Jingle All The Way!

Healthy and Happy!

We are so happy to see all of our Super Skyhawks healthy and ready to learn and celebrate before the upcoming holidays. We are looking forward to our Holiday celebration lunch this Thursday at our lunch time. Thank you to all of the parent volunteers for providing this special lunch for all of kindergarten.
You are invited to join us this Friday, December 19 for an all Lower School Sing along in the gym at 10:30. Friday is a noon dismissal. After the Sing A Long in the gym please meet your child in their classroom for dismissal. Below you will find the invitation.

Families Helping Families

Kindergarten had a ball this morning wrapping and preparing gifts for the Families Helping Families Project. A great big thank you to all of the parents that helped to support this project.

Academic Awareness

During this final week before the holidays, all classes are catching up on missed skills and reinforcing ones already learned.

In our Sight Word Study we have completed our study of the Blue Sight Words. All students should keep their blue sight words at home.  Please reinforce these words at home by making sentences then practicing writing and reading them. We will be adding the purple set in January.

Don't Forget to READ, READ, READ over the holiday!

Merry Math this week involves introduction of the Dime. You will find the Dime Poem below.

Dime Poem

Dime, dime

Little and thin,

 I remember

  You're worth ten.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                          

 

 



 

Happy Holidays to all our Kindergarten Skyhawks!

See you next year

You Know Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixon

Kindergarten Reindeer?

Be sure to check out Santa's reindeer and elves all lined up in the hallways.
HO! HO! HO!

 

 

 

 

Merry Math

During the month of December, the kindergarten classes will enjoy problem solving activities to develop logical thinking while integrating reading skills with mathematics. We will be counting with understanding and recognizing "how many" in sets of objects. We will use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including objects and mental computation, as we develop and understanding of adding and subtracting whole numbers. Holiday baking is an ideal time to give your child hands on experience using math skills!

Below are a few  holiday recipes for you to try at home. Enjoy!!

Edible Reindeer

Ingredients:

1 half piece of bread (cut diagonally)
2 raisins
1 cherry
2 pretzels
Peanut butter

Directions:

1. Spread peanut butter onto one side of the bread.
2. On one corner of the bread, place the cherry.  This is your reindeer's nose!
3. Add the 2 raisins for eyes.
4. Attach the pretzels to the long side of the bread so that they stick up like reindeer ears.

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Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
8 large marshmallows
Melted butter
Cinnamon and Sugar mixed together

Directions:

1. Give each child one  rectangle section of dough. This will represent the cloth wrapped around Jesus' body.
2. Give each child one large marshmallow. This represents Christ's body.
3. Let each child roll their marshmallow in the melted butter.  Then, dip the marshmallow into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  This represents the oils and spices that prepared Christ's body for burial.
4. Have each child place the marshmallow on their section of dough and carefully wrap it.
   Make sure all edges are pinched tight!
5. Place the rolls in the oven. Tape the door shut and place a guard - stuffed animal or child. The oven represents the tomb.
6. Bake the rolls, following the directions on the package.
7. Open the tomb/oven.  Only the cloths remain! Christ's body is no longer there! 

Read accompanying passages from Scripture, such as John 19: 38-42 and John 20.

 

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Snowman On a Stick

Ingredients:

3 large marshmallows
1 skewer
White icing
1 thin mint
1 mini Reese's Cup
1 6 inch strip of a Fruit Roll-Up
Squeezable tube icing
Plastic knife

Directions:

1. Slide one marshmallow onto the skewer.
2. Spread a little bit of white icing on the top portion of the marshmallow.
3. Slide on the second marshmallow.
4. Spread a little bit of white icing on the top portion of the second marshmallow.
5. Fold the Fruit Roll-up to resemble a scarf and then slide it onto the skewer.
6. Spread a little bit of white icing on top of the scarf (only near the skewer!).
7. Slide on the third marshmallow.
8. Slide the thin mint onto the skewer - carefully and very slowly so as not to break the mint in half!
9. Slide the mini Reese's Cup onto the skewer.  (This is his hat!)
10. Use the tube icing to make two eyes, a mouth, and some buttons on your snowman!

 

Sight Word Study

as, do, for, from, they, was

• Have fun creating your own holiday story using the sight words studied this week along with the remainder of the blue set of words.

December Is Here!

Welcome Back!

     We have enjoyed hearing all about the special family time had during the Thanksgiving holiday. Our journals are filled with exciting entries.

     Since December is here and it is a very fun-filled time of the year, we ask that all toys (including Elf on the Shelf and Elf Magic dolls) remain at home in order to keep them safe.

     Thank you for your understanding and support. 

Writer's Workshop 

The kindergarteners are beginning to write their own creative stories. We are encouraging them to use their best "kindergarten sounds" for spelling words. some of the spelling strategies we are using in the classroom are:



• Stretch out the word - listen to the sounds you hear
• Think about what the word looks like
• Is it a short or a long word? How many syllables/parts does it have?
• Use spelling patterns (word families: at, ag, am, etc.) 
• Use resources in the classroom (word wall, dictionary, or ask a friend)

Sight Word Study December 2nd-9th

With, his, said of, on, you

 

Suggested Activities and Games to reinforce sight words

• Place sight words in a container. Invite your child to shake the container, spill out the words, and read the ones that fall face up. Give your child a score that is equal to the number of letters in the words he/she reads. Record the total, then place the remaining words back in the container, shake and spill again. Add the total to the first score. Continue until all words have been read.
• Choose a newspaper article and see if your child can spot one or two sight words at a time. Use a highlighter and count how many times the word appeared.

Please share any of your ideas on activities reinforcing sight words.

Simply send a note in to your teacher and we will be happy to post new ideas to our list.
Have fun learning your sight words!

Merry Math

     During the month of December, the kindergarten classes will enjoy problem solving activities to develop logical thinking while integrating reading skills with mathematics. we will be counting with understanding and recognizing "how many" in sets of objects. We will use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including objects and mental computation as we develop an understanding of adding and subtraction whole numbers. Holiday baking is an ideal time to give your child hands on experience using math skills!





Happy Thanksgiving From Hammond Kindergarten!

We are so thankful for the opportunity to be with your kindergarteners each day.

 We are filled with

THANKFULNESS.

We wish for each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday.

We are looking forward to hearing all about your special time with family and friends.

Please return the Tuesday envelopes and clean rest mats on Monday, December 1st. 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Look how big and Thankful Henry Hawk has become!!

Kindergarten Team Work!

Everything But The Turkey

Please remember that the kindergarten classes are collecting cans of  SWEET POTATOES throughout this week for our "Everything but the Turkey" project. Thanks to everyone for participating and sending in cans to help feed families in need. These families live in our state, South Carolina, and are very thankful for receiving a meal on this Thanks giving holiday. Kindergarteners have enjoyed working together with all Lower School Skyhawks on this service project.

A Published Author visits Hammond Kindergarten

A great big thank you to the author of the book

 Charley's Columbia Backyard,

Caroline Bennett,

 for visiting kindergarten last week. The children enjoyed hearing a story about their city, Columbia. It was very exciting for our young writers to hear how a professional author publishes a book from start to finish. If you would like to purchase an autographed copy of her fantastic book please turn in the order form that was included in last Tuesday's envelope.

Sight Word Study November 17th-24th

Please review all blue sight words we have covered to help your kindergartener gain more self-confidence in reading and writing. It is fun to take the words off of the ring and make sentences. You can add words to make the sentences complete. Practice writing and illustrating the sentences when complete.

Sensational Science experiments with Mrs. Dreesen

Kindergarteners enjoy science experiments with colors.

November in Kindergarten

Columbia, Our Capital City

We are very excited about our special guest author, Mrs. Caroline Bennett, visiting with us today. She will be reading her book, Charley's Columbia Backyard. This is a perfect introduction activity for our Social Studies curriculum as we introduce our study about the city in which we live. We will be discussing why our city is important to the state of  South Carolina and sharing our favorite places we know about in this big city. Be sure to look in today's Tuesday envelope for an order form to purchase a personalized copy of this book.

                         

Math Matters

Now that November is here we have introduced the Nickel.
The children are learning this nickel poem. You may enjoy practicing it at home.

"Nickel Poem"

Nickel, Nickel

Thick and fat

You're worth five cents

I know that.

 

  

 

Sight Word Study of Number Words Continues This Week

Number words one-ten
(Please note that the number words, with the exception of one and two, are not blue or purple words). We will be studying these sight words at school this week. The children will be making their own number word flash cards to bring home and practice.

 Please share any of your ideas on activities reinforcing sight words.
Simply send a note in to your teacher and we will be happy to post new ideas to our list.
Have fun learning your sight words!

Suggested Activities and Games to reinforce sight words

While riding in the car, have your child look for familiar sight words on billboards and signs. If you keep a Magna Doodle or a small writing pad in the car, have them write the word when they see it.

See if your child can find the words on items around the house (cereal boxes, packaged goods, newspaper headlines, magazines, etc).

 Everything But The Turkey

Please remember that the kindergarten classes are collecting cans of sweet potatoes throughout the next two weeks for our "Everything but the Turkey" project. As always we are encouraging our children to earn the money to purchase the food by doing various selfless acts. We would love to hear the different ways our kindergarteners have worked towards their goal by filling in feathers to help Henry Hawk get ready for the holidays. Thanks to everyone for participating and sending in cans to help feed families on this Thanksgiving holiday.

Help Henry Hawk earn more feathers!

It's Always A Fun Day in Hammond Kindergarten!

 Happy Halloween!

The kindergarten classes enjoyed every minute of Halloween last Friday! Thank you for the special Halloween treat provided by Homeroom Moms. As you can see below, the costumes were awesome!



Happy Halloween from Pete The Cat (AKA your kindergarten teachers)

Happy Halloween From The Tiger Cubs

Happy Halloween From The Ducklings
 



Happy Halloween From The Bear Cubs

Happy Halloween From The Friendly Frogs

                                                    

Nutrition Update

Last week the kindergarteners enjoyed eating the various parts of plants. We tasted the seeds (sunflower and pumpkin), roots (carrots), stem (celery), leaves (spinach), flowers (broccoli), and fruit (tomatoes). This was a fun activity for all, and we were excited to learn which "parts" grew above the ground, and which grew below. Each class read the book Tops And Bottoms, by Janet Stevens which fittingly opens from top to bottom instead of from side to side making it the perfect choice for understanding where various foods grow.

Reminder

We have enjoyed seeing the disguised turkeys which have been strutting into our classrooms! As a reminder, please return your turkey no later than this Friday, November 7th. The "turkeys" will be displayed in the hallway then sent home before Thanksgiving break. Have fun and be creative!

Math in Kindergarten

In class we have been learning the number poems for proper formation of numbers zero through ten. We encourage children to say these poems as they are writing numbers because we find that it can greatly reduce reversals. Please remind your child to say these poems when practicing at home.

A copy of the "Number Poems" will be inside today's Tuesday envelope.

Sight Word Study November 4th-11th

Number words one-ten
(Please note that the number words, with the exception of one and two, are not blue or purple words. We will be studying these sight words at school this week. The children will be making their own number word flash cards to bring home and practice.

New This Week!
 Please share any of your ideas on activities reinforcing sight words.
Simply send a note in to your teacher and we will be happy to post new ideas to our list.
Have fun learning your sight words!

Suggested Activities and Games to reinforce sight words

While riding in the car, have your child look for familiar sight words on billboards and signs. If you keep a Magna Doodle or a small writing pad in the car, have them write the word when they see it.

See if your child can find the words on items around the house (cereal boxes, packaged goods, newspaper headlines, magazines, etc).

Science Update

Yesterday, the kindergarteners enjoyed a field study at City Roots in Columbia. We were able to see and feel the hot compost piles, visit with the hens, see a live tilapia, dig up worms in the greenhouse where microgreens grow, and watch the many honey bees fly around their hives. This was a fabulous, fun trip that reinforced many of the facts we have been learning about in science. We also learned many new things about how farmers grow and maintain their crops on a sustainable farm. City Roots is the only in-town sustainable farm located in the city of Columbia.

 

 

NEEDED ASAP!

Please send in to school a WINTER change of clothes. With the cooler temperatures here, we are in need of an extra change of clothes for those "just in case" times.

Thank you!