We Will Begin a Study About Valentine S Day and Friendship. the Children Will Hear Stories

February 5, 2016

Dear Parents,

We will begin a study about Valentine’s Day and friendship. The children will hear stories about close friends. We will discuss what makes a good friend and how we can be a good friend. We will write numbers 0-50 without a pattern and use models to solve addition problems.

____The children will have the opportunity to deliver valentines to their friends. If your child would like to give valentines to his/her classmates, have him/her sign each card and put the classmate’s name on the outside of the envelope. Please let your child, not you, do the work. (I know it will be tempting!) It will improve your child’s fine motor skills and help him/her with letter and name recognition. Let your child begin the process early in the week and do a few at a time. Then it will not be a tiring job. If you choose to let your child do this, I am asking that you make sure each child in the class receives a valentine card from your child. The children get their feelings hurt if they do not receive valentines and other children do.

____Math Focus: Have your child count how many children are on the class list. Then count how many valentines he/she has made. Is the number the same?

____Give your child number fact (+1) problems to 10. (1+ 1, 2 + 1, 3 + 1, etc.) Remind your child that +1 just means the next number when they count.

____Review the words on the report card insert. Add: find, an, be, for, will. Your child should be reading and writing these words fluently.

____Our new words are: was, said.

____The book, My Trip to the Dentist, is enclosed. This book will put the words your child has learned back into text. Please let your child read the books I have sent home often. They are learning to use these words in their own sentences and they are able to read short stories that I write on the board. It will also build fluency (reading like they talk, instead of robotic.) First grade will be easier for you and for your child if he/she knows these words.

____I am enclosing a word family (am) paper for your child to read to you. The word “am” is a known word. Your child just has to add a letter sound or a blend to “am” to create a new word. This is called going from a known word to an unknown word. Then have your child read the sentence at the bottom of the page. Your child should be able to read these quickly after a few time. Please sign and return the paper to me.

____Review: letters, letter sounds, letter chunks (ay, ai, ow, ou, sh, th, ing, oo, ew, unk, ar, igh, oa, ee, ea, er, ir, ur, ink, or, aw, au, ch, oy, oi), identifying numbers to at least 20, counting to 100 by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s, counting by 2’s to 20, rhyming words, identifying shapes, describing shapes, naming the days of the week and the months of the year, recalling address, telephone number, and birthday, identifying beginning and ending sounds in words, recalling the five senses, body parts, and the four seasons.

____I have read the following books with my child:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

_____My child and I have read at least 5 (50 minutes) this week.

Let your child retell the stories to you.

Would you like to help your child become a successful lifetime reader? If so, please help me get your child involved in a new program we are implementing. We are beginning a “Fry Club” for all of our kindergarten classes. It is an incentive program that promotes reading. This is a voluntary program. Your child does not have to participate, but he/she will definitely benefit from participating! Please read the enclosed information and let me know if your child wants to join us in becoming the best reader that he/she can be!

I am sending home information that will help your child access books that are on his/her reading level. The books are through Raz-Kids. I have assigned the reading level already. Please sit with your child and let him/her read at least one or two books to you this week. The more your child reads, the more fluent he/she will become. I would like your child to read the books instead of listening to it. You may let him/her listen to the story AFTER he/she reads it independently.

Your child may purchase a book on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for $1.00. This will help build up your child’s home library with books that he/she selects.

Reminders

Candy: If you would like to send candy for the children’streat bags, we would appreciate it.

Report cards: Please remember to sign the report card envelope and return it to school. Keep the report card for your records and to review skills marked 1 or 2. If I requested a conference, please get in touch with me about a good time for us to meet. This is very important.

No school-The children will not attend school Monday, February 15.

Thank you! I am so pleased to have parents like you working with me for the children. The children are learning so much! I appreciate your hard work at home.

Your Partner in Education,

Ginger Carter

Child’s name: Parent signature: