November 11, 2012

Happy Veteran's Day!  Our gratitude goes out to those of you and your families who have so selflessly served our country.

Thank you for your understanding and good wishes during my recovery from my concussion.  It was great to be back in the classroom on Thursday and Friday mornings.  I will continue to work half days this week and will leave school at noon.  Most of our classroom instruction occurs in the morning, so this means that your children will receive the majority of their teaching from me.  In the afternoon, things are a little more low-key and their guest teacher will give them "choice time", share a read-aloud, bring them to specials, get them ready for recess and prepare them for dismissal.  I was unable to spend a lot of time looking at the computer and some of my memory has not returned yet.  So, if you sent me an email and I did not respond, please send me a reminder or re-send your message.  Thank you very much!

Literacy:  We are working with our second unit in the Houghton Mifflin reading curriculum.  We have focused on the sounds of the letters:  /c/, /s/, /r/ and /m/.  We are listening for those sounds at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of words.  We are also learning about writing those letters.

Sight words are frequently used words.  Many sight words do not follow phonics rules.  Our goal is for the 37 - 40 kindergarten sight words to be words that the children don't need to sound out; they will just "know" these words.  The sight words we have worked with so far are:

I        a        am        can       see       like        and (just introduced)     Your child's first and last names

Please review these letters and sounds with your children and help them use and recognize these sight words.  Most of the children are able to write these words with a little support.  They can write sentences using these words (ex.  I can see a ________.)  Many children are forgetting to follow the pattern of "word-space-word-space" when writing a sentence and are squishing their words together.  This is a common problem.  When asking your child to write a sentence have them do the following:

1.  Think of the words you want to write.
2.  Say the sentence out loud.  (Writers must be able to say their words before they can write their words.)
3.  If your child is struggling with leaving spaces between words, help them to count out the number of words they will be writing.  Then, please write a line for each word they want to write leaving a space between each line.  Have your child say their sentence again out loud, pointing to each line when they say a new word.
4.  Write the words.  If your child is writing a word that s/he doesn't know, encourage your child to write the sounds s/he hears.  If they get the first and last sound in a word, that is a cause for celebration at this point in the kindergarten year.  A word doesn't need to be spelled dictionary perfect for it to be a great effort.
5.  Have them read their sentence to you.  Have them read it to someone else (or a dog or a cat or a stuffed animal).  Writing is challenging and puts together lots of different skills.  It needs to be celebrated!

In our classroom the children know that during writing time, they need to get to work and will not receive any teacher support for the first five minutes.  It is really important for children to gain confidence in their own problem solving abilities and give them a chance to puzzle things through.  When your child is writing at home, feel free to follow the same rule.  Once your child has said their sentence and you've provided the lines (if necessary), give them a few minutes to work independently just like at school.


Math:  We have been counting, learning to recognize the numbers from 1 - 20 and exploring shapes.
At home, here are some ideas for supporting math skills:
1.  Count a pile of objects.  Count a circle of objects.  The last number said tells us how many things we just counted.  This activity helps with counting and is a great chance to figure out ways to organize objects so that the children can count them efficiently.  Eventually, we will group objects into groups of five and ten to make the counting even faster.
2.  Have your child identify numbers everywhere!  The gas pump, the grocery store, playing cards, TV channels, digital clocks, etc.  Knowing numbers in different fonts and seeing their importance in our world is important.
3.  Write numbers.  Paper is great.  Writing in a little shaving cream smeared on the side of the bathtub or shower is fun.  Place a very thin layer of sand or salt on the bottom of a cake pan or plate and let your child write numbers (or letters) in that with their finger.  If your child moves quickly, have them put a piece of paper on top of a piece of sandpaper and use a crayon for writing.  The resistance provided by the crayon and the sandpaper will help to slow down their hand and make their hand move more purposefully.
4.  Shapes.  We are looking at shapes in all kinds of places.  It would helpful if you can help your child point out shapes in two and three dimensions.  Cereal boxes have rectangles on all six sides.  Cans have circles at the top and the bottom.  Door knobs are circles.  Some doors have panels that are squares and rectangles but the door itself is a rectangle.  Those yummy slices of pie or cake are often triangles on the top and bottom but rectangles on the sides.  We are working with the following shapes:  square, rectangle, circle, triangle, rhombus (diamond-shape) and trapezoid.

Winter Clothes:  The chilly weather has meant that children are wearing hats, gloves, jackets, etc.  Snowsuits and boots won't be far away.  PLEASE help your child learn to get their warm clothing on independently.  They need to learn to push or pull sleeves right side out, zip their zippers and put on their own gloves.  We can't lose instructional time getting twenty children dressed.  Therefore, many children are using up their brief recess time waiting for an adult to help them get dressed.  Getting outside is important and the best way for them to get their outdoor play time is if they can get ready independently.

Below is a link to a video designed to teach how to zip a zipper.  It's a very simple video and is nice because you can pause it while your child tries each step.  It was developed by a school for the blind, but is great information for all children learning to zip and un-zip.

Learning to Zip

Assessments:  Our kindergarten assessment window has begun.  Your child may mention that they worked with me or another teacher on letters, sounds and sight words.  We are busily assessing and getting data prepared for the December report cards.

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast:  The kindergarten classes will have their annual feast on Thursday, November 15 from 9:45 - 10:30 (approximately) in the K-4 cafeteria.  The children get seated with children from other classes and are dressed as either Pilgrims or Native Americans.  Each class will be contributing snacks related to foods from the first feast (popcorn, goldfish, cornbread, etc.)  We will then dance the "Turkey Tango".  We do not need adult volunteers, but if you wish to stop in to the cafeteria during that time, you are welcome to join us.  A reminder if you do stop in, some of our students are not allowed to have pictures posted on the internet.  We ask that you do not post pictures of  other children on Facebook or You Tube.

Below is a link to the song we use for the Turkey Tango.  We haven't taught the dance to the students yet, but if they would like to watch children from a different school do it, it might be fun.  We do our dance the same way.

Turkey Tango

Coming Events:

Monday, November 12:  Library today.  Please remember those library books.
Tuesday, November 13:  Art today.  Ms. Rapke will be teaching a lesson on friends.
Wednesday, November 14:  PE today.  Please remember to wear sneakers.
Thursday, November 15:  Music today.  Kindergarten Thanksgiving "Feast" from 9:45 - 10:30.
Friday, November 16:  PE today.  Please remember to wear sneakers.

Monday, November 19 - Friday, November 23:  NO SCHOOL

Monday, November 26:  School re-opens.  It will be a library day.

October 14, 2012

We had a wonderful Pumpkin Picking Field Trip on Monday.  After the wagon ride, each child chose a pumpkin that was just the right size for carrying.  We enjoyed apple cider and cider donuts and then had fun on the playground.  Thanks to the parents who helped by chaperoning and driving the bus.  On Tuesday and Thursday, Mrs. Lee helped us retell the story of our field trip using the words 'first', 'next', 'then' and 'last'.  We then wrote a class story and added pictures to go along with the words to our own student copies of the story.  These books are currently in our book baskets but will be coming home soon.

As next week will be a short week and I will be out for two days, I will not post a blog entry next weekend.  If there is any important information, I will be sure to send an email.

Literacy:  We completed our quick look at the alphabet on Thursday when Ms. Rapke introduced the letter Z.  We also began learning some of the strategies that good readers use when they are stuck on a word.  The first strategies we used are:  "Check the pictures" and "Think of words that might make sense".  Next we will add the strategy of:  "Think about the sounds in the word.  Look at the letter, think of the sound."

Next week, we will begin more formal reading instruction by focusing on the letter 'C' and the sight word 'can'.  We will begin learning about the paper we use for handwriting and how to use the lines on it.  We will be reading fiction and non-fiction books that support the theme "Look at Us".  This theme will help us apply our science theme of "Change over Time" to ourselves and how we have grown and changed over time.

Science:  We are finishing our study of the life cycle of the pumpkin.  We spent some time observing some unusual pumpkins this week.  Be sure to ask your child about "Mr. Bumpy", the "Ghost Pumpkin" and the unique pumpkin that Mrs. Maurer found when we went pumpkin picking.  We had to do some research to learn how my pumpkin grew the way it did.  The farmer at Paul Mazza's explained it to me this weekend and I will share the information with the children on Monday.

Math:  We continue counting, numeral writing and sequencing numbers.  This week we will finish up some activities from last week and will begin looking at shapes.

Brrrrrrrr, it's getting cold!  The weather is changing and the children are getting chilly on the playground.  We go outside even if there is a little drizzle in the air.  Please make sure your child has a warm jacket, a hood or a hat and some mittens or gloves at all time.  Please practice zipping, snapping, buttoning and putting on gloves at home.  It takes a lot of time for Mrs. Harding and me to zip, button, snap and glove twenty children a few times a day.  Children are quite proud when they can take care of these tasks themselves.

Progress Reports:  Progress reports will be coming home in your child's folder on Monday.  The information is based on the baseline assessments we did at the start of the school year and will give you an idea of skills you and your child can practice together at home.  Our conferences will focus on your child's adjustment to kindergarten and social skills.

Conferences:  If you would like to make an appointment for a parent-teacher conference, please click on the link below.  I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday or Thursday.

Link to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences


Scholastic Book Orders:  Below is a link to order books through the Scholastic Book Clubs.  I would like to try online ordering instead of sending home paper forms.  This way you will be able to order at your convenience and pay electronically.  The books will be sent to school and will be sent home with your child.  Books orders can be placed until October 30.   It does take a couple of minutes to set up your parent account.  However, once you do it, the ordering process is very easy.

Scholastic Book Ordering Link

Guest Teacher:  Due to a last minute change our guest teacher on Friday was Melinda Young.  The children had a great day with Mrs. Young.  She will also be in our classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday while I attend a writing conference.

Coming Events:

Monday, October 14:  Library today.  Please return your book so you can sign out a new one.
Tuesday, October 15:  Art today.  Mrs. Maurer will be at a workshop and Mrs. Young will be our guest teacher.
Wednesday, October 16:  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.  Mrs. Maurer will be at a workshop (but will return in time for parent conferences).  Mrs. Young will be our guest teacher.
Thursday, October 17:  No School for students.  Parent conferences in the morning.
Friday, October 18:  No School.

Monday, October 21:  Library today.  Please return your book so you can sign out a new one.
Tuesday, October 22:  Art today.  Ms. Rapke will begin teaching us about the Pledge of Allegiance.
Wednesday, October 23:  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.
Thursday, October 24:  Miss Patty will join us for Guidance.  Ms. Rapke will complete her lesson on the Pledge of Allegiance.  Music today.
Friday, October 25:  PE today.

Tuesday, October 30:  Scholastic Book Orders Due (Online)

October 7, 2012

Happy October!
We had a very busy week working with pumpkins, learning about more letters and sounds and playing a new math game.

What is Co-Teaching?  I frequently write about different professionals co-teaching with me.  What does that mean in our classroom?  It means that different staff members apply their areas of expertise to a content we are teaching in kindergarten.  This week, we had a great example.  One of the science themes for kindergarten is "Change over Time".  On Wednesday, we looked at three trees here at Milton Elementary School.  (Due to rain, we looked at photos I took instead of going outdoors.)  Ms. C., our art teacher, came into our classroom and taught us some art techniques we could use to make scientist drawings of our trees.  She gave us hints on how to best use our color sticks for drawing and coloring, discussed different lines and spoke about relative height between the trees.  The drawings came out beautifully.

 


On Thursday, Mrs. Lee, one of our speech-language pathologists, came in to co-teach.  She and I continued teaching the children about describing words and we led conversations with small groups to brainstorm words we could use to describe our trees.  (Describing words are another kindergarten concept.)  We then modeled how to sound out words so that the children could write a different describing word next to each tree.  Mrs. Lee's expertise with language development adds a great deal to our lessons.

FYI...these trees will be re-visited during the winter, spring and summer.  We will be able to observe the change that the trees experience over time.  We will also be able to see how the kindergarten students' drawing and writing skills change over time.

Math:  Ms. Kittell read us the book "Ten Black Dots".  We will be working on some activities this coming week based on that book.  We learned how to play the card game "Garbage".  It's a great way for the children to practice counting, numeral recognition and sequencing numbers.  We use different types of cards in our classroom and we also deal out ten cards (for the numbers one to ten).  However, here is a link to some directions that will teach you how to play with a standard deck of cards.  Have fun!

Directions for Playing Garbage

Using a "whisper phone" during Quiet Reading Time.

 



Parent Teacher Conferences:  Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 17 between 4:30pm and 6:30pm AND Thursday, October 18 between 8:00am and 1:00pm.  These conferences will be to discuss your child's adjustment to kindergarten and to share observations on your child's school behavior and social skills.  If you would like to schedule a conference time, please click on the link below.  You will be brought to an electronic sign up sheet associated with the website "Please Bring It".  Click "sign up" next to the date and time you prefer.  When you sign up, please put your child's name for the "assigned name".  Add your email address if you would like an automatic electronic reminder sent to you.  Then, click on "save" so that your time is reserved.

October Conference Sign Up Link

Upcoming Absences:  I will not be teaching on Friday, October 12 due to a kindergarten curriculum meeting.  I will also be the kindergarten representative at a writing conference on Tuesday, October 16 and Wednesday, October 17 and will not be in the building on those days.  In order to maintain as much consistency as possible,  Guest Teacher Extraordinaire Melissa Lauzon will be in our classroom for all three days.  She is familiar with the kindergarten curriculum and routine and is a familiar face around our building.  Please remind your children to follow all school expectations when we have a guest teacher.  Mrs. Harding should be in on those days also.

Coming Events:

Monday, October 8:  Pumpkin Picking Field Trip at Sam Mazza's Pumpkin Patch 9:30 - 11:30.  Please dress for a chilly morning!  Library today.  Please return your book.  Letter of the Day:  Ww
Tuesday, October 9:  Art today.  Letter of the Day:  Xx
Wednesday, October 10:  School Picture Day.  Our class will have pictures taken at 10:30.  PE today.  Please wear sneakers. (Shoes will not be visible in the school pictures.)  Letter of the Day:  Yy
Thursday, October 11:  Music Today.  Letter of the Day:  Zz
Friday, October 12:  Mrs. Maurer will be in a day-long meeting.  Fire Safety Assembly and PE today.

Monday, October 15:  Library Today.  Please return your book.
Tuesday, October 16:  Mrs. Maurer will be at a conference.  Art today.
Wednesday, October 17:  Mrs. Maurer will be at a conference.  PE today.  Parent-Teacher conferences scheduled 4:30 - 6:00pm.
Thursday, October 18:  NO SCHOOL TODAY!  Parent-Teacher conferences scheduled 8:00am - 1:00pm.
Friday, October 19:  NO SCHOOL TODAY!

September 30, 2012

It was a very busy four-day week.  Many thanks to the adults who joined us for our apple picking field trip on Tuesday.  It was a beautiful morning to be at Hackett's Orchard.  We rode in a wagon and received a tour of the orchard.  Then we saw how the apples are sorted, washed and polished before being sold.  After that, we each picked two apples.  We had fun playing on the playground before heading back to school.  On Thursday, we used my "apple parer-corer-slicer" and crock pot to make applesauce for an afternoon snack.  Many children enjoyed munching on apple peel "snakes" after they used the hand cranked apple machine.  On Friday, we used my bread machine to bake apple cinnamon bread.  Our classroom smelled fabulous both days and prompted many adults to poke their heads in to find out what we were cooking.

Using the apple parer-corer-slicer

Enjoying an "apple peel snake"

Wagon ride at Hackett's

Photos:  I have been informed that some families do not want photographs of their children posted.  In order to respect their wishes, I will no longer post pictures of the entire class.

Breakfast Program:  Please let me know if you would like your child to participate in our school breakfast program.  Breakfast costs $1.25.  It is free for students who receive free or reduced price lunches.  I want to make sure that children who need breakfast are getting it, but I don't want children to  pick up a breakfast without adult permission.  So, if you let me know if you want your child to get a breakfast, I will make sure your child picks one up each morning.

Math:  We continued counting to 20 and sorting objects.  We also began working on number writing.  We did skywriting and also practiced number writing by sitting in a circle on the floor and writing on each other's backs (our "smart boards").   In order to maintain consistency within the kindergarten classrooms, we are all using the number writing rhymes listed below.  Please disregard the rhymes I posted last week and use these instead.  I apologize for any confusion.

     0:  Around we go
     1:  Straight line one is lots of fun.
     2:  Around and back on a railroad track.
     3:  Around a tree and around a tree, that's the way to make a three.
     4:  Down and over and down some more, that's the way to make a four.
     5:  First he's skinny, then he's fat.  Then give him a hat.
     6:  Roll a hoop and make a loop.
     7:  Across the sky and down from heaven, that's the way to make a seven.
     8:  We make an "S" but do not wait.  Go back up and close the gate.
     9:  A hoop and a line, that makes a nine.

Literacy:  We continued our "letter a day" introduction to the letters of the alphabet.  Each day we read a book about the letter, discuss how to make the letter's sound and then, each child has a turn to circle the letter of the day in our morning message.  I was very proud to be able to include 20 q's in Friday's message!

We continue to talk about different elements of stories during out read alouds.  We introduce new vocabulary words to improve student understanding.  Then we talk about the title, author, illustrator and characters.  We are also reinforcing the idea that everyone can be an author.  We read a story about our apple picking trip that was written by Mrs. Lee.

Social Skills:  Social skills are a very important part of the kindergarten curriculum.  Mrs. Lee, one of our school speech/language pathologists, co-teaches with me for 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This week, she introduced the "Five Point Scale" to the children.  This is a technique for being aware of when we are feeling too anxious or nervous and includes tips on how to relax and keep our bodies under control.  First we read the book "When My Worries Get Too Big" on Tuesday.  On Thursday, we brainstormed things that make us worry and chose a place in the classroom where we can go when we need a few minutes to calm down and prepare ourselves for learning.  We will continue to revisit the Five Point Scale regularly.

On Monday, we will read the book "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?".  Be sure to ask your child how to be a bucket filler or a bucket dipper.

Time for Kids:  Our new subscription to "Time for Kids" has begun.  This week we will begin reading our weekly "newspaper".

Wish List:  plastic spoons, dry erase markers

Coming Events:

Monday, October 1:  Happy October!  Library today.  Please return library books.
Tuesday, October 2:  Art today
Wednesday, October 3:  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.  Weather permitting, we are hoping to go outside for an integrated art activity.  Please have your child dress accordingly.
Thursday, October 4:  Miss Patty will visit our classroom for guidance.  Music today.
Friday, October 5:  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.

Monday, October 8:  Pumpkin Picking Field Trip at Sam Mazza's in Colchester
Thursday, October 18:  No School for students.  Parent conferences will be held.
Friday, October 19:  No School

September 23, 2012

Happy Fall!  Our second five day week went smoothly as the children are becoming for familiar with the school and our routines.  Thanks to the many families who were able to visit during our Open House on Thursday evening.  I'm sure you noticed a huge difference in the confidence of your students between orientation day and Open House.

We are working with the theme of apples right now.  Last week I told the children the story of "The Little, Round, Red House with no Doors and no Windows and a Star Inside".  Children are always fascinated when an adult "tells" them a story and they need to create a picture in their own heads.  Try it at home sometime.

If you want your child to show you the "star", here is how to cut the apple.

We are creating apple related books to put in our book baskets.  We started "Apples Yum and Apples Yuck" on Friday.  We will finish that along with "Counting Apples" this week.  We also added "scientist drawings" of our apple star to our science notebooks.  The cut apples have been sitting all weekend, so there will be changes to observe and record in our science notebooks this week.

Our apple picking field trip will be on Tuesday.  Please dress your child according to the weather.  It is usually chilly at the orchard in the morning and the grass can be wet.  We will leave school at 9:15am and should return at 11:30am.  Thanks to the many parents who volunteered to chaperone.

Math:  In September our focus has been counting to twenty,  counting ten objects, sorting objects by different characteristics and the proper use of math materials.  This week we will begin proper number writing formation.  When working with your child at home, please remember that we start at the top when writing numerals and letters.  Below are some of the rhymes we will use to help children remember how to form numbers:

NUMBER FORMATION POEMS 
Straight line 1 is lots of fun 
2 goes around and back to a railroad track 
Around a tree and around a tree that's the way you make a three 
Down and over, down some more that's the way you make a four 
Fat old five goes down and around, put a flag on top and see what you've found 
Down to a loop, six makes a hoop 
Across the sky and slant back down, number seven is now found
Make an s but do not wait, go back up to make an 8 
A loop and a line, that's the way to make a nine 

Literacy:  In addition to the apple reading and writing mentioned above, we continue to introduce the alphabet with the "Letter of the Day".  We have made it through the letter M.  M was a milestone because it's the first letter sound you cannot make when you plug your nose!  We are also discussing the terms "title", "author", "illustrator" and "character" when reading books aloud in class.  We found out everyone can be an author when I shared an apple poem written by our kindergarten neighbor Ms. Murtagh.

a    apple    /a/

b    bear     /b/

c    cat        /c/

d    duck    /d/

e    Ed Elephant    /e/

f    fish      /f/

g   goose   /g/

h    horse   /h/

i    Itchy Iguana   /i/

j    jump     /j/

k   kangaroo   /k/

l    lion       /l/

m  mouse  /m/

Wish List:  Thank you for the many contributions.  Items we could still use are:  toothpicks, dry erase markers and baby wipes.  Thanks again.

Coming Events:

Monday, September 24:  Letter of the Day:  Nn.  Library Today.  Please bring back your library book!

Tuesday, September 25:  Apple Picking Field Trip.  Dress for the weather.  Comfy shoes are a must.  Letter of the Day:  Oo.  Art today.

Wednesday, September 26:  No School

Thursday, September 27:  Letter of the Day:  Pp.  Music today.

Friday September 28:  Letter of the Day:  Qq.  PE today.  All students must wear sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer will be at a district science committee meeting starting at noon.  Mrs. Harding and a guest teacher will be with the students for the afternoon.)

September 15, 2012

We finished our first five day week.  I'm sure the children were tired at the end of the week and I know they'll adjust to the schedule more and more over the next weeks.  We have completed our study of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly (except for one last chrysalis which has yet to complete its metamorphosis).  Now, we will be working with the theme of apples in preparation for our September 25 apple picking field trip.  We will also continue our "Letter a Day" and work on activities around the book "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom".  We look forward to Open House on Thursday night when we can share many of the projects we have made and show you around our classroom.

Literacy:  We continue working with our "Letter of the Day"  Thus far, we have discussed the letters and sounds of:
Aa  "apple"  /a/
Bb  "bear"   /b/
Cc  "cat"     /c/
Dd  "duck"   /d/
Ee  "Ed Elephant"   /e/
Ff   "fish"     /f/
Gg  "goose"  /g/
Hh  "horse"  /h/
Please review these letters and sounds at home as it will help your child become familiar with them. The link below will take you to a "poster" of our keywords for letter sounds. 
Alpha Friends Graphic

We have been spending time each day on Quiet Reading with our book baskets.  Our book baskets are gradually filling with books we have created in school.  You will see them at Open House.  The first time we did silent reading, we lasted for 30 seconds.  On Friday, we were up to four minutes.  Silently reading at home will help the children develop their stamina.  It's a little trickier at school as there are so many potential distractions, but we're improving!  This week we will learn about "Partner Reading".

Math:  We continue focusing on counting from 1 to 30.  We are also concentrating on reading the numbers 1 to 10, creating sets of numbers up to 10 and sorting objects. 

Wish List:  If you find a great sale and are able to donate any of the following to our classroom, we would appreciate it:  plastic spoons, bathroom sized paper cups, brown paper lunch bags, sandwich size Ziplock bags, toothpicks, Tacky glue, dry erase markers or seasonal stickers.  Thanks!

Lunch Money:  Thank you for putting your children's lunch money in envelopes with "lunch money", the student's name, Mrs. Maurer and the student ID # on the outside.  It is so helpful.  Please know that you can pay for a week or more at once or make a deposit into your child's account so that the money is there whenever they need to access it.  


Coming Events:
Monday, September 17:  Library Today.  PLEASE RETURN LIBRARY BOOKS.
Tuesday, September 18:  Art today.
Wednesday, September 19:  PE today.  PLEASE WEAR SNEAKERS.  Ms. C, our art teacher, and I will continue to co-teach our project based on the book "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom".
Thursday, September 20:  Miss Patty, our guidance counselor, will teach a social skills lesson.  Music today.  OPEN HOUSE from 6:00 - 7:30pm.
Friday, September 21:  PE today.  PLEASE WEAR SNEAKERS.

Sunday, September 23 @8:20pm:  The Patriots will hopefully recover from this week's performance and play well against the Baltimore Ravens.  
Monday, September 24:  Library Today.  PLEASE RETURN LIBRARY BOOKS.
Tuesday, September 25:  Apple Picking Field Trip with Mrs. VDC's class.
Wednesday, September 26:  NO SCHOOL

September 8, 2012

Our First Four Day Week has ended.  I know I am tired and I'm sure your children are also.  The children have had many new experiences now that they are in school for a full day:  the cafeteria, snack time, new dismissal procedures, meeting additional staff members, recess, unified arts, a whole school assembly and lots of walking through the halls in our school.  These important, new experiences can be just as exhausting as learning about academics.  Things will get easier as the school routine becomes more familiar.  

Literacy:  We have been reading about caterpillars and the alphabet.  We have read Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in preparation for some related activities next week.  We have read several other fiction and non-fiction books about caterpillars and butterflies.  We are talking about where on a page to start reading, the difference between letters and words and making predictions.  Please reinforce these skills when you read to your child at home.  We read "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" and will revisit that book next week when we do a related art and math projects. 

We have been working on a letter a day.  This is a brief introduction to each letter of the alphabet.  We talk about the letter name, learn the "key word" which helps us remember the sound and discuss the sound.  We hold our hands in front of our mouths as we make the sound to feel for air coming out.  We place two fingers on our throats to feel whether or not our throat vibrates when we make the sound.  We discuss where our tongue is our mouths and what our teeth and lips are doing.  Last, we try making the sound with our noses plugged.  Thus far, we have learned:  a, apple, /a/;  b, bear, /b/;  c, cat, /c/.  We have also learned the song "Who Let the Letters Out?".  If you remember the song "Who Let the Dog Out?", you're halfway there.  "Who let the a out? a, a, a, a.  Who let the b out? b, b, b, b."

On Friday, the children listened to a story read by Mrs. Kanfer, one of our reading specialists.  She will become familiar to the children next week as she and I will begin co-teaching some afternoon literacy activities.  Our goal is to target our lessons so that we can provide individual children with the skills they need to advance their reading and writing.

Has your child told you they can read?  Everyone in our class is a reader because there are three ways to read a book!  One way is to read the words.  The second is to "read" the pictures and let them tell you the story.  The third way is to read a familiar book that someone else has read to you so many times that you can "read" it in your mind.  The children began having a daily quiet reading time this week.  It is very brief when it starts and gets longer as the children develop stamina.  Please encourage your children to read at home using any of the three ways to read a book.    

Math:  We have been learning how to use many of our math materials this week.  It is important to provide opportunities for the children to explore and play with the materials before we expect them to use them purposefully during math instruction.  You can ask your child about Unifix Cubes, Pattern Blocks, counting bears and the "junk trunk".  We have also been working on counting activities.  On Friday morning, we created squares for our first classroom "quilt" of the year.

Next week, Ms. Kittell and I will co-teach our morning math lessons which will focus on more counting activities related to caterpillars and "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom".

Cafeteria Money:   PLEASE send any money for the cafeteria in an envelope and place it in your child's folder.  On the outside of the envelope, please write your "child's name", "ID #" (which is on a sticker inside your child's folder), "Mrs. Maurer" and "cafeteria money".  The envelope should be placed in your child's folder.  This will save Mrs. Harding and me a LOT of time each day.  You do not need to specify which entree your child wants as they choose when they go through the lunch line.  Now that we are eating in the cafeteria, you may plan your child's lunch choices based on the menu that went home in Friday's school newsletter.  

Toys, Jewelry, Etc.:  The children are not to bring toys into our classroom.  Unless your child brings a toy to before- or after-school daycare, it is better if toys stay at home.  Excess jewelry, hair decorations, etc. have been causing many distractions, so the children have been told they need to either wear these items or place them in their backpacks.  Thanks!

Sneakers:  It would be quite helpful if your child could wear their sneakers to school on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Many children are wearing different pairs shoes and then require help changing into sneakers at PE time.  This is very time consuming and takes away from instructional time.

The Best Butterfly Video Ever:  No matter how many times I experience the butterfly unit, metamorphosis is still magical to me.  We watched this clip in the classroom and everyone was fascinated.  If you have the chance, check it out.  It is an amazing view of the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly.  As you watch, remember that the Monarch caterpillar does not build its chrysalis around it's body.  It actually sheds the yellow/black/white skin and the light green is the color of its body under the striped layer of skin.  The chrysalis is actually clear---and we find them in our habitat after the butterflies emerge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AUeM8MbaIk

Coming Events:

Sunday, September 9 (1:00pm):  The first Patriots game of the season!  I can hardly wait!

Monday, Sept. 10:  The first day of our first five day week.  Library today.  Letter of the day:  Dd

Tuesday, Sept. 11:  "All About Me" Homework and Scholastic Book orders due.  Art today.  The children will meet our fabulous art teacher, Mrs. C.  Letter of the day:  Ee.

Wednesday, Sept. 12:  PE today.  All children must wear sneakers.  Mrs. C, our art teacher, and I will also co-teach an integrated art lesson using the book "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom".  Letter of the day:  Ff

Thursday, Sept. 13:  Music today.  Letter of the day:  Gg.  Ms. Scheidt, our Dean of Students, will visit our classroom to teach a social skills lesson.

Friday, Sept. 14:  PE today.  All children must wear sneakers.  Letter of the Day:  Hh

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Tuesday, Sept. 25:  Our class and Mrs. VDC's class will go on a morning apple picking field trip.  Permission slips and more details will be sent home next week.

September 2, 2012

Happy First Week!

Are you wondering what happened to the happy-go-lucky child who used to live in your home?  Adjusting to kindergarten is exciting, exhausting and (sometimes) downright ugly.  The children are doing REALLY well at school.  Often times, it is so tiring for them to hold it together at school that they fall apart once they return to the relaxing comfort of home.  I'm sorry but it might get trickier before it gets easier.  Being at school for full days (starting Wednesday) is more draining, even for children who are used to full days at daycare.  (No naps in kindergarten.)  There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, as most children will adjust within a month.

In the meantime, here are a few hints:

1.  Bedtime may need to be even earlier for a while.  Luckily, it's getting dark earlier so that may make it easier for you.

2.  Make sure your child is eating a well balanced breakfast and dinner.  When my own children experienced the "Kindergarten Uglies", I would save out a plate of dinner each night.  I would keep it for the next day and serve it to my kindergarten student as an after school snack.  If my five-year old fell asleep early (which was often the case), I knew he had eaten a good meal.  If he stayed awake for dinner, he could eat a small serving with the rest of the family.  It eliminated dinner battles and made for a more relaxing evening.  
3.  Reduce or eliminate TV after dinner.  A recent study in the journal Pediatrics determined that all TV watching before bed (especially violent TV--including such shows as "SpongeBob") made it harder for children ages 3 to 5 to fall asleep and to sleep fitfully.  "'Even shows with really good content can still be a problem for sleep', said the researcher. 'When kids are reading a book or playing with toys before bed, they control the pace. But TV ramps their brains up when they're trying to slow down.'  Another expert agreed. 'Electronic stimulation at bedtime can affect your child's sleep and affect their thinking process,' she said. 'It's best to avoid exposure altogether at least an hour before bedtime. But if your children are watching something before bed, make sure it's age appropriate.'"

4.  If your child is hesitant to talk about school as soon as you see her, try waiting for a bit.  Share something about your day.  Read a story or play a game to reconnect, then ask some simple questions about your child's day.  What happened in the story Mrs. Maurer read today?  What's new with the caterpillars?  Do you like playing inside or outside?  

It's a boy!
Male Monarch butterflies have a black dot on each of their lower wings.  
Here is Mrs. Harding setting this little guy free on Friday.

Shoes:  PLEASE send your child to school in sneakers or velcro-closure sandals (Teva-style).  Flip-flops come off in the hallways and on when running or climbing on the playground.  We want our children to be safe.  Children MUST wear sneakers on PE days (Wednesday and Friday).

Unified Arts:  Here is the daily schedule for our class.  We will start having Unified Arts on Wednesday, our first full day of kindergarten.
     Mondays:  Library  (Children must bring their book back each week before they can sign out a new one.)
     Tuesdays:  Art  (Children should keep an old, baggy tee shirt in their backpacks to use as an art shirt.)
     Wednesdays:  PE  (Sneakers MUST be worn.)
     Thursdays:  Music
     Fridays:  PE  (Sneakers MUST be worn.)

Morning Snack:  Starting on Wednesday, we will take a morning snack break.  The children will have a few minutes to eat a snack from home.  Please send one healthy snack for your child to eat each morning.  This will tide your child over until we eat lunch at 12:15.

Paperwork for School/Classroom Volunteers:  The paperwork required for volunteering in our school has been updated.  If you still have the forms I gave you during orientation, please discard them.  I will be sending home new forms this week.  Adults must complete this paperwork before being allowed to volunteer in our school or to chaperone field trips.  Policy changes require that this paperwork be filled out each year.  If you filed paperwork last year, it must be filled out and updated again this year.  Thank you for being so understanding.

Scholastic Book Club:  An order form for Scholastic Books will be going home on Tuesday.  This is an optional way to purchase books for your home.  It is not required and I keep it very low-key so that children don't realize who buys books and who doesn't.  If you are interested in purchasing books, please return the order form with a check payable to Scholastic Books by Monday, September 10.

UVM Intern:  Our class will be welcoming a UVM intern this week.   Ms. Rapke is a junior majoring in elementary education.  She will be joining us on most Tuesday and Thursday mornings through mid-November.  She will be working with all of the students and will be responsible for teaching some upcoming math and social studies lessons. 

Math:  Ms. Kittell, our kindergarten special educator, will begin co-teaching math with me this week.  She will be in our classroom on a daily basis during our afternoon math time.  Many of the children who attended our preschool program know "Stacie" but now that we are in Kindergarten, she is known as Ms. Kittell. 

Apple Picking:  Information will be coming home this week regarding our apple picking field trip later in September.  A limited number of parent chaperones will be needed.  I will share the date, time and cost once that information is finalized. 

This Week:  We will be introducing our "Science Notebooks" as well as the "Three Ways to Read a Book".  On Wednesday, we will begin introducing a "letter a day" starting with the letter a.  

Coming Events...
Monday, September 3:  No school.
Tuesday, September 4:  Kindergarten will be dismissed at 11:30am.
Wednesday, September 5:  Our first FULL day of Kindergarten.  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.  Letter of the Day "A"
Thursday, September 6:  Music today.  Letter of the Day "B"
Friday, September 7:  PE today.  Please wear sneakers.  PBIS assembly for students and staff.  Letter of the Day "C".

Welcome Kindergarten Families!

This is our class blog.  Each week (typically on Saturday or Sunday) you will receive an email with a link to our blog to let you know that an update has been posted.  I will post information about what we are working on in kindergarten as well as calendar items that will keep you up-to-date.  Our blog takes the place of a printed classroom newsletter.   I hope you enjoy learning more about your child's kindergarten program.  This is an unusually long entry as I am hoping to give you plenty of back-to-school info.

First some office details:  Kindergarten families will be entering our school through the covered, set-back entrance by the bike racks (now known as 'Office B').  This is a change from last year.  If you are picking up your child early, please enter the building through that entrance and check in at the office immediately to your left.  Mrs. Wells, our secretary, will help you.  This is also the entrance you will use if you need to sign your child in to school late or if you are signing in to volunteer or attend a special event.  If you have older children in our school and will be picking up all of your children at once, please use Office B.  (Basically, use the office associated with your youngest child.)  

If your child will be picked up on a daily basis or will be walking each day, please send us a note letting us know.  We will then escort the children to the outdoor bike racks where they will wait under supervision until you pick them up.  Dismissal time is at 3:23 pm.  If we do not have a note, we will leave your child in the office and you will need to enter Office B to sign your child out.

For the first four days of Kindergarten children will be dismissed at 11:30.  Children should already have appointments to return to school for baseline assessments.  If you do not yet have an appointment for your child you will be able to make one on Monday during our orientation.  (Mrs. Wells was ill last week so if you left a message for the office, you might not have received a return phone call.)  These appointments are very important as they are a wonderful opportunity for me to spend one-on-one time with each of my new students.  It's a great way for us to get to know each other.  The assessments also let me know what literacy and math strengths each child already has so that I can plan my instruction accordingly.  Results create a baseline so that we can measure every child's growth and progress a few times over the course of the school year.

Due to early dismissal for the first four days of kindergarten, the students will not be attending any "specials" (art, music, P.E., library) for the first four days.  I will include our specials schedule in next week's blog.  During the first four days, children will eat lunch in our classroom.  If your child is getting a school lunch, it will be a bag lunch delivered to the classroom.  If your child is bringing a lunch from home, they will enjoy it in the classroom at lunchtime.  We will introduce the children to the cafeteria on the first full day of kindergarten, Wednesday, September 5.

Once we begin our full day schedule, kindergarten students will each lunch at 12:15.  All students will need to bring a healthy, mid-morning snack to eat in our classroom.

If you or your child has found any Monarch caterpillars, small rocks or shells, your child may bring them to school on Wednesday.  Thanks for searching!

Please send your child to school in comfortable, safe shoes.  Sneakers or Teva-style sandals with velcro are great.  Flip flops and heels are not safe on the playground equipment nor do they allow your child to comfortably run around the playground.  If your child does not yet tie their own shoes, velcro shoes are very helpful.  I'm sure you can imagine how long it would take me to tie 20 pairs of shoes.  Our classroom can start off cool in the early morning and then heat right up.  Dressing your child in layers is always good.  Also, please leave a change of clothes (including socks and underwear) in a plastic bag in your child's backpack.  Accidents and spills do occur and it's very comforting to your child when he or she sees how easily and calmly we can handle these little problems.  Thank you!

There are 20 students in our class and extra hands will be appreciated.  Parents who can volunteer will be able to begin in October.  We are also interested in inviting grandparents, neighbors or older friends into our school to read stories, play games and work with our kindergarten students.  If you know of such a person, please send me their name and address and I will send out on invitation welcoming them to spend time at our school.  

Sending a child off to kindergarten can be very emotional for families.  I understand.  I've done it four times.  I think I got misty-eyed each time I sent one of my own kids off on the bus the first time.  Please try to be relaxed and upbeat about your child's start to kindergarten.  Empower your child.  Let them know you feel they are ready and able to separate from their grown ups and that you will be excited to hear about their new classroom when they get home.  Our staff is prepared and will attend to every child's needs.  Remember that kindergarten is great fun.  Your child will have a fabulous experience!

I look forward to meeting you all on Monday.  

Beth

Monday, August 27:  Kindergarten Orientation
We will meet in the cafeteria at 8:45.  Coffee and refreshments will be available and there will be a welcome activity for grown-ups to complete.  Dr. Barone, our superintendent, and Mrs. Savery, our principal, will welcome everyone and introduce the staff.  My students will walk down to our classroom with me while the adults remain in the cafeteria to get  information about topics such as buses, the lunch program, the health office and curriculum.  Adults will pick up their children in our classroom between 9:45 and 10:00.  Buses will arrive to bring families home at 10:00am.  
Tuesday, August 28:  No school.  Enjoy the last day of vacation!
Wednesday, August 29:  The first day of school.  Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:30.
Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31:  Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:30.
Monday, September 3:  NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day
Tuesday, September 4:  Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:30.
Wednesday, September 5:  Our first FULL day of Kindergarten.