Report Cards Monday

Monday is report card day.  Here are a few thoughts starting with logistics

Keep the report card, return the envelope (keep everything if you receive your report card through the mail)!

Two household families -- copies of your report cards will be mailed to both parents, unless you let me know that you want your child to carry one report card home Monday.  I always worry that both report cards will end up in one home.

Take time to read and make sense of the report card before you decide what to share with your kindergartner. The report card is meant to be an honest reflection of how your child is doing academically; consider whether this information will motivate or frustrate your kindergartner.

Be aware that some of the report card language is very clear, objective, and to the point, some of the language is very subjective, and some of the language is, simply put, not all that clear or relevant for kindergarten. My hope is that, taken together with the comments, that the report card gives you a fair overview of your child's progress.

As always, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

Library Tomorrow

Don't forget those books!

Sorting riches

Getting ready for the Chinese New Year with Tracie

Friday is Chinese New Year

OMSI Dino class #3

OMSI Dino class #2

OMSI Dino class #1

OMSI Class tomorrow afternoon

Tomorrow afternoon, we will be going downstairs to the Art / Science Room for our OMSI class about Dinosaurs!

"Two Cats and a Dog" art project

Between writing comments on report cards, I put up the latest project from art with Ms. M.   Check it out on the wires in the classroom.

Chicken Pox Letter

Check your child's backpack for a letter about Chicken Pox at Chapman.

Blocks at choice time

No School Monday

There is no school this Monday due to a teacher planning day.  I will be here working on report cards!

Roundup Tomorrow

I keep forgetting to post this.

We will start the day with Roundup tomorrow, and evedry Friday for the next few months.  I look forward to seeing everyone in the auditorium.

Sunny recess

New Student today!

Today we welcome Poppy to Room 2.  We are excited to have her join our class.

Library Books Due Tomorrow

Don't forget those books!

Late Start Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a late start Wednesday.  All bells and busses will run two hours behind time.  

I look forward to seeing the gang tomorrow at 9:50.

No School Monday, Late Start Wednesday

Here is the schedule for the near future...

Monday, January 20 -- No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 22 -- Late opening, school begins at 10:00
Monday, January 27 -- No School, Teacher Planning Day (report cards)
Monday, February 17 -- No School, President's Day

substitute tomorrow morning

Tomorrow morning, Barbara Goldberg will be here to teach the class.  I will be working with kids in the hall to administer the district-mandated DIBELS assessment.  I will be back in the classroom for the afternoon.

In the library with reading buddies

Our buddies helped us learn how to use shelf markers!

The word from California

We finished our chapter book!

This afternoon we finished My Father's Dragon.  Be sure to ask your child how Elmer Elevator (my "father") outwitted the different animals on Wild Island to rescue the baby dragon.

Playing "Race You to Twenty" at math time

Citrus tasting

The good folds at Food Front arranged for a citrus tasting this morning

Library Books Due Tomorrow

Don't Forget!!!

This week in Room 2

Tomorrow, we should welcome a new student; a girl named Lamar.  We look forward to having her join the classroom.

Here are some things we are working on this week:

We are working on the letters Kk and Dd (and differentiating between a d and a b).
We are learning the words look and see.
We are exploring the numbers between 10 and 20.
Our centers revolve around the book Little Panda
We will read Little Quack and See How We Grow.
We should finish the book My Father's Dragon by Friday.
We will be learning more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We will keep singing "This Little Light Of Mine".  We may learn a new song if inspiration strikes.
Our Star of the Week is Lewis.

Winter houses

Check out our new winter houses, outside the classroom.

My Father's Dragon

The young scholars are entranced by our first chapter book.  Young Elmer Elevator faces moral dilemmas, and ferocious beasts as he tries to free a captive baby dragon.  We should be done next Friday.  In the mean time, ask your child about the story, and issues it might raise (is it ok to lie if you are about to be eaten by tigers?  Is it a good idea to run away from home?).

A few Wednesday notes

It seemed a day with some substance...

Here are a few things to talk about with your child.

We wrote goodbye letters to Jakob.
We had free choice centers.
We played a game called "I have a shape in my pocket".  This is a cool, very visual variation on "20 questions".
We continued reading My Father's Dragon.  The book will get very exciting soon.
We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in social studies with Ms. Andrews.

Don't forget those library books.

Library Books Due Tomorrow!!

Don't forget those books!  It would be great to have everyone check out a book tomorrow!

Winter break writing posted

Come in and check out our winter break writing on the green bulletin board inside the classroom.

Ask your child (& more)

Here are a few things about the week that neglected to put in the post below...

1) New letter: Rr
2) Star of the week: Luca (on deck: Lewis)
3) New song: "900 Miles"
4 Weekly Book: Little Quack

If all goes well, we may start our first chapter book, My Father's Dragon tomorrow.

Ask your child...

What is Dia de Reyes (or Three Kings Day)? Where is it celebrated? How did we celebrate in the classroom today?
What did you write about today when you wrote about your break?  What else could you have written about?
What is on the January calendar?
Did you enjoy music, P.E. or Mac Lab more?
What center were you at today?  What is your favorite thing to do at that center?

Welcome Back

I hope everyone had a great break!

I am looking forward to seeing the young scholars this morning.  If I look a little bleary-eyed today, it is because I had to get up at 3:30 this morning to put my son on a 5:30 flight.

This week we will be quickly getting back into the swing of things.  We will be writing about our break, working on centers and reading groups, learning about pennies, and much more.

I am putting up a new volunteer calendar for the months of January through March.  Please consider donating some time to the classroom!!

In January we have two No-School-Mondays.  We will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the 20th and we have a teacher planning day on the 27th so that we can prepare report cards.  We also have a late start day on the 22nd.  Through the month we will be learning about winter, Martin Luther King Jr., ways that children and animals change and grow, conventions of writing, and much more.

This should be a great winter term!