April 4th, 2011
Dear Parents,
This week we have Spring Pictures for Kindergarten on Thursday. Wear a fun spring outfit as this one has numerous fun backgrounds for your child. Please be sure to return the sheet with your preferred background by this day if you would like to order pictures. The New Horizons band will also be here at 9AM that day to present a concert for us. We would like to invite anyone who has volunteered their time helping out at Zion to join us for that concert. The PTL consignment sale is Friday and Saturday, April 8th & 9th. You can sign up in the office to bring your donations of clothes and/or toys for the sale with Nora.
A book order is in the folder or can be done online. Please return by THIS Friday.
This week we’ll learn about Jesus’ resurrection. We continue to build our Resurrection eggs. Our Bible Verse is 1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is; that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” for our memory verse. Our offering this month goes to help the people of Japan. They have been on our hearts and minds so much lately and the children wanted a way to help. Our church body has several ways the money will be used to help the people of Northern Japan.
We are working with the short vowel “u” this week. They’re having fun looking for vowels in words, now that they know all words have vowels. They love searching the room for words that fit a rule. They use their clip boards. They are now editing some of their writing, especially looking for where their sentences stop so they can put in a period or exclamation point. We will begin writing free verse poetry. Young children love using poetry to express themselves. We’ll make a book of our poetry as we write it.
We are beginning a new unit in math! The focus of this unit is on counting sets of up to 20 objects accurately. We will act out story problems and play games that involve either combining or separating sets. Keep finding fun ways to play with sets of things at home – it could be coins, silverware, buttons, legos, etc. Have them sort sets, and ask questions – which color has more or less, how many more or less, what if we added one more or took away one. Just have fun making them stretch their thinking! We’ll go back to our math binders this week, so get them in tomorrow! This week’s game is one we play here, modified, called “Turn the Beans.” The beans are white on one side and orange on the other. The bag has 10 in it. Use the game board with the dry erase marker. Choose a total and write that at the top. Then see if they can find all the ways to make 6 (6+0, 5+1, 4+2, etc.) Erase and choose a different total. Play many times. Work on totals from 5 to 10. Eventually they should begin remembering the different combinations.
We have begun working on our circus musical this week. We will perform this little 10 minute musical on Friday, May 6th at 2:30PM. Hopefully you can come! Feel free to invite grandparents or others, too, especially if you can’t leave work. I’ll have someone video it, too.
Zion t-shirts are available in the office if you don’t have one. They are nice for your child to have for the upcoming track meet in May, so we know who to cheer for! It is also important that students have a pair of gym shoes here every Monday and Friday for gym as they are practicing for the track meet and are unable to practice if they have sandals on. They need to be able to run, jump and throw comfortably!
*April 15-Spring Concert 7pm (1st – 5th)
*April 21st-25th – Easter Break/ No School
*Monday, May 2nd – Field Trip to Reptile Gardens from 1PM-3PM. Let me know if you can drive!
*Friday, May 6th- Kindergarten Circus at 2:30pm.
*Friday, May 13th – All Day Track Meet at the School of Mines Track
*Wednesday, May 25th – Kindergarten & Preschool Graduation after Chapel at 8:30AM, school out at 11:15PM
God’s blessings on your week!
Natalie Graumann