Week 2: September 10 - 14, 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012

Dear Families,

Tucker and Maeve cream the 

butter and sugar for our butterfly cookies 

which we will eat next week.

At the completion of our first 5 day week, we must say the children are doing well. It appears the transition to kindergarten has been very successful, with our students being both excited to come to school as well as having them work cooperatively and respectfully in the classroom. Attending kindergarten is a big step and next week we take another step toward that accomplishment with full days. Thank you for your support during these past two weeks with half day schedules. We know and understand it has been a juggling act for some families, but in the end, we are very pleased with the results. We hope you and your children are too! 

This week we have continued our study of metamorphosis with the study of the lifecycle of butterflies and moths. Our discussions have led to many interesting conversations and insights. Your children have made chrysalis models with caterpillars and butterflies on popsicle sticks, lifecycle wheels showing the four primary steps in metamorphosis, studied symmetry of butterfly and moth patterns, and even put our math skills to work as the children measured and poured ingredients to make baked sugar butterfly cookies. We had discussions about migrations and had an introduction to geography introducing vocabulary terms: globe, map and migration. The children learned that the butterflies will soon begin their migration to Mexico for the winter. On Thursday, Ms. Spaulding brought in a video that she made a few years ago of a Monarch butterfly shedding its last layer of skin before it went into the chrysalis stage. The children were captivated as we were. Thank you Ms. Spaulding! We will post it on our websites shortly so you can see it too. 

Keira uses the Monkey Bars!

Maeve and Kaylah make
Wikistix flowers. 

In explorations we have introduced a few new centers:  Farm and animals, ink pads & stamps, and Wikistix art. We are learning how to work with the materials, take care of them and put them away. 

We were able to get outside to the big recess playground for the afternoon kindergarten this week. The children have really enjoyed trying out the new equipment and learning how to use the corkscrew slide. Morning kindergarten also had “run-around” time in the field beside our classrooms. This is an important time for the children to develop new friendships, burn extra energy, and get fresh air! We certainly have been lucky with the gorgeous weather.  

News Notes:

• Janet Cathey, the Art Teacher, has sent home in this week’s Friday Folder a permission slip for Artsonia. A web-based art site where she will post our class artwork and projects. If you would like your child to participate, please sign the permission slip and return to us next week.

• September “Scholastic” book orders are due on Monday too. If you are placing a book order, you can easily place an orders via their secure online server. Go to: https://orders.scholastic.com/H9K3R for Mrs. Bodnar’s class and https://orders.scholastic.com/HPX4L for Mrs. White.  Mrs. White’s Scholastic Classroom Code is: HPX4L  and Mrs. Bodnar’s Classroom Code is: H9K3R.  You will need to create an online account before placing your order.

• Thank you to everyone who was able to support the “Genevieve” fundraiser which helps provide money for special craft projects, parties, and field trips. Please don’t be shy when promoting Hartland Elementary School to your family and friends!

• The Farm to School Program is funding our first field trip to Riverside Farm in Plainfield, NH later in the month.  More details to follow. Please let us know if you would like to be a chaperone. 

• Please send in a water bottle for your child to keep in their cubby during the week. It gets warm during the day and it helps keep them hydrated without having to stand in line at the water fountain. 

Upcoming Important Dates: Calendar

• Monday, Sept. 17th         Full Day Kindergarten
• Monday, Sept. 17 th        Genevieve Fundraising Packets Due 
• Wednesday, Sept. 19th  5pm: School-wide Community Annual Picnic

• Wednesday, Sept. 26 Early Dismissal (12:00 PM) If your child will have a different form of transportation for Early Dismissal Days, please send in a note. 

• Friday, Sept. 29 School Picture Day (Order forms will be coming home)

Fondly, 

Ginny White   &    Jennifer Bodnar

P.S. To access this newsletter online, simply go to the school website: www.hartland.k12.vt.us click on the (red) Home window across the top. Scroll down to Faculty and Staff Directory, find our names and click on the Webpage link.

Week 1, September 4 - 7, 2012

Kindergarten News

Searching for our stuffed animals.
We visited with Nurse Christie-Maples

We are off to a great start!  Thank you so much for your support and involvement. On our end, we had no tears on our first day (not even from us!) and gentle hugs and kisses from you and your children were ready and eager to get started. Hopefully at your end things went well also.  Thank you to those of you who have sent in disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.  Both will be put to good us!  A few families have signed up for  our weekly snack. Thank you! If you have not done so already, please choose a week. The sign up sheet for each class is outside each of our doors.  We are providing snacks for these two weeks.  In the AM we have a small snack of graham crackers and snack milk (if your child so chooses) since lunchtime begins at 10:45.  In the afternoon we plan a bit larger snack break, such as yogurt, fruit, crackers & cheese, etc. The PM will be a longer stretch for your children once they stay all day as of September 17th.

Both our AM & PM sessions have been busy.  On the first day you may have heard that your children’s stuffed friends chose to go off exploring the school, those rascals!! We had to go on a hunt searching for them, and in the process the children visited the offices of the secretaries and administration, the nurse and the office or our main maintenance man - Mr. Howe. Thankfully upon our return to our classroom, we found them waiting for us to have a teddy bear picnic! Next week, we think our stuffed friends will be quite tired from days at school and they can remain at home.

Working on our
butterfly puzzle

We have noticed that your children have also begun to show fatigue after the first day. Some chose to rest and look at books during exploration time, which is totally fine. This is normal since time spent at school is quite different than time spent in a daycare setting.  We are working very hard at learning routines and expectations, like sitting up at circle time, showing good listening skills and following directions. This is hard work. So, you may find your little one is very tired at day’s end.

Our first week we have begun to explore butterflies, doing a number of activities centering around this theme, for example symmetry for math. If anyone discovers any chrysalises when you are out and about, have your child bring them to school so we can observe that miracle of nature. 

Kerridwyn paints half her
butterfly to discover
symmetry.

We have begun to review school rules and expectations, and when the children begin full days (September 17th) we will begin to develop our own classroom rules with the children. 

Your child has brought home a Genevieve Fundraising Packet.  A portion of the profit is given to your child’s class depending on student participation. We appreciate in advance any and all support you can give. This money is used for extra supplies, field trips and other activities that may happen throughout the year.  All order forms are due back on September 17th. 

Have a wonderful weekend and we will see your child in the reverse group on Monday!  Again full day for all the children will begin on September 17th. 

Fondly, 

Ginny White   &    Jennifer Bodnar

Welcome Letter

Welcome to Kindergarten!

We hope your youngster is looking forward to his or her first day of school on Tuesday, September 4th as eagerly as we are!  We know you and your child have lots of questions.  

Never hesitate to call or email us at school with your concerns.  

Ginny White:  802-436-2255 Ext. 1224   gwhite@wsesu.net 
Jennifer Bodnar:  802-436-2255 Ext. 1223  jbodnar@wsesu.net

Attached you will find the schedule of Special classes.  Please note, for PE your child should not wear flip-flops or sandals.  Footwear with good treads is best (sneakers, for example).

More about the first day...

Supplies:  Please label everything with your child’s name! (backpacks, clothing, etc.).  

Lunch:  Milk can be purchased for 35 cents.  Hot lunch for children is $2.55.  Each child has a cafeteria account.  Just send in an amount that works for you, and it will be debited as your child uses it.  Please put the money in an envelope labeled with your child’s name and what the money is for.  If you make out a check, please make the check payable to: HES.  

Arrival and Dismissal:  Students can be dropped off as early as 7:15 in the front of the school.  or in the kindergarten loop beginning at 7:30.  If you would like your child to be dismissed by a method other than the usual routine, you must send a written note.  Otherwise, we will dismiss your child in his/her usual way.

Snack Time:  This year we will have a family snack.  This means that we are asking families to send in a snack for the entire class (14 students) for each day of their assigned week.  (See your child’s homeroom teacher to sign up for a week.)  Some ideas for healthy snacks are listed below.  We do have students will food allergies in Mrs. White’s class, so no nut items or tropical fruits (mango, pineapple) in her homeroom please.

• crackers & cheese
• dry cereal
• cheese cubes
• rice cakes with cheese
• fresh fruits (grapes, watermelons, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, apples)
• crunchy veggies (carrots sticks/mini carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices, peppers) with dip
• dried fruit or trail mix
• muffins
• mini bagels with cream cheese
• popcorn
• yogurt (large containers please)

Some nervousness is normal, even from the most independent children.  Some tears may flow; possibly even from you!  It’s best to make the transition as smooth as possible.  Our door is always open, however, on the first day it is best not to linger too long.  

We are excited about beginning this school year adventure together!  It will be enriching, memorable, and lots of fun for all.

Mrs. White & Mrs. Bodnar

Week 38

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 12^th 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 14^th. It is a half-day, with Noon Dismissal. 8^th 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

Week 37

We all stand as the Color Guard and Veterans Depart from the Assembly.

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS  

I hope everyone enjoyed a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Thursday’s Memorial Day Assembly was not only educational, but also entertaining. The student performers and the speakers were outstanding. During the program, our very own Kinderbees and Ginny’s Can Do Kids, sang with the grades 1 and 2 a song we have been practicing in preparation for this event:  “On Memorial Day We Remember.”   They all did exceptionally well, singing loud and clear!

This week we finished our unit on plants. Over the course of our unit we planted Mother’s Day Zinnias (I hope they continue to sprout!), Lima Beans or String Beans, and a Sunflower.  We learned about what plants need to grow and the parts of flowers, plants, and trees.   On Thursday we read The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown as a culmination to our unit and we are writing a response to our reading in the style of her book…. The Important Thing about Plants. In it they shared all their learning.

We are returning to a science unit on the Water Cycle and tying in the concept of “Sink and Float.”   We will be working with a variety of objects to determine whether they sink or float. This should prove to be a fun and enjoyable concept this time of year. ,

Classroom placement letters are being mailed today, Friday, June 1.  Please read the letter carefully. As you may already know, Ginny and I have worked closely to assign the children to their classes in a fair and equitable manner taking into consideration a variety of factors, like boy and girl ratio, friends, and areas of strengths. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to grow throughout their elementary school experience.

Book Swap Surprises! A book and a smile.

CALENDAR:

• Field Trip/Hike: I am still looking for one or two chaperones for a walking field trip -- Wednesday, June 6 in the morning, let me know. I am flexible on the date. If you are available Friday morning, let me know. Thanks!

•  END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION Date Change: Due to scheduling issues, I am moving this class event to Monday June 11, from 8:15 to 9:15am.

• Field Day: June 12^th organized by our PE Teacher Mr. Mueller. Also on that day we will have Step-Up Day.

Books and Smiles Aplenty!

• Our Last Day of School is Thursday, June 14^th. It is a half day, with Noon Dismissal. 8^th Grade Graduation is at 2:00 pm that same day.

• BOOK SWAP: Our students enjoyed browsing the abundance of books at the Book Swap. They each were able to take 2 books home. In addition there are additional books that are free from the library as Mrs. Hill is culling out old books. They were able to take 1 or 2 home from that cart as well. Many chose books from the library’s free cart that they thought you might enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who was able to make a donation. Without you it would not have been such a success!

• Snacks:  Thank you to Ryan ‘s family for this week’s snacks. The class enjoyed great healthy snacks: Fig Newtons, Ritz Crackers, Graham Crackers, Raisins, Peanut Butter, Apples and Strawberries. Thank you!  Next week’s snack will be provided by Cashton’s family.  Many thanks!

• Share: Share continues to be free choice!

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Aluminum Can Tabs -- Mrs. Hitchcock’s 2^nd grade class needs help collecting aluminum can tabs for a David’s House Fundraiser.  The class that brings in the most tabs by June 8^th will win ice-cream for their whole class!  Her class will weigh the tabs and keep a running class tally to determine the winner!

• George Jr., continues to make the rounds visiting families for the weekend or school week.   If he visits your home, please have your child dictate his adventures to you and write them down in the journal. Please have them draw a picture too. I hope that he is able to behave himself and is not too much trouble! Thank you!

    

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bodnar

jbodnar@wsesu.net

Friday, May 11, 2012

Camouflage Scavenger Hunt for different colored yarn.

This was a busy week filled with lots of fun learning opportunities. For instance, on Monday, we had an ELF lesson taught by Finn’s grandfather, Lynn Murrell. The children were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather by getting outside for an activity involving camouflage. 

On Tuesday, Hunter’s mother came to help out for the day.  She was especially helpful working in small groups to assist students as they finish up stitching their pencil cases. Thank you Marta!

Finn and Carl Edward

Finn’s cousin, Carl Edward, is leaving to return to Norway. We enjoyed meeting him and having him visit our classroom this past spring. Thank you Carl Edward!

Marta helping Hunter and Kayla.

Language Arts:  

We are learning how to use the lines on paper to help guide us so our letters don’t float across the page. Look for our new practice writing paper in upcoming work. It shows a skyline, (air)plane dotted line, grass line and worm line.

Keira adds sunflower seeds to her flower art.

Science: We continue to learn about plants.  We talked about flowers and trees and used a Venn diagram to help us discuss how they are the same and how they are different. We also read some more books on the subject both non-fiction and fiction. For instance: From Seed To Plant, by Gail Gibbons; Our Tree Named Steve, by Alan Zweibel; The Tree by Tim Vyner; and The Giving Tree, By Shel Silverstein.  We talked about the parts of a flower and labeled one that we made.

Junior Achievement: Our Junior Achievement volunteer, Ms. Garrow taught two more lessons this week. She reads fun short stories and then they talk about why it is important to work together, various fun ways to earn money, and ways to save money.    

CALENDAR

• Field Trip on Monday. If you would like to be a chaperone, please email me over the weekend. We plan on leaving school at 9:15 and returning around 11:30. Chaperones are free! Please send in $5 for your child’s admission if you haven’t already done so. Thank you!  

• Student-Led Assembly at 12:30pm. Although our Kindergarten students aren’t performing it is always entertaining. Feel free to come and see if you have time.

•  Half Day, Thursday, May 17^th. Noon Dismissal.

• Parent Appreciation Assembly, Wednesday, May 23 at 6:30pm.

• Share: This week’s share theme was /ar/.  We had some great shares and discussion about the sound /ar/: A book, Dancing with the Star, Car, Farm, Shark, Star Wars figures, and Art Box and displays of art. This concludes our Sounds Share Themes.

For the rest of the year, please have your child choose something and help them decide on the sound they will be focusing on. Thank you!   J

• Snacks:  Thank you to Brady and his family for this week’s snacks. The class enjoyed Yogurt, Ritz crackers with Nutella, Cheeze-Its, Carrots, Bananas, Oranges and Pretzels.

Next week’s snack will be provided by Kayla’s family.  Many thanks! J

Lynn Murrell helps sort the colored yarn with students.

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Reading Buddy Reminder: Although our classroom reading buddy George went on an extended trip to Washington D.C., we have a new monkey, George Jr., that looks a lot like him-- just a little smaller.  Keira brought him home this week and we will continue to send him home with children so everyone will have a turn.   Please have your child dictate his adventures to you and write them In the journal. Please have them draw a picture too. Thanks!  

• Scholastic Book Orders:  May book order brochures were included in last week’s folders. They will be due by May 23, however, you can order anytime online if you like. I received an email from Scholastic that our classroom will be receiving bonus points for any orders placed this month. Our classroom code is: H9K3R

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar

jbodnar@wsesu.net

Friday, May 4, 2012

Ava enjoys her strawberry shortcake. 

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

May 1^st arrived with more rain, but we celebrated May Day anyway with strawberry shortcake and whipped cream.

On Friday we are planning on having a lock down drill. In order to prepare the children for this drill I read the Three Little Pigs and talked about why we might want to stay inside the building instead of going outside like we do in a fire drill. We practiced on Thursday in our room and reviewed the procedures with them so they will be safe and not be scared. They may talk about the drill with you at home to share with you their experience. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. They did well during our dry run today and I believe they will do a great job on Friday. Thank you.

Sophia works on bonding numbers using pennies.

Math:  We continue to explore bonding numbers. This week we discovered the parts that make 6.  Besides beads, we have used pennies, and plastic cups.  Depending on what is available a variety of manipulatives can be used, for instance, spoons. See note attached for directions on how to play at home. If you work on a specific number at home, have your child complete a bonding sheet. I am giving out pencils for students who complete these math worksheets.

Language Arts:  

We finished our booklet of The Little Plant, by Kate Louise Brown. They have illustrated their stories and will practice reading the words.  Look for it to come home next week. I hope they will have an opportunity to read it to you.

Handwriting is an area that is beginning to take off.  We have begun our discussion about tall letters, small letters and hanging or descending letters. In order to help the children identify with how these different groupings of letters are written we have talked about the different lines on paper that they will begin to use. We have the sky line, the plane line, the grass line and the ground line. Please see attached sheet for your reference.

Ms. Garrow reads to the kids.

Junior Achievement:

Our Junior Achievement volunteer, Ms. Garrow taught her first lesson today. She is an employee of Mascoma Bank in WRJ and lives with her family in Windsor. The children listened to a read aloud and then recalled the sequence of events. They were asked to draw their favorite animal and then shared their drawing with the group. Ms. Garrow will be coming twice a week. Her next visit is on Tuesday. JA uses compelling stories about helping, working, earning, and saving along with hands-on activities to engage the students.  The Kindegarten JA curriculum is titled Ourselves.  It introduces the economic roles of individuals. 

Student of the Week:
Kaitlyn’s name was drawn for student of the week. We learned that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up and that she loves grapes. Her favorite color is hot pink!

ART

Ian has been chosen to be in the running for NATIONAL Artist of the Week on the Artsonia Web Site! He and HES could win big prizes if he wins. Please go to the Artsonia website and vote for his artwork.  Anyone can vote, and you can voteonce a day through this Saturday.  Spread the word!  His artwork is posted in the vestibule off the front office. – Janet Cathey

You can find the Artsonia Link on my classroom webpage, or go directly to:

http://www.artsonia.com/museum/art.asp?id=18548603&exhibit=518781&gallery=y

Additional student artwork is being exhibited at the Hartland Library.

Peek a boo!

CALENDAR

•  Green Up Day Reminder: If your families are available on Saturday this weekend, please come to Damon Hall after greening up our community in the morning, for some free lunch and to hear our children sing, “The Earth is Our Mother” at 12:00pm. Although I will be out of town this weekend Mrs. White is planning on leading the children in singing this wonderful song. Because I will not be able to attend, if you are able please take a picture, and send it to me so I can insert it in next week’s newsletter. Thank you!
•  Share: This week’s share theme was /er/. We had lively discussions about the /er/ sounds in shares connecting teddy bears to “fur” and Hunter brought in a recorder.  Other shares front loader, girl, gripper, a book titled, Bieber Fever. Next week’s share is the sound /ar/. This completes all the sounds, vowel pairs, and r-controlled vowels. I hope the kids enjoy finding an /ar/ sounding share and that you don’t have to travel very far!  J

•  Snacks: Thank you to Andrew’s and his family for this week’s snacks. The class enjoyed Yogurt, crackers, apples, cheddar cheese, and popcorn.  Next week’s snack will be provided by Brady’s family.  Many thanks! J

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

• Reading Buddy Reminder: Our classroom reading buddy George took an extended trip to Washington D.C. A new reading buddy will be joining our classroom on Friday.  Please have your child dictate his adventures with our new reading buddy in the journal and have him or her draw a picture on a page as well. Thanks! 

• Scholastic Book Orders:  May book order brochures are included in today’s folders. They will be due by May 23, however, you can order anytime online if you like. Our classroom code is: H9K3R

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar

jbodnar@wsesu.net