1st Six Weeks - 2016-2017

102 Student Drive - Venus, TX 76084

(972) 366-3268

Its hard to believe that we are at the end of the first six
weeks. We are so glad to be teaching your child this
year.
We have studied the following themes: This Way to
Pre-K, Physical Me, My Senses, I Think, I Feel, and
Families and Homes. We have been working on
counting, number identification, shapes, the alphabet, following directions,
classroom rules and procedures, calming techniques, and social skills.
Please continue to work with your child at home as time permits on writing his/her
name, counting, and number and letter recognition. We look forward to another
great six weeks! - Pre-K Teachers

We are thrilled to have enjoyed our first full

six weeks with your children. We have had
such little time in school, but so many light
bulbs have come on in their little brains and
we see them shining bright every day.
Kindergarten is now a rigorous grade with
high expectations and our student's have
strived to meet all of them. Thank you for
your continued support at home. We have learned many skills so far in each subject
area. In reading, we are learning to blend CVC words with letters we have learned
in our Saxon Phonics program. We are also working on numerous new sight words
and learning to sequence a story, discussing parts of a story (main idea, character,
setting) and learning about nouns and verbs. In math, so far we have learned the
numbers 1-8, counting through those numbers and identifying those numbers. We
have also been learning about greater (more) and fewer (less). Science has been
mainly focused on discussing problems and solutions, our five senses and using
and observing with science tools. In social studies we have put an emphasis on
leaders at home, school and in our community as well as the responsibilities we
have had at home and school. If you ever have any questions about anything we
are teaching your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. We
are more than willing to answer any questions. Please keep up the good work at
home and thank you again for assisting us in your child's learning. We couldn't do
it without you!

Dont forget to collect and

send in your Box Tops for a
chance to go to the Box
Tops party on November
4th. All Box Tops will need to
be sent in by October 27th
to have a chance to go to
the party. If you do not have
a Box Top paper you may
put your Box Tops in a
baggie labeled with your
child's name on. All Box
Tops money will be used in
the Music and PE
departments at Venus
Primary School.

Green Team is a group of

1st graders that have been
chosen to help collect
recycling around the school
each week. These students
have been elected by their
teachers to be part of this
group!

Oct. 10-14 Fire

Prevention Week
Oct. 14 - Kinder Field
Trip to Dallas Zoo
Oct. 24-28 Red Ribbon
Week

In Language Arts, we are starting the year

by introducing different reading
strategies and using Saxon Phonics.
This is a program that helps students to
sound out and decode words. This year
we are implementing Thinking Maps, to
help our students with the writing process
so that they can create beautiful stories. Comprehension is an important factor
towards our reading enrichment. Therefore, we are reading stories and asking
open ended questions about the story. Please read with your child at least 15-20
minutes per day to help them become better readers. Sight word lists have been
sent home, please study them every day. Making flashcards and sentences will
help them learn them. Their sight word assessment will be on October 17th. In
Math, we are learning addition and subtraction. Our students have even learned
the Flip Flop Rule! An example would be 2+3=3+2. Weve even introduced
the clock to the hour and half past. Please practice TIME with your child at
home, by making a real life connection will help them enhance their learning by
making it purposeful. For example, you can tell them that dinner time will be
half past 5. Also, please remember to keep counting on up until 120. The more
they practice their math the better they learn they math skills. We are learning
to be scientists in Science. We have learned about our 5 senses: smell, taste,
hearing, touch, and sight. They are investigating experiments and using inquiry
skills. Also, theyve learned about science tools. In Social Studies, were learning
how to be respectful citizens and Rights and Laws. There are different Rights and
Laws that we have at home and at school. Our community leaders are important
for our community because they keep us safe.

We have been learning

the rules of the gym
and how to play group
activities safely so no
one gets hurt. Not only
are we learning about
keeping our bodies
healthy by being
active, we are also
learning how to not
spread germs. We have
learned what germs
are and how they are
spread from one
person to another.
*Dont forget tennis
shoes must be worn
during PE times.*
*Students may bring
an extra pair of shoes
to change into during
PE time.*

We have had a great start to the 2016-2017 school year! All of our students
and teachers are working hard learning the skills they need to be successful! If
you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact your teacher or call the
office! We are here to help at anytime! If you havent already liked us on
Facebook or Twitter be sure to check us out there! We update that information
weekly!

The first six weeks has been a great time of singing and
dancing in Music! Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First grade students
have been working hard to use singing voices while moving to
different music selections. Kindergarten and Pre-K students
have been working on their letters and letter sounds, colors,
opposites, counting, and shapes. They LOVE the songs, Baby Shark, Skidamarink, Very, Very, Tall, and singing to
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Additionally, they have been singing, marching, and acting to nursery
rhymes. First graders have been working to identify steady beat in music with instruments called Boomwhackers
and are learning the importance of keeping time with the music. They LOVE singing and performing the dance
moves to Beaver Call and Okey Pokey. They have also been learning the terms: steady beat, tempo, volume, and
pitch. As the first six weeks concludes, we are beginning work on learning the treble clef, understanding that the
notes on this music staff are higher-pitched, and identifying the notes on it. I am very excited about the progress we
have made so far!

Play with letters, words, and sounds!

Having fun with language helps your child learn to crack
the code of reading. The tips below offer some fun ways
you can help your child become a happy and confident
reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for
your child.
Talk to your child. Ask your child to talk about his day at
school. Encourage him to explain something they did, or
a game he played during recess. Say silly tongue
twisters. Sing songs, read rhyming books, and say silly
tongue twisters. These help kids become sensitive to the
sounds in words. Read it and experience it. Connect
what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading
a book about animals, relate it to your last trip to the zoo.
Use your childs name. Point out the link between
letters and sounds. Say, John, the word jump begins
with the same sound as your name. John, jump. And
they both begin with the same letter, J. Play with
puppets. Play language games with puppets. Have the
puppet say, My name is Mark. I like words that rhyme with my name. Does park rhyme with Mark? Does ball rhyme with
Mark? Trace and say letters. Have your child use a finger to trace a letter while saying the letter's sound. Do this on
paper, in sand, or on a plate of sugar. Write it down. Have paper and pencils available for your child to use for writing.
Working together, write a sentence or two about something special. Encourage your child to use the letters and sounds
he or she is learning about in school. Play sound games. Practice blending sounds into words. Ask Can you guess
what this word is? m - o - p. Hold each sound longer than normal. Read it again and again. Go ahead and read your
childs favorite book for the 100th time! As you read, pause and ask your child about what is going on in the book. Talk
about letters and sounds. Help your child learn the names of the letters and the sounds the letters make. Turn it into a
game! Im thinking of a letter and it makes the sound mmmmmm.
Visit www.ReadingRockets.org for more information on how you can launch a child into a bright future through reading.
for parents of Kindergartners Reading Rockets is a project of public television station WETA, and is funded by the U.S.
Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs.
http://www.readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/tips/RR_tips_kindergarten.pdf