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11-1-09
Thank You Families!
I would like to thank ALL of our families for sending things in and/or
helping with our Halloween party. The kids had lots of fun. I couldn't
have thrown that party without all of your help! A special thanks to our
room parent Christine Miller for organizing it all. And next...
Thanksgiving Feast
Our Thanksgiving feast will be on Friday 11/20 at 12:00. I am meeting with
Christine tomorrow to let her know what we need for this celebration. Thank
you in advance for helping with these fun events.
We will have the feast in our room and it will be our
lunch. I'll take the students out for recess while parents set up,
we'll come back in, dress up in our costumes, have our feast, and then it
will be time to go home.
Help with Indian Costumes
The parents who come in have almost finished all of our Pilgrim costumes. I
will need a parent to make our Indian vests. This can be done at home.
Please let me know if you can help in this way. I'll show you how and send
you home with an example and step by step directions. All you will need is a
stapler, scissors, and to go to Ralph's (or any store) and ask them to
donate 24 brown paper grocery bags.
Please let me know if this project is calling you!
J
MAP Meeting this Thursday
At conferences, I will go over your child's MAP (Measure of Academic
Progress) scores with you. I will discuss the test with you the best I can
in our limited time, however our main focus is your child's progress report.
This year, Dr. Newman is holding a meeting to explain what
MAP testing is, the different scores your child receives, and what they
mean. If you can find time to attend this meeting, I think it will be
very valuable. Then, when we meet, you will have a head start knowing a
little bit more about the test.
Guided Reading Reminder
I will probably not meet with groups this week so I can get individual
testing done for progress reports. Please keep reading and practicing
Corduroy's words with your child at home.
10-25-09
Field Trip
I wanted to give you a few reminders about our field trip on Wednesday.
Your child will need to:
*Bring a lunch (we will take one of our lunch tubs on the bus to hold them)
*Wear closed toed shoes, no sandals or crocs
*Wear sunscreen!
*Wear their tie-dye shirt (I will give it to them on Monday)
A note about our return ~ we can only approximate our return time at
about 1:15. Please don't panic if we run a little late. You may take your
child home as soon as we get back.
Canned Food Drive
The student council is holding a canned food drive during the dates I have
listed to the left. If you choose to participate, involve your student in
making decisions about what they might bring. It makes for a great
discussion on Caring...our character pillar for Oct./Nov.
Guided Reading/Assessments
This week, between our field trip and Halloween, I will be meeting with
students for reading less times than usual. Beginning the next week (after
Halloween) I will need to start pulling kids for one-on-one
assessments for reading and math to get ready for progress reports and
conferences. I will be sending books home very sporadically. After
conferences, we will be back on our usual schedule. Please make sure that
during this time you continue to read to, and with your child.
Halloween Parade and Party
All are invited this Friday to watch our Halloween Parade. It will be during
our usual Friday Flag time. It will be out on the playground. You can dress
up too!
Feel free to come back in the afternoon to join our
Halloween party. Younger siblings are always welcome to come to our parties.
If you signed up to help, send something in, or bring
something on that day, thank you in advance!
10-18-09
Red Ribbon Week
During Red Ribbon Week, students pledge to stay "Drug Free". In
Kindergarten, we talk about making sure we put only healthy things in our
bodies. The student council has come up with a theme for each day. I left
the paper at school so I don't remember the "cute" reasons behind these but
here's what's happening:
Monday - All students get a red ribbon to wear all week
Tuesday - wear "sneakers"
Wednesday - wear a Hawaiian shirt
Thursday - Wear your shirt backwards
Friday - All students who still have their ribbons get a piece of red
licorice
Please remember each of these is optional. Some students do not feel
comfortable participating in some of the events like these at school...I
think I'll even pass on the backwards shirt day :)
Corduroy's New Words
On Friday he gave us: am and going. Remember there is an
updated list of all the words he's given us so far on the Reading
link.
Thank You
Last week a family sent in a package of Baby Wipes so we can clean our
hands before going into the library. If anyone else has a pack around the
house, we'd love to get a few more.
Math Groups
...begin this week. Your child may or may not be staying with me for this
math rotation. I haven't mentioned how it will work to students yet. I plan
to discuss it tomorrow. He/she will still get homework, but it still does
not need to be returned. Please make sure to check it at home.
Thank You (again!)
Our guided reading groups are going well. Thank you for reading with
your child each night, checking off the white card, and sending the books
back every day! This is a huge help!
10-10-09
Class Goal
Every class at MRES is setting a classroom goal. The goal I chose for
our class was driven by the data I received from our MAP scores. Our class
goal is:
All students will be able to identify all five vowel sounds in
isolation, at the beginning of a word, and in the middle of a word (Example:
being able to hear the word "cap", and know that "a" is the letter in the
middle).
We will be working toward this group goal for the next
couple of months. Any support you can give at home will be very helpful!
Baby Wipes
If anyone can send in a package or two of baby wipes that would be
great. Our library time is right after recess. We need them each week right
before we go into the library and touch books!
Field Trip
I will be drawing names for chaperones at the beginning of this week. I'll
send out an email. I have more than enough volunteers. Thank you for being
willing to help!
Compass Learning
More students are becoming able to log themselves in during computer time.
This is a huge help...and it's great learning for them!
Corduroy Goes Home for the Second Time
Starting Monday, the kids will be waiting to have their name drawn a for a
second turn with Corduroy. Thank you for helping them to remember to bring
him back the very next school day, and for helping them take good care of
our important friend. The students will get about six turns in all to take
him home throughout the year.
Fire Fighter Assembly
The students got to meet several fire fighters on Friday. They did a great
presentation. Perhaps the most important thing they do each year is show the
kids what they look like and how they sound (their air tank) when they come
to rescue someone inside a smoke filled building. They look PRETTY scary.
It's important for them to see that, so they won't be afraid and hide from
that "scary person" if they were in need of help.
Halloween Party Items and Help
Thank you to all of you who have offered to help with our party items and
with your time. If you haven't signed up for anything, please let Christine
Miller know if you can help. Her email is:
cmiller927@cox.net
10-4-09
Corduroy Gave Us 3 New Words
Hopefully you saw the homework page that came home on Friday. Our new
words are: in, on, my. Please continue to support your child while they
learn to read and write these high frequency words. It will help them to be
a better reader and a better writer. (We talk about that at school.
J)
Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
Please look for the permission slip in your child's folder on Monday
and return as soon as you can. I have already purchased the T-shirts.
Corduroy picked his favorite colors, green and purple, for the shirts...they
will look great!
The Character Pillar for October is Caring
During August and September, the students and I focused on the character
pillar of Responsibility. This month we will be talking a lot about what it
means to truly care for other people, and how you can show that. Any
discussions about this at home are welcome! When you see your child "caring"
for someone, or if you go out of your way to help a neighbor, point it out
and celebrate it! A major point of caring that we focus on in our classroom
is, "Doing something for someone without expecting anything in return."
MAP Testing
...is over. I will share detailed results with you at our conference time in
November. Now we get to have our regular computer time on Fridays again! I
took them last Friday. Here's what we do:
I ask each child to log on to Compass Learning. I have created a card for
them, but many found it very difficult ( I expected that) so I logged on for
them. Please, please help us out by having your child log on at home at
least twice a week so they can eventually do it without assistance. This
will give them more time on task at school.
After 15 minutes or so, I let them log out of Compass
Learning and go to the website of their choice between Starfall, Dr. Seuss,
and Sesame Street.
College Day is THIS Friday
Your child may wear a college T-shirt or hat if they have one.
Halloween Party
I will ask our room parent, Christine Miller, to begin asking for help with
our party. She and I went over the list of things we'll need. I was at
Target yesterday and saw plenty of everything (I'm sure Party City is a good
place too). I'd like to get rolling before the items are hard to find. Thank
you in advance for your help.
9-26-09
A Fall Festival Thank You
Thank you to our room parent, Christine Miller, and to all the parents
who took a turn in our USA booth. It was fun for me to see my students (old
and new!) there having such fun!
I encourage all of you to take advantage of our "after
hours" activities throughout the year. There is a Family Fitness Night
coming up, a Dad's club event (open to everyone, not just the Dad's get to
have all the fun!)...etc. These are just more ways to be part of our school,
and give the message to your child that school is a fun place!
Applesauce...YUM!
We had a great time making applesauce on Friday. We couldn't believe how
yummy our room smelled when we came back from lunch! Only 2 kids decided not
to try it (which is ALWAYS OK in our class) and 2 kids that tried it and
then decided they didn't like it. The rest of the kids gobbled it up! Thank
you for sending in the apples!
MAP (Measure of Academic Performance)
Testing
I will be taking the students to the computer lab four times this week
to do MAP testing. They have already had a "tutorial" on the test. All items
are read to them and all test items are answered by "clicking" the mouse.
The advantages of taking this test are many. Not only will
it give me information about a child's level in reading and math, but
more importantly, it breaks the information into six sub groups for each
subject. This will allow me to target specific areas of need.
Box Tops for Education
Our school gets 10¢ for each box top you send in so please be cutting
them out or ripping them off and send them in! There is a school-wide
contest (for the class that collects the most) which ends October 16th...as
you will learn, I'm not much for the "contest" part of things, there is
already so much for me to keep track of...but the box tops DO make money for
our school so I will gladly accept them and turn them in. Thank you
for your help.
Book Orders
Book orders were due on Friday, however...it was such a hectic week! If
you wanted to order books and just didn't get a chance, send the form in on
Monday and I'll order books on Monday night.
Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
Permission slips for our field trip will be coming home next Monday. I will
be asking for $13 (cash only) to cover the cost of the trip. The pumpkin
patch is $6.00, bus is $4.00, and $3.00 will go toward the tie-dye shirts
Mrs. Scioscia and I are making each of the kids. If the money is a hardship,
our wonderful PTA has a fund for families that need scholarships. All you
have to do is email me or write me a note and I will take care of it.
We are allowed to invite 9 chaperones. There will be a form on the bottom of
the permission slip to fill out if you are interested in going with us.
Siblings are not allowed on the trip. If we have more than 9 volunteers, I
will put all names in a hat and draw...that's the only fair way I know.
If your name is not drawn, you will not be able to
drive your own car and meet us there. Oma's has MRES down as a "bus" school
and as such we are not allowed to bring any cars. The limit is also in place
for the safety of all visitors. We will not be the only school there that
day and they are counting heads (I have to hand in an "attendance sheet"
when we arrive) to be sure they can safely handle the amount of children and
adults there each day. Thank you for your cooperation.
Corduroy's Clever Words
Corduroy will give us a couple of new words this week. Please watch in your
child's blue folder for the homework. They are doing great with these!
9-13-09
Writers Workshop
Last week we began Writers Workshop. We talked about "writing something
from your life." The kids seemed to grasp that concept right away and
are doing a wonderful job! Here are ways you can help at home:
* Talk, talk, talk with your child at home and help them find topics that
would make a good story. That way, when they come to school, they don't
waste precious time trying to "think" of a story. For example, if they lost
a tooth, say, "Oh! That will make a GREAT story for Writers Workshop
tomorrow!"
*If they show an interest in writing at home, encourage
them. Here are the steps we use at school: Think of a story to tell,
draw a detailed picture, write the words and/or sounds you
know. For now, random letters (pretend writing) and words with only the first
sound are absolutely fine. We want them to see themselves as writers. The
"sounding out" and known words will come in time. I do a lot of mini lessons
on these topics throughout the year. Just be a good cheerleader!
*Have a variety of paper, pencils, crayons etc. available
for them.
*Write your own story (no, I'm not kidding, and I'm only
talking about a three sentence story at first). Your child looks up to you
in a BIG way. They want to do what they see you doing! Imagine the powerful
message you'd be sending if you said, "Let's sit down and write a story.
Then, I'll read mine to you, and you can read yours to me!" From my years of
experience, parents who do this, have children who like to write.
Guided Reading
I will begin guided reading this week. Some children will begin Monday, some
Tuesday. After that, your child will be bringing home a zip-loc bag in their
blue folder every day. It is SUPER important that they bring that book bag
back to school in their blue folder each day. In it you will find:
*One book at first, then after the second time I see them, there will always
be two books.
*A white card - this is where you check if they read the book independently,
or with help, and sign your initials. Please do not write the title of
the book again. Simply add check marks each time your child reads the
book.
*A cream colored card with "cues" for you to use when they come to a word
they don't know. Please keep this card at home.
Please remember that your child should never eat or
drink things while reading their books.
Math
Math homework will begin to appear in your child's folder about 2-3 times
per week. It varies. You do not need to send the homework pages back to
school. You will sometimes see completed workbook pages in their folder too,
however there is not a workbook page for each lesson. Sometimes the lesson
involves working with manipulatives at school.
Compass Learning
I am happy to see that about 8 students have tried going on Compass
Learning. If you haven't had your child try it yet, please do. The practice
of using the mouse and following directions will help them become more
comfortable with the computer when we do MAP testing (which will not be
until the last week of September).
Super Kid
I will begin this next week. On Friday, I will choose a stick out of the box
and send the bulletin board home with our first Super Kid. When your child
brings it home, please send it back the following Monday.
Bus Evacuation Drill
Each year all students are required to participate in a bus evacuation
drill. We will be doing that on Thursday morning. Students will board a
school bus, listen to the bus driver explain the rules of riding a bus, and
practice getting out through a different door.
I just wanted to give you the heads up as many kids go home that day and
tell their parents, "I went on a bus today!"...and since you haven't signed
a permission slip, the emails begin :)
Thank you!
Thank you for sending your child to school each day in with a positive
attitude. I am enjoying getting to know all their little personalities. They
are a wonderful group of kids and I feel lucky to get to spend the day with
them!
9-6-09
Corduroy Comes Home
Beginning Tuesday, I will pick a stick out of the box and one child will
get to take Corduroy home each day. In Corduroy's backpack you will find his
journal and a book (I change out the book each time). Please have your child
write and/or draw a picture of something fun they did when Corduroy was at
their house. A few reminders:
Please~
©Have your child treat him carefully.
©Keep him safe from younger siblings that may
want to chew on him, draw on him or pull his ears!
©Do not wash him, I will take care of that.
©Feel free to play along, the kids love him and
he is very important!
©Remember he must be brought back the very next
school day.
Fall Multicultural Festival - Friday, 9/25
This is an annual event at MRES. It usually takes place in the spring,
however they are trying the fall this year. At the festival there are booths
that represent many countries in which the students may play a game, try
some art, or taste some food from that country. Classes are responsible for
running a booth.
This year our class will be representing the USA with Mrs. Scioscia's class.
Once we have more information about our booth, we will be looking for
parents to help run it. I usually make 30 min. time slots. I hope you will
be able to help out.
The other BIG event at the festival is purchasing raffle tickets for
"Teacher Experiences". These are fun activities that all teachers offer.
Your child may purchase tickets and put them inside any teachers' raffle box
that sounds like fun (of course, Kindergarten students often don't know any
other teachers except their own, but the older kids have lots of fun with
this).
My "Teacher Experience" is titled, "Banana Splits and
Board Games". Mrs. Scioscia, Corduroy, and I will treat the winners to
banana splits and play board games for about an hour or so after school one
day (we wait to pick a day that will work with the winner). I believe
tickets will also be available before school soon, I'll check on those
times/dates.
Scholastic Book Orders
Orders can be sent in any time this week, but the last day will be Friday.
Please remember to send checks only. Thank you!
First Library Day
Your child will come home with a library book on Thursday. Please be sure to
find a safe place in your house for this book until it is returned.
You can return it any time during the week, but all books will be due the
following Wednesday. This gives Mrs. Sellers a day to check the books in,
before we check more out.
Corduroy's Clever Words
He will give us two new words on Tuesday. Look for the homework in blue
folders. Be sure to sit with your child to be sure they are forming the
letters correctly. The homework does not need to be returned.
Memory Books
Please send back the yellow slip that was in the Back to School Night
packet with $10.00 if you would like a memory book for your child. If
you have any other questions about it, please feel free to email me.
Compass Learning
Don't forget to have your child try this out. Their username/password was on
the very last white sheet in the Back to School Night packet. It is a
valuable program that will help your child in school A LOT! I took a peek,
and I saw that one student has already been on five times! Please everyone,
check it out!
November Progress Reports
The week of November 16-20 all students will be getting out of school at
12:45. I will make an appointment schedule to meet with each of you when it
gets a little closer.
8-30-09
This Website
If this is your first visit to my website, please scroll and read the
news from the previous week. I will keep adding on weekly. It is extremely
important that you check this site for news and dates. Thank you.
Corduroy's Clever Words
Last week Corduroy gave us three new words to learn. Hopefully you saw the
homework with the explanation sheet attached. Please practice these words at
home. There are many ideas for practicing words in the reading section of
this site. I also keep a running list of the words he has given us there
also.
Note: You do not have to return the homework pages. You can make a
reinforcement chart at home if you wish, or just praise them and hang it on
the frige for a few days! But please sit with them so you can watch
their letter formation. It is SO important to form letters the correct way
from the beginning before bad habits begin. Thanks for your support.
Room Parent Needed!
Each class needs one or two room parents to help with various things
throughout the year. If you would be willing to be our room parent, please
let me know. There is a meeting next week.
One of the main things our room parent helps with is class parties. All my
previous room parents have found this easy as I already have them planned
and you just have to help organize them. I really cannot manage without one
so please (I'm begging!) think about helping our classroom in this way.
Backpacks
I have never used backpacks in Kindergarten before. They are something
that the kids really do not need. I thought with all day, I'd try it this
year, but it is turning out to be much more trouble than it's worth. The
exception would be our ESS friends. Other than that, if you can get your
child to leave backpacks at home, it would be one less thing for them to
have to remember.
Also, when I begin sending reading books home, they fit in
our blue folders perfectly. If the folders are bent to fit in backpacks, the
books will get damaged.
Buying Lunch at School
I sent home a "key pad" with your child's lunch number on Friday. If you
prefer to add money to an "account", your child will need to learn their
number, and practice how to punch it in. If you prefer to send money, the
cost of lunch is $2.00 and you will need to send it in a zip-loc bag with
your child's name on it.
It's a good idea for students to practice buying lunch
this week and next while I am still there during that time to help them out.
Thank You!
Thank you to all of you for helping your child to learn our line
up procedures in the morning. They doing a great job learning classroom
procedures well too! J
8-22-09
Afternoon 1:1 Time
Beginning Monday, I will be meeting with students and parents one at a
time. I am very much looking forward to our half hour together. If you have
misplaced the paper with your child's time, please ask me and I will let you
know.
During the time, you are invited to sit back and watch as
I give your child a few, short assessments in letter/sound knowledge, reading,
and some math. After that I will invite you to come over to the table and we
will discuss those, and hopefully I can answer any other questions you may
have. We are lucky to have this time since report card conferences will not
be until November this year.
To make the most of our time, you may want to be keeping a
list of questions you'd like to ask so you don't forget.
Snacks
Thank you for remembering to pack your child's snack in a separate bag.
This allows me to pass them out quickly, and not take up our class time.
Please keep the snacks small. If your child doesn't finish it, and they
bring it back, it takes too much time for us to find their lunch box and put
it away. Think in "halves"...half and apple, half an orange or a string
cheese and four crackers, or a handful of grapes. They only have 15 minutes
to eat, use the bathroom, and play!
Supplies
I will talk about some additional things our class needs at Back to School Night.
Two things I already know we need are baby wipes for kids hands, and Lysol
or Clorox disinfecting wipes for the tables (I like to wipe the tables off
every day after school). If you'd like to send some of those in, that would
be wonderful.
Email Addresses Wanted!
I use email and this website as my main form of communication. I would like
to make a distribution list for this year's parents. Please take the time to
email me so I can put your email address on the list. If you would like two
emails on the list, that is perfectly fine. Every time I update this site, I
send out an email letting you know there is new information. Thank you in
advance!
Volunteering in our Classroom
If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom this upcoming year, you will
need to get a TB Test and Megan's Law Clearance before you can come
in. They can take up to a month to complete so you will want to get started
on this. Please click on this link for more information!
Volunteer
Information
**If you are already cleared and would like to come in,
our math books need to have the pages torn out and collated. You can do this
in our village any time throughout the day. It would be a tremendous help!
At Back to School Night I will have a sign up for those of
you who would like to come in on a regular basis.
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