Friday, May 12th

Here is next week’s newsletter: May 15-19.

Parents, please check your child’s blue Daily Folder and backpack today. In your child’s backpack your child will be bringing home their Chromebook and charger. You will need these for the virtual learning day on Monday.  In your child’s folder you will find a paper choice board with the title “Kindergarten Learning at Home” and a "color by number within 10" paper. These are also for Monday’s virtual learning day. You will find the link for the Art Hub video and word problems in Schoology.  Please return your child’s Chromebook on Tuesday, May 16th. On Tuesday, you will also send the choice board back in your child’s blue Daily Folder. You can keep your child’s charger at home. The charger is checked out to your child. Please keep it in a safe place all summer. 

A great way to save time and money is by ordering school supplies now for the 2023-2024 school year. The  Columbia Elementary back-to-school supply  kits are now available for you to order! You can go to www.unitedschoolsupplies.com now and enter our School Code, which is 138200.The kit price for 1st grade is $50. 

Moms ~ I hope you love your Mother's Day artwork, coupon book, and card. I hope all of the moms have a wonderful Mother's Day!! 

Thursday, May 4th 

*End of Year Activities*

It is important for each parent to read this information and follow directions about class shirts, water bottles, and towels. I know several of you are experiencing end of the year activities for the first time. The following are descriptions of each activity so that you can be prepared and know what to expect:

Field Day - This will be Thursday, May 11th. Coach Fields has planned our Field Day events. Kindergarten will be outside from 9:00-11:25. The classes will rotate through several stations. The majority of the stations are held outside, so please apply sunblock on your child before sending your child to school. Your child can bring a hat as well. Please have your child’s water bottle labeled with their name and have it filled with water and ice. Please send a towel. It would help your child if you sent the water bottle and towel inside of a plastic bag (Target, Publix, etc.) or a small drawstring backpack so they can easily keep up with their items. The only parents that are allowed to attend Field Day are the parents who sign up to volunteer. If you are a volunteer, see Coach Fields for your assignment. We will eat lunch much later on Field Day than normal, so please make sure your child eats breakfast. Please have your child wear our BLUE class shirts to Field Day.

End of the Year Program – This will be on Thursday, May 18th in our cafeteria. This is an opportunity for our students to perform for you. They will sing songs and recite poems. All parents, grandparents, younger siblings are welcome to come to our End of the Year program. We will begin promptly at 8:30, so please arrive around 8:15 to have time to sign in and find a seat. Please be in your seat by 8:30. The performance should only last about 30 minutes. This is a special performance, so the children are encouraged to dress nicely. You should have an opportunity after the show to say hello and take pictures. Please let me know if your child will not be there, so I do not save them a spot on the stage. I will take a picture of our class during the May 11th practice so you can see where we will be standing on the stage. (I will put this picture on Seesaw, so please check it on May 11th so you can sit in an appropriate spot.) Your child can bring a change of clothes and shoes to put on after the program.

Astro Bash - This will be on Friday, May 19th. The students will be provided a shirt to wear for the Astro Bash. We will spend most of the day outside. Please apply sunscreen before school and bring a refillable water bottle labeled with your child’s name. We will have a picnic lunch outside so please send your child with a towel for the picnic. Please wear velcro or slip on tennis shoes. There will be inflatables at the bash so velcro/slip-on shoes are a MUST! We will not have time to tie shoes before rotating stations. 

Class Party – This will be on Wednesday, May 24th. Our party will be outside. It will begin at 8:30 and last until 10:00. Please apply sunblock on your child before sending him/her to school on party day. The Kindergarten classes will rotate through several stations. The Kindergarten room moms are organizing our party. Parents are welcome to come to our party, but no siblings. Please have your child wear our BLUE class shirts this day. We will take a class picture in our class shirts today. The party snack will be Rita’s Italian Ice. You will have to pre-order and pre-pay for the party snack. An order form will be sent home in your child’s folder soon. May 24th is also a half-day of school. Students will be dismissed at 11:30. 

Last Day of School – The last day of school is Thursday, May 25th. Students will be dismissed at 11:30. Send your child’s backpack and folder. Report Cards and End of the Year Data Reports will be sent home on the last day. If your child will not be at school on May 25th, you will need to provide me with a self-addressed stamped envelope so the report card can be mailed to you.

End of Year Assessments - This is not an End of Year Activity, but it is still important for you to know about. Starting May 10, I will reassess all of our Kindergarten Standards for our last report card. I have to submit 4th Nine Weeks grades on May 19. This means now is the time to review and practice any of the standards your child has yet to master. Refer back to the pictures you took of your child’s Progress Report so you know what standards to practice with your child.  Thank you for your support at home. It is still very important for your child to be at school on time every day. 

*If you read all of today’s long informational post, send me an email and I’ll give your child a Good Time Ticket. In your email, let me know if you have questions about these end of the year events that were not answered above.

Monday, May 1st

Tomorrow is our field trip to Early Works Children’s Museum! If your child is bringing lunch from home, it must be completely disposable. All students need to wear their BLUE class shirt on the field trip. If your child doesn’t have a class shirt, please have him/her wear any solid blue shirt. Parents who  pre-purchased admission to Early Works must come to Columbia tomorrow between 8:15-8:30 to check-in and receive a visitor sticker.  You will need to wear the visitor sticker while on the field trip. Parents should plan on meeting us at Early Works by 9:15. There is parking available for 50 cents per hour.  Parking is available at the Fountain Circle Parking Garage located behind the museum. The address is 318 Fountain Circle SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. Parking does cost $0.50 per hour. Street parking is also available for the same price, but it can be hard to find due to construction. Sign-in at the front desk when you arrive at Early Works. Don’t forget to email me by this afternoon if you want to check out your child from the field trip. 

I plan to have my class start our End of Year iReady Math diagnostic test on Wednesday. Our class will take their Spring DIBELS benchmark assessment on Thursday. You will want to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before and eats a healthy breakfast the morning of the test. Thank you for your continued support this year. The children have grown so much and I know they will all do their best on these benchmark assessments. 

Thursday, April 27th 

Here is next week’s newsletter: May 1-5.  

The Report of Learning Folders are in backpacks today. Please take time to read through the Progress Reports. Please sign in the 4th Nine Weeks signature box and return the Report of Learning folder by Monday, May 1st. 

The following Power Standards might need your continued support: 

- 50 Fry sight words (flashcards)

- Spelling CVC words

- Reading grade level text 

- Addition Facts (flashcards)

- Subtraction Facts (flashcards)

When completing the progress report assessments, several of my students read all 50 of the Kindergarten sight words. If your child did this for his/her first time, I will put the list of 1st Grade sight words in their green Practice Folder.

Reminders for the field trip to Early Works:

• If your child is bringing a lunch from home, it must be completely disposable.

• All parents who are on the list of chaperones that are meeting us at Early Works must come to Columbia on May 2nd  between 8:15-8:30 to check-in and receive a visitor sticker. 

• If you have signed up to attend the field trip, please meet us there by 9:15.

• All students must have a lunch in our cooler before we can leave. 

• We are not bringing jackets on the field trip.

• Please wear your class shirt on Tuesday, May 2nd. 

• If you plan to check out your child from the field trip, please email me by Monday.

No school tomorrow! Enjoy your long weekend!

Monday April 17th

I know that it is a busy time of year with sports and activities, but I ask that you to continue check and empty your child's Daily Folder daily. Thank you to everyone who sent your child’s green folder to school today. 

Please remember to only send plastic containers to school. Glass containers are not allowed due to the hazard of breaking when dropped.

The weather is getting warmer which is creating a challenge to keep up with jackets that are necessary for early morning, but not needed later in the day when it is warmer. As a reminder, the students are responsible for keeping up with their belongings. They are given prompts and reminders, but ultimately each child is responsible for their own belongings. For safety reasons, if a child leaves a jacket outside during recess or PE that child is unable to go back outside later to retrieve the missing item. Items left outside are brought inside later and placed in lost and found. If your child has a missing item, they are welcome to look through lost and found after finishing their lunch. 

As the weather gets warmer, please remember that closed toe velcro tennis shoes are required daily. No sandals or crocs!

Mark your calendars! 

-This Friday is Purple Up Day - Wear purple

-Next Friday, April 28th is a Weather Day. There will be no school. 

**This is the only post that I will make this week. I will not be at school April 19-24. If you need to reach someone at school, please email cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us or call 256-430-2751. I will check my email when I return to school. 

Thursday, April 13th

Here is next week’s newsletter: April 17-21. Thank you for taking the time to read it each week!

We have been learning about the weather during science for the past few weeks. Tomorrow morning, Kindergarten will be having a special visitor! Brylee Brown, a meteorologist on our local WAAY channel will be coming to talk to us about weather! We are very excited to host her, and want to make a great impression. Please talk with your child about our Astro values: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Cooperative, and Be Kind. Talk to them about listening to our speaker with their eyes, ears, body, and brain, sitting quietly on their bottom, keeping hands to themselves, staying in their space, and clapping quietly when she finishes her presentation.

This week in phonics we learned about the digraphs wh and ng. The students are doing well reading words that contain these digraphs, but as you saw on the phonics framework paper that was sent home yesterday, applying this in our writing is quite a bit more difficult. Right now, it seems most want to write digraph wh every time they hear /w/. No worries! They will understand with more practice and exposure. 

Field trip forms and payment are due tomorrow, April 14th. Please remember that all adult admission must be prepaid, and send $10 per adult along with your child’s $20 and signed paperwork. If the $20 fee presents a hardship for your family, please send a note or email so we can work out a solution.

If your child hasn't worn their blue class shirt in awhile, please make sure to locate it. Your child will need to wear it on May 2nd for the Field Trip, May 11th for Field Day and May 24th for the Class Party. Mark these dates on your calendar. More information will be shared about these events at the beginning of May.

I also want you to mark your calendar with our Kindergarten End of Year Program the morning of May 18th. More details will be shared at the beginning of May. 

Monday, April 10th 

Field trip forms came home last week in the Daily Folders. Both forms and payment are due by this Friday, April 14th. Please remember that all adult admission must be prepaid.

Reading Logs - All students that had 5 books recorded on their reading log last week received a Good Time Ticket today. Please take time to read to your child daily. This is an activity that you can do with your Kindergarten students and their siblings. Children of all ages benefit from hearing books read aloud. 

Upcoming Dates to Know:

-Tuesday, April 11: Spring Pictures

-Tuesday, April 11: PTA Meeting and Talent Showcase, 6pm

-Wednesday, April 12: Spirit Day, Crazy Weather, send $1 to support Art, Music, and Spanish

- Friday, April 14: Field Trip forms and money are due

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #23, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, and math fact flashcards. Your child needs your support at home to master the Kindergarten sight words, addition facts, and subtraction facts. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  Your child's reading log should have at least 20 books written on it when they bring it in their green Practice Folder next Monday. 

Thursday, April 6th

Here is next week's newsletter: April 10-14

If you haven't had time to read yesterday's post, please take time to do that now. Thank you!

Our class will be attending Columbia's very first Talent Showcase tomorrow afternoon! There will be 16 acts during the show. We'll see students dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, etc. Please talk with your child about proper audience etiquette. As a mom of one of the students performing, I know they are nervous to perform in front of the whole school. Also, if you are planning to check your child out early for any reason tomorrow afternoon, please come before we go to the Talent Show at 1:30. 

I don't tell you enough how much I love teaching your children. Today we finished an American Symbols project that we started back in February, but had to put on hold for awhile. I enjoyed reading through the books this afternoon. When reflecting on where they were when we started this year to where they are now, I'm so proud of the growth each of them has made. And...we're not done yet! We still have a lot of exciting things to learn in April and May. Thank you for your continued support!

I hope you have a blessed Easter weekend! 

Wednesday, April 5th

Field Trip Information is coming home today. Please read the yellow note carefully. You'll need to return the two forms and the fee all at the same time. Please return these in the Daily Folder by April 14th. Thank you!

I hope you noticed the April Challenge on this week’s newsletter. If not, go check it out. We become better readers by spending time reading. 

Math Facts - I want to encourage you to practice the math facts daily with your child - especially the subtraction facts. When you hold up a flashcard with a subtraction fact, they should use one of our strategies to say the answer. They need to respond within 5 seconds without using their fingers or manipulatives. The subtraction video describes the strategies we use to know our subtraction facts. We review math facts several times a week in class, but the value of practicing one-on-one with an adult cannot be overstated.  Here is the subtraction video for you to review our strategies. 

Self-Control - Lately, I've had to talk about self-control on a daily basis with the class. We talk about how they are in charge of what their body does and what their mouth says. It is making a choice to do the right thing, even when others are not making that choice. For example, as I go to each table to quickly check the phonics worksheet, the students sit on the rug after they put the worksheet in their mailbox. Students are expected to sit patiently (criss cross with a quiet mouth) until everyone gets to the rug.  Instead, I have kids spinning in circles, rolling on the rug, and talking in a yelling voice to each other.  Another example is when I ask the class to get in line so we can go to lunch, music, PE, etc. The students are expected to stand in line quietly facing the door. Instead, I have kids dancing, playing, and talking. We've been late to a few places because I wait to leave our classroom until everyone gets under control. These are two examples. I could go on with more, but I think you get the picture. I am requesting your assistance. Please talk to your child about how to have self-control. Give them time to practice - at home, at a store, or in a restaurant. I know they are capable of exhibiting self-control. 

Thursday, March 30th

Here is next week’ s newsletter: April 3-7

Madison Baseball Association (MBA) and Bob Jones High School are teaming up to bring Youth Baseball Day to Bob Jones High School on Saturday, April 1st at 11:00 am.  Read this flyer for more details!

After reviewing your child’s last report card, you may find that the following Power Standards might need your continued support:

- 50 Fry sight words (flashcards)

- Spelling CVC words

- Reading grade level text smoothly, accurately, and with expression to support comprehension 

- Writing letters and numbers with proper strokes, formation, and line placement

- Counting to 100 

- Counting on from any given number

- Addition Facts (flashcards)

- Subtraction Facts (flashcards)

Reminders- 

• Please pack a snack for your child daily. I have several students who have been forgetting snacks lately. 

• Blue Daily Folders should be checked and emptied everyday. 

Monday, March 27th

Thank you to everyone who signed and returned the report card in your child’s Report of Learning folder.  If you did not send it in the folder today, please send it tomorrow. 

Thank you for remembering to send the green Practice Folders today! I hope you are continuing to enjoy listening to your child develop as a reader each day using the included sentences and passages. Remember your child becomes a better reader by reading. The time you spend each evening with your child reading will make a meaningful difference!

Columbia’s FCA club is collecting items for the Clearview Cancer Center for new patients. The items are chapstick, small bottles of hand lotion and hand sanitizer, wrapped snacks, hard wrapped candy, puzzle books, and small notebooks.  Small gift bags will be made for the new patients to help them as they begin their new journey with treatment. If you are able to help by donating items for these bags, please send these items along with your child in his/her  backpack. Donations are due by April 4th. 

Thank you to all of you who have donated kleenex to our classroom! It is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for the sweet birthday notes, cards, treats, and gifts! I felt very loved! Time got away from me before I had a chance to finish writing my thank you notes. I just wanted to write a quick thank you in today's post so you know I appreciate you thinking of me on my birthday!

Reminders: All transportation changes should be emailed to cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us and the classroom teacher. On days when I need to be absent, I will not be able to check my email and notify the substitute of these changes. Also, remember you do not need to send in the hard copy of doctor’s notes. Please snap a picture of the note and send that to cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us. Thank you for your help with this. 

Friday, March 24th

Here is next week's newsletter: March 27-31. Please take time to read the newsletter. Thank you!

The 4th Nine Weeks reading log was placed in your child's green Practice Folder on Monday. The goal is to read 35 books by Tuesday, May 16th. Students should have at least five books written on their reading log by Monday. The students who have at least five books on the reading log will earn one Good Time Ticket. Each week thereafter, students should have five additional books written on the log and will earn another Good Time Ticket. This will help us stay on track to earn our extra recess goal! 

Report of Learning Folders are coming home today with your child’s 3rd Nine weeks Report Card. Comments about a few of the report card power standards: 

• If your child has a 1 on "Read Kindergarten high frequency words accurately and automatically, fluently add within 5, and fluently subtract within 5," there is a great way to help your child master the skill...daily use of flashcards. :)

• Spell simple words phonetically by writing a letter for consonants and short vowels - Students are expected to apply our Kindergarten phonics rules when writing words. This includes the correct use of short vowels in words like pin, pen, ham, yam. It also includes writing -ck when final /k/ is after a short vowel. For example, duck, stick, tack, lock, etc. Next week, we will be reading and writing words with qu. After that instruction, the students will be expected to remember that q and u together make the beginning sound with the following words: quiz, quit, quack, quilt, quick, quest. To practice writing simple words at home, give your child a piece of paper and say any of the above words and ask your child to write them.

• Read and reread grade appropriate decodable texts smoothly, accurately, and with expression to support comprehension - Please listen to your child read the passages in the Practice Folder. When finished, ask questions about what they have read.

After taking notes about which standards to practice at home, please sign in the address box on the first page and return it in the Report of Learning Folder by March 27th. Thank you!

Monday, March 20th

Thank you for sending Practice Folders today. Everyone that was at school today had their Practice Folder! 

The 4th Nine Weeks reading log is also in your child's green Practice Folder. The goal is to read 35 books by Tuesday, May 16th. There are 58 days between now and May 16th. There are seven days in a week, if you read 5 books per week, your child will meet this goal.  Please make every effort to read 35 books to your child and record the titles on the reading log. Our class has yet to earn the extra recess this year. They have been excited about the possibility of the extra recess, so please help them earn the extra recess. 

Cold and flu season is here and we have gone through almost all of our soft tissues again. If you could donate any boxes of soft tissues, it would be greatly appreciated!

I would like your help. Please talk with your child about classroom behavior. Prior to Spring Break and even today, the class has been very talkative, loud, and interruptive. In class, we've discussed being conscious of their speaking volume and having self-control, but it hasn't transferred to application yet. Thank you for helping me with this at home too. During recess, the kindergarten teachers are observing some aggressive and inappropriate games being played. We request your help with talking to your child about this. Please encourage your child to keep their hands, feet, and all other objects to themselves when playing with others. 

3/21 World Down Syndrome Day: wear BLUE and YELLOW tomorrow!

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #20, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  

Sunday, March 19th

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Spring Break and are ready to start the last nine weeks refreshed. 

Here is this week's newsletter: March 20-24 Thank you for taking a few minutes to read it. 

Please send both the blue Daily Folder and the green Practice Folder to school tomorrow. Thank you!

Thursday, March 9th 

We'll share the March 20-24th newsletter when we return from Spring Break. 

If you forgot to send the 3rd Nine Weeks reading log today, please send it in your child's blue Daily Folder tomorrow. Thank you!

Mark your calendars: Our Spring Field Trip to Early Works Children's Museum will be Tuesday, May 2nd.

I hope all of your families have a wonderful and safe Spring Break. I hope it is filled with rest and relaxation. Then, be ready to come back on March 20th ready for a busy 4th Nine Weeks of School!

Monday, March 6th 

We started a new literacy station last week. It is called Magnet Center. At this station, the students build words in a word family using magnets. Then, they write the words. Their last step is to use the words in a sentence on the back of the paper. Last week our word family was -at, this week our word family is -it. I am expecting the students to begin their sentence with a capital letter, put a space between the words, and end the sentence with punctuation. The students are enjoying this new station.

I only received work for the virtual day from 5 students. Please make sure you send the written work from the phonics video and the word problems to me in the Daily Folder tomorrow. If you forgot to send the Practice Folder and/or Practice #18, please send them tomorrow as well. 

The 3rd Nine Weeks Reading Log is due on Thursday, March 9th. After recording the books read each day this week on the reading log, please send it in your child's blue Daily Folder on Thursday. Thank you! We're hoping we earn the extra recess for the class meeting the reading goal. 

Today I heard lots of talk about children leaving for Spring Break trips this week. Time with family is super exciting and I hope everyone enjoys the vacations you have planned. Please make sure to email me if you know your child is going to miss any days this week, so I can adjust my assessment plan accordingly. Thank you!

Tomorrow is astronaut or alien day for Space Week. 

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #19, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  The library is open this week! Remember to send the reading log to me on Thursday. Thank you!

Saturday, March 4th

Here is next week’ s newsletter: March 6-10

Thank you for all you did to help your child with virtual learning today.  I appreciate your support! Please return the Chromebook back to school on Monday with your child. 

While assessing for Report Cards this week, I noticed that many students are really struggling with automatically and accurately producing the answers to the addition and subtraction facts.  Flashcards  are a great way to practice math facts. Fluency with addition and subtraction facts is a power standard in Kindergarten; so please begin working on these facts at home, if not already. Another helpful trick is to write the more challenging facts on a sticky note. Then put that sticky note in a common place like on the bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator. Then as your child passes that sticky note you can have your child read the facts aloud. Thank you for your support! This same trick works great for sight words as well. 

Assessment Reminders: The third nine week assessments have started. If you haven't made your own set of sight word and math fact flashcards, please use these to help your child practice at home.  Sight Word Flashcards   Addition Flashcards   Subtraction Flashcards   Subtraction Video

Reminder: Space Week is next week. Here’s the flyer for the dress up days. 

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #18, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  Our library is closed this week due to Book Fair, so please read books from your home or the public library. Several students still need to read 10 or more books to meet the 3rd Nine Weeks goal. 

Thursday, February 23rd

Here is next week’s newsletter: February 28-March 3. Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter each week.

Next week, Columbia will be celebrating Read Across America with Camp Read S’More. Click here for information about the family night events, and the fun dress up days we will have.

Next Friday, March 3rd, our PTA is holding the Out of this World Dance. Click here to purchase family tickets.

The Book Fair opens Monday, February 27th. It will be open from 7:40-8:15 daily and will close on Friday, March 3rd at 10:45 a.m.  Our class is scheduled to visit the Book Fair on Tuesday from 9:45-10:15.  If you would like for your child to purchase books you can send money in a marked envelope inside your child’s daily folder or meet us in the library. In addition, you can come shop with your child during the Camp Read S’more event on Monday night. The Book Fair will be open from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and the family activities will be from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. 

This week, we are learning about digraph sh and ch. We've practiced reading and writing words with these digraphs. We've also practiced reading and writing sentences that include words with these digraphs. I neglected to include information about these digraphs in the newsletter, so I just wanted to make sure you knew how hard the children are working as they learn about sh and ch. 

Tuesday, February 21st

Spring Pictures have been rescheduled for April 11th. I will hold onto the forms that were signed and returned to me last week. 

I will begin assessing the addition and subtraction facts for the 3rd Nine Weeks Report Card next week. If you haven't made the addition and subtraction flashcards yet, you might find these helpful. Helpful Links: Addition Facts    Subtraction Facts

Thank you for remembering to send the green Practice Folders today! I hope you are enjoying listening to your child read the sentences and passages each day. We become better readers by reading. The time you spend each evening with your child reading will make a meaningful difference!

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #17, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log. If your child completes the reading log by March 7th, he/she will earn FIVE Good Time Tickets. If all of the class meets this goal, the class will earn an extra recess. 

Thursday, February 16th

Please click this link to read next week's newsletter: February 21-24

Thank you for all you did to help your child with virtual learning today.  I appreciate your support! Please return the Chromebook back to school on Friday with your child. 

Since school will be closed on Monday to honor Presidents Day, please send in the green Practice Folders on Tuesday, February 21st. 

Columbia will have a Camp Read S’more Family Reading Night on Monday, February 27th. This will be a fun event with guest readers, reading activities, and a campfire sing-along.  If you would like to order a shirt for your child for this event, you can order on-line here: Camp Read S'more t-shirt

As you know, school dismisses at 11:30 on Friday. The students will have a substitute on Friday. I will be driving most of the day and will not be able to read or reply to emails tomorrow. If something comes up and you need to make a change that is different than what you put on the Google form, please remember to email cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us so the office staff can communicate the change to my substitute. Thank you!

Enjoy the long weekend! 

Tuesday, February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you for the sweet valentine cards, chocolates, and treats! I love all of them! 

In our phonics instruction this week, we are learning about the letter Kk. This is an important week of instruction because we are learning the phonics rules for when we write a c or a k at the beginning of a word. They are learning that c takes a, o, u, and consonants too and that k is friends with e and i. When they tap sounds to write words, they have to hear what comes next before they know whether to write a c or a k (cot, cab, cut, kit, kept). They are also learning what to do when they hear /k/ at the end of a word. When we hear /k/ immediately after a short vowel sound, we spell it -ck. You saw our phonics papers come home yesterday where your child wrote several words with final /k/ after a short vowel: duck, rock, kick, neck, sock, lick. This is a skill the students need to show they understand even in their writing. Thanks for supporting this learning at home! 

Monday, February 13th

Progress Reports are coming home in the Report of Learning Folders today.  Please read over it, sign it and return it to school by Wednesday, February 15th.

If you forgot to send in your child’s Valentine cards to exchange today, please send them in the morning. We are looking forward to a fun day in the classroom!

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the Google Form by tomorrow morning. Thank you! I am missing this form from 7 families. Here is the link again: Half Day Google Form

Thursday, February 16th is Spring Individual Picture Day. If you want your child to have these optional spring pictures, you must sign the photographer's form that will be in folders tomorrow and return the signed form on Thursday. All of the information is on the form. 

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #16, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. A great way to help your child read smoothly, accurately, and with expression is to give them 10 minutes of your undivided attention and listen to them read the passages in the Green Practice Folder. The more your child practices his/her reading skills, the better reader he/she will become. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log. 

Thursday, February 9th 

Please click this link to read next week's newsletter: February 13-17

You'll notice a little slip stapled to your child's Wonders sheet. This is a fun activity that the kids enjoy called "What Spells?" I say a letter sound and the students write the letter that spells that sound. Check it out in your child's folder. If you notice your child is writing the wrong letter for the sound that was said, that is a great indicator of what they need to review.  

Please send your child's Valentine's to school on Monday, February 13th. We are looking forward to our Valentine Exchange on Tuesday and I want to ensure we are all prepared for a wonderful day! 

Next Friday is a half day for students. Please click this link: Half Day Google Form to fill out your child's transportation and lunch preference. Thank you!