A Short Week and a Field Trip Means Busy, Busy Children

Last week ended with the 24th day of school.  It is hard to believe we completed the fifth week of school!  We are experts at Kindergarten.  Our day goes by quickly.  We are working so hard at understanding letters and how they fit together to make words.  We are learning words turn into sentences and sentences turn into stories.  Last week, we began identifying nouns.  We are learning that a noun is a person, animal, place or thing.  Look for nouns in your world.

We have become quite good at training our ears to hear rhymes.  We also challenge ourselves to make rhymes.  Some might say we like to rhyme all the time.  To make things trickier, we are also talking about the initial (beginning) sounds of words.  Some children get confused with rhymes and beginning sounds.  Rhymes have the same middle and ending sound.  When working with the children on initial sounds, I do use the word initial and then follow it by saying the words "the beginning sound."

 Obviously, I didn't make it to the reading table last week in a timely manner. So the children took it upon themselves to begin their high frequency word practice without me.  I told you the children were experts at the way Kindergarten works.  This week we will be investigating the letters:  Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss.  The high frequency words for the week are:  the, little, a, to.  


Since this is a short week, Nancy's Italian Ice will be sold on Tuesday.  Also, if you are buying snack/juice this week, send in $4.00 instead of the usual $5.00.

We will visit the library on Thursday of this week since we missed our library day on Monday.  Send your child's library book to school on Thursday.

 We continue to work with numbers up to five.  We play a lot of games to help lay a strong mathematical foundation to build on.  We will continue to work on comparing numbers and use the terms same as, greater than, and less than.

We need a LARGE package of  regular M&M's (Costco/Sams size package) and two packages of the Jet Puffed miniature FunMallows (the small fruit flavored marshmallows of orange,strawberry,lemon and lime) if anyone would like to volunteer to help out.  Please email me so that we don't have duplicates if you are able to provide these items by next Monday.

Information will be sent home on Tuesday about a directory for our classroom.  Please send it back by Thursday so that the information can be compiled.  Please return the form even if you choose not to participate.

The big, big news for the week is our first field trip on Friday.  If you volunteered to chaperone, I will send an email out on Wednesday giving you directions to the nature center.  The field trip t-shirts will be sent home this week.  Our t-shirt is yellow.  This t-shirt is to only be worn on field trips.  I will send out an email once the t-shirts are in backpacks so you know to look out for them.

 Poetry Journals came home last Thursday so families would have extra time to read and work on learning phone numbers.  I will assess phone numbers the first week of October for report cards so keep practicing at home.  Return poetry journals on Tuesday.  I will send home poetry journals on Thursday of this week because of Friday's field trip.

We had some extra time the other day so we got out Q-tips, old cardboard boxes and some yellow paint.  Who says you need expensive art supplies? We painted some beautiful suns so that we could add some Room 114 sunshine to the hallway.   Check out the artists hard at work right here!

The Queen of Ten came to visit on the 20th of day of school.  The children were quite impressed that her favorite number is 0. She even brought a favorite zero snack to share with Room 114. Thank you for supporting the learning style of Room 114!  Contact me with any questions or concerns.

Upcoming Events:
9.15:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
9.16:  Spirit Card fundraiser ends
9.19:  Kindergarten Field Trip to Lanark (Alabama Nature Center) in Millbrook
9:20  Spirit Day (all day long) at the Great American Cookie at Eastchase
9.25:  Teacher Treat Day (K and 5th grades - host)
10.13:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
10.16:  Blount Fall Festival 

Big, Big Learning is Full Speed Ahead

Thank you for your attendance at the Cluster Meeting on Thursday.  I appreciate your support.  Room 114 will have a great year.

Our math time is busy with understanding number sense.  We ended the week with games that needed a ten frame, taking turns and keeping your eyes closed until when told.  Click on this link for  photos for ten frame fun.  Here is the link for the game that I talked about in the cluster meeting for five frames: five frame game.  Once your child is strong and automatic with five frames then move to the ten frame version: ten frame game.  I will be introducing new math vocabulary to the students of:  compare, greater, less, same number, match, more, and fewer.

We will visit the library on Monday to get a new book.  Remind your child to place the library book in his/her bookbag Sunday evening.

Our poem from last week was full of rhyming words.  Encourage rhyming at home and it is perfectly fine if your child makes up a nonsense rhyming word.  The focus is if your child can hear/understand that rhyming words have the same middle and ending sound.  Find rhyming words in the books you are reading at home.  When you are sitting at a red light, give your child a word and ask for the rhyme.  Remember that oral language development is essential at this age.  Visit your public library and look for these titles that are full of rhyming words:  children's literature with rhyming words .  Send back the poetry journal on Monday and look for it on Friday.  Our entry this week will help us learn our phone numbers.

In reading,  we will focus on recognizing the letters:  Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn.   We continue to work on I, am and add the, and little to our mix of high frequency words.  High frequency words need to be read upon sight. If flash cards don't impress/bore your child then here is a link for several multi-sensory ways to make sight word practice successful based on the learning style of your child:  sight word practice.

The first PTA meeting is this Tuesday at six.  Mugshots will be there selling hamburgers to make dinner time less stressful on you.  The discount card fundraiser ends this Thursday.  Return money and/or unsold cards.  Thank you for supporting the PTA.

Information and permission slips were passed out last Thursday for our upcoming field trip  to Lanark.  Field trip money can be sent in any day of the week.  Be sure to mark if your child will need a sack lunch from the lunchroom and/or if you are chaperoning.  Deadline to turn these items in is Tuesday, September 16.

An author/illustrator was revealed in Room 114.   A student came to school with a book she had written at home about a unicorn.  We listened and celebrated her story.  The writing foundation is starting to take shape in Room 114.  Provide a space  with tools for the blossoming writer that lives at your house.

It might be a big week in Room114...it was observed that the ten frame board on our calendar will be filled on Monday.   The children know that a filled ten frame board means a visit from the Queen of Ten.  

Contact me with any questions or concerns you have.  Remember there is no school on Monday, September 15.  Teachers have meetings so have extra fun for me!

Upcoming events:
9.9  PTA General Membership meeting at 6:00
9.11  PTA discount cards fundraiser ends
9.12:  Box Top collection day
9.15:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
9.19:  Kindergarten Field Trip to Lanark (Alabama Nature Center) in Millbrook
9.25:  Teacher Treat Day (K and 5th grades - host)
10.13:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
10.16:  Blount Fall Festival

A Classroom Full of Learning

A favorite time of our school day is Writer's Workshop.  Reading and writing go hand and hand. Last week we learned that all writing is just telling stories and talking on paper.  We practice telling stories through illustrations. We know that when people read stories, words and sentences give more information to the reader. We also know that writers like to share their stories with others.  We include all those things into our Writer's Workshop.  I will share more with you on Thursday evening at our cluster meeting but these pictures will give you a glimpse into Room 114's writing.  (click on the blue words to go to more photos)


Room 114 is experienced with lunchroom procedures.  We now welcome visitors to lunch.  Our lunch time is 10:45-11:10.  Reservations and notice are NOT required.  Just sign in at the office and meet us at the lunchroom.  Heads up:  Food from restaurants and soft drinks are NOT allowed in the lunchroom so please do not bring Happy Meals or food items of the sort.  It is common when a student sees a loved one in the middle of the day that tears may flow when it is time to say goodbye.  If this happens, give a reassuring hug/kiss, say have a great afternoon and leave quickly.  Long goodbyes just make things worse.  Generally, the tears stop immediately once the loved one is out of sight. 

In math we are counting, making and comparing numbers 0-5.  Last week we had a visual activity where the students had to examine a drawn figure, count the cubes needed to make the figure and then create it exactly as drawn on the card.  Big success and big fun for the members of Room 114.  Check out the photos from reading and making figures .  We are learning to recognize, write and read the words:  one, two, three, four and five. 

Nancy's Italian Ice will be sold on Tuesday of this week due to Monday's holiday.  If you are purchasing juice and snack from school, just send in $2.00 for each item ($4.00 for both) due to a four day week.

Send the library back to school on Tuesday.  I'm going to try and find time for the students to check out a new library book since our library day is scheduled for Mondays.

Our poetry journals came home in Friday's back pack.  We had two poems this week.  We are very thankful that Lazy Jane is not a student in Room 114.  Rather our classroom is full of hard workers!  The second poem celebrated the names in Room 114.  We will be using the names in Room 114 to teach several reading blends and digraphs so it is important we know how to read the names of our classmates.  Make sure our poetry journal is in the back pack for Tuesday's return to school.  We also learned that when we are working with one another we sit EEKK which means we sit elbow to elbow and knee to knee.   Look at these hard working students!

The students came home on Friday with homework.  Inside the backpack is a plastic bag with characters and a setting board.  We have been learning that good readers can retell a story they have heard/read.  Ask your child to pull out the puppets and retell you a story that you should be very familiar with.  Puppets are an excellent tool for imaginative play.  Research says that children with big imaginations have better problem solving skills than children that do not. Encourage imaginative play with your child. Check out the photos from retelling with puppets.

Thank you for supporting the PTA and the discount cards! Our class is doing a wonderful job supporting the fundraiser.  The final date for the spirit cards is Thursday, September 11.

Last week we had an assignment to make self portraits using only our glue, scissors and construction paper.   The children wanted to use their crayons so bad but they persevered and worked tremendously hard and succeeded.  Have an art center set up in your house and see the creations and the imagination that will emerge.  Check out the happy self portraits!

I will begin structured reading instruction and small group reading on Tuesday.  This week we focus on recognizing the letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee.   The high frequency words for the week are:  I, am.  Look in Tuesday's binder for a folded half sheet called Family Times.  This will give you more information about the week's reading instruction and ideas to do at home for reinforcement.

I'm excited to sit down with you Thursday evening and talk about the learning in Room 114.  The meeting should last about an hour.  Thank you for making it a priority in your day. 

Contact me with any questions or concerns.  See you Thursday!

Upcoming Events:
9.4:  Cluster Meeting for Room 114:  choose either 5:30 pm or 7:00 pm to attend. No children please.
9.9  PTA General Membership meeting at 6:00
9.11  PTA discount cards fundraiser ends
9.12:  Box Top collection day
9.15:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
9.19:  Kindergarten Field Trip to Lanark (Alabama Nature Center) in Millbrook
9.25:  Teacher Treat Day (K and 5th grades - host)
10.13:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
10.16:  Blount Fall Festival

Ten Days of Learning

We read a lot of books in Room 114.  It is my goal that your child leaves Room 114 with a love of reading.  We are on our way to loving books deeply.  Maybe you have heard about Mercy the pig who loves buttered toast?  Or maybe you have heard us singing the refrain from the Old Black Fly?   Or maybe you listened to your child tell you some nonfiction facts about frogs last week?   We are learning that your can look at pictures and use your imagination to "read"  the story. Tuesday by David Wiesner is a perfect example of how to read a book with your imagination.  It will be exciting to see your child's reading growth at the end of the year.

Our library day will be Monday.  For the first semester, the children will only be allowed to check out a book once a week (on Mondays.)  Keep the book at home until library day.  Remind your child on Sunday evenings to pack the library book in his/her book bag.

Our math curriculum is very hands on.  We will spend a tremendous amount of time this year understanding numbers.   Last week we played a lot of math games as I observed the children on their number knowledge.  This upcoming year, I will share lots of ideas with you on number games to play at home.  Check out this link for photos of number game learning.


I encourage all parents to return the Background Check form that went home last week.  You cannot attend field trips or volunteer in the school without an approved background check.  If you need another form, please contact me. If you turned in your form with an older sibling, please contact me to let me know that you did submit a form. 

Last week our poem was fun to act out.  We pulled out the mirrors and looked at the funny faces staring back at us.  Check out this link for mirror photos.  We also practiced finding one of our upcoming sight words  (I) and highlighting it in the poem.  Please return poetry journals on Mondays and check backpacks on Friday for our new poem.

We are doing well with our lunchroom procedures.  Give us one more week of practice before joining us for lunch.  Starting Tuesday, September 2, you may join us  for lunch any day of the week.  I will reveal our lunch time in next week's entry.  

Mondays are the day to purchase juice/snack for the week. Send 2.50 for juice.  Send $2.50 for snack.  Or send $5.00 for both.  Monday is also the day that Nancy's Italian Ice delivers a sweet treat to school for $1.00.  I do allow you to prepay if that is convenient for your family's lifestyle.

Friday was the tenth day of school.  At our cluster meeting on September 4, I will share with you how important the number ten is in our math curriculum. The number ten is a big deal in early childhood math education.  I had to step out of of the classroom for a moment on the tenth day of school and  while I was gone the Queen of Ten visited Room 114.  From what I understand she spoke with a British accent and had a wand that kept breaking.  She had a student snap a picture of her so that there was proof of her visit.  She said she would return in ten school days. Plus she left "Queen of Ten"  wands for the children to color. From what the children told me, it must have been a pretty special visit.    Check out this link for the Queen of Ten's visit .

The children are doing a fabulous job with incorporating the five life skills into our classroom.  We practice every day being patient, careful, helpful, responsible and respectful.  Our classroom is turning into a wonderful community of learners that is a happy place to work and play.  I will explain Room 114's behavior management plan at the September 4 meeting and the reason I do not send home a daily conduct sheet.  I will contact you immediately if there is a behavior situation involving your child.  Thank you for supporting the learning style of our classroom.

Thank you for supporting the school by selling the PTA discount cards.  Contact me with any questions about the fundraiser.  The fundraiser ends on September 11.

Book orders are due Wednesday.  You may order on-line with the class code of GL88R or send in payment and the order form. I will place the order Wednesday evening and the turn around time for the arrival of the books will be about 5 school days.  Book orders are optional and come home once a month.

If your child is absent from school, please send a written excuse on the day he/she returns. You have a two day grace period to send in a written excuse.  After that your name is turned into the District Attorney's office and from what I've heard...a very threatening letter is sent to your house. So to avoid the threatening letter, follow the rules and send the excuse on the day your child  returns.  I sent home a sheet last Thursday to help you gauge when your child is too sick to attend to school.

  I love this photo.  Look at the concentration on all those hard workers.  Plus look at the mess! We are learning in Room 114 that it is perfectly fine to make a mess as long as you clean it up.  We have a cool clean up song (western style)  that makes cleaning up quick and fun.  Check out this link for concentration and a mess photos.

Thank you for sharing your greatest treasure with me.  Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Upcoming Events:
8.27  Book orders due (optional)
9.1:  No school in observance of Labor Day
9.4:  Cluster Meeting for Room 114:  choose either 5:30 pm or 7:00 pm to attend. No children please.
9.9  PTA General Membership meeting at 6:00
9.11  PTA discount cards fundraiser ends
9.12:  Box Top collection day
9.15:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
9.19:  Kindergarten Field Trip to Lanark (Alabama Nature Center) in Millbrook
9.25:  Teacher Treat Day (K and 5th grades - host)
10.13:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
10.16:  Blount Fall Festival

The Learning Has Started

I'm sure the most important thing for you right now is to see the members who make up Room 114.  Click on this link to see your child's classmates. Our enrollment went up and down during the week and ended Friday afternoon with a fabulous number of 19.   I'm a very lucky teacher that I get to spend my days with these smart, funny, curious and kind children.

Monday will begin the selling of Nancy's Italian Ice for $1.00.  You may also purchase juice/snack from school.  Last Thursday I sent home a letter detailing more information about these optional purchases. Snack/juice/Italian Ice money is only collected on Mondays.  I do allow paying in advance.  If you are tardy, you cannot purchase snack/juice/Italian Ice.
 Please remember to label all money in envelopes.

Thank you for being so quick about turning in paperwork last week.  Your promptness allows me to  focus on instruction.

We are doing a great job with our lunchroom procedures.  Give us two more weeks of learning before joining us for lunch.  You are invited to join Room 114 for lunch starting Tuesday, September 2.  Thank you for packing snack in a different bag than lunch. I know that a couple of snacks were eaten as lunch last week but I think by the end of the week we were all eating lunch and snack at the right times. 

Did you find your child's poetry journal in his backpack on Friday?  The poetry journal comes home every Friday and needs to be returned every Monday.  Our poem last week was celebrating the opening of school! Look on the inside cover of the book for a letter from me on how to use the journal each weekend. The poetry journal is a fun, quick way to work on beginning reading skills and oral language development.

A big part of this week will be focusing on my behavior management system. I do not send home a daily conduct sheet.  If there is a problem, I will contact you.  I will go into further detail on Room 114's  behavior management system at the cluster meeting on Thursday, September 4.  Here is a quick snapshot to tie you over until then.  Room 114 has been  practicing the life skills of being  helpful, careful, respectful, responsible and patient.  These skills tie into my behavior plan.   To make all this life skill information "special" to the children, there is a kangaroo involved and a pocket.  Last Friday, each child got a Kangaroo and had the chance to make a habitat  "pocket" for it.  If a student is observed not being helpful, careful, respectful, responsible or patient, his/her Kangaroo leaves his habitat and comes to the safe pocket.  The safe pocket is mine.  And just like a mother kangaroo shows her joey how to act like a kangaroo, I will help that child correct his behavior and practice the appropriate life skill.  Life skills and kangaroos will make sense at the cluster meeting.

If you are looking for age appropriate chores to help your child become more responsible at home, check out this link:  chores for kids

Each day I draw a name from a jar for the class to learn more about.  We count the letters and syllables (the beats) in the chosen name.  We find out the age and favorite color of the person.  We also write down the person's name on a sentence strip and cut it apart.  Volunteers have to rebuild the name with the correct spelling.  Then we do "Happy Talk" for that person.  Happy Talk is where we write down three things about the chosen person that makes us happy.  Then everyone in the class has a chance to write his/her name on the chart.  This writing lesson is teaching us left to right directionality, concepts of print, the beginning use of pronouns, finger spacing, punctuation and many more concepts to help us become beginning writers.   But more importantly we are learning information about our new friends.  Room 114 is a busy, busy place.  




Our classroom can tend to be on the cooler side. The controls for our classroom's temperature is handled off site.  You may want to send a sweater or a sweatshirt for your child to keep in the classroom.  As stated in the Blount Handbook, any sweaters/sweatshirts worn inside the classroom must be a solid red, navy or white.   I do not allow team sweatshirts or other colored sweaters.  Your child can wear those kind of clothes to school and on the playground but not in the classroom.  It is a good idea to label all clothing/lunch boxes/water bottles sent to school so that the correct owner can be located if anything comes up missing.  

We began to classify books by nonfiction (true story) and fiction (make believe.)  We also learned about characters and the setting of stories.  We also know that picture books have authors and illustrators.  We can identify the title, the front cover and the back cover of a book.  Include some of our new knowledge/vocabulary into your family's daily reading time.  This is a link for more literature learning photos.   

I encourage you to join the Blount PTA for $10.00 per membership.  The Blount PTA does an excellent job of supporting the needs of the school.  I also encourage you to volunteer with them.  They can use as many hours (a few or a lot) that you have available.  A major reason our school is so successful is the parental support that is given to it.  Thank you for your support.

The PTA is having a spirit night at Mugshots restaurant starting at 5:00 on Monday.  Eating out for dinner sounds like a wonderful way to  end a Monday.  My family will be there around 5:30 pm.  The PTA schedules a spirit night usually once a month.  Don't forget to turn in your receipt in the Blount box so that our school can get a percentage of your total.

In Thursday's binder, you will find Scholastic book orders.  Book orders are sent home once a month.   The link to ordering on-line is found on the right sidebar.  Our class code is GL88R.  If you are returning the forms and paying by check (made payable to Scholastic) please return by Wednesday, August 27.  Book orders are optional. 

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.  Hope to see you at Mugshots for Blount Spirit Night.

Upcoming Events:
8.18  Spirit Night at Mugshots Restaurant beginning at 5:00
8.27  Book orders due (optional)
9.1:  No school in observance of Labor Day
9.4:  Cluster Meeting for Room 114:  choose either 5:30 pm or 7:00 pm to attend. No children please.
9.9  PTA General Membership meeting at 6:00
9.12:  Box Top collection day
9.15:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
9.25:  Teacher Treat Day (K and 5th grades - host)
10.13:  No school for students.  It is a teacher in-service day.
10.16:  Blount Fall Festival

Let the Fun Begin!

The classroom is ready and waiting for your child. Monday begins the wonderful world of Room 114.  It is one of my favorite places in the world.  We are going to have a fantastic time working and playing together.

Did you notice on Tuesday night how the walls of the classroom were mostly bare?  I've been waiting for the children to come so that Room 114 will become their classroom.  Just wait and watch as the magic of learning turns our classroom walls into a very happy, safe and hard working space.

You have given me an extraordinary gift by allowing me to be your child's teacher.  I will work long and hard to make my instruction worthy of your child,  This is going to be a long post so get comfortable.  I promise that the posts will become shorter as the year progresses.


School begins on Monday, August 11.  The school day is from 8:10-3:10.

Monday morning you are invited to  walk your child down to our classroom.  Take the pictures you need for your scrapbook/facebook/grandma.  Give a happy kiss goodbye and then quickly/quietly leave.  I can promise you that I will take very good care of your child.  Visit the library for Boo Hoo/Woo Hoo.  Meet the parents of the PTA and enjoy some coffee (and tissues if needed).  They are a wonderful group of parents that support our school tremendously.  They always need help:  whether you have a lot or a little time to spare!  After Monday, you will drop your child off at the front door of the school.  Don't worry, we have teachers on duty to help anyone who needs assistance finding the classroom.

After the first day of school,children can be dropped off  beginning at 7:30.  They will stay in the lunchroom (sitting quietly) until 7:50 when they can enter the classrooms. The tardy bell rings at 8:10.

For this week only, please send a juice and snack from home. Please send snack in a separate labeled bag  than the lunch box.  If you would like to purchase juice/snack from the school, I will begin collecting juice/snack money on Monday, August 18.  I will send a note home on Thursday giving details about purchasing juice, snack and Italian Ice at school.

You will receive a large packet of information on Monday.  These are important papers that need to be filled out. Please return the required information as soon as possible so that I can focus on instruction instead of paperwork.  I know it is a lot of paperwork but please fill everything out with neat and readable handwriting.

On Tuesday, I will send home an information sheet about your child.  Since you  are your child's first (and most important) teacher, I take the information you give me very seriously.  Please use this opportunity to let me know all about your child so that I can meet his/her needs.  Don't forget to fill out the backside of the sheet.

Your child has been assigned a lunch number.  I will send it home on a slip of paper located in the money pouch inside the white binder on Monday.  Don't stress about learning the number by Tuesday.  Just practice it.  Even if your child will be bringing a lunch from home, still learn the lunch number because it will be used for computer purposes.

Look in Monday's take home binder for a reading log. It will be behind the money pouch in a page protector  MPS requires every student to read (or be read to) for 20 minutes five nights a week.  (At the McDevitt house, we read at least 20 minutes a night SEVEN nights a week.)  Use the reading log daily and  initial that reading is being done at your house.  Keep the  reading log inside the binder.

Please wait until after Labor Day to join us for lunch.  It takes us about three weeks to learn the routines.  Remember to label all containers and lunch boxes.  Breakfast is served starting at 7:30. This year there is no cost for breakfast or lunch. 

Please label ALL money in separate envelopes. 

Remember to have PATIENCE for carpool for the first couple of weeks.  It does take a while at the beginning but I can promise you that it gets better. To make things go a little bit quicker, make a sign with your child's first and last name and my name.  Place the sign in the driver's side window.   Just remember PATIENCE!  Please return your child's transportation hat each day this week.

In Friday's book bag, you will find a composition notebook that is labeled Poetry Journal.  This will come home every Friday.  On the inside cover, I have written a note as to how to use the Poetry Journal with your child.  Please return the Poetry Journal every Monday.  Poems are a fun, quick way to improve reading skills.

On Fridays only, the children may wear jeans and their Blount spirit wear.  The only day you can wear the Blount t-shirt is on Fridays.  Blount spirit wear can be purchased through the PTA.  If you  do not have a Blount t-shirt, then you can still wear jeans and a regular uniform top.

I do NOT send home a daily conduct sheet.  I will explain my philosophy of classroom discipline at our cluster meeting on September 4.  If there is ever a problem I will contact you immediately.

Often times at the beginning of the year, emails are sent to my spam folder due to the strong filter of the MPS email program.  I check my spam folder daily and will unblock your email address in case it is sent to my spam folder.  I try to be prompt in returning emails.  If you have not heard a response from me within 8 hours, then please resend the email.  

Look to the right of the blog and you will see Shelfari.  Our class will be exposed to many excellent books.  I will post three of our favorite books from the week on the Shelfari so that you can know  some of the good books we enjoying in the classroom. 

Kindergarten is a LONG day.  Do not become anxious if your child does not immediately talk about his/her school day.  Be patient and let your child unwind.  Dinner time or bed time is common for conversations to begin to emerge. Just be encouraging, loving and patient.

I do allow the children to have a water bottle at their seat.  I prefer the water bottles that have a spout to prevent any spills in case one turns over.  Please label your child's water bottle.  Only send water in a water bottle...no juice, tea or anything other than water.

Thank you so much for sharing your greatest treasure with me.  I know it is difficult to turn your child over to another person for seven hours a day.  But I know that Kindergarten is a very joyous place and your child is going to love learning and love school.  Thank you for supporting Room 114 and Blount Elementary.  Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Upcoming events:
8.11:  First Day of School and Boo Hoo/Woo Hoo in the library at 8:10

8.15:  Turn in money for Scholastic News, Creative Hands and Kindergarten Field trip t-shirts

Kindergarten Meet the Teacher

Tuesday, August 5 at 6:00 is the time for Blount Kindergarten students to come to school and meet the teacher.  You can drop off supplies and investigate the classroom.   We will will have a general meeting in the lunchroom with the other Kindergarten teachers to discuss procedures to get through the first week of school.  It is going to be a great year!