Progress Reports Sent Home

Your child's progress report is in their green folder.  Please be sure to sign the envelope and return it to school tomorrow!

Thank you for your support!

Valentine's Day Party

We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online signup and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming activity.

Please sign up for Valentine's Day Party - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/yoYGuo
   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot) 
   3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Thank you so much for considering!

Newsletter- Our Week In Review

January 30, 2014

Dear Parents,

We have certainly had a week of weather discussions! The students are very ready for some warmer temperatures! Everyone continues to work on bundling up quickly and quietly! 

Com. Arts:

This is a review week and our theme has been "Animal Homes". We have geared art, literature and discussions around the topic. We are reviewing the letters "F,f" and "O,o" and the words "is" and "play". We also are working on ending and middle sounds and introducing the vowel sounds. There are two per vowel. Our book for this theme is Mole and Baby Bird and the guided readers are: Time to Play, We Can Play and Nature Park.  Tap. Tap, Tap is the decodable reader and "The Coyote and the Turtle" is the folktale. The students are enjoying reading to themselves and with partners on a daily basis along with Shared Reading. We continue to encourage all students to take home the little classroom readers on a 2-3 day basis. 

Math:

The students continue to work on patterns, number writing and story problems. The use of games at home is a great way to reinforce these skills. Playing the games also helps in sharing and taking turns. We offer many opportunities to work in teams and with partners within the classroom.

Science:

As mentioned above we are working on “animals” as a theme, in particular, arctic animals this week and always weather related projects.

Writing:

We also continue to address writing on a daily basis in journals and related projects. Letter formation is very important.  We also focus on neatness, pencil grip, punctuation, spaces and of course, sound spelling and applying phonemic skills. We encourage your child to practice at home on a daily basis as well. Thank you!

Reminders:

Please send a small snack with your child to eat later in the day!

Thorson Winter Carnival is on Saturday, February 8th.  It's always a fun day for families to attend and show support for our great school!  Please consider volunteering at the carnival and/or donating to our theme basket.

Riveredge is at Thorson on Thursday, February 13^th.  Students will be going outside rain or shine.

Valentine’s Party is on Friday, February 14^th.

Thank you for all of your support in Kindergarten!!

The Kindergarten Teachers

The Raft Game

We are playing the raft game. We had to keep exchanging materials to be able to built a raft. First we needed 5 chips. When we had 5 chips we could trade them in for a stick. When we had 5 sticks we could build a raft. We loved playing this game with our partners. 

Making cards with our 3rd grade buddies

We worked on making cards for veterans in our community with our 3rd grade buddies. 

BRRR!!!

BRR!!! It is cold outside!  Here is a direct message from the Cedarburg School District:

All Cedarburg School District Schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 due to extreme cold weather.  All afternoon and evening activities on Tuesday are also canceled.

Computer Lab Volunteers

Dear families,

Thank you so much for all the help that we have had in the computer lab.  The kids are doing a great job at logging in and typing in their password.

If you signed up to be in the computer lab the next few weeks, we won't be needing your help.  The reason being is that the computer lab is being used for MAP testing.

We will be back to the computer lab towards the middle/end of February.  If you haven't signed up yet and would like to help us out, please stop at Volunteer Spot to sign up.

Thank you for understanding!

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Howdy Partners!

The Thorson Winter Carnival is coming up!  It is a great time where families can come to play games, eat yummy food, do crafts, and buy some awesome projects!  All of the money spent goes right back to school.
One of the things that each classroom does is a raffle basket.  For kindergarten, we are asked to supply the following items:

Boy - Hot Wheels Mania - Hot Wheel cars, racing track - anything Hot Wheels related!
Girl - Princess - anything and everything for a Princess - crown, wand & more!
Theme Basket - Anything and everything Play-Doh.

If you are able to help out- that would be great!  

You are also able to send in a check, written to PTO and send that to school with your child.  I will be sure it goes to the right place.

I also know that they are in need of more volunteers.  If you are able to help out for an hour or two, please considering signing up.  More details can be found in the Thorson Thursday Folder.  

Newsletter- Our Week In Review

January 23, 2014

Dear Parents,

In the month of January, please continue to read to your child and have your child read to you!

Comm. Arts:
Our theme this week is "Animal Babies".  Our letter is "F,f" and star words are: play, me, and where.  We continue to work on applying phonics and sight words in our reading and writing. Also, we are working on fluency and comprehension.  Our oral vocabulary includes the position words.  The big book this week is Animal Babies and the leveled readers are "Animals and Their Babies", "Animal Babies" and "Baby Animals".  We continue to work on the beginning, middle and end of a story.

Writing:
The students continue to write on a daily basis in journals or in books designed to coordinate with what we are working on in class.  We are emphasizing correct letter formations, punctuation, spaces and phonemic spelling.  Please encourage your child to write at home at any time.

Math:
All students are working on addition, making patterns, shapes, writing numbers, and counting by ones, fives and tens.  They enjoy the math games and working with partners.  We encourage students to practice their number writing and look for numbers in their environment.

Science:
Students really enjoyed our “Mammals Have Fur” program from Schlitz Audubon!  They learned about various animals and saw real animal skins.

Reminders:
Please send your child wearing or with gym shoes on their gym day.

Please note: January 24th is a record day for teachers. There will be NO SCHOOL.

Thank you for your support.
The Kindergarten Teachers

Blogs have been updated

This week we have been talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We learned about all the good work that he has done.  We learned that he had a special speech called "I have a dream"

In the computer lab today, we updated our classroom blogs.  Just like Dr. King we wrote about the dreams that we have to make the world a better place.

Please visit our blogs!  We love it when families comment on what we have to say.  Please feel free to visit other blogs and comment on them too.  Take the time to read what has been said on your child's blog to your child.  We often don't have enough time to read all of the wonderful comments said.

Thank you all for your support!

Book Orders Due Tomorrow!

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub
One-Time Class Activation Code: HFYK6

Dear Families,

Please remember to place your Reading Club orders by Wednesday, January 22!  TOMORROW!!

You can shop and submit your order online or return the printed order form with payment directly to me. No matter how you order, every purchase you make earns FREE Books and educational supplies for our classroom.

The arrival of the book box is always a highlight-thanks for making it happen!

Happy reading,
Mrs. Rocky

Ordering online is fast and easy:

 REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub
 ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter
 CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks
 SUBMIT the order to me by the due date at the top of this letter
 EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

New Math Apps

We learned some new apps today!  We learned the Monster Squeeze App and the Number Maze app. Both are great to help with number sense. 

Wonder Journals

Today we worked in our Wonder journals. In our Wonder journals we write questions on a topic from Wonderopolis. This week's topic was dinosaurs. After our work was done, we shared our wonders with a friend. 

Some wonders written. 

Newsletter- Our Week In Review

January 16th, 2014

Dear Parents,

We have been having a great week!  The students are in a routine and really ready to learn!  The snowmen are coming back and have been displayed in the rooms or hallways.  We all thank you for the wipes and hand sanitizer!!!  Everyone is attempting to stay healthy!

Com. Arts:
We are starting a unit on animals.  This week the theme is "Animals We Know".  Our big book is Mama Cat has Three Kittens.  We are working on the strategy of recognizing story structure and making and confirming predictions.  Students continue to improve their writing skills by sounding out words and adding details.   Our letter this week is "O,o" and the star words are:  “is”, “with”, and  "my".  

Math:
We are focusing on adding or joining, the use of calculators, and making various patterns with pattern blocks and shapes.  The students continue to work with partners using dice and number cards in various games.  Please continue to count, write, and order numbers at home.

Science:
We are working on weather and seasons in our new science journals.  Our art and literature are integrated into these topics and the rooms are definitely a winter scene.

Reminders:

Schlitz Audubon Program – “Mammals Have Fur” on Wednesday, January 15h.
The Science Fair is Thursday, January 16th!
Please continue to send in wipes and sanitizer for our classrooms!  Thanks so much!!
No School on January 25th due to record day for teachers.

Thanks for your continued support,
The Kindergarten Teachers

Book Orders

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub

One-Time Class Activation Code: HFYK6

Dear Families,

A great way to beat the winter blues is by reading!  There are some great books available in the Scholastic Book Order.  Please remember to place your Reading Club orders by January 22!

You can shop and submit your order online or return the printed order form with payment directly to me. No matter how you order, every purchase you make earns FREE Books and educational supplies for our classroom.

The arrival of the book box is always a highlight-thanks for making it happen!

Happy reading,

Mrs. Rocky

Ordering online is fast and easy:

•  REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub
•  ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter
•  CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks
•  SUBMIT the order to me by the due date at the top of this letter
•  EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

Our Blogs Have Been Updated!

During writing time we have been working on real world writing.  This week we have been making lists.  All of our blog posts will be either a to do list or a grocery list.

Please take the time to celebrate your child's writing!  Please feel free to add a comment on your child's blog or on a friend's blog.  Share the comments with your child- since we don't always have the time to talk about everyone's blog!

http://kidblog.org/MrsRockysClass2013-2014/

Remember, it may take time for me to go through the comments.  Please be patient!  Your comment will be posted soon!

Pics from digital camera

Thanks again to Lauren's and Paige's family for donating their old digital cameras to our classroom.  The kiddos love taking pictures of things that are important to them.

Please enjoy the Animoto video of their photography!

Being On Time to School

Dear families,

On our upcoming progress reports, you may notice a number of days that your child was marked tardy.  Children need to be IN the classroom ready to go when the second bell rings.  If students are not, they will be marked tardy.

Please practice undressing and putting things away with your child.  Many friends are in the hallway playing around instead of getting ready for the day.

Thank you for your help.

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Computer Lab Help

Dear Families,

We love going to the computer lab on Wednesdays.  However, we need your help!  We need help with our user names and passwords.  We also need help with our classroom blogs.

If you are able to help us out on Wednesdays, please click on the VolunteerSpot link to help us out!

Thanks so much!

Take care,
Mrs. Rocky

Newsletter- Our Week In Review

Dear Parents,

This week, we finished up our unit on Food Traditions in guided reading.  We reviewed the letters "N, n" and the letter “C,c”.  We also learned the sight words "with" and “my”.  We reviewed these words in the stories, poems, and writing we did this week.   We continue to review all words and assess throughout the year!  Please continue to work on these words with your child.  

We are also practicing the strategy of summarizing. We are doing this by using the skill of making inferences. Inferences are what you learn from the book plus what your own knowledge is and making a brand new idea.  We are doing this by reading and listening to a book called, Yoko.  Ask your 

kindergartner about this story!

In Math, we have started Unit 5.  This unit focuses on patterns, calculators, measurement, and counting.  We will be playing a variety of games to reinforce these skills.

In science, we continue to learn about the weather by observing, recording, and making predictions.  We are also studying the four seasons.

**Upcoming reminders: 

1. Please be sure your child has their FIRST and LAST name on their winter gear.

2. There will be a Science Fair at Thorson on January 16th.  Kindergartners are welcome to participate!  Projects can be done with a family member or friend.  

3. A Schlitz Audubon  Program is scheduled at Thorson called, “Mammals Have Fur”.

4. No School on Friday, January 24th – Record Day.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail or call anytime. Thank you for all your support!

The Kindergarten Teachers

Our blogs have been updated!

We worked really hard in the computer lab today.  Please visit our blogs!

http://kidblog.org/MrsRockysClass2013-2014/

Please take some time to celebrate your child's blog.  Please read the comments that were placed on their page.  (We don't always get the time to read each comment)  Feel free to leave comments for your child or your child's friends.  We all love hearing positive feedback!

Remember that if you don't see your comment right away, that is okay!  I just need to approve each comment.  Thanks so much!