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| Sophia and Ava sketch on their paper. |
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
It
is hard to believe that this is my last newsletter for the 2011-2012 year. I have truly enjoyed reviewing my
weekly pictures during the course of the year to relate our adventures and
learning to you on a weekly basis.
It
has been a busy week as we begin wrapping up our projects and plan for the
coming summer. The children are excited and energized by all the events and
activities that are happening this time of year. Although we haven’t enjoyed
the sunniest of days we were lucky to enjoy our nature hike on a sunny day
between showers and get outside for short recesses in the morning for extra
fresh air and exercise. A big thank you to our field trip chaperones, Blakeley,
Finn’s mom, Ashley, their babysitter, and also, Rhonda, Andrew’s mom for taking
pictures along the way.
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| We drop an eraser into the water table. Will it sink or float? |
In Science we are investigating the properties related to “sink
and float.” We read an entertaining story, Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen and had a whole
group lesson investigating the concept. We learned that our wooden and plastic
objects floated while the eraser and penny sunk. Even though tin foil is made
out of a metal it also floated!
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| Andrew and his dad, Brinn painting. |
As a fun connection to the Sink and Float concept, Andrew’s
father, Brinn, brought sailboat kits for each child to paint and build their
own sailboat. The children enjoyed painting their boat and are looking forward
to racing day some time next week.
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| Ryan Painting his sailboat. |
On
Wednesday, we enjoyed a beautiful morning behind the school on the looping
trail. Our primary objective was to be mindful using our senses: we listened
for signs of wildlife and other environmental sounds, we looked for signs of
wildlife by examining our surroundings.
We also used our sense of smell and sense of touch to explore the trail.
It was a great opportunity to explore nature right in our own backyard. We
collected natural items from our hike and did colorful rubbings to put in
handmade books.
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| Tom and Lynn reviewing Bee Talk with Hunter. Thank you ELF Volunteers! |
Mr.
Lynn and Mr. Tom presented our last ELF lesson of the year: bees. We learned
about the different
kinds of bees and different jobs that bees have. The children learned how bees
dance to tell each other where the precious flowers are located. Thank you to
all of our ELF volunteers for a great year of Environmental learning!
Our
students of this week were Andrew and Ava and Finn. We learned that they like
the colors black, pink and gold. They want to grow up to be in the FBI, an artist and a policeman!
CALENDAR:
- Monday: End of Year Kindergarten Celebration: 8:15-9:15pm. We would love to have you come and celebrate. If you can’t make it, we understand and will hopefully have pictures to share at the end of the year. J We will have light refreshments. It will be a short informal event celebrating their completion of our kindergarten class year together.
- Field Day: June 12th in the afternoon, organized by our PE Teacher Mr. Mueller. Please send your child in with a water bottle -- they should dress for outdoor activity stations and perhaps wear sunscreen and/or a hat. It should be a fun-filled day.
- Also on the same day in the morning we will have Step-Up Day. For this activity they will go to visit their assigned teacher for next year. It is a short 15-minute visit, but very fun as they will see their new classroom and the children who will be in their class.
- Our Last Day of School is Thursday, June 14th. It is a half-day, with Noon Dismissal. 8th Grade Graduation is at 2:00 pm that same day.
- Snacks: Thank you to Cashton‘s family for this week’s snacks. The class enjoyed great healthy snacks: apples, bananas, popcorn, applesauce, and Cheese-its. Next week’s snack will be provided by Keira’s family.
Thank
you to all our families for contributing such wonderful, healthy snacks. Being
able to share the same snacks together everyday helps build our community. J
- Share: We will not have share next week as we have so many things to do. Thank you for helping your child choose fun and exciting shares throughout the year.
HOUSEKEEPING
ITEMS:
- George Jr., has been enjoying his visits with everyone these past weeks. His adventures have been very entertaining. Thank you to everyone for your contributions. The children have enjoyed hearing about his weekly adventures. J Thank you!
I
want to let you all know how grateful I am for the opportunity to teach your
children at this time in their young lives. They are so curious and excited to be at school and I
appreciate seeing the world through their eyes. As a parting wish, I wish you
and your child a fun-filled adventure throughout their primary years and
beyond. Keep reading to them even as they begin to learn to read. Time spent
reading together is well spent and so rewarding for everyone. J
Sincerely,
Mrs.
Bodnar
jbodnar@wsesu.net
