Saint Ann School News

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
May 3, 2010
In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts:
We will be reading fiction and nonfiction books about insects : The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Buzz to the Rescue, Butterflies, The very Quiet Cricket, and many others.
Long Vowels: A, E

Dolch Words
REVIEW the highlighted Dolch words in your child’s folder
-recognizing fiction and non-fiction stories
-looking at texts to find information
-Writing 2 sentences on one topic

MATH: REVIEW
counting by 2’s to 50
dice and domino games
counting and writing to 100
money review
Religion
Prayers-Glory Be
Taking care of God’s plants and animals
Praying The Rosary

Upcoming Events:
Wednesday: Library Day
May 6: K Hot Lunch-Volunteers Needed
May 7th:1:30 Mother’s Day Tea in K class
May 11-Ice Cream Social
May 12:6-8 PM Ridgecrest Police Dept. Annual Open House. The school with the highest attendance will receive a K-9 demonstration at their school.
June 3:Kindergarten Graduation/End of year party (10:30-11:30)

For the last 4 weeks, we have been planting peas, corn, radishes, carrots, onions, and flowers. We have been watching them grow and learning the parts of a plant and flower. This week, we will begin watching our caterpillars turn into butterflies! We will pay close attention to the life cycles of different insects.

*Please continue completing homework each night. Remember that nightly reading should be recorded on your child’s Reading Log in their folder.

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
December 7, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading To Catch A Fish, The Carrot Seed, The Lamb and the Butterfly and many other stories.
Letter Focus- L, l
-Identifying the ending and middle sounds in words
-Identifying word patterns
-Writing the beginning, medial and ending sounds of words
-Writing dolch words in writing
-Writing complete sentences
-Dolch words –three, out, ran, yes
MATH:
Measurement
-longer/shorter/taller
Capacity
-comparing Weights using a balance
Identifying penny, nickel, dime, quarter and their values
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting by 2’s to 20
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)
Religion
Advent
Jesus Blesses the Children
Meaning of Prayer

Upcoming Events:
Dec.8- Mass (Holy Day)
Dec. 11-Kindergarten Christmas Party
*Mrs. Morrison and Students only
Dec. 15-St. Ann Christmas Program
Dec. 18-Parents may join us after mass for a quick treat before the holidays!
Dec.18-Min Day 10:00 Dismissal
Dec.19-Jan 3-Christmas Break

Christmas Party
Our K Christmas Party will take place in our classroom on Dec. 11th. I plan to make this a very eventful day for all of us! This will be one of the final days that your children and I have a chance to sit back, relax, and celebrate for a while! (For that reason, I am asking that parents join us on the 18th for a farewell treat, instead of the 11th).
I will be ordering pizza for our class to share for lunch that day. Your child will only need a lunch if they do not like/want pizza.
*Please send in items by Dec. 10th. The list is on the back of this week’s newsletter again.

Maternity Leave
I wanted to fill you all in on my upcoming leave. I plan to work until Dec.18th. I am due Dec. 19th (fingers crossed). I plan to return to school on March 22nd. In my absence, Tina Rockdale will be taking over. We are doing our best to make this an easy transition for the children. I will be available at home by email at caseymorrison3@yahoo.com.

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
November 30, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading fantasy stories: Tillie and the Wall, JoJo’s Flying Side Kick, The Gingerbread Man and many others.
Letter Focus- I, i
-Matching letter sounds to letters without reference
-Identifying the ending and middle sounds in words
-Identifying word patterns
-Writing the beginning and ending sounds of words
-Writing dolch words in writing
-Writing complete sentences
-Dolch words –did, had, or, so
MATH:
Matching analog and digital clocks
Measurement
Identifying penny, nickel, dime, quarter and their values
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting by 2’s to 14
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)
Religion
Advent
Jesus is always with us.

Upcoming Events:
Dec. 1-Field Trip “Celtic Christmas”
Dec. 3-K Hot Lunch
Dec.8- Mass (Holy Day)
Dec. 11-Kindergarten Christmas Party 2:00
Dec. 15-St. Ann Christmas Program
Dec.18-Min Day
Dec.19-Jan 3-Christmas Break

K Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed
Thursday, Dec.3rd is our Hot Lunch. We will need volunteers to help heat and serve food from 11:45-12:45. This is an easy way to get volunteer hours!!!!

MONEY-Please be sure to utilize the Monday folder and zippered pouch in your child’s daily folder when sending money in to school. Money is pockets results in lost money or distractions.

Christmas Party
Our K Christmas Party will take place in our classroom on Dec. 11th at 2:00. We will be decorating cookies, making snowball treats and making a craft. I have attached a list of items that we will need for this day. Please send in these items by Dec. 10th.

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News

November 16, 2009
In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading Thanksgiving Stories.
Letter Focus-review
-Matching letter sounds to letters without reference
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Identifying word patterns

-Dolch words –little, two, for, her

MATH:
Relate time to events
Digital and Analog time to the hour
Amounts of time for activities: Using terms longer and shorter; hour and minute
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting by 2’s to 10
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)

Religion
Giving Thanks
*Food Drive- We will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Food Bank this week. The entire school is competing to see which grade brings in the most “pounds” of food.

Upcoming Events:
- Nov. 23-29 Thanksgiving Break
- Nov. 29-Advent Begins
- Dec. 11-K Christmas Party 2:00
- Dec. 15-School Christmas Program 6:30 PM

Thanks to everyone who helped set up and donated food items for our Thanksgiving Feast. It was a huge success and the children are still talking about it!

How can I help my child at home?
With the holiday season quickly approaching, it is often hard to keep up with school work and homework. Please do your best to continue reading with your child each night and practicing dolch words. Another great way to help your child is to discuss daily and holiday events. Have your child retell the events of the day in the correct order. This is a great way to get your child to recognize story sequencing. Discuss the correct order for brushing your teeth, getting dressed, getting ready for meals, washing dishes, or getting ready for bed. Point out events in order in stories that you read each night.
Thanks for your support!
Mrs. Morrison

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
November 9, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…

Language Arts: We will be reading Thanksgiving Stories.
Letter Focus- N,n
-Matching letter sounds to letters without reference
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Identifying word patterns

-Dolch words –but, not. to, keep

MATH:
Calendars and Clocks
Matching analog and digital clocks
Amounts of time for activities: Using terms longer and shorter; hour and minute
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting by 2’s to 10
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)

Religion
Giving Thanks
Love as Jesus Did

Upcoming Events:
- Nov. 10-Thanksgiving Feast (10:00-11:30)
-Nov. 11- NO SCHOOL-Veteran’s Day

Thanksgiving Feast
We hope everyone can join us at our Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow in the Parish Center from 10:00-11:30. If you would like to help set up, please meet Mrs. Bussell in the Parish Center at 9:00. We will need people to warm food and set up.
*If you are donating food items, please send these items in with your child tomorrow or bring them to the Parish Center kitchen at 9:00.
*We will be dressing as Indians tomorrow. Please wear gray uniform pants to school. We will change into our shirts before the feast.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!
Mrs. Morrison

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
November 2, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading folktales and tall tales: The Enormous Turnip, Paul Bunyan. Fritz and the Fairy.
Letter Focus- O,o
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly and identifying letters
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Making new words by changing the beginning and ending sounds ex) cat, car, card, bat, ball, wall,
-Dolch words –down, this, by, all

MATH:
Calendars and Clocks
Amounts of time for activities: Using terms longer and shorter; hour and minute
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting by 2’s to 10
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)

Religion
All Souls
The importance of listening to Jesus

Upcoming Events:
-Turn in October Book-It calendar this week.
-Nov. 5-Kindergarten Hot Lunch: We will need volunteers from 11:45-12:30
- Nov. 10-Thanksgiving Feast (10:00-11:30)

* Thank you all for attending parent/teacher conferences last week. It is always great to meet with parents and discuss our successes! Please remember that if anything comes up throughout the year, I am more thank willing to conference with you again.

*Our Harvest Festival was a huge success. Thank you all for donating items and your time for this event. The children really enjoyed it, as did our new friends at High Desert Haven.

Thanksgiving Feast
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Shine Montessori. This will take place in the Parish Center at St. Ann on November 10th from 10:00-11:30. All parents, grandparents, and siblings are welcome to join us. A sign up sheet is attached. Please sign up for any item that you would like to donate or cook for the feast. *Parents who would like to help set up on this day will be needed at 9:00.

T-SHIRTS AND NOODLES
We will be dressing as Indians for our Thanksgiving Feast. We will be making noodle necklaces and t-shirts to wear on this day.
*Please send in all shirts and noodles by Wednesday, November 4th .

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
October 26, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading stories about Harvest and Halloween.
-Letter Focus- H, h
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Making new words by changing the beginning and ending sounds ex) cat, car, card, bat, ball, wall,
-Dolch words –like, are, what, do
MATH:
Calendars and Clocks
Counting to 100 by 1’s , 10’s, and 5’s
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s (0-30)
Religion
Saints
The Rosary

Upcoming Events:
Oct. 29-Harvest Festival (8:15-11:15)
*High Desert Haven 8:30
*Heritage Park immediately following
Oct.27-30- Parent Teacher Conferences/11:30 dismissal (No lunch these days.)
-REPORT CARDS WILL BE HANDED OUT AT CONFERENCES
Nov. 10-Thanksgiving Feast (10:00-11:30)
Harvest Festival
Reminder-The Harvest Festival is Thursday! Please send your child to school in their uniforms. We will be changing into Halloween Costumes before our trip to High Desert Haven. All parents and siblings are welcome to join us at this event. Directions are attached.
Thanksgiving Feast
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Shine Montessori. This will take place in the Parish Center at St. Ann on November 10th from 9:00-11:30. All parents, grandparents, and siblings are welcome to join us. I will have a sign up sheet at conferences for food items that we will need. We will also need a few parents to help on the day of the feast.

T-SHIRTS AND NOODLES
We will be dressing as Indians for our Thanksgiving Feast. We will be making noodle necklaces and t-shirts to wear on this day.
Each child will need one white t-shirt. This can be any plain, white t-shirt. We will be dying and decorating the shirts, so feel free to send in an old shirt. Girls can use child or adult size shirts. The students will be wearing their gray uniform pants or tights with their shirts.
We will be making necklaces out of dyed color noodles. If you would like to use volunteer hours to dye noodles, the recipe is attached. Please send in all shirts and noodles by Wednesday, November 2nd.

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
October 19, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading stories about the wind and weather: Wind Says Goodnight, Millicent and the Wind, and Tooth Trouble as well as many others.
-Letter Focus- T, t
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Making new words by changing the beginning and ending sounds ex) cat, car, card, bat, ball, wall,
-Dolch words –have, small, up, go
MATH:
Counting sets of objects to twenty
Comparing Numbers (more, less)
Counting to 100 by 1’s and 10’s
Counting objects and naming them
Writing #’s ( 0-10 and 0-20)
Religion
Our Church Family
The Rosary
Writing
-Writing sentences using dolch words
-Writing sentences about one topic

Upcoming Events:
Oct. 22- Permission Slips Due
Oct. 29-Harvest Festival (8:00-11:15)
Oct. 23-End of 1st Quarter
Oct.27-30- Parent Teacher Conferences/11:30 dismissal (No lunch these days.)
Harvest Festival
The Harvest Festival will take place Oct. 29th. We will be leaving school at 8:15 and returning to school at 11:15. All students should arrive to school in their uniforms. Students are allowed to bring their Halloween Costumes to change into for the Festival. Please be sure that your child will be able to run around and be comfortable in their costumes. We will be playing outdoor games during the Festival.
We will need volunteer drivers for this event. Due to the lack of parking at Heritage park, we will try to limit the amount of cars that will be driving students. I will notify you prior to the event if you will be driving students. Parents who are not driving students are welcome to meet us at the event.
Many of you have volunteered to send in items for the festival, please sent in all non-perishable items by Monday, October 26th!

Thanks in advance for all of your support!
Mrs. Morrison

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
September 28, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…

Language Arts: We will be reading Don’t Need Friends, Duck on a Bike, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

-Letter Focus- D, d
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Dolch words –who, has, yellow, no

MATH:
Counting to 100 by 1’s and 10’s
Counting objects
Using terms “more” and “less”

Religion
The Bible Tells Us About God’s Love

Writing
-Writing sentences using dolch words

Upcoming Events:
Oct.1-Kindergarten Hot Lunch
Oct.1-Bootk-It Program begins (more info. to follow)
Oct. 6-Field Trip to Knaus Apple Ranch
*Let me know if you will be able to drive ASAP!

What can I do to help my child at home?
In class each day, we use sign language to practice learning our letters and letter sounds. This helps create a movement when saying letters and sounds , which provides another way to add these skills to our memory.
Attached you will find a copy of the sign language alphabet we use. Use this at home when practicing letters and sounds. This is also a fun way to spell names and dolch words.

Learning Websites:
www.funbrain.com
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids
www.funology.com

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
September 21, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading The Lonely Prince, Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon, We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt and other friendship books.
-Letter Focus- M, m
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the letters in our first and last name
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-Dolch words –green, at, he, she
MATH:
-problem solving using patterns
Religion
The Creation Story
-God creates all people
Writing
-Writing sentences using dolch words

LIBRARY-We go to the library every Wednesday. Your child will check out a new book each week. You may keep this book for 1 week. If a book is late, you will receive a notice from the library.

Upcoming Events:
Sept. 22-Fall Begins
Oct.1-Kindergarten Hot Lunch
Oct.1-Bootk-It Program begins (more info. to follow)

What can I do to help my child at home?
To get your child excited about reading, show them how much you enjoy reading and how fun it can be! Read both new and familiar stories to your child. Be sure to ask questions about the story. Who are the characters? Where does the story take place? What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story? . It is always okay to go back and look at a story or picture to find answers. This shows your child that stories contain more than just letters, they contain message.

Learning Websites:
www.Kidscomjr.com
www.learningplanet.com
www.abcya.com

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
September 14, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading Big Al, Ginger and other friendship books
-Letter Focus- S,, s
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the letters in our first and last name
-Identifying the ending sounds in words
-learning our Dolch words-we,an,blue, my
MATH:
-creating and adding on to patterns
Writing/Religion
-God gives us plants and animals.
-Writing sentences using dolch words

Volunteering- I have a few items for parents who would like to work from home. Stop by and pick something blue volunteer bin.

LIBRARY-We go to the library every Wednesday. Your child will check out a new book each week. You may keep this book for 1 week. If a book is late, you will receive a notice from the library.

Upcoming Events:
Sept. 17-Picture Day
Sept. 22-Fall Begins

What can I do to help my child at home?
One great way to help your child identify both uppercase and lowercase letters, is to show your child how letters are everywhere in their daily lives. Show them words and letters on their favorite foods, toys, and around the community. You can also do this while learning dolch words.
Another great way to have your child succeed in letter and word recognition is to use magnetic letters on your refrigerator. Have them name the letters, match uppercase to lowercase, and spell dolch words. As you do this, talk about the sounds that each letter makes.

Learning Websites:
www.tvokids.com/
www.pbskids.com
www.starfall.com

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
September 8, 2009

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading poems this week: “I Brought A Worm”, “E-Elephant”, “Giant Children” and many other school stories.
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the letters in our first and last name
-learning our Dolch words-see, red, it, can
MATH:
-graphing real objects
Writing/Religion
-God created our Earth. How can we care for it?
Volunteering- I have a few items for parents who would like to work from home. Stop by and pick something blue volunteer bin.

Recycling
Our 4th grade students are recycling plastic bottles and aluminum cans. If you would like to send in your plastic or aluminum they will gladly accept it. Please be sure to rinse out all items to avoid ants and other guests.

Upcoming Events:
Sept. 17-Picture Day

Hot Lunch
Thank you to all parents who helped out with Kindergarten Hot Lunch, especially Mrs. Bussell who organized the event. We have already raised enough money to start planning a few great field trips. Our next Hot Lunch will be in Thursday, October 1st. If you would like to help out, please let me know or just show up!

Mass Expectations
Going to our school mass each week is a wonderful experience for your child! We have been doing a great job so far. I wanted to share our school mass rules so that you can implement these same rules when you attend mass with your child. This way, there is no confusion.
-students participate in the mass
-no standing on the kneeler
-sit, stand, kneel with the rest of the church
-no talking or touching others

Mrs. Morrison’s Kindergarten News
August 31, 2009

Thanks to all who attended Back to School Night. It was wonderful to meet with you and discuss the Kindergarten curriculum. If you have any questions or were not able to attend, please let me know.
Thanks,
Mrs. Morrison

In Kindergarten this week…
Language Arts: We will be reading Boomer Goes to School, School Bus, Rachel Parker Kindergarten Show Off, and many other school stories.
-Identifying letters and letter sounds
-forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
-Identifying the letters in our first and last name
-learning our first 5 Dolch words
RELIGION 11:00-11:25 MATH:
-sorting by color, size, and shape
-graphing real objects
Science/Writing
-Naming and using our 5 senses
Religion:
-God gave us our 5 senses. How do we use our senses each day?

*Homework begins this week. Check your child’s homework calendar for details. Only indicated items need to be sent to school on Tuesday and Thursday. Be sure to read 10 min. each night with your child as a part of their homework.

Upcoming Events:
Wednesday, 9/2 will be our first Library day. Look for your child’s book to come home each Wednesday. Please read this book with your child and return it to school.

Thursday, 9/3-Kindergarten Hot Lunch
*We will be preparing lunch for the school on Thursday. This is our main fundraiser for Kindergarten, and we need as much help as possible. If you are able to assist please let me know if you have not already. Mrs. Bussell, our room mother, will be contacting you with details. Please make sure that you have completed our “Safe School” requirements.

Monday, 9/7-Labor Day: No School

Volunteering- Many of you picked up items to complete at home at Back to School Night. Thank you for helping out! I also have a few other items for parents who would like to work from home. Stop by and pick something blue volunteer bin.