The Kindergarten Family Mailer

The Kindergarten Family Mailer
September 7-11, 2015: Welcome to Our Rockin’ Kindergarten Room!
By Mrs. Chien and Mrs. Lizarralde
St. Francis commemorates 9/11 anniversary
Flag Ceremony and prayer.
This Week in Kindergarten…
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We worked on our morning routine, which includes Morning
Prayer (Dios te Salve Maria, Hail Mary in Spanish) and pledge (e.g.
work upon coming into the classroom), our calendar, weather, days
of the week, and months of the year.
In Spanish with Senora Seay, we are learning to say hello, “Hola!”
“Buenos días” - Good day; Buenas Tardes - Good
afternoon/evening; Buenas noches - good night. Siéntense = sit
down) and párense = stand up and color words.
Spanish:
Señora Seay read the story, Mary Had a Little Llama
Maria had a little llama is written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez. This story
is an attractive twist to the classic rhyme Mary had a little lamb.
Angela Dominguez gives this popular rhyme a unique Latin American touch.
The beautiful Peruvian paintings portray the essence of this wonderful country.
Maria had a little llama is a bilingual book that can be read in English and
Spanish. The children will love Maria and her white llama. Maria loves music. She
plays the pan flute while her llama follows her everywhere Maria goes.
One day, Maria walks to school and the llama comes after her. Maria knows that
her llama cannot be inside the classroom due to school rules. However, the
intrepid llama follows Maria to the classroom. Maria’s classmates laugh, touch
and play with the little llama. The fun ends when the teacher arrives and takes the
llama out of the school. The llama waits very patiently until Maria comes out of
the school. Maria and her llama are really true friends.
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Health with Mrs. Smith, we learned about playground safety. And read the book:
Has your mother ever told you not to do something and you replied, "But it's just one
_____!" She probably said "What if everybody did that?" This book envisions what would
happen IF everyone "did that." From running your cart through the grocery store to feeding
the bears to splashing at the pool... Things would be quite a mess! This is a picture book that
asks kids to think about their actions.
We are Scientists!
The season of autumn will be the focus as the children observe the changes
happening around them. Echolocation!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/287597126178307009/
If you were wondering if bats have any unique biological abilities, look no
further than the echolocation song to educate yourself.
We utilize the computer, e-beam and hover-cam, isn’t technology great?!
Brain POP Jr provides educational movies for K-3 students. We watched “Kindergarten” on the first
day and “Fire Safety” after the fire drill on Friday
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Math,
We are talking about sorting by attributes, color, size and shape
The children used Legos and attribute blocks to show how they can sort!
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In Art with Mrs. Hess the children drew shapes and mixed colors to create:
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In Religion we read, “We have a Pope.” Ask your student the funny thing we learned about his shoes!
On Wednesday we visited the church and discussed the various important elements. The children were fascinated by the
sanctuary lamp.
The Sanctuary Lamp
Because of the honor given to Christ’s body and blood, a red votive candle, known as the sanctuary lamp, is traditionally lit
beside the tabernacle to show that it contains the consecrated elements. The sanctuary lamp reminds Catholics that Jesus is
present in the tabernacle, and churchgoers often pray before the tabernacle and reflect on the mystery of Christ’s presence in the
Eucharist.
The Saints this month are Saint Gregory the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Padre Pio, and Saint Vincent De Paul.
Emergency Drills
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St. Francis School takes seriously its commitment to safety. We adhere to local, state and federal
guidelines in relationship to emergency preparation. We conduct:
fire
tornado
lock-down drills.
We had our second fire drill on Friday and the children did a super job!
Special Projects
Saint’s Crown
Kindergarten is preparing for their first official visit to mass. Each child will wear their
saint crown for this special occasion. Please pick a saint and read about this saint with
your child. You may want to pick the saint that your child was named after, or perhaps a
friend or relative’s name. Decorate the crown in the spirit of the saint (no character
stickers or decorations that are not about the saint such as Barbie or Batman), making the
name of the saint clearly visible on the front of the crown. Below is an example of how the
name should be visible.
Saint
Michael
Celebrating Our Diversity
We wish to celebrate our diversity by having family and friends
come to present information about their culture and heritage. We
would like to have one to two speakers a month who come in to
share information about where they are from (if you are from
outside the United States) or their heritage (e.g. Polish), as well as
their culture (e.g. dress, food, activities, music, housing). The
presentation, including snack, should be no more than 45 minutes.
By celebrating what is special about all of the people in the world,
we can learn to better appreciate one another. If you or another
family member is available to come in to present to Kindergarten,
please let us know so we can start scheduling these wonderful
opportunities for learning.
Important Reminders
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Remember to unpack the children’s Boomerang folder DAILY and remove papers!
Please remember to send a “healthy, peanut-free,” snack for your child, daily. Even on 11:30 days! Also, remember to pack
a spoon if the snack requires. 
Check the school website for lunch orders and please let us (the teachers) know that your child
will be buying lunch. We are all still getting accustomed to the new lunch system, please bear with us!
Girls are required to wear shorts under their jumpers.
September Homework packet and book reading log should be completed and returned by September 30.
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Communicating with the Teachers Should you have any questions, please feel free to send in a note in the Boomerang
folder. You are welcome to leave a phone message in the office at 703-221-3868; however, Mrs. Chien and Mrs. Lizarralde
are not typically available during the school day to talk, as we are happily working with your children. We can certainly
return calls after school.
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We also have a class website http://teacherweb.com/VA/StFrancisofAssisi/Kindergarten/t.aspx . Please feel free to check the
site for updates.
PE is held on Mondays and Thursdays. PE uniforms must include a crew or folded sock. Golf socks (ankle socks) are not
permitted. And all black or all white gym shoes. Please help your children to adhere to the school uniform policy.
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Safe to eat? Or not?
This is a peanut, tree nut free classroom!
 Snack List (Allergy Approved)
 Fruit (whole fruit, fruit cups, applesauce)
Cheese, Cheese Sticks
Raisins
Yogurt
Jell-O
Vegetables
Goldfish Crackers
Wegman's Animal Crackers (not organic)
Graham Crackers
Teddy Grahams
Fruit Snacks
Cheez-its
Club Crackers
Saltines
Pirate's Bootie
*Remember to pack an extra napkin and fork or spoon if needed as these are not provided. We
always have water available (drinking fountain).
Daily Prayers
Every day we say prayers in the morning and afternoon. The children are learning them and would benefit from reinforcement from
home. Please continue to review the prayers with your children. Thank you for your help! Prayers can be found on the class website.
Funny of the Week
While saying The Lord’s Prayer one morning, one of the children was overheard to say,
“And forgive us our trash passes as we forgive those who passed trash
against us."
When talking about Labor Day, one of the kiddos said, “The Coast Guard is very nice. They give us fish!” YIKES!!!
Wish List
Kindergarten continues to grow and change thanks to the generosity of our parents. We are currently seeking the following wish list
items. All donations are tax deductible.
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Fisher Price Little people
Nerf or Nerf-like balls for outside play…
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Sidewalk chalk
Upcoming Events
Sept. 30
Oct. 2
Oct. 4
September Homework Packets Due
Francis Day in the Park 10:00 Mass and Walk-a-Thon
St. Francis Festival
Oct. 12
Oct. 17
NO SCHOOL Columbus Day
6:30 Chili Cook-Off
General Information
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 and
Campbell’s Soup Labels
We are collecting Box Tops and Campbell’s Soup Labels. Please send them in a plastic bag in the Boomerang
folder. We will be collecting these throughout the year.