Ms. Franklin's Kindergarten Class

lfranklin@dcjesd.us

770-8816 ex. 2232

Computer Lab- Wednesdays 11:30-12:15

Library-Fridays 11:45-12:00

Third trimester has officially begun, and before you know it, your child will no longer be a kindergartner.  We are working hard on difficult skills to become more confident readers and writers.  By now, many students have a solid understanding of decoding 3 letter words, and are using this knowledge when reading and writing.  It has been fun learning about adding and subtracting with small numbers.  Our children would benefit from practicing simple math facts at home using flash cards.  Ex:  2+3, 5 +4, 9 +1.  Please encourage your child to write whenever possible at home.  We remind our kindergartners to use proper spacing, uppercase letters at the beginning of sentences and always end with some form of punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation point).  Students should always re-read their stories to make sure they make sense and stay on topic.  

We are working hard to learn all 45 kindergarten sight words.  The words are getting more difficult, so please make sure you talk to your child and find out what words they are learning each week.  Sometimes, we even learn 2 words in one week.  

We are finishing up our unit about American Symbols.  It has been a lot of fun learning about the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, the American Flag, and the Bald Eagle.  We will begin our transportation unit where we will read several informational  texts to learn facts about 5 different kinds of vehicles.  We will also enjoy many fictional stories about transportation, and then compare the different kinds of books.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at your convenience.  I am so proud of our hard working class. They are a pleasure to teach.  

*Parent Volunteers-When you arrive, please sign in with the office to receive your sticker..

*Restroom-Please take your child to the restroom before school begins.  Restrooms are directly across from our classroom door.  We would like to avoid having distractions during learning time.

*Blue and White Fridays- Please have your child wear blue and white to show school spirit.  Antelope Meadows shirt order forms are available in the school office if you would like to purchase a shirt for your child. Sweatshirts are available too!

2018-2019 School Year

Important Dates to Remember

March 1  2nd Trimester Report Cards go home (please keep the report card, sign the envelope, and return just the signed envelope back to school on Monday)

March 4  Kindergarten 2nd Trimester Awards (if your child is getting an award, you would have received a postcard in the mail)

March 8  No School-Staff Development Day

March 15  College Dress Up Day

March 29  World Fair at Olive Grove Elementary 5-7pm

You may have heard from your child that we have another teacher in our classroom.  I would like to officially welcome Mrs. Tami Levchuk.  She is a student teacher from Sacramento State University.  She is in her second semester of student teaching and I know she will be a wonderful asset to our classroom.  As a student teacher, she will be observing how I teach for a short period of time, and as the semester continues, she will be teaching all of the subject areas.  In late May, she will be responsible for teaching the whole day, but I will always be present to assist and give suggestions when necessary. Mrs. Levchuk has 5 children of her own, including one kindergartner, so she is very familiar with young children. I look forward to working with her, sharing ideas, and helping her become an amazing teacher.  

We are without an art or music docent this year, so unfortunately, your children have not benefited from these wonderful programs.  If you would be interested in volunteering to be an art or music docent, please let me know right away.  The commitment is just one day each month.  At open house, each class displays a piece of artwork from the art docent program, so it is important that a parent volunteers so that we will have something to display.  The children always look forward to the days when they get to do something a little different.

Thank you for all of the wonderful school supplies that were donated.  We will definitely use them throughout the year. If you sent in a monetary donation, thank you!! These donations will be used to pay for photos, holiday crafts, special projects, etc. If you have yet to donate, but would like to, it is not too late.  

Mondays:  8:30-1:45

Tuesdays-Fridays:  8:30-1:26

March's homework packet went home on Friday, March 1st and will be due back on Friday, March 29th. Your child should spend a little bit of time each day working on one or two pages.  Please make sure you check over their work each day to make sure they do not have any errors.  Homework is for practice.  You are your child's first teacher.  If they make a mistake, show it to them and have them correct the mistakes.   All of the skills in the homework packets are skills that we are working on in the classroom.  Please make sure your child has a quiet place to do their homework, and keep the packet away from any younger siblings.  Remember parents, this is your child's homework, not yours! I want students to do the work. Any writing must be done in pencil (no pens/no markers) and any coloring must be done with crayons or colored pencils.  

Thank you to all the parents who have signed up to help.  We are still in need of center time volunteers.  If it is your volunteer day in our classroom, please make sure you sign in at the school office first. Make sure you bring your photo ID for checking in.   When you arrive in the classroom, we keep a parent prep box in the back of the room filled with work that needs to be prepped.  Some items may need to be copied in the workroom, die cut, sorted, stapled, books made, etc. There will always be a sticky note and usually a sample of what needs to be done.  If you are helping with centers, please make sure you arrive on time so that you can hear my explanation of the center that you will be working at.  If you arrive early, please check out the parent prep box to see if there is something you can do until centers begin. 

Center Time Parents:  If you are helping with a center, please make sure your cell phone is turned off so that all of your attention is on the students in your group.  We always want students practicing skills correctly, so if you see a child making reversals, please have them fix their mistakes. Center time is a quiet working/teaching time, so please use an inside voice with the students in your group.

Thank you again for volunteering your time.  Kindergarten is a wonderful place to be, and you and your child will always remember the time you spent in our classroom.