Mrs. Jones's Homework Helpline

week of February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T10:28:00.001-08:00

In Phonics, our letter is Yy like in Yarn. Please continue to review all letters and sounds and sight words/high frequency words that are located on the back of the Phonics practice page daily. Word List 12 will be sent home and tested at the end of the week.
In Math, we will be working with numbers 0-20 and comparing sets of objects. We will be dividing things by sharing them and identifying hot and cold. Also, we will continue our work with nickels, but please don’t forget to review penny and dime.
In Reading, our new story is Goldilocks and The Three Bears. We will be discussing what kind of adventures a little girl can have and sequence the events in the story.
Our Valentine Party will be on Tuesday, February 14. Please don’t forget your Valentines!
Our Gym day is Day 4, Tuesday. Please wear sneakers.
Papers that come home that are extra are from the writing center. The students may pick papers to keep in their desks are work on during transition times. They do not have to be completed for homework.
There will be no school on Friday, February 17 or Monday, February 20 due to Teacher In-Service. School will resume Tuesday, February 21.
Thank you so much, but we are no longer collecting coupons for the Troops. Thank you to everyone who participated. Please see the pink paper for further details.

week of Jan. 30

2012-01-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of January 30)
Homework for the week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet practice paper and Word List 10
Tuesday-Thursday: Reader practice
In Phonics, our letter is Cc like in Cat. The rule to use C and K when spelling words is: Use a K before e, I, or y like in key, kid, or milky. Use a C before a, o, u, or any consonant like cat, cot, cup, or clip.
In Math, we will continue to copy line segments and shapes on geoboards and measure objects with nonstandard units as well as compare length. We are also learning a new pattern that is the ABC pattern and will problem solve and act out some and some more problems.
In Reading, our new story is My Lucky Day and we will be talking about animal adventures and fiction/animal fantasy stories. We will also be talking about cause and effect and retelling a story.
• Just a reminder: Party money is due as soon as possible.
Tuesday, January 31 will be the 100th day of school. Please don’t forget your collections!
Gym is Day 4 on Tuesday. If your child wears boots to school on a gym day please have sneakers for them in their bookbag so that they can change for class. Thank you!
Important Dates in February:
February 2 is Groundhog’s Day. We will be making predictions if the groundhog sees his shadow or not.
February 14 is the Valentine’s Party. Please make sure that you have a class list to fill out your Valentines.
The Month of February is Dental Health Month and we will be doing various activities throughout the month about this very important topic.

week of January 17, 2012

2012-01-13T09:44:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of January 17)
*There will be no school for students on January 16.*
Homework for the week:
Tues-Thurs.: 1/2 sheet practice, reader review, word list 8
In Phonics, we will be learning the letter Uu like in Umbrella. The United States report information was already sent home and the reports will be due on Friday, January 20.
Our Reading story is Hide Clyde and the concept of the story is changing for protection. We will also be talking about the main idea and the plot of the story.
We will continue our number practice and identification to 20 and problem solving activities. We will also be talking about measuring cups and following recipes as well as full and half full containers.
We will begin our new Science unit called Wood and Paper. We will become familiar with different kinds of wood, learn their names, and observe how they are alike and different, we will go on a wood hunt in our classroom, and observe how wood and water interact.

The first day of the 3rd Marking Period will be Wednesday, January 18 and report cards for the 2nd Marking Period will be sent home on Friday, January 20. Please sign and return report cards as soon as possible.
The “I am Special” Packets that might be coming home were a bonus packet passed out this week. The students were able to keep them in their desk to work on in down time and then take them home as they wish. They are not a mandatory assignment. Sorry for the confusion.
Tuesday will be Day 4, Gym day.

week of January 3, 2012

2012-01-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of January 3)

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!
The next class newsletter will be sent home on Friday, January 6.

Homework for the week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet practice and new reader

Our new letter in Phonics is Kk like in Kite. Word list 7 will be sent home.
In Math, we will be working with Geoboards and counting by 10’s to 100. We also count pennies in Math meeting and identify nickels and their value.
Important dates:
Tuesday, January 3- Welcome back from Holiday Break. Day 5, Computers
Thursday, January 5- King Day for the Boys for Letter Kk.

week of December 12

2011-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of December 12)
*This newsletter will be the last newsletter of 2011, please stay tuned for more classroom happenings in 2012.*
Homework for the week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet practice and continue reading “Stan’s Pigs” from previous week
*There will be no homework the week of December 19. Please enjoy the Holiday!*
Our new letter in Phonics is Rr like in Rabbit. Word list 6 will be the last word list sent home for 2011.
Our Reading story is “See How We Grow” and we will be talking about how we have grown. If you would like to send in a baby picture of your child to share with the class, ld’s name is on the back.
In Math, we will be working with Geoboards and counting by 10’s to 100. We also count pennies in Math meeting and identify nickels and their value.
A big Thank You! to Letter Carrier Eric Hughes and his special elf helper, Dee for coming to pick up our letters to deliver to Santa Claus.
Monday, December 12 – K-2 Music Program 9:30 a.m. School dress code or nicer (Christmas dresses or suits etc.) can be worn. No spirit wear.
Friday, December 16 – We will go to the high school auditorium to watch the elementary band/chorus concert.
Monday, December 19 – “Burble, Fizz, Kaboom” program
Wednesday, December 21- The NSHS Band & Choir will perform for us!
Thursday, December 22 – Polar Express and Holiday Party. Wear your favorite pajamas!
Friday, December 23- Early Dismissal for students, 11:4 5 a.m.
Tuesday, January 3- Welcome back from Holiday Break.
Thursday, January 5- King Day for the Boys for Letter Kk.
Happy Holidays to you and yours! We hope that the Holiday Season is merry and bright from Mrs. Borden, Mrs. Jones, and Miss Lisa. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

week of November 14

2011-11-11T04:42:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of November 14)

Homework for the week:
Monday- A change of pace! A Book Report Sheet will be coming home on Monday, please pick out your favorite book from home and help your child fill out the sheet. Please return the Book Report by Friday.
Tuesday-Thursday: Reader practice, ½ sheet practice, word list practice
In Phonics, we will be learning the letter Ii like in Igloo and Icicle, though we will be focusing on the short sound of Ii. Our second Phonics Decodable Reader, Hop on the Mop will be coming home to read. We are also working on syllables in words and clapping the syllables for each word. We will also be introduced to twin consonants in words and we will code them by crossing out the last of the twin consonants because we only make the sound of one of the consonants. An example would be the words: hill, inn, or mitt.
We are incorporating I Pads and their technology for our Phonics and Kid Writing lessons next week.
In Reading, our new story is “Whose Garden Is It?” and it is a nice wrap up to our previous Tree Science Unit. We will be talking about the plants and animals that live in gardens and parts of the plant. This is a rhyming story and we have been working on the “at” word family and the “og” word family previously.
In Math, we will be writing and ordering money amounts to 10 cents. We will be having a classroom store and practice using money to 10 cents. We will continue to practice grouping and classifying and identifying objects that don’t belong. Our new pattern in the Math Meeting is an ABB pattern.
Congratulations to our recent “3 Cheers” Winners! A “3 Cheers” Winner” follows the rules, tries their very best, and has a good attitude in school. There are lots of certificates to give, so keep up the good work and try hard!
This is our last full week before Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving Break will be: an early dismissal on November 23 @ 11:45, No School on November 24, 25, and 28. We will see you back on November 29.
Monday will be Day 3. Tuesday will be Day 4 and we have Gym. Friday will be Day 2, Book Exchange.

week of October 31 (Halloween)

2011-11-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of October 31)
Happy Halloween

Monday: ½ sheet practice
Tuesday: ½ sheet practice and reader practice
Wednesday: ½ sheet practice, reader practice, handwriting practice
Thursday: ½ sheet practice and reader practice
*Readers will start coming home on Tuesdays and can be practiced Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. We will introduce the reader the week before, review it on Monday and send it on Tuesday. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.*
Just a reminder, conferences for Grades Kindergarten to 3 will be held from 4-6 pm on Tuesday, November 1. We hope to see you there!
Our new letter is Nn like in Nest. We will continue to review letter sounds and use them to blend words in the word list. If you have any questions/concerns about the blending or the word list, feel free to let us know.
Our new Reading Story is “Bear Snores On” and we will sequence the story and compare this fiction story to our last story, “Animal Babies in Grasslands” which was nonfiction. We will also be talking about animal hibernation. We just finished up our study of nocturnal animals, with a focus on Bats for Halloween!
In Math, we will be reviewing shapes, numbers 0-10, and aspects of the calendar. We have already introduced a penny and its value, but feel free to talk about other coins and their values at home or in the community.
This past week, we were able to Skype with one of the computer teachers, Ms. Kraft. She is in South Africa to help share technology with communities there. We were able to ask questions about her visit.
We also celebrated Red Ribbon week and the “Just Say No” campaign. We will have our lesson with Ms. Rowland this upcoming week.
A big Kindergarten thank you goes out to Chase’s parents for coming in to share 911 and safety tips with all of us. It was a great culmination to Fire Safety Month and community helpers.
Just a reminder, please do not send in candy for snack. Thanks for your cooperation!

week of October 17

2011-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of October 17)
Homework For The Week
Monday: ½ sheet, decodable reader, sight word review
Tuesday: ½ sheet, decodable reader, sight word review
Wednesday: ½ sheet, decodable reader, handwriting
Thursday: no written work, just review
On Friday, October 21, there will be an Act 80 Half Day with an early dismissal of 11:45 am for the elementary students.
The Kindergarten Fall Festival will be on Thursday, October 20. Students are permitted to wear “gym clothes” for Fall Festival even if it not their gym day. Please remember that the dress code is still in effect and jeans are not permitted.
Our Pajama Party was perfect! We had so much fun playing with Play Doh, painting, making pigs, eating pancakes, and other Pp fun. We also started reading about our good friend and book character, “Junie B Jones” and her adventures at a Pajama Party.
In Phonics, we will work on the letter Aa like in apple and acorn. We will focus on the short sound of a, but talk about its long sound. We will also be getting our first decodable reader that focuses on words that have the sounds that we have learned along with sight words.
“Armadillo’s Orange” is our new Reading Story. We will discuss animals that live in an Orange Grove. We will also work on setting and compare this story to our last story, “Life in the Ocean”. We will talk about the difference between fiction and nonfiction stories.
In Math, we will continue to work with the numbers 1-10 with identifying missing numbers, putting them in order, counting backwards, and writing the numbers. We will also be identifying ordinal position to fourth.
We will be walking in the School Walk for Diabetes on Friday, October 21 at Spartan Stadium. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
New sight words are being added to the envelopes for next week! It is so exciting to see how hard they are practicing and it is showing in the classroom. The students are also finding sight words in their readers and Library books and around the school!
As you are looking for Halloween costumes for the school Halloween party and parade on October 28 (that begins at 2:15), here a few tips to make things easier: We do walk in our parade outside and it will probably be chilly, so a costume that slips over clothes works well. Also, props like swords, brooms, etc. aren’t allowed due to safety issues. If you have any questions, please let us know.

week of Octobeer 3

2011-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of October 3)
Homework:
Monday: ½ sheet and reader
Tuesday: ½ sheet and reader
Wednesday: ½ sheet and reader and Handwriting
Thursday: ½ sheet and reader and practice talent
For those helping with the Fall Festival, there will be a second meeting at the Mine Shaft in Ashland. The meeting starts at 6:00 pm.
In Phonics, we are learning the letter Tt like in Tent. In a few weeks, we will be practicing our very first Phonics reader, “Hot, Hot, Hot” that will have words that we can blend and sight words. To celebrate our letter Tt, we will be having a “Talent Show” on Friday. It will be held in our own classroom and the children can perform their very own talent. We have had anything from joke telling, cheerleading, reading, to karate, singing, and dancing. It is just something simple and short and everyone gets a star for participating!
Our new Reading story is “Dig, Dig, Digging” and it is about how machines help people. We will be working on classifying and categorizing and this is our last story In our unit, “All Together Now”.
In Math, we will continue to work on AB patterns like in our Math Meeting. We will also be working on graphing like we did with our apples this past week. Please continue to work on numbers 1-5, both writing them and counting. We will also be working on naming shapes by their attributes and sorting them.
Your child might come home with more papers on certain days than others. There will also be some papers that are marked and some papers that are not. The daily Phonics and Math will be looked at and checked to make sure that the directions were followed and they tried their best. Several times a week, there will be morning work that isn’t checked but correlates to either the letter or the theme going on at that time. There will also be groups of papers coming home after we complete one of the center rotations. They are only checked to make sure that they are handed in and worked on the concept. Centers relate to the various concepts we are working on such as word work, science, math, art, and writing and are completed independently while they are waiting to be called to work with the teacher in small group.
Please continue to check our blog under the North Schuylkill Website, Homework Helpline, Borden, J. That will contain not only this week’s information, but past posts in case you are looking for information on a particular subject. Keep up the great work!

week of September 19

2011-09-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of September 19)
Homework: Please practice Decodable Reader all week with someone at home
Monday: Counting practice and big and small/ decodable reader
Tuesday: Syllables and First and Last name/ decodable reader
Wednesday: Color Practice and Gg Handwriting/ decodable reader
Thursday: Lowercase letter practice/ decodable reader
This week, we will be painting in Art class. If you would like to send in an old T-shirt that your child can keep in his/her cubby for the year, please do so by early next week. It would be helpful to have this old shirt to put over the nice school clothes when we do messy projects throughout the year. Thank you!
In addition to the old T-shirt, if you didn’t yet send in a spare set of dress code clothing for your child to keep in the cubbies, please do so. They will all be sent home at the end of year, but it is handy to keep a spare set in case of an accident, spilled food or drink, or mud from outside. This would save parents a trip to the school to bring in clothes if any of that would happen.
In Saxon Phonics, we are working on the letter Gg like in Goat. We have already learned the letter Ll and the letter Oo and now we can put all of the sounds together to make our first word, log. We will also be coding short vowels in words. The rule in class is, “if a vowel is followed by a consonant, then the vowel is short and we code it with a breve”.
In Saxon Math, we are working on sorting by color and shape. We are also working on counting to 10 and one to one correspondence to 10. We are also working with pattern blocks and reviewing an AB pattern. We also do Math Meeting every day and review months, days, the date, and how many days we have been in school.
In Reading, our new story is “Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip”. We will be talking about community helpers and different people that work in our communities. We will continue to review setting and characters and retelling the story.
Please don’t forget to label coats, bookbags, lunchbags, and other accessories. Since the mornings are getting a bit chillier and it might get warm by recess, many children take off their coats outside but forget to take them inside. This would ensure that your child would get his/her coat back in the event that it is left outside.
The class in collecting “Capri Sun” drink pouches after the students finish them at lunch and snack. They then will go home with one of the students that has a cousin with Juvenile Diabetes. Capri Sun makes a donation towards Juvenile Diabetes for every drink pouch handed in. If you would like to send in any empty Capri Sun juice pouches we will make sure that they go with that student.
Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones would like to send a big Thank You and Great Job to all of the parents and families of our students. The forms that were sent home have been completed on time, homework has been completed and signed, and the envelopes with money have been labeled correctly. The class is doing a great job following rules, walking quietly in a line, completing their work, and being great citizens. We thank you for your continued involvement and participation in your child’s Kindergarten year. Please write a note or send an email if you have any questions or need any additional information. Thank you so much!

Week of September 5

2011-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of September 5)

Homework

Tuesday – Homework signature page & First name practice page
Wednesday – Circle Capital and Lowercase Letter page & L Handwriting page (Please have your child complete the front and back of the handwriting sheet to the best of their ability. Please also have them write their name on the top.)
Thursday - Trace & Color shape page

There will be no school Monday, September 5. Have a great holiday weekend!

All About Me Tees will start to come home. These are posters that need to be filled out and returned so that the children can share facts about themselves with the class so they can get to know each other better. You will have two days to complete the poster, so if your poster comes home on a Wednesday, it will be due on Friday. You and your child can be creative when completing this project, use pictures, stickers, crayons, etc.

We had so much fun on our “Chester Chase” this week. We tried to find Chester the Raccoon from “The Kissing Hand”. He lead us on a chase to find the important places in our school building, but had to return to his book after leaving us a cookie treat. We will continue to read theme books to welcome us to Kindergarten and to school.

Academics next week include: Saxon Math, we will be working on numbers 1-5 and working with the manipulatives and materials that we will be using throughout the course of the year. Saxon Phonics, we will continue to work on the letter Ll so that we can write it, make its sound, identify it, and identify words that begin with the letter. The Phonics newsletter that is coming home to explain the program is very important, please keep it as a reference for the entire year of Kindergarten. Sight words that we will be working on include the and is. Please ask your child about these words and if they can find them at home or in the community.
We began Reading with the story, The Little School Bus this week. Watch for your Family Times newsletter to come home with details about our upcoming story and skills we will be working on in Reading. Please review the Amazing words, the ordinal numbers first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth, letter recognition of letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, and Ee, the story element “character”, and the high frequency words I and am.
Thursday is the Luau for Kindergarten only. It is our very special activity for completing our first letter in Phonics. More information will come home early next week.

Friday is Picture Day. Please dress your child in dress code approved clothing and send in your picture forms and money. If you need a picture form, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can get one home.

A Few Reminders

Your child needs a drink and a snack every day. There are several children that have had no snack or had a snack and no drink. Please bag their snack separately and label it “snack”. If your child’s snack requires a fork or spoon, please send it. We do not keep these in the room.
Please discuss with your child if they are buying a lunch and what they should choose. We’ve had a few children order lunch because it sounded good, but they really had a packed lunch.

Please send a change of clothes to be kept in your child’s cubby incase of accidents or messes.

Put your child’s name on everything. Many students have the same backpack, lunch bag, coat etc.

Every Friday of the school year is Spirit Day! This is optional. It is done to promote school spirit and enthusiasm for our sports teams. The children are allowed to wear any North Schuylkill t-shirt and uniform bottoms.
We thank you for your continued involvement and participation in your child’s Kindergarten year. Please write a note or send an email if you have any questions or need any additional information. Thank you!

week of August 29, 2011

2011-08-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Kindergarten!

week of May 31

2011-05-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Have a safe and healthy summer!

week of May 16

2011-05-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of May 16)
As we are coming to an end to the school year, we will be wrapping up the formalized lessons for both Math and Phonics. We will continue to review the rules for coding, long vowels, digraphs, combinations, and Decodable Readers that go along with our Phonics series. We will continue to work on counting patterns, shape and color patterns, money, time, addition and subtraction in Math. However, the daily papers that usually come home will not be coming home for the remainder of the year.
There will be no more homework for the rest of the year. Please continue to review sight words, the readers that have been sent home, or any of the materials in the practice packet. We will be sending home practice packets for the summer in the next few weeks.
In Reading, we will be working on the last three stories of the series. The last unit for reading is focused on a building theme and we will continue to talk about theme, setting, characters, plot, and cause and effect. The children will also be able to work on their Reading workbook that is in their desk when there is free time for it.
We had much fun in the baseball field on Thursday for the “Teens Against Tobacco” activity. We learned all about the dangers of cigarettes and smoking.
We will be going over to the High School several times next week to practice for graduation as well as to see the Spring concert one morning.
Please send back the DVD orders as soon as possible if you are interested in purchasing a Kindergarten DVD. If you need an extra form, please send back a note to let us know.
Also, if your child would like to order a hoagie lunch for carnival day, the orders are due back by Wednesday, May 18. Please don’t forget to put your child’s number on the top.
If there is a lunch balance due, please pay it by May 27. The payment is due to the cafeteria.
We will have Gym on Monday and Friday. Also, all Library books and materials are due next Tuesday. That will be our last Library class as well.
Upcoming Important Dates:
May 23 (6:30 pm) Kindergarten Graduation at the High School (more information will follow)
May 26 Field Trip to the Circus
May 27 Carnival Day for the Elementary School
May 30 No School due to Memorial Day
June 2- Last Day of School (dismissal at 11:45)

Week of May 9

2011-05-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter

We are so proud of our class because of how well they did on our DIBELS testing. Everyone showed progress. Their hard work is paying off. Give yourselves a cheer!
Our end of the year Kindergarten testing will take place this coming Monday and Tuesday. Students will need to write as many words as they can think of from memory in 10 minutes, copy a sentence that is dictated to them and name words that begin with each letter of the alphabet (long and short vowels).
See your child’s folder for fieldtrip information. Please send back as soon as possible.
Next week in Phonics we will work with combination ar like in star, or like in horse, er, like in butter and learn the VCCV rule. This will help us find vowel patterns and divide words by syllable.
In Math we will share a whole by separating it into equal parts, identify halves and fourths and create pictographs to compare temperatures during different seasons.
Our new Reading stories are Old McDonald had a Workshop and Building Beavers. We will discuss character and main idea.
Upcoming Dates:
On Thursday, May 12 we will be participating in the Teens Against Tobacco Kick Butts Event. T.A.T. students from the high school will come to assist us activities.
Our Kindergarten Graduation will be at 6:30 on Monday, May 23rd in the High School Auditorium. Details will be sent home at a later date.
Our fieldtrip will be held on Thursday, May 26th. We will be attending the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hershey at the Giant Center.
Monday is Day 4. We have Gym and Book Exchange on Tuesday. Don’t forget your sneakers and library books.

Happy Mother’s Day!

week of May 2

2011-04-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of May 2)
This week in Phonics, we are learning Digraph “ch” like in cheese and Digraph “ee” like in sheep. We will also be reviewing all of our Digraphs (two letters that come together to make one sound) and our “sneaky e rule” to make a vowel long like in “cake”.
In Math, we will continue our addition and subtraction stories. The children do a very lovely job of acting them out and enjoy the elaborate stories and adventures that involve our math concepts. Also, we will be continuing to work on all coins and their values and adding them together to buy things. Symmetry will be introduced as well along with a review of using different objects to measure items.
In Reading, our new story is “This is the Way We Go to School” and we will continue our discussion on different ways to travel and transportation. We will also work on predictions and drawing conclusions about the story. A new practice reader will go home this week as well because we didn’t do one previously due to the Easter holiday and short week.
We will have our monthly Guidance lesson on Friday this week.
Library is on Tuesday; please bring your books in that day.
Gym will be on Wednesday, please don’t forget sneakers.

Kindergarten Graduation will be on Monday, May 23 at 6:30 pm.
Our Kindergarten Field Trip will be May 26. We will be going to Hershey to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Week of April 25

2011-04-26T05:48:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of April 25)

There will be no school Friday, April 22 and Monday, April 25. Enjoy the break!
Next week in Math we will measure, add, and begin subtraction and symmetry.
In Phonics we will learn about digraph oo as in tooth and begin vowel consonant sneaky e. The new rule is: A vowel followed by a consonant and sneaky e is long; code the vowel with a macron, and cross out the silent e.
Our new Reading story is On the Move! We will discuss how people in different parts of the world travel. The reading skill is main idea.
We participated in Brainshow Mania on Wednesday! We had a blast!
Easter party was today. We had an Easter egg hunt and snack. We also dyed Easter Eggs this week.

Upcoming Events:
Our Kindergarten Graduation will be at 6:30 on Monday, May 23rd in the High School Auditorium. Details will be sent home at a later date.
Our fieldtrip will be held on Thursday, May 26th. We will be attending the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hershey at the Giant Center.
Tuesday is Day 3. We will have Art. Don’t forget library books for Tuesday and sneakers for Wednesday!
Have a great break!

week of April 18

2011-04-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of April 18)
We have been working very hard on digraphs (two letters that come together to make one sound) including the ones using “ck” (like in duck), “sh” (like in shark) voiced digraph “th” (like in feather) and unvoiced digraph “th” (like in thimble). We have been applying this rule to our word lists and everyone is trying their very best to blend and read their word list. Give yourself a cheer!
In Math, we are working on making estimates and everyone knows that an estimate can’t be wrong as long as they make their best guess. We have been measuring things using cubes and pieces of paper. We are also working on adding and subtracting using not only numbers, but objects and pictures as well. We are also working on identifying and counting pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Congratulations to all the kiddos, everyone counts to 100 by tens! Great job, give yourself a cheer!
Our new reading story is “The Little Engine That Could” and we are working on plot and main idea of a story.
Next week we have the 6th grade science fair and we will get a chance to view the projects. We will also have an assembly with “Brainshow Mania” which is always educational and fun.
Our Easter egg hunt for Kindergarten will be Thursday morning. We will hunt for eggs with a sight word on them and then have a treat.
There will be no school on Friday, April 22 and Monday, April 25 due to the Easter holiday. School will resume on Tuesday, April 26. Enjoy the break!

week of April 4

2011-04-01T11:50:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of April 4)
Homework for the week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet practice and new sight words (located in the clear portion of the folder; we have added words to the previous ones) Please don’t forget to read the reader each night and sign on the form.
*The word lists will no longer be sent home. We have been working on blending all year and we would like to see how the blending is done without seeing the words ahead of time. We will continue to send home the marked word lists for you to see the progress and if there is a retest needed, we will send home a note with the list. The retest will be given later in the week.*
This week in Phonics, we will be learning a new rule. It is the long vowel rule and we will be now working on reading words with long and short vowel sounds. The rule will be reviewed on each Phonics page that is sent home. We are now through the entire alphabet and will be focusing on digraphs, combinations, blends and phonics rules until the end of the year.
In Math, we will work on identifying and writing numbers to 30 and numbers on a number line. We will also be reviewing the penny, nickel, and dime and their values. We will also introduce the quarter and dollar along with their values.
Our new Reading story is “Mayday, Mayday”. This is an informational text and we will be discussing cause and effect and continue to work on setting, title, characters, and sequence of the story.
Please sign and return the report cards as soon as possible, thank you!
School store for Kindergarten is on Monday only.
For anyone that signed and returned the purple form from the nurse, their physicals will be on: April 14. This is the rescheduled date.
*An important note about Graduation Pictures on April 7: Please wear a white collared shirt for the picture. Also, girls should not wear anything in their hair. We will be wearing both caps and gowns for the photo. Thank you for your cooperation.

Gym: on Monday and Friday Library: on Tuesday

week of March 28

2011-03-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of March 28)
This week in Phonics, we will be working on the combination “qu” like in Queen. Q and U always are together and we will be having a pretend wedding as a culminating activity to bring this concept to life. Invitations for the children are with the newsletter. Our Queen Day will be on: Wednesday, March 30 and the girls will have the opportunity to wear their crowns and be treated like royalty!
Our new Reading story is: “Max Takes the Train” and we will be working on different ways to travel. We will also be comparing and contrasting fiction and nonfiction stories.
In Math, we will be working on: counting forward and backward, tangrams, measuring objects with nonstandard units, length, and graphing on a pictogram.
Report cards will be sent home next week; please sign and return them as soon as possible. It is hard to believe that there is only one marking period left in this Kindergarten year!
In Science, we are working on Animals Two by Two and have been observing goldfish and guppies and have seen worms in their dirt habitat. We have also compared and contrasted different kinds of bugs.

J ust a reminder, Kindergarten graduation pictures will be on April 7, please return the photo forms as soon as possible.

On April 14, there will be school Physicals for anyone who returned a purple form if it was sent home by the school nurse. They had to be rescheduled due to a conflict with the doctor.

Please continue to wear coats to school, the weather is very unpredictable and we like to be outside at recess as much as possible.
Everyone is doing such a good job! Give yourself a cheer!

Week of March 21

2011-03-18T12:29:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter

Our new letter in phonics is the consonant W as in wagon. We will manipulate sounds in words, identify the accent on a syllable within a word and count letter sounds in words.
We will have fun with water on Watery Wednesday. We will look at water displacement, sink and float, evaporation and many more fun experiments!
In Math we will be identifying and ordering numbers, comparing sets of objects, making ABBC patterns, dividing by sharing and identifying right and left.
Our new Reading story is called Abuela. We will talk about adventures you can have in a city. Our skill will be setting.
In Science we will continue to observe goldfish, guppies, worms and snails.
Kindergarten Graduation pictures will be on April 7. Watch your child’s folder for more information.

week of March 14

2011-03-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of March 14)
Homework for the Week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet written practice, word list practice, sight word practice, decodable reader
Next week in Phonics, we will be learning the letter “Xx”. The sound for the letter is like at the end of the word, “Fox.” We will also be have a treasure hunt this week like pirates do when they are looking on a treasure map for “X marks the spot”. There will be no show and tell this week.
In Reading, our new story is called “If You Could Go to Antarctica” and it will continue our unit on “adventures”. The key concept question will be about places your adventures can take you. We will practice working on nonfiction and earth science concepts as well as classifying and categorizing.
In Math, we will practice our counting by 5’s and counting nickels to $.50. We will also be exploring addition and subtraction sentences. Please continue to review counting to 100 by 1’s and 10’s.
*Daylight savings time starts this weekend; please don’t forget to spring forward!
*St. Patrick’s Day is on Thursday; wear your green to be festive!
*Gym is on Thursday, please wear your sneakers. Library will be on Tuesday, please don’t forget your books.

Week of March 7

2011-03-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones Nifty Newsletter (Week of March 7)
Homework
½ sheet, sight word practice, word list practice, and Independent Oral Reading sheet daily
In Phonics we will be learning the letter J as in jar and Jones. We will work on medial sounds in words and syllables.
Our new Reading story is called Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Our focus will be the Characters in the story.
Our Math topics for the week will be identifying and counting nickels, identifying a cylinder, ordering objects by height and creating patterns.
Kindergarten Registration will be held March 7-11 for incoming Kindergarten students.
Wednesday, March 2nd was Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. We read some great books and made some fun things to go along with the stories like gak, hats and our own Dr. Seuss characters. On Friday, March 4th some students from Bloomsburg University visited our classroom to read Dr. Seuss books and do a follow up activity with the students. We had many guest readers! Be sure to ask your child about their day!
*Newspaper in Education Week is a program sponsored by the Pottsville Republican & Herald to promote interest in the newspaper in our schools. It will be starting on Monday, March 7th and continue through Friday, March 11th. Watch the paper for our ad and also record your reading each day on the I’m a Reader Take Home Challenge sheet that was sent home in your child’s folder.
Monday will be Day 1. Don’t forget your sneakers for Gym and your library book for Tuesday’s library class.

week of February 28

2011-02-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of February 28)
Homework for the week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet written work and reader “I did it”
*There will be no new word list this week, please review word list 14.*

In Phonics this week, our new letter is Vv like in Vest. We have just added “said” “red” “ten” “help” “on” “was” “off” “on” “no” to our sight word rotation and they will be appearing in our Phonics work. There will be no show and tell this week. Thank you!
We are practicing writing words that we know. Each morning we take a few minutes to practice writing all the words that we know how to write. We practice by categories. The past few categories have been sight words and names and we will soon start writing word families. Word families are words that rhyme together such as: bat, cat, rat, sat.
Our new reading story is “One Little Mouse”. We have been working on story elements such as fiction and nonfiction, character, main idea, setting, and sequence of story. This set of stories includes many fun animal characters on their adventures.
We will be reviewing concepts in Math. We will go over the calendar for the day and date and count daily. We will also work on penny, nickel, and dime and time to the hour. We always review AB, AABB, ABC, ABBA, patterns. We have been counting by 10’s and 1’s and have recently introduced counting by 5’s. Adding together and taking away items have also been introduced.
On March 4, Friday, is our “Read Across America” day to celebrate one of our favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. We will have guest readers, Bloomsburg University students to do activities with us, and celebrate the joy of reading all day!
Our Gym day is Tuesday and it will be Library day is that day as well. Please don’t forget your sneakers and books for that day!
Please label all money and envelopes that come in, we sometimes have several things going on at once, thanks!

Week of February 21

2011-02-18T10:49:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of February 21)

There will be no school Monday, February 21.
There will not be a decodable reader for homework next week. Instead, there will be an Independent Oral Reading page, sight word practice and Word List 13 practice.
This week in phonics we will learn the letter D as in dog and dinosaur. There will not be Show and Tell this week. In place of Show and Tell we will present Dinosaur reports. Information about the report is in your folder today.
In Reading we will begin My Lucky Day. This story looks at where our adventures can take us. We will also discuss Cause and Effect.
Our Math concepts for the week will be ABC patterns, Problem Solving, Estimating, Measuring, and Money.
We have been discussing dental health this week. We did experiments, crafts, read books and sent home materials to read with your child. Ask your child what they learned?
We are beginning our Dr. Seuss Author Study. Look for a book that our class created in your child’s backpack. Each child will have the opportunity to take it home for the night. Please read it, make a comment and send it back the next day.
We will be collecting cash for critters until the end of the month.
Our class had a lovely time at the Valentine party! Thanks to the homeroom moms for doing a great job!

week of February 14

2011-02-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones Nifty Newsletter (week of February 14)
Homework for the Week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet written work, Decodable Reader (Ben is Ten), word list
*There will be NO SHOW AND TELL* this week for the letter Yy.*
Yy as in Yarn will be our new letter for the week. We are working our way through the alphabet and have learned almost all of the letters. The spelling sound tests of the past week have had beautiful handwriting! Give yourselves a cheer!
In Math, we will continue our measurement lessons, work more with patterns and pattern blocks, and explore the geoboards. We are now past the 100th day of school and we practice counting to 100 in various ways each day. We also play a hidden number game and everyone does such a nice job! Give yourselves a cheer!
Our new Reading Story is, Bunny Day. We will be working on sequence of a story. We will be also talking about adventures.
In Science, we have finally finished our “Wood and Paper” unit and have learned about the different kinds of paper and wood and how they can be changed. We have also learned about their physical properties and what they can be made into. We will soon be moving onto “Animals Two by Two”.
Our Valentine’s Day Party will be on Monday, February 14 from 2-3 pm. Please send in your Valentine’s if you did not do so already. Also, our class list is located on the January 31 newsletter that is also posted on our blog for that date.
Gym day is on Wednesday, February 16, Please don’t forget your sneakers!
Library day is on Tuesday, February 15. Please send in your library books.
The purple physical forms that were sent home are due back to the nurse. Not everyone needed one, but if you did get one and did not send it back, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!
A Few Reminders:
There will be school on: Friday, January 18.
There will not be school for students on: Monday, January 21.
Please don’t forget, we are collecting Coins for Critters all month.

Week of February 7

2011-02-04T11:50:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of February 7)
Next week is Bully Prevention week. There will be weeklong activities and days to dress.
Monday – Don’t Knock it, Sock it! Wear crazy socks.
Tuesday – Hats off for no bullying – Students wear crazy hats.
Wednesday – Mix it up day – wear miss- matched clothes or crazy hair.
Thursday – Rainbow of Friendship – Kindergarten wears green.
Friday – Be a good sport: wear NSE team shirts.
In Phonics we will be working with the letter Ee as in egg and elephant.
In math, we will continue to work on numbers 0-20 and measuring.
Our new reading story is called Hide Clyde! We will be discussing changing for protection. We will also talk about the main idea.
Please continue to practice the decodable reader Zip each night.
Our Valentine party will be on Monday, February 14 from 2:00-3:00.
We will have a snack, play a game and exchange valentines. Feel free to send Valentines to school any day next week. If you haven’t sent party money in, please do so as soon as possible.
Monday is Day 2. We have computers. Don’t forget library books on Tuesday and sneakers for Gym on Thursday.
Today was the 100th day of school, can you believe it? Make sure you ask your child about their fun day!

week of January 31

2011-02-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of January 31)
Homework For the Week:
Monday-Thursday: ½ sheet practice, word list practice, new decodable reader
There will be no show and tell next week, but please don’t forget your 100 small items for the 100th day on: Wednesday, February 2.
In Phonics, we will be learning Cc like in Cat. We will also be working on the rule of when to use Kk and when to use Cc when spelling words.
The rule is: we spell the /k/ sound with a K when the sound is followed by the letters e, i, or y like in Key, Kid, or milky. We spell the /K/ sound with a C when the sound is followed by the letters a, o, or u, or any consonant like in cat, cot, cup, or clip.
In Math, we are continuing to practice the numbers to 20 including putting them in order, counting, and identifying the numbers. We will also be introducing how to follow a recipe, measuring, full, empty, and identifying the quart container.
Our story in Reading is “Seeds” and we will be talking about how plants grow and change and comparing that story to how the animals and children have changed in previous stories.
This next week, we will be making predictions for both Groundhog’s Day on February 2 and the Super Bowl on Friday, February 4 for the big game over the weekend.
The 100th Day is February 2, and we will be dressing like we are 100 years old, counting our 100 small objects, and completing activities with 100 all day. It is a very special day in Kindergarten!
The Valentine’s Day party will be on Monday, February 14. Listed below is a list of the girls and boys in our classroom so that your children can fill out their Valentine’s.
Girls:
Byronna, Ainsley, Brittany, Angelina, Mary, Lilian, Savannah, Jaedyn, Lyla, Jaelyn
Boys:
Zachary, Lenny, Braeden , Brandon, Jack H., Joshua, Isaac, Ryan, Tyler, Jack W.

Tuesday, February 1, Library, please don’t forget your books.
Wednesday, February 2, Gym day, please wear sneakers.

Week of January 24

2011-01-21T10:15:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter
(Week of January 24)

Next week in Phonics we will work with the letter Z as in Zebra. We will have show and tell on Wednesday.
In Math we will begin to combine sets by counting on one, use numbers to describe how many objects are in a set and we will identify and order the numbers 0-20.
Our new Reading Story is called Farfallina and Marcel. We will discuss how friendships change. We will look at the plot of the story, which are the things that happen in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
We are continuing our Wood and Paper Science Unit. This week we will continue to learn about the properties of wood and how to use those properties to change wood.
Due to the snow day, report cards will be sent home on Monday, January 24.
On Thursday, we attended we attended the Rand Whipple Box of Lights program in the gym. The students really enjoyed the show! Thank you PTO for all that you do!!!
Monday will be Day 2. Don’t forget your library books for Tuesday and Gym shoes for Thursday.
Valentine’s Day will soon be here! A list of the students in our class will be coming home next week.

week of January 17

2011-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of January 17)
Homework For The Week:
*There will be NO Show and Tell Next Week*
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: ½ sheet, decodable reader, and Math number practice
Our letter next week will be Uu like Umbrella. We only have one short vowel to go and then we will start learning how to use the long vowel sounds. There will be No Show and Tell; this letter is a bit more difficult to find words and pictures to go along with it. Please continue to review all letters, sounds, and Word List 8.
The new reading story is “See How We Grow”. Please send in a baby picture of your child (please put your child’s name on the back) for a class project. We will be comparing the baby pictures, this year’s picture, and having them predict what they will look like in the future. The pictures will be returned in a few weeks after we have had them on display.
In Math, we will be working on numbers to 20. We will also be enclosing some practice cards for number identification practice. The cards will be placed in the practice each night and bring right back sleeve of the folder. Some ideas for number practice include: counting to 100, counting by 10’s, identifying numbers on signs, books, menus, or anywhere!, writing numbers with paint, soap, foam, markers, crayons, etc., putting numbers in order, making number patterns. If you need other ideas for making numbers fun, please let us know!
We will be seeing a Rand Whipple Show on Thursday, January 20. It will be in the gym in the afternoon. Make sure to ask your child all about it!
Report cards will be sent home: Friday, January 21. Please sign and return as soon as possible.
Important Dates:
No School on Friday, January 14 and Monday, January 17
Day 3 and Library are on Tuesday, January 18
Gym is on Thursday, January 20

week of January 3

2011-01-02T16:26:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of January 3)
Homework This Week:
Monday: Review word List 7 and ½ sheet
Tuesday: Show and Tell and ½ sheet
Wednesday: Review sight words and ½ sheet
Thursday: Review word list 7 and ½ sheet
Welcome Back! We hope that everyone had an enjoyable break and is ready to be back in learning mode! Monday is Day 2. Please don’t forget your library book on Tuesday. Our Gym day is Day 1 on Thursday.

Our new letter this week is: Kk like in “Kite”. We will also be talking about the “k, c rule” so that we know when to use a K or when to use a C when spelling words. Show and Tell will be on Wednesday. We will also be celebrating this letter by having the boys be “King for a Day”. (The girls will be queens when we learn the letter “Qq” later on in the year.)

“Little Panda” is our new Reading story. This is a nonfiction story and we will be working on the skill of compare and contrast. The skills of character, setting, main idea, sequence, and retelling will all be reviewed.

Though the break might have flown by, this week we will be getting right back into the routine with a full week. Please review the word lists and sight words and letters and their sounds in Phonics. In Math, we will review counting to 100, counting by 10’s, time to the hour, penny, and talk about the New Year on the calendar. We will also be working on a new book to read at home in small groups this week. This book will not come home until next week, but please feel free to read whenever you can at home.

We are excited to be back for the second half of the school year and can’t wait to learn so much more! Keep up the good work with the homework, practicing, and all of the participation. Give yourselves a cheer!!

Week of December 20

2010-12-20T10:16:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of December 20)
Monday – Thursday - Practice Stan’s Pigs & Review old word lists and decodable readers
Monday is Day 2. We have Computers.
Santa visited our classroom on Monday. Santa spoke with us and we were able to ask him questions. Everyone had their picture taken with Santa. I will send them home as soon as they are printed.
On Thursday, our local postman visited to collect our letters to Santa. He promised to get them to the North Pole on time!
We enjoyed going to the high school to watch the chorus and band concert.
Important Dates
All Aboard the Polar Express! Our Polar Express party will be Monday, December 20. We will have games, crafts, and of course a reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Students are invited to dress like the characters in the book by wearing their pajamas. More information is attached.
Tuesday, December 21 – We will go to the high school to watch a winter concert.
Wednesday, December 22 – Our Holiday party will take place at 2:00. We will have a snack and play a few games.
Thursday, December 23 – Early Dismissal for students. This begins our Christmas break. School reopens Monday, January 3.

Week of December 13

2010-12-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of December 13)

Monday – Thursday - ½ sheet & practice Stan’s Pigs

In Phonics we will work with the letter Rr as in rabbit and reindeer. There will be no Show & Tell. Word List 6 is coming home today. It will be tested next Friday. This will be the last word list until after Christmas break.
Our new Reading story is called Who’s Garden is It? We will continue to discuss fiction and nonfiction.
In Math we will continue to work with patterns, sorting, money, time and geoboards.

Important Dates

Monday, December 13 – Our Music Program will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the High School Auditorium. If there would be a snow day or a delay, the concert will be rescheduled to Monday, December 20 at 9:30. Santa will visit our classroom later that day.
Monday is Day 1. We have Gym. Students do not need to worry about sneakers or gym clothes. Mrs. Smith said that she will work around it because of the Christmas concert.
On Wednesday December 15, we will be creating cards to send to soldiers.
Thursday, December 16 – Our local postman will visit to collect our letters to Santa. He will be sure to get them to the North Pole in time!
Friday, December 17 – We will go to the high school to watch the chorus and band concert.
All Aboard the Polar Express! Our tentative date for our Polar Express party will be Monday, December 20. We will have games, crafts, and of course a reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Students are invited to dress like the characters in the book by wearing their pajamas. More information will be coming.
Tuesday, December 21 – We will go to the high school to watch a winter concert.
Wednesday, December 22 – Our Holiday party will take place at 2:00. We will have a snack and play a few games.
Thursday, December 23 – Early Dismissal for students. This begins our Christmas break. School reopens Monday, January 3.

week of December 6

2010-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of December 6)
Homework:
Monday: ½ sheet and reader practice
Tuesday: ½ sheet, reader practice, Show and Tell!!
Wednesday: ½ sheet and reader practice
Thursday: ½ sheet, reader practice, Word List Test on Friday
*please review the sight words and word list as much as possible*
Our day to shop at Little Shoppers Shop was this past Tuesday, but we will have another shopping day on December 8 in the morning. If your child did not shop on Tuesday or did go and there is something else they would like to get, please send in their money in an envelope by Tuesday.
We will be having a little present exchange with our Reading Buddies along with a little holiday gathering on December 13 in the afternoon. We will have a small treat and enjoy each other’s company along with exchanging a small gift. We ask that you send in something for your child’s reading buddy by Friday, December 10. Please spend between $1 and $2 for the gift. The Dollar Store has many great items that the 4th graders would enjoy. Please also label the gift with the name of your child and their reading buddy. If you need to know their buddy’s name, please let us know.
Next week our Phonics letter will be Ff like in Fish. We will be working on a new decodable reader so please look for that in the clear page protector in your child’s folder. We will also be have a Show and Tell for that week as well.
In Math, we will continue to work on AB and ABB patterns as well as count pennies to shop at our classroom store. In Math Meeting, we are counting by 10’s and work on identifying day, month, year, and count the days on the calendar.
Our reading story next week will be “A Bed for Winter”. We have been working on fiction and nonfiction stories, author and illustrator, characters, setting, and sequencing. Our unit on Animal Habitats will be soon coming to a close.
Over the next several weeks, we will have many exciting things coming up for the holidays. Some of the dates that will be important include:
Reading Buddy Get Together : December 13, gifts due December 10
Holiday Concert for Grades K-2: December 13
Holiday Parties: December 22
Early Dismissal: December 23
Thank you so much for your continued support and involvement in your child’s learning!

week of November 22

2010-11-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of November 22)
N o homework next week due to the short week! Please continue to review the sight words, the reader, or work on your practice packet next week and over the break as you see fit. Enjoy your time off!
There will be no school store until we get back to school after winter break. The “Little Shopper’s Shop” will be open from the time that we get back to school from Thanksgiving break until the second week of December.
Our shopping day is Tuesday, November 30. Please read the attached sheet about the shop and fill out the envelope accordingly if you would like your child to participate. They can be sent back as soon as you would like, but we do not shop until November 30.
We will be having an early dismissal on Wednesday, November 24 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be no breakfast served that day and lunches will be moved up because we will be getting dismissed at 11:45 and there will be only two choices for lunch. They will be either a hot dog or pizza or your child can bring a lunch that day.
If anyone would like to purchase the bus cut-outs in memory of Mr. Earl Richards, please fill out the form and return it with the money no later than Wednesday, November 24. We appreciate the donations that have come in so far.
Next week we have Gym on Monday, it is Day 1. Please bring back your library books on Tuesday.
We will continue work on our story,” Animal Babies in the Grasslands”. We will also review all of the letters and sounds that we have learned and blending Word List 3. In Math, we will review time, money, and ordinal numbers.

On Tuesday, we will be having a “Thanksgiving Feast” with our Reading Buddies. We will watch a “Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” b and eat some healthy foods like apples, carrots, celery, and air-popped popcorn.

Weekk of November 8

2010-11-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of November 8)

Monday - half sheet & practice reader and sight words
Tuesday - half sheet & practice reader and sight words & M Show and Tell
Wednesday - half sheet & practice reader and sight words
Thursday - half sheet & practice reader and sight words

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Parent/Teacher conference. We enjoyed talking to each of you and thank you for taking such an active role in your child’s education. Everyone has been so nice to work with. We really enjoy working with your children every day. They are a great bunch! Give yourselves a cheer!
Don’t forget: Homework should not take a long time. If your child is reaching frustration:
Take a break, write us a note, read their reader to them and have them pick out words. The important part is that they are seeing and hearing the material each night to reinforce what we do in school.
Next week in Phonics we will focus on the letter Mm as in monkey. We will identify initial and final sounds in words, think of rhyming words, and unblend sounds in words.
In Math we will solve problems by looking for patterns, identify and count pennies, match number cards to a set of objects and describe the relative position of objects.
Our new Reading story is called Armadillo’s Orange. We will talk about animals that live in an Orange Grove. We will also work with the story element Setting.
Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend!
Our Personal Safety program will be next we. Please send the form in your child’s folder back only if you do not give permission for them to participate.
We go outside daily. Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather! Make sure coats and hats are labeled. We have many that are the same.

week of November 1, 2010

2010-10-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of Nov. 1)
Homework:
Monday: ½ sheet
Tuesday: ½ sheet and Show and Tell
Wednesday: ½ sheet and Handwriting
Thursday: ½ sheet and decorate your self-portrait
Each night: Please review sight words list and the reader and sign the reader sheet. Please place both the sight words and the reader back into the clear sheet protector. Thanks!
Just a reminder that candy is not a great idea for a snack. We are aware that there might be an abundance of candy at home due to Halloween and other festivities, but we ask that you keep it at home. Thank you very much!
Our reading story next week is Life in an Ocean and it is a nonfiction book and we are learning about ocean environments. We will also be comparing and contrasting different environments.
Our Phonics letter is Nn like in Nest. Please practice your sight word lists and continue to review the readers that have been sent home to keep from previous weeks. You can practice reading the sight words or finding letters that your child may know.
In Math, we will be working on numbers to 10 by identifying them, writing them, counting, and putting them in order. We will also continue to review patterns and sorting.
On Tuesday, November 2, there will be Parent/Teacher conferences for grades K-3. We will be having our informational sessions at 4pm and 5pm. If you do not remember what time you have signed up for, please let us know. If you did not send back the conference papers, please do so to let us know what your preference is for a conference. We will see you then!
Congratulations to our Kindergarten class! We have had many accomplishments this past week! This includes our “Citizen of the Month” in the school newsletter, the red ribbon winners, the winner and participants of “Kindergarten Fear Factor” with the Five Senses activities.
Next week: Tuesday, November 2… Library class, Parent conferences, Election Day
Wednesday, November 3… Gym class and the 2nd marking period starts
Thanks again and have a great week, Give yourselves a cheer!

Week of October 25

2010-10-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of October 25)

Thursday’s Pajama Party was perfect. We had so much fun painting, playing with play dough and other “P” projects. We had popcorn, soft pretzels and pancakes!

Everyone did a great job walking to support our fellow classmates with diabetes on Make a Difference Day.

In Phonics we will work with the letter A as in apple and acorn. We will focus on the short sound but will talk about its long sound.

Dig Dig Digging will be our new Reading story. We will discuss how we live, work, and play together. We will also use the reading skill classify and categorize.

Readers and sight words are in clear sheet protectors in your child’s folder. Please practice each night, sign and keep them in the sheet protector. We also use these at school. We are so proud of the progress that we are seeing! Thanks for your support!

In Math we will describe the relative position of objects, identify, create and extend AB sound and movement patterns and sort a collection of objects.

Our Halloween party will take place on Friday, October 29th. Friends and family are invited to view the parade at 2:00 in the bus loop. Please send you child’s costume to school in a bag labeled with their name. They will get dressed here at school in the afternoon.

Next week is Red Ribbon Week. Our theme is I’m Drug Free. We will have a program Friday morning. We will show our support by wearing the following:

Monday – “Turn your back on Drugs” – wear shirts backwards

Tuesday – “Sock it to drugs day” wear crazy socks

Wednesday – “Put a cap on drugs day” – wear crazy hats

Thursday – Drugs will turn you inside out” – wear shirts inside out

Friday – “red spirit day” – wear red school spirit shirts

Monday will be day 2. We have Computers. Don’t forget your library book on Tuesday and sneakers on Thursday for Gym.

week of October 18

2010-10-18T04:55:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (Week of October 18)

This week’s homework:

Monday: ½ sheet and sight words

Tuesday: ½ sheet and Show and Tell

Wednesday: ½ sheet and Handwriting (get PJ’s ready for Thurs.)

Thursday: Halloween costume questionnaire

*All week* Please practice reader and sign nightly so that your child can get a treat on Friday.

A big THANK YOU! To all of the volunteers that helped prepare and work and clean-up for the Fall Festival. The Kindergarten students and their Reading Buddies had a very nice time. Though the weather kept us inside, the fun activities kept our spirits up and it was a great experience. Give yourselves a cheer!!

In Reading, we will continue our story “Julius” about a pig that becomes a friend. We will also continue to discuss story elements that include: setting, characters, sequence, plot, and classifying and categorizing. The students seem to really enjoy this story, so feel free to ask them what happens when the pig comes to live with the family.

In Math, we will work on sequencing numbers, ordinal position, and patterns. We will also be counting as far as we can all the way to 100. Please also review making numbers to 10.

In Phonics, our new letter will be Pp like in Pig. The sight words will also be coming home to review daily in the bag and this will help your child become a fluent reader. To celebrate our letter Pp, we will be holding our annual Pajama Party for Kindergarten. On Thursday, October 21, your child can wear their pajamas to school to celebrate. Your child can wear slippers in school, but please have them wear real shoes to ride the bus.

On Friday, we will be walking around the High School track to participate in the “Diabetes Walk”. Please dress in Gym clothes because we will also be having Gym as our special that day. Sneakers are a must!!

We hope that everyone had a chance to look through their Practice Packets that were sent home. We were so excited to have such a positive response when we asked who was interested in them. Over the course of the school year, we might send home some additional materials for you to add to the packet. Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Keep up the great work!

Week of October 11

2010-10-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones Nifty Newsletter (week of Oct. 11)
Homework
Wednesday - Thursday- Practice reader and review sight words

There is no school on Monday, October 11th and Tuesday, October 12th. Enjoy the long weekend!
Next week in Math we will practice acting out story problems and identifying ordinal positions to fourth.
In Reading, we will begin the story Julius. We will discuss how people and animals work and play together. We will continue to discuss characters, setting, sequence, and classifying.
Great job to everyone who did their reading this week. We really saw the progress when we were working in small groups this week. We are going to attach an envelope to everyone’s folder. In the envelope we will store the reader for the week along with our sight words. This way nothing will get lost going back and forth. Please continue to sign and comment each night.
We will not start a new letter in phonics next week due to the short week. Instead we will review l, o, g, h, t and sight words.
Please continue to practice your child’s computer number with them. Mr. Vebrosky and I are very proud of the students who already have their numbers memorized. This is a big help and allows students to spend more time on the computer instead of waiting to be logged on.
The Kindergarten Fall Festival will be on Thursday, October 14th (rain date, Friday, October 15th.) Students are permitted to wear “gym clothes” for the Fall Festival even if it is not their gym day. Please remember that the dress code is still in effect and jeans are not permitted.
Help is still needed for the Fall Festival. Set up will begin at 7:30 AM on Thursday! Even if you haven’t done anything to help with the Fall Festival preparations you can still help! Please contact Dana Oravitz at danao2@verizon.net or 874-2031 if you would like to help. All volunteers must have clearances to help at the Fall Festival.
There are a few students who didn’t bring in their party money. Please remember to send in the $6 next week. We need the money to pay for supplies needed at the Fall Festival.
We had an awesome time at the Pep Rally today! Go Spartans!
As the weather starts to get cooler, we ask that you write your child’s name in their coat. Many Kindergarten students have the same coat and are having a hard time to keeping track of their own.

week of October 4, 2010

2010-10-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

This week our reading story is “Miss Bindergarten takes a Field Trip” and we will be discussing community helpers. This goes along with our Fire Prevention theme that is going on throughout the month of October. The reading packets will still be given out at the beginning of the week and the students can work on them throughout the week. If they come home earlier by accident, that is fine, they can work on them at home. The packets do not need to be sent back in, they are for reinforcement purposes only.

In Phonics, our letter is Tt like in tent. Our words that we can blend now are: log, hog, hot, lot from the letters we have learned (l, o, g, h, t). We will also be having a “Talent Show” on Friday. Please have your child prepare something to share with the class. It is only for our class, so no need for any backstage jitters! The talent can be anything from a song, a dance, a joke, or a poem, and does not need to be long.

In math, we will be working on positions, graphing, patterns, and counting. Please continue to review numbers 0-5 with counting, writing, and putting them in order.

For the Fall Festival, there will be a meeting for those parents who have clearances and will be helping at the festival on Monday, October 4, 2010. It will be right after the PTO meeting at North Schuylkill Elementary. Also, if you did not yet send in the $6.00 for our Fall Festival, Halloween Party, and Christmas Party please do so as soon as possible.

Our Pep Rally for Homecoming Week is on Friday, October 8, 2010. Please show your school spirit by wearing our school colors, red and blue or your Spartan T-shirt and dress code pants and shoes. The Homecoming Game will be that evening.

Week of September 27

2010-09-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones Nifty Newsletter (Week of September 27^th)

Homework

Monday – Practice counting to 25 sheet & My name is Sheet

Tuesday – syllable sheet and H Show & Tell Sheet

Wednesday - Draw 2 objects for each color sheet & H handwriting

Thursday – lowercase letter typing sheet & Sight word flashcards

Anyone interested in helping with the Fall Festival is invited to a meeting on Monday, September 27 at 6:00 at the Dutch Kitchen in Frackville. The fall festival will be held Thursday, October 14 with a rain date of the 15^th.

Our new phonics letter is Hh as in hat. We will celebrate learning the letter H with Hat Day on Friday October 1.

In Math we will sort by color, create graphs, compare sets of objects, act out story problems, and identify, describe and compare circles and rectangles. We will also test on how far the children can count. Please practice counting at home too.

In Reading we will read one of Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Borden’s favorite stories Plaidypus Lost. We will talk about how we live, work and play together. Our reading skill will be Sequence.

We will be attending the Olweus Anti-bullying Kickoff program on Friday, October 1.

Please continue to help your child practice their 4 digit computer number. This will help them log into their computer quickly and give them more time to work.

Look for the My Name Is book that our class created. We made this to get to know our fellow classmates. Each child will bring the book home for the night. Please read it with your child and send it back the next day.

If you would like a practice packet and did not send your form in yet please do so by October 8. Packets will be sent home in mid October.

We would like to thank our Reading Buddies for their help in making leaf rubbings for our bulletin board. They look great!

week of September 20

2010-09-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of September 20)

Homework:
Monday night: ½ sheet practice and one apple
Tuesday night: ½ sheet practice and Gg Show and Tell
Wednesday night: ½ sheet practice and Gg Handwriting
Thursday night: ½ sheet practice

All About Me Tees are looking wonderful; thanks for your participation. We will take turns sharing them in class and have them on display in the room. We will return them at the end of the project.
Work completed in class might not always have a mark on it. The phonics (letter worksheets) and the math are completed together as a group. However, worksheets that are used for morning work are completed independently or with a buddy and are sent home. The reading packets that will come home on a Friday have been worked on by your child during transition times. We will review the packets and your child can work on it during the day or use it as review when it comes home. Show and tell is shared as a class but might not have a sticker or mark on it; however all written homework is checked for completion.
Academics this week include: Saxon Math, we will be working on numbers 1-5 and working with the manipulatives and materials that we will be using throughout the course of the year. Saxon Phonics, we will continue to work on the letter Gg so that we can write it, make its sound, identify it, and identify words that begin with the letter. Last week, we learned the letter Oo and placed a breve on top of the letter to code it. We use a breve to code a short vowel in words to remind us that it makes the short vowel sound when we are reading the word. The coding looks like this: Our new reading story is called Fix-it Duck. A weekly overview of the reading story and important concepts will come home at the beginning of each week to keep you informed on what your child is learning in class.
Anyone interested in helping with the Kindergarten Fall Festival is invited to a meeting in the NSE cafeteria at 2:00 on Monday September 20th. The Fall Festival will be held on Thursday October 14th (rain date will be October 15th.) The meeting MAY run until the end of the school day. Helpers must have their clearances to participate.

This week we are celebrating Johnny Appleseed Day with books, activities, and crafts. We are asking that you please send in one apple with your child this week, as soon as possible. It can be any size and any color. We will use it at the end of the week for making applesauce, but we will use them all week to graph, compare and contrast, and discuss what apples are used for.
Please don’t forget to label coats and other accessories. Since the mornings are chillier and it is warm by recess, many children take off their coats outside but forget to take them inside. We do go room to room to see who will claim the coat, but it would be easier for your child if it is labeled.
If for some reason your child brings home dirty clothes and has to use their spare pair, please send the extras back in as soon as possible. Thank you!
Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones would like to send a big “Thank You” and “Great Job” to all of the parents and families of our students. Reason one being that all of the homework has come back completed and on time as well as all of the forms that were needed by the office. Also, all of the money for lunch, book order, etc. has been labeled correctly as well as their snacks! It makes things so much easier especially when there are several things going on at once. And last but not least, the class is doing such a wonderful job following the rules, walking in a nice line, completing their work, and being all around good students, they have earned extra treats including some extra recess time!

We thank you for your continued involvement and participation in your child’s Kindergarten year. Please write a note or send an email if you have any questions or need any additional information. Thank you!

Week of September 13

2010-09-13T05:10:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Borden & Mrs. Jones Nifty Newsletter

Homework

Monday- Sign Homework page
Tuesday - First name practice page & Find O show & tell
Wednesday - Circle capital & lowercase letters & O Handwriting Sheet
Thursday - Trace & Color Shapes

Please see our blog under Mrs. Borden, read the newsletter and check communication books!

week of September 7, 2010

2010-09-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Borden and Mrs. Jones’ Nifty Newsletter (week of September 7)
Homework: Due on Wednesday, “Show and Tell” is every Wednesday unless otherwise noted. Please have your child find Ll words or pictures from magazines or newspapers, or draw or write Ll words or pictures on paper. No toys or objects please. Due on Thursday, “Handwriting” will be sent home every Wednesday night unless otherwise noted. Please have your child complete the front and back of the sheet to the best of their ability. Please also have them write their name on the top. These two assignments will be due every week to correspond with the Phonics letter.
All About Me Tees will start to come home. These are posters that need to be filled out and returned so that the children can share facts about themselves with the class so they can get to know each other better. You will have two days to complete the poster, so if your poster comes home on a Wednesday, it will be due on Friday. You and your child can be creative when completing this project, use pictures, stickers, crayons, etc.
We just completed the “Chester Chase” trying to find Chester the Raccoon from “The Kissing Hand” this past week. He lead us on a chase to find the important places in our school building, but had to return to his book after leaving us a cookie treat. We will continue to read theme books to welcome us to Kindergarten and to school.
Academics this week include: Saxon Math, we will be working on numbers 1-5 and working with the manipulatives and materials that we will be using throughout the course of the year. Saxon Phonics, we will continue to work on the letter Ll so that we can write it, make it’s sound, identify it, and identify words that begin with the letter. The Phonics newsletter that is coming home to explain the program is very important, please keep it as a reference for the entire year of Kindergarten. Sight words that we are working on include the and is. Please ask your child about these words and if they can find them at home or in the community.
Thursday is Picture Day. Please dress your child in dress code approved clothing and send in your picture forms and money. If you need a picture form, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can get one home.
Friday is the Luau for Kindergarten only. It is our very special activity for completing our first letter in Phonics. Please read the pink note that comes home for all of the information.
We thank you for your continued involvement and participation in your child’s Kindergarten year. Please write a note or send an email if you have any questions or need any additional information. Thank you!

week of August 30, 2010

2010-08-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. I will be one of your Kindergarten teachers and along with Mrs. Borden, we are very much looking forward to working with you throughout the school year. For this week, it is very important to check the folders and make sure that they come in every day. Please also fill out all of the forms that were in the folder and get them back to us as soon as possible. Finally, please read all of the newsletters and information that is sent home, it will tell you everything that is going on in school.

Have a great week and welcome to Kindergarten!

:) Mrs. Alicia Jones