Let's Celebrate Reading!

Happy Read Across  America Week!  We will be celebrating books all week long and ending the week with our Character Book Parade on Friday morning.  There was a handout in Friday's binder detailing the week's events that needed assistance from home.  The sign for Friday's parade is simple.  Write it on a piece of paper/poster board and attach a ribbon  to be worn around the neck or attach it to a ruler/stick to carry it.  Hope to see you  in the audience on Friday morning or in our classroom reading a book to the children on Wednesday.  Please contact me if you want to read to the class so that we can find a convenient time. 

Just thinking ahead, on Thursday, May 16 there is a Kindergarten End of the Year celebration at 9:00 am.  After the grade level program, we will return to Room 115 and continue celebrating.  The children will have a special surprise for you.  Please send five dollars to cover the cost of supplies for this surprise by Monday, March 4.  Label the money or check (payable to Blount) as May Surprise.

Did you check your child's mental images in last week's poem? We talk that good readers change their thinking as they read deeper into a story.  I love to watch the students pull their journals out and find a quiet spot and reread their favorites poems.  Please make sure poetry journals are returned on Monday.


In reading, we will be investigating the letter Ff as in "flower in the field."  Word wall words are:  his, it, this, will, went. This week's word wall words will not be on the word wall word assessment next Wednesday, March 6.

In math we are working with counting large numbers.  We have fun songs that get us moving and dancing as we count to 100.  On Monday, I will put a 100's chart in the clear view window on the back of the take home binder to assist learning at home.  Pay extra close attention to those numbers that are difficult in thinking what comes next...19(20), 29(30), 39(40)...  up to 99(100).  February calendars  will come home on Thursday.

We are working hard in learning the coin names and the respective values. Give us a handful of coins and have us identify the names of each coin and the value.  You can give your child a handful pennies to practice counting by ones.  Or a handful of nickels to practice counting by fives.   Or a handful of dimes to practice counting by tens.  Do not mix the coins because until your child understands the concept of skip counting, you will just get frustrated.  I also encourage you to use real coins and bypass plastic coins. 


Monday is library day and Nancy's Italian Ice for $1.00.  Mixed Bag orders are due this Friday.

Mrs. Green skated around the school on Friday to thank the students for participating in the Just Give campaign.   She was a big hit. One of our classmates said when she saw Mrs. Green, "Awwww....look!  Mrs. Green turned into a princess."  We are blessed to have Mrs.Green leading our school.

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, February 26: bring a blanket and a soft, furry friend for our thirty minute of Drop Everything and Read

Wednesday, February 27:  volunteers can read to Room 115 (contact me)

Thursday, February 28:  Silly Hat Day in honor of Dr. Suess

Friday, March 1:  Mixed Bag orders due

Friday, March 1:  Blount Character Book Parade at 9:30 am

Wednesday, March 6:  Room 115's assessment of Word Wall Words

Thursday,  May 16:  Kindergarten end of the year celebration  @ 9:00 AM followed by a celebration of Room 115.

How fun to have moms and grandmas come to school early in the morning and enjoy a sweet treat.  I apologize if I missed snapping a photo of you.  Dads will get their turns in April.





Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Upcoming Week...Nothing but Normal

After several busy weeks of the 100th Day of School, a pirate concert and Valentine's Day, it is nice to have a week of nothing but normal.  We will spend this week quietly working hard at our learning.  We pick up with American Educuation Week next week so I'm going to squeeze every bit of normal I can out of this week.

Don't forget that Moms (or substitutes for Moms) can come this Tuesday or Wednesday morning (7:30 AM-8:00 AM) for a yummy breakfast treat (free - compliments of the PTA).  

Last week, we took time to decorate our very important mailbox.  I think kids get more excited about the Valentine's Day party at school than our Christmas party.  It is all because of that mail.  All that mail just for them.  As the students were working so hard on their mailboxes, it looked like we had an explosion of hearts in Room 115.  Fun, fun times!

After counting down the days until Valentine's Day, our party finally arrived.  Thank you to all the families of Room 115 for providing for the party.  The children had a wonderful time. Special thanks goes out to our room mothers for organizing the event.  The children have no idea how loved they are.  Check out the fun for yourself.

This week is a review week for our alphabet letters.  The word wall words are:  on, sit, at, that, yes.  On Wednesday, March 6, I will assess all word wall words for the entire school year.  The word wall words for the weeks of February 25 and March 4 will be assessed in the fourth nine weeks.  

In math this week, we will finish up numbers to 19.  We will begin investigating, representing, counting and writing 20 and beyond.  We continue to work on addition and subtraction daily.

During calendar time and poetry journal  time, we have been talking about money.  Last week we introduced nickels and this week it will be dimes.  Nickels help us to count by fives and dimes by tens.  This week hand us a handful of pennies, nickels and dimes and ask us to tell you the name of the coin and the value.  

This Friday be sure to check out our poetry journal. You will find a  special poem that demonstrates how the thinking of good readers change as they read text.  You will enjoy observing the thinking of your child.  The students are doing an excellent job of learning how to decode words but being a life long reader means you comprehend the text you are decoding.  

We have three students who joined the five point AR club with several sure to join it this week.  The students can test any day of the week now.  Please make sure there is a ticket or a written note saying that your child is ready to test.  I expect at least one AR test to be taken each week.  

Book orders come home on Monday with a due date of Friday.  If you wish to order on-line, our class activation code is GL88R.  You may also pay by check.  Book orders are optional.

Nancy's Italian Ice is Monday for $1.00.  There is a spirit night at Mugshots this Tuesday.  

Since the PTA did not reach their "Just Give" Goal, there will be a Mixed Bag Fundraiser coming home this week. Check out their products Mixed Bag Fundraiser for classroom computers  .  I have purchased several of these bags in the past and find them useful, colorful and durable.  Look for information about this fundraiser to come home this week.  Thank you for supporting our school.

Upcoming dates:

Tuesday, February 19:  Spirit Night at Mugshots
Friday, February 22:  Book orders due (optional)

Wednesday, February 27:  volunteers can read to Room 115 (contact me)

Thursday, February 28:  Silly Hat Day in honor of Dr. Suess

Friday, March 1:  Blount Character Book Parade at 9:30 AM 
Wednesday, March 6:  Room 115's assessment of Word Wall Words

Thursday,  May 16:  Kindergarten end of the year celebration  @ 9:00 AM

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Fun...Fun...Fun!!

Last week was full of learning and fun!  There are so many things I want to expose the children to during the day but my hands are tied to the fast pacing of our curriculum.  I'm so thankful for the volunteers of Room 115 who come in regularly and work with the children on extra things.  I appreciate all of you more than you will ever know.  If your schedule allows, I would love for you to help. Just contact me.  Look at the learning taking place in the hall last week.  I love these photos and wish I could have heard their conversations.  But thankful for Mrs. D who encouraged the budding scientists and was patient with their investigating.  I know I'm the luckiest teacher in the building with the the parental support you give to Room 115.

The Valentine's Day party is the big news this week.  Join us on Thursday at 1:30 pm.  In case you want to help decorate, please come at 1:10.  We will follow the same checkout procedures that we had in December.

1.  Before the party begins, there will be a table set up for check outs in front of the office.  Once you fill out the necessary paperwork, you will be given a slip of paper to hand me.  This paper allows me to release your child at the end of the party.
2.  Be sure to hand me the slip of paper once you enter the classroom.  If I do not have the slip of paper then you must go to the office at the end of the party and check your child out.
3.  I will not release your child without the slip of paper from the office!

You can send in Valentines any day this week. To protect little hearts, please double check to make sure there is a Valentine for every member of Room 115.

Don't forget that Friday is our final early release day.  Blount will dismiss at 1:10 pm on Friday, February 15.  Please make arrangements for your child.  There is school on Monday.  Monday is NOT a school holiday.

This week in reading we will be working with the letter "Bb" as in "bee on the beach."  The word wall words are:  big, run, what, my, by

We continue to work with the numbers in the teens.  You can reinforce at home by asking your child what 10+1, 10+2, 10+3, etc... equals.  Or you can flip flop it and ask  "What is 10+3?" 

This week we will be talking about nickels.  Nickels will be the poem in the poetry journal.  This month we are working on identifying the coins and naming the value.

February 25-March is American Education Week.  The theme this year is "Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat."  We will celebrate education and literacy each day that week.  

On Wednesday, February 27, readers can come to the class and read a book.  Let me know what time works for you and I will try to work around your schedule.  

Thursday, February 28 is wear a silly hat to school in honor of Dr. Suess.

Friday, March 1 is the Blount Character Book Parade at 9:30 a.m.  Students will need to dress up as their favorite character from a book and carry a sign (small one with the name of the character and book.)  Parents are invited to attend the parade. My editorial:  Unless your child truly adores a Disney  Princess book or something of the sort, do not use this parade as a time to wear Halloween costumes.  Rather use your child's favorite book and create a costume that goes along with it.  The focus is on literature and not mass produced characters that come from movies or television shows. 

What a fine bunch of pirates invaded Room115 last week!  They had fun and thanks to the parents for making sure we stayed together.  These pirates make me smile.  

Upcoming dates:

Thursday, February 14:  Valentine's Day Party from 1:30-2:15 PM
Friday, February 15:  early dismissal at 1:10 PM

Wednesday, February 27:  volunteers can read to Room 115 (contact me)

Thursday, February 28:  Silly Hat Day in honor of Dr. Suess

Friday, March 1:  Blount Character Book Parade at 9:30 AM 

Thursday,  May 16:  Kindergarten end of the year celebration  @ 9:00 AM

Contact me with any questions or concerns you have.

Celebrating February

(Ooops!  I accidentally deleted the post I did earlier today.  Some lessons are learned the hard way.  I'm going to try and recreate the accidentally deleted post.  If you are looking for the entry I wrote earlier today, I hope you like the new version.)

A new month means celebrations for Room 115.  We have four birthdays, a Valentine's Day party and a field trip this month.  But the most important celebration is a new friend for Room 115.  Our new friend loves the color purple, toast, and dragons.  We are so lucky that we get to work with her every day.  We are now up to 10 boys and 11 girls. 

Our field trip to the Stephen Fite concert is this Wednesday.  We will be away from the building from 9:00-11:45 AM.  Dress your child in the yellow field trip t-shirt.  Your child may also wear pirate clothes, just don't bring swords or cover up the field trip t-shirt.  Instructions for the chaperones went home last Thursday.

This week in reading we will be discussing the other sound the letter Ee can make as in "Ed in the engine."  The word wall words are:  a, too, but, can, like.

In math, we continue to work on numbers up to 19 and practice adding and subtracting.  In our calendar notebook, we are learning about odd and even numbers.


On Monday, I will send home a list of the students' names for Valentines.  If you choose to send Valentines, please make one for every member of our class.  More information will come home soon about our party.  Please join us on February 14 from 1:30-2:15 PM.

The ground hog did not see his shadow so that means an early spring.  We had fun learning and celebrating ground hogs last week.



Our poetry journal for the next four weeks will have poems centered around money.  It is important by the end of Kindergarten your child can identify and accurately recall the value of each coin. This week, we will investigate the penny.  By Friday, we should be able to tell you what you can see if you take a close look at the penny.

Monday is library day.  Also send $1.00 if you want an Italian Ice from Nancy's.

Join the PTA for the Blount Multicultural Night this Monday, February 4.  Enjoy a taste of traditional dishes from around the world.  The event begins at 6:00 PM.

We were all present for class picture day.  What a special picture that will be.  Kindergarten is half over.  Enjoy these recent pictures from last Friday.  We have changed so much physically, socially, emotionally and academically since August.   Enjoy the next few months.   There will not be a grade quite like Kindergarten ever again.

 

Upcoming dates to remember:
Monday,  February 4:  Blount Multicultural Night/ PTA Meeting at 6:00 PM
Wednesday, February 6:  Stephen Fite concert field trip (wear yellow field tript-shirts)
Thursday, February 14:  Valentine's Day Party from 1:30-2:15 PM
Friday, February 15:  early dismissal at 1:10 PM
Thursday,  May 16:  Kindergarten end of the year celebration  @ 9:00 AM

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.  Thank you for loving Room 115.