Upcoming Dates & Announcements:
- Monday, September 1st – Labor Day – No School
- September 22 – October 3 – Parent/Teacher Partnership Meetings
- Tuesday, September 23 – Preschool – 1st – School Pictures
- Mark your calendars for Van-toberfest, October 18th!
- Before care is available starting at 7:30 am in the gym. Dismissal begins at 3:00 pm, with After Care available until 5:00 pm.
Hello SK Familis!
Whew! What a busy but beautiful week it was in Senior Kindergarten as we navigated our first full week of school! As we settle into our routines and begin to shape our learning community, we are finding beauty in so many things, in letters, in stories, in numbers, in movement, in kindness, and in each other.
We began our week by reading I Promise by LeBron James, a powerful book about striving to be our best selves, making good choices, and supporting one another. Inspired by the message, we worked together to create Our SK Classroom Promise, a collaborative “agreement” if you will, to make our classroom feel like a true school family.
These were some of their promises:
Emma – “I promise to go to school”
Sophia- “ I promise to stand up for myself”
Alyx- “I promise to never break a promise”
Moxley – “I promise to be respectful”
Daxton – “I promise to respect the classroom”
Hailey – “I promise to be caring to other people”
Noah – “I promise to be kind to other people”
Evelyn – “I promise to be nice to be nice to other people”
Bodhi – “I promise to pick up a friend if they fall”
Wendell – “I promise to not be friends with people who are mean and disrespectful”
Addison – “I promise to be nice”
Rory – “I promise to keep on going when I want to give up”
Lola – “ I promise to be respectful to my classmates”
Henry – “I promise to keep my hands away from my friends”
Mylah – “ Gentle Hands”
Leonardo – “I promise to keep my hands to myself”
In SEL, we met two silly bunnies, Jumpy and Munchy, who were so focused on birthday party plans that they forgot to enjoy the celebration! With guidance from their Uncle, they learned about the beauty of a “double day” a mindful do-over. This sweet story led us into practicing mindfulness breathing, listening closely to the quiet sounds of our room and the quiet inside ourselves and a reminder to take time to slow down.
Reflections from this quiet moment included:
Wendell -“I hear the air conditioning running”
Lucas- “It felt like my body was vibrating while I was still”
Sophia – “I felt calm”
Daxton – “I could hear people’s feet”
On Wednesday, we read “KINDergarten“, a gentle story that reminded us how powerful even small acts of kindness can be. Building on our SK Promise, we talked about what it feels like to be kind and how we can show it every day.
Then, using our new mindfulness breathing practice from SEL, we closed our eyes and asked:
What color comes to mind when you think of kindness?
Their responses were beautiful:
Mylah – “Red”
Kipton – “Green, it reminds me of being healthy
Bodhi- “Definitely red! For love!”
Ollie- “Red, because red hearts for kindness”
Stylee – “Blue, because I think of my sister”
Scarlett – “Pink because it’s a color inside of our heart”
Lola- “Pink, purple and yellow, because they are color of happiness and hearts”
Hailey- “Green and pink”
Bria – “Pink, red and yellow, they are my favorite colors that make me smile”
Addison – “Pink, purple and darker purple”
Hunter – “Green”
Alyx – “Blue- It’s nice and friendly”
Rory- “Pink, because it’s a color of kindness and helpful”
Izaak – “Pink”
Daxton – “Red, it’s the color of a heart”
Moxley – “Orange. It’s one of the colors in the rainbow”
Henry – “Orange because it’s my favorite color and I think of helping Leonardo”
Leonard – “Blue”
Bradford – “Brown because my mom loves kindness and she wears brown”
Wendell – “Blue because when a friend got hurt I would help them up while they were crying and I made them feel better”
Noah – “ Green , because I help people outside”
Sophia- “Yellow and Blue because this is a kind school and those are the school colors”
Lucas- “ Rainbow because whenever I feel sad my pet Moxie makes me feel better like a rainbow”
Emma – “Blue because it’s my favorite color and I am kind”
Evelyn – “Blue because when I am feeling a little sad my animals help me feel better”
In phonics, we explored the letter A, listening for its sound at the beginning and in the middle of words, and collecting words to build our first word web. Words like Addison, Alyx, apple, astronaut, ant, and map helped us stretch our listening and thinking skills.
We also read Line and Scribble, a tale of two very different marks who learn to appreciate one another’s uniqueness. From this story, we dove into the world of lines and curves, the building blocks of letters, numbers, and design. Using black pastel and watercolor, tracing wooden shapes, cutting along lines and curves, and rolling dice with line prompts, the children expressed themselves through shape and form while building fine motor strength.
Our math focus this week centered around number recognition and subitizing, recognizing how many without counting. Children rolled dice, counted out loose parts, used dominos and scales in pairs to compare quantities. Outside, we turned math into movement, hopping along a number line to explore adding on and taking away. Others built tower constructions with number cubes, turning numbers into creations. However, the fan favorite was a game of “Around the World” taking turns on recognizing the numbers on the cards, we realized we have a highly, yet friendly, competitive group, wanting to win, but cheering each other on!
To wrap up our week, we read “The Book of Rules” a silly, interactive story full of unexpected directions, giggles, and a rule-loving monster named Dennis. It was the perfect way to get our sillies out while also reinforcing the importance of listening and following directions while having fun! Inspired by this story we gave the children a special journal prompt “If I Had a School, I Would Have One Rule.” The children were invited to imagine a school all their own and create just one rule for it. Some responses echoed our classroom promise, some came from the heart, and some were delightfully silly. A few favorites included:
Emma – “Everyone would laugh at least one time a day”
Kipton – “No parachuting”
Scarlett -“Always be kind”
Bradford – “Always help someone up when they need it”
Henry – “No holding hands with friends and no laughing, EVER!”
Rory – “You must always have fun!”
Sophia -“Love everyone”
We hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend, but we leave you with just one rule: Have fun with those beautiful children of yours!
We look forward to seeing all their smiling faces again on Tuesday.
Miss Arden & Miss Hanna
Lines & Curves:
Classroom Promise & Kindness:
Math Explorations:
DAILY DISCOVERY & FUN:
