Newsletter-Our Week in Review

October 31st, 2013

Dear Parents,

We cannot believe it is the end of October! The students are looking forward to the Halloween parade on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. It has been a fun tradition for many years. All students can participate and visitors are welcome to watch in the halls. Please let teachers know if you are planning to take your child home following the parade. Thank you!

Com. Arts:
We have been reviewing all of our letter sounds, star words and the number and color words. We continue to discuss characters in a story and how to ask questions?'s. The students continue to work on reading to self using their book boxes or bags and reading with a partner. We have integrated Halloween stories into our reading writing and art projects.

Math:
We continue to work on graphing, number writing and estimation. We encourage counting out objects at home (1-50) on a regular basis.

Science:
Weather, earth and hibernation of animals and the changes taking place in plants are a focus. for us. We also have noticed the change in temperatures are causing a need for warmer clothing. Just a reminder the students are outside 3x's a day for 20 min. each  Thank you for helping with the zippers and sequence of dressing. (Mittens last)

Reminder:
Thursday, October 31st is our party and parade.
Friday, November 1st, is NO  SCHOOL. (It is a report card day for teachers.)
Please remember to sign up for Parent/Teacher conferences on line.

Thank you,
Have a great weekend!

3rd grade buddies from Mrs. Busers class

Here are a few pictures of our kindergarten friends with our 3rd grade buddies from Mrs. Buser's class.  We had fun doing a scarecrow project. 

Star Words

Does your child know the first nine weeks worth of star words?  If you have been keeping up with us, they should!  Please practice star words with your child.  All of our star words are on the star word tab of this blog.  You can also download all of the star word flashcards.  The link is on the left of this page.

Thanks!

Chilly Weather Skills

Dear Families,

The temperatures are dropping and we need to bundle up to go our for recess!  We are outside 3 times a day!

Please have your child wear:

1. Nice warm coat 

2. Hats

3. Mittens/Gloves

Please put your child's name inside all of their items. 

There are 24 friends with similar looking cold weather gear!

Please practice with your child:

1. Zipping up their coat on their own.  Even if your child knows how to zip, practice with their cold weather jacket.  These jackets can be pretty tricky.
2. Having your child put on their items on in the following order: coat (zip it up), hat, and then mittens.  We can't zip up our coats with our mittens on!  

3. Putting their items in their coat pockets or coat sleeves when they aren't using them.  

We don't want them to get lost! Again, 24 children all with gear, things can get lost if we don't know how to put them away

Thanks so much for your support!  

Take care,

Mrs. Rocky

Roll and Record Sheets

Did your child like the roll and record game?  Here is a link that you can follow to download your own game board.  It is a fun way to practice number recognition and practice number writing.

Roll and Record Sheets

Roll and record

In math today we played the game roll and record. In this game we roll a dice and see how many dots come up. We then write that number down. This game helps us to recognize numbers and helps us to practice writing our numbers. 

Go Away, Big Green Monster!

Today we did a lot of fun activities with the story, Go Away, Big Green Monster!  In Reading we listened to the story and then recreated the monster on our Smart Board.  It was a way for us to retell the story.  Sometimes it was tricky to remember all of the parts but we did it!

Here is a YouTube video of the story for you to enjoy.

In Writing, we created our own scary monsters.  We then described our new monsters using our color words.  Here is an example of what one monster looks like!  You can see the rest of our monsters in our kindergarten hallway.

At math time, we played the Go Away Big Green Monster game.  When we played this game, we were working on number recognition.  It was fun!  Please click on the following link to hear our friend L explain the game.  

L explaining Go Away Big Green Monster Game

New Friend On Monday!

We will have a new friend on Monday!  We are very excited to meet her!  We know that we will all show her the ways of kindergarten and help her out.

Since we will have a new friend, will you be sure that you add one more to any treats or things you might send to school?  We now will have 24 students in our class.  I'm just thinking ahead to our special Halloween Party that will be next week.

Thanks so much!

Have a great weekend!

Math centers

Today we worked in some math centers. Friends worked on number recognition, patterning, shapes, and measuring. 

Wear Thorson Spririt Wear Tomorrow!

Wear your favorite Thorson Spirit Wear tomorrow!

If you don't have Thorson clothing, wear 

BLUE

Newsletter- Our Week In Review

October 24th, 2013

Dear Parents,

Our students are all moving right along and making such nice progress in all areas. We look forward to the Parent/Teacher conferences in November. Please make sure you sign up early on line. Thank you!

Com. Arts:
we have had a review week of letters and star words. The theme was "Getting Along". Our book this week was " Simon and Molly plus Hester" and sequence retelling cards were included. We talked about how to identify characters and how to ask questions. We also continue to work on phoneme blending and isolation. The guided readers were "Hats", "We Like Painting" and "Ice Skating Fun!". We also reviewed color and number words.

Writing:
We write everyday and are working on spaces, lower case letters in the proper places, punctuation and letter size. Most students are still copy writing and beginning to apply beginning sounds to words.

Math:
We are working on graphing, symmetry and story problems with objects.

Science: 
We are working in our Earth science journals and on follow up activities from our trip to the Audubon Nature Center. 

Reminders:
Thursday October, 31st is our Halloween party and parade. Our day will follow the same routine until about 2:20. We will then have some organized activities and prepare for the parade at 3:00 thru the school. You are welcome to watch the parade in the halls. If you take your child home on that day PLEASE let the teacher know. The children should bring their costumes in a bag to school and be able to change somewhat independently. Please no guns or swords.

Thank you so much!
Have a good weekend.

Out Tomorrow!

Dear Families,

I will be out of the classroom, tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23rd.  I have a district training that I need to attend.  There will be a substitute teacher in our classroom.  Please remind your children to be on their best behavior.  I know that they can do it!  I will be back to kindergarten on Thursday.

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

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

PALS Testing Today

Today your child participated in PALS testing- a state mandated test.   I was testing your child in a small group setting and 1:1.  I will be sure to share their results with you at our scheduled conference time.  While I was testing, there was a substitute teacher in our classroom.

The following information came from the PALS Wisconsin Resource Page.  Please feel free to visit the website for more information.

http://www.palswisconsin.info/index.html

What is the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarten (PALS-K)?

Developed by researchers at the University of Virginia, Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening
for Kindergarten (PALS-K), is a scientifically-based reading assessment for classroom teachers to use
with kindergarten students. The primary purpose of PALS-K is to identify students who perform below
expectations in several important literacy fundamentals, and thus who are likely to experience reading
difficulties. PALS-K encourages teachers to prevent problems before they occur. The screening guides
teachers as they plan appropriate instruction for both grade-level readers and struggling readers.
Why is my student being assessed with PALS-K?
PALS-K will identify early and accurately students who are experiencing difficulties in acquiring fundamental
skills. In keeping with research findings, PALS-K will ensure that these students get extra instruction when
they are young.

What does PALS-K assess?
PALS-K assesses key literacy fundamentals, including the following domains: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. Specifically, PALS-K assesses a student’s:
• phonological awareness,
• alphabet knowledge,
• knowledge of letter sounds,
• spelling,
• concept of word, and
• word recognition in isolation.

What types of scores does PALS-K provide?
PALS-K provides teachers with information about students’ levels of mastery of early literacy fundamentals.
PALS-K reports students’ development by domain and by tasks. Students’ scores on selected tasks are
added to create a Summed Score. This score is compared to developmental expectations for fall and for
spring. Summed Scores help identify students who would benefit from instruction tailored to their needs.

When will my student be given PALS-K?
PALS-K is typically administered three times a year: in the fall, mid-year, and in the spring. Classroom
teachers administer PALS-K in small-groups and one-on-one.

How are the PALS-K results used?
PALS-K allows teachers and school-level reading specialists to identify students who are at risk of reading
difficulties, because they lag behind grade-level expectations in literacy fundamentals. PALS-K provides
teachers with profiles of learners’ needs so teachers can consult these profiles as they plan instruction and
they progress through the literacy curriculum.

Kindergarten Around the World Project

I have not seen any responses to our Kindergarten Around the World Project.  I am thinking that the form wasn't working quite right.  Here is the form once again:

If you aren't able to see the form, please click on the following link.

Thanks so much!
Kindergarten Around the World Project

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Wear Blue Tomorrow

Thorson 5th Grade Students ask that we wear blue tomorrow, 

Monday, October 21st

 to honor Grant Schoen

Tweet! Tweet! We're On Twitter!

Tweet! Tweet!  Our class is on Twitter!

I am excited  to announce a new project that we will be starting in the next few weeks: Kindergarten Around the World!  (I was able to find out about this wonderful opportunity through a social network of kindergarten teachers around the world.)  Our kindergarten class will be matched up with a partner class in another country  or other state and will explore the lives of their partner classmates in the context of a virtual exchange. This project will provide students with a kindergarten-appropriate way to research the lifestyles of children their own age, in another part of the world.  As soon as we get our partner class, I will be sure to inform you of this!

The primary tool we will use to communicate with our partner classes is Twitter (www.twitter.com). Twitter is a text-based social network, where all communication occurs in “tweets” of 140 characters or less. There is a growing international network of teachers who use Twitter in their classrooms for a wide variety of purposes.  It is a particularly good fit for young students, as the format requires short, manageable blocks
of text, and clear, succinct communication.   Later in the project, we will also create digital presentations of our learning, using several possible online tools.As this project progresses, we may choose to share photos and videos of our work, our classrooms, and our school, with our partner classes. To facilitate this multimedia communication while still being mindful of the children’s privacy, this is how our Twitter accounts will operate:

-Our Twitter account is a private, secure account, so our communications can only be seen by people who have been approved by me.

-Any sharing of documents or files will occur via secure e-mail. When file size prohibits the use of e-mail, we will use secure, password-protected file-sharing services.

-All digital presentations will be created using secure sites, accessible by password or by invitation only. Passwords and invitations will be shared with parents upon request.

-At all times, children will be identified by first name only.

If you would like to observe the progression of the project, by following your child’s class on Twitter, you are more than welcome to do so. Please email me if you would like out Twitter account name.

I hope you are as excited about this project as I am! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

It is important to me that all parents feel comfortable with their child’s participation in this project. Please read the following Google Form and submit it as soon as possible.

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Block play

We love playing with our blocks!

We Love Hearing From You!

We like hearing what you like about our classroom blog!  There are a few ways that you can do this.

1.  You can send us a special voice mail message (off to the right of this page) Just click on it and start recording!  I will get a special message that someone sent us a voice mail.  I will then share it with the kiddos.  Last year, the students LOVED it when their heard their parents, grandparents, friends, or even themselves talk about what they saw on the blog.  Don't be shy!

2 You can comment on a specific post.  All you need to do is click on the word  "comment" at the end of each post.  This will direct you to add a little appreciation.  We get so excited when someone tells us that they like what we are doing in our classroom.

Did you already comment and don't see it yet? If you type us a comment, I see them first and then approve them. If you send us a voice mail message- nobody sees that except me!

Thank you so much!

Wear Jeans!

Wear  jeans tomorrow to celebrate the end of Red Ribbon Week!

Newsletter- Our Week in Review

October 17th, 2013

Dear  Parents,

We have had a very busy week in Kindergarten. We began our week with a great program to celebrate "Red Ribbon" week. The program emphasized kindness, positive behaviors and cooperation with others.
 The classes also went to the Audubon Nature Center and participated in a program titled "Autumn at Audubon". We hiked on trails, looked for seeds, climbed a tower and walked to a pond. The weather held out and we were back for recess.

Com. Arts:
Our theme was "What Is A Friend?". Our books included "Friends All Around", "Animal Babies", "We Can Share" and "I Like My Friends".
The focus was on listening comprehension and fluency. We have also been working on "number words". Our letter was "P,p" and the star word "a".

Math:
We have worked on number writing, teen numbers and estimating. The journals reinforce skills and encourage good fine motor.

Science:
The field trip was a great learning experience and offered many hands on activities. We will also use the experience for writing and discussions.

Social Studies:
We continue to do "Special Person" and learn about our friends thru pictures, stories and visitors.


Reminders:
Please note there is NO SCHOOL on Friday October 18th.

A special THANK YOU to the Olsen family for donating green cloth bags to the classes to hold the "rest towels". We will send the towels home for washing but will keep the bags at school.

Thank you to all of you who helped on the field trip today! It was a great day!

Please remember to dress your child in some kind of tennis shoe on their Gym day. Thank you!

 Soon we will have more clothing in the halls and are asking you to label all of your child's clothing and boots. Also, please practice the zippers and snaps and putting on and off boots as winter approaches.  Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Schlitz Audubon Field Trip

We had a great time on our field trip!  Lots of friends came ready for the weather.  I saw lots of boots, warm jackets, hats & mittens.  They did come in handy- it was a little chilly out!

We were able to visit the pond, the forest, and climb a large tower!  On the top of the tower, we were able to see Lake Michigan and all the beautiful colorful trees.

A big thank you to Mrs. Kennison and Mr. Hayes for coming on our field trip.  We hope you had a great time!

Here is an Animoto video about our field trip.  Thank you to Mrs. Kennison for some of the pictures!

Box Tops

This week is the Box Tops and labels contest. Bring in those Box Tops! Let's see if our class can have the most and be the big winner! 

My Future's So Bright!

Tomorrow's theme is "My future is so bright!" for Red Ribbon Week.

 Children can wear bright colors/neon colors tomorrow to help celebrate!

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our field trip!  We are all so excited to go to Schlitz Audubon and see the signs of fall.  

We will be going rain or shine!  Please dress your child appropriately for the weather.  

* Wear old shoes (can change later) or rain boots

* Wear a rain jacket (if it looks like rain)

* Dress in layers- we can always take layers off.

Please review with your child on how to behave appropriately on a field trip.  

* Sitting, facing forward on the bus

* Listening to the grown ups that are leading the groups

*Sticking with the group

Being a Positive Jaguar!

*Be Respectful

*Be Responsible

*Be Ready To Learn

Sleep Is Important!

During Red Ribbon Week, we talk about making positive choices.  Many friends realize that eating healthy, staying active, and saying no to drug & alcohol is so important.  However, many of us forget the importance of a good night's sleep.  

I recently found an article about bedtimes and how regular bedtimes can help with positive behavior.  I thought that you all might find it interesting/helpful.

Regular Bedtimes

Stuffed Animal Day

Tomorrow is Stuffed Animal Day for Red Ribbon Week.  Please feel free to bring in your favorite stuffed animal.  Make sure that this animal can fit in your backpack!

If you are able to donate food to Family Sharing, please continue to bring all week.

Please bring any signed pledges to make positive choices to school until Wednesday.  These will be placed into a drawing and students will be able to win prizes.  The pledges can be found online in the Thorson Thursday Folder.

Halloween Party! Help Needed!

We're Having A Party!

Our Halloween Party is quickly approaching!  Are you able to help us out?  If you are able to bring in an item for our party, please click on the following link to Volunteer Spot.

Thank you for considering!

More centers!

We have learned some more centers!  We have learned how to do listening to reading, word work, and  the pocket chart center. 

At listening to reading we listen to books on cd or on the iPad. We are able to hear what great reading sounds like. 

At word work we practice writing our star words. We can use a variety of materials to do this. We can use magnet letters, white boards, manga doddles, and write in markers. 

At pocket chart we put together a mixed up poem. Then we read the poem to our partner. 

Star Words This Week/ Letter of the Week

For some reason, Blogger (the website that hosts this blog) is not allowing me to update our Star Words and Letter of the Week that is normally on the right hand column of this blog.  I'll try again later in the week.

The Star Words This Week are:

zoo & go

The letter of the Week is:

Pp

Please be sure to practice these Star Words and the previous Star Words with your child!  Thank you for your support!

Red Ribbon Week!

To celebrate Red Ribbon Week, we are asking that all students wear 

RED

on Monday!

Fire Fighters Come For a Visit

The Cedarburg Fire Department came to school today!  They talked to us all about fire safety.  We were able to see one of their fire trucks.  At the end of the special presentation, they gave us a fire hat and a sticker badge.  We are so lucky!

Enjoy the Animoto video of our morning.  (If you can't see it, it is because Animoto runs on Flash and cannot be seen on an iPad or iPhone)

Star Word List

I have been testing the kiddos on their Star Words.  I have been very impressed that many of them know all the Star Words that have been introduced as well as some others!  My friend, Mrs. Parmenter, who is a kindergarten teacher at Parkview, created a Google Doc with all of the Star Words.  She made them look like flashcards.  We are so lucky that she shared this with us!

Here is the link for you to get these flashcards.

Star Words Flashcards

Nature center

We visited the nature center on Wednesday. At the nature center we looked for signs of fall. We also looked for a rainbow- looking for red, orange, yellow, green, blue,and purple. The kiddos loved spending time outside. I bet of you looked really hard you could find a rainbow in your backyard. 

 Our rainbow!!