Week of April 23-27th

This week was all about insects!  We learned the characteristics of insects, made a book of facts about insects, and even made playdough insects.  We also talked about the vocabulary words: prey, instinct, camouflage, and predators.  We also did some graphing with insects.  Today we got a capsule and had to predict what was inside.  We put them in water and they grew into insects and they wrote about them in their journals.

In math, we’re working on 3D shapes and learning their names, their flat surfaces, and that it doesn’t matter what position they are in, they’re still a 3D shape!

We had a visitor this week from the Federal Reserve Bank and we learned about the bank, coins, and making plans to save money.  They also have museum you can go to if your child is interested.  The kids were excited to get piggy banks!

Kids Teach starts next Wed.  Please be sure to get the lesson plans approved at least 3 days ahead of time.  The kids will need to bring their poster and their items they need on that day, not before.  Please be sure they practice at home so they know what they’re going to say/do.

Our field trip will be on Thurs. May 17th.  Notes will come home on Monday.  Please be sure to sign the back permission slip for your child, and if you’d like to go, sign and return the front slip.  All details are on the note.

It’s getting warmer and if your child wants to bring a water bottle, they can as long as it’s a no-spill one and it stays in their backpack.  Most of the kids are handling this just fine.  It IS still chilly in the am for recess, so I would send a light jacket or hoodie.  We went out this am and it was 45 degrees!  Still chilly!

Flower day will be May 11th at 2:30.  We could use a couple of parent volunteers to come up and help the kids plant their flowers.  If you can help, please let me know.  We ask every child to bring one small annual flower to plant on Wed. or Thurs., and they’ll be planted on Friday.

Class pictures were sent home with those who ordered and paid for them.  I have 3 extras at $10 each.  If you want one, please email me and send the money in on Monday.

Book orders are coming home today and are due May 11th.  This will be the last chance to order this year.  It’d be a great time to get some summer reading!

All library books are due by May 17th.  That’s our field trip day and we won’t have specials that day, but they still need to be returned by then!  Thanks for helping make sure Ms. Foster doesn’t have to track people down! 🙂

Today in folders are their beginning of the year and middle of the year writing samples.  We usually do 3 and pass them on to 1st grade, but we were just told our writing assessments are going to change so we could send them home.  It’s fun to look at them and see how far they’ve grown and changed!

Kendall and Mason were the blue bag winners for pizza lunch with me.  I’ll send a note home and let you know when we’re going to do that!

Reminder of upcoming dates:

Thurs. May 10th at 4:00  Mrs. Crawford’s retirement

Friday May 11th  Flower day-planting at 2:30

Wed. May 16th Kindergarten Celebration 8:30-9:45  Invites will come home soon.  Please mark your calendars so each child has someone here to hear them sing.  Speaking parts will come home next week!

Thurs. May 17th  Field trip to OE Animal Talks and OP Arboretum

Fri. May 18th  Field day-send water bottles and wear sunscreen

Mon. May 21st field day rainout date

Tues. May 22nd   field trip rainout date (would only be the arboretum if this happens)

Wed. May 23rd last full day   Party in a Box–info. coming later

Thurs. May 24th  Last 1/2 day of school

If your child will miss any of the last week due to early vacations, please let me know so I can be sure everything gets sent home.  If your child will NOT be attending Bentwood next year, please let me know that as well, asap.  Thanks!

We got exciting news last week, Hannah got both internships she applied for and it’s worked out that she can do both!  She’ll be working 40 hours a week at Populous (architecture firm) doing design and writing and then on weekends and evenings, she’ll be doing photography for Sporting Kansas City!  Everything completely fell into place for her!  We were all pretty excited!

This weekend, we start the many rounds of graduation open houses that we’ll attend over the next few weeks!  I’m also doing baking and freezing for Jack’s party.  May will be a busy month at our house!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Week of April 16th-20th

Thank you all again for the wonderful birthday celebration last week!  The flowers still look beautiful and I always love to shop at Old Navy!  If the kids came home and told you I was 31, that’s what they guessed and when I said I was at LEAST 31, they thought that meant I was, so we’ll just go with that….:)

This week, we learned about community helpers, the jobs they do, the tools they use, and how they work in our community.  They then decided what they wanted to be, painted pictures of themselves and wrote about it.  They are in the hall for fine arts fair night next Thursday.

We added the words look and boy.  Midterms come home today and it is listed on there what sight words they missed when tested earlier this week.  The expectation is to know all 55 by the end of the year.  Some of them are doing great with that, but not transferring those words to reading in a book.  It’s super important to keep reading those book bag books.  They will come home for probably the next two weeks or so.  The sight word paper books are good practice too.  And of course, please hit up the library! 🙂

In math, we’ve been reviewing addition and subtraction, counting and sorting, and graphing.  We will start 3D shapes next week.

We also started learning about insects this week and will have a book about insects to show you at fine arts fair next week.

Next week, I will explain Kids Teach and send notes home on Monday.  Please read this carefully and help your child figure out a plan.  They will be teaching the class a lesson of their choice.  You have to have the lesson approved at least 3 days before teaching because I want to make sure it will work, and not duplicate ideas.  If they don’t teach for a week and a half, but they know what they want to do, have them fill out the sheet and send it in for approval.  Props are great if they go with the lesson.  Anything that the rest of the kids can do as well after the lesson works well.  For example:  teach about birds and then have the kids make a peanut butter birdseed pinecone.  (No, you can’t do this because of the peanut butter, just giving you an example.)  They also have to have a poster done to go with the lesson.  It can have step by step directions, information, pictures, whatever will help them teach the lesson.  Please have your child do the poster!  That’s part of the learning process!  Lastly, have them practice so they know what they’re talking about.  The kids really enjoy sharing their ideas/talents with the class!  Let me know if you have questions.  We are on a tight schedule to fit in two a day, so if you won’t be here on your assigned day, you must let me know asap.  The day is on the letter coming home Monday.  Usually lessons take from 10-20 min. depending on the child.  If it takes them 2 minutes, it’s too short.  And some kids love it and love to talk and go longer and that’s okay if they’re on task.

Upcoming dates:

Field trip info. will come home soon.

Thurs. April 26th:  Fine Arts Fair 5:30-8.  You can come to see their work and purchase dinner if you choose.  There will be blue bag drawings for prizes, you have to be here that night to put your tickets in.  Please remind your child that it’s a drawing, so just so your ticket goes in, doesn’t mean you win.

May 10th 4:00 Mrs. Crawford’s retirement party at school

May 11th:  Flower day, kids can bring in annual plants on the Wed. and Thurs. before.  I will be gone this day.  I am taking a personal day for graduation.

Wed. May 16th  Kindergarten Celebration  8:30-9:30ish  Come and see the kids perform songs and enjoy a muffin and slideshow afterwards.  We’d like everyone to have at least one person here that morning.  Please let me know if your child won’t have someone here to watch them.  It’s a dress up day for the kids.  Invites coming soon.

Thurs. May 17th  Field trip to Olathe East for animal talks and then the arboretum.  Info. home soon.  I will be asking for volunteers soon.

Fri. May 18th  Field day:  We’re outside most of the day playing games.  Will need sunscreen, and a water bottle with their name on it.

Thurs. May 24th  Last day of school is a half day.  Dismissal is at 11:40 I think, but will let you know closer to that day!

I am gone this afternoon to my rescheduled Autumn Leaves appointment.  They got a new director of nursing, so I’m hoping that some of the issues we’ve had are resolved.  I have bribed the kids with extra recess! 🙂  This is a good class, they just get chatty and forget our daily rules!  I’m sure they’ll do fine!

Tomorrow I head to Lawrence for ADPi Mom’s Weekend.  Am looking forward to some time with my girl.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Week of April 2nd-6th

Sure doesn’t feel like April does it??  I’m ready for some warm weather!!  Please keep sending the winter coats because we go out early 1st recess!

This week, we finished up push and pull, force and motion.  We got to do a lot of building/experimenting this week.  All our pictures are out in the hall, so be sure you check them out when you can.  We did a lot of group work, which we’re getting better at.  We’re working on synergizing instead of being bossy. 🙂  We worked with the Goldiblox which the kids loved.  It’s not super easy, but they persevered and figured some things out!  I have a lot of engineers in this class!  The note about backpacks went home and a lot came back today.  Backpacks started going home today as well.  Please keep 2-3 days and then return.  Please make sure ALL pieces are in the box and the rubber band is on.  I do check boxes when returned because even 1 missing piece can mess up the whole project.  If a box comes back with missing pieces, I’ll let you know, but if they can’t be found, you will need to pay for the set.

We added the words do and little to our sight word list.  We are also working on changing the beginning sounds of words.  For example, stretch mop, change the m to h and stretch the new word: hop.

In math, we finished up measurement.  We measured using the terms weight, height, length, and capacity.  Next week, we will start on sorting objects using different attributes.

Book orders are due April 13th.

We do not have school on Friday April 13th.  Not because it’s bad luck, but because it’s a professional day! 🙂

On Thursday next week, I will be buying pizza lunch for the kids to celebrate my birthday.  If your child doesn’t like pizza, they are welcome to get a hot lunch or bring a lunch.  We will be eating lunch in the room.  I will have them graph what kind of pizza they like.  If you would be willing to send in some extra items, here’s what I’d like to have:  2 bags of carrot sticks, 1 bottle of ranch, apple slices for the class, and 2 boxes of lemonade Capri Suns.  If you would be willing to send something in, please email me.  It will be a fun birthday celebration!

I’m also still in need of Kleenex!!

Headed to memory care to see my old people.  My mtg. with the Dr. on Wed. afternoon got cancelled when I got home and realized my dog had diarrhea all over the carpet in Hannah’s room and down the hall….UGH!!  I had to go out and buy a steam carpet cleaner and spent 2 1/2 hours cleaning the carpet.  Was not so happy!  This was my older dog Rosie, not the puppy, Riley, who continues to cost me a fortune!

Have a great weekend!  We’ll be headed out tomorrow for Jack’s senior prom.  I can’t imagine how cold those girls are going to be in their strapless dresses!