Welcome to Kindergarten 2015-2016! We have had a busy first three weeks of school and look forward to a wonderful year.  This newsletter will contain information about what we are doing in the classroom, our current units of study, skills we are working on, and photographs.  Additional pictures can be found by clicking the Photo Gallery link at the top of the blog.

Getting to Know You.....

Kindergartners have been getting to know each other and their teachers the past few weeks.  We have played games such as "Just Like Me" to learn about our similarities and differences.  We also created class puzzles, with each piece representing the things we love and care about. Come see these hanging up in each classroom! The children have also been doing many fun activities to learn each other's names including dot names, name puzzles, and the cheer "2, 4, 6, 8".  

Our days are busy at SSFS and there are many transitions from one place to another.  Each week we walk to P.E., Library, Meeting for Worship, Art, Spanish, and the dining hall.  Kindergartners have been practicing how to transition from one activity to the next, and how to safely walk across our campus.  The children are learning the names of the different buildings as well as the different co-curricular teachers.  Each week we see - Kate for Art, Amanda and Steve for P.E., Elizabeth for Library, Mariela for Spanish, and Erin for Music.

Curriculum Highlights:

* Language Arts - Our names! - Dot names, name puzzles of friends, putting our class in alphabetical order, grouping names by first letters

* Math - using the attendance stick, calendar, 100's chart, Morning Message math (addition and subtraction), introduction to math materials, counting games

* Science - Discussion - what do scientists do?, meeting the guinea pig, color mixing, using magnifying glasses, outdoor exploration.

* Social Studies - Similarities and differences, "Faces" project, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind", creating class rules, talking about the "Golden Rule".

* Special Events - Meeting Senior Buddies, first All School Assembly, picture day

* Idiom of the Week - "butterflies in my stomach"

The "Faces" Project 

Each September, Kindergartners take a closer look at their faces, discovering what they have in common with their peers, and what makes them unique.  We read stories such as "Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth", and "The Skin You Live In" which inspire us to look in the mirror and see what we notice.  The project takes place over several days.  First, the children draw the shape of their face on large paper and cut it out.  Then, they mix colors of paint to find the skin tone that best matches themselves.  Finally eyes, noses, mouths, and hair are added.  Check out the beautiful faces in our Kindergarten hallway - can you find your child?