Welcome Families:To an “Un-bee-lievable” year in Kindergarten

Our mixed-up schedule for our first week

• Monday is treated like a half day (Friday schedule). The students come from 11:25-1:25• This Monday schedule is only for this first week of school

• Tuesday and Wednesday students come to school only during their scheduled pre-assessment time.• Please see the sign up sheet on the table at the back to sign your student up for a time.

• Thursday is back to school with a normal schedule. Students come from 12:45-3:25.

• Friday is our typical half day schedule. The students come from 11:25-1:25.

Typical Weekly Schedule

• Monday-Thursday 12:45-3:25

• Friday 11:25-1:25

Teacher Introduction• My name is Ms. Loosle. A funny way to remember my last name is saying, “Did

you lose someone named Lee?”; lose-lee.

• This is my second year here at Burton Elementary and my second year teaching kindergarten. I taught 4th and 6th grade before becoming a kindergarten teacher.

• My birthday is statehood day (January 4th) and one of the big state symbols is the bumble bee. That’s why my classroom is full of bumble bee decorations.

• This year I will be teaching a morning kindergarten class at Morgan Elementary and your afternoon kindergarten class here at Burton.

Teacher Introduction Continued• For a more in depth teacher introduction check out “The ABC’s of Ms.

Loosle” by going to the Burton homepage (http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/Domain/1451) and then finding my name under the Faculty and Staff link.

• One of the best ways to get ahold of me for any questions, comments, or concerns is through email. My school email is: KLOOSLE@dsdmail.net• I try to check before school, during prep time, and right after school

• If absolutely needed you can text me at 435-512-0862

Specials (Computer, P.E. Music, Library)

• We have computers with Mrs. Baumgartner every other Monday.

• We have P.E. with Mrs. Nelson every Tuesday• Remember to have your students come in P.E. appropriate clothing (clothes

they can run around and exercise in) • Remember to send your students with good athletic shoes every Tuesday!

Specials Continued

• We have music with Mrs. Baer every Wednesday.

• We have library with Mrs. Ballard every other week.• Mrs. Ballard does not have the students start checking out books until

January. When they do start checking out books we keep them in the classroom, they do not go home. If you wish to have books home from the library talk to me and I can make a request to Mrs. Ballard.

Snack

• The snack/food fee you paid at registration allows us to have snack twice a week and occasional “food experiences” throughout the year.

• Our snack days are Tuesday and Thursday.• Please make sure your child eats a good lunch before coming to school.

• Snacks are usually things like milk, rolls, veggies, fruit, cheese sticks, etc.

Reading/ Language Arts at School

•We start out with the students doing a daily letter identification, writing, and letter sound routine. We then do a daily blending routine to help them break apart and then blend back together the sounds in words.

• Once 90% of the class has mastered letter sounds, we switch and do a daily sight word routine that teaches 35 of the most common words kindergartners will encounter in books.

Reading at School Continued

•We started a new reading program last year from the McGraw-Hill reading company and we have really enjoyed it. • This program has a lot of big books that incorporate our science and social

studies concepts.• The program teaches the students about author’s purpose, main idea and

details, visualization, story retell, sequencing, setting, etc. • The stories introduce the students to 5-6 new vocabulary words each

week.• We do a short vocabulary and comprehension quiz every Friday. Questions will

come from the story read in class that week and from the list of vocabulary words listed in “The Jive From The Hive” newsletter every Monday.

Reading at Home

• I start sending books home when students have mastered their letter names, but also when they have shown me they are at least 80% proficient in the letter sounds.

• The books that go home start pretty easy and are very short (4-5 pages with one sentence each) and progress to longer and longer stories.• Please be patient with the books early on. I know they seem easy and

don’t have much of a story to them, but they are the stepping stones to bigger and more complex reading skills and phonics patterns.

Reading at Home Continued

•My goal is to have the students reading at least 15 minutes every school night. (Weekend readers are my superheroes!!) • Even if books aren’t going home right now I still would like 15 minutes

of reading. If you (or an older sibling) are reading to your student that still counts!

• I encourage students to practice the book at least 3 times so the parent volunteers can quickly pass them off and get them their next book.

Writing

• We use the Zaner-Bloser font and style of writing to teach letter formation (an example page will be coming home soon).

• At the beginning of the year we focus on letter formation without the lines. In about November we have the students practice writing in the dotted lines. Afterwards we switch back and forth, but mainly write on paper with “blank” lines.

Writing Continued• Students are strongly encouraged to give us phonetic writing (best guess at

sounding out words) versus dictionary writing. Remember to help them sound out words out and not to just give them the “dictionary” spelling.• Example: I can rid mi bik. (Don’t correct and make them write “I can ride my bike.”)• Yes, once we learn the sight words we expect them spelled correctly.

• It’s a huge goal, but we take them from letter formation, to word formation, to sentence writing, to a “kindergarten paragraph” by the end of the year.

Math

• We are a pilot school for a new math program (Go Math) being introduced this year.• We are excited about this new program and all the technology components we get to

use to help your student better understand math.• Each student will have a student book, but will also have access to online materials that

will help to make math more fun and more individualized for each student.• ** I strong encourage you to attend the parent training for this new Go Math program

in the gym tonight. You will be shown how to help your students login and access the at home technology component for this program. This will really help me be able to help and guide you to recourses your student can use with this program.

Math Continued

• Our math is divided into 3 main units: 1) Numbers and Operations 2) Geometry and Positions 3) Measurement and Data

• Some of the specific skills include-Counting and Comparing Numbers 1-10 -Identifying, Counting, and Writing numbers 1 to 30 -Addition with sums to 10 -Subtraction with differences to 10 -Identifying, Composing, and Working with 2 and 3 dimensional shapes -measuring -sorting by shape, color, size, attribute, etc. -positional words -coin identification -time (to the hour and half hour)

Science

• Our science topics include:-5 senses -The 4 Seasons -Animal and plant changes during the 4 seasons -Hibernation and Migration -Plant life cycles -Parts of a plant -Antarctica, Polar Bears, and Penguins -Animal life cycles -Weather -Rainbows and light

• I also like to do fun projects/experiments on Friday’s

Social Studies

• Social Studies topics include:-Why we have rules -Building positive relationships -Unique characteristics of self and others -People and their jobs -Mapping/ Geography -Traffic Symbols -Helping in the family -Exploring new cultures -Utah’s Geography and Symbols -National Symbols -Honesty and Responsibility -How humans meet their needs -Holidays and Cultural Celebrations

Show-and-tell• We do show-and-tell almost every week, but I spread it throughout the week.

Each student is assigned a particular day and that is their day every week (see the handout with the show-and-tell schedule to find out what day your student presents).

• Each week I will have a show-and-tell theme. I ask you as parents to help your student fill out a sheet with 3 facts about their show-and-tell. I found that this helps guide the discussion, prepares them for what to say, and helps students not bring the same item over and over.

Show-and-tell Continued

• Please know that I include show-and-tell participation as part of the students scores/grade for Listening and Speaking• Our standard states: Describe familiar topics by speaking audibly and clearly,

using visual displays to add detail. • Overall it is a participation score, but I am looking for ______.

Homework

•At least 15 minutes of reading every school night!!!!!

•Homework Tic-Tac-Toe • Every Monday I will send home a tic-tac-toe board with 9

potential assignments for your student to complete during the week. Students need to pick at least 3 assignments, have a parent initial the square, and return the board on Friday.• I’m hoping that this is a way I can individualize homework and target

specific skills your students need to work on. (*In other words your student’s board might not look like another students that week.)

Homework Continued

• Something new I’m trying this year is goal trackers: • After our pre-assessment and then at each parent teacher conference we will sit down

and write 4 goals (a reading goal, a writing goal, a math goal, and an overall academic goal) to help your student soar to success at school. Each goal will be written at the top of a sticker tracker.• Each day the student does something to work towards mastery of that goal they can

add a sticker to their goal chart.• I have lots of charts and lots of stickers. Email or write me a note and I can send more home.• I’m going with the honor system on this.

• When their goal chart is full we continue with the goal on a new chart, or hopefully, write and new goal and start working to achieve it.

B.E.E. (Bring Everything Everyday) Folders

• This is essentially your student’s homework folder.

• This is where I will put my weekly newsletter (“The Jive From the Hive”) and any notes home.

• Left side of the folder is things that can be left at home. Right side is things to be completed and returned back to school.

• If a paper has a stamp on it that tells you my parent volunteers or I have corrected and recorded it and it may stay home.

• B.E.E. folders are also a good place for you to slip me a note if you have a concern.

Drop Off and Pick Up

• Please arrive at 12:45 Monday-Thursday (tardy bell at 12:50) and 11:25 on Friday (tardy bell at 11:30). • We ask that the students not be more than 10 minutes early.

• Students should line up on the sidewalk right by our classroom windows.

• Please understand that I am coming from teaching my morning class at another school and I can’t always be there to monitor students. • Most days I will go out 5-8 minutes early and stand with your students.• Friday’s are going to get especially tricky with this (I essentially have 20 minutes to get from one school to the

other), please be patient with me.

• You can drop off and pick up in the round-a-bout • Please know it gets extremely busy after school

Drop Off and Pick Up Continued• Pickup times are 3:25 Monday-Thursday and 1:25 on Friday. • Those picking up your student need to be listed on the white card in the office. We

strongly encourage parents to pick up their students, but we understand that some afternoon students will go home with older siblings when school is over.• I will take them out by the tree at the front of the round-a-about unless it is raining or heavily

snowing.• If their sibling checks out early please make sure that is communicated with the office so your

student knows who to go home with that day.• Siblings may not check your student out of school early; a parent/guardian must be present to do

that.

• If a student wants to go home with a friend not listed on the white card we need to have a parent there. • I would also appreciate you sending me a note about those plans and in addition also calling the

office to let them know you have given permission for your student to go with someone else for the day.

“The Jive From The Hive” Newsletter

• Each Monday I try to send home a class newsletter. • This newsletter lets you as parents know a little about what we will be

learning in class that week. • The newsletter will include the vocabulary to practice for the weekly

vocabulary assessment. • The newsletter will also include announcements about upcoming class

celebrations, school events, field trips, or changes in schedules.

Attendance

• School wide we have a large push for improvement in attendance this year.• Our school has the lowest attendance for all the elementary schools that feed into Davis High and this is

something Principal Johnson wants to change.

• Students receive a medal and special pins at the end of each term based on their attendance. They also receive a special prize at the end of each term.

• We however don’t want to spread sickness. If your child truly is sick, please don’t spread the germs (I had pink-eye and strep spread through my room last year and it was not fun at all)! Please call the office and let them know your student is sick. We will take this into consideration for medals, pins, etc.

• I know the value of family vacations and visiting and learning about new places (my grandfather would give my family money to go on trips like this all the time), but please limit your vacations and time away from school.

Celebrating Birthdays

• I will work to celebrate everyone’s birthday. For those with summer birthdays we will celebrate ½ birthdays, unless parents request otherwise.

• Each student is given a poster board to create a birthday poster. I encourage you to put pictures and some of your child's favorites.

• You may bring a treat or prize on your student’s birthday, but it is not required. If you bring treats we are encouraged to have them be small, store-bought, and individually wrapped.• The kids really do enjoy “silly” dollar store/party favor prizes or even a sheet of stickers in place of a

treat

• I encourage you to share your child’s favorite book with the class on their birthday. If you are able we would love to add it to our classroom library as well.

What I really need students to bring• A backpack big enough to fit their B.E.E. folder in• B.E.E. folder to and from school daily• A set of headphones/earbuds that will be used with the IPADs, classroom computers, and in the

computer lab. We will label them and they will be stored here at school.• Once students receive books they need to bring their reading bag when they are ready to get

new books.• Please DO NOT send

• Toys (unless it’s something specifically for show-and-tell)• Blankets• Stuffed Animals (unless it’s a show-and-tell, class reward, or treasure box item)

• Students do NOT need to bring• A pencil box (I will provide a pencil/crayon box)• Their own crayons, pencils, markers, etc.• Glue sticks• Notebooks/ Writing Paper