*Focus Letters  -  Ii, Gg, Oo, Aa
*Focus Numbers  -  11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
*Memory/Heart Words  -  is, go, no, to, a
*The word "is" has two sounds - the i /i/ and the s /z/.  The letter s in the word "is" sounds like a z /z/.  This spelling and sound for /z/ has not been taught yet.  We will learn more about this the letter s /z/ sound in first grade.  So, this is a spelling that we have to remember.  That is why in kindergarten we call it a memory or heart word.  
*Superkid Focus Vocabulary Words  -  travel, robot, scattered, entire, amazed, suddenly
*Focus Decodable Words  -  in, it, can tags, sat, got, on   (please help your child blend the sounds together to read these words)
*Word Family  -  an family  - can, pan, ran, van, Dan,...
*Focus Sentences  -  Go, Izzy.  Sal tags Cass.  Cass is it.  
*A verb is a word that tells us about action.  Example  -  I sit in a chair.  The word sit is a verb that means to put your body in a chair.  When we add the ending -s to the word, sit, we get the word sits.   Example - Tamika sits in  a chair.  
*Go onto the Superkids' website and read the story, Tag with your child.  Read the story together and ask your child to tell you what happens when Sal, Cass, Izzy and Mya play together.
*We are learning about the positional words - on & in, and when to use these words properly.
*Izzy is our next Superkid.  Izzy loves to use his tablet, especially to help him learn new things.  Izzy reminds us that we can have fun and learn new things by using screen, but too much screen time can keep us from other important things like playing outside, getting exercise, doing work, and spending time with friends and family.
*Happy Veterans Day.  A huge thank you to all of the men and women who served in our armed forces.  Thank you for your service!!!
*Can you sing our Veterans Day song to your family?  See the veteran, see the veteran.  Oh so brave, oh so brave.  We thank you for your service, we thank you for your service.  You're so strong, you're so strong!
*We made a turkey craft.  We traced and cut colorful turkey feathers.  Save the Turkey!  Eat more....  How did you finish the sentence?  (some of our answers were - carrots, pizza, ice cream, candy, fish, steak,....)
*Please help your child identify, show, and write the numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.  Grab a handful of small ​items.  Count the items.  How many do you have?  Can you put the items into two groups - where one group is 10 and the other group is ? more?  Example  -  16 ​is 10 and 6 more.  

*Focus Letters  -  Gg, Nn, Oo, Aa
*Focus Numbers  -  11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
*Memory/Heart Words  -  go, no, to, a 
*Superkids' Focus Words  -  raise, creatures, expert, vet, Golly, Nina, Oliver
*Word Family  -  an family  -  can, man, pan, plan, ran, fan, Dan, tan, van
*Focus Decodable Words  -  sat, got, on, can, tag
*How did you finish this sentence, I can....  (some of our answers were - swim, run, jump, be kind, play soccer, paint, be a good friend, draw,....)
*We continue to learn about bats.  Can you share some bat facts with your families?  
*Share your Let's Find Out booklet with your parents.  Then, ask your parents if they think bats are spooky or cool.  
*On Monday, we enjoyed meeting Sprinkle the Pig.  We fed Sprinkle her favorite treat - mashed avocado.  Some of our classmates also fed Sprinkle a cracker.  We learned lots of pig facts, watched Sprinkle perform some tricks, and we enjoyed petting Sprinkle.
*On Tuesday, we had a visit from Firefighters Brandon (Carter's Dad) and Firefighter Preston (Gia's uncle). We learned about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.  Thank you for coming to speak with us.
*On Tuesday, we went to mass to celebrate All Saints' Day.  At the end of mass, the 7th grade class dressed up as their favorite Saint and shared some facts about their lives.   

*Focus Letters  -  Nn, Kk, Gg, Ll
*Focus Numbers  -  0 - 10
*Memory/Heart Words  -  no, to, a 
*Focus Sentences  -  The fat cat sat on the mat.  I see a hat.  I see a cat.  I see a bat on a mat.
*Superkids' Focus Words  -  Nina, Mya, Sal, nature, acorn, caterpillar, sunflowers, trash, ibis, swan, wren, parrot, discovered, studied
*Focus Decodable Words  - Please help your child blend the sounds together and read these words - moss, toss, on, can, tan, man, sit
*Word Family  -  at family  - at, sat, mat, sat, cat, pat, chat, fat, flat, chat
*Nina is our next Superkid.  Nina likes to explore nature with her Aunt Gert and Uncle Gus and their dog, Golly.
*Nina visits a bird sanctuary.  A bird sanctuary is a place that takes care of birds and gives them a safe home.  Nina saw lots of different birds.  
*Can you think of some words that start with Nina's letter Nn /n/?  (nest, nature, not, necklace, November,.)
*Please practice writing the letter Nn.  Remember to start at the top for the uppercase N - big line down, pick up your pencil, big slant line down to the right, big line straight up to the top.  Lowercase n - start in the middle, little line down, trace up to the middle, little hump down to the bottom line.
*Go on the Superkids' website to listen to and read the library book, Nina Can Hike.  Nina and her Aunt Gaby go on a hike together.  Do you like to hike with your family?
*We read the book, Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson.  Can you share the story with your parents?  Use the sequencing craft to help you remember.  
*We enjoyed counting objects when we completed our Halloween Write the Room.  We talked about lots of Halloween vocabulary words when we completed our Halloween Write the Room.  It was a fun way to practice writing our numbers, letters, and words.
*In science, we are learning about bats.  Bats are nocturnal - they are awake while we sleep at night.  Bats hunt for food in the dark.  They can eat thousands of insects in one night.  Do you think bats are spooky or cool?  Share some more bats facts with your parents.
*Please help your child listen for the final letter sounds.  Ask your child, what sound do you hear at the end of these words - bat (t), moss (s), man (n),....  Hearing the ending sound can be tricky.  Practice listening for the beginning (initial) sound too!  Thanks for helping your child practice.
*What do we say when a word ends in a double consonant.  Examples -  toss, moss, tall, ball (we only say one sound for the double s or the double l...)
*We had some extra fine motor control practice on Friday when we used a hole puncher to punch holes in either a paper ghost or a pumpkin.  The tricky part was squeezing tightly to punch the hole in the paper. After a few tries, we were all pros!

*Focus Letter  -  Oo, Ss, Tt, Cc, Mm, Jj, Kk, Ll
*Focus Numbers  -  6, 7, 8, 9, 10
*Memory/Heart Words  -  to, a  
*Focus Sentence  -  Oliver gave a stuffed otter to Mya.
*Superkids' Focus Words  -  Oliver, Tamika, Sal, Adam, Cass, Mya
*Focus Decodable Words  -  toss, sat, at, Mom, tot  -  Please help your child practice blending the sounds together to read the words. 
*Word Family  -  at family  -  cat, fat, sat, mat, pat, rat, bat, chat, brat, flat  -  Please help your child blend the sounds together and read the words.  
*Can you think of some words that rhyme with cat?  (fat, mat, pat, rat,.....)  Remember to sing our rhyming song to help  -  cat, mat - they both say -at -- cat and mat rhyme (clap).
*Share your, At the Fire Station book with your parents.  Read it together.  Talk about fire safety and what a fire fighter does.  Remember to touch the black dots under the words as you read the book.  Also, remember to read the pictures.
*Oliver is our next Superkid.  Oliver like to learn about animals especially animals that begin with his short o /o/ sound.  Some of these animals are - otter, ox, ostrich, ocelot, octopus.  Can you share some animal facts with your parents?  What does an octopus squirt out when it gets scared?  (ink)  Can a large octopus squeeze into a very small hole? (yes)  Does an ocelot run fast?  (yes)  What does the ocelot like to do after it runs?  (climb onto a tree branch and take a nap and hang out looking for predators and food/prey)
*In math, we are learning about different way to make/show a given number.  How can you show 8 or 9 or 10?  Example  -  10 is 5 and 5.  10 is 6 and 4.  10 is 10 and 0.  10 is 3 and 7....
*We are learning about one more and one less than a given number.  Example  -  one more than 3 is 4.  one more than 5 is 6.  one less than 8 is 7....
*Please share your Oliver book with your parents.  Can you read the story, Toss with your parents?
*We enjoyed walking in the Halloween Parade.  Thank you ​to all of our families who came to cheer us on.
*Did you have fun at the Boo Bash?  What was your favorite center or activity?

*Focus Letters  -  Tt, Ss, Aa, Cc, Mm, Hh, Ii
*Focus Numbers  -  0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
*Memory Word  -  a
*Superkids' Focus Words  -   surprise, interested, special
*Sal is our next Superkid.  What does Sal like to do?  (play many different sports)  Can you think of some words that start with Sal's letter Ss?  (swing, skate, skateboard, scooter, sled, soccer, sled, spider, sun,...)
*Sal shared with us some tips on how to be a good sport.  A good sport is someone who follows the rules of the game, helps their teammates, and behaves well no matter who wins. 
*Please share your Sal books with your parents.  Tell them all about Sal and the letter Ss.
*We are learning about the elements of a book or story  -  setting, characters, plot - what happened, the problem, the solution, the author, and the illustrator.  We are also learning about and reading fiction and nonfiction books.  
*We loved listening to the book, Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds.  Is the book a fiction or nonfiction book?  (fiction -  the story comes from the author's imagination)  What was your favorite part about the book?  Do you think the carrots were creepy?  What did Jasper Rabbit think?   Why were the carrots excited at the end of the book?  What did Jasper Rabbit do to make the carrots happy?
*We made a Creepy Carrots craft.  We had lots of fun using our imaginations to make our carrots.  Some were creepy, happy, silly, and scary.
*Tt is for our Superkid, Tamika.  What is Tamika interested in?  (trains)  Tamika loves to learn about trains and other forms of transportation. 
*Can you think of some words that start with the letter Tt /t/.  (train, two, twenty, turtle, toys,...)
*Can you practice writing the letters Tt and Ss.  Remember to start at the top.
*On Wednesday, grades K - 8 met outside to say the Rosary.  We did a wonderful job praying to Mother Mary.  The Rosary is a special way that Catholics pray and talk to God, Mary, and Jesus.  The Rosary helps us think about the life of and love for Jesus and His Mother, Mary.
*Jesus' name is holy and He is the Son of God.
*We are learning our prayers  -  The Lord's Prayer,  The Hail Mary,  and The Glory Be.
*We are learning about fire safety and what to do if we are ever in an emergency.  
*We enjoyed making a fire dog craft with fire safety tips.

*Focus Letters  -  Aa, Cc, Mm, Gg, Hh    Please have you child practice writing these letters.  Remember to start at the top.  What sounds do these letters make?  Can you think of some words that start with these letters?  
*Focus Numbers  -  0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10  Please help your child practice identifying, writing, and showing the 1-1 corespondence of these numbers.  
*Number Words  -  zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
*Superkids' Focus Words  -  instructions, adjust, imagine, pretend, inspiration
*Aa is for our Superkid, Adam.  What does Adam like to do?  (go on adventures)  What grade are all of the Superkids in?  (kindergarten - they are 5 or 6 years old)  How does Adam go on his adventures?  (Adam relaxes in his backyard and pretends to go on his adventures to far away places.  He uses his imagination and he uses the animals and nature around him as inspiration)
*Where would you want to go on an adventure?  Who would you want to go with you on your adventure?
*Adam is teaching us that we all can have different likes and dislikes.  What are some kinds of things that you like or dislike?  What are some of the reasons that you like or dislike the things?  What are some things that others around you like or dislike?  Is it okay to like and dislike different things than your classmates, or your family?  
*The letter Aa has a few sounds that we can hear.  Practice saying and listening for the strong, short a /a/ sound like you hear at the beginning of the words - add, active, alligator, astronaut, after, Adam. 
*In the Superkids curriculum, the short vowel sounds are taught before the long vowel sounds.  This is because the phonemic sounds and spelling of these sounds is much easier/simpler than the spelling of words with long vowels.  Long vowel words often have a lot more tricky rules to follow.  I will introduce the long vowel sounds too, but we will primarily focus on the short vowel sounds and words in kindergarten.
*We enjoyed listening to the book, The Fort by Laura Perdew.  ​The two ​characters of the book, both were children who wanted to play in the same fort.  But, they did not want to play what the other was playing.  The boy, who was dressed up like a prince wanted the fort to be a ​castle.  The girl who dressed up like a pirate wanted the fort to be a pirate ship.  ​Can the pirate and the prince learn to share?  ​Yes, they were able to share.  They decided to play something completely new and play together.  That was their solution.  Did their solution work?  Yes, it did!  They decided to turn the fort into an imaginary space ship and blast off into space as astronauts.  
*In honor of our Superkid, Cass and Johnny Appleseed, we made and enjoyed eating a special treat.  ​Did you enjoy the apple pie in a cup?  What were the ingredients that we used?  What were the steps - ​first, second, third, and last?  Did you like the special treat?
*On Tuesday, we met our ​6th grade mass buddies.  ​What is your mass buddies name?  
*We are learning about ordinal numbers - first, second, third, fourth, fifth.  

*Focus Letters  -  Ee, Ff, Gg, Mm, Cc
*Focus Numbers  -  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.  Please help your child practice identifying, writing, and showing the  1-1 corespondence of these numbers.  Remind you child to start at the top when writing their numbers and letters. 
*Focus Math Vocabulary Words  -  fewer, less, fewest, more, most, one, two, three, four, five
*Focus Superkids' Vocabulary Words  -  masterpiece, cobbler, Cass, cook, create, favorite, select
*Focus Sentences  -  Cass likes to cook.   Mya likes to make things.
*Number 0 Poem  -  Around and around just like an O, that's how we make the number ZERO!
*Number 1 Poem  -  Straight line down, and now we're done, that's how you make the number ONE!
*Number 2 Poem  -  Around and back on the railroad track, TWO, TWO!
*Number 3 Poem  -  Around the tree, around the tree, that's how you make the number THREE!
*Number 4  Poem -  Down and over, and down some more, that's how you make the number FOUR!
*Number 5 Poem  -  Down and around and then we stop, we finish five with a line on top!  or  Little line down, BIG belly, and a hat on top!
*Number 6 Poem  -  Make a curve and then a loop, there are no tricks, we've made a SIX!
*Number 7 Poem  -  Across the sky and down from heaven, that's how you make the number SEVEN!
*Number 8 Poem  -  Make an S but don't you wait, go back up and close the gate.  EIGHT!
*Number 9 Poem  -  Make a loop and then a line, that's how you make the number NINE!
*Telling sentences tell us information or something.  All telling sentences end with a period.  Can you think of a telling sentence?  Examples  -  I like the color blue.  I like school.  I can run fast.  
*We read the folktale, The Elves and the Shoemaker.  Our Superkid, Mya love to make things.  The Shoemaker also likes to make things.  A shoemaker is a person who uses tools and makes shoes by hand.
*A folktale is a fictional, made up story that has been told for many, many years by lots of different people. Folktales often take place in the past and the characters in the story are usually humans.  Usually folktales teach us something or helps us learn how to live our lives better.  
*Who is our second Superkid?  We met Cass this week.  What does Cass like to make?  Cass like to cook with her Dad and her cat, Coconut.  
*What are some words that start with the hard Cc c/k/ sound?  Cass, Coconut the cat, crackers, cream cheese, cucumbers, corn, carrots, cupcakes, cocoa,....  
*We are practicing listening for details in stories and songs.  What are some details that we learned about Cass?
*We colored a thank you note for the Friars in honor of Priesthood Sunday   - Fr. Michael, Fr. Theo, Fr. Martin, Fr. Raymond, and Fr. Mark - thank you for all that you do for St Paul School and St Paul Church.
*Our class did an amazing job sharing their All About Me Bags!

*Focus Letters  -  Aa, Bb, Cc, Mm
*Focus Numbers  -  1, 2, 3
*Focus Letter Mm Vocabulary Words  -  Mya, mouse, moose, markers, macaroni, mug, monsters, makes, moon, marbles, measuring tape, mirror, model
*Focus Vocabulary Words  -  favorite, kindness, celebrate, create
*Can you sing our rhyming song to your parents?  Hat, bat.  They both say -at.  Hat and bat, rhyme (clap). Try a tricky rhyme with the words back & sack.  Can you challenge yourself and come up with some of your own rhyming words?  Feel free to use "nonsense" words like Dr. Seuss.
*In math, we are comparing groups of items and determining which group has more, which group has less/fewer, or are the groups equal.     
*Try this at home too.  Can you identify groups of items with the same number of objects?  Can you make groups with as many objects as the given group?  Can you make groups with less/fewer objects than the given group?  Can you make groups with more objects than the given group?
*This week we met our first Superkid.  Who is our first Superkid?  (Mya)  What does Mya like to do?  (make things, especially art projects)  What letter does Mya begin with?   What sound does the letter Mm make? How do you move your lips when you make the Mm/m/ sound?  Can you think of some words that start with the letter Mm?  
*Can you answer this riddle?  I start with the letter m and the m/m/ sound.   I am soft and white.  I taste sweet.  Mya used some of these to make some mini animals with.  What am I?  (marshmallows)
*We are talking about our favorite things.  We are working on an All About Me craft with lots of our favorite things. 
*In honor of National Talk Like a Pirate Day, we read the book, There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Fish by Jennifer Ward.  It is a silly book that has lots of rhyming words.  Our favorite part of the book was when the pirate would say, ​"Blimey!  But that fish was slimy!"  Our class Pirate puppet help us learn a few Pirate words.  Ask your child to share them with you.

*Focus Letters  -  Aa, Bb
*We celebrated Mother Mary's birthday on Tuesday.  Who is Mary?  Why is she so special to us?  Can we talk and pray to Mary anytime that we want?  Mary our Heavenly Mother who is always looking out for us and who is always there for us. 
*Please share your Let's Find Out Booklet.  What is our number 1 rule in kindergarten?  We have fun and learn while being kind and safe!
*What is a friend?  What does it mean to be a good friend?  We focused on the words kind, welome, safe and sharing.
*We read some story books about being a good friend, being kind, welcoming other, and using good manners.
*Ask your child about the book, Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg.  It is an amazing, funny book that kept us all laughing and smiling when we saw all of the oops turn into masterpieces.  Some examples are:  a torn piece of paper can become an alligator, a spill of grape juice can become lots of possibilities and maybe an elephant, a bent corner of a piece of paper can turn into a family of penguins,....   The possibilities are endless....
*I share with your children everyday that it is okay to make oopsie dupsies (the term that I use for mistakes) because that is how we learn and grown.  That is why we are in school, in kindergarten!
*What are the parts of a book?  Show your parents the front and back covers, the title.  Who are the author, and the illustrator,....  What do authors and illustrators do?
*We are doing some directed drawing.  We are practicing drawing lines and shapes by using the proper handwriting strokes.  Can you practice writing a straight line going from left to right?  Can you make a rainbow line?  Can you make a slanted (diagonal line) from top to bottom?  Try turning these lines into a flower or a person, or something else.
*In math, we are sorting items into groups or categories.  Groups that are the same, alike, and different. We are also learning to sort by size, shape, and color.  We are looking at the likeness or attributes of each item.  Practice doing this at home too by using various toys, or things that you can find around your house.  Have your child practice using their words to tell you what they are doing.
*We read the fable of The Lion and the Mouse.  A fable is a short story in which the characters are often animals.  Sometimes the animals even talk!  Fables often teach a life lesson or give a reminder.  We are making connections and building background - with themes such as - the importance of doing your best, telling the truth, or being a good friend.
*Can you share the nursery rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle with your parents?  Nursery rhymes are short poems that can be sung or read aloud.  They are great for helping young learners hear and recognize rhyming words.  
​