Three years ago after reviewing how changes in standards would affect my math teaching, I noticed a stark difference in the expectations for calendar and patterning in the common core.  I made the decision to keep calendar as part of our routine because even kinders need a way to reference the passing of time, and I know our first grade teachers would appreciate that they have had an introduction, at the very least! I developed these calendars with a brief sequence of activities that really teach the concepts without getting too involved.  We can easily do this in five minutes, and skills such as number, number sequence, days of the week, and even separate numbered weeks of the month, graphing weather data, and keeping track of birthdays are covered.  The week at a time view was something I had thought about doing for some time because it seemed so hard for some students to locate the correct date in the month because everything was too busy in the full calendar view.  Allowing them to have a specific week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in each month, and having space separating the weeks really helps them find the number date quickly, which save lots of class time.  Something I have also done is give them all a blue smiley sticker, etc. to label each week (this is done for the first month only).  Once the routine is established, it is no longer necessary to give students the sticker reference.  So, to help you get started with your year, here is August FREE.  Just click on the picture below to grab it! If you like this type of calendar, you can find the whole year in my shop.  I hope you have a wonderful school year!
Maggie