Sight Words Introduced to Date:

If you would like to know the sight words that we are learning, below lists the ones that have been introduced to date:

• a
• I
• is
• me
• we
• be
• he
• to
• do
• the
• what
• like
• said

11.18.11

Felting with Mrs. Cathey

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

One of the big highlights this past week was felting with the kids in art class. The children made small balls from wool that they soaked in warm soapy water.  In our classroom a few of us also began to learn how to finger knit.  I hope that by the end of the year most of the students will have mastered this skill.

This past week Mrs. Williams 8^th grade advisory came in on Tuesday morning to volunteer their time to help us with morning tasks.  They will continue to do this in the coming months. The children enjoyed meeting them and are looking forward to getting to know them better.

This past week the children made Get Well cards for Mrs. Andrews.  Mrs. Lee Fotion has joined our team as a long-term para-educator while Mrs. Andrews is out on medical leave. Mrs. Fotion completed her student teaching with Mrs. White’s class last spring and was recently a long-term substitute teacher for Mr. Pogue. Mrs. Fotion will be with us into the early spring until she starts her long-term substitute teaching position for Mrs. Summarsell when she is out on maternity leave. A big welcome to Mrs. Fotion!

 I believe we have enough memory trunks (shoeboxes). The children should be thinking about their fond memory and what things might represent those memories. Although I am encouraging them to focus on just one memory, they can choose a couple of memories. if they find it hard to decide one just one. With only two school days next week, we will begin the project next week and I hope we can complete them during the following week after Thanksgiving.

The Family Tree project will be the focus of our efforts on Monday and Tuesday next week. Please email me photos to print out or send in family pictures with your children that they can use in the project. I will make Xerox copies of the photos and return the originals to you. Thank you for your support!

Jolly Phonics: Onto our fourth grouping of sounds: this week we are learning the vowel pairs: /ai/ and /ay;/ and the sound /j/.  We also discovered that /ck/ comes at the end of a word with a short vowel: like back or pack. We made more connections to words that have the Magic e. Magic e is used to explain why vowels say their name instead of their short vowel sound when e comes at the end of a word. We talked about Rule Breakers like “have” and “love.” Little anecdotes like a tippy letter such as /v/ help remind them to put an “e” after the “v”  (so it doesn’t fall over). As you well know, children love stories and these little anecdotes provide hooks for them to grab onto when writing words.

Working together at the sandbox.

Explorations:

In order to provide more routine to our day, I have moved explorations to the last period after recess. I find this time allows them a chance to decompress from their long day while exploring creatively.   

Balancing Pattern Blocks.

Construction with blocks and Legos, working with puzzles,  stamps, Playdoh and clay, and the sandbox now that it is inside.

Share: The Share theme this past week was /d/. We had some delightful shares: dogs, dolls, a red toy car with doors, and much more. Next week share will be  /j/. We also learned that sometimes the way we pronounce a word is not representative of how it is speled as int bottle (not boddle). 

Building together.

Social Emotional Skills:

As a way to help children work towards their personal goals, I am implementing a new incentive program that has seemingly proved to be successful in Mrs. White’s class this year. It is reward based. If a child needs a number of reminders to follow directions, stay on task, etc. I will give them a tally on their recording sheet. If however, they can follow directions with minimal reminders they will receive a star for the day. 1 or two stars lets them choose a sticker from a basket at the end of the week (or on a Monday from the previous week), If they have 3 or 4 stars they get to choose from two baskets. And if they have 5 stars (5 days) they will get to choose from 3 baskets. I hope this helps motivate those that need a bit of the tangible, while rewarding those that already are making good choices throughout the day.

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Wish List: For upcoming projects: Glue sticks, fabric scraps or pieces, plastic buttons, jewels, lace, ribbons, and shoe-box.  Thank you!

• Thank you to ian’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snacks! I will bring in next week’s snack.  We are coming up on the second cycle of snack rotation. If you would like to donate the following week, please let me know. Thank you!

•  We are planning a Friendship feast on Tuesday. with Mrs. White’s Class. Please send in a piece of fruit or a can of fruit to contribute to the event.

• Also on Tuesday, HES has a Holiday Student Assembly from 12:10-1:00pm. Although our class is not performing, it is always a good show. Hope you can make it! 

Sincerely, 
Jennifer Bodnar

11.10.11

Andrew and Hunter -- busy constructing a two story building.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

This week I began to shift the focus of the seasons from the changes in weather and plants to seasonal activities in anticipation of Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away. We read a classic, The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and The Song and Dance Man, by Karen Ackerman. After discussing what life might have been like over 200 years ago, and how our lives might be different or the same, the children listened to Leah Gartner (Maple’s mom), read The Ox-Cart Man. The children chose their favorite part, illustrated it and wrote a sentence describing what they drew.  This was one of their first attempts at using what they have recently learned about writing. Saying a word, tapping sounds, and writing the sounds they hear. They all did an outstanding job connecting their learning to the art of writing. 

On Wednesday, another reading volunteer, Jo Gelbach read one more classic,  The Song and Dance Man, by Karen Ackerman.  Next week we will have some fun activities planned that involve experimenting with tap dancing and putting together a memory trunk. If you have extra shoeboxes, please send them in so the children can begin to think about creating their own memory trunks on a mini-scale. They will need to think of a special moment in their life and will be asked to bring in small objects that might remind them of that time to place in their memory trunk. Please look at the wish list on the back page for special items we will need in order to decorate these trunks.

Jolly Phonics: We have completed our third grouping of letters. This week the children learned the sounds /l/, /f/, and /b/.  They are quickly putting them to use as they begin to decode words and write their own sentences. The more opportunities you have at home or in the car to segment words and have them guess what word you are saying, use the actions to “spell” simple words, or just play rhyming games will help support them on the path to literacy. Games and activities will continue to go home in their new book bags daily. I will generally keep them in their bags for a few days and then rotate them to other students.

Explorations:

This week’s explorations took a step towards active learning centers. We are learning how to sort coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) based on heads and tails. This will help them begin to focus on the different details of each coin. We started a graphing center with tiny plastic pigs. The children loved rolling the pigs and graphing them based on how they landed (on all fours, on their sides, on their snout or on their back). Next week we will be looking at what is the most frequent and what appeared to be the most rare. Intro to Statistics 101. J Building blocks and clay are still very much enjoyed and are productive ways for them to explore concepts, develop fine motor skills, and be creative.

Share: The Share theme this past week was /r/. Our shares this week ranged from colorful rocks, a ring, a deer insignia, to a guitar, more tractor’s and even a disappearing magic trick!  Next week sound theme is /d/.  I hope it serves to be a delightful activity rather than a dilemma!

Finn and Ryan fast at work together graphing at the new pig toss center.

Social Emotional Skills:

In order to promote a positive learning environment I am putting an extra emphasis on being responsible for ourselves instead of focusing on each other. In other words, by being mindful of our own behavior and being responsible and accountable for our own behavior, we will be able to care of each other and not disrupt the learning process.

Additionally, we are working on self-help skills – shoe-tieing, coat zipping, clearing the table after snack and lunch, staying on task, and being independent learners. Any help you can provide at home to support their independence will be greatly appreciated. Less time spent managing these issues will allow more time for productive learning in the classroom. Thank you! J

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Wish List: For upcoming projects: Glue sticks, fabric scraps or pieces, plastic buttons, jewels, lace, ribbons, and shoe-box (if you have more than one, please send in more. We will use them!  We will also be starting a project that will involve creating a family tree. Please send in photos of family members. We can make copies of them to use in the project and will return the originals. Thank you! 

• Thank you to Kayla’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snacks! Next week’s snack will be provided by Ian's family. :) 

• Reminder: If your child has an extra pair of boots or snow pants that can be kept at school, send in a note to let me know.  It will cut down on packing backpacks at the end of the day and reduce what your child has to carry. Also, please let me know if your child can keep their sneakers in their cubby.  

• Spill-Safe Water bottles: Please send in water bottles for your child to use in the classroom. Although the weather is colder, the air in the classroom can be very dry. They get very thirsty and it is important for them to stay dehydrated. The line at the water fountain can get long, which makes smooth transitions difficult. 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar  

11.4.11

The Fall Fiesta!  The Leaves are Falling.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

Our first assembly last Friday was a big hit. The children loved performing on stage. We sang the welcome song with Mrs. White performing “Gaia Wana Hey,” on her hand-made drum. We also sang two additional songs “Fall Fiesta,” and “Shoo Fly Pie.” For the past few weeks we had been practicing together to prepare for the event. It has been a great opportunity to combine the classes, sing fun songs and meet new and familiar friends. We will have additional opportunities throughout the year to collaborate with Mrs. White’s “Can Do Kids.”  I look forward to these gatherings as opportunities to learn about each other while being exposed to a variety of cultural and academic curricula.

Kaitlyn practicing the actions as she says the letter sounds.

Jolly Phonics: We started our next grouping of sounds, /g/, /o/ and /u/.  As the list of sounds we are learning has grown we are now able to play a variety of phonics games. I introduced one such game this week, “Sound Memory.” This game is based on the traditional matching pictures Memory game, but instead of pictures we are matching sounds. It is important to say the sound of the letter and to do the actions as the cards are turned over. This helps build automaticity and fluency, while keeping the process fun and engaging. The students worked in pairs playing the game. I will be sending the games throughout the week. I have six sets, so if your child doesn’t come home this weekend with it, look for it later in the week. I will rotate the games and continue to add in new letters as they are introduced. Another sound picture game will be introduced on Friday. Look for them in your folders.

Reading:

You will have noticed today bright colored book bags (should fit in most backpacks) that came home with your child today.  Please keep green folders, Jolly Phonics Sound Books and workbooks in it. Hopefully it will help keep the folders and reading/writing materials organized. It will hold small predictable books for your child to read with you. As more books become introduced for them to read I will send home information to help guide you in the process of supporting their work. We will talk more at conference time as well. Thank you for your support!

Brady and Ian building Cooperatively with the Legos.

Social & Emotional Growth:

As I look through the series of photos at the end of the week preparing to put together this newsletter, I am pleased to step back and view their progress. Although we have our challenges, staying on task, following directions and/or rules, at the end of the day they are beginning to learn from their mistakes, work out their differences, take responsibility for their actions, take turns, and be cooperative. Please continue to remind them to think about their own behavior and not others. You all should be very proud of them. J

Share: The Share theme this past week was /m/. Great shares this week!   Next week sound theme is /r/, 

ELF:  This past week the ELF designs in nature class focused on leaves and patterns. Thank you to our ELF Volunteers, Lynn Morrell, Finn’s Grandfather and Tom Haley.  Although the snow came early and made it difficult for them to get outside, they had a very busy and interesting class inside! Look for your child’s leaf rubbings in today’s folder. 

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Thank you to Andrew’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snacks! Next week’s snack will be provided by Kayla’s family.

• 1^st Quarter Conference Sign Up: Conference confirmation sheets have been going home in the folder. If you haven’t signed up for a conference yet, send me an email or note . Let me know what is a good time to meet. Friday afternoon is fairly open. Thank you.

• Winter clothing time. Your child will need to wear snow pants and boots at recess if snow is on the ground.  If your child has an extra pair of boots or snow pants that can be kept at school, send in a note to let me know.  It will cut down on stuffing backpacks at the end of the day and on what your child has to carry. Also, please let me know if your child can keep their sneakers in their cubby.  

• Please practice shoe-tieing, zipping, putting on coats, boots, mittens and hats. This will help make them more independent and streamline transitions to and from recess. Thank you! 

• Spill-Safe Water bottles: Please send in water bottles for your child to use in the classroom. Although the weather is colder, the air in the classroom can be very dry. They get very thirsty and it is important for them to stay dehydrated. The line at the water fountain can get long, which makes smooth transitions difficult. 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar  J