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!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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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