This is a busy time of year for all, and no less true in Kindergarten.  Last week we finished our Handwriting sheets and turned them into lovely alphabet books, which will be coming home shortly.  (Not all students are secure yet on writing all the letters, as we learned one letter/day, so please feel free to gently reinforce the correct way to write if you notice letters being formed incorrectly.)  We are finished up the proper formation of numerals, and will begin work on memorizing our phone numbers towards the end of the week.  After this we’ll revisit each letter of the alphabet, working on the associated sound, learning to blend them together to read and write words.  This work will take up most of the remainder of the year.  The children are super excited about reading and are making great progress!

We went to the Dakota last week and had a good trip there, learning a lot about the different roles for Wampanoag boys and girls, hearing some Native American music, learning to sing a lullaby, and seeing some wonderful art.  The children were polite and attentive throughout and especially enjoyed seeing the birchbark canoe and the white deerskin wedding dress.  A special “thank you” to Jenny Benson, who accompanied us, and to Mr. Bingham, who drove the bus for us.

We’ve been talking about peace a lot during the last week.  The class is learning two songs:  “Dona Nobis Pacem” (“Grant Us Peace” in Latin), and “Peace Is the World Smiling” by Viv Caputo (former BCD Music teacher).  This last one we are also learning in ASL  (American Sign Language).  We’ve made beautiful peace doves that decorate a tissue paper world, which has the word PEACE in many different languages.  We’ll also do individual writings about Peace later this week.

This Thursday we’ll have our annual Friendship Lunch with the PreSchool.  The menu will be spaghetti, sauce, meatballs, parmesan cheese, carrot and celery sticks, homemade cornbread with homemade butter, and apple slices and chocolate cupcakes for dessert.  Please send a lunch if your child prefers.  (Just a reminder that this week is filled with special meals:  Lunch Bunch on Wednesday, courtesy of the McDonnells, and Pizza on Friday!)

Enjoy the snowy weather and stay warm!