One of the things I really spoke with the students a lot about this week was the importance of being brave. Kindergarten is full of new adventures, and it sometimes seems kind of scary. If we can be brave (or at least pretend to be brave), it is a lot more fun! I know it is still hard, for both kiddos and parents, to say goodbye in the morning, but I promise, if your child is upset when you leave, it does not last for long!
This week, we began to put basic classroom routines into place. Next week, we will dive into our academics full-force! We have a new math series this year, which I am figuring out as I go (we got our math supplies less than a week before school started, so please be patient as I learn the ropes!). Our reading series is an old friend, and I am excited to begin with the students. Over the first 4 weeks, we meet each letter of the alphabet. After that, we will take more of a "letter of the week" approach, but still review ALL letters on a regular basis. We will begin learning the 40 sight words for the year next week, and I will send home the WHOLE list next week, so you can see where we are headed.
We began learning about our 5 senses this week in science. We will finish learning about our 5 senses next week.
The most important thing we did this week was meet all of the other students in our class. They have certainly begun building friendships and relationships. I took a beginning-of-the-year photo of each student in our class this week, and I wanted to share them here. I will not share student names at this time, but if your child's nametag is in the photo, I also have not edited it out. These photos are also going to be part of your child's permanent desk tag, as soon as I finish assembling them in Photoshop! Have your child look through the photos with you, and see how many students he or she can name. We are going to be working hard at building friendships and learning our friends names over the next few weeks!