A short blog for a short week...
There is no school on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. After this we have three five-day weeks in a row!!
Last Friday we said goodbye to Akayla, a PSU student who spent lots of time with our class as part of a practicum.
The week will include at least one big concept -- the Ii letter. Thus far, for most readers, we have been playing with sounds and blending to make sense of simple consonant-vowel-consonant words with an a in the middle (e.g. sat or tap). This week we make a huge jump into making sense of what happens when we switch out the a for i. This can be a big challenge for many readers.
Aside from this we will learn two more words (he and for), write about our star of the week, Zeki, do some thanksgiving crafts (hopefully), learn a new math shape game called "Hungry Caterpillars", and learn a little about Thanksgiving.
This week also marks a transition at Chapman at the Ramona. We will be saying goodbye to Ms. D'Aurora on Tuesday, and welcoming Ms. Rodhe next week. Ms. D'Aurora will be moving on to teach 6th grade science and math at Laurelhurst.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Another Week in Kindergarten
After our divisive election, I want to be clear that the mission of public schools, and my personal mission, is to serve ALL students and families. Your child should always feel welcome and safe in the classroom.
It was wonderful to see so many of you last week for conferences. It was great to get the opportunity to sit down and learn more about your child. I really appreciate the many insightful thoughts and the spirit of teamwork that were part of every single meeting this year!
As most of you know, pile driving began last week. The noise inside, thus far, seems very manageable. We are working hard to be sure that your child gets time to run around, and to be sure that they receive minimal exposure to the outside noise of pile driving. For the most part we will be having recess at Pearl Court, however on certain days, we may be substituting a courtyard recess when it is quiet out (So far, the pile driver is off much more than on) or, as a last resort, doing an indoor recess. We may even, as we did today when the pile driver was undergoing maintenance, venture to The Fields.
This week is our only full week of school in November and we are making the most of it, in terms of our core curriculum. We are doing lots of reading, writing and math this week.
Many thanks to Charlie's family for the huge tub of trains. This has made for some happy choice times.
Don't Forget: There is no school next Wednesday, Thursday, Friday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: Bear Snores On
Letter study: Cc
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss, Pp
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: independent writing
Math: Playing Dominoes, shapes
Song: Take this Hammer
Star of the Week: Zeki
It was wonderful to see so many of you last week for conferences. It was great to get the opportunity to sit down and learn more about your child. I really appreciate the many insightful thoughts and the spirit of teamwork that were part of every single meeting this year!
As most of you know, pile driving began last week. The noise inside, thus far, seems very manageable. We are working hard to be sure that your child gets time to run around, and to be sure that they receive minimal exposure to the outside noise of pile driving. For the most part we will be having recess at Pearl Court, however on certain days, we may be substituting a courtyard recess when it is quiet out (So far, the pile driver is off much more than on) or, as a last resort, doing an indoor recess. We may even, as we did today when the pile driver was undergoing maintenance, venture to The Fields.
This week is our only full week of school in November and we are making the most of it, in terms of our core curriculum. We are doing lots of reading, writing and math this week.
Many thanks to Charlie's family for the huge tub of trains. This has made for some happy choice times.
Don't Forget: There is no school next Wednesday, Thursday, Friday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: Bear Snores On
Letter study: Cc
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss, Pp
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: independent writing
Math: Playing Dominoes, shapes
Song: Take this Hammer
Star of the Week: Zeki
Monday, November 7, 2016
This Week & Conferences
This is a very short week -- our focus will be on our art project, writing, and math. We probably will skip many elements of a typical week (theme books, new song...) this week. Please note, there is no school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to conferences and Veteran's Day.
Many thanks to our great volunteer crew who helped with our art project last Wednesday! It was amazing to get a major art project underway while doing centers and reading groups. Thanks also to Karen, Lucy's grandmother, who was helping in the classroom many days over the past several weeks!
I love conferences (and I wish that we could do them several times over the year). This is a wonderful opportunity to sit down and compare notes; hopefully you and I will emerge with a better understanding of your child and his / her experience at Chapman. In general I usually start the conference with a quick overview of your child's academic progress and my perspective on your child's social interactions and behavior. After that we can go anywhere.
Here are a few hints for a productive conference:
I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Thursday!
Calendar:
November 9-10 No School -- conferences
November 11 -- No School -- Veterans Day
November 23-25 -- No School -- Thanksgiving holiday
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: No theme this week!
Letter study: Kk
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss, Pp
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: independent writing
Math: tens!
Song: TBD
Many thanks to our great volunteer crew who helped with our art project last Wednesday! It was amazing to get a major art project underway while doing centers and reading groups. Thanks also to Karen, Lucy's grandmother, who was helping in the classroom many days over the past several weeks!
I love conferences (and I wish that we could do them several times over the year). This is a wonderful opportunity to sit down and compare notes; hopefully you and I will emerge with a better understanding of your child and his / her experience at Chapman. In general I usually start the conference with a quick overview of your child's academic progress and my perspective on your child's social interactions and behavior. After that we can go anywhere.
Here are a few hints for a productive conference:
- Be on time. I have a number of back-to-back conferences, particularly in the morning. I do my best to stay on schedule.
- Bring notes. If there are topics you want to cover, big or small, it helps to have a list so nothing gets neglected.
- We encourage you to find care for your child; conferences seem to be much more focused when your young scholar is not competing for your attention. However we understand that this is not always possible.
- Call and let me know if you need to reschedule.
I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Thursday!
Calendar:
November 9-10 No School -- conferences
November 11 -- No School -- Veterans Day
November 23-25 -- No School -- Thanksgiving holiday
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: No theme this week!
Letter study: Kk
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss, Pp
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: independent writing
Math: tens!
Song: TBD
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
This week in kindergarten
Please note there is NO SCHOOL on FRIDAY due to a teacher planning day! I will be here getting ready for parent conferences and organizing the classroom.
We are entering the interesting month of November. To those unfamiliar with Portland Public Schools, it pays to carefully watch the calendar in November. In addition to this Friday's teacher planning day, we have no school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week due to conferences and Veteran's Day. Later in the month we will miss three days of school around the Thanksgiving weekend.
I still have several families who have not scheduled their conferences. Please stop by or shoot me an email if you need to schedule a meeting or if you are unsure of your conference date or time.
Library is on Thursday morning -- please have your child return any outstanding books. Both library and share day are on Thursdays -- this may be a motivator to put a library book in a backpack along with share toys.
We are running low on snacks -- Please think of us as you shop this weekend!
Family photos -- we are working on a small family unit, including art and we would love to have a photo of your family to go along with the artwork. Please send in a photo! Speaking of art, we had a wonderful gang of volunteers who helped us make potato prints today (and helped make centers successful). Many, many thanks!!
Rest -- many young scholars in our room were beyond tired this Halloween week! Please help them get lots of rest this long weekend, but try to keep them, to the extent possible, on schedule. On many Mondays it feels like the kids are going through all the stages of jet lag.
Calendar:
November 4 -- No School -- teacher planning day
November 9-10 No School -- conferences
November 11 -- No School -- Veterans Day
November 23-25 -- No School -- Thanksgiving holiday
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: Animal Babies in Grassland
Other Books: Miscellany
Letter study: Pp
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: Halloween and Star of Week writing
Math: November calendar, Tally Marks
Song: River verse to "Roll on Columbia"
We are entering the interesting month of November. To those unfamiliar with Portland Public Schools, it pays to carefully watch the calendar in November. In addition to this Friday's teacher planning day, we have no school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week due to conferences and Veteran's Day. Later in the month we will miss three days of school around the Thanksgiving weekend.
I still have several families who have not scheduled their conferences. Please stop by or shoot me an email if you need to schedule a meeting or if you are unsure of your conference date or time.
Library is on Thursday morning -- please have your child return any outstanding books. Both library and share day are on Thursdays -- this may be a motivator to put a library book in a backpack along with share toys.
We are running low on snacks -- Please think of us as you shop this weekend!
Family photos -- we are working on a small family unit, including art and we would love to have a photo of your family to go along with the artwork. Please send in a photo! Speaking of art, we had a wonderful gang of volunteers who helped us make potato prints today (and helped make centers successful). Many, many thanks!!
Rest -- many young scholars in our room were beyond tired this Halloween week! Please help them get lots of rest this long weekend, but try to keep them, to the extent possible, on schedule. On many Mondays it feels like the kids are going through all the stages of jet lag.
Calendar:
November 4 -- No School -- teacher planning day
November 9-10 No School -- conferences
November 11 -- No School -- Veterans Day
November 23-25 -- No School -- Thanksgiving holiday
This weeks themes:
Theme Book: Animal Babies in Grassland
Other Books: Miscellany
Letter study: Pp
Letters we know: Mm, Tt, Aa, Ss
New words: we, my, like
Words we know: I, am, the, little, a, to, have, is
Writing: Halloween and Star of Week writing
Math: November calendar, Tally Marks
Song: River verse to "Roll on Columbia"
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