Week 4: 08/26-08/30

Yay, it's Friday! I hope everyone had a great week. Thank you so much for letting me spend my birthday with your sweet kids. They made sure I felt extra special and we got to enjoy some treats together! 

My day started with flowers from each kid!

Then after lunch we had one of my favorite snacks, chips & salsa! And what's a fiesta without churros?!

Thanks Mrs. Naak for throwing an awesome fiesta! 

Harper got to enjoy some of my birthday treats too!

If you were unable to make it to Curriculum Night a packet of papers were sent home in your child's green folder. If you have any questions let me know and save the date for a follow-up Curriculum  Q&A on September 11th from 6:00-7:30. 

Here's what's going on next week:

Spalding: This week we will continue to work on clock letters  o, s, qu,and add two line letters, b, e. As a reminder, students should be working with their phonogram cards each night. Please continue to support your child during homework by ensuring they are using the correct pencil grip and making sure they are forming their phonograms correctly. 

Sight Words: in, is, you, that, it. A yellow sight word card will be sent home with your child in the next week. Please use this to practice at home and keep in your child’s backpack in their yellow book bag. 

Literature: We will explore Little Red Riding Hood this week. Students will work on recalling the story and working on story elements: Title, Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution. We will read a Chinese and an African version of the story then compare them to the original. Our poem for the week is A Dillar, A Dollar.

Math: This week, we will begin to introduce numbers 1-5. Students will count to five and recognize the numbers. They will be asked to recognize the number and also count out items for a specific number.  

Science:  Students will be able to identify which part of their bodies corresponds with each of the 5 senses.  This will include sharing 2 parts of the eye and how they’re used, giving 2 facts about their sense of hearing and telling 2 ways our bodies use the sense of touch.  Students will discover that we use our senses to learn about the world around us.

Here's a look at fun from this week!

Week 3: 08/19-08/23

Happy Friday KC Families, I hope y'all have fun and relaxing plans for the weekend ahead. Just a couple quick things before we hit the weekend running. Mark your calendar to join us for Curriculum Night this Wednesday 08/21 from 6:00-7:30 in the gym. This is a great opportunity to get aquatinted with our curriculum and class procedures. I look forward to seeing you all there! 

We are working hard in class to ensure we are maintaining the proper pencil grip. Below is a diagram to help your child use the proper grip at home. 

Start with the thumb on the bottom and the middle finger just above. These two fingers should form a "C" shape where the paint stops on the pencil. 

The pointer finger then gently rests on the pencil. This takes some getting used to but with continually practice it becomes second nature. 

Here's a look at next week:

Spalding: This week we will start introducing our Spalding single letter phonograms.  We will introduce the clock letters  “a, c, d, f, g.”  Each letter starts at "2 on the clock" goes up to the midpoint, down to the baseline, and back up.  Students will be familiar hearing those words while writing. Please be sure that students are starting at "2" and touching the baseline.  Note some of these phonograms have multiple sounds, refer to your child’s homework for the sounds of each. For help on how to pronounce and write phonograms please visit the following link (scroll down the page): http://archwayveritas.greatheartsacademies.org/academics/curriculum/

Sight Words: This year will be introducing five sight words each week. Once we have taught ten words we will send home a list to practice. Our goal is that students will have memorized 100 sight words by the end of the school year. Our words this week are: the, of, and, a, to

Literature: We will be reading The Three Little Pigs this week. We will sequence the events, talk about the fiction vs. non-fiction and even read a story from the point of view of the big bad wolf. Our poem for the week will be Star Light, Star Bright. 

Math: This week we will continue to classify objects by attribute and identify objects that do not belong to a particular set. Students will also match items by their function by saying when two objects are used together. There will be math homework Monday-Thursday; please check your child’s work for accuracy.

History: Students will be able to identify important members of their community.  We will learn about the roles of firefighters, police officers, mail and delivery people.  Students will share what they want to be when they grow up.

Here's some fun from this week!

Cheese!

We worked as a class to put the alphabet in order. 

Working together to sort items by attribute. 

Learning about the organs in our body!

Curriculum Night

K-2 Curriculum Night

You are cordially invited to attend our Kindergarten - 2nd grade Curriculum Night, taking place on Wednesday, August 21st. The event starts at 6:00 pm in the Arete gymnasium, with opening remarks from Mr. Gillingham, Mrs. Vaughan, and our specialists. From 6:30 to 7:30 pm, Kindergarten parents will hear from their child's teachers in the gymnasium about the following:

15 minutes: Classroom procedures, routines, homework guidelines

40 minutes: Curriculum and Demo Lessons 

• 10-20 minute Spalding lesson (phonograms, motions, markings, phonograms)
• 15-20 minute Singapore lesson mental math tips, number bonds, bar models, word problems)

10 minutes: Q&A 

Due to limited seating, this is a parent-only event. Overflow parking will be available at The Wedgewood Event Center located just east of the school. We hope to see you there!

Week 2: 08/12-08/16

Happy Sunday, what a wonderful first week we had in kindergarten! I know I left each day totally exhausted but completely excited for this year to come. In fact we were so busy I forgot to take a single picture of all the fun. I will be sure to squeeze some in this week. 

Here's a look at what we will be learning this week:

Spalding: This week we will continue to work on feature formations of Spalding. This is a circle (clock), short line, tall line, line that goes below the baseline, diagonal line and short line above the midpoint.  Short letters stay under the midpoint and tall letters go just below the top line. By taking the time to do this practice it will help build muscle memory and help students are forming each letter correctly. 

Literature: Our story this week will be the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  We will compare and contrast different versions of the story, sequences the events,  and even try some porriage. We will do a listening and following directions activity and act out the story. 

Math: This week we will begin to use our math textbooks.  Our first unit will be exploring sets.  Students will identify objects as being the same, identical, different, or not the same (using those words).  Students will be shown two objects that are exactly the same and asked what makes them exactly the same (size, color, shape, etc.)

Science:  Students will discover what germs are and where they live. They will discover how germs spread and what we should do to prevent the spreading of germs.  We will practice proper hand washing skills and children will understand that being clean is very important to good health.  Students will discover the organs in the body and the important job they do. Students will be able to explain two reasons why sleep is important.

Birthday Treat Policy

Birthday Treat Policy

Celebrating birthdays is a good way to show the students in our school that they are special and loved.  There are many different ways to mark the occasion, but we want to be careful about students eating too many sugary, processed snacks.  If each child were to bring in cake or donuts for his/her birthday, that would mean 30 unhealthy lunchtime desserts every year.  Some parents would rather their child not eat this type of food and the effects of these sugary snacks can disrupt the learning environment.  In fact, we strongly suggest a non-food item if parents wish to mark the occasion. Pencils, books, or other souvenirs can be just as special, don't require clean-up, and won't affect whatever diet parents wish for their children.  Some teachers may allow a healthy snack for their classes as an exception (to be eaten in the lunchroom), but please reach out to the lead teacher for details.  Make note that sugary treats will not be served to students, and will be sent home with the child that brought them in. 

The academy suggests non-food items or healthy snacks for birthdays. Please see your child’s teacher for acceptable treat options, as well as alternatives to food items. 

·         Food must be in its original packaging with the ingredients listed.  Fresh fruit is the exception.

·         No peanuts or other nuts

·         No cupcakes, cakes, cookies or other treats with frosting

·         No pop-culture references

Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Week 1: 08/05-08/09

Welcome to week one of kindergarten! It was such a joy to meet everyone on Thursday night. Our team is so excited to share a year with your little ones, we are in for a good time together! 

The 19-20 kindergarten team!

 Each week I will update the blog on what we will be doing in each subject as well as share some pictures of our fun from the previous week. 

 Here's a look at our first week: 

Spalding: This week we will explain clock letters, short lines, tall lines and diagonal strokes. We will practice making these line strokes to get us ready for proper letter formation when we start to introduce phonograms. Students will learn how to sit in "scholarly position”, (Heads high, back straight, hips back, feet flat, arms folded, eyes on your teacher) this helps to ensure their bodies are ready to listen and learn. 

Math: This week we will be introducing students to the idea of Math. We will be explaining our calendar time, and exploring colors. We will start the year off slow and allow students to gain a good background on topics before moving them further. We are excited to begin the new year! 

Literature: This week we will explore the story “Three Billy Goats Gruff.” We will learn the job of the author and illustrator and even practice making our own book cover. Our weekly poem will be “Rain,” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Science: To kick off our school year in science we will be discussing what exactly science is. Students will explore the difference between living and non-living things and what it means to be alive. They will get to sort through items and decide which are living and which are non-living.

Welcome to KC!

Welcome Families of KC, 

It is my pleasure to welcome you to a new school year at Archway Arete! I hope that everyone is enjoying summer and as eager as I am to get our kindergarten adventure underway. It is my goal that this year be filled with learning, laughing and growing. Our rich and warm school environment will foster your student’s sense of wonder, curiosity, and thirst for knowledge. 

Please allow me to tell you a little more about myself, my name is Sydney Howard, and this is my sixth-year teaching kindergarten and fifth year at Archway Arete. I attended Grand Canyon University where I received my B.S. in Early Childhood Education. I am originally from Texas (Go Cowboys!) and have been in the valley for 12 years now. I have a two year old daughter, Harper, who  is the light of my life! In my down time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, staying active with anything outside, going to church and pretending to cook.

Mr. Howard and my sweet Harper girl!

In addition to myself, I would also like to introduce you to a very important person in our classroom, our TA and student teacher, Charissa McCormick, who will be with us everyday for the 1st quarter of school. Here's a little bit about Ms. McCormick:

"I have been lucky enough to be born and raised in Arizona. I will be completing my Student Teaching in Fall 2019 and graduating from GCU in December, with a degree in Elementary Education. I have a passion to nurture, teach and share my love of learning with others. I spent most of my undergraduate days tutoring University students in Mathematics and Spanish while also volunteering with inner-city kids. I look forward to taking all that I have learned in my program and applying it in the classroom! When I have free time, I enjoy cooking, reading, and hanging out with my friends, family, and dog."

The beautiful Ms. McCormick!

After Mrs. McCormick moves on to her next teaching adventure in Spain Mrs. Zavala will take over for the remainder of the school year. This will be her third year as an assistant in kindergarten. Here’s a little about Mrs. Zavala: 

“My name is Leady Zavala and I was originally born in Bogota, Colombia.  I have resided here in Arizona for the past 27 years and I am happy to call myself an Arizonian. I have a wonderful husband whom I’ve been married to for the past twelve years and two beautiful girls, who are in 7th and 6^th grade here at Arete (so I understand the excitement and bit of nervousness that you may be feeling). I have been a part of Archway Arête for the past four years volunteering as a parent for one year and three years as a Teacher’s Assistant. I would love to say how happy I am to be a part of your child’s class; I can truly say that being part of a wonderful team at Archway Arête has been a blessing in my life. The emphasis on our educations philosophy to cultivate the hearts and minds of students through the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness is greatly displayed in our scholars, and I am happy to be a part of it. Walking through this journey with our students brings me great joy!”

Mrs. Zavala and her husband with her two girls Leahady and Nevaeh.

We look forward to meeting you very soon!