Dear Parents,

This is the last newsletter until the fall. Thank you for sharing your child with me this year!

It is very important for your child to continue to read and write all summer long. Please have your child do the activities in the summer packet you will receive near the end of the year. It is important that you be with your child when she/he does the activities to avoid practicing incorrect information. I look forward to seeing the wonderful writing about places visited and special activities. Remember to allow your child to spell using his/her knowledge of sounds. Please do not spell for your child. Say a word slowly so he/she can hear all the sounds in the words. Have your child use the list of sight words to spell them correctly in his/her writing. You can have your child copy the words on the last page of the summer journal so they will be easy to find when writing.

Art:

The children will be working on projects in art that reflect our spring themes.

Units this month:

We will be studying flowers and seeds and finally, nutrition.

Important Reminders:

1. Please remember that peanut butter/ peanuts or any kind of nuts are not allowed for snack. Children are beginning to bring in peanut butter crackers and even bags of nuts for snack. I have to take these from them and give them a different snack.

HOME READING BOOKS - Your child has been bringing home a book in a bag to read at home. We are working on running our finger under the print to reinforce the idea that print goes from left to right. The children are trying to point to one word at a time. Please send the books back in one or two days for a new one. You may find two books in the bag. One will be the book you are returning, the second will be a new book. Please have your child read both. It is good practice to read a familiar book to help a child become a fluent reader.

Writer's Workshop:

The children are working on a new unit of study called Author Study. They have been listening to lots of stories written by Leo Lionni. Ask your child what Leo Lionni does in most of his stories. You will hear about the use of animals as characters, characters with very prominent, large white eyes with dark centers. You should also hear that Leo Lionni likes pebbles and draws them in most stories. Often a pebble is important in the story. He also writes stories about friends helping each other and uses big, interesting words. The children have chosen names for their characters, which are mice. They are working on their friendship stories where there is a problem and one friend helps another. We will publish these in the middle of May and send them home soon thereafter. I hope to put them up on the podcast section of the site. Look in the Recent Site Update section for an announcement that they have been put on the podcast site. You can find the podcasts by clicking on the link in the menu at the bottom of any page.

We will be reading lots of books. Ask your child to tell you about a story he/she heard in school each day. I read at least 3 every day and usually several more.

I am including the list of sight words your child should know at the end of kindergarten. Please help your child practice the new words each night so they become automatic. This is very important in helping your child become a fluent reader.

Keep In Touch

Please feel free to contact me about any concerns or questions you have. Send a note to school with your child or email me at

I will respond as soon as possible. If you need to come in to speak with me, please send me a note and I will call to schedule a meeting at a mutually convenient date and time. Don't let something small grow into a big problem!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Kathy Gage