Kassidy is Star of the Week this week! Today we learned about her family, and she shared a great family photo. We are looking forward to her special visitors this week!
We are continuing our study of weather in literacy. Mrs. Abbey read a fantasy story called, Bear Snores On. The students discussed what from the story could happen in real life (bears hibernate), and we talked a long time about why this story is fiction (animals can't talk, animals don't cook food, animals don't use cups and plates, animals don't dance, animals don't make tea, etc.).
In math we are starting a new unit: money. Mrs. Abbey read a nonfiction book called Let's Find Out About Money. Today we sorted coins and started learning the names of the coins: penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. Pull out your pocket change and see if your child remembers what some of the coins are called! We will continue working with coins and money throughout March.
Please return February's reading log. March's reading log goes home tomorrow!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday February 24, 2011
Wow! We sure had a small class today!
Mrs. Abbey read How Turtle Flew South for the Winter, a folk tale explaining how turtles got cracked-looking shells. We worked on blending sounds to make words, both as a large group and during guided reading groups. The students enjoyed using small dry erase boards to write simple words!
We had a different special schedule today due to the early out--our schedule followed the Wednesday schedule, so we went to the computer lab and Mrs. Canada came for guidance. In computer lab, the students had free choice to work in one of the programs that we had learned already this year. In guidance, Mrs. Canada talked with the children about the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship.
We read a Time magazine article about the North and South poles and the animals that live there.
We reviewed our food poems and painted pictures of our foods. Next week, the students will rewrite their poems putting spaces between words and using nice handwriting. We can't wait to share our finished product with everyone!
Have a nice 3-day weekend!
Mrs. Abbey read How Turtle Flew South for the Winter, a folk tale explaining how turtles got cracked-looking shells. We worked on blending sounds to make words, both as a large group and during guided reading groups. The students enjoyed using small dry erase boards to write simple words!
We had a different special schedule today due to the early out--our schedule followed the Wednesday schedule, so we went to the computer lab and Mrs. Canada came for guidance. In computer lab, the students had free choice to work in one of the programs that we had learned already this year. In guidance, Mrs. Canada talked with the children about the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship.
We read a Time magazine article about the North and South poles and the animals that live there.
We reviewed our food poems and painted pictures of our foods. Next week, the students will rewrite their poems putting spaces between words and using nice handwriting. We can't wait to share our finished product with everyone!
Have a nice 3-day weekend!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday February 23, 2011
Tomorrow is an early dismissal day, so our half-day kindergarten class gets to stay and eat lunch with the rest of the kindergarten students! Please send a sack lunch and drink (or pay for a school lunch in the office). Also, please fill out and return the brown early dismissal procedure sheet and return it tomorrow (you will find it in your child's folder today). The students are all very excited for our fun day!
Many of the students had a chance to record their reading today. This is good practice for them to improve their fluency (making their reading sound more smooth and not so chunky).
In computer lab, the students worked on the BookFlix website. This site has books that the computer reads to your child, and also has books that they can read themselves. It is a wonderful site to help children become better readers! This is something that can be accessed from home using Heartland AEA's password. Let me know if you are interested and don't have the password.
In guidance, Mrs. Canada did a wrap-up lesson on touches. There is a paper/drawing in your child's folder that they completed in class.
Thank you to all the parents who have been suppling us with trinkets for our prize box! The kids and I really appreciate having a variety of prizes to choose from!
Tomorrow is the final day of the book fair. It will be open all day from 9:00am until 8:00pm if you would like to purchase books.
Another note regarding the Horizon yearbook went home in your child's folder today. I know some of you have already sent your order back in. The PTO has changed the order deadline, so they wanted to resend the information so that everyone who wanted to order a book had a chance to order one. If you are interested in buying a yearbook, please return your order form and payment by Friday March 11. Thanks!
Many of the students had a chance to record their reading today. This is good practice for them to improve their fluency (making their reading sound more smooth and not so chunky).
In computer lab, the students worked on the BookFlix website. This site has books that the computer reads to your child, and also has books that they can read themselves. It is a wonderful site to help children become better readers! This is something that can be accessed from home using Heartland AEA's password. Let me know if you are interested and don't have the password.
In guidance, Mrs. Canada did a wrap-up lesson on touches. There is a paper/drawing in your child's folder that they completed in class.
Thank you to all the parents who have been suppling us with trinkets for our prize box! The kids and I really appreciate having a variety of prizes to choose from!
Tomorrow is the final day of the book fair. It will be open all day from 9:00am until 8:00pm if you would like to purchase books.
Another note regarding the Horizon yearbook went home in your child's folder today. I know some of you have already sent your order back in. The PTO has changed the order deadline, so they wanted to resend the information so that everyone who wanted to order a book had a chance to order one. If you are interested in buying a yearbook, please return your order form and payment by Friday March 11. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday February 22, 2011
The students helped retell our story from yesterday, In the Yard. We discussed what jobs we do in the yard during different seasons (such as shoveling during winter, weeding during summer, etc.). Mrs. Abbey read Paul Bunyan and the Popcorn Blizzard. Growing up in Minnesota, Mrs. Abbey has heard a lot about Paul Bunyan, but the students had never heard of him! Ask your child how big Paul Bunyan was, and what happened when it got too hot in the corn field.
We introduced a few new sound combinations today: "ar" and "er". Knowing the sound that these letter combinations make will help the students with their ability to decode words when they're reading.
We reviewed writing uppercase and lowercase letters in handwriting: letters U,u, S, s, B, b, P, p
The students practiced sequencing numbers during partner games, and we did an estimation activity at the Book Fair. Each student guessed how many animal crackers were in the tub--the student at Horizon who guesses closest wins a free book from the book fair and a popcorn party for their classroom! Our class is hoping to win, but when estimations range from 10 to 1 million cookies, you never know.
As a class, we practiced recording on the iPod by singing a favorite song from music class. The students wanted to listen after each trial recording and redo until they got it right. We also started recording their reading using the iPod today. We will continue taking turns recording all this week!
Coming Up:
•Thursday Feb. 24--the students stay for lunch and dismiss at 12:35.
•Friday Feb. 25--No School
•Thursday March 3--Horizon Spring Pictures
We introduced a few new sound combinations today: "ar" and "er". Knowing the sound that these letter combinations make will help the students with their ability to decode words when they're reading.
We reviewed writing uppercase and lowercase letters in handwriting: letters U,u, S, s, B, b, P, p
The students practiced sequencing numbers during partner games, and we did an estimation activity at the Book Fair. Each student guessed how many animal crackers were in the tub--the student at Horizon who guesses closest wins a free book from the book fair and a popcorn party for their classroom! Our class is hoping to win, but when estimations range from 10 to 1 million cookies, you never know.
As a class, we practiced recording on the iPod by singing a favorite song from music class. The students wanted to listen after each trial recording and redo until they got it right. We also started recording their reading using the iPod today. We will continue taking turns recording all this week!
Coming Up:
•Thursday Feb. 24--the students stay for lunch and dismiss at 12:35.
•Friday Feb. 25--No School
•Thursday March 3--Horizon Spring Pictures
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday February 21, 2011
This week we are learning about the 4 seasons. Mrs. Abbey read In the Yard, a fictional book about a family who works and plays in the yard, and how their yard changes from season to season. The students made some great predictions of how they thought the yard would change!
We are learning 2 new sight words this week: "and" and "what".
The sounds we are focusing on are: /b/ and /l/.
In handwriting, the students practiced writing the letter "P, p".
Mrs. Abbey shared some new math games with the students...these games help students understand sequences of numbers.
Just to let you know...illness is going around Horizon. We had 3 students from our class out sick today.
Tomorrow we wear our green frog kindergarten t-shirts!
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at conferences!
We are learning 2 new sight words this week: "and" and "what".
The sounds we are focusing on are: /b/ and /l/.
In handwriting, the students practiced writing the letter "P, p".
Mrs. Abbey shared some new math games with the students...these games help students understand sequences of numbers.
ex. 4, ___, 6During guided reading, the students worked on blending sounds to make words, identifying sight words, and reading books at their level. We will be recording our reading over the next several weeks using iPods!
ex. 11, 12, ___
ex. ___, 10, 11
Just to let you know...illness is going around Horizon. We had 3 students from our class out sick today.
Tomorrow we wear our green frog kindergarten t-shirts!
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at conferences!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday February 18, 2011
Yeah! Our end-of-the-trimester assessments are complete! The students were real troopers with this last assessment! It takes a while to write your numbers, especially when you're writing to 100!
Mrs. Abbey read a Pueblo legend, Frog and Locust. This story was about a frog and a locust (grasshopper) who get the animals to sing a rain song together when there hasn't been rain for a long time. This story taught us that you can accomplish more when you work with others than when you work alone.
We played the 100 hearts math game this morning, where the students flip a see-through colored chip on the 100's mat and write down the number that it lands on. We will be incorporating more math activities and games into 3rd trimester to strengthen our math skills.
The students worked in the computer lab with Mrs. Adair during library today.
The book fair is now set up in our school, so the students are very excited to explore the books! Today we watched a 10-minute video about some of the books and authors who are being featured at the book fair. Monday, our class will have a chance to look at books at the book fair!
I am looking forward to talking with each of you at conferences on Monday! The students are also excited for you to play our guessing game which will be hanging on the wall outside of our class. See you Monday afternoon/evening!
Mrs. Abbey read a Pueblo legend, Frog and Locust. This story was about a frog and a locust (grasshopper) who get the animals to sing a rain song together when there hasn't been rain for a long time. This story taught us that you can accomplish more when you work with others than when you work alone.
We played the 100 hearts math game this morning, where the students flip a see-through colored chip on the 100's mat and write down the number that it lands on. We will be incorporating more math activities and games into 3rd trimester to strengthen our math skills.
The students worked in the computer lab with Mrs. Adair during library today.
The book fair is now set up in our school, so the students are very excited to explore the books! Today we watched a 10-minute video about some of the books and authors who are being featured at the book fair. Monday, our class will have a chance to look at books at the book fair!
I am looking forward to talking with each of you at conferences on Monday! The students are also excited for you to play our guessing game which will be hanging on the wall outside of our class. See you Monday afternoon/evening!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday February 17, 2011
What beautiful weather today! Mrs. Abbey read some poetry to the class about weather...The Wind, Slip on Your Raincoat, Four Seasons, and Rain on the Rooftops. Afterwards, the students discussed what they liked most about rainy weather.
We practiced hearing sounds in words and identified if the /e/ sound was at the beginning or middle of words.
In handwriting, we practiced the uppercase "B". Before writing it on paper, we practiced it using our finger in the carpet, sky writing it, and writing it in the air with our eyes closed.
We used our place value pockets to make numbers today. Some numbers were easy to make, such as the number 8. Other numbers, such as 75 were a little more challenging!
Happy Bear came to talk with the students about good, bad, and confusing touches today. There is an informational brochure for parents, as well as a coloring book for children in your child's folder today. I forgot to pass out their sticker, so that will be coming home tomorrow!
The students had a much better day in art class today! They are excited because next week they get to start working with clay!
We have our final 2nd trimester assessment tomorrow! The students are happy, but little bit nervous about it. It will assess their ability to write numbers, and many of the students don't feel confident in this area. By the end of the year, the students are to be able to write numbers in order from 0 to 30 (without reversal of place value).
Enjoy the weather this afternoon!
We practiced hearing sounds in words and identified if the /e/ sound was at the beginning or middle of words.
In handwriting, we practiced the uppercase "B". Before writing it on paper, we practiced it using our finger in the carpet, sky writing it, and writing it in the air with our eyes closed.
We used our place value pockets to make numbers today. Some numbers were easy to make, such as the number 8. Other numbers, such as 75 were a little more challenging!
Happy Bear came to talk with the students about good, bad, and confusing touches today. There is an informational brochure for parents, as well as a coloring book for children in your child's folder today. I forgot to pass out their sticker, so that will be coming home tomorrow!
The students had a much better day in art class today! They are excited because next week they get to start working with clay!
We have our final 2nd trimester assessment tomorrow! The students are happy, but little bit nervous about it. It will assess their ability to write numbers, and many of the students don't feel confident in this area. By the end of the year, the students are to be able to write numbers in order from 0 to 30 (without reversal of place value).
Enjoy the weather this afternoon!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday February 16, 2011
We continued our theme of weather this morning. Mrs. Abbey read a fictional story called How Thunder and Lightning Came To Be. In this Choctow tale, two birds were put in charge of creating a system which would warn the people when a storm was coming. Ask your child to tell you what made the thunder in our story, and what created the lightning the people saw before it rained.
We went to the computer lab today and the students "painted" pictures of a rainy day using Kidpix. I kept the pictures for their portfolio. A few students had extra time to create a 2nd picture (those pictures went home in your child's folder today).
Mrs. Canada met with the students today and talked about 3 kinds of touches: good touch (hugs, handshakes, etc.), bad touch (hitting, kicking, etc.), and mixed-up confusing touches (inappropriate touches). Happy Bear will be here tomorrow to follow up with the students!
Upcoming:
•Thursday Feb. 17...Happy Bear visits kindergarten!
•Monday Feb. 21 & Thursday Feb. 24...parent-teacher conferences.
•Tuesday Feb. 22...wear your green kindergarten frog t-shirts!
•Thursday Feb. 24...early out...bring a lunch!
•Friday Feb. 25...no school.
•Thursday March 3...spring pictures at Horizon--they take pictures of each student and you decide if you'd like to purchase any after they arrive and you get a chance to look through the pictures.
•March 14-18...No school-Spring Break!
We went to the computer lab today and the students "painted" pictures of a rainy day using Kidpix. I kept the pictures for their portfolio. A few students had extra time to create a 2nd picture (those pictures went home in your child's folder today).
Mrs. Canada met with the students today and talked about 3 kinds of touches: good touch (hugs, handshakes, etc.), bad touch (hitting, kicking, etc.), and mixed-up confusing touches (inappropriate touches). Happy Bear will be here tomorrow to follow up with the students!
Upcoming:
•Thursday Feb. 17...Happy Bear visits kindergarten!
•Monday Feb. 21 & Thursday Feb. 24...parent-teacher conferences.
•Tuesday Feb. 22...wear your green kindergarten frog t-shirts!
•Thursday Feb. 24...early out...bring a lunch!
•Friday Feb. 25...no school.
•Thursday March 3...spring pictures at Horizon--they take pictures of each student and you decide if you'd like to purchase any after they arrive and you get a chance to look through the pictures.
•March 14-18...No school-Spring Break!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tuesday February 15, 2011
We started a new theme in literacy today: weather! Today we talked and read about rain. Mrs. Abbey read A Rainy Day, a nonfiction book which taught us facts about rain and about the water cycle.
Our new sight words for the week are: "this" and "do"
We are focusing on the sound of: /e/
Mrs. Abbey taught the class a new math game today. This ladybug game reinforces skills such as counting by 5's, 1:1 correspondence, and identifying numbers.
During literacy stations, Mrs. Abbey finished assessing students for our end-the-the-trimester assessments. I will share those assessment results with you at conferences next week.
I have about half of the job questionnaires returned. Please send yours back after you and your child talk about the answers. Thank you!
Our new sight words for the week are: "this" and "do"
We are focusing on the sound of: /e/
Mrs. Abbey taught the class a new math game today. This ladybug game reinforces skills such as counting by 5's, 1:1 correspondence, and identifying numbers.
During literacy stations, Mrs. Abbey finished assessing students for our end-the-the-trimester assessments. I will share those assessment results with you at conferences next week.
I have about half of the job questionnaires returned. Please send yours back after you and your child talk about the answers. Thank you!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
The students had a wonderful day! They were adorable in their dressy clothes, and were definitely little ladies and gentlemen! We walked arm in arm down the hallway on the way to and from music class...they thought that was pretty special!
Mrs. Abbey read a few Valentine's books: Sweet Hearts and Mouse's First Valentine. We also played a Valentine memory game. The students created Valentine's for someone special at home, and decided it would be nice to include a picture of themselves on Valentine's Day!
After music class, the students came back to a room full of yummy food, adorable table decorations, and a plethora of parent volunteers! Thank you to everyone who sent in food items, helped set up for our party, and assisted the students during our snack and station time!
We had a great day!
ps--Your child may not be hungry for much lunch today--they had heart-shaped ham & cheese sandwiches, snack mix, jello jiggler hearts, heart-shaped cookies, punch, and little candy hearts!
I forgot to remind the students, but tomorrow we wear our Team Kindergarten t-shirts!
Also, please send back the job questionnaire (green sheet of questions) when you get it finished so that the students can share them this week. Thank you!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday February 11, 2011
Well, I decided to throw the kids for a loop and switch around our schedule in hopes that there would be more listening and focusing on their work, and less chit-chatting and distractions. It did help! The students started with stations: reading, writing, and literacy centers while I worked at the reading table with small groups of students.
In handwriting, we practiced lowercase and uppercase "S".
Today's special, library, went better than yesterdays. I got a good report today!!!
The class learned to cut out hearts today. They folded a piece of paper in half, used my "taco stencils" to trace around half a heart, then cut on the line. They were very impressed that they were making hearts! We hung some in the hall for our Valentine's Day celebration!
The students all mailed their Valentines today! They were so excited! We will send home the boxes of Valentine's on Monday after our Valentine party. I reminded the students that they get to dress up on Monday! They were full of great ideas of outfits that they might wear!
Enjoy the nice weekend!
In handwriting, we practiced lowercase and uppercase "S".
Today's special, library, went better than yesterdays. I got a good report today!!!
The class learned to cut out hearts today. They folded a piece of paper in half, used my "taco stencils" to trace around half a heart, then cut on the line. They were very impressed that they were making hearts! We hung some in the hall for our Valentine's Day celebration!
The students all mailed their Valentines today! They were so excited! We will send home the boxes of Valentine's on Monday after our Valentine party. I reminded the students that they get to dress up on Monday! They were full of great ideas of outfits that they might wear!
Enjoy the nice weekend!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday February 10, 2011
Well, I must say, we've had better days! The students had a rough time working and staying on task throughout the morning. Mr. Spellman also commented that they had a very difficult time listening and doing what they were supposed to be doing in art today. Hmm...
We continued our writing lesson from Tuesday. The students chose one of their favorite foods and we practiced writing a poem about it. It was a first attempt at poetry for many of the students, so we had some frustrations but worked through them. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to work on "publishing" this poem and hanging them in the hallway for all to see...by re-reading the poems, making changes or additions, working on letter formation and spacing, adding a picture of our food, etc. It will be a fun learning process for the students to go through, and they will feel very proud of their work by the end!
Thank you to those families who sent in their decorated Valentine's boxes! Tomorrow we "mail" the Valentine's to our friends, so please send your child's box and Valentine cards to school tomorrow. Thanks!
I have been assessing sight word recognition this week, and I must say that I am impressed by the amount of sight words the children know! Good job! Please let me know if you have misplaced your sight word flashcards that were sent home at the beginning of the year and I will send home a new set for you to practice with your child, so that they are successful in mastering all kindergarten sight words by the end of the school year.
In your child's folder, a green job questionnaire is coming home today. I talked with the students about this, and they will be interviewing their parents about the jobs they do (at work or at home). Please let your child attempt to read as much of the question as they can, with you helping with the words that are more difficult for your child to read. You may do the writing if your child does not feel comfortable writing the answers. We will be sharing the answers to the questionnaire next week, so please send the completed sheet back by Tuesday Feb. 15. Thanks for your help with this "homework" assignment!
Just a reminder from Horizon...if you would like to order a yearbook, please send your order form and money to school. Tomorrow is the final day to place an order. Thanks!
We continued our writing lesson from Tuesday. The students chose one of their favorite foods and we practiced writing a poem about it. It was a first attempt at poetry for many of the students, so we had some frustrations but worked through them. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to work on "publishing" this poem and hanging them in the hallway for all to see...by re-reading the poems, making changes or additions, working on letter formation and spacing, adding a picture of our food, etc. It will be a fun learning process for the students to go through, and they will feel very proud of their work by the end!
Thank you to those families who sent in their decorated Valentine's boxes! Tomorrow we "mail" the Valentine's to our friends, so please send your child's box and Valentine cards to school tomorrow. Thanks!
I have been assessing sight word recognition this week, and I must say that I am impressed by the amount of sight words the children know! Good job! Please let me know if you have misplaced your sight word flashcards that were sent home at the beginning of the year and I will send home a new set for you to practice with your child, so that they are successful in mastering all kindergarten sight words by the end of the school year.
In your child's folder, a green job questionnaire is coming home today. I talked with the students about this, and they will be interviewing their parents about the jobs they do (at work or at home). Please let your child attempt to read as much of the question as they can, with you helping with the words that are more difficult for your child to read. You may do the writing if your child does not feel comfortable writing the answers. We will be sharing the answers to the questionnaire next week, so please send the completed sheet back by Tuesday Feb. 15. Thanks for your help with this "homework" assignment!
Just a reminder from Horizon...if you would like to order a yearbook, please send your order form and money to school. Tomorrow is the final day to place an order. Thanks!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wednesday February 9, 2011
What an exciting day! The students were so excited to be eating lunch at school that we had to have a review of the school rules because we just couldn't think of anything other than lunch!
Unfortunately, kindergarten got the last lunch time, so the kids had to hold off until 12:00 to eat...that wait was excruciating for some of them.
Since we didn't have any specials today, we decided to switch around our schedule. We started out with literacy stations while Mrs. Abbey worked individually with students at the reading table.
Next, we focused on the calendar, counting the number of days we've had in school, and talking about our morning message: what the students thought would be the best job for them someday.
We talked about being good listeners and how the students can show that they are listening (mainly looking at the person talking and not talking unless it's their turn). The students then took turns sharing their favorite food pictures and writing from yesterday.
We took a break to dance to The Freeze, then walked down the hall to complete a lowercase letter writing assessment.
Once back to class, we read a magazine article about shadows. The students are excited to practice some hand shadows at home tonight!
The last chunk of our day was spent in stations: writing, reading, and literacy centers while Mrs. Abbey worked with individual and small groups of students.
Thank you to all parents who sent back the white sheet telling me your child's lunch and pickup plans. It really helped me organize our day!
If you have not returned your parent-teacher conference sheet, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!
Just a reminder that we would like all Valentine's and decorated Valentine's boxes to be sent to school tomorrow (or Friday at the latest). The students will be mailing their Valentines this Friday Feb. 11.
Upcoming Events:
•Mon. Feb. 14--Valentine's Party--please have your child wear "fancy" clothes
•Tues. Feb. 15--Wear your "Team Abbey" kindergarten t-shirts
•Mon. Feb. 21--parent-teacher conferences
•Tues. Feb. 22--Wear your green frog kindergarten t-shirts
•Thurs. Feb. 24--Early Out--dismissal at 12:35 (we will be eating lunch at school)
Unfortunately, kindergarten got the last lunch time, so the kids had to hold off until 12:00 to eat...that wait was excruciating for some of them.
Since we didn't have any specials today, we decided to switch around our schedule. We started out with literacy stations while Mrs. Abbey worked individually with students at the reading table.
Next, we focused on the calendar, counting the number of days we've had in school, and talking about our morning message: what the students thought would be the best job for them someday.
We talked about being good listeners and how the students can show that they are listening (mainly looking at the person talking and not talking unless it's their turn). The students then took turns sharing their favorite food pictures and writing from yesterday.
We took a break to dance to The Freeze, then walked down the hall to complete a lowercase letter writing assessment.
Once back to class, we read a magazine article about shadows. The students are excited to practice some hand shadows at home tonight!
The last chunk of our day was spent in stations: writing, reading, and literacy centers while Mrs. Abbey worked with individual and small groups of students.
Thank you to all parents who sent back the white sheet telling me your child's lunch and pickup plans. It really helped me organize our day!
If you have not returned your parent-teacher conference sheet, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!
Just a reminder that we would like all Valentine's and decorated Valentine's boxes to be sent to school tomorrow (or Friday at the latest). The students will be mailing their Valentines this Friday Feb. 11.
Upcoming Events:
•Mon. Feb. 14--Valentine's Party--please have your child wear "fancy" clothes
•Tues. Feb. 15--Wear your "Team Abbey" kindergarten t-shirts
•Mon. Feb. 21--parent-teacher conferences
•Tues. Feb. 22--Wear your green frog kindergarten t-shirts
•Thurs. Feb. 24--Early Out--dismissal at 12:35 (we will be eating lunch at school)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday February 8, 2011
Reminder: Tomorrow is an early out! Please remember to send the white half sheet to school with your child tomorrow which lets me know what your child is doing for lunch and how they are going home. Thanks! Pick-up will be an hour later, at 12:35.
Also, please fill out and send the bottom of the purple conference sheet back to school. Your child receives a bonus ticket when they return it!
We worked on a lesson from our Being a Writer curriculum. Over the past several weeks, the lessons have focused on getting ideas to write about. Today, Mrs. Abbey read a book called Lunch, making all the students hungry! They were each given a paper placemat where they drew and labeled their four favorite foods on the plate. Tomorrow we are going to share our pictures, then attempt to write poems about our favorite foods!
In guided reading groups, Mrs. Abbey introduced a cool iPod which can record the students voices when they read! The children loved seeing how this worked and are very excited to try it out over the next several weeks! Definitely a motivator to get them to practice their reading!
Also, please fill out and send the bottom of the purple conference sheet back to school. Your child receives a bonus ticket when they return it!
We worked on a lesson from our Being a Writer curriculum. Over the past several weeks, the lessons have focused on getting ideas to write about. Today, Mrs. Abbey read a book called Lunch, making all the students hungry! They were each given a paper placemat where they drew and labeled their four favorite foods on the plate. Tomorrow we are going to share our pictures, then attempt to write poems about our favorite foods!
In guided reading groups, Mrs. Abbey introduced a cool iPod which can record the students voices when they read! The children loved seeing how this worked and are very excited to try it out over the next several weeks! Definitely a motivator to get them to practice their reading!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday February 7, 2011
This week we are reading books and learning about jobs people do. Later this week, the students will bring home a questionnaire to talk with you about your jobs. Today we talked about people we see doing jobs in our neighborhoods, such as mail carriers, construction workers, road fixers, etc.
We also talked about celebrations, such as birthdays! Mrs. Abbey read Alicia's Happy Day, about a girl who takes a walk in her community. Everyone makes her day really special.
Happy Birthday to Ryan! Thank you for sharing the delicious birthday treat. Also, be sure to check your child's folder for a birthday invitation!
We worked on an alphabet-writing assessment. This assessment shows me if your child can form the letters correctly without a model, and if they can arrange the letters in the correct order without looking at an alphabet strip or poster.
The students drew a picture and wrote one or two sentences about it. We are working on writing with the first letter capitalized, using lowercase letters for all other letters in the sentence, putting spaces between words, and using punctuation at the end of our sentences. It's challenging to remember all of these skills when writing sentences!
I sent home a conference sheet in your child's folder, which has a time that we can meet. Please check your calendars and see if this time will work for you. Conferences are short--only 15 minutes in length. Your son/daughter may come with you to the conference or you may choose to come alone. I will leave it up to you. We will be discussing your child's progress in kindergarten, including their reading and math skills, listening and speaking skills, and social skills.
This Wednesday (Feb. 9) is an early out. Please send a lunch with your child (or pay for a lunch in the office). Thank you!
Send in your child's Valentines and Valentine box any time this week! We plan to mail them Friday morning! Our Valentine party will be Monday Feb. 14. This is a dressy day for the students!
We also talked about celebrations, such as birthdays! Mrs. Abbey read Alicia's Happy Day, about a girl who takes a walk in her community. Everyone makes her day really special.
Happy Birthday to Ryan! Thank you for sharing the delicious birthday treat. Also, be sure to check your child's folder for a birthday invitation!
We worked on an alphabet-writing assessment. This assessment shows me if your child can form the letters correctly without a model, and if they can arrange the letters in the correct order without looking at an alphabet strip or poster.
The students drew a picture and wrote one or two sentences about it. We are working on writing with the first letter capitalized, using lowercase letters for all other letters in the sentence, putting spaces between words, and using punctuation at the end of our sentences. It's challenging to remember all of these skills when writing sentences!
I sent home a conference sheet in your child's folder, which has a time that we can meet. Please check your calendars and see if this time will work for you. Conferences are short--only 15 minutes in length. Your son/daughter may come with you to the conference or you may choose to come alone. I will leave it up to you. We will be discussing your child's progress in kindergarten, including their reading and math skills, listening and speaking skills, and social skills.
This Wednesday (Feb. 9) is an early out. Please send a lunch with your child (or pay for a lunch in the office). Thank you!
Send in your child's Valentines and Valentine box any time this week! We plan to mail them Friday morning! Our Valentine party will be Monday Feb. 14. This is a dressy day for the students!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday February 4, 2011
The students enjoyed learning about maps this morning. Mrs. Abbey read an article called Let's Look At Maps. We learned about different kinds of maps and how to use a map's key. The students also drew their own maps. Some students even decided to add a key to their map!
Thank you to Elijah's mom for playing a math game (adding frogs) with the students!
The students completed one of our 2nd trimester math assessments today (problem solving using addition).
We have also been practicing number identification #0-30 and counting to 100. Do a quick check with your child and see if you need to spend additional time working on these two areas at home. Thank you for your help!
Just a reminder that next Wednesday, Feb. 9 is an early out day, so our class will be staying late to eat lunch with the kindergarten students. Please send a lunch and drink with your child that day, or pay in advance at the office. Thank you! Also, our 1/2 day buses will not run that afternoon, so please make alternative pick-up plans for 12:35pm.
Also, remember to work on a Valentine box/bag with your child. They can bring it to school any time next week (preferably before Friday Feb. 11). Thanks! Valentines can also be sent in any time next week!
I got a little behind in my conference scheduling. I will send home a conference reminder sheet next week. Please let me know if you will not be able to make our scheduled time, and we can try to reschedule at time that's better for you. Thank you!
Thank you to Elijah's mom for playing a math game (adding frogs) with the students!
The students completed one of our 2nd trimester math assessments today (problem solving using addition).
We have also been practicing number identification #0-30 and counting to 100. Do a quick check with your child and see if you need to spend additional time working on these two areas at home. Thank you for your help!
Just a reminder that next Wednesday, Feb. 9 is an early out day, so our class will be staying late to eat lunch with the kindergarten students. Please send a lunch and drink with your child that day, or pay in advance at the office. Thank you! Also, our 1/2 day buses will not run that afternoon, so please make alternative pick-up plans for 12:35pm.
Also, remember to work on a Valentine box/bag with your child. They can bring it to school any time next week (preferably before Friday Feb. 11). Thanks! Valentines can also be sent in any time next week!
I got a little behind in my conference scheduling. I will send home a conference reminder sheet next week. Please let me know if you will not be able to make our scheduled time, and we can try to reschedule at time that's better for you. Thank you!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thursday February 3, 2011
We had a small group of students today--1/4 of our class was missing!
This morning we talked about places in the neighborhood where people can go for their work. Mrs. Abbey read Acrefoot the Barefoot Mailman, a group of fictional stories about a mailman with really big feet.
In math, we worked on figuring out story problems by drawing pictures. Your child is bringing their work home today--ask them to tell you about the problems that we worked on today!
The students wrote about where they would want to go if a bus would take them anywhere. They then shared their stories and pictures with the class. There were many students who wanted the bus to drive them to the beach! I'd have to agree with them...we could use some nice warm thoughts after the weather we've been having lately!
Mrs. Abbey worked with the students on individual assessments while the students rotated between reading books, writing, and doing literacy stations.
We have new tablespots today!
Thank you for sending the reading bags in today. I will send new home books with your child tomorrow.
A note went home today regarding Valentine's Day. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
This morning we talked about places in the neighborhood where people can go for their work. Mrs. Abbey read Acrefoot the Barefoot Mailman, a group of fictional stories about a mailman with really big feet.
In math, we worked on figuring out story problems by drawing pictures. Your child is bringing their work home today--ask them to tell you about the problems that we worked on today!
The students wrote about where they would want to go if a bus would take them anywhere. They then shared their stories and pictures with the class. There were many students who wanted the bus to drive them to the beach! I'd have to agree with them...we could use some nice warm thoughts after the weather we've been having lately!
Mrs. Abbey worked with the students on individual assessments while the students rotated between reading books, writing, and doing literacy stations.
We have new tablespots today!
Thank you for sending the reading bags in today. I will send new home books with your child tomorrow.
A note went home today regarding Valentine's Day. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Tuesday February 1, 2011
We had a wonderful day! The students worked on their sight words: we have learned 15 already! We also practiced blending sounds to make words and segmenting sounds they hear in words. They were very hard workers!
Mrs. Abbey read I Went Walking, a book that the students were already very familiar with. They enjoyed reading some of the pages with me! After reading the book, we took our own walk around the classroom, pointing out things that the students thought would be interesting to write about: the fish bowl with our 100's fish in it, our fish bowl with Sparkles in it, our lockers, the job tree, the calendar, etc. Later in the morning, the students choose one thing they saw in the classroom to draw and write about. The students were encouraged to use sight words in their story and to sound out words that they didn't know.
We played "finger dancing," a math game where the students hold up fingers to match the number that I call out. I challenged them to use different combinations of fingers to get the same number--ex. If I called out 5, they could hold up 5 fingers on one hand, or 2 on one and 3 on the other, or 1 on one and 4 on the other, etc. They had fun figuring out different combinations, or different fingers to hold up for the same number!
In PE, the students played a "Star Wars" game. It sounded like they had lots of fun, as they couldn't stop talking about it when I picked them up!
Our Valentine Party is coming up soon! It will be held on Monday Feb. 14. We are going to read Valentine-themed books, do fun Valentine activities, and have a special Valentine snack. Please start thinking about what kind of Valentine box your child would like to make at home. When decorated, they can be sent to school (please send them by Thursday Feb. 10). A list of all students will be sent home tomorrow so that your child can start addressing Valentines! Try to encourage your child to do the writing!
Tomorrow, our school is wearing red to show our support for the American Heart Association. We would love the students to wear red too!
In case you have older children in school, school is dismissing 2 hours early today. Stay safe!
Mrs. Abbey read I Went Walking, a book that the students were already very familiar with. They enjoyed reading some of the pages with me! After reading the book, we took our own walk around the classroom, pointing out things that the students thought would be interesting to write about: the fish bowl with our 100's fish in it, our fish bowl with Sparkles in it, our lockers, the job tree, the calendar, etc. Later in the morning, the students choose one thing they saw in the classroom to draw and write about. The students were encouraged to use sight words in their story and to sound out words that they didn't know.
We played "finger dancing," a math game where the students hold up fingers to match the number that I call out. I challenged them to use different combinations of fingers to get the same number--ex. If I called out 5, they could hold up 5 fingers on one hand, or 2 on one and 3 on the other, or 1 on one and 4 on the other, etc. They had fun figuring out different combinations, or different fingers to hold up for the same number!
In PE, the students played a "Star Wars" game. It sounded like they had lots of fun, as they couldn't stop talking about it when I picked them up!
Our Valentine Party is coming up soon! It will be held on Monday Feb. 14. We are going to read Valentine-themed books, do fun Valentine activities, and have a special Valentine snack. Please start thinking about what kind of Valentine box your child would like to make at home. When decorated, they can be sent to school (please send them by Thursday Feb. 10). A list of all students will be sent home tomorrow so that your child can start addressing Valentines! Try to encourage your child to do the writing!
Tomorrow, our school is wearing red to show our support for the American Heart Association. We would love the students to wear red too!
In case you have older children in school, school is dismissing 2 hours early today. Stay safe!
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