Read Across America

For four days we were a class of eighteen students.  Here is a picture of Room 115 with eighteen children.  I'm very lucky that I get to spend my days with such fabulous people!  Now we are back down to seventeen.

This is a very busy week.  There is a lot of information in today's post so read carefully.

In reading this week, we will be investigating the letter "Ff" as in flower in the field.  The word wall words are it, this, will, went.

I will begin report card testing this week so reading groups will be abbreviated.  Please check folders each night for homework.  There may be a night(s) where there will be no homework for reading.   I will begin word wall assessment on Wednesday, March 2.

In math we are learning about money, telling time to the hour and number sense.  Our February calendar pages will come home Tuesday.  In our calendar notebook for March we will be adding an addition page. 

Poetry Journals did not go home last week.  Look for them on Friday.

Classroom Needs:  This is the first year I've ever run low on tissues.  Please pick up a box next time you are shopping.  Also, cap erasers would be appreciated.  Thank you for supporting our classroom.

PTA Meeting on Tuesday!  The multi-cultural festival and PTA meeting is this Tuesday night at 6:00.  There will be over 12 countries represented with food, decorations, and dress.  The festival and food will start at 6:00.  The teacher with the highest % of parents and students in attendance will will win a $50 gift card to Walmart. So please get there on time and be sure to sign our class list.  The meeting will adjourn no later than 7:00.

Cookie Dough delivery:  Parents who ordered cookie dough can pick up their order on the cafeteria stage on Wednesday, March 2 from 2;00-5:30.  If this time is not convenient for you , please email me and I will tell you who to contact. 

Spirit Night at Baumhower's:   If you need help with Monday's dinner, then please join us at Baumhower's on the Eastern Blvd.  Be sure to tell them you are from Blount.  Thanks for supporting our school. 

Read Across America:   This week we will have fun celebrating reading.  (Actually we celebrate reading every day all day long but this is school wide!)  A handout went home on Friday with detailed information.  Here is a quick reminder:
Tuesday:  bring blanket/towel and a stuffed friend for DEAR time (Drop Everything and Read).
Wednesday:  Volunteers can read to the class.  Email me so I can schedule you during the day.
Thursday:  CHARACTER BOOK PARADE at 9:30!!  Come dressed as your favorite character from a book.  If you are having problems with how to make a sign:  you can carry a sign on a ruler or tie ribbon around a piece of cardboard with the name of the character and book title.  Every child will participate in the parade, even those who come not in costume!
Friday:  We will be making Green Eggs and Ham.  Check the handout if you are able to donate ingredients/supplies.

Tremendous fun at the bowling alley.  Thanks to all the parents who helped out.  I think our class was the best behaved but then I'm partial!  Check out the smiles!



Email me with any questions or concerns!

We Have a New Friend!!!

We had a fabulous Valentine's Day party.  The best part was opening all that mail!!! 

This is a short week for juice and snack.  Send in $2.00 per item.

There is no letter study this week.  Word wall words are:  on, sit, at, that, yes.  We are going to be spending a lot of time this week working on those "tricky" word wall words.  Please check our folder each night for a half sheet of paper that will document the words we worked on for that day.  I will be assessing all word wall words starting next Wednesday.

In math we are working on telling time to the hour.  We are also learning to identify the name and value of coins.  We are very good at quarters and pennies.  This week we will solidify the nickels and dimes.  Since society uses debit/credit cards for the majority of transactions, it is even more important that your child learn to count money.  Right now all we are doing is focusing on the coins and knowing their name.  Take out some coins and ask your child to name the coin and the value.

Don't forget that Muffins for Moms is this Wednesday and Thursday depending on the first letter of your last name.  Please stop by the classroom after enjoying a muffin so that I can take a picture of you and your child.

Important Information for Read Across America Week:
On Tuesday, March 1:  We will have 30 minutes for D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything and Read).  Your child may bring a small blanket/towel to lie on and a stuffed animal to read to.

On Wednesday, March 2:  Volunteers can come and read to our class.  I will try my best to work around your schedule.  Please email me if you are interested in reading to the class on this day.

On Thursday, March 3:  Character Parade begins at 9:30 am.  Your child will need a sign with character name and book.   Parents are invited to attend the parade.  The parade starts promptly at 9:30 so be aware of the time it takes to sign in at the office on crowded days!  I will send more information about the parade
 this week. 

Project Groundhog update:  Last week we reported our second week of data.  The average temperature two weeks ago was 48 degrees with three sunny days and two cloudy days.  We turn in last week's data this week.  We were very excited to see the temperature so warm because maybe that means the groundhog is correct that spring will arrive early.

Be sure to wear the yellow FIELD TRIP t-shirts on Friday for our trip to the bowling alley.

 The best news is we have a new student!  We are so excited to welcome a new member into the world of Room 115.

However the bad news is that we are losing a student this week due to a move to Korea.  We are going to miss "J" so much.  Our class is not going to be the same without you!  However, there is a very lucky teacher in Korea that will get to work and play with you every day!

Have a fantastic week!  Email me with any concerns or questions!

Hearts, Hearts, and More Hearts

We have been very busy getting everything ready for our Valentine's Day party.  The mailboxes have been decorated, we've learned to cut hearts and the party food has started to arrive.  Please join us on Monday from 1:30-2:15 as we celebrate the sweet friendships of Room 115.  If you are going to check your child out after the party, please follow the procedures from the Christmas party.  I must have a slip of paper from the office before releasing your child.  

There will be no reading homework on Monday.

This week we are studying the letter "Bb" as in bee at the beach.  The word wall words are big, run, what, my, by.  I will be assessing all the word wall words from the beginning of the school year on Wednesday, March 2.  This week's word wall words will be the final ones for this grading period.

Important notice:  The school will be celebrating Read Across American Week on Feb. 28-March 4th.  We will have a school wide character book parade on Thursday, March 3.  Begin thinking of a character from your child's favorite book to dress up as.  We will parade around the school and parents are invited to attend.  It is a very precious parade.  I do not have a definite time for the parade but I wanted to give you plenty of notice to create the perfect costume.

Project Groundhog update:  We continue to record the daily high and low temperature for this North American project.  For the first week of recording we had an average temperature of 48 degrees with three cloudy days and two rainy days.  We noticed a pattern of warming temperatures but our theory of spring arriving soon was diminished by last Thursday and Friday's cold weather.   

Be sure to send in your RSVP for Muffins for Moms.  The RSVP was found on the front page of the Blount newsletter for February.  Only one RSVP is needed per family.  Muffins for Moms is Wednesday, February 23 and Thursday, February 24. 

I will be assessing all phone numbers this Friday.  Last week's poetry journal was a reminder to help your child learn his/her phone number.  A check on addresses will be Friday, February 25. 

No school on Monday, February 21 in honor of  President's Day. 

February is a Very Busy Month

 We quickly discovered that February is a very busy month full of important and fun days. 

We were very excited to research Groundhog's Day. The photo to the left is from Groundhog's Day when we went outside and searched for our shadows.   We are participating with classrooms from Canada and the United States in the Groundhog Project.  We are keeping track of the hi/low temperatures and the type of weather in our hometown for the next six weeks to determine if the Groundhog is a reliable source in weather forecasting.  We turn in a weekly report on-line to monitor data across North America.  We had to name an imaginary groundhog for our classroom.  After much thought and a class vote, our groundhog is named G-Force.  Recording the temperature is an excellent math skill as we decide what group of tens a number is between.  For example if the temperature is 32 degrees, we know that is greater than 30 but less than 40.  We also like working on-line to view the 7 day forecast.  To make a connection with Groundhog Day, we took time to make shadow hand puppets.  The dog and butterfly were class favorites. 

We will be discussing the second sound of Ee this week as in "Ed in the engine".  The word wall words are:  a, too, but, can, like.  

I'm sending home a book order on Monday.  Please send in payment by Friday.  If you choose to order on-line, our class activation code is GL88R.  Book orders are optional.

Thursday is spring picture day.  Uniforms do not need to be worn but clothing must adhere to MPS guidelines.

Other dates to remember:

• Tuesday is library day and a volunteer assisting me with AR.  Be prepared to test.

• Thursday is the deadline for field trip money.

• Friday:  check backpacks for poetry journal

• There will be no school on Monday, February 21 in honor of Presidents' Day.

Please return the Valentine's Day Party response sheet if you can help provide sweet treats for our party next Monday.  Please let me know if you need another class list.  If you exchange Valentines, please make sure there is a Valentine for each child in our class.  Valentines are an excellent way to work on handwriting skills.  Have your child write the classmate's name on the Valentine and who it is from.  You may send completed Valentines to school anytime between now and Feb. 14.  Our party will be on the 14th from 1:30-2:15.  Please join us if your schedule allows.

The writing center is a very busy place. I let the children share their writings during snack time.  The following slideshow is a sample of the stories shared on Thursday.  The topics ranged from hearts, party, Star Wars, a princess, President's Day and more hearts.  It is very exciting to see writers in action.

A Regular Week

Last week was our first five day week in January.  It was a busy week as we celebrated two birthdays and the 100th day of school.  Be sure to scroll down and check out the photos from the 100th day of school.  This week is a regular week full of learning and hard work.

Cookie Dough orders are due on Monday,
Tuesday is the rezoning meeting at Carr Junior High from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm.  If you have questions about rezoning please go to the MPS website.

In reading we are discussing the letter "Yy" as in "yak in the yard."  The word wall words are:  is, his, an, into, and. 

We begin a new month on Tuesday and that means new calendar pages are being added.  In February we will be talking about money everyday and recording the temperature.  Ways to help at home is to use real coins and help your child learn the names of the coins and their value.  Look for January calendar pages on Wednesday.

Accelerated Reader was very popular last week. Please be prepared to test on Tuesday when I have a volunteer available to help me get each child tested.  A test can be taken only once on a book.  Your child's book history will follow him/her to first grade if they return to Blount next year.   Please email me if you have any questions about AR. 

We continue to learn about telling time.  We are working on telling time to the hour.  Telling time also includes any passage of time:  yesterday, today, tomorrow, the days of the week, the seasons of the year, how long it takes to do things.

Poetry journals will come home on Friday.  We have quite the collection of poems.  Thanks for taking the time to read the poems to us or listen to us read them to you.

Our Valentine's Day party will be Monday, Feburary 14 from 1:30-2:15.  More information will be coming soon.

Information about Feburary's field trip will come home on Monday.  Check folders! 

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

We're 100 Days Smarter

We had a terrific day celebrating the 100th day of Kindergarten.  We did everything the 100 way all day long. Around 1:00 one of  the students commented, "I wish this day would never end!"  Enjoy a glimpse of our day!

The Big Day is Approaching

We are getting ready to celebrate the 100th day of school on Wednesday.  Refer to the handout in Friday's money pouch about dressing your child up as a 100 year old man or woman.  Uniforms do not have to be worn on Wednesday.  We still need items for a special activity on the 1000th day of school.  Refer back to last week's post to see the check list.  100 days has gone by quickly!


We start Accelerated Reader this week.  I will have a volunteer at school every Tuesday morning for the next six weeks to assist the children in taking an AR test.  I expect everyone to take a test this Tuesday on his/her library book.  Please have a ticket taped to the library book telling us that  your child is ready to test.  In Monday's folder you will see a bright orange piece of paper.  This gives you the directions to sign up on-line to be notified every time your child takes an AR test.  You will be able to see your child's score on the test immediately upon testing.  It is a very nice feature but YOU have to sign up for it.  On the other days of the week, I will help your child take an AR test before school or during snack time.  Remember I must have a ticket/note from a parent telling me your child is ready to test.  Please let me know if you have any questions about AR.


This week we are investigating the letter "Vv" as in "violin in the van."  The word wall words are:  jump, did, where, there, our.


In math we are beginning to tell time.  We will be focusing on identifying the minute hand and the hour hand.  We will also be telling time to the hour:  example, 8:00, 3:00, 7:00.  Also, we are working on knowing the difference between a penny and a nickle.

I always write a note as to the reason if your child goes home on a color other than green.  There have been a few cases lately of yellow green being used on the discipline chart.  Please know that if I don't write a comment then yellow-green is as good as a green!

Poetry notebooks are coming home on Friday!  Be sure to read this week's poem!  It is a fantastic poem to conclude this fun week! Please make sure poetry notebooks are returned on Monday.


Checklist of upcoming events:
Tuesday, January 25:  Blount Night at Jason's Deli
Wednesday, January 26:  100th day of school
Friday, January 28:  send in one adult size shoebox
Monday, January 31:  cookie dough orders are due

We are very disappointed that we may not play in snow or wear big heavy clothes.  However, we do know how to use coffee filters  and scissors and make a blizzard appear in our classroom.  Enjoy the wishes of snowflakes!



Email me with any questions or concerns you may have!