Dear Families,
Have a wonderful winter break and I will see you back at school on Monday, January 6th! A few pieces of information about papers in folders:
First, I will be sending home the letters as we learn to write them for you to practice at home in Thursday folders weekly. No need to send these back to school. Children going to kindergarten should practice writing them to help prepare them for next year using the format they will be using from Fundations. When done writing, practice saying the letter and sound. For example, this week is “t top tuh.” Younger students who are three could trace the letters with their fingers and say the letter and sound with you. Other fun ideas are draw letters in salt in a tray or plate or write with shaving cream using one finger on a table surface. These are more age appropriate than writing for three-year-olds and great sensory strategies to practice with all students! We also do an action when we practice that you can learn from your children to practice with them. I will be sharing a video of me pointing with one of the other teachers using most of the actions we use in our class soon.
Second, for students going to kindergarten, I sent home a monster math game that is easy to play at home with 2 dice and something to cover up the numbers. Children roll two dice and count the total together and cover up the number. Kids really had a lot of fun playing this game at school this week. If you have a younger child and want a copy I can send it to you too, but I used an easier version of the game for most younger kids.
Finally, I am sending “letters to Santa” home for you to read what your children wrote. I bought cards in a big pack at Dollar Tree as writing to Santa is a great motivator for writing practice, and I picked them because they were inclusive and said “Happy Holidays.” Inside it said Merry Christmas, so I apologize but I did not realize that when I bought them. I did not tell children what it said inside to be inclusive of everyone, but I wanted to share with you all what your children said. Per my questionnaire at the beginning of the year nobody stated any holidays that they do not celebrate, so hopefully it’s not a problem for anyone. Also, if your child was absent Monday, they may have not made one. We decorated ornaments that can be hung anywhere in your home for the winter.
Today we searched for The Gingerbread Man after we read the story all week and decorated our own cookies to eat at snack. It was a fun special day before our break without being too overwhelming for our kiddos! Have a fantastic break and see everyone in two weeks!
Ms. Amy, Ms. Catalina (Cathy), and Ms. Wanda
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Amy NewsomECSE TeacherSpark Discovery Preschool