What an eventful week we've had here in Kindergarten! We have been singing fall songs, reading Thanksgiving stories, and bundling up as the weather starts to make its shift. As the days begin to get colder, please make sure to send your child to school with weather-appropriate clothing. Coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. Our school policy is that we go outside unless the windchill is below 20 degrees- so we want them to be prepared!

Did you know that today is World Kindness Day? As a class we brainstormed ideas of how we can be kind not only today, but every day! We even buddied up with preschool to leave "kindness notes" around the school.

On Tuesday, we had a visit from Mad Science. Our scientist taught us all about energy and movement. We had so much fun exploring the way things move and the energy is takes to make it happen.

Next Friday, Nov. 20th we will be going on a field trip to the Chicago Symphony! They are celebrating their 125th anniversary so the title of the performance is "Surprise Party". We will be gone during the morning but will be back in time for lunch. Please send your child to school that day in their North Park tee-shirt. There will be a lot of schools there so we want to make sure our kids can be distinguished for their safety. 

In preparation for the big day, a docent from the orchestra came and told us all about the Symphony. We had an opportunity to listen to music, act as conductors, and move to the beautiful sounds! 

Jack McNally's mom came in as our Mystery Reader. She read a selection of funny poems from Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends". 

Lily's mom came in on Veteran's Day to tell us about the work she does with veterans. She is as a speech therapist at the Jessie Brown VA hospital. She helped us brainstorm letters to write to the Veterans to thank them for all they have done for our country. She collected the letters from our class  to give to the exceptional people that she works with! We were so glad to have her in our classroom.











This week we began our Writing Workshop program.  We discovered that we are not only readers, we are writers too! The kids started their first writing pieces, writing about things they know. We discussed that authors often write about topics they know a lot about. This is the first unit of study in our curriculum. Whether they are just drawing pictures, adding a few letters, or creating entire words, writing workshop allows kids to get excited about their work no matter their skill level.

On Thursday, Mili's mom, Vikrant's mom,  as well as a preschool mom came into teach us about the Indian holiday Diwali. We heard about the traditions, the reason it is celebrated, and were able to decorate our own beautiful artwork in honor of the many vibrant colors that represent this holiday. 

We hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. 

See you Monday, 

Ms. Ardito