As you probably know, I was absent yesterday because a tooth broke on Wednesday evening so I spent a while at the dentist yesterday.  As it turns out, I will be having the tooth extracted next week so I will also be away next Wednesday afternoon.  Ugh.

We finished the alphabet today!  And, celebrated with cupcakes!  Now that we have gone through all the names, sounds and formation of the letters, we will be focusing on one or two of them in more depth each week as we begin to apply our knowledge to the beginning, ending and medial sounds of words.  As the children write, we will be encouraging them to begin using lower case letters except where upper case letters are required (beginning of sentences, names of months and people, etc.)  I have also finished hearing the story of the Gingerbread Man retold by all students so everyone should have their booklet at home to retell the story to you.  I have found that all the children can recall the main events of the story, however, many require prompting to add details.  As your child retells stories at home, please ask questions that require details to reinforce this concept which will eventually carry over to their own story telling as we begin Writers Workshop. 

In your child's folder tonight is an appointment form for Parent-Teacher Conferences at the end of the week.  Please sign and return the bottom portion as soon as possible.  The top portion is a reminder for you to keep.  Mrs. Adams will be sending home a form for those who wish to order a bag lunch for their child for the week of conferences which will be half days for children.  The bag lunches consist of a sandwich, and usually raw vegetables, fruit and milk.  The lunches must be pre-ordered by all who need one.

It was pretty chilly outside this morning!   Please be sure your child is dressed in layers so they are warm in the morning and can shed clothing as the day warms up.  Many of us even had mittens on today!

Precious Moments:  One child today had to change clothing because she got wet at recess time.  Mrs. Adams asked if she could do it herself and she quickly replied, "Öf course, because I'm 6 and I'm in kindergarten!"

Enjoy the weekend - BA