April 28, 2013

Welcome Back!  I hope everyone had a wonderful vacation.

Flip Flops and Sandals:  Spring is (finally!) here.  No more reminders about snow pants and boots.  Instead, PLEASE make sure your children do NOT wear flips flops or other types of sandals that slide off the foot.  Every year children injure themselves when they trip on a flip flop when playing on the playground equipment.  ALL kindergarten teachers ask that children wear "Teva-style" sandals that have elastics or velcro around the foot or sneakers.  

Dressing in Layers:  The mornings will be chilly this week but the afternoons will be warm.  Our classroom gets plenty of sun so it tends to warm up also.  It is helpful if the children have layers so they can stay comfortable.


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 110 items.  
Friday:  Bring a healthy snack to share with the class.  Please try to avoid red dye as a student is allergic.  

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 B.

Staffing Notes:  I have been cleared to return to teaching full days on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.  Mrs. Eddy will continue to teach on Wednesdays.  Mrs. Lamphere will continue to be our full time classroom assistant.

Coming Events:  We will continue with our planting unit in science and our measurement unit in math when we return from vacation.  During May we will work with maps and begin a new math unit about "Bunk Beds".  In literacy, we will be reading and writing about farm animals.

Monday, April 29:  Welcome back!  Library today.  Please return your books. (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Tuesday, April 30:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Wednesday, May 1:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)
Thursday, May 2:  Music today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Friday, May 3:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

April 20, 2013

Happy Vacation Week!

We had a fabulous "M&M Day" on Friday.  Below are some pictures.

Sorting and graphing M&M's.

Measuring the distance around a circle with M&M's.
We measured how many M&M's fit inside the circle.  We
also measured how many M&M's fit on a line.

When I picked the class up from PE on Friday,
they were "hiding"!   "Surprise!!!!!"

Adding with M&M's.

Staffing Notes:  I will be seeing the doctor next week and am hoping to be cleared to return to teaching full days on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.  Mrs. Eddy will continue to teach on Wednesdays.  Mrs. Lamphere will continue to be our full time classroom assistant.

Coming Events:  We will continue with our planting unit in science and our measurement unit in math when we return from vacation.  During May we will work with maps and begin a new math unit about "Bunk Beds".  In literacy, we will be reading and writing about farm animals.

Monday, April 29:  Welcome back!  Library today.  Please return your books. (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Tuesday, April 30:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Wednesday, May 1:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)
Thursday, May 2:  Music today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)
Friday, May 3:  PE today.  Please wear your sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

April 14, 2013

We had a busy, fun week.  Friday's schedule was full of zig-zags as Mrs. Lamphere was absent and there was not an available substitute until the afternoon.  Many thanks to the parent volunteer who arrived in the late morning and stayed for the rest of the day.  It was also "Ice Cream Day" in the cafeteria so the children got a treat.  We celebrated a classmate's birthday and had two yummy snacks from our people of the week.  Our crazy spring weather made recess indoors.  I think we were all ready for the weekend.  

Here is my family after Saturday's annual skating show in Essex where my
daughter Kathryn teaches and skates.  A student from our kindergarten class was in the show also!

Science:

Our planting unit continues.  On Friday, we recorded the observations we made about our "grass heads".  This week will observe something very interesting about our plastic bag seeds.  Some stayed in the light.  Others were placed in the dark.  Things might not have gone the way we predicted....

We used snap blocks to measure the length of
our arms.  Then we recorded the data in our
measuring books.

Alexia measured her arm with snap blocks.
Then she broke the snap blocks into tens and ones
before recording the information in her book.

Math:
Our measurement unit is in full swing.  In kindergarten, we measure using objects (non-standard units) instead of inches, feet, pounds, etc. (standard units).  We have been concentrating on length but will will measuring weight and circumference this week also.  


Literacy:
If you have any large, office envelopes available, please send them to school.  Used are fine.  We will use these to send home our "book basket books" so that the children have plenty of books to read over vacation.  The children are reading SO well.  Practice is important and fun.  I think you will be amazed at the excellent reading your child is doing.

M & M Day:
We are very close to filling our next bee hive for excellent behavior.  Our celebration will be an "M & M Day".  The first M is for measurement and the second M is for mustaches.  We will spend time measuring in different ways (including with M&M candies) and wearing mustaches!  Children are not required to wear a mustache.  Mustaches can be applied at home.  We will also have washable markers (for drawing on a mustache) and stick-on mustaches available at school.  (For those students who are hesitant, mustaches can also be drawn on the outside of a pointer finger and held up in front of the student's upper lip.)

I am hoping we will have M&M Day on Friday, April 19.  I will let you know for sure.  It should be a fun day!

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 110 items.  
Friday:  Bring a healthy snack to share with the class.  Please try to avoid red dye as a student is allergic.  

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 B.

Lost:
One of our students is missing a blue velour sweatshirt with a pink puma on the front.  If it accidentally went home in the wrong backpack, will you please send it back to school?  Thanks!

Coming Events:  There will be some staffing changes this week.  As I will be screening next year's kindergarten students on Wednesday and Thursday, my "doctor's orders" day off will be on Tuesday.  Mrs. Lamphere has a commitment on Thursday and Friday.  Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. Harding will be in the classroom to cover for me and/or Mrs. Lamphere.  The children's learning will continue uninterrupted.  On Wednesday and Thursday all kindergarten students will enjoy a series of activities based on the book The Rainbow Fish.

Monday, April 15:  Library today.  Please return your book so you may choose a new one.  Mrs. Maurer AM/Mrs. Eddy PM.  Mrs. Lamphere all day.

Tuesday, April 16:  Art today.  Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lamphere all day.

Wednesday, April 17:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers.  Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. Lamphere all day.

Thursday, April 18:  Music today.  Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. Harding all day.

Friday, April 19:  PE today.  Hopefully it will be "M & M Day".  Mrs. Maurer and Mrs. Harding all day.

April School Vacation:  NO SCHOOL April 22 - 26.  We will welcome you back on Monday, April 29.

April 7, 2013

Wow!  What a germy week.  Students and teachers were all impacted.  I hope everyone got some rest this weekend and is feeling better.  I was in the classroom for four hours this afternoon and had the doors and windows wide open the whole time.  I also washed off all of the tables, keyboards, light switches, etc.  Hopefully it will help.

On Friday we did lots of planting and we are looking forward to seeing our seeds grow.  Lima beans are sprouting in plastic bags in the light.  Pumpkin seeds are sprouting in plastic bags in the dark.  (Do seeds need light?) Grass seeds are planted in plastic eggs and gladiolus bulbs are being forced in baby food jars.  (Thank you for sending in enough jars!)  Mrs. Savery enjoyed watching us plant and document what we did in our science journals.  Keep your fingers crossed that our plants grow.

Boots
Yes, boots are still needed at school.  The playground is drying out slowly, but there is a soft, muddy section and boots still make sense.  If we have any rain this week, the mud will spread.

Recess Change
This week, we made a change at recess time.  Each week three classes will have recess on the 'Kindergarten' playground and three classes will have recess on the 'First Grade' playground.  We will alternate the following week.  This past week, our class spent recess on the first grade playground along with Ms. Murtagh's and Mr. Carroll's classes.  This coming week, we will return to the kindergarten playground.  Our hope is that by spreading out and giving the children more space, there will be fewer recess conflicts.

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 8 - 12:  Isabelle W. 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 B.

Coming Events:

Monday, April 8:  Library today.  Please return your book. (Mrs. Eddy AM/Mrs. Maurer PM)

Tuesday, April 9:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Wednesday, April 10:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day)

Thursday, April 11:  Music today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Friday, April 12:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Monday, April 15:  Library today.  Please return your book.  

Tuesday, April 16:  Art today.  (Mrs. Maurer all day)

Wednesday, April 17:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers.  (Mrs. Eddy all day.  Mrs. Maurer will be screening incoming kindergarten students.)

Thursday, April 18:  Music today.  (Mrs. Eddy all day.  Mrs. Maurer will be screening incoming kindergarten students.)

Friday, April 19:  PE today.  Please bring your sneakers.  (Mrs. Maurer all day.)

April School Vacation:  April 20-28, 2013  We will see you on Monday, April 29 !

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