Bulb Planting

What a fun morning we had!  We had the opportunity to plant bulbs in front of our school.  We will be able to enjoy our hard efforts in the spring.  Thank you to all of our parent volunteers for helping us out!  We couldn't have done it without you.  

Enjoy the Animoto video of pictures from the morning.

Enjoy the videos of some friends explaining what we were doing.

Newsletter

September 27, 2012

Dear Families,

          Wow!  This month flew by!  Can you believe that next week is October already?

          This week we are reading The Picnic at Apple Park. Families in a neighborhood pack up food and games for a picnic at the park. Students are learning that stories can happen in different places and at different times. This is the setting.

          We have also been working on the letter Aa.  We have been identifying words that begin with the letter Aa and have been working on printing the letter Aa.  Along with learning about the letter Mm, we have been working on our Star Words, “the & like” Please be sure to practice these words with your child. 

          In math we worked on body height comparisons, finger counting, and shape puzzles.  We also continue to learn to write numbers correctly.  Please work on this with your child. 

Reminders:

          *Friday is a half day!  School ends at 11:35am.  Please have a plan for your child after school.  If there is a change in your normal going home plans, please send a note to school.

          * Our field trip is next Friday!  Be sure your child has turned in their permission slip and payment. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!

Take care,

The Kindergarten Teachers

Half Day on Friday

Families,

Just a reminder that tomorrow is half day!  Students will let out at 11:35am.  Please make arrangements as there won't be YMCA care after school.

If you are picking up your child, please meet us outside the Kindergarten Door- Door #2.

If your child has a different going home plan, please be sure to send a note.

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Please Help Us Out!!

Yep!  I'm posting this again!  Please help us out!  :)

Our friend Mrs. Hengst is in need of some helpers!  She helps get all of our kindergarten projects ready.  Mrs. Hengst would love some help cutting, gluing, copying, tracing, etc. If you are able to donate your time from 1pm-2pm Monday-Friday, that would be wonderful!  Since there is limited room and sharp objects in the workroom, please no younger siblings.

Please click on the following link to sign up.

Thank you so much for considering!

Play Is Important

Play is just as important as reading, writing, and math in kindergarten.  We make sure that we take some time to play each day. 

During play, children also increase their social competence and emotional maturity. Smilansky and Shefatya (1990) say that school success largely depends on children’s ability to interact positively with their peers and adults. Play is vital to children’s social development. It enables children to do the following:

• Practice both verbal and nonverbal communication skills by negotiating roles, trying to gain access to ongoing play, and appreciating the feelings of others (Spodek & Saracho, 1998).
• Respond to their peers’ feelings while waiting for their turn and sharing materials and experiences (Sapon-Shevin, Dobbelgere, Carrigan, Goodman, & Mastin, 1998; Wheeler, 2004).
• Experiment with roles of the people in their home, school, and community by coming into contact with the needs and wishes of others (Creasey, Jarvis, & Berk, 1998; Wheeler, 2004).
• Experience others’ points of view by working through conflicts about space, materials, or rules positively (Smilansky & Shefatya, 1990; Spodek & Saracho, 1998).

Remember that play is WORK for children at this age!  Please make sure that your child has some time to have some unstructured play time. 

Here are a few pictures of our friends hard at work... playing!

Playing with the geoboards.

Playing with cars.

Playing with play dough.

Dressing up in the house area.

Video of friends- creating a parade!

Donuts with Dad

Tomorrow is Donuts with Dad!  

Please join your kindergartner for a little breakfast in the Thorson cafeteria.

(Be on the look out for a special message from your child!)

Breakfast will start at 7:30am.

There will be playground supervision starting at 8:00am.

Enjoy!

Packer Monday!

The Green Bay Packers are playing on Monday!  Please be sure to wear your green and gold on Monday!

Go Pack Go!  Go Pack Go!

Workroom Help Needed

Our friend Mrs. Hengst is in need of some helpers!  She helps get all of our kindergarten projects ready.  Mrs. Hengst would love some help cutting, gluing, copying, tracing, etc. If you are able to donate your time from 1pm-2pm Monday-Friday, that would be wonderful!  Since there is limited room and sharp objects in the workroom, please no younger siblings.

Please click on the following link to sign up.

Thank you so much for considering!

More Helpers Needed!

We are in need of more helpers for our bulb planting!  We will be planting bulbs NEXT Friday, September 28th from 9:30am-10:00am.  Please sign up on our Volunteer Spot page.  Thank you!

Brew Crew Friday!

Wear your Brewer's gear tomorrow to help cheer on the Brewers!  If you don't have Brewers clothes, please wear blue.  Let's go Brew Crew!

P.S.  It will make your teacher VERY happy if you do!  I LOVE the Brewers!  :)

Newsletter

Dear Families,

          We have had another successful week in Kindergarten!  Thank you for all of your help in preparing your children for the day.

          This week during Guided Reading, we have been working on the story, Whose Baby Am I? In this story we worked on the skill of making predictions.   We did this by looking at the pictures of the baby animals and thinking what kind of animal could be the mother.  Ask your kindergartner which animal was their favorite!

          We have also been working on the letter Mm.  We have been identifying words that begin with the letter m and have been working on printing the letter Mm.  Along with learning about the letter Mm, we have been working on our Star Words, “we, am, happy, and today”.  Please be sure to practice these words with your child. 

          During Math we have been working on sound and motion patterns, color patterns, and sorting coins in a variety of ways.  We have also been working on counting and correctly writing numbers. 

Reminders:

          *The weather has been getting chilly!  Please be sure to send a jacket/sweatshirt with your child.  Make sure that it is labeled with your child’s name.

          * Continue to send a healthy snack with your child- no cookies, chips, or candy.

          * Please return payment and slips for our upcoming field trip.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!

 

Take care,

The Kindergarten Teachers

B- Bananas!

We love singing in kindergarten!  We often sing to learn something new or just to have fun.  One of our favorite songs is B-Bananas.  Enjoy this video of us singing.

We Love Comments!

We love hearing from you!  

Feel free to share a comment with us about what you see on our blog.  It is easy to do!  At the end of each blog post, there is a small signature that says "Posted by Mrs. Rocky".  Next to that is an orange link that says Comments.  Just click on it and then you can send us a little love!  

3rd Grade Buddies- Mrs. Buser's Class

 Today we had a chance to meet our 3rd Grade buddies from Mrs. Buser's class.  We will meet with them at least once a month to do special projects and to do some great reading!  It is fun having a "big kid" as a new friend.

Enjoy the video of our buddies!

The Little Engine that Coud

Today we made an art project that as the engine of the Little Engine the Could.  We can learn a lot from her because she was brave and did not give up.  She kept saying "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can"  We need to remember this in kindergarten.

Here is a YouTube version of the story- just click on the link and you will be able to watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H7FTPv7QcQ



Enjoy the Animoto Video of all of our train engines.

Bulb Planting Volunteers

We are in need of some volunteers in kindergarten!  If you are willing to help us plant bulbs on Friday, September 28th in the morning ( I will get more specific times to you as soon as I can)  please click on the following link to sign up.  We would love it if you could help us out!

Apple Day

We love Apples in Kindergarten!

Today was a busy day doing a variety of activities with apples.  This morning we read a recipe to make applesauce.  (Thank you all for sending in those peeled and cut apples!)  You can find the recipe here (just click on the link)  

The apples in the Crockpot.  They made our room smell so yummy ALL day!

During Math, we taste tested 3 kinds of apples.  A green kind, a yellow kind, and a red kind.  We then graphed our results.  We found out that 10 friends liked yellow, 8 friends liked green, and 4 friends liked red.  We then used our large graph to create graphs of our own.  

Here is our graph.  Do you notice which one was the most popular?

At snack time we got to taste our applesauce.  It was a little chunky yet but still delicious!  All friends were asked to taste just a bite.  Most friends enjoyed it!  I'm so proud of friends that were brave and tried!  Yay! 

Some friends enjoying their yummy applesauce!

In Your Child's Green Folder

In your child's green folder you will find:

1. Apple "homework" -  no need to return!  Just a fun packet to do with your kindergartner at home to practice a few skills.

2. Permission slip- please return signed and with payment.

3. Flier to the Book Fair- these are some of the books that will be available for purchase..

4.  Some of your child's work.

Picture Day!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is picture day!  Be sure to wear your best smile tomorrow! 

If you want to order pictures, return the order form that was sent home at registration time.

Thanks!

Newsletter

Dear Families,

          Thank you all for attending the Kindergarten Curriculum Night!  It was so nice to see all the families attend and hear positive comments.  We know this is going to be a great year!

          Your kindergartner continues to be busy!  In Communication Arts we are reviewing the alphabet and learning the star words “I” and “can”. Please practice these words with your child as they will be reviewed and tested throughout the school year.

          During math we have been practicing our numbers 1-9, sorting objects, and making birthday graphs. We have been able to do a lot of these activities on our Smart board!  We love being able to interact with this great piece of technology.

         

          Reminders:

·       Please be sure to send in a peeled and sliced apple with your child for Friday.

·       Return your child’s permission slip with payment by September 21^st.

·       Make sure your child has a daily healthy snack!

·       Please send in a shoebox labeled with your child’s name on it.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!

Take care,

The Kindergarten Teachers

Green Folder Reminder

Just a reminder to EMPTY your child's green folder each night and RETURN it back to school each day!  We have important papers to share with you!

Kindergarten Curriculum Night

Tomorrow is Kindergarten Curriculum Night from 5:30pm- 6:30pm.  This is a night where parents (please no children) will be able to gain a better insight to what a typical day is like in the day of your kindergartner.  Any questions you may be having about kindergarten will be answered here!

See you there!

Hands Can

Today, we read a story called Hands Can.  In this story it talked all about the wonderful things that hands can do.  At the end of the story, we made a large list of what we can do.

Ally- I can button my shirt.

Abby- I can clap.

Charlie- I can zipper.

Ethan- I can play.

Rose- I can hold my blankie.

Ellie- I can fly my turtle kite.

Alex- I can catch candy.

Bailey- I can read.

Kellen- I can go on an airplane.

Gavin- I can play football.

Luke- I can play basketball.

Elaina- I can catch a butterfly.

Lauren- I can put my hair in a ponytail.

Kason- I can play golf.

Kyle- I can tie my shoes.

Matthew- I can clap.

Ben- I can play golf.

Sophia- I can run fast.

Tanner- I can play golf.

Ty- I can hold my cat.

Mrs. Papke- I can swim.

Miss Watry- I can write my name.

Mrs. Hengst- I can play golf.

Mrs. Rocky- I can hug.

Rest Towels

Rest towels and stuffed animals were sent home today! I ask that the towels are either washed or switched out and returned on Monday.  This way our towels are fresh and clean for another great week in kindergarten!

Please be sure you send the rest towel in a bag! It makes the towels so much easier to store and keep at school. Plus it gives our backpack more room for other good things.

Thanks!

Green Folder

Dear Parents/Guardians,

To help with communication and for transporting precious work back and forth here is a green folder for you.  Please check the green folder nightly, look at what is inside, keep work at home, and bring it back to school each day.  Some nights the folder might be empty and that is okay, however be sure to bring it back the next day!  You may also put special notes for me in there too.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I look forward to making this year a positive, successful experience!

Love,

Mrs. Rocky

Newsletter

September 6, 2012

Welcome to Kindergarten!

          We are so glad that all of you are here.  The kindergartners have had a great first couple of days of school.  We are so proud of them!

         

          This week we are learning about the rules and routines of kindergarten.  We have been talking a lot about what it means to be a Positive Jaguar.  These three rules are: Be Respectful.  Be Responsible.  Be Ready to Learn.  Please be sure to go over them with your kindergarten student.

          In math we have had the chance to do some measuring by comparing strips of paper.  We had to find a partner with the same length.  It was fun!  We also had a chance to work with the pattern blocks.  We were able to create our own designs with them. 

A few reminders for the upcoming week:

1. Please bring in a shoe box for your child.  Be sure to label it with your child’s name.  Bring to school by Thursday, September 20^th.

2. Please be sure your child has a rest towel in a small bag.  The towel and the bag need to be labeled with their first and last name.

3. If you have any change in your going home plans, be sure to send a note with your child.  If you do not send a note, we will follow the plans you decided upon at the start of the year.

4.  We will be making applesauce with your child!  Please send in a cut up apple with the skins off with your child by Thursday, September 13^th. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!

Take care,

The Kindergarten Teachers

Super Sleeper

We have an award in our classroom called the Super Sleeper Award.  While resting, Mrs. Rocky looks for two friends who are doing a great job resting.  These are the three things we need to remember while we rest.

1. Stay on our towel/blanket.

2. Our "lovie" can only come out at rest time.  (Stuffed animal)

3. We stay quiet- no whispering to friends.

4. We keep our eyes closed.

5. We don't have to sleep but can if we want to!

6. Enjoy the lovely soft music and think good thoughts.

If we are chosen as the Super Sleeper, the next day we get to sleep in a tent!  (Mrs. Rocky has two) So cool!  

So far it has been so hard to choose!  We know that it doesn't mean that we if we didn't get picked, it doesn't mean we did a bad job.  It just means that there are so many friends to choose from and that there are LOTS of days in Kindergarten!  We will all get a chance to sleep in the tent.  

Resting may seem like it is for babies but it actually helps us recharge for the afternoon!  Kindergarten is a busy time and we just need time to rest for a bit.  

1st Day!

What a great first day of school we all had!  We listened to the story Pete The Cat Rocking in my School Shoes.  Ask your kindergartner what it was all about.  Here is a short video of the book from YouTube

We took a tour of the school with Pete the Cat as well.  We will make a book of Pete's adventures here at Thorson.

 Pete in our classroom

Pete in the Library

 Pete in the office with Mrs. Gibson

Pete in the Gym/Lunch Room

Pete in the Art Room with Mrs. Lechter

Pete in the Music Room with Mrs. Plaster

Pete on the Playground

Hooray for kindergarten!  So glad you are all here!  See you tomorrow!

Love,

Mrs. Rocky