Zajac 2019
December Newsletter
Dates to Remember
Thurs. 12/5: Pajama Bingo at OHS
Fri. 12/6: Scholastic order due
Fri. 12/20: Class party & Pajama day
12/21-1/5: Winter vacation
Mon. 1/6: Classes resume
Recess
The cold weather is here! We try to go outside for
recess as much as possible during the winter
months. Please be sure to send students to school
with a hat, gloves/mittens, and a warm winter coat.
Labeling these items helps us to return them to the
rightful owner. Most of the playground is in the
shade and can be VERY chilly!
Guided Reading
Last month we began working in our guided
reading groups. Students have learned about two
reading strategies so far. Eagle Eye reminds them
to look at the pictures, while Lips the Fish reminds
them to get their mouth ready to make the first
sound in the word. Stretchy Snake will be next. I
will highlight each strategy in the reading folders
once they have been taught to students.
Photocopied books can remain at home for
continued reading practice. Please return all folders
to school on Monday. J
Eagle Lips the
Eye Fish
Literacy
This month we will continue to focus on one letter
each week. Please continue to practice all letters
and high-frequency words at home. It makes a
huge difference when students are reading and
writing.
New letters and high-frequency words for the
month of December include:
12/2: Bb /b/ me, with, she
12/9: Rr /r/ me, with, she
12/16: Dd /d/ see, look
Writer’s Workshop
The children have made many exciting gains in their
writing. With guidance and support, they are
carefully listening to words and writing the sounds
that they hear.
This is very important in the writing process for
kindergarten students. Although the words may
not be spelled correctly, using phonetic spelling
shows their ability to apply their knowledge of
letters and sounds.
Math
Prior to Thanksgiving break, students began to
think about the number 10. They are currently
making number pairs, comparing sets of objects,
as well as ordering and writing numbers to 10. Our
next topic in math will be addition.
Students continue to practice counting by 1’s, 5’s,
and 10’s to 100 during our daily number
corner/calendar activities.

Social Studies
Last month we learned about life on the
Mayflower and about what life was like for Pilgrim
children and Wampanoag families from our friends
at Scholastic. Students shared the many reasons
that they have to be thankful.
This month we will continue to learn about each
other and how we grow and change with time. We
will also talk about some of the special holidays that
are celebrated during the month of December.
Science
This month we will continue learning about states of
matter and changing weather conditions. We have
been tracking the changing weather patterns over
the last few months by documenting and comparing
the types of weather and the daily temperature
changes.
December Celebration
Our class party will be on Friday, 12/20. Mrs.
Aarsheim will be contacting families with volunteer
information for this fun day. J
Pajama Day
Center School will have our annual pajama day on
Friday, 12/20! All students are encouraged to come
to school in pajamas.
Please be advised that weather permitting, we will
still have outdoor recess. Please consider sending
your child to school in sneakers rather than
slippers. This way they will be able to move and
play comfortably throughout the day.
Zajac 2019
Miscellaneous
As you may know, students wash their hands quite
a few times throughout the day. As the weather
continues to get colder, it may be a good idea to
send children to school with plain chapstick and a
small tube of soothing, fragrance-free hand cream
(Aveeno, Vaseline, Eucerin, etc.). Items must be
kept in backpacks and be something that the
children can apply independently as needed.
Wish List
Thank you all for all of your kind donations!
Current wish list items include:
• The cover of old greeting cards (for
students to use at the writing center)
• Gallon zip lock bags
• Extra Snacks
Scholastic
Thanks to your book club orders, we have been
able to purchase a set of books/CDs for the
listening center as well as quite a few seasonal
books for the student library!
Book orders this month are due on Friday,
December 6th. Please remember that orders may
be placed online or through the attached order
form. Books are sent home with the children in
their backpacks once they arrive to school.
Final Notes
Happy Holidays! I am looking forward to spending
some time with my family over the winter break,
and hope that you enjoy your time together with
family and friends. I wish you a safe, healthy, and
happy New Year!