Poindexter Press for the week of January 28th-February 1st, 2008

Dear Parents,
Wow! This is my first newsletter as a student teacher! I’m excited! This first four weeks has flown by for me. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know each of the students in the class. I feel that all of us have worked hard to build a relationship with each other. I am learning more about each student every day, and I find they just keep getting smarter and smarter and cuter too! ☺
I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me! I am doing my absolute best to make sure that I send the right child to the right car every morning. I know it can be frustrating seeing your child standing there and me telling them to hold on, but that is only because I am still learning what car goes with what child. I think I have it down for the most part, so hopefully in the morning dismissal will start going quicker!
Thank you also for being patient while I learn all of the routines, how to create homework, exchanging of baggie books, the students last names, and which parents belong to which children! It is a lot to learn in a short time, but I am really trying! If you have any feedback, I welcome it! Please let me know if the homework is too hard for you child or too easy and I will adjust accordingly; or if I forgot something for your child, please let me know!
This week we have been learning all about groundhogs! Monday, we read the story “Fluffy Meets the Groundhog” then looked at pictures of real groundhogs and created a fact sheet! Tuesday, we read more of “Fluffy Meets the Groundhog” and then we wrote sentences on our predictable chart. Our predictable chart started with the phrase “The groundhog…” and the students dictated excellent sentences. Wednesday, we learned a new song called “I’m a Little Groundhog” sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.” We also learned the fun actions that go with the song, and practiced reading our sentences aloud from the predictable chart. Thursday, we sang our groundhog song, took a few of the student’s groundhog sentences, and mixed up the words. The students then had to unscramble the sentence to have it make sense. Friday, we drew pictures to go with our groundhog sentences and created a groundhog nose made with a Styrofoam cup. In Writer’s Workshop, we practiced adding interesting details to our stories to make them more enjoyable to read. In Math, we practiced building 3-D shapes out of cubes and simple addition with cubes on our fingers.
Starting February 11th I will begin teaching a unit on Nutrition and Healthy Habits. I will be sending a letter home early next week to give you exact details of what I am covering!
It has been a busy week but I am really excited to be in Kindergarten working closely with your child and with Mrs. Poindexter. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions!

Have a wonderful weekend! Miss Sweet

Be sure to check out the blog! The CORRECT address is:
http://www.poindexterpress.blogspot.com

Happy February! Kristen Poindexter ☺