because I told them there was a permission slip inside for a trip to see Dora the Explorer! The trip will take place on November 8^th. The cost is 185EGP per child and the fees are due by October 16^th (Tuesday). If you need another permission slip or if your child did not come home with one (I saw one got left behind on Thursday), please let me know as soon as possible and I will send one home.

We are slowly moving into having the children pack up their book bags independently. I assist them by drawing a book bag checklist in the board with pictures. They need to check if they have their lunchboxes, water bottles, blue folder and sweaters before they leave. This will become our afternoon pack up routine.  I still prepare their blue folder by putting all of their papers inside but it is a big step up from having their book bags packed up for them!

I hope everyone has a great, relaxing weekend,

Ms. Victoria 

Change of clothes

Today was a day of spills and accidents. This is normal (and expected) in kindergarten! Please make sure though that your child has a full change of clothes at school. If your child came home today in his/her spare clothing, please send an outfit to school tomorrow to replace it.

Thank you so much,
Ms.Victoria

Sight word of the week and homework

Hello Parents and Families,

Today the children were introduced to a new sight word: "and"

We will be working with this word all week so do not be alarmed if your children cannot read this word yet. Today, we learned a song to help us remember how to spell "and".

I thought it might be helpful to post the lyrics so you can sing it at home with your child.

Oh, I can spell "and".
A-N-D "and"!
"And" is the word that I write with my hand!
A-N-D , A-N-D
Nicky, Nicky Noo!
That's what I learned in my school,
Mama!

There are body movements to go with the song. Songs and movement are very helpful for young children to remember new information. This YouTube video will show you how the song goes and what movements go with the song.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tNmvu_MSqU  It is a fun song to sing and dance to!

Also, a note about the homework. I have been told by some parents that they prefer the weekly homework as opposed to the monthly. I have to agree. I will revert back to the weekly homework in November and will not be assigning the same homework as KG2A. I know this makes more work for parents with children in both classes but it will help most families stay better organized and allow me to track progress more efficiently. I want to thank the parents who provided feedback. I love it when we can make decisions together!

Today, last week's homework was returned to the students in a green plastic folder. This folder can stay at home until the homework is due. I still have some drawings that will be returned shortly. 

Thank you Parents,
Ms. Victoria 

Week 4 Update

It was a high-energy week. We got a lot done despite it being a short week for the children!

In Language Arts, we added the sight word "the" to our vocabulary. I have added a new sight word tab on our blog so parents can keep up with our sight word of the week and practice them at home! In school, we practice by writing the word, finding the word in books, and cutting, unscrambling, and pasting letters to spell our word. We have also been discussing nouns as they relate to people- specifically, people in our family (mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather).

In Math, we have been working on one-to-one correspondence which just means equal sets. For example, for each child, there must be one pencil. We also worked on making simple graphs. The children are building their math vocabulary every week.

In Science, we reviewed the similarities and differences of animals through discussion, picture cards, and a game called animal charades. The children had to act out animals without speaking while their classmates guessed what animal they were. They loved it and some were very creative. Someone was a porcupine and rolled back and forth!

In Social Studies, we discussed sharing, taking turns and helping each other. These skills are essential in the classroom. To practice these skills, we made puppets. The students had to share materials and take turns using the scissors. They also helped each other draw the puppets. I attached a pencil to each puppet and the students used them to talk to each other about sharing and caring about each other. The students were so excited to bring their puppets home on Thursday to show their parents!

Although Art was on Sunday, we found time to relax and be creative with some painting, drawing, and coloring during the week. This month, our school is promoting art through literature. Our class read the book Birds and I taught the children how to draw a bird. The result was 15 unique and beautiful birds. We also painted some birds using sponges. The children were only provided with the primary colors and were encouraged to mix them to make more colors.

I hope everyone is enjoying this long weekend with their family. I will be asking the children about their weekend on Monday. J

I have started to send out Family of the Month notices. Each month, one or two families will be sent notices. I am requesting 1 pack of tissues, 2 packs of wet wipes, and 2 bottles of hand soap. We do not need paper towels (as originally noted) since we use hand towels in class (environmentally friendly!).  Thank you to those 

who sent in some of the hand towels.

As always, thank you for all the help at home! It is so appreciated.

-Ms.Victoria

Happy Birthday Karma and Zeina!

Today we celebrated Karma and Zeina's 5th birthday with cake and juice in the garden. It was lovely! We sang Happy Birthday and the girls blew out their candles. The children were treated to goodie bags that they took home with them today. Pictures have been added to the photo album tab where I will be adding pictures throughout the year.

Happy Birthday girls!

Quick Update

Hi Parents,

Thank you so much to those who came out yesterday for our Open House! I hope you walked away from it with a better understanding of what your child's day is like and what the learning looks like in our classroom.

For those who could not make it, I gave out two class photos to every family that your child will be bringing home today.

I also sent home the new homework schedule today. This is a monthly schedule and it is due at the end of the month. It does not need to come to school with the children everyday. If you have any questions about the homework, please relay it via channel book or e-mail.

A reminder that Thursday is a half day for the students and dismissal is at 12pm. Also, next Sunday is a day off in honor of Armed Forces Day. An elementary newsletter was sent home today with the children. Please take a look at it.

I hope everyone had a great weekend,
Ms.Victoria