Week of Jan. 22-26th

Happy penguin week!  We are hitting all areas of the curriculum as we learn about penguins.  We’re listening to higher level expository texts, learning new vocabulary words, and writing facts about penguins.  We are doing pages each day that will come home in a book at conferences.  We are also doing all our regular “stuff” as well!  This week, we added the words on and be.  Next week is a short week, so it will be a review.   I will be retesting sight words next week.  We are also working on finding the middle sound of a word as we stretch it out on our arms.

In math, we are doing LOTS of subtraction practice.  This is a good skill to practice at home.  Addition is just easier and subtraction is tripping up some people, so keep working!  We subtract from 10 and below.  We are also doing magic number which the kids love.  I give them a number (so far we’ve kept it under 11) and they have to show me on their white boards as many ways as they can to make that number.  Try it at home and have them show you!

In our second step/social skills lessons we’ve been talking about waiting patiently.  That’s hard to do when you’re 5 and 6! 🙂  We learned about belly breathing to be calm and also learned Bee Breath from gonoodle!

Conference notes come home today.  Please sign, cut and return those on Monday.  I kept the same times as Fall conferences.  For these conferences, I’d like your child to come as well.  They will share a bit with you and then we can talk for a few minutes.  If you have concerns you’d like to discuss at conferences, please email me so I can get things prepared if needed.

The 100th day is next Thursday and we aren’t supposed to have bad weather to change it again.  Please be sure to send in their 100 piece snack on Thursday and they will not need a regular snack on that day.  Have them come dressed as 100 year olds!  If they want to bring a cane, it’s fine, but then I collect them for the day after pictures! 🙂  I could use one more person to help.  Let me know if you could make it! (1:30 for rotations…Dads are welcome too!)

The sumdog online math contest starts today.  In order for our class to participate on the leaderboard, we have to have 10 kids to play.  It’s fun when our class gets on the board and top 10 get recognized at an assembly.  I have sent those log ins before.

Our school is collecting NEW small stuffed animals to donate to Children’s Mercy Burn unit.  The collection takes place next week.  If you can send in a new one with tags, that would be great.  I told the kids that they should ask if they can help you out and do a job to earn the money to donate a stuffed animal.  What a great way to start them early on realizing the value of a good job, earning money, and giving to others! 🙂  I know it’s easier to just go buy one, but start them young being interested in volunteering and it will continue throughout their lives.

Book orders are due today.  Please have them in by 4, so I can place the order tonight.

On a somber note, two more high school students in Shawnee Mission committed suicide this week.  There is starting to be lots of information coming out about technology and the role it’s playing on developing brains.  On the news they showed the level of seratonin that went up when a kid got a like on instagram.  I am SO afraid that we are creating a generation addicted to technology and instant gratification.  I really worry about the effects on their developing brains and the correlation between that, self-image, and teen suicide which is on the rise.  It’s just a scary thing that I think all parents need to be aware of as this is the way it is now.  Jack and I talked about it the other night and he knows he spends too much time on his phone.  Changes are being made at my house.  Yes, he’s 18, but his brain is still developing too.  Sorry, didn’t mean to step on a soapbox, but it just scares me because this is all new and we’re starting to see more negative effects.

On a happy note, Riley is settling in nicely to our house.  I did forget how much energy puppies have, but she’s forcing me to get out and exercise more, so that’s a good thing.  Rosie has put her in her place several times and established herself as the alpha dog.  She’s starting to play with her more, but I swear if a dog could roll her eyes, she would be!  I think sometimes she just wants to say, ENOUGH!! 🙂  It’s been fun though.  I  am planning to train her to be able to take her to Autumn Leaves so she can visit politely.  She just hasn’t learned the “politely” part yet! 🙂

Have a great weekend! Hannah is coming home.  She can’t stand that we have a new puppy and she’s been gone! 🙂

One last reminder that next week is a short week.  We have a professional day, so no school on Friday.  Enjoy the weather this weekend!

Week of Jan. 17th-19th

We had a short week, but a busy one still!  This week we learned all about the vocabulary terms, adaptation, hibernation, migration, and camouflage.  We also learned about different animals and how they survive in the winter.  We learned about the basic needs of animals as well.  Today, we took all of that information and did our mid-year writing piece which I will share with you at conferences.  This is a good look at who is listening and paying attention, retaining information, and then able to transfer that to writing.  It also looks at using their time wisely while working and who is working on our writing strategies.

This week was review for sight words and next week, we’ll add on and be.  In math, we’ve been practicing addition and will be working on subtraction again next week.  Keep practicing those teen numbers as well.  We also work a LOT on word problems and different ways to make numbers!

Just a heads up that they can now check out 2 library books, so each week, please be sure to return them both.  And library will be next Monday!

The 100th day will be on Thurs. Feb. 1st if we don’t have more snow days.  Please make sure to get their 100 posters in the week before.  I need HELP on that day!  I have 5 fun rotations (and 1 could probably use 2 people) to do that day, but can’t do it without parent help.  I am planning 1:30-3ish.  I have one person now.  Can you please check and see if you can help that day and let me know?  Thanks!!

Bella and Daisy are coming home again, but look a little different.  This time your child should draw a picture and THEY should do the writing in the journal.  Please write underneath if it’s not something I will be able to help them read.  Please just use 1 page.  They have a show and tell clues paper to fill out too.  We practiced today and talked about what good clues are.  My rules for the show and tell are that it is not alive, it fits in the backpack, and that they can TALK about it!!  Please have them practice sharing about their item at home so they can share about it at school.  This is a big part of their speaking/listening grade as well.  I also told them if it’s fragile, that might not be a good choice.

Please continue to read the book bag books, mark them, and send back so your child can stay up with their group and also get in good reading practice.  A few of the kids made huge leaps over break and I’ve moved several up!  Yeah!!

Upcoming dates:

Jan. 26th: 100 posters are due

Feb. 1st: 100th day, bring 100 pieces of a snack, dress like you’re 100 and 100 day rotations

Feb. 2nd:  professional day and no school so Mrs. Bettis can rest from being 100! 🙂

Feb. 7th-8th Conferences, Full day of school on the 7th, no school the 8th or 9th

Feb. 14th: Valentine’s party  (notes home soon about Valentine boxes)

Feb. 19th Presidents Day: no school

Feb. 22nd:  Kindergarten roundup for next year’s kids.  Current K kids will NOT have school that day.  Please let neighbors know if they have kids coming.  It’s really important that they come so that we can know numbers and staff for next year.  1-6pm

I think that’s it for this short week.  Next week, we cover ALL areas of the curriculum with a fun study on penguins.  You’ll love all the info. that comes home in their heads!  Be sure to ask them each day what they learned as we’ll put almost all of it into a book and you won’t see it every day!  Ask them to learn and tell you a fact a day!

My life has been a little crazy lately and my memory care visits are getting longer.  I think I may actually have a job there, they just forget to pay me! 🙂  Last night a pipe broke, 4 rooms were flooded, and it was just kind of a crazy mess and a little bit of a late night for me.  Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with Jack.  Andrew is out of town and Hannah is back at school.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Week of Jan. 8th-12th

This week we worked on SNOW!  Appropriate for this week!  We read books, we learned how snow crystals are made, we did a couple of snow/crystal science experiments and did some art/writing projects as well!  We added the sight words find and this.  Keep practicing those at home!  In math, we are working on addition to 10 and will start subtraction to 10 next week.

A few things to know:

• We do NOT have school next week on Mon. and Tues.  Monday is a holiday and Tues. is a professional day.
• Because of the snow day, the 100th day will now be on Feb. 1st.  I need help with rotations in the afternoon.  If you can help from 1:30-3ish, please email me and let me know.  It’ll be tons of fun!
• I sent home a note about the 100th day with their 100 poster.  Please hang on to that so you have that info.  The poster board is kind of flimsy, so please make sure you do not glue on heavy items.  They need to make their 100 poster with 100 similar items.  If you do glue things on, probably ought to use hot glue.  Please make sure their name is on the front so we can hang them in the hall and see whose is whose.
• I sent home a paper today with a monthly Lego challenge.  No need to return, just thought it looked like fun.
• Next Wed. is Chick Fil A night in Olathe from 5-8.  A percentage goes back to the school if you tell them you’re with Bentwood.

Each week we are doing a positive affirmation.  Last week was, “everyone can learn.”  This week was, “my brain is a muscle that grows.”  In our second step lesson this week, we learned about how to deal with frustration.  We talked about the frustration triangle, where the 3 points are: name it, tame it, reframe it.  Name it is call the feeling what it is, frustration, tame it is taking deep breaths or other calm down strategies, and reframe it is to try and look at it in a positive way.

We are working hard on being first time listeners.  Often times, I will have the kids repeat the directions so that I know they know what to do.  I’ve had a few kids miss a few “fun” activities because they did not follow directions.  I would not pull them from an academic activity.  Usually it takes a few times to miss a quick fun thing and they realize they need to pay attention and focus on being a first time listener and follow directions.

Next week, we will work on animal adaptations and subtracting and then we start one of my favorite units…penguins!

Have a great long weekend and try to stay warm!