Preparing for the Pumpkin Patch

Last week we were busy becoming experts on pumpkins to prepare for our upcoming field trip to the pumpkin patch.  We read a variety of books on pumpkins and can easily retell the steps of growing a pumpkin.  Our poem last week was about a Jack-0-Lantern and we are counting down the days until Halloween in our calendar notebook.  Our heads are full of pumpkin thoughts!  I will allow the children to wear their pumpkin t-shirts on Thursday but they must have regular uniform bottoms (no jeans on Thursday!).

This week is a review week of all word wall  words and introduced letter sounds.  Use this week to polish up on any words/sounds your child is having difficulty with.

In math we are doing a lot of counting.  Ways to reinforce counting at home might be:  count the chairs at your dining room table,  count the cars  in the driveway, count the number of windows in your house, count the number of shoes in a closet.  Go ahead and count backwards too.  If you really want to advance the counting being done say things like this.  "I have two people at the kitchen table and I'm waiting for three more."  Once those three people make it to the table, count how many people are now sitting at the table.  This is reinforcing the concept of parts make up a whole.  For example:  five is the whole  and the two people sitting at the table and the three people missing from the table make up the parts.  I'm not focusing on addition facts rather I'm teaching the children that parts make up a whole.  Kindergarten students require a lot of practice of understanding parts and wholes so don't get discouraged, rather keep practicing.

This week is Red Ribbon Week.  We will celebrate making healthy choices for our bodies.  Each day has a theme to emphasize SAYING NO TO DRUGS!
Monday:  "We are proud to be drug free."  Classes make red chains to hang outside their classroom to show they are drug free.  Each student will sign his/her link in the chain.  The children are asked to wear a RED uniform shirt or a red spirit wear t-shirt.  Jeans are NOT to be worn on Monday.
Tuesday:  "Sock it to drugs and slip into good character"  Students wear crazy socks and slippers. (This is grade level t-shirt day.)
Wednesday:  "Hats off to not using drgus"  Students wear their favorite hat to show they are drug free.  (This is our field trip day...wear field trip t-shirts and jeans)
Thursday:  "We are too cool to do drugs"  Students will wear their sunglasses to shade out drugs.  (Pumpkin t-shirts may be worn on Thursday but NO jeans,) 
Friday:  "Team up against drugs"  Students wear their favorite team's jersey.


Don't forget to return library books on Tuesday.  The children get so excited when they see a word wall word in their library books!

Tuesday night is spirit night at Jason's Deli.  My family will be there and I hope to see you too.


I will send home the calendar pages from the month of October in Friday's notebook.  Please take the time to go over the pages with your child.  You will have an October calendar, a weather chart, an odd/even page and a write the date page.  It is hard to believe that November starts next week.  

Don't forget to listen to your child read the poem from the poetry notebook.  The children enjoy returning to our old poems and reading them.  Thank you for taking the time to celebrate your child as a beginning reader.


I will be out of the classroom on Thursday morning but will return after lunch.  I secured an excellent substitute so the children won't even know that I am gone.

Classroom needs:  100 plastic spoons (for math games), 100 colored plastic drinking cups (for math games),  pom-poms (size 3/4")  from a craft store (assorted colors) 

 Have a safe weekend as your family celebrates the end of October!