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

*********************

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".