August 2011

The summer is winding down and I have been preparing my mind and materials for the move to 6th grade. This blog will become inactive, but if you wish to check in to see what adventures are occuring in 6th grade, my new blog address is www.beattyblogger.blogspot.com

Have a terrific school year!

May 31st ~ June 3rd

It is with mixed emotions that I pen my final message to you from Room 9. It has been a joy-filled year and the children have amazed and inspired me. Each one has incredible qualities and I can honestly say that every day with your child was precious. I am so proud of the accomplishments realized and the academic, as well as social progress made daily in our room.

Life is not just about learning to read and write. They are important, but so are love, friendship, and finding joy daily. This class has learned and exhibited these lifelong lessons every day since arriving at Poly Drive Elementary. Looking ahead, the children are very well equipped to take on the next phase of their educational lives. They have strong foundations in reading, writing, math, social studies, and science. I feel very confident that we have given them a great start in life and they have learned the following priceless lessons:

~ Take on challenges ~

~ Be loving ~

~ Love learning ~

~ Be part of the community ~

~ Laugh ~

~ Be the best you can be ~

Kindergarten encompasses many things and here are just a few:

K - Kind hearts can change our world

I - Incredible start for lifelong learning

N - Nurturing and loving

D - Daily Discovery

E - Early Literacy is the key

R - Recess is always a favorite

G - Great friendships are made

A - Always learning something new

R - Rowdy at times

T - Tremendous personal growth

E - Energy ~ Energy ~ Energy

N - New adventures in learning

Thank you for a wonderful year ~ it has been an honor to be a part of your lives. The photo CD is my gift to you and it is a pictorial journal of our year in kindergarten. As you may have heard, I am moving to 6th grade next year here at Poly Drive. Please stop by and visit me in Room 7 ~ I love to keep in touch with kids and parents.

All my love – Kim Beatty

May 23rd ~ 27th

The week was filled with rain, but we were fortunate enough to have a wonderful day for our field trip on Wednesday. The sun was shining as we explored the farm, and we were able to have lunch and spend time walking around the lake and watching the geese and ducks at Riverfront Park. After Riverfront Park, we traveled to Rose Park where we spent time on the playground before walking back to school. At the end of the day, we enjoyed some Wilcoxson's ice cream. It was a full day and I'm sure the children were tired at home that evening. I was a bit worn out myself.

We shared our final buddy time of the year with Mrs. Porisch's class and enjoyed Popsicles. Audrey's dad accompanied several students from MSUB to share social studies activities with our class. Audrey's mom also visited our room to teach an art lesson about pop art and the kids created their own alphabet pop art designs.

This week will be another busy one as we wind down the school year. We will continue to review concepts such as setting, characters, story sequence, and conclusion. We will revisit our measurement chart from the beginning of the year to see how much the children have grown physically. Academically, the growth has been astounding!! We will add a phonics decodable to our book boxes and one poem to our poetry binders. The children will write in their journals about their favorite kindergarten experience.

Math ~ We will be completing our study of numbers to 100 and counting larger quantities. We will continue to practice skip counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's.

Science ~ Mrs. Ragar will make her last visit to our room and will help us explore electric currents, open circuits, and closed circuits. The children will make final observations of their plant growth before bringing them home and science journal entries will include the electric current lesson, plant growth, and butterfly observations. Speaking of butterflies, our 6 caterpillars all pupated, and all 6 emerged as beautiful Painted Lady butterflies. We were even lucky enough to have two of them emerge as we watched.

Art ~ We will create caterpillars from egg cartons this week.

Field Day ~ We are hoping the weather cooperates for the Poly Drive Field Day. We will participate in activities at several different stations from 9-11 a.m. It will be a fun morning filled with movement and excitement. Please have your child wear appropriate shoes and clothing for this day.

Have a great week!

May 16th ~ 20th

We will continue to review various concepts studied throughout the year. We will practice changing vowel sounds to create new words and we will continue to interactively write our number poster showing the number, a visual representation of the number using 10-frames, and the number word. The children will add a phonics decodable book to their book boxes and a poem to their poetry binders. We will revisit several non-fiction books about our solar system and planets and the children will write about this topic in their journals.

Math ~ We will complete our unit on early addition and subtraction and we will begin working with groups of 10 & numbers to 100. The children will add an entry to their math journals.

Science ~ We will monitor the growth of our seedlings and the children will add an entry to their science journals. Our final caterpillar pupated last Monday, so we will hopefully observe six butterflies emerging from their chrysalises this week. The children will also document our butterfly journey in their science journals.

Field Trips ~ Our farm field trip is Wednesday and I am hoping for dry weather. We will go rain or shine, so please make sure your child is dressed appropriately and has sturdy walking shoes. The farm may be a bit muddy. Please pack a sack lunch with a drink for the day ~ an additional water bottle might be a good idea too. If you indicated that you would like a sack lunch through the hot lunch program, I will take care of ordering that for your child.

On Friday afternoon, we plan to take a walking field trip to Rose Park with our buddy class. We will enjoy the fresh air, play in the park together, and enjoy a treat at the end of the day. If the weather does not cooperate, we will choose an alternate activity. The permission slip for this is going home on Monday and I will need these back as quickly as possible. Children cannot leave the school grounds without a signed permission slip from home.

Library ~ We will continue to have our library time until the end of the school year, but last Friday was our final day to check out books. Mrs. Delaney must inventory the library each year and it is quite a task! Please return all library books to school by this Friday, May 20th.

Have a wonderful week!

May 9th ~ 13th

I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day and a nice three-day weekend. We will begin our review weeks where we revisit concepts learned throughout the year. The children will practice active listening, review rhyming, and segmenting words by syllables. We will add a phonics decodable to our book boxes and two poems to our poetry binders. The poetry binders provide an opportunity to reinforce reading skills with familiar text, as well as recognition of high-frequency sight words. The children will add another story to their journals.

Math ~ We will continue our study of subtraction, finding the difference, and determining whether an operation requires a plus (+) sign or a minus (-) sign. Our art project this week will utilize various geometric shapes to create an abstract design.

Science ~ We will continue to label our solar system mural, observe and journal our plant growth, and learn a bit about chemistry when Alex McCready helps us make Elephant Toothpaste on Wednesday. This experiment culminates in a chemical reaction that is fun to watch.

Field Trip ~ Our field trip to the farm is next Wednesday - May 18th. We will leave Poly Drive at approximately 9:30 a.m. and head to "A Slice of Country" to see the various animals and take a wagon ride. This working farm is located off Blue Creek Road and we will be there until 11:30. From there, we will venture to Riverfront Park to have lunch, explore the area by walking around the lake, and observe ducks and geese. At about 12:00, we will head to Rose Park where the kids will play and we will walk back to Poly Drive by about 1:30. It should be a fun day filled with exploration and activity! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather, as we will go rain or shine. Sturdy walking shoes are a must, and the farm may be a bit muddy in places. An extra water bottle is also recommended.

Each child will need a sack lunch for the day - you may provide the lunch, or one can be purchased through the school lunch program. Please let me know if you wish to purchase a lunch from school so I can make arrangements with Mrs. McDonald.

Field trip permission slips are in the Wednesday Watch this week. Please return your child's as quickly as possible, as well as the $3.00 fee. If paying by check, please make it payable to Poly Drive Elementary.

Have a wonderful week ~ Keep reading every day with your child!

May 2nd ~ 6th

Now that we are entering the month of May, I am hoping that spring weather will soon follow. We will review consonant blends this week and story sequencing. We will discuss and chart the beginning, middle, and end of stories. We will read a poem together and practice reading dramatically with feeling and emotion. We will begin to interactively write and label our solar system mural. The children will add a phonics decodable to their book boxes, three poems to their poetry binders, and an entry to their journals.

Math ~ We will complete our chapter on addition concepts and we will begin working with subtraction. Vocabulary terms associated with subtraction are separating, take away, comparing, and subtracting. This is a challenging concept for early learners.

Science ~ We will learn more about our solar system, stars, the sun, and planets. On Wednesday, Alex McCready will give a presentation about the attributes of air and airflow. We will journal air-flow observations in our science journals, as well as plant growth. We will observe the progress of our caterpillars. They will soon move to the top of the cup to pupate. At this point we have 6 live caterpillars and we are hopeful that 3 of these will make it to the butterfly stage.

Art ~ We will create a coffee filter butterfly with a watercolor tie-dye appearance.

Snacks ~ We are running low on snacks and could use a few to get us through the end of the school year. The latest "vote" included Vanilla Wafer cookies, graham crackers, and Wheat Thins. Cheeze-It's are always popular as well. If you are able to send a box to share, it would be appreciated. Thanks!

The children will also participate in a Fit Kids activity at the end of the day on Wednesday. All Poly Drive students will play an organized tag game on the playground for a continuous 30-minutes of aerobic activity.

Remember, there is no school on Friday. Enjoy the long weekend and have a fabulous Mother's Day!

April 26th ~ 29th

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed the long break. We will work with long vowels this week and practice adding a silent "e' to the end of words to change the vowel sound. We will add another phonics decodable to our book boxes and poems to our poetry binders. I am so thrilled with the reading progress in our room. Remember to read with and to your child each day for at least 20 minutes. That is the only "homework" I assign in kindergarten and it is vital for early reading progress.

Math ~ We are continuing with early addition and subtraction concepts. Some of the vocabulary words introduced for these concepts are: joining, more, greater, less than, fewer, addition, subtraction, equation, and sum.

Science ~ We will begin learning about the daytime sky, nighttime sky, our solar system, and stars. We will interactively create a solar system mural that will hang in the hall. The children will continue to observe and document the growth of their flower seeds. A first grade mom, Alex McCready will be presenting four science lessons to our class beginning this week. On Wednesday, the children will learn about germs, how washing our hands with hot soapy water compares to hand sanitizer for germ reduction, and they will use petri dishes to culture bacteria from their hands and mouths. The other lessons presented by Alex will be electricity and circuits, the characteristics and flow of air, and an experiment with a chemical reaction.

We will make May Day baskets with our buddy class on Friday and each child will create 2 to 3 tissue paper flowers to put in their basket.

This is Ms. Baskerville's last week in our class and her final day will be Thursday. She has been an incredible addition to our class and the kids will really miss her . . . I will too! We will have a short farewell celebration at the end of the day on Thursday. We wish her much success in the future ~ and hopefully a full-time teaching position!

Mark your calendars . . . we will be taking a field trip to a farm on Wednesday May 18th. The cost for each child will be $3.00 and more information and a permission slip will follow next week. We will be gone during lunch, so the kids will need sack lunches on that day. You may provide a lunch for your child or one can be purchased through the hot lunch program. I would like to have 2-3 parent volunteers join us and if you are interested, let me know. I will provide more details to the first 2-3 who respond.

Have a great week ~ thanks for letting me spend my days with your child!

April 18th ~ 20th

Our school year continues to fly by and it is hard to believe that we only have a month and a half left. We will be focusing on short vowels this week, as we review all the vowels. We will review action words (verbs) and the children will write poems about all the things that stars can and cannot do. We will interactively write the number words on a chart that depicts the number, number word, and a visual representation for each number on ten-frames. We will add another phonics decodable to our book boxes.

Math ~ We will continue to learn about early addition concepts; specifically the plus sign (+) and how to find the sum of two numbers.

Science ~ The children will continue to observe the germination of seeds and the growth of their plants. Student observations will be recorded in their science journals.

Text Talk ~ Our story this week is Annie and the Wild Animals. The six vocabulary words are: imagined, grumpy, tame, unexpected, growls, and strategy.

Earth Day ~ Tuesday is Earth Day and the kids will create a collage using paper scraps and a template of the Earth.

Remember that Wednesday is an early-out day and we will be dismissed at 12:00. No lunch is served on these days. There is no school this Thursday, Friday, and next Monday. Enjoy the long weekend with friends and family . . . and have a happy Easter!

April 11th ~ 15th

Our letter this week is "Uu" and we will continue to reinforce the recognition and use of our 36 high frequency word wall words. We will interactively create a story web graphic organizer about the book, "Corduroy" and Ms. Baskerville has a fun activity planned after reading stories about a talking dog named Martha. We will create shared writing posters to reinforce the "un", "ug", and "ub" word families. The children will add two poems to their poetry binders and a phonics decodable to their book boxes. The children are meeting with me in small guided reading groups to reinforce the strategies that good readers use. I choose books that are at your child's independent and instructional level to work on fluency, intonation, comprehension, and decoding.

Math ~ We are learning about 1 more, 2 more, 1 fewer, 2 fewer, and joining groups of numbers. We will add another entry to our math journals.

Science ~ We will continue to discuss the parts of a plant and journal the germination and growth of seeds we planted in class. We will discuss the life cycle of a chicken, frog, and butterfly.

Art ~ Our craft project this week will incorporate our study of the butterfly, patterning, and symmetry as we create caterpillars that become butterflies.

Buddies ~ As you know, our class has joined forces with Mrs. Porisch's 4/5 combination class. If you have not asked your child about our buddy activities, I encourage you to do so. It is a fun time to build relationships with older students and engage in activities that we may not be able to do on our own in kindergarten. Our buddy time is on Friday afternoons and it is fun, educational, and "energetic" with 45 students in one room at the same time!

Have a great week ~ and thank you for sharing your most precious treasure with me!

April 4th ~ 8th

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend with family and friends. We had a few glimmers of spring weather.

We will be working with the letters "Xx", "Yy", and "Zz" this week. The children will add a phonics decodable to their book boxes and four poems to the poetry binders this week. During our interactive writing time, we will create classroom charts showing the numbers 1-20, the number words associated with each number, and a pictorial representation using ten frames.

Math ~ We will continue to work with early addition and subtraction concepts, and specifically with the fact families through 10. We are making graphs depicting all possible ways to make the numbers 4-10. For example, you may work with your child by asking all the ways to make the number 4. He or she should indicate the following:
0 and 4 is 4
1 and 3 is 4
2 and 2 is 4
3 and 1 is 4
4 and 4 is 4

Science ~ We will begin studying the parts of a plant, what plants need to live, and we will observe and document the germination and growth of plants. The children will document their observations in their science journals.

Scholastic Book Order ~ You will find 3 order forms in the Wednesday Watch this week. This will be the final book order for the year and I encourage you to think about books your child might enjoy over the summer. As early readers, it is vital to read daily to reinforce and maintain those early reading skills.

Have a terrific week and remember to send those spring sports schedules so I can attend games/events.

March 28th ~ April 1st

Our letter this week is "Qq" and we continue to work with the words "my" and "to". We will begin working with the words "you" and "and" as we add more high frequency words to our word wall. We will discuss present and past tense and how we write words to indicate events taking place now and those in the past. The children will read and add another phonics decodable to their book boxes and three poems to their poetry binders. We will create a kite craft and then the kids will write a story about the adventures their kite might experience.

Math ~ We will begin early addition and subtraction concepts, working specifically with the fact families for the numbers through ten. We will discuss the various ways to make the numbers 4-10 and we will create classroom charts to help reinforce our learning.

Text Talk ~ Our story this week is "The Gingerbread Man" and our six vocabulary words are: fancy, delicious, boast, rather, shaped, devoured.

Science ~ We will complete the study of our five senses.

Parent Teacher Conferences ~ Report cards go home on Tuesday and conferences will be held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Remember that Wednesday-Friday are early out days for K-3 students and they will dismissed at 12:00 noon. I am anxious to share your child's accomplishments with you!

Spring Sports ~ It is time for spring soccer, baseball, softball, and various other activities for your child. I love to attend these events and if you provide a copy of your child's season schedule, I will make every effort to attend one of the games/events. If your child's activity is a team sport, please indicate the jersey/shirt color and the location of the games.

Have a terrific week and I'll see you at conferences!

March 21st ~ 25th

Our letter this week is "Ee" and specifically the short vowel sound made by this letter. We will begin working with the words "my" and "to" in anticipation of adding them to our word wall. We will interactively create classroom displays for the "en" and "et" word families, as well as adding a phonics decodable to our book boxes, and three poems to our poetry binders. One of our stories this week is "Machines at Work" and we will brainstorm various machines in our world and in our homes. The children will help make a chart depicting these machines. We will write in our journals, focusing on complete thoughts and word choice.

Math ~ We will study the concepts of symmetry and fractions such as halves, thirds, fourths, and equal parts. The children will make another entry related to shapes in their math journals.

Science ~ We will continue working with our senses, specifically our sense of touch to determine mystery objects.

Art ~ I am hoping that March will go out like a lamb . . . and the kids will make a craft project to welcome the coming of spring.

Glue Sticks ~ Our supply of glue sticks is dwindling. If you are able to help, the small Elmer's washable school glue sticks work best. Thank you

Snacks ~ Our supply of snacks is also shrinking. The kids seem to like Cheeze-Its, Graham Crackers, and Animal Crackers the best. Pretzels and Goldfish crackers are also popular.

Parent-Teacher confirmation slips are in the Wednesday Watch this week. Mark your calendar for your time to meet and discuss your child's accomplishments so far in kindergarten. These little ones are amazing!

Have a great week ~ spring is just around the corner!!

March 14th ~ 18th

Spring is in the air and I trust that you are enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather as much as I am! I hope you remembered to spring forward for Daylight Savings.

Our classroom supply of glue sticks is just about tapped out. If you are able to donate any, the Elmer's washable school glue sticks work best. Thanks!

Our letter this week is "Vv" and we will continue to reinforce recognition and use of the high frequency sight words on our word wall. As we read stories this week, we will focus on various story elements such as; characters, setting, story events and sequence, and the primary themes. We will add another phonics decodable to our book boxes, write labels for items in our room, add another entry to our journals, and take part in a taste test with various vegetables.

Text Talk ~ Our story this week is "A Pocket For Corduroy" and our six vocabulary words are: insisted, drowsy, panic, nuzzled, hesitating, and reluctant. Try to incorporate our words into your vocabulary at home and see if you child notices that you've used one of our special words.

Math ~ We are continuing the study of shapes and solid figures. We will review the attributes of the circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. The children will study early geometry concepts such as slides, flips, and turns, as well as how to combine shapes to create new shapes.

Social Studies ~ We will continue to study and discuss our world and where we are in relation to a neighborhood, city, state, country, and the world. Ms. Baskerville will incorporate Montana Native American language and culture with these lessons.

We are continuing our school-wide fund raiser for Zoo Montana. If you have loose change (or paper money) that you don't mind parting with, send it to school with your child and we will add it to our donation jar. Our class has collected almost $40.00 so far!

Remember to return the orange parent-teacher conference slips indicating your time preferences. I am excited to share your child's accomplishments with you when we meet. Kindergarten is such an exciting year for new discoveries and academic growth!

Have a great week ~ and happy St. Patrick's Day on Thursday!

March 7th ~ 11th

Our letter this week is "Ww" and we will study verbs ending with the letter "s" and we will spend extra time reinforcing high frequency word recognition. We will interactively write labels for various items in our room and we will complete a poster about the seasons of the year. We will add two poems to our poetry binders and a phonics decodable to our book boxes. We will use our GelBoards to practice letter formation and writing word wall words. The children will continue to write in their journals.

Library on Wednesday this week ~ Mrs. Delaney needed to switch our library time for this week only, so we will have library on Wednesday morning instead of Friday afternoon. Please have your child bring his or her library book on Wednesday.

Math ~ We will continue to work with pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. We will begin discussing various solid figures and early geometry concepts. The solid figures studied in kindergarten are sphere, cone, cube, and cylinder. The children will add another entry to their math journals.

Social Studies ~ We will begin a unit titled "Where am I in the World?" We will discuss and compare & contrast neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, and the world.

Art ~ Because March came in like a lion, we will create a lion craft this week. I sure hope March goes out like a lamb!

Don't forget Daylight Savings this weekend. It is time to spring forward on Sunday.
Have a great week!

February 28th ~ March 4th

The dinner and talent show on Thursday was a huge success. I believe the auditorium at Lewis and Clark holds about 700 and we filled the house! It was fun to see so many Poly Drive families at the event and the kindergartners were amazing in their dance routine. It was adorable!! Thanks again for your support of our silent auction basket . . . it garnered one of the highest bids of the evening and the total amount raised for our PTA ~including the dinner, baskets, and raffle tickets was almost $2,600. Wow!

Our letter this week is "Jj" and we will continue to work with the word wall words and letter formation. Our word wall words this week are "little" and "two". When your child is writing at home, remind him or her to begin their letters at the top and not the bottom. This will be more critical as they begin cursive writing in 3rd grade. The children will work with action words (verbs) and we will interactively write sentences to describe various shapes in our room. We will add a phonics decodable book to our book boxes and two poems to the poetry binders. Our current list of word walls words is as follows:
a, am, at, big, blue, but, can, do, get, go, have, here, I, in, is, it, like, little, one, not, red, see, the, three, two, up, we, what, where, yellow.

Math ~ We will continue our study of money ~ the various attributes of coins and their values. On Friday, the children will "shop" at a mock toy store and they will each have a bag of coins. They will have to decide which items to buy, draw the item, and then draw a picture depicting the coins needed to purchase the items. It is a fun activity to reinforce the concepts we are studying.

We will attend a special opera performance at our school on Tuesday. It is age-appropriate and will introduce the children to this musical art. I am really looking forward to it and I know the children will enjoy it too.

On Wednesday we will celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. We will read "Green Eggs and Ham" to name just one book, and we will have a special ~ and magical event that afternoon in our room. Be sure to ask your child about it. The children will also create a hat like the one the Cat in the Hat wears.

It looks like we might have a full week of nice weather ~ yippee!!!
Have a great week and don't forget to read with or to your child for 20 minutes each day.

February 22nd ~ 25th

I hope you enjoyed the break. Spring weather has been teasing us lately . . . sure hope it is just around the corner!

We will continue with the letter "Kk" this week and our study of describing words (adjectives) and the sequence of events in stories. We will hunt for a missing mitten and write a lost and found ad describing our lost mitten. We will interactively write sentences for various shapes in our room and the children will add two poems to their poetry binders and a phonics decodable book to their book boxes.

In math, we will complete our study of concepts of time and begin working with money. We will learn about the penny, nickel, and dime this week, including their physical attributes and values.

Text Talk ~ The book this week is "New Shoes For Silvia" and our six vocabulary words are: collected, patience, smooth, perhaps, certainly, resourceful.

We will create an art project this week with a mitten theme and your child's hand print.

Our talent show and dinner is this Thursday evening and the kindergartners will perform first. Come for a great meal beginning at 5:30 and stay for the talent show at 7:00. The accommodations at Lewis and Clark Middle School allow for a bigger crowd and more comfortable seating. I hope to see you there!!

Remember your homework . . . read with or to your child for 20 minutes each day to instill a love for reading and promote a lifetime of learning!

February 14th ~ 16th

Happy Valentine's Day! We will celebrate with a party filled with activities and fun. The kids will rotate to five different stations ~ Bingo, a Valentine's craft, a heart game, conversation heart counting and graphing, and cookie frosting and decorating. The children will also have an opportunity to look through their cards and treats from classmates.

Our letter this week is "Kk" and we will focus on the sequence of events in stories and describing words (adjectives). We have a short week, so we will continue with this letter next week as well.

Math ~ We will continue to work with concepts related to time, time of day, and sequencing.

In preparation for President's Day next Monday, we will learn about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and we will read books about these important men in our nation's history. We will complete a craft project related to each of these Presidents.

Remember to return your payment and forms for the the talent show dinner. The cost for the meal is $5.00 per person. There is no charge for attending the talent show. I hope to see you on the 24th.

Wednesday is an early out day and the kids will be dismissed at 12:00. There is no school on Thursday, Friday, or next Monday. Don't forget to read to or with your child for 20 minutes each day to build strong reading skills. Enjoy the extra long weekend with your family and friends.

February 7th ~ 11th

Our letter this week is "Oo" and we will work specifically with the short vowel sound. We will continue to study the words "one" and "what" and should be able to add these to our word wall by the end of the week. We will brainstorm words for the "ot" and "op" word families and will complete and display posters for each. We will continue to work with Venn Diagrams as we compare and contrast elements in stories. The children will begin new journals, add a phonics decodable to their book boxes, and two poems to their poetry binders. Mrs. Kvilhaug will teach our final bully lesson this week.

Math ~ We will continue to use our calendar to reinforce the days of the week and months of the year. We will order events in a sequence, discuss various times of the day, and use an analog clock to tell time by the hour. We will add another entry in our math journals.

Art ~ The children will design and decorate their own Valentine bags to hold their cards and treats from classmates. I will include a class list in the Wednesday Watch so you will have the correct spelling for each child's name.

We are continuing to practice twice weekly for the talent show performance at Lewis and Clark Middle School on February 24th. It will be a lot of fun and I encourage you to attend with your child if you can. The meal begins at 5:30 and will be catered by Johnny Carinos. The cost for the meal is $5.00 per person. Please return the PTA form sent home last week with your payment indicating how many will be attending the dinner. The talent show starts at 7:00.
We are starting to fill our silent auction basket. If you have items or cash to donate to the cause, send them with your child and our room parents will do the rest. Thanks!

The Poly Drive PTA February meeting is this Tuesday evening at 6:30 in the library.

The Read-a-thon activities continue with dress-up days this week!
Monday ~ Surf in with a great book: Wear Hawaiian
Tuesday ~ Dress as your favorite story book character
Wednesday ~ Get turned around in a book: Wear your shirt backwards
Thursday ~ Lose yourself in print: Wear black and white
Friday ~ Cozy up with a good book: Wear your pajamas

Have a great week ~ and remember to read with or to your child for 20 minutes every day!

January 31st ~ February 4th

Monday is our 100th day of school!!! It is so hard to believe that we have reached this milestone already and we have shared 100 glorious days in kindergarten!!! During each of these days, your child has amazed me, inspired me, and has added joy to the day. The academic and social progress has been tremendous and I never tire of watching the children explore our world and grasp new concepts. Kindergarten truly is a year of exploration, discovery, and triumph . . . maybe they should make an action-adventure movie based on a day in the life of your child! Be sure to ask your little one about our various "100th Day" activities.

Our letter this week is "Ll" and we will learn about plural nouns (one and more than one), and we will spend some time talking about how we develop and nurture friendships. This ties in nicely with Mrs. Kvilhaug's lesson about bullying. I will introduce the words "one" and "what" for future addition to our word wall. We will add two poems to our poetry binders and a phonics decodable book to our book boxes.

Wednesday is Groundhog Day, so we will learn about and discuss this legendary critter and create a groundhog crown to take home that day.

Text Talk ~ Our story this week is "Dear Juno" and our six vocabulary words are: soared, gentle, communicate, noticed, crisp, & eager.

Math ~ We will begin our next chapter that focuses on the days of the week, months of the year, the seasons, and concepts of time.

Ms. Baskerville, our student teacher continues to add more and more teaching time to her week and she has developed a strong rapport with the children. She is doing a super job and has been a great addition to our room. If you have not had a chance to meet her yet, stop in a say hello sometime.

The reading portion of the Read-a-thon began on Saturday and I was very pleased that 14 students from our class were able to participate in the fund-raising portion of this event. All of the children will participate daily this week in reading activities at school and you can count 20 minutes per day on your child's reading log.

Our collection of coffee and tea items is beginning to grow for the talent show silent auction basket for our room. If you wish to provide basket items or cash donations, please send them with your child and our room coordinator will create a basket masterpiece from our room. Thanks for your support of this event!

Speaking of the talent show ~ don't forget to mark your calendars for February 24th from 5:30 to approximately 8:30. The dinner begins at 5:30 and the entertainment is scheduled to begin at 7:00. The kindergartners are performing a dance number and I sure hope you and your child can attend. It will be adorable and memorable!

Have a fantastic week~

January 24th ~ 28th

Our letter this week is "Dd" and we will work with describing words (adjectives) and story elements such as plot, setting, characters, and the sequence of story events. We will begin working with the words, "we" and "at" as we prepare to add them to our high-frequency word wall. We will add two poems to our poetry binders and a phonics decodable book to our book boxes. The children will write in their journals and we will work again with math journals.

Math ~ Our focus this week is on measuring by weight and working with the concept of temperature.

Science ~ We will revisit the study of our five senses and complete an activity where the kids will guess the identity of various unknown items using only their sense of smell. They will rotate to different stations, smell the scent in the cup, and draw pictures of their guess. An unveiling at the end will reveal the actual scents in each cup.

Art ~ The children will be creating polar bears using a template, construction paper, and cotton balls.

Mrs. Kvilhaug will be teaching the first of three lessons about bullying on Monday. These lessons show the children how to deal with bullies, when to use their words, and when to ask for help.

Mark your calendars for the Poly Drive Talent Show. It will be held on Thursday February 24th at Lewis and Clark Middle School at 5:30 p.m. This is generally for the older kids, but this year the kindergartners will be performing a dance number choreographed by Mrs. Reas and it will be a lot of fun. It will be a great time and I hope you are able to attend with your child and watch him or her move to the beat!

You may have noticed the "brief" report card comments this quarter. The district is utilizing a report card program that limits the space available for comments. We will conduct parent-teacher conferences again at the end of March, but if you have questions regarding your child's report card, let me know and we can set up a time to visit.

I hope you have a fantastic week!

January 17th - 21st

I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend and some extra time with family and friends. Our letter this week is "Cc" and we will work with describing words (adjectives) and continue with rhyming words. The children will add a phonics decodable book to their book boxes and two poems to the poetry binders.

In math, we will continue to compare, order, estimate, and measure by capacity and weight.

We will create a snowflake hand print craft and then work on a writing activity related to the snowflakes.

There will be a Poly Read-a-thon assembly for the students on Friday. This is a great fundraiser for Poly Drive and it promotes and encourages reading for enjoyment. More information will follow.

The Poly Drive Talent Show is also just around the corner and each classroom will be assembling a themed basket for a silent auction to take place during the talent show. Our basket theme is "Coffee & Tea Lovers". If you would like to donate items to our classroom basket, just have your child bring the items to school. Our room moms will help assemble the basket on February 17th. Our basket might include items like specialty coffees and teas, cups, travels mugs, gift cards from coffee shops, tea infusers, mug/cup warmers, etc. A separate information sheet about this event is in the Wednesday Watch this week.

Stay warm and have a wonderful week!

January 10th ~ 14th

It was great to get back into our classroom routines and continue learning new and exciting things in kindergarten. Your children are amazing and I am excited about the new skills and abilities they display each day.

Our letter this week is "Ii" and specifically the short sound that this letter makes, although we will discuss and compare the long "Ii" sound also. We will work with story sequence, as well as recognizing and producing rhyming words. We will practice questioning, the purpose of questions, and using various questions to get to know a new friend. This is timely as we welcomed a new student, Joey to our room last week. The kids will write in their journals, add two poems to their poetry binders, and a phonics reader to their book boxes.

I will begin reading chapter books during our afternoon read-aloud time, which encourages children to choose challenging books with a more complicated story line. The selected series is about Junie B. Jones and the main character is a kindergartner. If you are familiar with these books, you know that Junie B. does not always make good choices and this often gets her into interesting predicaments. These "naughty" happenings offer wonderful teachable moments and prompt great class discussions about decision-making strategies, doing the right thing, and taking responsibility. Your child may develop a keen interest in these books and they are all available in the Poly Drive library.

Math ~ We will continue in our chapter about measurement. We will work specifically with estimating, comparing, measuring, and ordering by length.

Text Talk ~ Our story is "Caps For Sale" and our six vocabulary words are; ordinary, disturb, imitate, upset, refreshed, and satisfied. These words will be posted outside the room to remind visitors to use them in normal conversation while in the class. It is fun to watch the children as they realize you have used one of our vocabulary words.

I will introduce information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and discuss his life and the example he gave to us all. To tie in with this concept, I will read a book titled "The Crayon Box That Talked", which is about a box of crayons that could not seem to get along. They each thought their color was the best and did not see a need for the others. As they began to draw a picture together, they realized that the picture was not complete unless they worked together. We will create a class mural with a crayon box theme and you will find this displayed in the hall outside our room by the end of the week.

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to Amanda Baskerville. She will be completing her student teaching assignment in our class and I am excited for her to work with this great group of children. She will be in our room beginning this week through the end of April. Please stop in to meet her when you are in the building.

Poly Drive's monthly PTA meeting is this Monday, the 10th at 6:30 and I encourage you to attend if you are able. We are very fortunate to have an outstanding PTA that provides so much support to our school, parents, students, and teachers.

We are nearing the end of the second quarter and report cards will go home next Friday, the 21st. Have a wonderful week ~ and thank you again for sharing your child with me!

January 3rd ~ 7th ... 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
I hope your holiday break was restful and filled with fun and family! It is so fun to see the kids again after a long break and I'm anxious to continue our journey of learning.

I want to give a special thanks to Cindy Stubbs and Perrin Grubbs for the wonderful fleece scarves they made for each of the children . . and for me. What a fabulous surprise and a warm addition to our winter wear!

Our letter this week is "Gg" and we will revisit the words "big" and "in" as we prepare to add them to our word wall. We will discuss the concepts of compare & contrast as we read and review stories together. The children will draw a picture of someone in our class and practice introducing that person to the rest of us. We will focus on sound blending and word building using the letter "Gg". We will explore the concept of New Year's resolutions and the children will write their own and create a party hat craft. The children will add two poems to their poetry binders, as well as a phonics decodable book to their book boxes ~ and they will continue to write in their journals.

Math ~ We will begin our chapter on measurement and comparing & ordering by size, length, capacity, and volume. We will add to our math journals this week as well.

Social Studies ~ We will work together and learn to solve problems in a productive manner. There are several songs, activities, and poems to reinforce this concept.

Please remember to send your child with warm winter apparel that is appropriate for recess time. We have 3 fifteen minute recess times each day and we do go outside when the temperature is above zero. Hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, boots, and snow pants are all important for comfort and safety.

Have a great week!