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Thursday, March 9, 2017

March updates

I'm not sure about March coming in like a lion....its been a beautiful week.

Progress reports are going home today in your child's folder.

Pennies for Patients went home on Tuesday.  The kids are so excited to win the pizza party.  Send in that loose change on the floor of the car and in the couches.

Reading levels are on the progress reports.  We've seen some great improvements.  We finished our expert book writing and we are now writing how-to books.  They brought home the one we did as a class on how to make a pink drink (from The Cat in the Hat Comes Back).  This week and next they are writing their own books.  We are finishing up 2D and 3D shapes in geometry and will focus again on counting.  Our end of year goal is to count to 100 but they also need to be able to start at any random number and continue counting (this is trickier).  We finished our habitat unit in science and switched to social studies.  We are learning about community workers and will soon do goods and services.

Please remember to send permission slips and money in for the field trip.

Stay warm this weekend, we are apparently going back to winter again.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

February is almost over

Can't you tell by the weather......


Important Reminders:

Progress will be coming home in early March.  They will be in your child's folder.

Yesterday I sent home a letter about Read Across America.  We are celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday and dressing up all week so make sure to look for that letter. 

Reading groups are going strong.  Your child's present level will be on their progress report.  We are learning about shapes in math, both 2D and 3D shapes.  The kids love this unit.  Easy practice alert:  go on a scavenger hunt around your home, outside or the stores and have them show you different shapes.  In writing, we are ending our nonfiction books and will be spending some weeks writing how to books (like how to make lemonade).  In science, we are learning about plant and animal habitats and external features of plants, animals and humans.

At the end of March we are having an in-school field trip.  Keep a look out for a permission slip to go home in their folder.  

Remember, March 3 is an early release day at 1:20,

Enjoy the spring weather.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

February Updates

So February is flying by with this beautiful spring weather.  Are there any snow days in our future?

In class, we switched from narrative writing to writing about things we know a lot about.   We made a list of all things we are experts in and we are using graphic organizers to write about them.  We are really focusing on our 5Star writing.  Ask your child to tell you how we check to make sure we have it!  We are switching to plants from animals, now, too.  We watched our mealworms change to beetles and will soon say goodbye to our new pals.  We started our geometry unit in math, starting with 2D shapes and moving to 3D shapes over the next couple of weeks.

Today was the 100th day of school.   We got some great posters in with really cool collections of 100 things.  We made a sash with 100 designs, a necklace with 100 fruit loops, an ice cream with 10 scoop of ice creams (counting by 10s to 100!) and I gave each student "100" cookies to take home.  I hope they make it.

We are planning our Valentine's Day party for Feb. 14.  If you are able to and have not yet sent in a $ donation, please do that ASAP.  I also sent home a list of student's names for your child to label their Valentine's if you choose to give some out. We will be decorating bags in school to collect all the goodies.

I would usually end a February post telling you to stay warm.  Not today, but tomorrow we're supposedly back to "normal".  We'll see....

Thursday, January 19, 2017

January is getting away from me

I didn't realize how long its been since my last post....Here's whats going on in our classroom....

We finished our winter testing for reading.  Reading levels will be on your child's report card which will be going home the beginning of February.  Reading groups are starting back up again with more books and some word family poems.

We have been fiercely writing narrative stories - stories about something that happened in our lives.  We are using graphic organizers to make sure we have a beginning, middle and end to our stories.  We are also editing our work for upper and lower case letters, spaces between words, correct spelling of our sight words and punctuation.  Yep, all in kindergarten!

In math, we are still counting to 100 but by 1s and 10s now.  We also started decomposing numbers.  For example, 3 and 4 make 7, 2 and 5 make 7.  This will lead us into adding and subtracting.

Our mealworms came in right after winter break.  We are watching them change into pupa and then into Darkling Beetles.  Its not as bad as it sounds.  They don't crawl out of their boxes and the beetles don't fly.  We are learning about what animals (including bugs) need to survive and will learn about different animal life cycles.
Image result for mealworm life cycle
Remember there's no school Friday, January 20 or Friday, January 27.

A letter will be going home soon about our Valentine's Day party.  We are asking for a $ donation to cover snacks and I will send home a list of our students so, if you choose to,  your child can make cards for everyone.  There will be alternative activities if you prefer that your child does not participate in Valentine's Day.  Please send me a note to let me know.

Ok, we're all caught up.  Have a nice weekend.

Friday, December 23, 2016

What a week!

After the excitement of the bears and pajama day last week, we really exhausted ourselves with the winter rotations.  Everyday we went to a different class to make a snowman.  I'm sure you saw the "soup" and great paintings come home.

When we get back in January, though, we get back to work.  Our winter formal reading assessments begin right away.  We will be reinforcing some counting concepts and for science (drum roll).....

We will have a new class pet - meal worms.  They will delivered the first week we get back.  We will make them a home as we learn about what things animals need to survive.  We will be learning about the life cycle of the meal worm, too (as well as other animals).  Eventually, these meal worms will become darkling beetles.  Its not as bad as it sounds.  The kids love it.


Have a wonderful holiday season.
Image result for seasons greetings and happy new year

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Gingerbread Week

We are all about the Gingerbread cookie this week - if only we were eating them.

We are reading different versions of the story, including the Gingerbread Boy, the Gingerbread Girl, Gingerbread Baby, and more fun and silly stories.  We are using gingerbread men to practice our measuring skills in math, too.  We will be making gingerbread houses for our friends, too.

In social studies, we are learning about landforms - mountains, hills, caves, and volcanoes.  After, that we will switch to bodies of water - oceans, rivers and lakes.

In writing, we are writing about true events in our lives.  We are learning about a beginning, middle and end to a story, how to add details to our pictures and writing, and about speech bubbles.
Image result for cartoon with speech bubbles hello
Next week, will be Teddy Bear week.  I will be sending a letter home on Thursday with details (they can bring a stuffed animal next week).  Another letter will go home later next week, about our Teddy Bear Picnic on the 16th.  Keep a look out for those letters.

Have a good week.

oops!

I just went to post an update and realized I never sent out our Thanksgiving picture with our pilgrim boys and girls.  Sorry for the delay.