Goodbye April

We started last week off wearing purple to honor the families of our military!  A big THANK YOU to these special children and their parents who sacrifice family time for our nation's freedom. 

Another special event from last week was Field Day.  Coach Grant did a fabulous job making sure the morning went smoothly and full of fun!  Thanks to our great cheering section and the parents that volunteered at the different stations. 


We will be needing those yellow t-shirts again on Wednesday of this week as we go to the zoo.  Your price for this field trip included lunch so no need for backpacks or lunchboxes on Wednesday.  I will send out a letter on Monday to the chaperones about procedures for this field trip.  Let me know if you plan to attend as soon as possible.

 In reading this week we continue to investigate "Xx" as in x on the x-ray    Word wall words are: say, came, up.  This is the final week for alphabet sounds and word wall words.  I will have the final test for word wall words on Friday, May 10.

Our final Crafternoon is this Thursday!  We will have a fiesta theme to celebrate Cinqo de Mayo.  Contact the room parents to see how you can help.  Feel free to come celebrate at 1:45 (1:10 if you want to help decorate.)

The book fair continues until Thursday of this week.  Make sure book fair money is in an envelope and labeled.

Nancy's Italian Ice is Monday for $1.00.  Please return poetry journals.  Look for April calendar pages to come home on Tuesday. 

Authors are busy at work in our classroom on a daily basis.  I know you have set up a writing area at home because I see samples of the work being done at home. Good job!  Remember that reading and writing go hand-in-hand;  the better the reader you  are the better the writer you will be.


I will be out of the classroom on Monday.  I'm chaperoning for a third grade field trip but I secured an excellent substitute so the learning will continue in Room 115. 

Even though we say goodbye to April this week and summer may be in the air, Room 115 is in full gear with the learning.  The learning does not stop until 3:10 on May 23. We are NOT counting down the days in Room 115.  I'm one of those people that do not care for change and would be  perfectly content for Room 115 to stay together forever.  Please remind your child about choices and appropriate behavior.  Thank you for making the month of May seem like any other month!

Contact me with any concerns or questions you may have.  

Upcoming dates:
Wednesday, May 1:  Kindergarten field trip to the zoo: wear yellow field trip t-shirt
Thursday, May 2:  Room 115's final Crafternoon celebrating Cinco de Mayo at 1:45
Thursday, May 16:  Kindergarten End of Year Program @ 9:00 am

A Very Busy Upcoming Week

My favorite part of last week was when I borrowed a manual typewriter to set the background knowledge for our trip to the theater for "Click Clack Moo:  Cows That Type."  The children were fascinated by it.  In fact it became a management problem to keep students away so that individual students could have a turn without their friends interrupting and taking over.  (I was very disappointed that the theatrical production used a computer in the storyline instead of a typewriter.)  I love the expressions in this slideshow.  You can tell the students with mechanical brains were trying to figure out how the typewriter actually worked.  If you come across a manual typewriter at a yard sale or in an attic, Room 115 would love it as a donation.


What fun our field trip to the theater was.   It is always interesting to see how a book is adapted. The set decorations were bright and colorful, the actors were talented, the music was toe tapping and the dancing was funny.  Thanks to the family members who assisted at the theater.  I encourage you to make "the arts" a part of your child's life on a regular basis.


Information about our final field trip went home on Friday.  If you have a zoo membership:  You may send a copy of your zoo membership card and  a payment of  $8.00 to cover lunch and the bus ride.  Parents may attend.  You will pay at the gate.  Please email me by this Thursday if you are attending the  zoo field trip so that I  can make sure to have all background checks in place.  This is our last field trip of the year.  It is also  the final time the Kindergarten teachers will ask for money.

This week is so busy in Room 115 with DIBELS testing, field day and making something special for our mothers that I am going to spend two weeks on the letter Xx.  Our new reading schedule for Room 115 will look like this:
April 22 and 29:  "Xx" as in x on the x-ray     word wall words:  say, came, up
May 6:  review of all learned sounds
May 13: review of vowels
May 20: review

In math, we are working on knowing the differences between 3D and 2D shapes.   We are also making sure our numerals are formed correctly.  Knowing how to identify to add or subtract is the other skill for the week.

There will be no scheduled library time this week but books will be available for checkout.  The book fair starts later this week.

Last week's poem was fun to discuss because everyone in Room 115 seems to look like somebody in their family.   Send poetry journals to school on Monday for a new poem.  Look for poetry journals every Friday.

Nancy's Italian Ice is every Monday for $1.00.

Field Day is this Thursday.  It looks like perfect weather.  Please put on sunblock before your child leaves home.  Please dress your child in the yellow field trip t-shirt.  That bright yellow t-shirts allows me to keep track of the children quickly.  Do I have a volunteer to send a cooler on wheels with bottled water for Room 115 to stay hydrated during field day?

This week is a little different for uniforms.  Here is a quick guide for reference:
Monday:  purple t-shirt and jeans (for Military child day) or regular uniform  (this Monday only)
Tuesday:  green class t-shirt and jeans  or regular uniform (every Tuesday)
Wednesday:  regular uniforms (regularly Monday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Thursday:  yellow field trip t-shirt  and shorts for FIELD DAY ( yellow t-shirts are special just for Field Day, field trips and the end of the year program on May 16)
Friday:  Blount spirit wear and jeans  (every Friday)

The invitation for the End of the Year Celebration on May 16 went home on Friday.  Please note to dress your child in the yellow field trip t-shirt.  Any kind of khaki bottoms (pants, shorts or skorts) can be worn on that day.  Please no jeans on May 16.

Dads look great at school!   I apologize if I missed any of the special visitors who came to spend the start of a school day with a member of Room 115.


Upcoming Events:
Monday, April 22:  Wear a purple shirt in honor of Military Child Day
Thursday, April 25:  field day:  wear yellow field trip t-shirt
Wednesday, May 1:  Kindergarten field trip to the zoo: wear yellow field trip t-shirt
Thursday, May 2 (change of date):  Room 115's final Crafternoon celebrating Cinco de Mayo at 1:45
Thursday, May 16:  Kindergarten End of Year Program @ 9:00 am

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have!   

Dads, Fieldtrip and Learning.

We started practicing for the big show.  I will send home the official invitation later this week.  The Kindergarten End of Year Celebration will be Thursday, May 16 at 9:00.  After the program, we will return to Room 115 and have time to celebrate our class.  The picture to the left was taken  on our first "on the stage"  practice day.  This picture makes me smile because we will not be looking like this on May 16.  You will be amazed at how much we progress between now and then.  I hope you can schedule your day to join on us on May 16.

Doughnuts for Dads (or substitute dads) is Tuesday for last names A-L. Dads with the last name M-Z can join us for doughnuts on Wednesday, April 17.  It will begin at 7:30 each morning in the lunchroom.  Your child will appreciate the time you sacrifice to join us for a special way to start a morning.  The doughnuts are free compliments of the Blount PTA.

Our field trip to the Davis Theater to see Click Clack Moo is Wednesday.  Please dress your child in the yellow field trip t-shirt on Wednesday.  We will depart the school at 9:00 and return approximately at 11:45.  We will eat lunch upon our return to the school.  I will send an email to the chaperones detailing the procedures for our field trip.

We had fun acting out the song Five Green, Speckled Song.  Singing songs is an excellent way to help your beginning reader.  Rhythm, manipulating sounds, and vocabulary are some of the benefits of singing songs.  I encourage you to put on children's music at home and in the car and sing out loud!  One of the greatest things about children is they never think anyone has a poor singing voice.  So sing along and sing strong!



We will be studying the letter "Uu" as in "upside-down" this week.  The word wall words are:  under, please, big, eat.  

In math, we continue to study 3D shapes.  We are working hard at making sure our numbers are written and formed correctly.

Please send in $1.00 for Nancy's Italian Ice on Monday.  Monday is also our library day and the return of our poetry journal.

To celebrate the letter Q, we painted with Q-tips.  The fun we had goes to show that you don't need expensive art supplies to paint.  Q-tips work just fine.


Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, April16:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday; April 17:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday, April 17 :  Fieldtrip to Davis Theater - wear yellow field trip t-shirt and jeans
Monday, April 22:  Wear a purple shirt in honor of Military Child Day
Wednesday, May 1:  Kindergarten field trip to the zoo
Friday, May 3:  Room 115's final Crafternoon celebrating Cinco de Mayo at 1:45
Thursday, May 16:  Kindergarten End of Year Program @ 9:00 am

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have!  

Mom Turned Upside Down Is Wow!

We had fun last week playing with words and realizing MOM turned upside down is WOW (quite appropriate!).  We have a Mother's Day Secret planned for our moms. Please send $8.00 to cover the cost of this secret.  Pay by check or cash by this Friday.  NOTE: This secret is different than the $5.00 secret we have for that will be unveiled on May 16 at the Room 115 Celebration.  Sorry for any confusion.


Two reading groups had homework this weekend.  Please check binders.
In reading this week, we will be discussing the letter "Qq" as in quail on a quilt.  Word wall words will be:  good, pretty, who, ride.  

Math involves 3D shapes.  We continue to work on adding and subtracting.  In our calendar notebooks, we are graphing each day the daily precipitation status to see if it is true that "April Showers Bring May Flowers." 


We are working hard at being writers.  I tell the children that writing proves you are a thinker because  writing is thoughts put down on paper.  I love the concentration on the thinkers in the above slideshow.  I encourage you to have a personal writing area for your child at home.

There is PTA meeting on Monday at 6:00.  Please plan to attend.  Word is out what great volunteers Room 115 has so please invest in our school.  You can volunteer as  little or as much time as your schedule allows with this great organization that focuses on the needs of the students .

Monday is Italian Ice for $1.00. Please send poetry journals back on Monday and library books.

I will be out of the classroom on Wednesday afternoon, beginning at 11:30.  An excellent sub has been secured for my absence. 

Classroom needs:  Paper towels and wet wipes.  Thanks for supporting our classroom.

Contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Upcoming Events:
Monday, April 8:  PTA meeting @ 6:00
Tuesday, April16:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday; April 17:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday, April 17 :  Fieldtrip to Davis Theater
Monday, April 22:  Wear a purple shirt in honor of Military Child Day
Thursday, May 16:  Kindergarten End of Year Program @ 9:00 am

Welcome Back!

I hope your spring break was restful and fun!  Room 115 knew how to kick off spring break by having a spring egg hunt.  Nobody was disappointed that the rain moved the egg hunt inside.  Thankful that we had a few extra classrooms in the building that allowed us to spread out the eggs.  Thanks for supporting the egg hunt from home by sending in the eggs and thanks to the family members that helped us on our scavenger hunt.    Enjoy the above slide show that is full of my favorite funny bunnies.

Field trip money for Click, Clack, Moo is due this Friday.

Monday is Nancy's Italian Ice for $1.00.  Please return library books and poetry journals on Monday.

In reading we will be studying the letter "Oo" as in octopus in the office.   Word wall words are:  have, saw, must.

This week we will finish up our study of 2D shapes.  Our next chapter will be learning about 3D shapes.  For the remainder of the school year, we will be working very hard on writing our numerals correctly.  Be on the look out at home for numbers that are written backwards and direct your child's attention to correcting that number.



Check binders on Monday for a book (or two) written by your child.  You may need to ask "Read me this story"  or "Tell me about this page."  Remember not to worry about conventional spelling but praise the content of the story and the effort.  The above slide show is of students who wanted to read their stories to the class.   I encourage you to have a writing center set up at your home. Add a stapler and scotch tape for even more excitement.

The other day I was reading an article about how painting can make children clever, improve academic success and improve appropriate behavior.  Funny thing about research, kids don't know it.  They just do what comes naturally.  I do know for a fact that Room 115 had fun making shapes into spring bunnies.

Book orders will come home on Monday.  If you  choose to order online, use code GL88R.  Turn in forms and payment by Friday.  Book orders are optional.

Check out all those aviators outside our door.  Our class is achieving the AR point clubs at a fast pace.  The more your child practices at reading, the better the reader he will be.  I expect at least one AR test a week.  

Upcoming Events:
Monday, April 8:  PTA meeting @ 6:00
Tuesday, April16:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday; April 17:  Doughnuts for Dads @ 7:30 am
Wednesday, April 17 :  Fieldtrip to Davis Theater
Thursday, May 16:  Kindergarten End of Year Program @ 9:00 am

 Contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  These next eight weeks are going to fly by.  I wish time would stand still because I'm not ready for what happens at the end of May.

Spring Break Is In the Air

Sorry for the delay in updating.  The McDevitt girls have March birthdays five days apart so this weekend had two birthday parties.  The McDevitt parents are a little tired.  Thanks for understanding.

Spring Break begins Friday at 3:10.  Enjoy a week without schedules.  I hope your days are full of adventures, imagination, creativity and lots of good books.  School will resume on Monday, April 1.

Information about our field trip to the theatrical production of Click, Clack Moo will come home on Wednesday.  Our chaperone tickets are filled but let me know if you are interested in case the other classes do not use all of their tickets.

We have a Spring Egg Hunt on Friday at 11:30.  A blue sheet went home last Thursday with details about sending in eggs for our class.  Please mark on each egg a number from 1-22.  For eggs 6 or 9, please underscore the numeral or write out the word six and nine to prevent any confusion for those egg searchers.  Let me know if you want to help beginning at 11:30.  Please send eggs by Thursday of this week.  Remember, no chocolate in the eggs.  I will provide the basket for hunting and collecting.

A new district policy no longer allows emails for absences.  A doctor's excuse or a note from a parent is required.  Please turn in excuses within two days of returning to school. 

In reading this week we will investigate the letter Ll as in "lobster in the lighthouse."  Word wall words for the week:  was, came, well, are, now.

In math, we are investigating,sorting,categorizing and problem solving shapes.  We certainly have fun as shape investigators.  Be sure to help your child use the correct vocabulary of vertex and vertices when speaking about shapes.



Monday is Nancy's Italian Ice for $1.00.  Please return library books and poetry journals. Monday night is Spirit Night at Chappy's in case you can't decide what is for dinner.  Picture day is Wednesday.  The children may dress out of uniform but within school dress code (no sandals, no spaghetti straps, etc. .)  Teacher Treat Day is Thursday.  (Thank you so much for contributing to this - it is really a treat for the teachers!)

What a fun March Crafternoon.  The classroom was bathed in green.  Thanks for the support from home and for the support within the classroom.  I believe Room 115 has the best parents in the school.  Thank you for loving every member of Room 115. 


Have a safe and happy Spring Break!

The Beginning of the End

The big, big news from last week is that Room 115 got a new friend.  We now have 10 boys and 12 girls.  Our new friend loves the color pink, puppies, and pizza.  She is going to fit right in with favorites like that.   Please join us for lunch and meet her.

The fourth quarter begins on Monday.  The third quarter of school flew by and I'm afraid the same will be said for the next ten weeks.  I'm sending home a word wall list for the remainder of the school year.  I'm also sending home a sheet for math vocabulary words for the next chapter.  Look for those in Monday's take home binder.



What does the last part of Kindergarten look like?  Lots of writing.  We will be putting our thoughts down on paper.  Remember how I shared at the small group meeting in September that writers demonstrate thinking and thinking demonstrates comprehension.  Reading and writing go together.  The better the reader you are, the better the writer.  Reading takes practice and writing takes practice. I encourage you  to have a designated spot at your house for writing tools and paper.  Encourage your child to write stories.  Don't worry about spelling.  Tell your child to write the sounds they hear.  If you get in the habit of spelling words for your child, he/she will be more concerned about the spelling as opposed to the content.  At this age, we want content.  I promise you that conventional spelling will come with time. The slide show above shows volunteers from Friday that wanted to share their recent writing.

Reading for this week will be the letter Gg as in goose in the grass.  The word wall words are:  said, would, ran, in, could, just. 

In math we are identifying and describing two-dimensional shapes.  Look for a math vocabulary sheet in Monday's binder to assist with learning at home.  This month we are going to be playing some different card games.  You may want to purchase a deck of cards to have on hand for family game night.  I'm sure your child is going to come home and want to teach you the games we are playing in class.

We have our March Crafteroon this Friday.  What a response the room parents have to work with.  I can't thank you enough for the support you give to Room 115!  Join us in the fun starting at 1:45 or 1:10 if you want to help decorate.

Our Spring Egg Hunt will be Friday, March 22 beginning at 11:30.  I need volunteers to help me.  Look for information about the Spring Egg Hunt in Thursday's take home binder.   

On Wednesday, April 17, the Kindergarten and First Grade students from Blount will attend a live performance of the popular children's book Click, Clack, Moo at the Davis Theater.  Our class has five chaperone tickets available for parents.  The cost  for a parent ticket is $9.00 and will be purchased when we send home student information. I am going to let the first five parents who contact me have the tickets.  I'm giving you notice to make work arrangements or child care for younger siblings.  If interested, you would need to be at the Davis Theater from 9:15 to about 11:15 on Wednesday, April 17.  Let me know if you are interested in one of the five chaperone tickets.  Do not send any money at this time.  All you need to do is tell me that you want one of the five tickets allotted to our class.

Nancy's Italian Ice is Monday for $1.00.  Please return poetry journals on Monday.  The poem for this upcoming week is a loud one!

Even though the days are now longer and it looks like Spring is on its way, the learning in Room 115 is not slowing down.  The learning stops on the last day of school. Please support me in expecting appropriate behavior.  I will let you know of any concerns I observe.  

Upcoming dates:

Thursday, March 14:  report cards issued

Friday, March 15:  Room 115's March Crafternoon

Friday, March 22:  Spring Egg Hunt for  Room 115 @ 11:30 am  (volunteers needed)

Monday, March 25-Friday, March 29:  Spring Break -no school 

Wednesday,  April 17:  Kindergarten field trip to Davis Theater 

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

 

Contact me with any concerns or questions you may have. Thank you for trusting me with your child.