Thank you to many of our friends who have started to bring in cans for the 100 day celebration. We are collecting can goods and other non perishable items for 100 day. We will be giving this food to Family Sharing. If you are at all possible to bring something, please do!
Thank you to friends who have brought in extra crayons and glue sticks. We are so lucky to have such caring families to bring in extra items. We are good on supplies right now! I'll let you know if we need to replenish.
Thank you to friends who have started to bring in Box Tops. Please remember to turn in Box Tops all week!
Thank you to friends who have turned in their report card envelopes signed. I really appreciate it! If you haven't done so already, please return these envelopes.
Thank you to the friends who are remembering snack. Our tummies won't be so hungry! Hooray!
Thank you all for being such great kiddos who try their best everyday!
Tonight in your child's backpack will be a little book in a plastic baggie. This book is for your child to read at night and be sent back to school when they are finished. The kiddos will be able to exchange it for another book to read the next day. There is not any other homework with these books. They are simply to enjoy and to practice all of things we have learned in class.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me!
1. Please be sure to turn in your child's report card envelope. Please be sure that it is signed on the back.
2. Developing means working towards the goal. Do NOT be alarmed if your child went down. The rubrics for second quarter have changed. Please refer to the rubric that I gave you at conference time. Also, many families may have noticed that their child went down in independence and transitioning time. Independence is also for getting ready with all of their snow gear. This means putting on snow pants, mittens, gloves, etc.
For transition time your child might have went down because we are all comfortable with one another. Many children decide to have a chat or continue what they are doing instead of following directions. We all need to continue to work on this skill.
If you have further questions please feel free to contact me.
3. Tonight is the wellness fair at 5:30pm. I would love to be there but I need to work at Gap tonight. Hopefully many families will be able to visit!
4. Please send your child to school with a snack. Many children are complaining that they are hungry. I often do NOT have snacks to give out.
5. Please remember that children and families are not allowed in the building BEFORE the school bell rings. I am often in meetings or getting the day ready. If you or your child needs to come it, please make arrangements with the office or with me.
6. If at all possible, please try to let your child come into the classroom and get ready on their own. We are all practicing to be independent. Plus, there isn't much room in our tiny coat room hallway! Remember that quick goodbyes leave dry eyes (For parents and students!)
During math today we were able to do two penguin activities. In the first game we needed to roll a dice and see which number it landed on. Each number corresponded with a direction to create a penguin. For example if you rolled a one you had to color in the body. It was a lot of fun to practice identifying numbers and following directions.
The other activity was a color in the number penguin picture. Again, students needed to recognize their numbers, read their color words, and follow directions. The students did a wonderful job! Here are some pictures of them hard at work!
We have had a full week of activity and are back to waiting for more snow! The students are getting so independent at dressing! Thank you for your help! We also won the "neatest" hallway award from Mrs. Gibson this week. The students are working hard at lining up boots and hanging their clothing. Yeah!
Com. Arts:
Our weekly theme is "People and Places". Our big book is "Bus Stops" and guided readers are "People Who Help", "This Is For You" and "The Good Idea". The students continue to be involved in multiple reading groups thru the day and showing such nice progress. Our letters are "R,r and D,d this week and the star words are "for and you". We continue to review and practice ALL star words. Again, we work on identification of the main idea and details in a story. Our oral vocabulary are words that compare.
Math:
The students are working on joining objects, counting on and back, number writing and various shapes. Again, our program spirals therefore skills are repeatedly taught through the year. We encourage number writing and identification daily.
Science:
We are discussing weather and arctic animals, habitats and adaptations of animals. On Tuesday, the Audubon came to school and put on a great program called "Mammals with Fur". It addressed many of these areas.
Celebration:
Our 100th day in school is coming soon!!!!
We are planning several activities. We would like to raise 100 cans of non-perishable food items, per class in Kindergarten. The cans will be donated to "Family Sharing". Please help us out by sending cans or other non perishable food items with your child to school by February 6th. Thank you!!!!
We also would like each student to bring into school a gallon size baggie of cereal, raisins, goldfish, craisons etc. to mix together for a class snack on 100th day, February 6th. You may send them in early in a marked baggie. Each baggie needs 100 items. Thank you very much!
Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to have the Audubon visit our kindergarten classes. Mr. Tom Finley came in and talked about mammals. The students discovered the many unique adaptations that make mammals so special. We viewed mounts of various species found in our area. The students enjoyed a hands-on experience looking at furs, skulls and feet. They were also called upon to act as volunteers in fun and simple activities. The students came away from the program appreciating the role these animals play in our world and developed a respect for nature.
This week we have been working on creating patterns during math time. We also have been working on patterns in small group settings. Here are some pictures of some really great patterns! Thank you to Mary Grace's mom for taking them.
Andrew is our friend who has been battling an unknown illness since 2010. Andrew has had many strokes over the past year and a half. Andrew and his family have gone to many doctors and hospitals for treatments and for answers. These medical visits have been very costly. All proceeds will go to Andrew's family to help with the medical costs and to help find Answers for Andrew!
This morning I got an email from the school district's Hard of Hearing teacher, Allison Schley. I thought I would pass this information on to all of you.
"I wanted to bring to your attention an item listed on the Webster and the elementary school's website in the parent information: student hand out section.
The Kindergartners have had a great week enjoying all this new fallen snow! Thank you for sending the snow gear and helping with zipping and buttons! We are also reinforcing keeping our halls neat and orderly with boots and gear. We are hoping for first prize next week!!!
Com. Arts:
Our new unit is all about " Our Neighborhood". We read the big book "Russ and the Firehouse" and practiced retelling and identifying main ideas and details. Our small leveled readers included "In My Neighborhood", "Where Are We" and "Places in the Neighborhood". These books are used for guided reading and correlate to our theme. Our letter this week is "H,h" and our star word is "are". The oral vocabulary includes sequence words.
Writing:
We continue to write daily and are encouraging more independence by giving the students a story starter. The big book is often a springboard. We talk daily about letter size, staying on the lines spaces between words, use of uppercase letters and periods.
Math:
We are working on number writing as far as we can go! It is always a challenge to reverse the reversals! The students have been introduced to addition and subtraction thru the use of objects and some art projects. We continue to work on patterns and measurement as well.
Art:
We are sure you have seen many snow projects come home and these do tie into our science unit on animals and the weather. The students love the time set aside for art and continue to become more independent in listening and following directions.
Reminders:
Friday, January 20th is a work day for staff. NO SCHOOL on that day for students.
January 26th is the Thorson Science Fair in the IMC.
January 27th is the Family Wellness event.
Snack Note:
Please continue to send a healthy snack with your child everyday. Our snack time is after recess around 2:00 and the students are hungry. Please mark it as a snack and remind your child it is for snack time.
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We celebrate his life and all the good things he wanted for the world.
During Social Studies time today, we did a little compare and contrast with some ordinary eggs.
A brown egg and a white egg
Here is our list. As you can see there are more similarities than differences.
We even cracked them to see what was inside. Sure enough! They were the SAME.
This is the message that Dr. King was trying to tell us. He wanted everyone to know that we are more alike than we are different. It does not matter the color of your skin, it matters what kind of person you are.
We were also able to watch a video or two about his life. Please enjoy them here.
Martin's Big Words
The King and His Dream
We also made posters of Dr. King and we wrote our own dreams for the world. Here are some pictures of a few posters.
Some of the dreams that were mentioned were "I have a dream that everyone had a warm house." "I have a dream that everyone had enough food to eat." "I have a dream that nobody would get sick." "I have a dream that everyone has clean water to drink"
Today during writing time we had an opportunity to write down one thing that we learned about Dr. King. Here is what some friends said.
Alex: Dr. King said that people should love each other.
JD: Dr. King wanted for everyone to be nice to each other.
Nora: Dr. King wanted black and white people to go to the same school
Cassidy: Dr. King wanted black and white people to go to the same school.
Jaden: He didn't want people to fight with their fists.
Emily: He wanted people to fight with their words.
Connor: Dr. King had to go to jail because of words he said. The white people didn't like it.
Mary Grace: Dr. King wanted black and white people to go to the same school.
Sam: Dr. King wanted black and white people to play by each other.
Elizabeth: Dr. King wanted people to be friends.
Elena: Dr. King was a great man. He had an important speech.
Maggie: Dr. King wanted everyone to be friends.
Reese: Dr. King wanted everyone to be friends.
Carter: Dr. King wanted people to not fight with their fists.
Matthew: He wanted black and white people to be friends.
Lauren: Dr. King wanted everybody to go on the same bus.
Brady: Dr. King wanted everyone to be nice to each other.
Lily: That everyone could go to the same school.
Aryah: Dr. King wanted to make the world go to the same school.
Tyler: Dr. King wanted everyone to get along.
Claire: He wanted the black and white people to be friends.
Finally, I want to leave you with the words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that"
Scholastic Book Clubs Ordering Information
www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: HFYK6
Dear Parent,
This month's Scholastic Book Clubs flyer is ready for you to explore with your child. Once you've decided which books to purchase, please return the form and payment to me, or give online ordering a try. It saves time, offers more book choices, and earns extra rewards for the classroom.
To start ordering online, follow these simple steps:
Register at Scholastic Book Clubs' secure Web site (www.scholastic.com/bookclubs), and create your own User Name and Password.
Enter the onetime Class Activation Code above to link you to our classroom.
Choose the books that you would like to order.
Pay for your selections using your credit card.
Submit your order to me online.
It's always a special moment to see an entire classroom bursting with excitement to open the book box!
Payment with check and form is due on Thursday, January 19th and online is due on Sunday, January 22nd
Is your kiddo interested in Science? Well, there is a perfect opportunity to promote that love by participating in the Thorson Science Fair. Kindergartners are more than welcome to join in on the fun. Students are also able to work with a friend or a brother/sister. There are plenty of books in the library to check out if you need some ideas.
There is also a website that you can visit called Wonderopolis to help you get ideas for Thorson's Science Fair. (Click on Wonderoplois to go directly to the website) Taken from the website, here is how Wonderopolis explains their mission.
"Create. Laugh. Imagine. Explore. Learn. Smile. Grow.
Visit Wonderopolis®. It’s a place where wonder and learning are nurtured through the power of discovery, creativity and imagination. Wonderopolis is brought to life by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and supported by our philanthropic partnerslisted below.
You see children not only for who they are but for all they can become, yet you may need a little help directing that passion and igniting that wonder. We can help you get there — together. You don’t have to travel far. Wonderopolis is a special place found in a curious question or an everyday adventure. Just let wonderment be your guide.
Our Wonders of the Day will help you find learning moments in everyday life, ones that fit in with dinner preparations, carpool responsibilities, a stolen moment between breakfast and the bus, or within school curriculum and education programs.
Welcome to Wonderopolis.
We’ve been waiting for you.
About Wonder of the Day
Learning is happening everywhere, all the time! We have bottled a little bit of that learning in each Wonder of the Day®. Experience a daily dose of time with your child to make the most of each and every moment together — learn something new, try out an idea, create a masterpiece, imagine possibilities. It’s easy. It’s fun. But the learning is big!
And the Wonder of the Day leads to 100 percent guaranteed smiles."
If your child is interested in participating, please have your child fill out the Science Fair Participation Form (Click on the link and it will take you to the website needed) and return it to school.
The Kindergartners have been doing everything they can to make it snow! We are reading winter books, making art projects and learning about the winter season! Finally it worked!
Com. Arts:
Our book this week was "Mole and Baby Bird". We worked on story structure and identifying the characters and plot. We added other winter stories to also work on these skills. Our goal is to help our students master re-telling skills when reading or listening to a story. Our star words are a review of "play and is" and letters "F,f and O,o."
We have been focusing on "Animal Homes" and integrated this into our science unit which is "Animals".
Math:
We continue to work on number writing, number recognition, patterns, using calculators and adding. Our math program continues to provide reviewing of all skills and the centers are also a reinforcement.
Science:
We are in the process of introducing a new journal on "Animals". The students will work in the journals during the week making observations and recording ideas.
The students continue to work on reading to the class, practicing books from "Self-Read" and "Partner" time and those brought home during the week. Student writing continues to improve. We are working on spaces, punctuation, letter size and pulling together ideas. We encourage students to practice writing at home and use letter sounds and star words to develop their words and create sentences. Thanks for the support!
Reminders:
Please label all clothing. Many of our students have the same articles of clothing for winter. We do go outside for recess and the students will need to have snow pants and boots to play. It is so helpful to practice with your child zippering coats and tying shoes. Thank you!
NO SCHOOL:
January 20th is a record day for teachers. There will be NO SCHOOL for students on that day.
Supplies:
We have found that there is a need for additional crayons and glue sticks. Could we please have 2 boxes of new crayons and 1 pack of new glue sticks sent with your child? We really appreciate your support and anytime they can be sent is great!!! Thank you!
A HUGE thank you to Carter's family for donating a pilot shirt, hat, and ID badge. They also donated a really cool hard hat. We will have tons of fun dressing up like a real pilot and construction worker in our house area/dramatic play area. Some friends have already found our new dress up clothes and decided to take advantage of them!
Taking a trip!
If you have any old dress up clothes or old uniforms at your house, consider donating them to kindergarten! We would love to have them!
