• Trapp’s News

    August 27, 2016

    Dear Parents,

     

               I want to thank you for reading & following my suggestions in that lengthy letter I gave you at Orientation! As many of you already know, I missed 2 days the first week of school due to vertigo. Ugh! This has hit me 2 other times in the past 8 years so fingers crossed I’m done for awhile! That being said, I needed more time focusing on routines & behavior expectations with the children. The children are receiving treasures out of the treasure box for whole group cooperation. Any little items you wish to donate to our Treasure Box throughout the year are most welcomed!

                 

    *        I have sent home a copy of our class rules, rewards, & consequences. The past 2 weeks was introducing, practicing, & reminding. This coming week I will actually use the blue, green, yellow, & white behavior slips for the children to bring home though I will not officially record it. Starting the fourth week I will record daily.

               Please collect the blue, green, & yellow slips daily but sign & return the white. Think about a doable reward you could implement with your child based on where your child is on the behavior spectrum. Each child is different & this needs to be geared to your child’s need. Keep it simple…no extravagant trips!!!

              Thank you for your support as I strive to provide a room full of fun, learning activities with appropriate behaviors!

     *        Thank you for sending in your child’s folder each day! Remove all papers in the right pocket unless you have established a way for your child’s papers to be seen in two households. The sheet I keep in the left pocket is a good way for us to communicate as well. I check it each morning & I hope you are able to check each evening.

     *        If you see “Homework” written at the top of a paper, please make sure you guide your child to complete this correctly. This needs to be done in a timely manner in order to best help your child overcome future errors or to insure understanding if the homework is due to your child missing that lesson. If a number is written backwards, it is not wrong. However, it is best to have the child correct & practice the correct direction to help build their confidence.                     

    *        We are learning a slightly different way to sing the alphabet song. The “LMNOP” part is not all clumped together. Instead, there are claps through out to slow it all down. Ask your child to sing it for you.   “ABCDEF(G clap)   HIJKLM(N clap)   OP(Q clap)   RS(T clap)   UV(W clap)      XY(Z clap). Now I said my ABC’s. Next time won’t you sing with me?”

                For children who have many letters to learn, being able to sing the alphabet song is a great help!

               I assessed all of the children on capital & lowercase letter names & many on letter sounds. I will check sight words next. I have introduced the word I & can so please make word cards to practice with your child & say sentences using those words.

              During the week of Sept.12th we will have AIMS Web Testing which will give us a baseline compared nationally to others. It will include letter recognition Aa-Zz and letter sounds for those who can name 40 letters in 1 minute. These are each 1 minute assessments. The children point across a paper & answer as quickly as they can!

                AIMS Web is given three times in one school year, with higher 1 minute expectations to show growth in Kindergarten. By us working together your child will make wonderful progress. :)

              I will begin scheduling conferences after your child completes this so we can discuss your child’s path for a successful kindergarten year.                   

     *       Your child will be bringing home little paper books with our Wonders sight words. Please observe your child & guide them on moving their finger left to right, top to bottom, and having 1-1 correspondence as they point and read. Please keep the little books in a special place, encouraging your child to point & read them periodically. For a child who is already reading, these books could be used to reinforce spelling of the sight words.  

    *        In Math we are working on #’s 1-5; not only learning # poems to help them write the numbers but also practicing reading the # words.

              #1 Poem: Start at the top & go straight down. Now you are done with the number 1.

              #2 Poem: Around, down (a slant), and over will do to make the number 2.

              #3 Poem: Around and around, again will be, the way to make a number three.

              #4 Poem: Down & over, and down once more. That’s the way to make a four.

              #5 Poem: Down & around with a hat on top. Now my five is ready to hop. 

    *        You will be able to access on-line materials for both our reading & math program soon. I will let you know!                                      

    *        It is very nice to recognize the children on their birthday! Though I do not have a snack time this year, when it is your child’s birthday, you are welcome to send in a simple snack for that afternoon at 2:15. Just e-mail me or write a note letting me know. There are currently 18 children & no food allergies. 

    *        Have you joined our school “ListServ” yet? This is our school group e-mail for events taking place school wide. Please go to our Buck Lake school web site & click “Join ListServ” on the left. I see this as a must join in order to receive general as well as important safety issues being communicated in a timely manner. Thanks!! 

    *        I am in need of a Homeroom Parent or Co-Room Parents. There will be a Homeroom Parent Workshop on Tuesday, September 13 at which time you will be introduced to the things Homeroom Parents help out with. E-mail me if interested.

     

                                                                            Thank you!!!