Mrs. Caffrey's Blog

100 Day Reminder

2012-02-06T17:09:13Z

Friendly Reminder:
Wednesday, Feb.8th is our 100 Days of School Celebration. The children may be out of uniform and dress as if they are 100 years old. (Please do NOT dress like the teachers...remember the next report card!! )
Please send in 100 edible treats to share for our "gorp stew" in a Ziploc baggie. Please also send 100 pennies in another ziploc bag. (Please write name on the baggies.)
Thanks so much! You may bring your camera in the morning if you wish to take pictures!
Thank You !
The Very Young Kindergarten Teachers
Homework: 100 hugs and kisses for Mommy and Daddy

February News

2012-02-06T17:07:52Z

February News

Dear Kindergarten Families,

February promises to be a busy month in Kindergarten. (aren't they all??!!) Our new theme is "Friends Around the World." This theme will carry over since the world is a big place and we would like to incorporate St. Patrick~Ireland / St. Joseph ~ Italy and Cinco de Mayo in our plans! The following are a few things that we have planned:

Religion: Friends around the World, I Can Love, Valentine's Day and Bible Stories

Reading: Name, shape, sound and sign for letters: Ll, Gg and blending letter sounds into words.
Word wall words: are, that, do, and number words one through ten.

Math: 100th day activities, review measurement, time, money, geometry, and addition skills using manipulatives and touch points.

Art: Groundhog Day, Friends around the World, President's Day, Valentine's Day

Social Studies: Friends around the World, President's Day, Groundhog's Day

Dates to remember:

February 8th ~ 100th day of school! Dress up to look 100 years old!

February 14th ~ celebrate Valentine's Day! Children are invited to pass out Valentines to entire class. PLEASE do NOT put names on envelopes! Children may bring a WRAPPED treat if you wish.

February 20th ~ President's Day ~ No School!

Thank You! The Kindergarten Queens of Hearts

January News

2012-01-09T15:18:18Z

January Newsletter for Kindergarten

Dear Parent,

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school! December certainly was a busy month for kindergarten, but we're sure you'll agree that the children reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas. Their Christmas Pageant performances were amazing! We were, (and still are) so proud of each and every one of them!

The new theme for the month of January will be winter/penguins. The following are a few of the things we have planned for the month ahead:

Reading - Introduce the letters Ff, Oo,Hh. Introduce the word wall words: see,look,they,you,of,in,get,and up. We are blending sounds together. The following letters have been covered and can be blended to make words: Mm, Tt, Ss, Aa, Pp, Ii, Bb, Rr, Dd Examples: am, Sam, Pam, pit, sit, sat, Tim, mad. Please enjoy practicing blending words with your little reader at home!

Math - Understanding and writing the number 1-31. Skip counting by 2 and 5.

Religion - Jesus is our Friend, Jesus is our Helper, Bible stories

Science - Snow and penguins.

Social Studies - Martin Luther King

Reminders:
No school on Monday, January 16th - Martin Luther King Day
Sunday, January 29th - 10:00 Catholic Schools Week Mass and Open House.

Please send in an empty toilet paper roll by Thursday, January 12th.

Thanks again for all you do! We appreciate it!

Sincerely,
The Kindergarten Teachers

You Are Invited

2011-12-12T16:11:42Z

Kindergarten Nativity Program
Monday, December 19
1:00 p.m.
St John Fisher Church

Cute Xmas Poem

2011-12-08T19:43:54Z

Merry Christmas!
Cute Xmas Poem

Christmas wishes tried and true
I'm sending now, just for you...
a little love, a little cheer,
and wishes for a great New Year!
Hope Santa brings you gifts galore
with more surprises still in store.
May all your Christmas dreams come true
and may God's blessings be yours too!

December News

2011-12-05T18:38:28Z

December News

Dear Kindergarten Families,
Well, can you guess the theme for December?? Summer fun! Just kidding...it's Christmas, of course! This is absolutely the best time of year to be a kindergarten teacher. The children have been working so hard on the Christmas play. They fill us with the Christmas spirit at each and every practice. ( they also provide some pretty good laughs, too!)

The following are a few things that we have planned:

Religion: Christmas play "The First Christmas"
Advent "Waiting for Jesus"
Reading: Review letters: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss, Pp, Cc, Ii
Introduce letters: Nn, Bb, Rr
Review Word Wall Words and
Introduce new Word Wall Words: me with she can big yes no

Math: Numeral Recognition continues / Measurement introduced

Art: Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!!

Dates to Remember:

Friday, December 2nd No School ~ Faculty Retreat
Wednesday, December 14th costumes due
Monday, December 19th Christmas Play 1:00 church for family and friends (children are "free" to leave following the performance)
Tuesday, December 20th Christmas Play for school children.
Wednesday, December 21st 11:30 dismissal Christmas Vacation begins!
Thursday, January 5th 2012! Back to school!

*children will bring home costumes on Tuesday, December 20th. If your child borrowed a costume from school, please remember to return it to school. Anyone who would like to donate a costume for future ~THANKS!

Thanks again!
The Kindergarten "Elves"

Christmas Costumes

2011-11-18T17:25:30Z

Dear Parent,
The kindergarteners will be performing the annual Christmas Play. There will be two performances:

Date: Monday, 12/19
For: Friends and Family
Time/Place: 1:00 in SJF Church

Mark your calendar! We guarantee that you will be filled with the Spirit of Christmas after enjoying this performance!
Tuesday, 12/20 will be the encore performance for the school children.

Your child_________________________will be playing the part of

_________________________ for our play. He/she will need a costume (sorry!!) Please don't make yourself crazy over this. Animals can wear a sweat suit with added spots, cotton balls, feathers, tails, whatever your little heart desires! A headband, stocking cap, or baseball cap with felt ears glued on works great for animal costumes. NO MASKS, PLEASE! They make it hard for the children to speak and cover their adorable faces! A visor or baseball cap works great for a duck or bird. Bathrobes always work well. This just might be fun for you!  We have a few costumes that have been donated over the years. If your child brings home a costume and you would prefer to make your own, please send the donated costume back to school so that we can give that costume to another child. If you do not receive a "loaner costume" please remember the true meaning of Christmas while you are working on your child's costume ~ and don't hate the teachers!
Humbly Yours,
The Kindergarten Teachers

*Costumes are due in school on Wednesday, 12/14. Please put your child's costume on a hanger or in a bag. Please label EVERYTHING with your child's name!

**Children will be allowed to leave with his/her family following the performance.

PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN BOTTOM ONLY by tomorrow:

I have read the Christmas Play Letter and can hardly wait!!!!!!

Parent Signature: ___________________________________________________

Pep Rally and Veterans Day

2011-11-08T20:48:25Z

We are planning a special prayer service on Friday for Veterans Day. Please send us the names of anyone you would like to be included in our "Star" Wall. We have been asked to bring in essential items for our soldiers; Kindergarten is in charge of small cans of shaving cream and paperback books. Thank you for your help in this very important project.
Thursday we will have a Pep Rally to honor our football teams. The 5th and 6th Grade team has made it to the championship. Students are allowed to wear their Fisher jerseys over their uniforms.
The schedule for Parent Teacher conferences is almost complete. A note with the time of your conference is coming soon.

November News

2011-11-01T17:07:50Z

November News in Kindergarten

Dear Parent,

Thanks for all of the wonderful treats and prizes for our Halloween party! The teachers were exhausted and the children were happy! Another successful Halloween celebration! 
Our theme for the month of November will be Thanksgiving. We have many activities planned:

Reading - Review the letter name, shape and sound of the letters Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss and Pp
We will be introducing the letters Cc, Ii and Bb this month.
Review the word wall words I, am, the, little, a, to, have, and is. The new words are: we, my, like, and, he, for, and at.

Math - We will continue our work on numbers. Please practice writing numbers 0-9.

Religion - Thanksgiving - "Thanking is good" Prayer, Bible Stories

Social Studies - Voting and "The First Thanksgiving"

Science - Owls/eating healthy foods

Important dates:

November 18 - Report cards
November 21st - 11:30 dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 22nd - 11:30 dismissal, Thanksgiving prayer service, conferences continue. November 23rd - No school
Monday, 11/28 - Class resumes
Friday, December 2- NO SCHOOL- Faculty In-service

*Kindergarten will be performing a Christmas program! More details will follow at a later date.

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Teachers

Halloween Party

2011-10-24T19:56:52Z

Kindergarten Halloween Party
The kindergarten will celebrate Halloween on Monday, October 31st.

The children should wear their costumes to school. Weapons of any kind or high heels are not allowed in school even on Halloween! Please send a trick or treat bag and a juice box for your child. Please be sure to write your child's name on his/her trick or treat bag.

We will be playing some fun games. Our Marist High School helpers will be here to supervise games. Any parent that would like to take a class picture is welcome to come in with the children in the morning.

We are asking each family to send in a donation for our party. Please send 3 dozen small prizes by Friday, October 28th. (rings, straws, etc. available at Dollar Store or Party Stores)

Thank you so much for your help and support! We are all looking forward to a FUN day!

Sincerely,
Your Favorite Kindergarten Witches

Kindergarten News

2011-10-19T12:28:16Z

Kindergarten has been very busy this past week!!! Friday we all spent time on the Ipads. We traced letters, played a sequencing game with letters and numbers , and identified our beginning sounds.
Yesterday was a terrific day at Cellular Field. We ran on the field...without touching the new grass. We sat in the suite belonging to the Owner of the Sox and the Bulls, and had lunch in the United Scout Lounge. We were so lucky with the weather as we look out the window today.
Halloween is coming! Thanks for all the treats!

Sox Trip 2011

2011-10-11T17:39:18Z

We are so excited for our trip next week. Please send you permission slips in tomorrow. Pray for good weather. We are enjoying our last days on the playground, watching the leaves turn colors....it is an amazing time of the year!!!

October 2011
````````````
Kindergarten Scavenger Hunt

When: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Where: U.S. Cellular Field

Time: 9:00 A.M.

Cost: $7.00

Dear Parent,
The Kindergarten children are going on a Scavenger Hunt for shapes at US Cellular Field. They may wear their gym sweats and a Sox shirt if they have one. We will tour the park looking for shapes and have lunch. They need to bring a brown bag lunch with their name on it and a juice box or water. We will be able to take a limited number of chaperones. If you are interested in chaperoning you must have Virtus Training and the following forms completed.

1. CANTS form - print, sign and return to school
2. Sign a Code of Conduct form - print, sign and return to school
3. Complete the online background check. Follow direction on website

All forms are available OnLine at the SJF Website. www.sjfschool.net You need to click on the link. It is easy to complete.
This process is necessary for all adults that plan on volunteering in any way at any school. We appreciate your attention to this matter. Please sign the form giving your child permission to attend the trip. All forms and money are due October 10, 2011.

My child________________________has permission to attend the trip to US Cellular Field on October 18,2011

___________________________________
Parents Signature

__ I am able to chaperone

__ I am unable to chaperone

October News

2011-10-03T19:55:41Z

October News
Dear Kindergarten Families,
Now that it's October, we are in for some "frightening" good times! Our theme for the month will surprisingly be "Halloween!"
While diligently working to cover all of our skills, our lessons will focus on this very fun, very popular theme!
Letters A through Z were introduced during the month of September. The children should practice recognizing and writing the upper and lower case letters. We will be introducing sounds this month. Mm is the first letter sound that we learn. Your child should know the name, shape, sound and sign for the letter. (Of course we begin with a very difficult letter to form!) We are depending on you for plenty of practice at home! By the way, we have heard about all the name writing practice! Thank You! Now you can add letters to your fun things to do at home!

Religion: Creation, our 5 senses, and Bible stories

Reading Skills: Name, shape, sound and sign language for letters: Mm, Tt, Aa and Ss.
Word Wall Words: I, am, little, the (September)
to, a, is, have (will be added during October)
*Please make flash cards and practice reading these words at home.

Math: Graphing, Patterns and recognizing numbers 0-9 with touch points.

Science: More ocean fun and nocturnal animals

Art: Halloween!! Halloween!! Halloween!!

Upcoming Special Attractions:
Monday, October 10~ Columbus Day, No school
Monday, October 31 ~ Halloween!!! We will be having a Halloween party and of course we'll be begging for your help! More details will come home soon. As you can see, our little "goblins and goblettes" will have plenty of fun this month! This is definitely a favorite season in the life of a kindergarten student AND teacher!
Thanks! BOO! The Kindergarten Teachers

Beach Party Wrap Up

2011-10-03T19:47:00Z

Our Beach Day was so much fun! We swam all over the place after we arrived in Hawaii. Our pilot, Mrs. Fanjoy did a wonderful job getting us there, not too much turbulence! We had a fishy snack, played Diver in the Sea, played in the sand and made some really cool seashell impressions. We learned some Hawaiian words, Aloha being our favorite. The children looked great in their beachwear and no one complained about the weather. It was a great day!

September News

2011-09-12T14:01:57Z

September Kindergarten News

Dear Kindergarten Families,
We are off to a great start! The boys and girls are adjusting to school with grace and charm!
During September (and spilling into October!) we will be studying Ocean Life.
This is a huge favorite for teachers and kids! We will be planning a Beach Party which
is always fun, fun, fun! We will send more info regarding this special day soon!

Religion: I Am Special, I Am Special to My Family, I Am Special to My Friends, Creation, Bible Stories, prayer: "Our Father"

Reading Skills: Letter recognition, rhyming
Word Wall Words: I, am, the, little.
Please make flash cards with each word wall word and practice them at home. Each
month we will add new words and it is very important that the children recognize and are
able to read these words.

Math: Free exploration with manipulatives, position and location, classification, sorting and graphing.

Science: Ocean

Art: Painting, crafts, cut and glue

Mark your calendars:
Open House: Tuesday, September 6

School Pictures: Friday, September 9

Fisher Fest: September 15, 16,17,18 * No school Friday, September 16!

Beach Party: Friday, September 30

We are looking forward to a wonderful year with your little angels!

Thank You!
The Kindergarten Teachers