New art

Be sure to check out our "texture animals" hanging on our classroom wire.

Library Field Trip

We are planning a walking field trip to the NW library for Friday, December 12th.  Susan Smallsreed will talk about the library and read some books.  We could use a couple of volunteers.  Our plan is to leave around noon and be back by 1:20 or so.  Please let me know if you can make it!

This week in K / Leveled Readers

Be sure to check your child's backpack.  We finally got our long delayed shipment of leveled readers and your child should have four books.  Most students have read most of the books they are bringing home.

Here are some highlights of our short week.

Overall Theme: Thanksgiving, of course
New letter: Ii
New Words: he, for
Theme Book: A Bed for the Winter
Song: Over the River and Through the Woods

On Tuesday afternoon we will be going to Rooms 3 & 4, on Wednesday to Rooms 10 and 1 to learn more about Thanksgiving and do arts and crafts.

There is no school Thursday and Friday.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Library Books!

Today we brought back all of our library books.  We are the first class this year (in all of Chapman) to have every child bring their library books back.  Thank you to everyone who helped their student find and return books.

The current library computer system can cause some confusion -- here is a quick explanation of problems that come up.  The software we use expects books to be returned to the library within one week of check-out.  However, students at Chapman return their books to the classroom, not to the library.  This can cause confusion when we miss a library trip (like last week's snowpocalypse, and next week's Thanksgiving).  When we miss library, the software sends out missing book emails to everyone, even if a book is snug and warm in the library book box in the classroom.

Adding to the confusion, I often remind the class to bring back books.  Students sometimes forget that they have returned their books and grow anxious that their book is missing.

There is no simple answer here.  I  encourage everyone to return books on Mondays.  If your child missed library on a Thursday, or if the class has missed a Thursday library session, take any notice with a grain of salt.  If your child tells you that they were not able to check out a book, it probably means that the book really is missing.

My Father's Dragon

We finished our first chapter book today.  Ask your child about what happened in the book.

This Week in Kindergarten

We have a real week, sandwiched into a strange month.  To my knowledge we have few interruptions or other issues this week; in other words a rare normal week.  Here is the plan.

We will roll out a bunch of new centers tomorrow based upon the books Armadillo's Orange, and Animal Babies in Grasslands.  It would be wonderful to have a few volunteers to help out at center time.

We will continue working on reading and writing.  In reading we are working on blending sounds and letters to make simple three-letter words.  In writing we are working on feeling comfortable with the writing process including spaces.

In math we are making a pattern quilt, and will introduce a few more games for "Math Workplaces"

The afternoons this week should have a full smorgasbord of activities including science with Ms. Forst and Social Studies with Ms. Miljkovic.  We have most library books but could use a few more.

Here are a few more details of the week...

New Words: my, we, like
Words we (should) know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
New Letter Cc (In kindergarten, C's almost always sound like /k/)
Letters we know m, t, a, s, p, c
Theme Book: Bear Snores On
Comprehension Skill: realism and fantasy
Math skills: comparing and combining shapes, patterns, comparing sets
Science: more tree science
Social Studies: what is a veteran?

Star of the Week: Jenna

Don't forget, there is no school on Thursday and Friday, November 27 and 28.

Auction art

Many thanks to Terry and David (Brooke's grandparents) for coordinating this.  I hope to see many of you tonight...

Cold Weather

Here's something from my colleague , Mrs. Andrews, that pertains to Room 2…

This seems like a good time to remind you that we go outside every day!  Bundle those babies up!  Also, with inclement weather on the horizon, please be sure to watch the news for any delays/closures.  Here is some official PPS info on ways to stay informed.  

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/about-us/6178.htm

If we are on a two-hour delay, buses will run two-hours behind, like on a late-start day.  School would begin at 10, rather than 8 AM.  If you have a bus rider, now would also be a good time to check your bus' snow route.  Typically when the weather is sketchy, buses run on snow routes, particularly if you live in the hills

I would also add that, at times, school will be cancelled or delayed when there is no snow on the ground in the lower elevations surrounding Chapman (downtown, the Pearl…).  This is because many of our families live in the hills where it can be quite snowy.  Be sure to double check before driving to Chapman, and NEVER drop of your child without coming in to the school.

Friday in kindergarten

Alphabet sorting

We sorted stuff (vintage plastic things from a very old curriculum) by their initial sounds.

This week in kindergarten

Here are some highlights for the week of November 3.

For your calendar...
No School on Monday and Tuesday, November 10th & 11th due to Veteran's Day and more.
No School on the 27th and 28th due to Thanksgiving.
The book fair is happening all week.

The Chapman Auction is on Friday, November 14th.  This is a wonderful and fun evening at the Crystal Ballroom.  This is also Chapman's major fund-raising evening.  You can buy tickets and find much more information at http://chapmanschoolauction.com/index.html.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Here is what is happening in the classroom...

New letters -- Ss (Letters we know: m,t,a & s)
New words -- have, is (week 2)
Literacy skill focus -- beginning to blend sounds to make words
Comprehension focus -- setting
Math -- new games at workplaces using numbers 1-10 and using shapes to make other shapes
Art -- Picasso Hand and Flowers
Art with Mrs. Andrews -- Cornucopia

Star of the week: Jordyn
Weekly song: Jamaica Farewell

Please sign up to volunteer.  Our centers work so much better when we have help!

Sub yesterday

I was happy to have Barbara Goldberg substitute for me yesterday.  Barbara taught in Room 2 for many years and was a mentor to me when I started teaching kindergarten.  By all accounts, the day went well.

I am back today and, hopefully, on the road to recovery from my very nasty cold.