Kindergarten Graduation

Graduation day will be on Wednesday, May 28th. It will take place in the cafeteria at 1:00. This is a regular full day of school and the last day of kindergarten attendance. Since this is such a special event, the children may wear dress clothes. Uniforms do not need to be worn. Keep in mind that the children will be going out to recess on that day (we do remind them to "take it easy outside"). And of course, parents and grandparents, etc. are encouraged to attend! Refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

Egg-citing Classroom Visitors

We are very excited to announce some very special additions to our classroom - 26 chicken eggs and 10 caterpillars (I'm sure you've heard!). We've had our caterpillars for about a week now and we're learning some interesting caterpillar/butterfly facts! The children love it! We are anxiously awaiting the chrysalis stage of their development. The eggs just arrived yesterday – so we are going to have to practice our ability to be "patient" while waiting for their development! The total process takes about 3 weeks. We will be learning a lot of interesting information about them as well. So as you can see our classroom is "full of life" in so many ways!!

Communication
School phone number: 815-756-7905
E-mail address: jwilliams@stmaryschooldekalb.com

One of the green folders that your child will be bringing to the classroom will be used to transport notes and other papers to and from school. I will check for notes in that folder upon your child’s arrival to school; and you can check for notes from the school or myself each night at home.

Curriculum

Religion

The students will be learning about Jesus and his life along with how to love the world we live in; the way Jesus does. Another important part of religion class this year is learning prayers and the parts of the Mass.

Reading

Shared Reading

Shared Reading will be taught together as a whole class. I will read the story to the children and talk with the children about the many parts of the story. We will focus on one main story each week and sometimes have similar poems and stories that go along with the main story’s theme. We will have many fun and educational projects to also go along with the stories such as; drawing pictures, performing puppet shows, adding our own page to the story, etc.

Guided Reading

During Guided Reading, the students will be grouped according to reading ability levels. I will work with each small group individually and work on stories that reflect their reading abilities. While I am working in the small groups, the rest of the students will be busy working at their "work stations"; which are a variety of literary activities placed in centers around the room.

High Frequency Words to Learn:

is, on, said, my, me, we, the

Math

I especially enjoy teaching math and have fun making math hands on and visual. I use a lot of manipulatives to help the students understand the concepts being learned. Also, over the summer I have worked with the other teachers in the primary wing to make ‘math bins’. These are bins that will be available during math or center time and contain activities that reflect our lessons in class. The bins will constantly being changing as our lessons change.

Phonics

We have a new Phonics program this year; it is Modern Curriculum Press Phonics. The lessons present the letters of the alphabet along with the sounds each letter makes and what each letter looks like (with handwriting practice). The students will have phonemic awareness activities, picture dictionary pages, sight words practice, and take-home books. Phonics is a great way to introduce reading skills to the students.

Handwriting

As we learn a new letter in our Phonics lesson, we will be working on that same letter in our Handwriting lesson. During Handwriting we will focus a lot more on what the letter looks like, how it is properly formed, and practice writing. Also during this time I usually like to have a small art project and other fun activities to go along with our letter.

Homework

The main purpose of the homework will be to teach the students responsibility; taking it home, completing it, and bringing it back to school. The homework is also a great way for family members to get involved with the child’s schoolwork. Most of the work being sent home will be basic review sheets to reinforce what the students are learning in the classroom.

Snack

During our morning routine the students will take a 15-20 minute break for a snack (9:30). The students will take turns providing a snack for the entire class. I will send a calendar out that will let the students know which day to bring a snack. Please let me know if your child is allergic to any food items so we can be careful of what food we provide for the students. Also, be sure to provide your child with a drink everyday. You may choose to send a juice box (or water bottle), or you can purchase extra milk through the school. Just fill out the lunch form and add in the extra for snack. Toward the end of the year we will cut the snack from our routine and just have a ‘milk break’.

Birthday Treats

On your child’s birthday (or half birthday if he/she has a summer birthday), it is your choice if you would like to send in a special treat for the class. If you choose to send something we will set aside a special afternoon snack time to celebrate.

Thank You,
Ms. Jessica Williams