Beginning Writing

With the start of a new year, kindergarten students are working on sharing their thoughts and feelings through written word and drawing.  Students are encouraged to use inventive or transitional spelling. Students should be able to write several words correctly on their own.
  When a child does not know how to write a word they can use inventive spelling.  This is stretching out a word very slowly out loud and writing the letters for the sounds they heard.  Many times students have difficulty hearing the middle sounds in a word, however they are able to get the beginning and end sounds.  This is an important skill for beginner writers.  Encouraging your child to stretch out words at home is a great way to support this skill.  Other activities would be to write and illustrate a story together or have your child help you make a grocery list or list of things to do.

100 Days Of Kindergarten!

Soon, we will be celebrating the 100th day of School.  We will write 100 words, count 100 objects, read books and sing songs about this special day.  Students will be asked to bring 100 edible items to share with the class.  All food items will be put into a bowl and we will have a special treat for the afternoon.  Ideas of what your child can bring: 100 cheerios, 100 m&m's, 100 marshmallows, etc.
If we do not have any snow days, we will celebrate on January20th!

From the desk of Mr. Dunlap

The kindergarten and first grade will be using the climbing wall
during the month of January. This requires they wear shoes to school
along with their snow boots. We can't climb on the wall without shoes.
Other activities the kids will be doing during the month of January
include; tumbling, ABC ladders, and fitness games.

Report Card

Next week, we will begin testing for Quarter 2.  We will have testers coming in to help the kindergarten teachers assess for the report card.  Report Cards will be sent home on January 13, 2011 as long as we have no snow days.  Your children have grown so much already this year, you should be proud of all of their progress as I am.  They have been such a blessing this year and so fun to work with. 

Winter Weather

We are now in the "Winter Weather."  Due to time constraints I am unable to dress 22 students for the cold weather.  Your child needs to be able to get dressed by themselves to go outside.  Please understand that we go outside unless it is raining or for severe cold.  Your child must have snow pants, boots, coat, hats and gloves if they want to play in the snow.   All children must have boots, coat, hat and gloves.

Your child will go outside unless they have a note from a doctor for a medical reason. I do not like to leave children unsupervised in the classroom as I have recess duty or I am in the office, rest room or talking with another teacher during that time.

Music Program

Just a reminder that our K-2 Christmas Music Program will be on the evening of December 9th.  The program will be held at the auditorium at FHS beginning at 7:00.  Washington and Libertyville students will be performing together.  More information will be coming out next week. 

What To Expect In December

In December, we will be working on several things in math.  We will begin by extending patterns and using shape templates to create patterns.  We have a lesson entitled Rudy Reindeer which we will use pipe cleaners and cereal to solve problems, create patterns and use beginning addition and subtraction.  The addition symbol will also be introduced.

Small Group Reading have really taken off.  Several groups have worked on Reader's Theater and writing during this time.  Instruction is varied to meet the group's needs.  Students in each reading group are reading at their own level and will be responsible for sight words learned in small group as well as other decoding skills needed in order to being a good reader.


We have introduced to the whole group the letters: M, S,T, R, H, N.  Children are responsible for producing each letter sound and being able to write the uppercase and lowercase letter.

We are finished learning about Pilgrims and turkeys and are now going to be learning about caribou and reindeer.  Of course, we all know that reindeer don't fly unless they are Santa's special reindeer.