Week 22: February 11-15, 2013

Lucia helps Mr. Pangie shovel a path.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS  

The weekend snowstorm created a flurry of activity at recess. We have been shoveling, building snowmen and are in the midst of building an outdoor classroom! Well, it might not be suitable for class but it will certainly suffice for some wonderful creative play!   

We enjoyed a fun-filled days with Spirit Week. The children enjoyed participating by dressing up according to the themes. 

ELA Phonics

Some children have begun completing their Jolly Phonics workbooks! To celebrate they will begin stitching a colored pencil case (felt) on their return from February break. I will send home workbooks so everyone will have an opportunity to complete theirs. Not to worry if your child still has a number of pages to complete. I would like to have them all completed by the end of February or Early March. Please encourage your child to complete at least two to three pages per week.  The last three pages are a bit more challenging as it asks them to tap out sounds and write words. I am happy to work with them at school if they find it difficult. 

             We are starting a Journal Writing Project. I hope to send home the journal (see enclosed) once a week. Please read your child’s work and comment on their their thoughts.  I will also add comments. I hope to use it as a way for the children to begin to see purpose behind their writing as a way to communicate their thoughts, feelings, wishes, etc. 

Math:  We will be working on the concept of addition or “bonding“ in the coming weeks.  We are starting out with the easiest of them all. One (1). One is made up of 1 and 0 or 0 and 1. Two is made up of 2 and 0, 0 and 2, and 1 and 1.  The concept of number bonds is an important foundation for understanding how numbers work. A whole thing is made up of parts. If you know the parts, you can put them together (add) to find the whole. If you know the whole and one of the parts, you take away the part you know (subtract) to find the other part.  We will be playing games and working together to learn how to find and learn the bonds for numbers between 0 and 10.

Share:  We enjoyed shares that included lots of /j/ shares:  The Joker, a jump rope, jewelry, gems, someone even shared that they made homemade Jello.!

Mrs. Lancaster reads during rest time.

CALENDAR:

Chance cuts the watermelon
into bite-size pieces.

• Group Snack: Thank you to Tanner’s family for contributing last week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed tasty blueberry muffins, crackers and cheddar cheese, Graham crackers, popcorn, watermelon and  Valentine’s Day cupcakes. Yum! The children enjoyed working to cut the watermelon into bite-size pieces. They really do love working in the kitchen. I encourage everyone to enlist your children at home if you already aren’t doing so! They are very industrious. You should be proud!  We are delighted that the children are enjoying a variety of delicious and nutritious snacks. Maeve’s family is signed up to contribute this week’s snack.
  
• Housekeeping note:  Last week I introduced in the newsletter that we have two new assistant teachers working in the classroom. Unfortunately Jesse Taft will not be joining us afterall, but we are happy to welcome Ben Pangie. Ben is a certified high school english teacher and he is currently looking to reposition himself as an elementary school teacher.   He is well-suited to work with our younger students.  Feel free to introduce yourself if you happen to be at school or dropping your child off in the morning.

Weekly Replay:

Hunter and his buddy.

Maeve reads to her buddy.

Week 21: February 4-8, 2013

Mr. Lamb introducing the computer lab to the Kinderbees.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS  

Lucia navigates Starfall

What an exciting fun-filled week!  On Tuesday we met with our buddy classroom: Mrs. .Ziegler’s 6th grade.  They were each paired up with a sixth grade student who will be their buddy throughout the end of the year.  Not only will their buddy be reading to them, but now that our children are beginning to read we can be reading to them!  It will also allow us to work on a variety of projects throughout the rest of the year.  

This past week we added the computer lab to our classroom schedule: Thursdays at 12:05-12:30.  

Our first snow day left us plenty of snow to play in at recess. Wahoo! 

We are lucky to have two new assistants join our classroom. Ben Pangey will be with us Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays and Jesse Taft will be with our class on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

ELA Phonics

We continue to practice our sounds and  sight words.   Please practice at home with your child on a  daily basis.  The children enjoy making a guessing game out of the sounds by doing an actions in sequence and guessing the word.  For instance choose a word, such as “coat” do the actions: /c/, /oa/, /t/.  Your child guesses the word: coat!  

                I have challenged the children to finish their Jolly Phonics Workbooks.  When each child finishes they will begin a sewing project: to stitch a felt square into a colored pencil holder case. 

               Mrs. White, Mrs. Symancyk and I held a successful reading and writing workshop last week. I will be sending home materials later this week for you in case you were not able to attend. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Tylor shares his Memory Box

Social Studies:  We completed our Memory Boxes and everyone was able to share to the class! We have a busy week ahead of us, but we will try to begin work on our Family Trees. 

Math:  We will be working on the concept of addition or “bonding. “ More to come in next week’s newsletter. 

Share:  We enjoyed shares that included lots of /d/ shares:  Dan the Robot Man, duck, dump truck, dinosaurs, dachshund. dalmatian, Dori the fish.   This week’s share will be the sound /j/. 

Bryant and Conner play outside.

CALENDAR:

•  Group Snack: Thank you to Morgan’s family for contributing last week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed tasty muffins, crackers, goldfish, cheese sticks and applesauce. Thank you!  We are delighted that the children are enjoying a variety of delicious and nutritious snacks. Tanner’s  family is signed up to contribute this week’s snack. 
• Spirit Week: Student Council announced on Thursday that Spirit Week is this week. 
• Monday- Hat Day
• Tuesday- Pj / Stuffie Day
• Wednesday- Fashion Disaster Day
• Thursday- Twin Day
• Friday- Sport Day (dress as favorite team spirit)

We picked out of a hat the theme of Sleeping Beauty for our classroom, so we will be decorating our door accordingly. Please let me know if you have any ideas or time to help out! Thank you!

• Valentine’s Day: We will celebrate Valentines Day on Thursday. We will be celebrating and exchanging valentines during the day.  Tanner’s Family is doing snacks and is planning on having Valentines Day cupcakes.

• One Hundred Days. We will actually reach one hundred days of school mid-week, but will be celebrating on Friday. Please have your child count out 100 items (could be anything that fits into a ziplock baggie). We will be sharing them at our celebration on Friday.
  
• Report Cards: Please return your manilla envelope and sign on the line if you haven’t done so already. Thank you! 

Week 20: February 1, 2013

Kerridwyn plays hopscotch as the others wait their turn. 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS  

This week our first “snow” day turned into an icy day with a delay.  The weather has been challenging lately, but the children have been up to the challenge.  In the classroom, we have been working to develop our patience, and work as a team.  Each table is awarded points for working together and being responsible.  New exploration centers include a 200 piece puzzle and hopscotch. board.  Two activities that require cooperation and concentration!  We have added a new song to our repertoire, “Old Man Winter,” by C. Aldinger.  It ties in nicely with mapping skills as it introduces the term compass rose and mapping directions,: north, south, east and west. It’s still a new song, but it may be familiar enough to share with you! 

ELA Phonics

We finished our Jolly Phonics sounds last week, the learning and practicing continues.  This week we have been reviewing the sounds in our sound book, tricky words, and reading small predictable books. .  The students have been working hard to practice their sounds, use them to write words and read books.  Keep practicing the Sound Books at home as this is a great way to have them improve their fluency.   If a sound is difficult ask them what the action is.... this will usually prompt the sound to be enunciated.   Please record your reading time with your child on their Reading Log.  Practice at home should be done on a daily basis, but kept to just 5 to 10 minutes. You can break it up into two trying to sustain 6-7 minutes a piece.   This time should not replace being your time to read to them.  It is still very important for you to read to them, sharing interesting stories, both fictional and non-fictional topics.  We are starting our buddy class next week with Mrs. Ziegler’s 6th grade class. This will offer a great opportunity for them to get to know an older group of students.  They will be reading with each other as well as working on small projects throughout the rest of the year. 

Tanner shares his Memory Box

Social Studies:  We are finishing up sharing our Memory Boxes. Next week we will begin work on our Family Trees.  They are enjoying the opportunity to share their favorite memories and to be respectful listeners.  Next week we will begin working on their family trees. 

Science:  Our study of the night sky included an audio book on the web, The Moon, By Thomas K. Adamson, which included an audio file of Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. “It’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind.” We talked about what he meant. The children were captivated by his words. We were introduced to new vocabulary: craters, satellite,  astronaut,  and learned about the moon’s surface. Other excellent books we have read focused on the cycle of the moon, Phases of the Moon by Gillia Olson, Faces of the Moon. by Bob Crelin, and The Moon Book, by Gail Gibbons.  We are learning about the waxing crescent and quarter or half moons, and waning moons.  We are making our own moon book, titled The Moon Cycle.  We hope to finish it today or early next week.  

Graphing the Pigs in the Mud!

Math: This week’s focus was on graphing. We have been recording the weather on a classroom graph on a monthly basis since the beginning of the year.  As we complete the first month of the new year, January, it is a good time for the students to begin graphing on paper what we have been graphing all month in the pocket chart.  The children will be graphing the weather on a monthly basis and summarizing the information orally based on the data that we have been keeping.  More graphing activities included a new graphing game called “Pigs in the Mud.” The kids love it! They were each given a little pink pig. They toss the pig and record the toss. Did the pig land on his side, back, all fours, or snout? When they reach the top (15), the game is over.  We will be talking about what result is the most common? What is the least? 

Share:  We enjoyed shares that included lots of /f/ shares:  Transformer, Football, Lego F Ship, clay face. Fox, frog, fire chief, and more! Next week’s share will be something that begins with or has the sound /d/.  Brainstorming ideas with your child then going on a hunt in hour house is a great way to help your child connect with the sound and the letter.   

Puzzling over the puzzle.

CALENDAR:

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Group Snack: Thank you to Bryant’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed tasty snacks throughout the week from bagels and cream cheese, crackers and cheese, and pretzels. Thank you!  We are delighted that the children are enjoying a variety of delicious and nutritious snacks.
  Morgan’s family is signed up to contribute next week’s snack.
  
• Toys: Please help you child understand that toys need to be kept in their cubbies or Rest & Read bags. They are becoming a distraction during the day. Also electronic toys are not aloud.  Share toys are kept on the share table and then should be put in their backpacks, R&R bags or cubbies. Thank you for your support!
   
• Report Cards: Report Cards are being sent home today in the folder.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You may keep the contents for your records, and please sign the outside of the envelope and return on Monday. Thank you!
  
• Paired Reading Workshop: February 5th at 6:30-7:30.  Please RSVP to let us know you are planning to attend. Light refreshments will be available. Invitation enclosed in Friday Folder.

• Please Note: Don’t forget to unpack your child’s backpack daily. Snow pants may be wet from outside excursions.   :)

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar