May Newsletter

 I cannot believe this is our last newsletter of the school year. The year has flown by, and the kids have grown so much! Below are important events happening this last month around our school and in our classroom.

Sunday, May 6^th: Run for the Zoo

Thursday, May 10^th: Wear a Tie Day for Mr. Larry Day

Monday, May 14^th: NWEA testing week for K/1

Friday, May 18^th: PTA Sock Hop

Wednesday, May 23^rd:  Jog-a-Thon (during our P.E time)

Monday, May 28^th: Memorial Day (no school)

Thursday May 31^st: K-1 Field Day

Friday, June 1^st: Last Day for Students, Report Cards go home, and Crazy Hair Day

Registration Packets: Registration packets for next school year will go home Thursday, May 17^th and will be due by Thursday, May 24^th. Please make sure to fill the forms out completely and return to school.

Jog-a-Thon: The student council will be holding a Jog-a-thon to promote healthy exercise and to help raise money for our school. The money will go towards buying technology for our school and our classroom!

NWEA testing: This will be our last NWEA computer test for the school year. If you haven’t already been doing so, please log on to IXL to help your children get used to answering questions on a computer before the testing week.

Field Day: Ms. Charlie will be organizing a fun Field and Water Day for all grades at the park. The K/1s will have their Field Day on Thursday, May 31^st. We will be asking for food donations and parent helpers in a letter shortly. Please look for the letter and sign-up via backpack mail.

Science: We just finished our unit on plants. The kids really enjoyed the plant projects. They all did a great job of presenting their timelines and teaching the class about their plants. They also enjoyed growing their own plants and observing the growth in class. We are starting to learn about different types of bugs and how they play a part in a plant’s life cycle. The PTA also purchased 7-10 caterpillars for our class. We will be observing them and watching them transform into butterflies the next couple of weeks. In the middle of the month we will be starting our last science unit on the states of matter. We will learn about solids, liquids and gases.

Spelling and Sight words: I have been so impressed with the student’s scores on their spelling tests. The students have been studying hard and it is showing in their reading and writing. If you haven’t received a sight word list recently, your child is getting the practice they need in class.

Math: We just finished a unit on simple fractions and equal parts. This last month of school, some students will be working on addition and subtraction with bigger numbers, while others will be begin learning early multiplication.  We will also be reviewing concepts we’ve learned throughout the year.

Conferences: Our school does not do end of the year conferences. We will be sending report cards home the last day of school. If you would like to meet to discuss your child’s progress, then please let me know.

Summer Birthdays: We will be celebrating the summer birthdays the last week of school. If your child has a summer birthday and you would like to bring in a healthy snack for the class, then please let me know.

Homework: The last weekly homework will be due on Monday, May 21^st. Thank you for completing the weekly homework with your child. I think it is important for parents to see what their child is doing in class through weekly homework. I appreciate your consistency and hard work.

Thank you for such an amazing year. Your kiddos are excited and ready to move on to second grade or first grade! I appreciated all your help and support this year. Thank you for helping make our school year a great success!

Ms. Jessi and Ms. Michelle

April Newsletter

Important Dates:

Read-A-Thon starts – Monday, April 9^th

Sandia Math Night at AKCS– Wednesday, April 11^th (6:00-7:30pm)

Crazy Hat Day- Thursday, April 12^th

Spring Musical – Friday, April 13^th

Field Trip to Presbyterian Children’s Healthcare Fair – Wednesday, April 19^th

New playground- The Foundation recently had the entire playground resurfaced with wood chips. They also added swings and a few shade structures. It is beautiful and the students seem to love the changes.

Read-A-Thon (Reach for the Stars)- We encouraged students to read over the break, but the Read-A-Thon doesn’t actually start until Monday, April 9^th.  More information will be coming home shortly through e-mail.

Spring Musical- The spring musical is quickly approaching.  The students have been rehearsing during their music pullout. They are getting excited to perform their song.  The spring musical is on Friday, April 13^th at the Highland Theater – 4800 Central Ave, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Students should arrive between 5:15-5:30pm. If you are not planning to attend the musical, please email Ms. Rosalia at rosalia@akcs.org, so that she can plan the singing formation accordingly.  Ms. Rosalia is encouraging the students to wear their AKCS shirts, or dress as a famous artist (our class song is about Leonardo da Vinci).

Field Trip- We are lucky enough to be able to attend the Presbyterian Children’s Healthcare Fair.  It is a free hands-on experience that fits perfectly with our previous career unit.  The students will be asked to bring a stuffed animal or doll to the fair. They will administer medical care to their animal/doll throughout the trip.  Children will visit the ER and different booths that demonstrate mock hospital scenarios.  We’re excited about this field trip and I think the students will get a lot out of it.

Class Book- We are finishing up the work needed to publish our class book, When I Grow Up...  The students are very excited about being authors and illustrators for our book. The company, Student Treasures, will bind and copy our class book with a hardbound cover and offer it to parents for $ 22.85. The order forms will be sent home shortly and will allow you to order a class book for your home library.

Math – We recently learned how to tell time and learned the parts of the clock. Some students are working on “o’clocks” and “half-pasts,” while others are learning how to count the minute hand by 5’s.   We also practiced writing a number in a variety of ways in order to practice number sense.  In April some groups will work on early algebra (finding the missing addend) and fractions, while others will work on addition and subtraction with numbers up to 20 and simple fractions. As always the homework will reflect the math skills they are working on in their math groups.

Science – In science we are continuing to learn about plants.  We are learning about the plant parts, the plant life cycle, and what plants need to grow.  Students have planted a seed in class and will care for it and watch it sprout.  We are also collecting a variety of seeds so we can plant them and watch the difference in their growth patterns. For this unit’s project students can either research a plant of their choice or create an imaginary plant. In both options students must create a timeline of the plant’s life cycle and present their timeline to the class.   Have fun and be creative in making the timelines!

Spelling - The students did very well on their first 2 spelling tests. I will continue to differentiate weekly spelling lists as needed. The bonus words are meant for extra challenge.  Remember, spelling words go home Monday with their weekly homework packet and the test is given Thursday during our SPIRE time.

Dress code - Just a reminder, since the weather is getting warm, that open toed shoes are not allowed at AKCS for safety reasons.

Book orders- This will be your last chance to order books from the Scholastic Book Orders this school year. April book orders will be due by April 30^th.  Remember, more on-line orders means more free books for our classroom!

Literacy Bags- The literacy bags have been going home with three students a week.  The bags were created by our PTA and include a book and an activity that can be done at home to promote literacy. Once you have read the book and completed the activity please return the bag to school so another student has a chance to take it home.  Please try and keep the materials and books in good condition. The PTA worked very hard to create these great literacy bags.

Ms. Jessi and Ms. Michelle

Important Dates:

Science Fair – Wednesday, March 7^th

Read-a-Thon – March 5^th- 19^th

No Aftercare – March 8^th

Spring Break – March 12^th-18^th

SBA testing (grades 3-5) March 20^th – April 3^rd

Dr. Seuss- Our class is finishing our literacy unit on Dr. Seuss and we’re celebrating his stories by watching a Dr. Seuss movie on Thursday, March 8^th.  We will be watching Horton Hears a Who.  Students can also bring in one stuffed animal or doll to have as a buddy during the movie.

Science Fair- We will be visiting 3-4 other classrooms to see other science fair projects on Wednesday, March 7^th.  All the projects will be available for the parents to view Wednesday after school until 5:00 pm.

Literacy Bags- After spring break I will be sending literacy bags home with three students a week.  The bags were created by our PTA and include a book and an activity that can be done at home to promote literacy. Once you have read the book and completed the activity please return the bag to school so another student may have a chance to take it home.  Please try and keep the materials and books in good condition. The PTA worked very hard to create these great literacy bags.

Blood Drive- The blood drive collected 26 units of blood! Thank you to all who donated.

Jump Rope for Heart- We finished our jump rope for heart event.  The kids raised a lot of money and they loved the event that Ms. Charlie put together.  They were jumping rope, playing hope scotch, and jumping over and under obstacles.  It was a blast! Thanks to the parents that came and helped out as well as those of you brought snacks. The kids are all striving for healthy hearts.

Math- We will be finishing up our math unit on money. It is important to keep practicing this fun, but difficult math standard. First graders are expected to count and recognize pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Kindergarteners are expected to count and recognize pennies and nickels.

Literacy- This month students will be focusing a lot more on comprehension.  I will really be pushing the students in their reading groups this trimester to get them ready for the next grade. Keep reading with your child at home and asking them questions to keep them thinking about what they read or what they will be reading.

Spelling- We will begin spelling when we return from Spring Break. The students will be given spelling lists in their weekly homework packets. They will be tested on these spelling words every Thursday during our SPIRE time.

Careers and Communities- We are wrapping up our Career unit.  It was great to have parents come in and share about their professions. The students really enjoyed it. Thank you for those of you who came in and talked about your career. All the visitors helped make this unit very successful.

Science- We will be starting our plant unit when we come back from spring break. We will be learning about the plant life cycle, what a plant needs to survive, and even growing our own plants.  We will be using the scientific method to experiment with growing plants as well.

Conferences- Thank you to all that came to conferences.  I love that the students can share their learning with you!

Spring Break- I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun spring break. The break is from March 12^th-18^th. The Read-A-Thon is over break so read, read, read.

Homework - Homework over break will be a regular homework packet. I am not requiring you to record your reading over the break.  During the break please use IXL for reinforcement and extra practice. Please continue to practice your child’s sight words. Great activities with sight words include:  making flash cards with the sight words, rainbow writing (tracing their words 3 times with crayons), forming sight words with play dough, putting the sight words in abc order, writing sentences with the sight words, play hide and seek with the sight words, and finding the sight words in a book when reading.

Ms. Jessi and Ms. Michelle

Hello Families!

February and March are very busy months! We have lots going on at the school and in our classroom.

Important January Dates:

Valentine’s Day: Tuesday, February 14^th

Open House for New Families: Wednesday, February 15^th (for prospective families only)

100^th Day of School: Thursday, February 16^th

Presidents Day: NO SCHOOL Monday, February 20^{th  ¨}

School Day: Friday, February 24^th

Sandia Science Day: Friday, February 24^th at school

Class Picture Day/ Jump Rope for Heart: Wednesday, February 29^th

Student Led Conferences: ½ day Thursday, March 1^st and Friday, March 2^nd

Science Fair: Wednesday, March 7^th

Spring Break: Monday, March 12^th – Friday, March 16^th

Valentine’s Day: We will be exchanging valentines on Tuesday, February 14^th.  We will celebrate the importance of kindness and friendship. Due to our healthy snack policy, please do not attach any sweets or candy to the valentines. If you have any shoe boxes please bring them in by Monday, February 13^th.  We will be decorating and turning them into valentine mailboxes. We have already collected 11-15!

Sandia Science Day: Sandia Science day will be held at school. Sandia Labs will be bringing interactive science kits for some hands-on learning. We are looking for 2-4 parents that can help guide the booths. Let me know if you can help.

Science Fair: Our school is also holding a school-wide science fair on March 7^th. All students are invited to participate in the fair. Students in grades 2^nd – 6^th are required to participate. Hands-on scientific investigations and experiments are the focus of the fair. If you are interested in entering a science project, your child will be expected to design, test, analyze, and present their project using the scientific method to solve a problem or answer a question. Our class will be conducting a class science project to enter in the fair. Parents will be invited to come see the projects on March 7^th after school until 5pm.

All science projects will be following these guidelines: http://ycjusd.dunlap.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/138946/File/ScienceFairGuide14.pdf?sessionid=12d6f93175909b3ca9c54907c52ce101

Social Studies: We are enjoying our social studies unit on communities, community helpers, and careers. We have had quite a few family members come in and talk about their careers and the students have really enjoyed it! Thank you for those of you who volunteered your time to come speak with us. We will start the student career presentations this upcoming week. Let me know if you have any questions before your student is assigned to present.

Math:  Along with addition and subtraction practice, we will start learning how to count and recognize money this month and continuing through March. We will also be working on symmetry.  One of our main focuses in math is number sense. We want to learn how to look at a number in a variety of ways. Five is not just 5, but also 4+1, 2+3, 5+0 etc. Please continue to use IXL for extra practice and enrichment as you see needed.

Electronic Policy: We have had some students bring electronics to school. If you referrer to the student handbook (policy 4.6) it states that students are not allowed to have any electronic devices at school. This includes, but is not limited to, MP3 players, hand held game systems and cell phones.

Book Orders: Scholastic Book orders will be due February 28^th. The orders should be shipped to us before Spring Break. J

Class Picture Day: Class picture day is Wednesday, February 29^th. Picture order forms will be going home soon.

Student Led Conferences: Conferences will be held half day on March 1^st and all day on March 2^nd. Conference sign-ups will be going home soon. I will be scheduling 30-minute time slots, so both the students and I can discuss their current progress and growth.

Thanks for all your support at home. Let me know if there are any questions or concerns. The students are all growing so much and I appreciate all the hard work you do at home with your child. You can always email me at: jessi@akcs.org.

Jessi Doering and Michelle Baca

Hello Families!

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the time off with family and friends. January is a shorter month but very busy. Please refer to the important dates and changes below.

Important January Dates:

School Day: Friday, January 6^th

Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No School: Monday, January 16^th

School Day: Friday, January 20^th

Popejoy Fieldtrip to “Stinky Cheese Man”: Tuesday, January 24^th

Explora Science Night: January 26^th 6-8pm

Reading: We will continue to progress in our reading groups this semester. Depending on your child’s group we will be focusing on individual strategies such as sounding out words, recognizing sight words, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. We will also be doing an author study on Jan Brett this month.

Science: In January we will be talking with the children about the scientific process. Each class will be planning and carrying out a class science experiment. The Alice King Science Fair will kick off January 26^th with a Science Night sponsored by Explora. The Science Fair will be held March 7^th. We are encouraging K-1 families to plan an experiment and participate in the Science Fair (this is not required for K-1, but is required for all other students). More information about the Science Fair and information on where to get good Science Fair ideas will be going home next month.

Social Studies: Our next big Social Studies unit will start January 23^rd. We will be studying and exploring the opportunities of various adult careers. The children will be responsible for choosing a career of interest to research and present to the class. More information will be sent home once we begin our Career Unit at the end of the month.

Math:  I will be breaking the students into smaller math groups to help meet their individual math needs this semester. During the math period they will receive new math instruction, reinforcement, and the opportunity to practice math skills in a game. I’m hoping this will help meet the wide variety of our students’ needs.

IXL Math: I hope your child is enjoying and benefiting from the extra practice on IXL.  Our class has completed 14 hours and 37 minutes since we’ve started using the site!

Classroom supplies: For the New Year we are in need of copy paper and glue sticks. Let us know if you can help out.

**Reminders: I wanted to remind everyone that our school follows a low-sugar healthy snack policy. If your child wants to bring in a birthday snack for the class it must be healthy and store bought. Occasionally, an exception will be made for holidays or class parties. If you want more information regarding healthy snacks please refer to the handbook. It is best to run your snack idea by me before bringing it to school. If your student is bringing holiday gifts or invitations for specific friends please find time outside of school to distribute them. If your child has gifts or invitations for the entire class we can pass them out during the school day. This way we can avoid hurt feelings and other problems.

Michelle and I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful gifts and good wishes. It was very thoughtful of you and we are thankful to have such great, supportive parents. As always, please contact me through e-mail with questions or concerns. Thanks!

Jessi Doering and Michelle Baca

Hello Families!

It’s hard to believe we are in are second week of December. It is flying by. I have listed some important dates and things we are doing in our classroom this month.

Important Dates:

Winter Break: December 15th- January 3rd (Friday, January 6th is a school day)

No Aftercare: December 15th

Conferences:  Thank you parents for making time in your busy schedule to hear about your child’s learning.  The students did a fantastic job of sharing their learning with you.  I’m very proud of all of them.

Book Fair:  Our school Book Fair was a great success. This fundraiser not only promotes reading, but also brings money back to our school.  Thank you to all the parents that helped out with the Book Fair and those who bought books to support our school. Thanks to those who bought books for our classroom as well!

Canned Food Drive:  Our school food drive was also a big success.  Our class brought in 163 non-perishable food items.  We collected 2038 lbs. of food as a school – double what we collected last year!! Unfortunately, we did not bring in the most food items to win the pizza party, but we did receive a small treat for our great effort.

Reading: The students are really growing in their reading. Be sure to continue reading with your child over the break. To practice comprehension and deeper understanding you can do some of the following while reading aloud or for independent reading:

1. Have your child predict what the story may be about.
2. Ask your child about the story. Have them retell the story to you. You may give them prompts such as: What happened in the beginning? Then what happened? What happened next? How did it end?
3. Ask your child what their favorite part of the book was and why?
4. Ask what the author was trying to tell the reader (main idea or moral of the story).
5. Ask if they had any connections to book or if it reminded them of anything.

Social Studies: In Social Studies this month we will be studying December Holidays around the World. We will be exploring each country and making something unique to their culture (Mexico, Africa, Israel, Germany, Russia, USA and Canada). The children will learn about the different customs, celebrations, and traditions that various cultures observe here in New Mexico, as well as all around the world. They have really been enjoying this unit.

Math:  We have started our measurement unit. We started by learning how to measure with nonstandard units (hands, arms, etc.) and progressed to standard units (centimeters, inches, etc.).  We will work on length, weight, and capacity.  We will be conducting many hands on measuring activities and focusing on using the correct vocabulary related to measurement.

IXL Math: I will be sending home your child’s password and username for the interactive math practice website in this weeks homework. You and your child can use this sight as often as you’d like for individual math practice at home. Take advantage of the great site during the winter break.

Holiday Book Exchange: Our class will be having a book exchange December 15^th. We are asking each student to bring in a wrapped new or gently used children’s book. Please wrap the book and write if the book is for a girl, boy, or either. We will be exchanging and opening these as a class on December 15^th. Please let me know if you would not like your child to participate in the exchange or if you need help purchasing in book.

Have a wonderful winter break. Enjoy the time with your families. Thanks for all your support and hard work at home. As always if you have questions, please email me at Jessi@akcs.org .

Jessi Doering and Michelle Baca

Hello Families!

November is a busy month. Please refer to the events and dates below.

Important Dates:

Student-led Conferences: Nov. 17^th  and 18th

Early dismissal at 12:00 (No Aftercare): Nov. 17^th

Thanksgiving Break (No School): Nov. 23rd and Nov. 24th

Scholastic Book Fair: Nov. 14th- 17^th

Science:  We completed our space unit last week. I was very pleased and impressed with all students’ projects and their presentations. The students enjoyed the projects and learned a lot. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the space unit! Thanks for helping and making the unit successful.

Social Studies: Next, we will be learning about human wants and needs. We will be exploring the difference between a want and a need. We will be focusing on our needs to survive (food, water, shelter, and clothing). We will also be learning about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.

Sight Words:  Please continue to practice the sight words that your child receives in their take-home folder. As they pass a level, new sight words will be sent home.  There are 20 levels. Once a student can read all 20 levels they will then practice writing and spelling these sight words correctly.

Math:  In math we are continuing to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Some of the students are working on simple addition, while others are working on subtraction. This past month we learned a lot about the basic shapes, as well as 3-dimensional shapes. Some of the students learned how to identify polygons.  In November we will begin work on our measurement unit.

Student-Led Conferences:  I will be sending a confirmation time for your child’s conference. Please let me know as soon as possible if the date and time I send home will not work.  The student will be leading the conference. They will be informing the parents of what they are learning in class, how they are performing academically and behaviorally, and defining their school year goals. Conferences last about 15-20 minutes. I’m excited to show you, along with your student, the growth and progress they have made thus far.

Class Thanksgiving: To celebrate Thanksgiving, we will be having a small class luncheon on November 22^nd. We will be eating lunch in our classroom and celebrating the first Thanksgiving. We will be having lunch at 11:00am. If you would like to bring in snacks or drinks for our luncheon, please let me know.

Food Drive: Along with our social studies unit, we will also be talking about sharing and giving compassion to those who are less fortunate. Our class will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Roadrunner food bank until November 22nd.

Reminders: If you haven’t already please bring in a ream of copy paper for our class.

Thanks for all your support and hard work at home. As always if you have questions, please email me at Jessi@akcs.org .

Jessi Doering and Michelle Baca

 Hello Families!

September sure flew by! The students sure are learning and growing a lot.  We have a busy month ahead.

Science:  We are currently in our six-week unit studying space. We have learned about the sun, the earth and the moon. We learned that the sun is in the center of our solar system and the earth rotates as it orbits around the sun. We will also learn about the phases of the moon, the difference between day and night, the planets in our solar system, astronauts and space travel.

SPIRE:  The SPIRE groups are moving along through lessons successfully. The children are working on recognizing sounds and letters and some are working on spelling patterns and reading fluency.

Guided Reading: It is nice to be working with the children in their guided reading groups. The children are excited to read with me during their committee time. Our groups are fluid and change frequently to allow children to progress at their own rate. Thank you for supporting us at home by reading with your child daily. Please keep this time fun and meaningful for your child. It is fine to just read aloud to him or her and discuss the story. You can also have your child make predictions, make inferences, retell the story, and make connections. The goal of reading is always to extract meaning.

Sight Words:  Sight words will be going home this week for your student to practice. Once your student has mastered the level they are working on, I will send the next level of sight words home. Children will be moving at their own pace through this process of memorizing and recognizing sight words.

Math:  In math we are continuing to practice writing our numbers. We are working on counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Some students are working on number bonds and combinations of 10, while others are learning basic addition. We are learning how to add with manipulatives, number lines, and hundred charts. We are also learning to recognize shapes in geometry. We all continue to read, draw, then solve math problems. It is important to understand the process of getting to the final answer.

Sharing: The children have really enjoyed their sharing days. Please be sure to check the monthly calendar for your students’ sharing day.

Homework: The students have been doing a great job on their homework. Remember weekly homework is due every Monday. I sent home guidelines for their space project. Students will present their projects on their assigned days.

Field Trip: Our field trip is Wednesday, October 5^th. Please have your child wear their green Alice King t-shirt to school. If they do not have a school t-shirt they can wear green.

Boo Bash: This year our school is having a Second Annual Boo Bash. The Boo Bash is a school-wide costume celebration with great carnival games and activities for all ages. The Boo Bash will be at the school on Friday, October 28^th from 4-7pm. Each classroom needs a lead parent as well as volunteers to work the classroom booth. The more volunteers we have, the easier it will be on all the parents.  Our classroom booth is a cake walk!  Please email me if you are interested in being the lead parent, can volunteer some of your time and/or donate goodies.

Supplies: On our supply wish-list we had asked for reams of white copy paper. We only received 5-6 reams at that time. We are now asking each student to bring in 1 ream of paper. This should cover us through most of the year. We may ask for another ream come early in the New Year.

I have a student teacher coming on Tuesdays from 10am-3pm. She will be coming to help and observe our class. Her name is Ms. Melissa and she is excited to see how our classroom runs.

Thanks for all your support and hard work at home. As always if you can have questions, please email me at Jessi@akcs.org .

Jessi Doering and Michelle Baca