August 27, 2008 Knowing Jesus, Growing in Faith, Serving God’s Children
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Ms. Casey’s Kindergarten! I’m very excited and ready to begin our school year together. Look for a note like this at the beginning of each week, inside your child’s take-home folder. It will tell you what’s happening, things you can do at home, etc. Keep everything that is inside and send the empty folder back on Tuesday or the next day. If anything needs to be signed, just send it back in the folder. This year we will also have a lunch menu that will be in each week’s folder, beginning next Tuesday. It will be the lunch menu for the next week. Please fill out which lunches your child will order, keep one half at home and send the other half in the folder the next day!
I will also email this letter to you and it will be on the school’s web site. Go to
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We began our year with Jesus, in chapel. Chapel will always be on Wednesdays, usually in the morning at 8:30AM, but once a month it will be in the afternoon at 2:15PM. Each child has his or her own buddy from the fourth grade to sit with during chapel. We will do other things with our Chapel buddies during the year. Our chapel offering this month will go to help Zion’s Adoption Fund. Each week there will be an envelope in their folder that you can use for this if you wish.
This month there are a few special dates to mark on your calendar.
*Monday, Sept. 1st – no school for Labor Day
*Sunday, Sept. 7th – Rally Sunday
*Monday, Sept. 20 – Open House at 6:00PM
Each month we have several themes to tie our subjects together. This month we will work with “All About Me,” “Our Senses,” and “Things Made by God – Creation.” We will make books about ourselves, sing many songs, and do art and movement and science activities about how wonderfully God has made us. The children will participate in science experiments using their senses in the coming weeks. Don’t be surprised if they want to try some of them at home!
The first few weeks we will be preparing and building a solid background for all future reading and writing. We learn many concepts about print; reading from left to right, what authors and illustrators are, the different parts of a book, punctuation names, etc. We want them to think of themselves as readers and writers right away! Phonics and phonemics are an integral part of this program.
Math activities the first few days will be centered around exploring the use of the hands- on materials. The children need to play with all these fun, colorful items before we can ask them to do specific activities. Then we will begin exploring patterns. We will also start next week learning to write the numerals a specific way. We have a wonderful new Web site, “United Streaming,” that allows us to find many videos that fit with the standards we are learning. We will use this often, especially with math this first month!
We also spend quite some time getting used to our building and playground, learning and practicing following rules of respect for others, ourselves, and God’s world. We will meet the people who work here, practice fire and disaster drills, and get to know our new friends’ names.
Bible lessons this week and next are about creation, from Genesis 1. We’ll learn a song that will help us remember what God made each day of creation. Our memory verse for this week is Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Each child has their own Bible at school and will get to take it home at the end of the year. I highlight each verse we learn, and we keep reviewing them. Please help them learn the verses at home, too.
Thank you all for signing up for snack. There are 18 students in our class. It is best to choose healthy snacks, but cookies and such are all right occasionally. Some examples are fruit, pretzels, crackers, vegetables, and yogurt. You don’t need to send a drink, but your child may have a water bottle at school any day. Just make sure it has a top that won’t spill if tipped over. We have a fountain in our room, too. You may send homemade treats or store bought ones.
We can begin having Show and Tell next week, so look on your magnet or on the website to remind yourself when to send something to share. Help your child think of one or two things to tell about their item.
A Book Buddy bag will be coming home this Friday. These have a stuffed animal and 2 or 3 books. Read them and enjoy the stuffed animal, then send them back by the next Friday. Those who have returned theirs will check out a new one each week. Let me know if one needs repair. I wash the animals about once a month or as needed.
Sunday School Rally Day is coming up Sept. 7th. The children will sing at the 10:45 service, so please plan on attending this service. The teachers are having fun getting ready for a new year of learning with the Lord, and we will have a picnic after the second service, around noon. We will have many games and activities.
God’s richest blessings on our school year together,
Sue Casey
484-9947