The Kindergarten Family Mailer

The Kindergarten Family Mailer
December 1st-5th , 2014 Three weeks and counting!!!
By Mrs. Chien and Mrs. Lizarralde`
T
hree weeks and counting until Christmas is here! Ooohhhh!!! Run, run, run as
fast as you can, so we can catch & eat that gingerbread man! Oh, I know how
much excitement is in the air in anticipation of our holiday break (& the kiddos
are pretty excited about it, too!)
It’s hard to believe we are almost at Christmas Break, which begins at 11:30 a.m. on Friday,
December 19th. School resumes January 5th. We hope you are finding time during this busy
season to enjoy with your family the preparation for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This week, during class time and in mass, we discussed St. Nicholas. We also watched
a movie about St. Nicholas to understand that St. Nick was a generous soul.
Kindergarten has won the Walk-A-Thon contest for the
most contributions! The Walk-A-Thon is one of the biggest
fundraisers for St. Francis and we raised over $11,000 this
year!!! Kindergarten will be having their Pizza party, that
is sponsored by the PTO, on Tuesday, Dec. 9th.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 we had a super fire
drill! Good job, Kindergarten!!!
MATHEMATICS
Wrapping-up Chapter 4
 Ordinal numbers—which direction are items facing?
 Writing numbers through ten correctly
 Numbers can be ordered sequentially in ascending or descending order.
Counting order is an ascending order.
Reading
•We began to talk about the Gingerbread Man and read several books: “Gingerbread Baby,”
and “The Gingerbread Girl.” Ask the children about the Bob and Charlie, the gingerbread
men from Panera who ran away from our classroom today!
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, by Laura Murray
When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a
smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a
soccer ball) limp as fast as he can because: "I can catch them! I'm their Gingerbread Man!"
The Gingerbread Girl
by Lisa Campbell Ernst, Lisa Campbell Ernst (Illustrator)
Everyone remembers the ill-fated Gingerbread Boy, but few know about his smarter sister.
After losing the boy, his elderly bakers are loath to try another cookie, but finally they
create a gingerbread girl. Sure enough, she runs away "with a leap and a twirl. You can't
catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Girl." Inventive, though occasionally clunky rhymes describe
the girl as she runs away from a dog walker, an artist, cows, and kids. Then she meets the
fox, who slyly agrees to a safe trip ashore. It looks like Gingerbread Girl will go the way of
her brother. But she turns out to be a smart cookie with a clever plan, a twist that's the
most innovative part of the story.
Listened to readings of:
Library Mouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SltHq_2X0QM
The Gingerbread Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slidHnMR1yE
Library Lion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T18NCobS43c
Science/Social Studies-
Made Gingerbread Boys and Girls!! They managed to escape, AGAIN If
you see them, let us know.
Religion
For what do you like to thank Jesus? How do you show Him you love Him? Long ago,
people praised Him with a parade, palm branches, and loud voices.
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" LUKE
19:38,
We worship Jesus when we praise Him.

Introduced the advent wreath and lit the first purple candle in the classroom
(battery operated!) and discussed Santa Claus.

Second Sunday of Advent Jesus, You are peace, even when there is hatred. Help us
to forgive like You when we are hurt or wounded. Bring PEACE into our hearts we
pray. Amen
Music
Kindergarten will be singing “The Little Drummer Boy” at the Christmas Performance.
Please have the children practice verses one and two that came home before Thanksgiving
break.
December 12th, Kindergarten and first grade will sing “Hail
Mary,” for the Our Lady of Guadalupe mass.
Spanish
In Spanish with Señora Seay, the children are continuing to learn parts of the body.
Art
Health:
Kid safety is an important, yet often difficult topic of discussion
between parents and children. The Safe Side's "Safe Side Super-Chick" is a decidedly
zany host who successfully combines slapstick humor with serious, practical safety tips
for kids. "Safe Side Super-Chick" breaks the population down into three quickly
discernable categories: "Safe Side Adults" that kids know well and can always trust to
keep them safe, "Don't Knows" like the mail carrier or the lady at the park and "Sorta
Knows" like a coach or a schoolmate's parent.
Special Projects:
100 Can Collection for the Church Pantry, giving
back to the community - our annual fall food drive!
Reminders from Mrs. Chien:
Christmas Bazaar Reminder! If you are having your student shop at the
Bazaar, all money is now due! Only10 students have returned their envelopes
and money.
Wish List
Lego people/characters
From kindergarten all the way to grad school, Legos are being used to
help students learn about science, math, engineering, and even social
interactions.
Education Technology Grants & Funding
Education technology grants are out there; it's just a matter of finding them!
When I look at why the use of the iPad is so effective, three key components surface:
1.
2.
3.
increased engagement
immediate feedback
and differentiated instruction.
IPads allow for powerful differentiation. Every student has the opportunity to work at his/her level and pace. The right
apps allow students to develop weak areas through repeated practice and/or move students up to the next challenge.
Up-coming
Events
th
Dec. 8 8:45 Mass Feast of the Immaculate Conception Holy Day of Obligation
Dec. 8th 1:00 Author visit
Dec. 9th PTO Walk-a-Thon Kindergarten Pizza Party!!
Dec. 9th Brixx Buxx Fundraisor
Dec. 10th Christmas Bazaar
Dec. 12th Pizza Lunch
Dec. 12th Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Dec. 12th Sweet Friday .50
Dec. 15th 9:00 Pancake Breakfast
Dec. 16th Christmas Program
Dec. 19th NO mass
Dec. 19th 11:30 Dismissal – Christmas Vacation Begins
December 19th children must be picked-up NO LATER THEN 4:00 P.M. !!!!
Dec. 22nd -Jan. 2nd Christmas Holiday – No School
Jan 5th School Resumes
Jan. 16th NO school, Diocesan Teacher Day
Jan. 19th NO school, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan 26-30th Catholic Schools Week
Jan. 27th Sweet Frog Spirit Night (Stafford & Dumfries locations)
General Information
Chuckles and Heart warmers
About the gingerbread people; one of the children was overheard to say, “If
they went out the door they would be foggy!” It was raining. To which the
other child said, “Do you mean, soggy?!”
Pennies for Peru
The St. Francis School “Pennies for Peru” program was established in September 2007. This is an on-going
monetary collection to aid the members of our Sister Parish in Peru. Thank you for supporting this very
worthy cause.
Box Tops, Campbell’s Soup Labels, printer cartridges, pop-tabs for the
Ronald McDonald Homes and My Coke Rewards
We are collecting Box Tops, Campbell’s Soup Labels, and soda bottle lids for My Coke Rewards and toner/ ink
cartridges. Please send them in a plastic bag in the Boomerang folder. We will be collecting these throughout
the year.
The sequence is: l, o, g, h, t, p, a, n, m, i, s, f, r, k, b, u, z, c, e, y, d, v, j, x, w, qu