Author: White, Katie

Hello KA Parents,

Second quarter report cards were sent home today in your child’s folder! Please sign the envelope and return.  (You may keep the report card, but we need the envelope back.) Thanks!

Scholastic book orders were sent home for February.  Did you know that all book orders help our class earn points for new books and materials for our classroom?  You may order books online using my class code, or send the flier in to class along with your payment.  All orders are due by Feb. 17^th.

Feb. 14^th– KA will have a Valentines Party at the end of the day.  (Please see email from our room parent for the signup.com link).  Students are encouraged to bring Valentines cards; if your child brings Valentines, they must bring one for everyone in the class.  We have 20 students.

Next week we will be focusing on the letters Dd and Rr and sight words “for” and “you.”  In math, we will continue to work on subtraction.

Upcoming Dates:

Feb. 20 and 21- No school. Presidents Day/Mid-winter break

Thursday Feb. 23- KA will celebrate the 100^th day of school!  This is a super fun day of 100 themed games, snacks, activities, and even costumes!  If your child chooses, he/she can dress up like they are 100 years old!  More info. to come.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please let me know!

Mrs. Katie White

Kindergarten teacher

Hello KA Parents,

Happy Catholic Schools Week!  I always love Catholic Schools Week; it is so encouraging to think of the thousands of Catholic schools nationwide that are celebrating their faith, service, and knowledge together this week. I hope to see many of you on Sunday at mass and at the SMM Open House!  If students wear their uniform to mass this Sunday, they can wear free dress to school on Monday.  The SMM Open House is a fun opportunity to visit all of the classrooms, meet the other teachers, and see what students in other grades have been working on!  Bring a neighbor or friend and show them what our school is all about too!

Each day of Catholic Schools Week has its own theme:

• Monday: Community Day- we will be making Valentine cards to be given to residents of a local nursing home
• Tuesday: Student Day- we will have a special movie break in class
• Wednesday: Vocation Day- we will have a special guest speaker in the church following mass
• Thursday: Special Person Day and Distinguished Graduate Day.  Your child may have a special person visit our classroom at 1:15, and then we will all go to the church for the Distinguished Graduate Assembly at 1:45.  Please let Mrs. White know if your child will have a special person visiting!
• Friday: Service Day- SVDP food drive (spaghetti) and Free Dress

This coming week we will be focusing on the letter Hh and the sight word “are.”  In math, we will be introducing subtraction!  In science and social studies we will be learning about groundhogs, and the tradition of Groundhog Day.  In religion we will be learning more about what makes Catholic schools unique and special, and also learning about different religious vocations.

Upcoming dates:

Feb. 14^th– KA will have a Valentines Party at the end of the day.  (Please see separate email from room parents regarding sign-ups).  Students are encouraged to bring Valentines cards; if your child brings Valentines, they must bring one for everyone in the class.  We have 20 students.

Feb. 21 and 22- No school. Presidents Day/Mid-winter break

Feb. 23- KA will celebrate the 100^th day of school!  This is a super fun day of 100 themed games, snacks, activities, and even costumes!  If your child chooses, he/she can dress up like they are 100 years old!  More info. to come.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Hello KA Parents,

We have another fun week of learning coming up!  In reading, we will be working on the letters Oo and Ff and the sight words “is” and “play”.  The students have been doing a great job in their reading teams; it is exciting to see their progress over the past months.  Many are becoming more confident in sounding out words in their reading and writing.  If your student still struggles with letter sounds, extra practice at home is always helpful. In math, we are continuing with adding practice.  We have been learning lots of strategies, such as drawing pictures, counting on, and using manipulatives, as well as addition games in the classroom.  In social studies, we will have a social skills lesson with our school counselor Ms. Garcia.  We will also celebrate Lunar New Year on Friday.  2017 is the year of the rooster!  In religion, we are learning about the signs God gives us to show that he loves us.  We also continue our discussion about the four ways we can show love to others as Jesus did: to serve, to share, to pray, and to teach.  In science we will be conducting a surprise experiment this week. (Shhh, don’t tell your child yet! We learned how to make paper chains, and in science we will be making hypotheses (and testing them) to discover how to make the longest paper chain out of one piece of paper!)

Upcoming dates:

Sunday Jan. 29: Catholic Schools Week Mass (students wear uniform to mass), followed by Open House from 11:00-2:00.  Please come, and invite other families who might be interested in learning more about SMM school!

Monday Jan. 30: Free Dress for any student who wore their uniform to mass on Jan. 29

Thursday Feb. 2:  Special Person Day.  Your child’s special person can visit the classroom at 1:15, and join us for the distinguished graduate assembly in the church at 1:45.  Please let Mrs. White know if your child will have a visitor.  It can be a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, neighbor, etc.

Feb. 20 and 21: No School, Presidents Day/Mid-Winter break

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Mrs. Katie White

Kindergarten teacher

Hello KA Parents,

I hope you are having a great weekend. The students did a wonderful job at mass last Wednesday!  I was so proud of them.  Thank you for your support in making sure they were at school on time and ready to go.  We will attend mass every Wednesday from here on out.

Unfortunately, it is flu season.  This year seems to be an especially bad one, with both respiratory illness and stomach illness going around.  Please make sure to keep your child home if he or she is symptomatic, has a fever, etc.  We do all we can in the classroom to wash hands, clean surfaces, cover coughs and sneezes, etc., however if your child is sick he or she should not be at school.  Their health is the most important thing! Encourage adequate sleep and lots of fluids, even if your child is feeling healthy!

In reading this week, our new sight word this week is “play” and our focus letter is Ff.  In math, we will continue adding and counting, showing our work with pictures, numbers, and manipulatives.

In religion, we will continue with Martin Luther King’s teachings about unity, fairness, and neighborly love, with a book study on “The Sneetches” by Dr. Seuss.  We will also be learning about the different colored vestments that the priest wears during mass, and what these colors mean.  In social studies, we will learn about the inauguration on Friday and what the president does.

Upcoming dates:

Monday Jan. 16^th – No school, MLK day

Sunday Jan. 29^th– Catholic Schools Week Mass, and SMM Open House 11:00-2:00

Thursday, Feb. 2^nd– Special Person Day.  Your child may invite a special person (parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, etc. to visit the classroom and attend a special assembly.  Please let Mrs. White know who your child’s visitor will be!  Special person day will occur in the afternoon, more information to come.

Mon. Feb. 20 and Tues. Feb. 21- No school, President’s Day/Mid-Winter break

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Dear KA Parents,

Last week was a period of readjustment back to school after the long Christmas break… Now we are back into our routines and ready for the first full week of 2017!

In reading this week, we are working on the letter Oo and the sight word “is”.  We will continue to practice writing with sight words and best guess writing.  In math we are learning different ways to add numbers, and using the plus sign and the equals sign.  We are showing our adding with pictures and manipulatives, using a number line, and writing the number sentences. In religion, we will be preparing for mass, and discussing what God meant when he taught us to “love our neighbors”. In science, we will be learning about Arctic Animals.  In social studies, we will be learning about Martin Luther King Jr.

This Wednesday (January 11th) our class will begin attending mass with rest of the school each week.  We will sit with our sixth grade buddies. 

Some important reminders for mass days:

• On Wednesdays it will be extra important to arrive to school on time.  We will quickly put our backpacks and coats away, take attendance, and go to the church right away.  (It is also helpful to make sure your child uses the bathroom before the bell rings.)
• Students must wear “full uniform” for mass.  This means they need to have a uniform vest or sweater over their white polo shirt.
• Does your family attend mass regularly?  In class, we will be learning about proper church behavior, parts of the mass, and ways to participate in the mass.  As always, any extra support from home is especially helpful.

Catholic Schools Week begins January 29^th!  This is a special week in which Catholic Schools across the country celebrate the faith, learning, and community that make our schools special!

• Catholic School’s Week mass on Sunday Jan. 29th, also that day is SMM’s Open House from 11-2
• Special Person Day on Thursday Feb. 2: On this day your child may invite a special person (parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent, etc.) to visit our classroom and then attend the Special Person’s Day assembly in the church.  More details to come.  Please let me know if your child will have a special visitor that afternoon so we can plan accordingly.  (Please note: if your child does not have a special person visiting, they will stay with Mrs. White).

Upcoming Dates
-Monday Jan. 16: No school, MLK day

-Sunday Jan. 29: Catholic Schools Week Mass, SMM Open House

-Thursday February 2: Special Person Day (afternoon, more details to come)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Mrs. Katie White

Kindergarten teacher

Hello KA parents, and Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families.  I am looking forward to a great week back when we return to class on Tuesday Jan. 3^rd.

This week in reading, we will be focusing on the letters Cc and Nn and the sight words “to” and “have.”  In the next few weeks, students will be doing another round of DRA reading assessments.  We will also be beginning independent writing in January.  I call this “best guess spelling” when we first begin, as students use the letter sounds they know to make their best guess at spelling words when we write.  This can be a fun technique to practice at home as well; if your child is still struggling with some of the letter sounds it is a good opportunity to practice those too!  (It will look unusual at first, but the most important thing is for students to say the word out loud and listen for the sounds they hear.  Those are the sounds they will write.)

In math, we will be beginning addition!  In social studies, we will be discussing the New Year and making New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2017.

In religion, we will be learning about baby Jesus’s visit from the wise men: Epiphany.

We will also be getting ready for weekly mass attendance, which will begin on Wed. January 11^th.  Our class will begin attending mass with rest of the school each Wednesday.  We will sit with our sixth grade buddies.

Some important reminders for mass days:

• On Wednesdays it will be extra important to arrive to school on time.  We will quickly put our backpacks and coats away, take attendance, and go to the church right away.  (It is also helpful to make sure your child uses the bathroom before the bell rings.)
• Students must wear “full uniform” for mass.  This means they need to have a uniform vest or sweater over their white polo shirt.
• Does your family attend mass regularly?  In class, we will be learning about proper church behavior, parts of the mass, and ways to participate in the mass.  As always, any extra support from home is especially helpful.

Upcoming dates:

Tuesday 1/3: School Resumes

Wednesday 1/11: First day kindergarten attends school mass

Monday 1/16: No School, Martin Luther King Jr. day

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Mrs. Katie White

Kindergarten teacher

Hello KA Parents,
I hope you and your kids enjoyed the snow day today, and stayed safe and warm.  At our house, we were so excited about the snow that we went sledding before the sun even came up (just in case it melted away)!  It is hard to believe that next week is our final school week of 2016.  This week in reading, we will be focusing on the letter Cc and the sight word “have.”  In math, we will introduce the concept of estimating.  We will also work on equal parts and symmetry.  In religion, we will be learning about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and continuing our focus on advent.  In social studies, we will extend our discussion on wants vs.needs, especially during the holiday season.  Check out our beautiful Christmas artwork in the hallway if you haven’t seen it already!

A few class reminders:

*Please make sure your child comes to school dressed for the cold and wet winter weather.  We go outside for recess and/or PE daily.  Please note, however, that boots are NOT allowed, per school policy.  If your child has trouble zipping or fastening their coat, please practice at home so he/she can become more independent.

*Please make sure your child has a refillable water bottle with them each day!  Students get thirsty throughout the day.

Upcoming dates:

12/12: To celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Latino Family Group will be serving lunch for the whole school! Each student will get a slice of pizza and a juice.  Please pack additional lunch items if a slice of pizza is not enough food for your child.  (PLEASE REMEMBER TO PACK A SNACK THOUGH!)

12/16- Early Dismissal 12:00.  Polar Express Movie Day/Pajama party in KA, followed by all school sing-a-long at 11:00.  (**KA Students may wear school-appropriate pajamas to school on Friday.  Please make sure to send regular shoes and a warm coat, as we will still go outside for recess!**)

12/19-1/2- No school, Christmas break

1/3- School resumes

Mrs. Katie White

Kindergarten teacher

Hello KA Parents,

I am so proud of our class; the students did such a great job at the Christmas Program on Thursday!

This upcoming week we will continue to learn more about Advent and the first Christmas.  The students are learning an Advent song, and “lighting” a new candle on their advent wreath each week.  We will be focusing on the letter Nn and the sight word “to” this week in reading.  In math, we will be using the numbers 0-12.  On Tuesday we will learn about St. Nicholas and celebrate his special day.  In social studies, we will be learning about the difference between wants and needs. This is especially important during the holiday season!  We will also have a class lesson led by Ms. Garcia, our school counselor, focusing on social skills.  On Friday, we will see our 6^th grade reading buddies and give them special Christmas cards.

Upcoming dates:

Friday 12/16: early release, 12:00 dismissal.  This will be our Polar Express movie day/pajama party in KA, followed by the all-school singalong at 11:00.

Dec. 19-Jan. 2: No school, Christmas Vacation.

Jan. 3: School resumes.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Hello KA Parents,
It was wonderful meeting with each of you last week during conferences!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some time with your family.

Happy Advent!  We will spend the next three weeks in religion preparing for Christmas.  We will be learning about the birth of Jesus and why Advent is an important time of waiting and preparation.  Our classroom prayer table is now adorned with a special advent wreath, and we will add a “lighted” candle each week.  We also have a small Christmas tree in the classroom, waiting for the students to return this week to decorate!

In reading this week, we will continue working on the letters Tt and Ii and the word “go.”  In math, we will be focusing on the numbers 6-12.  In social studies and science, we will be learning about animals who hibernate and how they prepare for winter.  We will be busy with extra music rehearsals for our upcoming Christmas program Thursday night.

The students have been working hard all first quarter to earn stickers for good choices and excellent behavior.  Many have earned a pick from the prize box!  Beginning this week, we will be changing things up just a bit.  Students will continue to earn stickers, but now will have a choice to pick from the prize box or get a reward coupon (to bring a stuffed animal to school the following day.)  I am sure the students will be very excited about this; I will explain the details in class tomorrow.

Upcoming dates:

Monday 11/28: All School Advent wreath blessing, 9:00 in the church

Thursday 12/1: Christmas Program at Everett Auditorium, begins at 7:00 pm.  Please be there 10-15 minutes early.  Kindergarten students will be dropped off with their teacher at the left side of the stage.  Parents are encouraged to save a seat for their kindergarten students, or may choose to leave after the kindergarten classes perform.  This is a dress-up event.

Friday 12/2: Late start, school begins at 9:30 on this day only.

Friday 12/16: Early dismissal 12:00.  Also, this will be our KA “Polar Express” movie day and pajama party in class (more details to come!) followed by the all school sing-a-long at 11:00 in the parish hall.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Hello KA Parents, and happy Veterans Day!

Thank you those that have already signed up to bring food for our KA Thanksgiving Feast! There is still room for more if you would like to sign up to bring a favorite food! I hope to see you there- Thursday Nov. 17^th at 2:00 in the KA classroom.

Report cards went home today in your child’s backpack. Please sign the envelope and return.  You may keep the report card.  The progress that the students have already made in one quarter of school in kindergarten is remarkable!

The Thanksgiving food drive will continue next week- our class is collecting frosting!  Please consider donating!

Next week we will be learning about the first Thanksgiving, and doing many class projects to reflect and thankful for our many blessings.  We will be adding the letter Ii and the sight word “go.”

We will also begin to practice for the school Christmas program that is coming up on December 1^st.  The school Christmas program is at the Everett Auditorium at 7:00 pm.  It is a dress-up occasion.  Please have your child wear dressy clothes.  The kindergarten classes sing near the beginning of the program.  Please save a seat for your child to sit with you after they sing.  (Alternately, if you do not have older siblings, some families with kindergarteners choose to leave after their songs, as it can be a late night.)  If for some reason your child will NOT be there for the Christmas program please let me know ahead of time.

Upcoming dates:

Fri. 11/11 No School Veterans Day

Thurs. 11/17 KA Thanksgiving Feast 2:00

Fri. 11/18 Thanksgiving Prayer Service in the church

11/21-11/25 No School. Conferences and Thanksgiving Break.  See you at conferences!

12/1 Christmas Program at Everett Auditorium, 7:00 pm

12/2 Late start, school begins at 9:30 am

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know!