Week of Jan. 28th-31st

What a short crazy week!  Short and sweet update:

The 100th  day is now on Tues.  Kids should bring their 100 piece snack in on Tues. and come dressed like they are 100 years old.  Don’t worry, I’ll take plenty of pics of the old folks!

We are continuing to work on our penguin fact books (hoping to have done to share at conferences, but that’s iffy at this point.)  We added the sight words for and here.  We are working on subtraction now as well.

Book bags coming home today with one new book and one review book.  Wanted them to have something to read this long weekend.  Please mark the log for the new book only and return on Monday.

Conferences are next week, Wed. and Thurs., and no school on Friday.  If possible, please bring your child with you to this conference so that they can share their work.  Please remember I am scheduled back to back, so please be on time and I will try my best to stay on schedule.

Book orders are due on the 4th.

If you want to celebrate your child’s birthday or 1/2 birthday, please email me to check the date ahead of time.  Please do not send drinks in, we will just have our milk with it.

February schedule:

Friday Feb. 1st no school, professional development day for teachers

Mon. Feb. 4th Book orders due

Tues. Feb. 5th 100th day, bring snack and dress like you’re 100

Wed. Feb. 6 regular school day, conferences after school

Thurs. Feb. 7th  conferences, no school

Fri. Feb. 8th no school

Wed. Feb. 13th grill day, lunch menu changes to grill items

Thurs. Feb. 14th Valentine’s Day  bring in valentines for the whole class and your valentine box.  (note is in folder today and class list is on the back).  Do NOT bring them in ahead of time please.  Party at the end of the day.  Please send valentines in in the morning even if you’re coming for the party.  We  pass them out in the morning.

Mon. Feb. 18th President’s day:  no school

Thurs. Feb. 21st  No school for CURRENT kindergarteners.  Kindergarten round-up for next year’s kids.  Please let neighbors know if you know of someone coming to kindergarten next year.

Have a great weekend!

Week of Jan. 22nd-25th

What a crazy week with a snow day thrown in the middle!

This week, we started our penguin unit and today we watched a fascinating video from a National Geographic photographer.  We will be reading a lot of expository texts to learn all about these amazing animals.  We will incorporate science, social studies, reading, writing, and math in our penguin unit.  Doesn’t get any better than that!  We started by reading some of the Tacky the Penguin fiction books where we compared the characters and the story lines.  We also practiced our fine motor and listening skills and made our own Tacky the penguin!

We started a schema chart about penguins.  Our schema is the knowledge we already have on a subject.  We also talk about misconceptions and had a few show up on our chart.  We are gathering facts so that they can later write their own facts about penguins.  We started a fact book today and learned about labeling and drew and labeled a penguin.  We also made marshmallow penguins because….well, because it’s kindergarten and sometimes you just gotta throw in some marshmallow fun!!

We added the sight words that and go this week.  We did the letters Yy and Qq and we are done reviewing the letters!  We have worked on and will continue practicing the chunks, ch, sh, wh, th, ar, oo, ou, and ow.  We have actions for all of those, ask your child to show you.  We’re working hard to find those chunks in words when stretching words out.

In math, we reviewed addition and practiced with some fun games.  Next week, we will start subtraction which always seems to be a little trickier.

We worked on the second step lesson of waiting and when to wait patiently and how to wait patiently.  It was a good follow up to self control.  We are working on our leadership notebooks and will be ready to share those at conferences.

Speaking of, conference notes went home today.  Please sign, cut, and return next week!

Book orders came home today and will be due the 4th so that we can get Valentine books back if you would like to order some.

Date reminders:

Monday Jan. 28th  100 posters are due.  snack note will go home

Friday Feb. 1st  No school

Mon. Feb. 4th  the 100th day of school (as long as there are no snow days)  Come dressed as a 100 year old!  Bring your 100 piece snack that day.  I still need 2 volunteers.  Please email me if you can come. (No siblings)

Wed. Feb. 6th and Thurs. Feb. 7th Conferences   Wed. will be a regular day and I will start conferences at 4:30.  Thurs., there is no school and I will start conferences at 11:00.

Friday Feb. 8th no school

Thurs. Feb. 14th  Valentine party.  I will sending a note home about making valentine boxes.  Please do not send anything in until that day.

I think that’s it for today.  Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!

Week of Jan. 14th-18th

Whew!  This has been a LONG week!  It’s hard to stay focused especially when we can’t go out!  We have been able to go to the gym and play games at the end of the day which has helped.  On Monday, please have a conversation with your child about making sure they have above the line behavior and self control.  We had a LOT of talking and not listening this week.  Today has been better but it’ll be hard after a long weekend.

This week, we read a fun story called Sneezy the Snowman and learned what a snowman should not do.  We have a class book coming home too!  We learned about what animals do to survive in the winter and learned the terms: adapt, hibernate, migrate, and camouflage.  We also learned that all animals need food, water, air, and shelter to survive.

We added the letters V and Z and the sight words “on” and “be”.  Reminder that the books coming home and highlighted are good books to practice sight words.  Please continue to practice sight words regularly.  The kids who know their sight words are moving up reading levels a lot faster.

Everyone got new books in their book bags.  Please make sure those are read nightly and the log is marked.  Those should be returned on Tuesday.

In math, we’re working on addition to 10.  We have also started mystery number which you could do at home.  I tell them I’m thinking of a number that’s more than 10 and less than 17 etc. and they have to try and guess the number.  Great for problem solving as well!  I have sent a few addition sheets home for them to practice.  I am really encouraging them to draw out the problem using circles and then they need to cross and count the circles to get the sum.

For second step this week, we talked about self control.  We used the phrase, STOP!, think, take a breath, and make a good choice.  We also talked about the habit Be Proactive and talked about being in charge of ourselves and our choices.

Greeters started this week and by the end of the week, all the kids were doing a great job.  Today, Cullen and Olivia went out and “taught” Henry and Ella how to do their job next week.  They are really enjoying this.  We are practicing looking at someone in the eyes and greeting them back.

Bella and Daisy are coming home again with a show and tell item this time.  Please have your child pick an item and practice telling about it and write on their clue paper underneath if I won’t be able to read it.  THEY need to write the clues and in the journal.  Remember, it has to fit in the backpack, can’t be breakable, or alive.

IF we don’t have snow days, the 100th day of school will be on Thurs. Jan. 31st.  I am sending a poster home today in the shape of 100.  They should draw, glue, sticker on like items and there should be 100.  I do like to hang them up in the hall.  The poster board is super thin so please don’t put anything heavy on it.  If they want to glue something on, you might have to use craft glue or hot glue.  Try to use like items as it looks so much better.  They can group things by 10’s if they want as well.  I’d like to have those back by Friday the 25th if possible.  By Mon. the 28th at the latest.  Whenever they finish them, they can bring them back.  There’s a note on the 100 poster too about snack for the 100th day.  Please do NOT send that in until the 100th day.

Here’s what should be on your calendar:

TODAY:  Book orders due by 3:00

Mon. Jan 21st  No school

Tues. Jan. 22nd  Return book bags, read and marked on the log

Wed. Jan. 23rd  First day to turn in Major Saver cards and money.  This will continue through Wed. Jan. 30th.

Thurs. Jan. 24th Bring a birthday card for Mrs. Burdick, one of our kindergarten aides.    Library day:  PLEASE mark calendars.  I’ve had some bummed kids lately that don’t bring their books back on D days for library check out.

Friday Jan. 25th 7:45 am: books and breakfast for those that turned in an rsvp (they were due the 15th).  It will be a PJ day for everyone even if you aren’t coming to books and breakfast. Make sure to wear tennis shoes and be dressed warm enough to go outside.

Friday Jan. 31st the 100th day of school.  We will dress like we’re 100 years old!  I’ll send a note next week with some ideas!  IF we have a snow day, I’ll let you know when we reschedule and we don’t have school on Friday Feb. 1st.

I think that’s it for today.  My kids are headed back to KU this morning.  It’s sure going to be quiet around my house.  I have loved having them home!  I hope you all stay warm and safe and have a good weekend!

 

Week of Jan. 7th-11th

Is it going to be 50 degrees, or snowing?  Mother nature just doesn’t seem to know this Jan.!  Thanks for sending those warm coats!

This week was all about snow (of course when we didn’t have any!!).  We read a lot of books and learned that snow crystals start as a speck of dust, dirt, ash etc.  We saw some really cool videos that showed how ice crystals are formed and they all start as a hexagon shape.  Then we got to look at them on the video under a microscope.  Now if had just snowed huge big flakes outside so we could catch them, that would’ve been perfect.  Fingers crossed it will still happen and we can go out with a magnifying glass and look at them!  We practiced retelling and they should’ve brought home The Snowy Day picture cards to retell for you.  We learned about rebus stories when we read The Jacket I Wear in the Snow and we wrote our own rebus stories.  They’ll be in the hall.

In math, we’ve been working on subitizing (knowing what the number is in a ten frame or on a die without having to count) and have started addition.  We talk about a lot of different ways to add.  I want the kids to really understand what addition means.  We do not worry about memorizing facts in kindergarten, we work on understanding the concept.  They do better when they use a manipulative to practice.  This would be a great thing to practice at home.  We add to 10 although a lot of games use dice so sometimes we go to 12.

Our second step lesson was focused on frustration and how to handle it.  Our Leader in Me lessons were focused on Begin with the End in Mind which talks about how to make a plan.  We are continuing to work in our leadership notebooks which you will see at conferences in Feb.

Next week we will start having classroom greeters.  Each week 2 kids will be asked to come to class 5 minutes before the 8:10 bell to put their stuff away and get their greeter vests on.  The kids will have a choice of greetings each week.  I will put a note in your child’s folder on Friday if it’s their job for the next week.  There is also a half sheet of paper in case they are here for ycare or go to the gym.  They can give the 1/2 sheet to that teacher and will be excused.  We are going to start working really hard on greeting others by looking them in the eye and responding.  So the adults at the entrances of the building will be looking for that too!  This is a great skill to practice and to know how to do!

Bella and Daisy will be coming home again starting today.  This time, the students are to write in the journal (please write underneath so I can help them read it if necessary and they should stretch words!) and they can put in a photo or draw a picture.  Then they are to bring a show and tell item (can’t be alive or breakable and has to fit in the backpack) and write three clues to describe the item.  The student will share their clues and we will try and guess what they brought.  Then the student needs to be able to share about their item.  We practiced today on what good sharing looks and sounds like and how they have to  be able to tell us information about what they brought.  Then the class will get to ask questions and we talked about what good questions sound like.  Please have them practice sharing at home when it’s their turn. This is part of their speaking and listening skills on the grade card.

Book bags came home today.  Please read and return on  Monday and mark the log!  Lots of kids have made good progress, so if it’s a little trickier book, just have them slow down and use their strategies.  I’m upping the game on some of them!  I KNOW they can do it, sometimes they just don’t know yet!

Few dates to remember:

Jan. 15th Books and Breakfast note is due, hard deadline on this one.

Jan. 18th book orders are due

Jan. 21st no school

Jan. 25th Books and Breakfast date

Jan. 31st the 100th day of school IF we have no snow days.  I will be sending more info. soon about this.  We come to school dressed like we’re a 100 years old (and I usually feel like I’m 100 by the end of the day! ha!)  More info. to come.  Such a FUN day!

Be sure to check the Olathe app or the news for weather updates and school closing.

My kids are home for one more week and I am loving every minute of it, even tripping over the multiple pairs of shoes everywhere!  Have a great weekend, stay safe and warm!