Kindergarten Corner
Kindergarten has been busier than "Santa's Elves" of late. They have been extremely busy learning of the true meaning of Christmas.
Religion: Students are learning about this Advent Season. Advent is a time of preparation, preparing for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. We've been attending weekly prayer services and lighting candles on our Advent Wreath. Three of the four candles lit are purple, which comes to symbolize Christ as our King and one rose candle symbolizes joy. In all, the Advent Wreath is a symbol of hope, peace, joy and love, all wondrous gifts from Our Lord. They have also been hearing many different interpretations of The Christmas Story or The Gospel according to Luke. Encourage your child to retell the story. They know how and why Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem, how a Star guided the Three Wise Men and why He was born in a manger. It truly is the most beautiful story told.
Reading: Letter book "D" has been completed. This is our 5th book and it introduces the class to READING!! Some simple words such as Dad, Dog, and Odd have the children blending sounds. Letters make sounds and sounds make words. This is the motto we live by in Kindergarten. Once children are 'introduced' to a letter, they practice it's formation and then its' sound. Their 6th book, letter book "S" is just about finished. With these six letters (O,C,G,A,D and S) children can begin reading small words using these letters. Blending sounds can be difficult at first, so have patience. Review often at home. Keep books handy as reference and any work that comes home, please go over with your child. Have them explain what they had to do on a particular paper and ask them questions. They will enjoy "teaching" you what they have learned!!
Children should also be able to identify their color words: red, orange, blue, yellow, green, black, brown, white and purple, with emphasis on the first 5. Children will soon be tested on these. Sight words should be coming home too, if they haven't already done so.
Math: We've completed our Chapter on "Patterns". Children are now able to identify patterns by size, color, and shape. They know a "Pattern Rule" is a way to read a pattern, which is the sequence it follows. They've really enjoyed this lesson. We are now learning Positional Words, such as Top, Middle, Bottom, Up, Over, On and Under. As the lessons progress, the math will become more challenging. Children should be able to count to at least 20 and identify each number. With our Calendar, students are learning to count as high as 31!!
Believe it or not, in one month, your children will be halfway through Kindergarten and preparation for First Grade begins. The work will become more difficult and challenging for the students. Handwriting will begin and gradually sentences will be written. Remember, every child is different and learns at a different pace. Have patience and praise often.
Kindergarten has been enjoying the Fall season so far by making many Halloween and Fall decorations. Some have come home, while others are proudly displayed around Saint Stephen’s. The children take great pride in their work and have such talent!!
Religion: The students have finished reading and discussing "The Story of Creation". Our friends in Grade 6 shared their interpretations with the class. We are now learning that we celebrate God's love throughout the Church year. We will explain the rituals of a Mass. Attend Church as a family if you can.
Math: Kindergarten is learning GEOMETRY!! Along with shapes and patterns, students are discovering solid forms of a triangle, square, circle and rectangle. They've been able to identify a cone, pyramid, cube, sphere, and prisms. This is an introductory lesson to the wonderful word of geometric shapes.
Reading: We've begun work in our fourth letter book. The letter "A" book, is a short vowel sound, as in "apple", "ax", and "alligator". As always, when these books come home, keep them around for reference and review. Have children practice writing at home to hone formations skills and review their sounds. A little practice goes a long way in helping our children become great readers in the near future.
Science: We've conducted a few experiments in class. We've guessed the weight of a pumpkin and we've taken some common items to see if they could "Sink or Float" when put in water. This gives students an idea of size, mass and weight. Soon we will go into our Science Lab upstairs and conduct a few more experiments.
Centers: These are the "highlight" of the students' day. Breaking down into individual Centers allows us to work in small groups on various math, reading and writing activities for more "one-on-one" lessons. There are also independent centers, where the children create, discover and explore on their own.
The children are really thriving in Kindergarten. It's been a great transformation from those first few weeks. We're having a wonderful time with your children and are very proud of them.
Hello Parents,
We enjoyed our Field Trip to Rose's Orchard in North Branford with the Third Grade Class. The children went on a long hayride around the farm. They got to pick their own apples right off the tree and even met some of the animals that live on the Farm! They saw Llamas, a miniature pony, a donkey, goats and sheep. They even got to run through a small corn maze. We had such beautiful weather. Thank you to all our wonderful chaperones.
Our next trip will be an "Outdoor Classroom" visit to Permission slips went home last week. Please have money and signed permission slips back to school no later than Friday September 26th. First Grade will accompany Kindergarten for this Outdoor Classroom where students will learn about the workings of a classic New England farm and have the opportunity to harvest their own pumpkin.
We've just completed the Letter "C" book and these have been sent home. Our next Letter book will feature the letter "O". As these books come home, please keep them for review and reference. Each book will come home with a cover letter, explaining what students have been working on. Have children practice writing their letters for you as well as recalling the sounds they make. This will help improve writing and verbal skills and build their confidence as they learn to read. Our motto in Kindergarten: "Letters make sounds and sounds make words."
In Religion, the students are learning about the Story of Creation. We begin each day with the Sign of The Cross and The Hail Mary. A prayer book will be forthcoming for the children to learn their prayers.
In Math, students have been learning about patterns. We've begun work in our Math books and our first Chapter Unit will focus on classification, identification and sorting.
The children are making great strides in Kindergarten. They've made many new friends and have become quite comfortable in their new surroundings. We are having a great time getting to know your children and are enjoying every minute!
Hello Parents,
We have just completed our first week on Kindergarten. It has been a great week with the children making new friends, learning classroom rules as well as their daily routine. We are looking forward to a very successful and fun filled year.
A few reminders:
Our First Field Trip will be to Rose's Apple Orchard on Friday Sept. 19th. Money and Permission slips are NOW due. Our bus and trip need to be prepaid so please be sure to return these to school with your child.
Kindly refer to the school calendar frequently and check our website frequently for general information, class news and current events.
We look forward to another wonderful year with your children!!
Mrs. Calamita
Mrs. Feldman