Yes! It is time to party!

A Little Bit About Our Week!

Can you believe that the week is almost 1/2 over? We have been very busy making a special surprise for you and learning the letter Gg and the sound it makes. The hard part about G is that its most common sound, cannot be heard when saying the letter name. Your extra help at home would be most helpful!

We will be having our Christmas party on Thursday, December 18th. There is NO Kindergarten on Friday, December 19th due to an early release day for the upper grades. This year, we will be doing a Holidays Around The World theme and be going to each Kindergarten class to learn about 3 different Holiday traditions. It will be a lot of fun!! After our centers, we will come back into our classroom to decorate Christmas cookies together! I am excited to watch the kids and see their creations! I am sure there will be some amazingly decorated cookies! If you signed up to help, please come to school with your child at the beginning of the day. If you would like to send something (Please don't feel the pressure!) for decorating cookies, we would really appreciate it! Whatever you think would be a nice topping for a cookie would be perfect! Thank you so much for donating your time and supplies to our class! Our party wouldn't be a success without you!!

Thank you for all you do and giving me the opportunity to work with your child and you! I do enjoy it!!!! I hope to see you on Thursday!!! Take care and be safe out there on those roads!!!

On ThE pOlAr ExPrEsS.....

The trip on the Polar Express was a perfect way to end our week of learning the letter Pp. It was a fun filled day with a train ride (for pretend!), cocoa, The Polar Express story, a great craft making a Santa Windsock, then a train ride back to school! I know I enjoyed the day and LOVED seeing their faces and excitement! Once again, I am in awe watching my students learn and enjoy life! What a truly wonderful day. I love my job!!!

Quick reminder.....

Tomorrow we will be having our Pajama day and taking a trip on the Polar Express to celebrate a week of learning the letter Pp! Don't forget to have your child wear their PJ's! They will still need to wear shoes but they can bring slippers to wear during class!!!! It will be a perfect time to party!!! Thanks for helping to make it a special day for us!

KiNdErGaRtEn ChRiStMaS wIsHeS!!!!

Christmas in Kindergarten is the best time of year! It is such a time of excitement and full of wonder and wishes! We hope you will enjoy reading our Christmas wishes for this year!!!

A Little Bit about Callie Cat

Callie Cat can bake a cake and cover it with candy.
Callie Cat can bake some cornbread too! Callie is so handy!
Callie Cat can back some cupcakes. Her cupcakes are so cakey.
Callie bakes some cookies too! Her cookies are so flaky!

Bet you couldn't guess what letter/alphafriend we are meeting this week?!?!?! The letter C!!! Even though Callie is an amazing cat that can cook (Sure wish she could teach me!), the best part about learning the letter C is that our favorite holiday begins with it, CHRISTMAS!! Oh Boy!!! In Kindergarten, this is the best time of year! It is so much fun to watch the kids get excited about the holidays! We even had a parent donate a real tree this year but we had to say No. I guess it is a BIG school rule and against all safety codes to have a real tree! I hated to say no but figured that I need my job and would miss the kids terribly if I couldn't stay and teach the rest of the year! Mr. Silzly was very nice and tried to make it easier on us, but we were sad! In fact, I think I had tears in my eyes but thanks to Beau and family for trying! Wouldn't it have been nice? The thought will have to do! So, when you come in, just imagine a great smelling Christmas tree in the corner where our Chicka Boom Boom Tree is. We do have some lights up and we will start Christmas projects to help our room look more festive! Come in sometime and see! Maybe we can talk you into staying a while and helping us out! We would love to have you!!! In the meantime, have fun looking for all the words that begin with the letter C. Be careful, as we learned today.....it is a tricky letter. It can sometimes be confused with the letter K!

the BIG feast!

Today was the BIG day!! No, we didn't go on a trip. No, we didn't have a test! No, we didn't met a new alphafriend. We just had a feast! Well, not "just" a feast. A feast with little Pilgrims and Native Americans and LOTS of food! What could be better in a 5 year old's life than to end a unit on the First Thanksgiving with a feast!!! And feast we did! Thanks to all the wonderful parent support and all of the items that were donated to make our feast a success! We spent the first part of the day doing "special" centers like making a sweet turkey made out of our own little hands, (Enjoy them! They will only stay that small for a little while!) we made bracelets with beads to help us remember the story, (Just ask us, we would be more than glad to share!) we finished up our Thanksgiving math games (Yea, Mrs. Ryan is so proud of us!) and we even wrote a little in our journals! We were busy!!! A great way to end the week and get ready for our own family feasts at home!

Please enjoy the time with your child! I sure do!! Once again, I am thankful for all of you! You and your child make my job look easy and are such a special part of my life! Thank you!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

TiMe To GiVe ThAnKs!!!

This past couple of weeks, we have been learning about the first Thanksgiving and how the feast was a time to give thanks for friends, family and the harvest! We have learned fun turkey songs, some songs about giving thanks and created a book to help us remember what this American tradition is for! I have enjoyed the stories being told about how each of you spend your thanksgiving! Kindergarten stories are the best!!!! However, I thought you would like to know what your child would say if given the question, "What are you really thankful for!" Enjoy! I sure did!

I am thankful for a job where I get to work with wonderful kids and their families! THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Monthly Birthday?!?!?!??!!

NOT!!! So we tried! Our school is making a very BIG effort to make sure that we are healthy and using every valuable moment of our day. I agree with this and want to follow the rules. So, out went the letter explaining having a party at the end of each month the students that had or were having a birthday. Well, first of all, let's face it! We are turning six! Birthday's in Kindergarten are one of the most important days of the year! How can we just NOT do anything on OUR special day!?!?!?!? The answer is that we can't! (Maybe it just isn't the kids, maybe it is the teacher!)
Some things just don't work out and this is one of them. Birthday's will be celebrated in a traditional manner. On the day (or close to the day) of your child's birthday, I will put their name as the "snack packer". You can send in whatever treats you would like for their birthday. (Keep in mind the healthy part of the previous statement. How about if you send cupcakes, send the tiny ones instead of the HUGE ones! See, I can compromise! Oh yea, I am sure white cake is every one's favorite-hint, hint!) We will sing our Kindergarten song and make a birthday card! It is a lot of fun and so much easier! What about summer birthday's you might ask!??! Good question. If you would like to choose a special day to celebrate for your child, please let me know. (For example, the 1/2 way mark, on a convenient day for you, etc.)
It just makes sense!

Conferences!

October 29th and 30th
I enjoyed meeting with each and everyone of you during parent/teacher conferences! You are all truly amazing people and your children bless me each and every day! Thank you for taking time out of busy schedules and lives to meet!! I understand how hard it is to fit one more thing into an already packed day but I also value your support and input! Please praise your child on their accomplishments! Everyone of them has worked very hard! We are learning and that is the most important focus!
On a personal note, thank you to the parents that offered suggestions and feedback on the evaluation! I do value you and are so glad that we are working together as a team! My strongest desire is that your child leaves Kindergarten (sniff, sniff...) with a lifelong love of learning and the attitude that they can do anything if given the opportunity! Please stay in touch! I truly appreciate you allowing me to work with your child and alongside of you!

A Day At The Pumpkin Patch!

October 2008

Thank you to all of you that came and shared our special day at the pumpkin patch!! The weather turned out wonderful and the kids had a great time!It was so hard to not be able to have a Halloween party with the kids this year! However, the pumpkin patch was awesome and we did have fun! There will be time enough for us to party later in the year!! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!!! You are wonderful!!

/b/ as in Benny Bear

October 2008
The next letter in our line of learning is Bb and along with this letter is Benny Bear! We didn't have a chance to bring our bear to school but no worries, I think I have a plan to do that at another time! Benny has a very strange song....none of us can figure that one out! I won't write it, you will just have to ask your child and see if you can understand....Good luck! I have been singing this for 4 years now and I am still lost at the end!

BiTs AnD pIeCeS aBoUt FrIdAy'S!

October 2008

Some of you have been asking about Friday's, so I thought I would take a minute to fill you in. The schedule is different on Friday for several reasons. The first is that Kindergarten gets to attend "specials". This is Library, PE and Music. The exciting part is that our class is divided up into 3 different groups and are going to the 3 different specials with the other Kindergarten classes. Clear as mud?!?!!? We have definitely had to practice this and it is getting easier each Friday!
For the remainder of our day, we do what we like to call "special" centers. Each color team stays together and moves through the 4 centers that are set up that day each 15 minutes. The four centers are focused on various math, phonics, art and theme/science/technology skills.
This being said, I wanted to brag on a very special parent teacher. Well, before I do that, I need to say thank you to all of the parents that have came in to help each week, colored things at home, worked with your child, given me special feedback and the list goes on and on! I am truly blessed by all of you and all the time, suggestions, comments and help you have given to our classroom! You are all amazing! This next paragraph is not to down play all you have done by any means at all!
However, I wanted to share about one particular parent that has helped me see things in a different way. (I told you this was a year of changes!!) We have a mom that is an art major and is truly teaching me how to incorporate art (Not just crafts, I can create a theme friendly craft project at the first sound in the word go) and teach art to Kindergarten. Your children are already color mixing (yellow and blue make green!) know about the art technique of printing and that warm colors can be used for Fall. AMAZING! The art our kids are creating is wonderful and the kids have enjoyed it so very much! Our Friday art is a mixture of creativity, true art and wonderful kid exploration. So...Thank you Amy!
Friday's have become a favorite day of mine! If you have a free morning or afternoon off, come on in! You won't be disappointed!!!

And Letter Tt Comes Next.........

October 2008

Here is Tiggy!! Just in case you have become a follower of these little alphafriends, I will include the lyrics for you to sing! Isn't Kindergarten fun? I find myself doing dishes and singing these songs, as well as other various places! My husband LOVES them! In fact, I highly recommend them for road trips! (However, Tiggy Tiger is a stand up song, so save this one for at home!)
Tiggy Tiger can tickle his nose! (Tap your nose!)
Tiggy Tiger can touch his toes! (Reach down and touch your toes two times!)
Tiggy Tiger can turn around! (Turn around once slowly and then really, really fast!)
Tiggy Tiger can touch the ground! (Touch the ground, counting one then two!)
Tiggy Tiger can tie his shoes! (Pretend to tie shoes, don't forget the bow!!!)
Tiggy Tiger can count by two's! (Shout..2,4,6,8, 10!!!)

Our Daily Schedule!

September 2008

Here is a special look into our day! Well, Monday thru Thursday at least! Hopefully this provides a springboard for you to talk about your childs day and helps you get a general idea of all we are doing! Isn't Kindergarten a lot of work!?!??!!

8:15-8:30/11:55-12:10 Brain Work
(Time for us to do journals, special theme related activities. It helps kick start our brain and get us ready for school! We also think about school rules and put our frog in the "I'm Ready" spot and sign in to show we are here to work!)

8:30-9:30/12:10-1:15 Direct Instruction
(This is an amazing time. We blend words, do letter sorts, do letter/sound chants, learn high frequency words, read special stories and learn strategies like summarize, (Yes, your child is learning this word!)predict and evaluate! The time flies by! (Shhh....we do some wiggle songs as needed!! This makes it even better!!!)

9:30-10:00/1:30-2:00 Differentiated Instruction
(Every student has Must Do's, Next Do's and choices during this time! This is also the time that allows me and Mrs. Dines to work with special groups on skills that they need and continue to guide them in their own learning!)

10:00-10:15/1:15-1:30 Recess
(We try to go outside as much as possible! It is great for our brains to get fresh air and move around. Please take note of the weather and dress your child appropraitly!)

10:15-10:30/2:00-2:15 Calendar Math
(Typical calendar skills...days of the week, counting, patterns, calendar, counting by 1's, 5's and 10's, story problems, tally's and more! We also graph the weather!)

10:30-10:45/2:15-2:30 Math Games
(See previous post!)

10:45-10:55/2:30-2:35 Snack/Clean Up/Dismissal

As you can see, our day is packed! The only exception is Friday! More to come about this special day! We didn't want to overwhelm you!!!

And here is Reggie Rooster!!!!

September 2008
Reggie has a rocket that is red!
Reggie keeps it right beside his bed!
Reggie likes to listen to Rock n Roll!
Reggie plays it on his radio!!!

We absolutely LOVE to sing Reggie's song! Not only do we get to "jam" like Rock-n-Roll stars, we learn how to sign the color red! Amazing! Yes, we can do all of that!!! Believe it or not, we are through with our first 3 alphafriends and we are doing perfect! We have learned the shape of the letter, the letter sound and how to write each of them! Way to go Kindergarteners!! You Rock!!!

MaTh GaMeS!!!!

September 2008 We have some very special math games that we play every day in school! The math games reinforce counting, number recognition, one to one correspondence and any other skill that we need to learn in Kindergarten. The best part of math games is that the kids don't even realize that they are learning as they play them! Each game is in a numbered bucket and after the game has been played, checked and put away, your child gets to color in the corresponding numbered item on their recording sheet! This year, each child gets to play with a partner! Watch for monthly recording sheets to come home to see what your child has been working on for that month! You will be surprised at the end of the year at how much we have learned!!!

Playin' In The Mud!

September 2008
Our new alphafriend this week has been Mimi Mouse! Hopefully you have had the opportunity to listen/sing this great little song about a special mouse that never makes a mess, minds her manners, sips milk and never lets mud pies stain her dress! You guessed it, we have been learning the letter Mm! Please don't think we have forgotten the letter Ss though! We still practice it daily as well!!
I have to admit, this is a favorite of mine, so if you haven't heard it...make sure you ask your little M expert to sing it for you!
Learning the letter M, just wouldn't be right without playing in a little mud ourselves! So that is just what we did! On Friday, Mrs. Ryan surprised us with a little mud!! What fun!!!

A Little Parent Chalk Talk

September 2008
A little note about my absence! Just in case you were wondering why I haven't been in school lately..... I have been asked to attend a class to learn how to use our reading series with fidelity and confidence. Even though I have hated being out of the classroom and not spending the day with your kids, I have learned so much and really have enjoyed each and every minute of it! All I have been learning is amazing and I realize some things are going to have to change, especially our daily routine. The most noticeble will be the "daily four" centers will be no longer the bulk of our day! I hate to say goodbye to something that I am used to but I can and appreciate the need for the change. As a district, we are now required to spend 60 minutes in Kinder. (Yes, I said 60 minutes (1 hour!) with whole group instruction based on phonics, reading strategies and other various reading activities. The guided instruction is a missing component of the "daily four" and will be a great place for me to assure each child is getting specific instruction to help them become successful readers. So for those of you that have worked with me before, hang on! We are going to change things up a bit!!!

Introducing Sammy Seal

September 2008
The kids met our very first alphafriend this week!! The best part of learning to read is meeting our alphafriends throughout the year and the songs that go along with them! As silly as these songs are, the kids LOVE them!!! These catchy little tunes get stuck in your head and will never leave and that is the goal! If you can remember Sammy, you can remember the sound that the letter S makes!! Let's get ready to read Kindergarten! Yipee!!!
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
When summer is the season.
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
And never need a reason!
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
In very sunny weather.
Sammy Seal salutes a seagull
As they sail together!!!

Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me! I am the Gingerbread Man!!!

Mrs. Ryan read us a story about a family that made a Gingerbread Man for a snack but when the oven door opened, the gingerbread man ran away! We were so excited because Mrs. Ryan even made us a HUGE gingerbread man for us to eat after recess. Guess what? When we got back, the gingerbread man was gone just like in the story! We looked and looked for him but couldn't find him anywhere. On our search, we found out where many things were in our school and we met a lot of people that will work with us like Mr. Andrus our PE teacher, Ms. Burr our Music teacher, Mrs. Cox and Mrs. Martinez the secretaries of our school in the office and even some of the great teachers that will be helping us in our classroom learn to read and some math skills. We learned how to walk in the halls of our school too! We searched everywhere!! The good news is when we got back and started to drink our milk, Mrs. Biery and Mr. Silzly our principals brought him back because he had been running and hurt his knee. Crazy story but at least we got our snack!!!!

A NeW yEaR

School has started and I am so excited to get to know each session of kids! Our Kindergarten Sneek Peek was an awesome opporunity to meet each of you and your children! Thanks for coming! I am hoping that it helped you relax and feel comfortable for your child's first year of school. What an exciting time!!! I can't wait! Remember that I am here for you and am available for any questions or concerns that you might have! Here is to a new year and a great group of kids!!! (And parents!)