Weekly Update 8/30

 Upcoming Dates:

9/2: No School - Labor Day

9/10: Online ZOOM Spalding & Singapore night

9/20: Early Dismissal at 12:30

9/27: Spirit Wear, Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), September Birthday Book Club

9/24-26: Book Fair

9/26: Literacy Night - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

10/4: Early Dismissal at 12:30

10/7-11: No School - Fall Break

Check out what we learned this week

Spalding

This week in Spalding, we continued learning our single-letter phonograms. We continued to review past phonograms and introduced j, k, l, m, and n this week. As we practice these letters, we still focus on the proper formation, remembering to start at the top of each letter. The lowercase k needs more practice, so encourage your scholars to consider the top line, midpoint, and baseline when writing their letters. Having an Alphabet nearby is very helpful. We have also been focusing on hearing the syllables and sounds in words using our hands. These things will help in their development of sounding out for spelling. 

Literature

I read the story The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton this week. We learned a bit about personification and how the house felt and reacted during different parts of the story. We also read the story Make Way for Ducklings, where a family of ducks adapt to their environment and find help along the way. We see people show citizenship and how one small act of kindness can lead to much more kindness. We talked about the characters being animals and where the setting was. We have continued to practice remembering the Beginning, Middle, and Ending of the stories we read. For our weekly poem, we recited This Little Piggy. We learned that this is a familiar rhyme for babies and children. In September, you will see a new monthly poem. You can find it on next week's homework and the Poems tab on the blog. We will practice it at school but ask you to also practice at home. Scholars will present it in front of the class at the end of the month. In Grammar, full-day scholars talked about authors' words and continued to focus on speaking in complete sentences. 

Math

We continued our study of numbers this week. We counted, wrote, and recalled numbers up to eight. As we work towards higher numbers, it is important to remind students to count in an organized manner. We discussed why you should count in order and how it is less likely to make a mistake. The numeral eight can be tricky, so extra practice with this number is essential. Try fun activities like writing in chalk, skywriting, dry-erase boards, or even using a tray of salt and forming the number with your finger. The more practice they have (especially if it is fun practice), the more comfortable they will feel when writing.

Science

We have been having fun learning about our five senses. We continued learning this week by discussing our sense of smell and taste. We looked at the parts of our nose and observed how it is made of cartilage, just like our ears. We examined our tongue and learned the bumps are called papillae, and they have even tiny hairs that help us taste. We learned that the nose and mouth are connected, so that is why when we have a stuffy nose, it is also hard to taste. We also had fun being scientists doing experiments with smelling and tasting. We had mystery smells to guess and various foods to taste. We learned there are different types of taste, such as bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and savory. 

History

This week in history, we learned a new continent song. The children are learning the names of the 7 continents and their locations on a map. The children also learned the difference between a continent and an ocean and completed an activity using paint, scissors, and glue. It's always a crowd favorite! The children learned the names of the five oceans and ordered the oceans from biggest to smallest. 

Weekly Update 8/23

Attention Please! New Spirit Wear Guidelines
Friday, 8/30, will be our first spirit wear day. On spirit days, students may wear this year's Archway spirit shirt. If they choose not to participate, they should wear their uniform polos. Please note that past year's spirit shirts and Lincoln Prep spirit wear are not permitted. If you missed the first spirit shirt sale, there will be one more opportunity to purchase spirit shirts. Please watch for sale information in upcoming headmaster updates. 

Upcoming Dates:

8/30: Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), August Birthday Book Club, Spirit Wear

8/26-8/28: Vision and Hearing screenings with our nurses. 

9/2: No School - Labor Day

9/20: Early Dismissal at 12:30

9/27: Spirit Wear, Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), September Birthday Book Club

9/26: Literacy Night - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

10/4: Early Dismissal at 12:30

10/7-10/11: No School - Fall Break

Check out what we learned this week

Spalding

We have continued to review our clock letters but have also moved into learning letters that start with lines. This week we focused on the letters b, e, h, I, and u. This week was our first week of Spalding Homework. Scholars will concentrate on practicing Phonogram cards 1- 10 and correctly writing the letters accompanying those sounds. Continue to remind your child to take their time and do their best; remind them the more they practice, the better they will get. They must continue to focus on the correct letter formation. 

(Take time to see if your child can recognize and name the Upper and Lowercase letters in a mixed-up order. A fun way to practice is with Letter Go Fish or Memory match with upper and lowercase.) 

Literature

This week, the scholars enjoyed two new stories. The first story was Caps for Sale, which introduced us to rich vocabulary like 'wares.' We also read Harry the Dirty Dog. It is a fun story about a dog whose family doesn't recognize him because he has become so dirty. We also read the story Chicken Little and discussed the repetition and how different versions have different endings. For poetry, we recited the poem Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and discovered the rhymes. In Grammar, full-day students have been working to recall sentences from the story by looking at pictures. We talked about how we can notice things in the images, but we can also remember the author's words. 

Math

This week, for math, the scholars worked hard at writing our numbers 1-5. We said some rhymes to help us remember the correct formation of the numbers so that you might hear them from time to time. Try asking your scholar how to make a three (it seems to be their favorite rhyme so far). We also took time to "play" with numbers. Our curriculum is designed to encourage students to explore what a number is in many ways. We have practiced showing numbers in multiple ways with worksheets, manipulatives, and rainbow writing!

History

This week in history, we continued our learning of maps by going on a treasure hunt! A special treasure was hidden somewhere on our campus, and we had to use our newly acquired map skills to find the 'X' that marked the spot. The children were so excited and did very well following the map using the cardinal directions. We also created our very own map of the classroom by giving a bird's eye view of the classroom layout. We have some future explorers in our midst!

Science

We have continued learning about our five senses by talking about hearing this week. We noticed how our ears are shaped and how that helps us to hear sounds. We learned that sound has vibrations, and we saw the vibrations move rice and make ripples in water. Through our discussion, we learned that when someone cannot hear anything at all, it is called being deaf. We talked about what a hearing aid is and how it helps some people with their hearing. We watched a video about sign language and learned how to make letters and words with our hands. We finished the week by working to invent our own tool to help someone to hear better. We also learned about an exceptional teacher named Anne Sullivan, who worked with Hellen Keller to help her learn to communicate with others even though she was deaf and blind.

Weekly Update 8/16

 Thank you to all the families who joined us last night for Curriculum Night! It was great to see your faces and share how we want to partner with you this year for your scholar's learning. For those who couldn't join us, we sent the PowerPoint in an email for you to read over. Please reach out if you have questions. 

Upcoming Dates:

8/20: Picture Day 

8/22: 3-5 Curriculum Night 6-7:30 pm

8/30: Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), August Birthday Book Club

8/26-8/28: Vision and Hearing screenings with our nurses. 

9/2: No School - Labor Day

9/20: Early Dismissal at 12:30

9/27: Spirit Wear, Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), September Birthday Book Club

9/26: Literacy Night - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

10/4: Early Dismissal at 12:30

10/7-10/11: No School - Fall Break

This week 

Spalding

The scholars continued learning about clock letters this week. We focus on always starting at 2 on the clock and drawing the "circle" part of the letter first. We have a 'how to" page coming home with homework on Monday. This week we learned the phonograms f, g, s, and qu. It may seem tedious to the students to write a specific way but it will pay off later! Homework starts next week with practicing writing our letters. Please have them say the sounds as they write each letter to help them practice. 

Please purchase phonogram cards 1 per family if you do not have them yet. They will be a part of daily homework. 

Literature

This week the scholars enjoyed three new stories. The first story was Chester's Way which helped us to learn and talk more about friendship and how we are all different. We also read The Little Red Hen. We talked about perseverance and how she wanted her friends to understand she needed their help. We finished the week by reading the story Are You My Mother? where a little bird went around trying to find his mother. Finally, someone at the end of the story helps him get back to his nest. Our weekly poem was Baa, Baa Black Sheep. It was fun to talk about what wool is and why they were giving it away.  In Grammar, our full-day students are practicing talking about remembering and retelling the stories we have read. Please ask questions to practice remembering as you read together at home. 

Math

We officially started using our math workbook and the students were so excited. We have also used this opportunity to try and speak to them about keeping an organized desk since we now have so many items in there! This week we focused on the numbers 0-5. We used many kinds of manipulatives to show different ways to count the numbers. We also spent time identifying the numbers and matching pictures to the correct numbers.

History

This week in history we continued our focus on maps. The children learned about the importance of directions and taking things one step at a time. We also discussed how left and right can change depending on where a person is standing, but North, South, East, and West are always the same no matter which way we face. The children made a map key using different symbols for all aspects of a landscape including Mountains, Rivers, Forests, and Lakes.

Science

We continued learning about our 5 senses. We reviewed what sight means. We also discussed what it is like to go to the eye doctor and looked at an eye chart they might use. The students enjoyed talking about what was easy and hard to see. We saw an example of a blurry and clear picture and spoke about how glasses help some people's eyes. We finished talking about sight by learning about the inventor Benjamin Franklin who invented many things, including bifocals. 

Weekly Update 8/9

We persevered through our first week of kindergarten! We are so proud of how hard the scholars are working, and we have a lot of fun getting to know each student. Below are a few summaries of what we accomplished this week. Remember, this blog will be updated every week, so bookmarking it or subscribing will help you to stay in the know. We aim to publish an update on Friday afternoons, but there will be occasional Saturday postings if the week is a little busy. We appreciate your grace and understanding while we partner with you to help your child have a fruitful year in kindergarten.

Important Upcoming Dates:

8/14: Clubs Start

8/14: Meet The Counselor - our school counselor will come to our class to meet the children and talk about the role of the counselor.

8/15: K-2 Curriculum Night - Please come to learn about Kindergarten!

8/20: Picture Day

8/22: 3-5 Curriculum Night

8/30: Treat Friday, August Birthday Book Club

Spalding

This school year, your child will be tasked with memorizing 70 Spalding phonograms. Learning them is not easy, but we'll learn in small chunks each week, making it an obtainable goal. This week, we focused on naming lowercase letters and understanding the sounds for the phonograms; o, c, a, and d. We also worked hard at writing each phonogram correctly. The letters we studied this week are called "clock" letters. See if your scholar can tell you where to start a clock letter (2 on the clock). A set of Spalding flashcards for your home is essential for nightly homework, which begins after curriculum night! Please log on to the parent portal to purchase some if needed. Here is the link to buy phonogram cards (these were a separate purchase from the consumable books, and your family only needs 1 set for as long as they are at Great Hearts)

Literature

We will undertake a story and a poem or idiom each week and spend the week enriched in a deep understanding of the text. This week we read The Three Little Pigs. The scholars discovered the setting of the story as well as the characters. We also read The Very Busy Spider and The Very Hungry Caterpillar storybooks. We will continue to talk about the parts of a book, the setting, characters, problem/solution, and the beginning, middle, and end. These are great things to talk about as you read together at home. They are essential beginning skills for recalling and retelling a story. 

Math

This week in math, we talked about sorting and matching. We looked for things that were exactly the same and even found an object in a group that didn't belong. The scholars could sort by various attributes like color, size, and even function. Their thinking was challenged by asking them to explain how to sort in multiple ways as we encouraged different thinking. We really stretched our minds in math this week and are proud of them!

History

This week we have been learning about globes and maps. The children learned that a globe represents our world and a map is a flat version with more details. We especially enjoyed learning about our place on the map, from big to small. We live on planet Earth, the continent of North America, the country of the United States of America, the state of Arizona, the town of Chandler, and the school of Archway Lincoln. The children enjoyed putting their flip books together. We will continue to learn about maps, including how to follow directions to get from one place to another!

Science:

We started our new unit: Our Five Senses! We discussed the human senses and how they help us experience the world around us. The students were able to identify the body parts that are connected to each of the five senses. We use our ears to hear, nose to smell, mouth/tongue to taste, skin to touch, and eyes to see. We explored deeper into the sense of sight through a memory activity. The students were shown ten items and asked questions about what they saw with their eyes after the items were hidden. We learned the names of the different parts of our eyes and why they are important. We discussed what being blind means and even felt braille writing. 

Reminder: All of the kindergarten classrooms are nut-free! Please be mindful when packing snacks and lunches.