Monday, December 6, 2010

Schedule for 12/6 - 12/10

M - Art
T - Gym & Music
W - Music & Gym
Th - Art, Media
F - Gym & Music, Computer

This week in Kindergarten we are starting to celebrate Holidays Around the World. Each day this week the students will use their passports and travel to another Kindergarten classroom to learn about a country and their holiday traditions.

In math we will continue to work on Chapter 5: Geometry and Fractions. We will also be learning about symmetry this week!

Next Tuesday, December 14th, we will be going on a field trip to the Old Log Theater in Excelsior. We will be seeing their holiday children's show - Puss in Boots. We will leave around 9:15 in the morning and return to school in time for lunch. We do have room for 2 parents to ride the bus and more are welcomed to meet us there. Cost for adults is $8.00. Please contact me if you would like to attend.

Please make sure to send clothes for your child to go outside each day. Also, if you could write their name on the tags of their snowpants, hats, etc...that will help us track it down if something does get lost!

Have a great week!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Schedule for 11/22 - 11/26

M - Gym & Music, Character class with Mrs. Swanson
T - Music & Gym, Computer
W - Art
Th - No School
F - No School

Because of the short week, we will not be introducing a new letter or sight word. We will finish working on numbers 6-10 in math. Here's a few pictures from the last couple of weeks!





Happy Thanksgiving :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Schedule for 11/15 - 11/19

M - Music & Gym
T - Art
W - Gym & Music
Th - Music & Gym, Media
F - Art & Computer

This week we do not have a new letter, so we will be reviewing the ones that we've learned so far. Our new sight words is: he. We'll spend more time working on blending sounds together to make words. The word families for this week are -ap and -an.

In math we will finish up with Chapter 4 and numbers 6-10.

The kids are very excited to get outside and play in the snow during recess! Please make sure that you send appropriate winter clothing each day. The classes will go out every day unless the temperature is too cold. Any extra practice that you can do at home to work on getting themselves dressed to go out would be much appreciated!!!

Have a great week!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Schedule for 11/8 - 11/12

M - No School - Conferences
T - Gym & Music
W - Music & Gym
Th - Art, Media
F - Gym & Music, Computer

It was great to meet with all of you for conferences! Thank you for taking time out of your day to come and visit with me!

This week we are working on the letter D and our new sight word is like. Our vocabulary words this week are: active, gigantic, voyage, gasped, glum, and whimper. We will be spending more time on learning what a sentence is this week.

In math we will begin working on the numbers 6-10. We have our first Time for Kids magazine to read this week as well!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Schedule for 11/1 - 11/5

M - Music & Gym
T - Art, 4th Grade Buddies!
W - Gym & Music
Th - Music & Gym
F - Art, Grandfriend's Day, Computer

This week we do not have a new letter, but we will be spending lots of time working on word families and blending letters together to create words. In math, we will continue to practice numbers 0-5 and using a number line.

My first round of conferences is this Thursday evening from 4-8. Next Monday, there is no school for the kids, but I have conferences scheduled throughout the day and evening. I'm looking forward to talking with all of you then!

Friday morning is Grandfriend's Day at Shirley Hills. The students have been busy rehearsing their songs with Mrs. Bray. If you haven't already, please make sure that you send in the form to let me know how many Grandfriend's are attending.

Have a great week!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Family Fun Night

Tonight is Family Fun night at Shirley Hills from 5 - 8pm. Come check out all the new books at the book fair!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Schedule for 10/25 - 10/29

M - Art
T - Gym & Music
W - Music & Gym
Th - Art & Media
F - Gym & Music, Computer, Halloween Parade

Hope you all were able to enjoy some extra time with the kids last week! This week we are working on the letter Aa. The students will practice listening for the beginning sound in words also. In math we will start learning about numbers 1-5.

On Friday, we will have our Halloween Parade in the afternoon. Students are invited to bring in a costume, please send them in a separate plastic bag on Friday. Parents are invited to come in and watch the parade! It begins at 2:15, head to the Gym to see all of the classes walk through. After our class has walked through the Gym, feel free to come to our classroom and visit your child. If you would like to bring your child home that afternoon after the parade, please make sure that you let me know and that you also sign him/her out in the office before you leave.

Have a great week!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Schedule for 10/18 - 10/22

M - Gym & Music
T - Music & Gym
W - No School (Teacher Workshop)
Th - No School
F - No School

Since we have a short week ahead of us, we will be reviewing the letters and sight words that we've learned so far. The class will be rollerskating for the next couple of weeks in Gym with Mr. Halvarson. If your child has one, please send in their bike helmet for them to use while they are skating!

Last week our 4th grade buddies came down and helped us get familiar with the using the i-Touch apps.


Jacob was the Star of the week and both of his parents were able to come in and read to us!


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Deardorff Apple Orchard

We had a great field trip this morning. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the Deardorff's are always so warm and welcoming! The class had fun looking at the animals, jumping in the hay, and seeing how they collect and wash the apples. Due to an early frost this spring and lots of business, they took us to a different part of the orchard to pick apples. The kids didn't seem to mind, especially when they told us we'd be getting there by a hay ride :)
A special thank you to all of the parents that took time out of their day to join us!









Monday, October 4, 2010

Parent Readers & Apple Tasting!

Dylen was our star of the week last week and his Mom was able to come in and read!

This morning Reese's mom was able to come in as well.


This afternoon we tasted four different kinds of apples: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh, and I was able to track down a few SweeTango's!


The students had fun talking about which flavor they liked the best.


The SweeTango won! We're looking forward to learning more about apples tomorrow at the Deardorff Orchard!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Schedule for 10/4 - 10/08

M - Art, Character class with Mrs. Swanson
T - Field Trip and Media
W - Music/Gym
Th - Art
F - Gym/Music, Computer

A busy week ahead of us! Tuesday will be a big day. We will be heading to the Deardorff Apple Orchard in the morning. We will be back to school in time for recess/lunch. We are switching our Media time with Mrs. Koepp this week, so K-1 will be going on Tuesday afternoon. Please remind your child to bring their book back by Tuesday morning.

Have a great week!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Schedule for 9/27 - 10/1

M - Gym/Music
T - Music/Gym
W - Art
Th - Gym/Music, Media (remember to bring books back)
F - Music/Gym

This week we will be working on the letter T. We'll finish up Chapter 1 in math and start Chapter 2 - Patterns. Today we will start our year-long observation of a tree and we'll record what we see in our tree journals. Tomorrow we will meet with our 4th grade buddies!

Here are a few pictures from last week:
Our table groups were working on sorting by shape and color.



Max and Dylan spent much of their free choice time working on their drawings!


Helena was our star of the week and her Mom was able to come in and read to us!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Schedule for 9/20 - 9/24

M - Music/Gym
T - Art
W - Gym/Music
Th - Music/Gym, Media (remember to return books)
F - Art

This week we are learning about the letter R and our new sight word is: a. We are starting to talk about syllables and have been practicing breaking words into parts. The class has also been learning about what it means to label something. In math, we are working on vocabulary that we'll hear throughout the year: above, below, left, right, etc.

We will go to Media again on Thursday, please make sure that your child has returned their book by Thursday morning so they can check out a new one.

Picture day is coming up on the 28th, next Tuesday. K-1 is scheduled to get our class and individual pictures taken at 9:00, so make sure that the kids are to school on time :) Forms will be sent home in this week's Friday folder. Return them on Monday or by Tuesday morning.

Have a great week!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Schedule for 9/13 - 9/17

M - All School assembly, Art
T - Gym
W - Music
Th - Art
F - Gym, Innisbrook kickoff assembly

This week the class will learn all about the letters M and S. We'll practice handwriting, recognizing upper and lowercase letters, and learning the sound that they make. We will introduce our first sight word: I. Each week we will learn vocabulary words, this week they are: ability, talent, confident, complained, encourage, and reverse.

Thank you to all of the parents for helping to make last week go so smoothly. It was great to meet all of the families at conferences. I'm looking forward to another great week!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

First Day

We had a great first day in K-1. The students were ready to go and eager to find out what the schedule was for the day. We did our September journals, celebrated a birthday, read a couple of books, did a hand-stamping project, and learned how to go through the lunch line in the cafeteria. It was a busy day!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Welcome

Hello new Kindergarten kids and families!

Here is the school supply list:

KINDERGARTEN

1 - crayons, 16-ct box

10 - glue sticks, .21 oz

1 - hand sanitizer, 4 oz. bottle

1 - kleenex, 175-ct box

1 - markers, dry erase, 4-ct box

2 - markers, washable, 8-ct box

6 - pencils, #2 wooden, sharpened (yellow only)

1 - pencils, colored (12-ct)

1 - sanitizing wipes, 40-ct

1 - scissors, 5” blunt Fiskars

Keep any pencil boxes, pencil sharpeners, and notebooks at home. Each student will have a cubby in the room, but there won't be much room for these extra items. Also, make sure that when you are picking out a backpack for your child that it is a regular sized bag. Students will be bringing home folders and books and will need enough space in their backpack.

Open House is Wednesday, September 1st from 4:00-6:00pm. Feel free to bring the supplies when you visit the classroom then.

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you soon!

Friday, May 28, 2010

One more time

We were able to spend some time with Mrs. Williams yesterday for the last time as Kindergarteners. Today was our last time with Mrs. Couser in the computer lab. We let the kids play with the cameras...I think Mrs. Couser and I had just as much fun as they did!

Enjoy the long weekend!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Notes from our class!

We've been keeping very busy in K-1! We are nearing the end of our Language Arts curriculum and will be doing lots of review of sight words and vocabulary words. In math, we have moved from learning about addition to introducing subtraction.

A few reminders for the end of the year:

* June 4th is our Super Team Day. Mr. Halvarson has all of the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes mixed up into teams that will compete on Friday morning. Please make sure that your child has appropriate shoes for playing outside that day!

* June 9th is our last field trip to the Delano park. We'll be back in time to have lunch at school.

* Feel free to send in a bottle of sunscreen with your child. A few kids have been using some before they go out for recess.

* Since we don't have air conditioning in our room, it can get pretty warm in the afternoon. Please send in a water bottle for your child to have at their seat during the day.

* Mrs. Williams has started to collect library books for the summer. Make sure that all books have been returned by next week.

The kids are getting very excited for summer and have been asking lots of questions about what 1st grade will be like :)

Monday, May 3, 2010

Schedule for 5/10 - 5/14

M - Gym
T - Music
W - Art
Th - Gym, Media (remember books!) and watch Operetta dress rehearsal
F - Music & Computer

This morning we celebrated all of our April character slip winners. In math, we learned about using tally charts to record information. The students did a great job!






Friday, April 30, 2010

Limo & Culver's

Mrs. Swanson is on her way to Culver's with some very excited kids! These kids earned a limo ride to Culver's for being some of the top fundraisers! Way to go!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Food Champs

Mrs. Williams just read a story to the class about growing vegetables.

Click HERE to have your child play some games and learn about healthy snacks!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Red-eyed tree frog

We just read the story Red-Eyed Tree Frog. The class did a great job of sharing what they already knew about these frogs and learned lots of new information about them. Ask your child why the female frogs lay their eggs on a leaf over water!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Schedule for 4/12 - 4/16

M - No School - Teacher Workshop
T - Music
W - Art
Th - Gym & Media
F - Music

We have two new letters this week: Y and Z. We will be reviewing our sight words and vocabulary words. This week the students will practice writing a story with a partner. I'm looking forward to reading them!

We will finish our measurement chapter in math this week and will start a new chapter in Social Studies. The class will be learning about neighborhoods and what makes them similar and different. We will even construct our own little neighborhood in the classroom.

We only have a few items so far for our Coffee/Tea basket for the Carnival. If you can, please consider sending in something to add to the basket. Thank you!

Have a great week!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Schedule for 4/5 - 4/9

M - Art & Character class with Mrs. Swanson
T - Gym
W - Music
Th - Art & Media
F - Gym & Computer

This week our new sight words are she and good. We will be practicing writing stories this week and using the words first, next, and last in our writing. We will continue our work with measurement in math.

The Shirley Hills Carnival is coming up on April 24th. One of the silent auction items will be a classroom basket from our class. This year the theme is Coffee/Tea Lovers. Please send in an item to add to the basket. Some ideas are: coffee, tea, mug, travel cups, Caribou gift cards, etc... Thank you for participating!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Schedule for 3/29 - 4/2

M - Gym
T - Music
W - Art
Th - Gym & Media
F - Music & Computer

This week we are working on the letters V and J. Our new sight words this week are ARE and THEY. We will be talking about what dialogue is and begin using quotation marks in our writing.

In math we will finish up our studies of money and time and move on to learning about measurement.

Have a great week!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Schedule for 3/22 - 3/26

M - Music
T - Art
W - Gym & Lowry Nature Center field trip
Th - Music & Media
F - Art, Computer, Adventures in Art, and Spring Picture Day.

Hope you all were able to enjoy some extra time with your little one over break!

We will learn about two new sight words this week: out and who. We will be practicing the phonograms (-ed, and -en). Keep practicing these at home as well.

On Wednesday morning, we will be heading to the Lowry Nature Center in Victoria. This is part of our ongoing study of trees, the kids will be learning about maple syrup! There is still room for one more parent volunteer to ride the bus with us, or you are welcomed to meet us there. Just e-mail or call if you are interested.

There should be a form coming home on Monday if you'd like your child to have their spring picture taken. We will not be doing a class picture and only the kids who return the form by Friday will be getting their pictures taken.

Have a great week!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Schedule for 3/8 - 3/12

M - Art
T - Gym
W - Music
Th - Art & Media
F - Gym & Computer

This week we are learning about the letter E and our new sight words are we and want. We are practicing using describing words in our writing this week. Our new vocabulary words are treasure, sturdy, worth, compliment, confer, and mingle.

The students have been very good helpers with taking care of our goldfish and guppies. We've been doing lots of observations and will label the parts of a fish picture this week. Joel and Alec have even spent some time trying to teach the fish how to do tricks!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Schedule for 2/22 - 2/26

M - Gym
T - Music, evening conferences
W - Art
Th - No School - Teacher workshop & evening conferences
F - No School - Conferences

With the short school week, we won't be doing a new lesson in Language Arts. We'll be reviewing the letters, sounds, and sight words that we've learned so far.

We will be catching up with math and a few other projects that we have going on, as well! I look forward to seeing you all at conferences this week!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Schedule for 2/15 - 2/19

M - No School
T - Art
W - Gym
Th - Music (no Media because of Book fair)
F - Art, Computer, and Adventures in Art

This week we will be reviewing our sight words and our new letters are W and X.

In math we will be working on Chapter 7 and learning about number patterns with numbers 1 to 100.

Have a great week!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Schedule for 2/8 - 2/12

M - Gym
T - Music
W - Art
Th - Gym & Media
F - Music, Computer, Valentine Party

We've been keeping busy lately in K-1! We met with our 4th grade buddies:


The kids really enjoy seeing them:

We've had some free choice time:

We've practiced symmetry:

We made our Zero the Hero:

And practiced numbers 0-31:

We celebrated our January character slip winners:

We heard all about cross country skiing from Joel's sister:

And we've REALLY enjoyed all the new snow!