March 30, 2013

Website Suggestion
In math, we have been working with tens frames.  These give children the chance to organize and visualize numbers from 0 - 10.  This is very helpful as they learn to work with these numbers with addition and subtraction.  The children have used an activity on a website from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in the classroom.  Several children have asked if I will share the link with you so they can try it at home.  If you have time and are comfortable with your children using the computer, here is the link.  Enjoy!

Tens Frames Activity

Mud !
Mud season continues on our playground.  Please make sure your children wear boots and snow pants every day.  Thank you!

Literacy This Week
We will be focusing on the sounds of the letters /w/, /y/ and /e/.  We will also talk about the sound made by the letters -ing (as in spring).  This week's sight words will be 'play', 'she' and 'he'.

Baby Food Jars
If you have any small baby food jars (without covers), please send them in.  We would like to use them for a planting project later this week.  Thanks!

Spring School Pictures
School pictures will be taken on Tuesday, April 2.  Kindergarten classes will have pictures taken first thing in the morning.  Photos will be taken of all students.  When the pictures come in, families may choose whether or not to purchase a photo package.  

People of the Week
Every week two people from our classroom are our "People of the Week".  They have a special responsibility each day.  This is a fun way for everyone to get to know one another better.  If you are unable to participate, it is not a problem.  The schedule and responsibilities are listed below.  If I have chosen an inconvenient week, please let me know.

Monday:  Share some family photos.  (If you would prefer to email them to me, that is fine. They can also be prints that we can project using our document camera.)
Tuesday:   Show us a favorite toy.  (It must be non-violent and silent.)  Picture Day.
Wednesday:  Bring in a favorite story.  (A story that can be read in one sitting.  No chapter books please.)
Thursday:  Fill our estimating jar.  (Our estimating jar is a one quart glass jar.  Be creative.  Legos, shells, marshmallows, hair ties, etc.)  Send the items in a bag and we will fill the jar in the classroom.  Your items will be returned to you unless you tell me otherwise.  Please make sure there are fewer than 100 items.  
Friday:  Bring a healthy snack to share with the class.  Please try to avoid red dye as a student is allergic.  

April 1 - April 5:  Alexia and Bryleigh
April 8 - 12:  Isabelle and Devin
April 15 - 19:  Arianna and Gabe
April 22 - 25:  School Vacation Week
April 29 - May 3:  Mrs. Lamphere and Sam
May 6 - 10:  Gavin and Jazmyn
May 13 - 17:  Kaitlyn and Olivia
May 20 - 24:  Lucian and Paige
May 28 - May 31:  Rayne and Matthew and Neveah (No school Monday.  Photos AND toys on Tuesday)
June 3 - 7:  Ms. Kittell and Izabelle

Schedule Change

I have been cleared to change Thursdays from a half day to a full day.  So, I will be teaching on Monday mornings, all day Tuesdays, all day Thursdays and all day Fridays.  Mrs. Eddy will be teaching on Monday afternoons and all day on Wednesdays.  Mrs. Lamphere continues to be in our classroom full time.

Coming Events

Monday, April 1:  Library today.  Please return your library book.  (Mrs. Maurer am/Mrs. Eddy pm)

Tuesday, April 2:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)
7:00pm:  The School Board and our superintendent, Dr. Barone, have scheduled a Community Forum on the 2013 - 2014 budget.  It will be held in the library at Milton High School.  This will be an opportunity for community members to give input as to why the FY 14 Budget went down on March 5th and to give in- put/recommendations on how to move forward with another budget vote.

Wednesday, April 3:  PE today.  Please bring sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)

Thursday, April 4:  Music today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Friday, April 5:  PE today.  Mrs. Savery, our principal, will be in today to see us during science.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

March 24, 2013

Our Special Friday
The children, Mrs. Lamphere and I had a fun Friday when we celebrated our excellent behavior.  We brought stuffed animals, wore our pajamas, watched "The Love Bug" and ate popcorn.  We also began our newest behavior beehive.  We will be deciding soon what we will earn when we fill our next beehive.

Friday Social Skills Time
We have been working on some social skills challenges in our classroom and have a new strategy for addressing these worries.  On Friday mornings from 10:30 - 11:00 Lorraine Sylvain (Ms. L to the children), one of our behavior interventionists, will be co-teaching with me.  She and I will be working with the girls on using kind words, bossing yourself and not others and being inclusive.  We will also be practicing how to share our feelings with our friends in a positive way.

At the same time, the boys will be outdoors with Mrs. Lamphere and one of our fabulous parent volunteers.  They will work on turn taking and safe ways to play on the playground.  We hope this will help improve how everyone problem solves and gets along.

Boots and Snow pants
Please continue to send boots and snow pants for your children.  The playground will be REALLY muddy this week!

People of the Week
Every week two people from our classroom are our "People of the Week".  They have a special responsibility each day.  This is a fun way for everyone to get to know one another better.  If you are unable to participate, it is not a problem.  The schedule and responsibilities are listed below.  If I have chosen an inconvenient week, please let me know.

Monday:  Share some family photos.  (If you would prefer to email them to me, that is fine. They can also be prints that we can project using our document camera.)
Tuesday:   Show us a favorite toy.  (It must be non-violent and silent.)
Wednesday:  Bring in a favorite story.  (A story that can be read in one sitting.  No chapter books please.)
Thursday:  Fill our estimating jar.  (Our estimating jar is a one quart glass jar.  Be creative.  Legos, shells, marshmallows, hair ties, etc.)  Send the items in a bag and we will fill the jar in the classroom.  Your items will be returned to you unless you tell me otherwise.  Please make sure there are fewer than 100 items.  
Friday:  Bring a healthy snack to share with the class.  Please try to avoid red dye as a student is allergic.  

March 25 - 29:  Aidan and Brianne
April 1 - April 5:  Alexia and Bryleigh
April 8 - 12:  Isabelle and Devin
April 15 - 19:  Arianna and Gabe
April 22 - 25:  School Vacation Week
April 29 - May 3:  Mrs. Lamphere and Sam
May 6 - 10:  Gavin and Jazmyn
May 13 - 17:  Kaitlyn and Olivia
May 20 - 24:  Lucian and Paige
May 28 - May 31:  Rayne and Matthew and Neveah (No school Monday.  Photos AND toys on Tuesday)
June 3 - 7:  Ms. Kittell and Izabelle

Literacy:  We will finish our unit on "Wheels Go Around" this week then we will begin our "Spring is Here!" unit.  We are reviewing the sounds of /d/ and /z/.  We are practicing telling the difference between b, d, p and q.  We are also working with the short i word families (ex. big, rig, fig;  hit, sit, fit).  Sight words include 'for' and 'have'.  

Science:  This week we did some experiments involving two wooden blocks, a dry erase board and a small car.  The children worked with a partner and tried different set ups to see what arrangement would make the car go the furthest.  On the second day, they rebuilt their ideas and sketched them in their Science Notebooks.

Math:  We continue solving problems in our Math Notebooks.  We are also working on understanding the numbers 0 - 20 by using "Tens Frames" to help us visualize fives and tens.  

Coming Events:

Monday, March 25:  Library today.  Please return your library book so you can get a new one.  (Mrs. Maurer AM/Mrs. Eddy PM)
Tuesday, March 26:  Art today. (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Wednesday, March 27:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers. (Mrs. Eddy all day)
Thursday, March 28:  Assembly today at 1:30 for grades K - 4.  Music today. (Mrs. Maurer AM/Mrs. Eddy PM)
Friday, March 29:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers. (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Tuesday, April 2:  The School Board and our superintendent, Dr. Barone, have scheduled a Community Forum on the 2013 - 2014 budget.  It will be held in the library at Milton High School.  This will be an opportunity for community members to give input as to why the FY 14 Budget went down on March 5th and to give in- put/recommendations on how to move forward with another budget vote.

March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day to All!

Even though my children are older, the leprechauns still come to our house.  The toilet water magically turns green, messages are written on the bathroom mirror in green marker and mischievous messes appear.  Mrs. Eddy and I had some fun this week with St. Patrick's Day activities.  We compared different versions of the folk tale about Finn McCoul, sorted and graphed Lucky Charms, made Mrs. Eddy's mysterious goo, estimated and made rainbows with Fruit Loops, painted shamrocks, brainstormed green items and read some wonderful stories.  

Welcome!
First of all, we are happy to welcome back Mrs. Lamphere.  The children and I were excited to have her return to our classroom.  We are also looking forward to welcoming two new students this week.  We will be spending some time reviewing and teaching our classroom expectations so that everyone is ready to do their best learning.  Twenty-one students is a large kindergarten class and all children must be cooperative so that everyone has a successful experience.

Boots and Snow pants:
Please continue to send your child with boots, snow pants, hats and mittens/gloves every day.  It is supposed to be a chilly week and we want our students to be warm outdoors.  The mud on the playground is freezing up again, but by the end of the day (when we have recess), it gets quite messy.  Please help us keep your children warm and dry.

Words of the Week:  for, have

Wheels:
This week we will be reading some books about things with wheels, building some ramps in science and working with wheels in our math notebooks.

Report Cards
Report Cards will be sent home on Monday, March 18. If you would like to schedule a Parent-Teacher Conference, please click on the link below.  Conferences can be held in person or on the phone.

Click here to sign up for a conference

People of the Week:

March 18 - 22:  Mrs. Eddy and Ella
March 25 - 29:  Aidan and Brianne
April 1 - April 5:  Alexia and Bryleigh
April 8 - 12:  Isabelle and Devin
April 15 - 19:  Arianna and Gabe
April 22 - 25:  School Vacation Week
April 29 - May 3:  Mrs. Lamphere and Sam
May 6 - 10:  Gavin and Jazmyn
May 13 - 17:  Kaitlyn and Olivia
May 20 - 24:  Lucian and Paige
May 28 - May 31:  Rayne and Matthew and Neveah (No school Monday.  Photos AND toys on Tuesday)
June 3 - 7:  Ms. Kittell and Izabelle


Coming Events:

Monday, March 18:  Welcome Izabelle!  Library today.  Please return your library book.  (Mrs. Maurer AM/Mrs. Eddy PM)
Tuesday, March 19:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)  Mrs. Savery, our principal, will be observing our class during Writing Workshop.
Wednesday, March 20:  Welcome Nevaeh!  It's the first day of spring.  PE today.  Please bring sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)
Thursday, March 21:  Music today.  (Mrs. Eddy all day.  Mrs. Maurer's daughter is having her wisdom teeth removed.)
Friday, March 22:  PE today.  Please bring sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer all day.)

Book Fair:  March 25 - 29
Spring Picture Day:  April 2 or 3
Kindergarten Parent Night for INCOMING Kindergarten Students (April 10):  Please share this date with any friends or family who might have kindergarten aged children entering our school in the fall.
Kindergarten Screening Days for INCOMING Kindergarten Students: April 17 and 18.  Mrs. Eddy will be in the classroom while Mrs. Maurer is screening next year's kindergarten students.
April School Vacation:  Monday, April 22 - Friday, April 26

March 10, 2013

Mud Season!
PLEASE make sure your child has boots, snowpants, mittens/gloves, a jacket and a hat every day.  The weather is a little warmer but our playground is a muddy mess.  Children must be dressed in their winter clothes so they will stay dry.  Your support is appreciated.

Raz-Kids
Has your child mentioned Raz-Kids?  This is an online reading program where children can listen to and read stories that are at their individual reading level.  I introduced the program to the class this week and all of the children have tried it twice.  If you would like to access Raz-Kids at home, I have included the information below.   To listen to a story, they will click on the ear.  After they have listened to it, there will be a green check mark under the ear.  If they click on the eye, they can practice reading aloud without hearing the story.   It would be ideal if the children could practice reading stories they have already listened to.  Once you log in, your child will see the screen that they are used to from our classroom.

This is an optional home activity.  If you do not have internet access or you would prefer that your child not spend time on the computer, please do not feel that this is a "must do".

www.raz-kids.com/main/Login

When the screen asks you for the "Teacher Username", enter:  bmaurerc

Staffing Change
Mr. Sedlack has been reassigned to Milton High School.  This is lucky for Milton High School and a good match for Mr. Sedlack's skills as a licensed secondary social studies teacher.  Our class, however, will miss him.  Luckily for us, Mrs. Lamphere will be returning to our classroom on Thursday.  I have been assured that she will remain with us for the rest of the school year and that there will be no further changes.  A guest teacher will be working with me until Mrs. Lamphere returns on Thursday.

Parent Teacher Conferences
It is time to schedule spring conferences.  Most will be held March 19 - 21.  If you are interested in having a conference, they can be held in person or by telephone.  Please click on the link below to sign up for a date and time.  If I have already contacted you regarding scheduling a conference at an alternate time, please do not sign up on this schedule.

Spring Conference Sign Up 

Beehive Update
Our class beehive is almost filled up with the initials of students in our classroom who have been "caught" making good behavior choices.  Once we get to 100 hexagons, we will schedule our "Wear Pajamas-Bring a Stuffed Animal-Eat Popcorn and Watch a Movie-Day".  We were at about 88 hexagons on Friday, so we are almost there!

People of the Week
Every week two people from our classroom will be our "People of the Week".  They will have a special responsibility each day.  This is a fun way for everyone to get to know one another better.  If you are unable to participate, it is not a problem.  The schedule and responsibilities are listed below.  If I have chosen an inconvenient week, please let me know.

Monday:  Share some family photos.  (If you would prefer to email them to me, that is fine. They can also be prints that we can project using our document camera.)
Tuesday:   Show us a favorite toy.  (It must be non-violent and silent.)
Wednesday:  Bring in a favorite story.  (A story that can be read in one sitting.  No chapter books please.)
Thursday:  Fill our estimating jar.  (Our estimating jar is a one quart glass jar.  Be creative.  Legos, shells, marshmallows, hair ties, etc.)  Your items will be returned to you unless you tell me otherwise.
Friday:  Bring a healthy snack to share with the class.  Please try to avoid red dye as a student is allergic.  

March 11 - 15:  Mrs. Maurer and Mark
March 18 - 22:  Mrs. Eddy and Ella
March 25 - 29:  Aidan and Brianne
April 1 - April 5:  Alexia and Bryleigh
April 8 - 12:  Isabelle and Devin
April 15 - 19:  Arianna and Gabe
April 22 - 25:  School Vacation Week
April 29 - May 3:  Mrs. Lamphere and Sam
May 6 - 10:  Gavin and Jazmyn
May 13 - 17:  Kaitlyn and Olivia
May 20 - 24:  Lucian and Paige
May 28 - May 31:  Rayne and Matthew (No school Monday.  Photos AND toys on Tuesday)
June 3 - 7:  Ms. Kittell

Coming Events:

Bring snowpants and boots every day!!!

Monday, March 11:  Library today.  Please return your book.  (Mrs. Maurer am/Mrs. Eddy pm)

Tuesday, March 12:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Wednesday, March 13:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers and a water bottle, if desired.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)

Thursday, March 14:  Music today. Welcome back, Mrs. Lamphere!  (Mrs. Maurer am/Mrs. Eddy pm)

Friday, March 15:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers and a water bottle, if desired.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Next Week:

Thursday, March 21:  Mrs. Eddy will be in all day as Mrs. Maurer's daughter is having her wisdom teeth removed.