Email me to sign up for a Fun Friday Snack date. The dates that do not have a student name are available. Please remember to send in enough snacks for 21 students.
On Thursday, January 5 Field Trip Permission Slips will be going home for our Field Trip to the JCA. This is a FREE Field Trip provided to us by the School District. The JCA is alloting us two Chaperones. So the first two papers returned saying they would like to Chaperone will be the ones that join us. Other papers will be put into a back up Chaperone List in case the two are unable to fulfill their duties.
I wish to say thank you in advance and do not despair if you don't go on this Field Trip. There will be others in the future. :)
So this post is late because I got sick... all the germs that have swirled around school finally caught me. Thankfully I'm on the mend now and I can blog! :)
Hopefully everyone is enjoying Winter Break and having a ton of fun!! I can't wait to hear the students talk about all the things they did and the presents they receive. They always make me smile!
Here are pictures of the students in their cute pajamas. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!
Holiday's Around the World was a HUGE SUCCESS!! The students were wonderful and the crafts were adorable. :) I asked the students what their favorite part about the event was and they all agreed rotating in and out of the other Kindergarten classes was "cool!"
Hopefully you were able to see the crafts your child brought home. In case you're wondering about the Countries and the craft they correlate with are:
Mexico~ poinsettia
U.S.A. ~ reindeer food
France ~ elf shoe for Pere Noel
Germany~ gingerbread man
England ~ a Christmas card
Israel~ an edible dreidel for Hanukah
The Class Party was fantastic too! We had crafts and lots and lots of yummy food!! :) We also had time for some Just Dance Christmas Songs. Check out this Santa Video, it's one of their favorites! The students do a great job keeping up with all the silly dance moves.
When you think the day couldn't get any better... it does!! We had a super special visitor and I got a few pictures. :) Santa came to visit us right before Recess. Check out the pictures below.
I have to do a huge shout out for the parents that came and helped!! Mrs. Chavez, Mrs. Orr, Mrs. Edmond, Mrs. Lukacovic, and Mrs. Austin. These ladies helped make the day great!! I loved having you all there to help. You made the time so much for me and the class!!
Today we were blessed to have a Chorus Christmas Concert!! The students loved it. :) They sang and danced along to the songs. It was adorable!!
I wasn't able to take many pictures because I was singing and dancing too! However I did manage to take one picture of our Music Teacher Mrs.Biernacki when she welcomed all the students to the performance and another of the 4th and 5th grade Chorus. If you peek to the right, you'll catch our other Music Teacher Ms.Broach.
Our 5th Grade Helper Aundrea is a little behind the flag. I wasn't able to get a great photo of her, but the class all screamed and waver for her when they saw her on the risers. :)
This week is going to be a fun and exciting week!!
We have the following resources: Monday-Computer Lab, Tuesday-Media and Thursday-Music.
We have a Chorus Concert Monday at 9:15. The students are excited to see our 5th grade helper Aundrea perform. We have Holidays Around the World on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will be rotating in and out of the other Kindergarten classrooms hearing about other countries and completing a craft. Also on Wednesday, our class party! Then on Thursday... Pajama Day! Your child may either wear their pajamas to school or bring them to school and change into them. They may also bring a stuffed animal and slippers. DO NOT send in pillows or blankets, we do not have room for those items.
Now on to some Academics... In Reading we will be reading The Gingerbread Man and The Gingerbread Girl. We will compare and contrast the stories characters and events. In Math we will continue comparing amounts and figuring out which group has more, which group has fewer, how we can make the two groups equal (the same). In Saxon we will review the letters that we have learned thus far. We will also review the beginning sounds of words and how many syllables are in words. Along with reading CVC and sight words.
ooh we also have two students joining the 6-year-old club! Emma joins the club on December 20 and Komarea joins on December 23! Make sure to tell them Happy Birthday when you see them.
The field trip to Diamond D was great!! The weather was amazing and the kids were so involved in every station we went to. :) We began with a nature walk. Then the students rode ponies, After that they bounced in the bounce house. Next they were all SUPER BRAVE and rode in the drum roll! Finally we went on a wagon ride and fed the goats and cows. Finally we ended the field trip eating lunch under the pavilion.
I want to say a huge thank you to all the parents that chaperoned the field trip. Thank you to Mrs. Broach, Mrs.Chavez, Mrs.Fay, Mrs.Goode, Mr. and Mrs. Lukacovic, Mr. Machado, Mrs. Cromier and Mrs. Orr.
The library visit last week was perfect! Mrs. Noah Thomas is a wonderful librarian. She kept the kids engaged with books, letters, dancing and jingle bells. :) The ids were constantly moving and busy learning. At the end the students each decorated a foam train. Then Mrs, Thomas gave all of the kids a treat bag. Plus she awarded two students with a Christmas Present for being the top readers in our class. The two students were Jeremiah and Lily.
We have a fun filled week! We have the Holiday Shoppe opening tomorrow. On Tuesday we have a Library Visit from Mrs. Noah Thomas. Then on Friday we have our Field Trip to Diamond D. Ranch and a ton of parents are joining us as Chaperones!!
We also have a few Resources: MONDAY- P.E., TUESDAY- COMPUTER LAB, and WEDNESDAY- MUSIC. Not to mention Picture Retake Day is Wednesday. I've only received a note from three parents~ so as of right now, only 3 students will be taking a picture again.
MATH
We are still comparing length and weight. The students have been amazing this Module! Everyone is carefully using the balance beam to compare weights. The students walk around the room and find items to use to compare length and weight. It's absolutely perfect!!
This week we will focus on comparing amounts of items in scattered formations and figuring out which group has more and which has fewer. We do this by drawing a line to make a pair. Example 4 plates and 6 spoons. Four of them would have a match and then there would be 2 spoons left over. Then we will be comparing the amount of letters in students first names and last names. :) (Make sure to have your child practice writing their first and last name so they are ready for the activity.)
Here is a youtube video that uses the vocabulary more and fewer.
SAXON and SIGHT WORDS
Saxon is continuing letter review, along with beginning sounds of pictures, syllables in words and finding words that have a paticular letter sound at the beginning, middle or end of the word, we also use the term final sound. For example /p/. You can find it it hop, popping, pet. Practice with your child. :) Give them a letter we have used in Saxon and ask them where the sound is in a word.
Also, continue to practice building/ writing CVC words. The students practice this skill daily in class. Some great words to use are: can, hit, box, mom. Even try some words that have a blend at the beginning: stop, blog, clap! (These would be known as CCVC words. They are trickier, however Saxon does discuss blends, so the students are working towards building these words.)
The Sight Words this week are: was, come, we & for. Here is the slideshow of the words.
READING
Last week's lessons straying away from Duval Reads was GREAT! The students were really able to participate in the Reading Process of sounding out the words, finding sight words, pointing at the text while we read... it was perfect!
This week we will be looking at books from two online sights~ Capstone Library and Rourke E-books. Both books allow the students to follow the text and see how the picture matches the story. We will be discussing the Four Seasons and the characteristics that make each one unique.
Here is a sneak peak of the book from Rourke E-books. I want to note that I can not put the book format online, so I downloaded it as a PDF to show you. :)
WRITING
The students did really well on the Writing Test we took last week. It allowed me to see the strengths and weaknesses of the class and see what we need to focus on. This week we will be writing about what we do in the morning to get ready for school. We will be focusing on stretching the sounds in unknown words and making sure we write ALL Sight Words introduced in class correctly. (I noticed a lot of mistakes writing sight words last week. Examples: lik for like, ad for and, etc.)
Here is a fun Jack Hartmann video for Sight Words.
SCIENCE
We will be discussing speeds Slow and Fast. We will make a list of vehicles and animals based off of their speeds. Then we will discuss different movement words and whether they are fast or slow movements.
Here's a fun youtube video to really get the students attention!!
I don't think anything is cuter than watching a group of kids learning while having their stuffed animals sit in their laps. :) Don't you agree?? The class was all smiles and the credit goes to their stuffed animals!
Well there were a few stuffed animals that talked a little too much and did flips on the carpet, but overall the animals all did great sitting in their owners laps and learning! Not to mention~ everyone in class was either on Green or Purple!!! We didn't have a single color change all day. :)
Well we finally got a chance to walk down to the other end of the school and see the Polar Express! The students were in awe of all the directions and colors. It was too cute!
I took pictures for everyone to see, but first I wanted to remind all of you that we are having a Polar Express Literacy Night on December 20. :) Students are invited to attend the event in their pajamas and listen to reading of many Holiday Books. One of course being The Polar Express. (I will be volunteering at this event, so I hope to see many of you there!!)
Just a reminder that the Holiday Shoppe opens Monday. :) The students brought home a paper today with a shopping envelope attached. PLEASE make sure to fill out the envelope if your child will be participating.
I will not be shopping with your child in the Holiday Shoppe. There will be Volunteers helping the students and their only help is your filled out envelope.
**The Holiday Shoppe is scheduled to close in a week on Monday, Dec. 19 or earlier if all items sell out. **
Resources are jam packed this week!! We have: Monday-MUSIC, Tuesday-ART, Wednesday-MEDIA, Thursday-ART w/Schmidt, & Friday-P.E. Monday is the last day to send in your Mooseltoe. :) Any that are sent in after that will be returned home. Friday all monies and signed permission slips are due for Diamond D. Ranch. Money will not be accepted late, so please send it in soon! Friday is also Stuffed Animal Day!! Please make sure the item comes to school in your child's backpack. Also, Kingston is giving Fun Friday Fruit Snacks to the class. :)
**Monday, December 12 the Holiday Shoppe opens. The students that have money will go shopping after lunch. **
MATH
The students are doing great with math right now!! There is a lot of partner and whole group work so that the students are able to discussing their thinking and use the vocabulary they are learning. This week we will review heavier and lighter, while also discussing equal weights. The students will all take turns figuring out how many pennies/ cubes/ counting bears equal the weight of an item in the room using the balance scale. (We are borrowing 10 balance scales from Ms.Thompson, so the students are really getting a hands on experience!) We will brush on the terms volume and capacity by going outside with different items to dig and different items to fill with sand. The students will experience what it's like to fill cups and bowls of different sizes using spoons, measuring cups and shovels.
Here is an online game your child can play that uses the words heavier and lighter. Be prepared... you may even find yourself playing the game with your child. :) Click here to visit the game.
SAXON & SIGHT WORDS
Saxon is continuing to review the following letter names and their sounds in isolation: k, m, a, t, h, o, f, i, n, p, r and s. At this time we are only focusing on the short sounds of vowels. Also, you have probably noticed on the Reading Practice Sheets that some of the words have blends. Please make sure your child produces the blends and one sound together instead of doing two separate sounds. An example would be the st~ I need to hear /st/. Also, we will be discussing quotation marks in books. Discuss them with your child so they don't interfere with their reading.
Our sight words for the week are: not, has, some and they.
READING
The Kindergarten Classes are going to be taking some breaks from doing Duval Reads lessons full time. We were all in agreement that some of the standards could be better taught using real books. For example: compare and contrast characters in one story, compare and contrast characters in two different stories. Along with the standard of retelling.
So with no further adieu, lets get to it! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will consist of the story Little Red Hen. By Wednesday your child will call this their favorite story ever! So that you are a little more familiar with it, here is a youtube video for your child to enjoy.
On Thursday we will reread the story With a Moo, Moo Here from Duval Reads. (If you don't remember this story, check back on last week's post.) This rereading will remind the students what real cows look like, sound like and the actions they take. This will prep them for Friday's lesson on Compare and Contrast with characters in another book. (I tried finding a Youtube video, but none were just right. So you may want to go check this story out from the library. It's hilarious!! Farmer Brown falls asleep and the animals all make quite the mess in the farmhouse. haha)
Here's a picture of the book's front cover.
WRITING
This week the students will be completing a writing piece for a grade. The piece will be about the things they did over the weekend. If your child can't recall the things they did, they will make up a weekend to write about.
To earn the best grade possible, the students need to have a clear picture that consists of character/s and setting. Then they will need to write a sentence that matches their picture. With most of their sight words being spelled correctly and then sound out the other unknown words. I will also be looking for spaces in between words and punctuation at the end. The students have used periods and exclamation marks in their writing, so either is fine.
Chimney Lakes participates in the Jump Rope for Heart event sponsored by the American Heart Association. The actual event will not take place until February 10, but NOW is the time to start practicing jumping rope and collecting donations!!
We will be having a school wide competition!
The class that receives the most donations will earn a tablet for the classroom. The class that receives the most donations on each grade level will receive a Recess Basket. And all the donations go to further research on Cardiovascular Disease and Treatments.
So please sign your child up to join the TEAM and then advertise!! You can download an app on your phone, then advertise on Facebook, Twitter, send emails to family and so many other different modes of communication!
Your child will earn badges for their donations. They will also earn a lanyard and different Zoo Crew Characters for the different donation amounts. You can see the Zoo Crew Characters in the Youtube video below.
Thinking ahead~ We will have a Kick Off Assembly in January. Then on the day of the event, the students will be participating in different jump rope stations. A few of the stations offered last year: jump roping, Chinese jump roping, jumping songs, jumping with hoola-hoops. The kids all had a blast!!
This was the perfect temperature for Boots Day!! The kids loved looking at each other's boots and telling each other how great they look. The kids are full of compliments and love!! :)
