Winter's Here... I think!

We have been very busy this week preparing for our winter concert.  The students are excited to show you all their hard work.  

8:15:  First Concert.  After the Kindergarteners sing, we walk back to the classroom.  Parents who stay for that show will watch the first graders and then you are welcome to join us in the classroom for a snack and a story.  

9:45:  Second Concert/Winter Celebration set up.  If you have already seen the show, please consider staying in the classroom to help set up the party.  If you have not already checked out the sign up genius, please do so here.  We still need some help!!

SIGN UP TO HELP WITH THE PARTY HERE!

10:00-11:15 Winter Celebration.   EVERYONE is welcome to come to the party.  It will be similar to the Halloween party, with a gingerbread/winter theme.   Kids love having you there, but if you cannot, (I completely understand!) please give your child a heads up that you will not be able to stay for the party.  With a little warning, it makes it easier for them.

Report Cards

You should have received your child's report card last Friday.  I know it is a long, confusing report card!  Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions.  THE REPORT CARD ENVELOPE SHOULD BE SIGNED AND RETURNED.  THE REPORT CARD IS YOURS TO KEEP.  Signing the envelope is the only way I know you've seen the report card.  Please return this as soon as possible.

Reading: We read 3 versions of the Gingerbread Man!  Our favorite was the version retold by Jim Aylesworth.  We also read Gingerbread Girl.  This week we will read Gingerbread Baby.  I love these books and your kids do, too!

         

We have focused on retelling and comparing and contrasting.  

Math:  We are working on organized counting and on ways to make ten.  (6+4, 7+3, etc.)

Writing:  Students are working hard on their writing goals as we finish up some narrative writing.  After break we will work on opinion writing!  

Teddy Bear Picnic and Winter Concerts

We had a wonderful Hibernation Day!  First we sorted our teddy bears.  We enjoyed our bear snacks and loved having a picnic with all our Kindergarten friends.  Finally, we got to hibernate with a good book under our tables.

Reading:  We enjoyed reading some fiction bear books and learning about hibernation.  We are learning about word families.  (If words sound the same, they usually look the same.)

Math:  In math we are learning about organizing counting and making groups that equal ten.  We are also learning about number sentences!



Now.... on to the next thing!  Our Winter Concerts and Celebration!

Our Winter Concerts are next Thursday, December 17th at 8:15 and 9:45.  
Here's how it works:

• The concerts last about 15-20 minutes total.  Kindergarten goes first, then first grade.  
• After our first concert we will go back to the classroom, have a snack and attempt a lesson.
• After our second concert we will go back to the classroom for a winter celebration that will last until about 11:15 or 11:30.  
• All are welcome to attend both concerts.  
• If you are unable to attend either concert, please (PLEASE!!!!) tell your child that you are unable to come and Mrs. Parkinson will video tape it for you.  

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  Trimester 2 begins on Monday, November 30!  It is hard to believe we are 1/3 of the way through the school year!

We had a great trip to the zoo.  Thanks to all the awesome chaperones!

Reading: We will be reading some fiction bear books this week and practice retelling.  We will also be reading some nonfiction books about hibernation.

Writing:  The kids did a great job writing non-fiction sentences about bears.  We will continue to practice our nonfiction writing this week.  We will also make writing goals.

Math:  We will practice counting higher numbers this week and use a ten frame to count on to larger numbers as well as develop a sense of our base ten system.

Science:  We will read about animals that hibernate and celebrate hibernation day on Friday!
Please click on the link to read more about our Hibernation Day!
Upcoming Dates:
Friday, December 4:  HIBERNATION DAY!  Kids can come to school in pajamas!  Bring a teddy bear snack for a teddy bear picnic lunch!  Bring a book and a blanket to read in "caves" (under our tables).
Thursday, December 17th:  WINTER CONCERT! Mrs. Hiolski has been working hard with the students to get them ready to sing a few songs and recite some poems for you.  There are two shows-one at 8:15 and one at 9:45.  We will have a small snack after the first show and a Gingerbread-themed party after the second show.  Please look for emails from room parents about this celebration in the next week or two.

Bears! Bears! Bears!

Reading: We read a lot of different kinds of non-fiction books about bears this week.  We learned about text features and main ideas and details.

Writing:  After reading non-fiction books we decided to try our hand at writing non-fiction books.  The kids did a great job writing about three different kinds of bears.

Social Studies:  We learned that maps are an important text feature in many non-fiction books so we added a map of where bears live to our own non-fiction books.

Science:  We learned about the habitats of different bears.

Field Trip:
We will go to the zoo even if it is cold!    PLEASE DRESS YOUR CHILD APPROPRIATELY FOR THE WEATHER! Right now it looks like the high will be around 37 and the low around 34.  Winter jackets, hats and mittens will help us get to and from the indoor exhibits.  Talk to your child about putting mittens/hats inside sleeves when indoors.  When we are outside it is better to leave the hats and mittens on and adjust the zipper if it gets too warm.

Your child will need a packed lunch that is 100% disposable.  We will not bring leftovers back, so try to pack a realistic lunch that will re-fuel, but not be wasted.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Please know that I am grateful to have the best job in the world, working with the 19 smartest, funniest, most amazing kids!

Reading and Writing: 

This week we practiced reading non-fiction as we started our unit on bears. Next week we will begin writing non-fiction sentences about bears.    This week we also have been hard at work on our sight words.  We now know: 

I 

a

see 

can

we 

the

play

like

go

to

Keep practicing at home to keep these words in students brains. 

In writing this week we are continuing to build independence while spelling.  Now that students are writing more,  we have been talking about some strategies to help spell tricky words.  This week we practiced chopping a word into sounds.  Put the word in your hand and chop it up!

Math: 

This week in math we started our measurement unit.  We talked about the words taller, shorter, and longer.  We measured with a popsicle stick and a piece of yarn.  Of course-we practiced counting and celebrated the number 50!

Theme: 

This week we began our unit on bears.  We talked about habitats and where bears live.  We also celebrated our 50th day of school by learning all about what life was like in the 1950's.  

Upcoming Dates

November 24th: Field Trip to Brookfield Zoo

November 25th-27th: No school Thanksgiving Break

December 4th: Wear your pajamas and bring a teddy bear to school for hibernation day

December 17th: Winter concert and classroom party - more information to come!

December 21st-January 1st: Winter Break

November 6

Check out the trophy our class earned for AWESOME participation in our Fun Run Fundraiser!  Thanks to all of you for contributing to this fundraiser and all you do for Irving School!

Wednesday is our 50th day of Kindergarten!  Don't forget to help your child dress like the 1950s!  

Girls:  Poodle skirt or longer/fuller skirt, a scarf around the neck or "pearls", white bobby socks, high pony tail, etc..

Boys:  Jeans rolled up with a white tshirt, or a "Mad Men" inspired suit, greased hair, comb in back pocket, etc.

It was great having a full week with no full moon!

Reading:  This week we read many books about fall.  After reading one book we practiced writing about the character, setting, and main events.  We also read more non-fiction books this week and will continue to focus on nonfiction reading next week.

Math:  We played some game to practice the concept of  more than and less than.  We also practiced counting on from a given number.  Next week we will practice counting on again and begin measurement. Of course we will celebrate our 50th day of school!

Writing:  We focused on putting clear spaces between our words when we write.  We wrote a narrative story about at time that we were kind.

Science:  We read a book called Pumpkin Jack  about a boy that carved a pumpkin and then watched as it started to rot.  He put the pumpkin in his garden and noticed the next spring a sprout grew and turned into a new pumpkin vine.
Question:  Would our pumpkin start to rot?
Hypothesis:  Yes!  Our pumpkin would rot.
Experiment:  We put a carved pumpkin in a plastic container.
Observe:   We watched as mold grew and as it got mushier all week.

Next week we will bury our pumpkin in our garden at school.

Upcoming Dates:
November 11th:  50th day of school!  Your child should dress up like the 1950s on this day!  So fun!  We will practice counting to 50, count 50 objects and learn about how the 1950s are the same and different as today.
November 24th:  Field Trip to Brookfield Zoo!
December 4th:  Hibernation Day-Students can wear pajamas and we will hibernate, read books and eat bear snacks.
December 17th:  Winter Concert

PLEASE SEE THE POST BELOW FOR LINKS ABOUT OUR MITTEN DRIVE AND AN AUTHOR VISIT!

Please see this information about a special author visit on December 1.



Please see this information about a mitten drive the Student Council is sponsoring!

November 1

It was  a pleasure meeting with all of you at conferences last week and seeing so many of you at our Halloween Celebration.  Thanks to all of you who contributed to the party to make it a success.
Here is a safe link to the video we watched at the end of our party!

Reading:  We continued to work on identifying important details in stories as we read them.  This week we will be working on making predictions and retelling events in order.

Lexia:  Kids have started using Lexia in the classroom on a regular basis.  If you have not already-check out the directions linked to the left to set up Lexia at home on your ipads or computers.  It is a great program that really helps kids develop reading skills.

Writing:  We are still working on narrative writing.  This week the kids will write about a time they were kind to someone at home.  It is great seeing all the progress in writing as kids get their ideas down on paper.  Keep working on those letter sounds at home and encourage independent writing!

Math:  We worked on decomposing numbers 7-9 and discussed math vocabulary words "more than" and "less than" with our math partners.

Science:  We will watch a pumpkin decompose this week as we read Pumpkin Jack.  

Upcoming Dates:
 November 11th:  50th Day of School- Kids are encouraged to dress like a 1950's girl or boy.  We will have a sock hop and a 50s themed treat.

November 24th:  Field Trip to Brookfield Zoo- We still need 2-3 chaperones.  Please look for the permission slip in the folders this week!

Reading:  This week in reading we talked about important details in a text.  Now that the kids are getting more independent, I was able to meet with two small groups and work on independent reading strategies during our Daily 5 times!

Writing:  We are really working on getting our ideas on paper in writing.  Students are encouraged to write the sounds they hear in the words.  We will introduce narrative writing this week!

Math:  We are working on decomposing the number 6.  Kids worked with their peanut butter and jelly partners to make 6 in as many ways as possible.  (3 and 3 make 6.)  When they found a way to make 6 they used their math "talking card" to help them tell their partners about it.

Science: We asked another question this week.

Question:  Do apples taste different?

Hypothesis:  Yes, they do.

Test:  We tasted  red,  yellow, and green apples.

Conclusion:  Apples do taste different.

Recording our Observations:  We made a graph of which apples we liked best.  Green was the favorite apple, followed by red, then yellow.  

Technology:  Mr Degman came in and introduced ipads to the class.  We will begin using these in the morning for Lexia and during our Daily 5 time, our writing time and our math time.  We have 6 ipads for our classroom use.

Upcoming Dates:

October 21:  Fun Run!  This is our biggest fund raiser of the year!  Help us reach our goal!  Come and cheer on the kiddos while they run! We would love 100% participation!  

Register to accept online donations here.

The classrooms with the highest pledges and the most participation each earn awards!

October 22 and 23:  Half days for Parent Teacher conferences!  We dismiss at 11:00 on these days.

October 30th:  Halloween Party and Parade.  Look for an email from our room parents to see how you can help with our party!

November 11th:  Our 50th day of school!  

Daisy Troop!

Hello parents! 

Our very first Daisy meeting is this Thursday after school at Irving Elementary in room 116.  We will meet from 3:15-4:45.

 

Please remember to register your daughter.  There is a $15 registration fee and can register via this link: http://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/en/about-girl-scouts/join.html WE ARE TROOP # 45211

 

We will likely have dues of $30-35 which will cover the Daisy smock or vest, the badges and some supplies. Information about dues will go home with your daughter this Thursday.

 

To sign-up for snack provisions, please go to this Sign-Up Genius link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d44aaab2ea1fd0-snack

We are asking that all parents sign up for one meeting date.

 

We will have a handout that asks for other ways to donate and volunteer.  We will send that home with your daughter on Thursday.

 

For financial assistance, please go to this link:  http://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/en/about-girl-scouts/join/financial-assistance.html

 

Feel free to forward to any other Irving Kindergarten families.  Please let us know if you have any questions - we'll do our best to answer. 

Thanks!

Nicole, Laura and Mindy 

Meeting Dates for 2015-2016 school year (all Thursdays):

11/19

12/17

1/21

2/18

3/17

4/21

5/19

Two Short Weeks!

The weeks are short, but the list of things we are doing is long!

Reading:  Students are practicing pointing to words as we read.  We learned the sight words

I

can

see

Practice these words at home!  We continue to talk about character, setting, and important events, but we also focused on the jobs of the author and illustrator.

Writing:  In September we worked on getting our ideas down on paper.  In October we are really focusing on writing about our pictures.  The kids can write lists, label pictures or write sentences about their pictures.  In a short period of time I am already seeing kids make great progress in writing!

Science:  We talked about what a scientist does.
We asked a question:  Do apples have skin?
We formed a hypothesis:  Yes-apples have skin.
We tested our hypothesis:  We cut open an apple and noticed that it was different inside that it looked outside.  We cut open three different colored apples.
We drew a conclusion:  Apples have skin
We recorded our observations:  We began to label a diagram of an apple.

Upcoming Dates:
No School October 9 and 12

October 21:  Our School Fun Run!

Register for the Fun Run!

The Fun Run is October 21, during the school day.

Our Fun Run is one of the Irving PTO’s biggest fundraisers and we need your support! Help your child raise donations through small or large flat pledges from friends and family. Over the last 3 years, we’ve raised $30,000 for school activities, and our goal this year is $10,000.

Look for the pledge envelope coming home this week in the Tuesday Packet. It has instructions on how to collect donations with cash, checks or online. Your child can start asking friends and family for donations today!

Register to accept online donations here.

The classrooms with the highest pledges and the most participation each earn awards!

A Great Week

Homework starts this week!  Please check your child's folder this afternoon!

Reading: We have been talking about characters, settings, and important events when we read books.  Ask your child to sing the character and setting song!  On Thursday the kids took a little assessment so I could track our progress with this common core standard.  They did a great job.  I will share those with you at conferences.

Writing:  During writing time I am encouraging the students to write down the sounds they hear in the words they want to write.  We also count the number of words in our sentences.  I am already seeing a lot of progress in their writing.

Math:  During math we continue to talk about shapes and their attributes.  We are counting sides and corners and using math words to describe how shapes are the same or different.

Theme:  We will learn a lot about apples this month.  Keep an eye on the blog to hear more about how you can help with this!

Conferences:  If you have not already checked out our conference schedule, please look at it soon.  If you signed up for a time on curriculum night then you are all set.  Just check to confirm I have the correct time.  If you did not sign up for conferences, please look at the time I assigned you.

Upcoming Dates:
No School:  October 9th and October 12th
Fun Run:  October 21st
Half Day for Conferences:  October 22 and 23

Thanks to all of you for coming out last night!  If you were not able to join us, you should have received a copy of the presentation in your child's folder.

Reminders:

Picture Day is Tuesday!  See the form that was passed out on curriculum night for more information!

No School on October 9 or 12th.

Announcements

Sign up for the Academic and Egg Drop using this link!

Academic Fair and Egg Drop Sign up

Hispanic Heritage Month!
Look at all the cool things we are doing next week to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

Hispanic Heritage Month Flyer

GREAT Week!

We had another fantastic week in Kindergarten!

I can not wait to see all of you on THURSDAY AT 6:30 for Curriculum Night!  
This will be your opportunity to hear about the Kindergarten Curriculum, our class rules and procedures, homework, and so much more!  You will also sign up for conferences that night so bring a calendar, please!

Reading:
We are working on learning about characters and setting.  We are learning the reading strategy of predicting.

Foundational Skills:
We are working on left to right directionality, listening for beginning sounds and counting words in a sentence.

Math
We got our "peanut butter and jelly" partners this week for math.  We did some sorting, counting and patterning.


Announcements
You should have received a book order form in your child's folder.  If you are interested in ordering, I would encourage you to use online ordering.  The link is right to the left!

Ordering from Scholastic

Ordering Online is easy!  You can follow the link on the blog.  You will be asked to login. 

If you have never ordered online before:

Create an account following the directions.  You will be prompted to enter the activation code.  Our code is:

H3LWD

Using this code allows me to see and process your order.

If you ordered online last year or from a different teacher:

Login the way you did last year.  It will prompt you to enter a new code if necessary.  You'll need to enter our code. 

H3LWD

  *Once you are logged in you will see the catalogs displayed.  It is a pretty easy process and you'll only need to register our activation code once.

*Ordering books is completely optional.  If you ever want me to hide the books for an upcoming birthday or holiday I'm happy to do that!

Updates

HOMEWORK
Your child should have an All About Me poster in the folder today.  There is a letter explaining how this should be done.  Please read the letter and contact me if you have any questions. "Regular" homework will begin the following week.

Ipads
We use ipads in the classroom for many reasons.  In order for your child to use an ipad we need your signature on this agreement. Many of you already returned this form.  If you are able to print it out and return it to school that would be great.  It was sent home in the folder the first week of school.  If you still have it, you can use that one!  I'll send home copies on Friday to those families who have not returned a form yet.

Zero the Hero
Every 10 days Zero the Hero comes to our classroom to help us count.  He usually brings treats!  Ask your child about Zero the Hero!

Week 2

We have had another great week in Kindergarten!

Update
We are so excited to welcome a new student, Taishaun.  We are also happy that we were able to reschedule our library time from Friday to Thursday.  (This means that the kids do not need to go directly from library to PE...therefore losing all the books in transit.)  An updated information sheet will go home in folders on Monday reflecting these changes.  Please change these in your plastic sleeve.

Homework
Our first "homework" assignment will go home on Monday.  It is an all about me poster.  Details will go home in the folder. We will laminate these and turn them into a big class book.  Your child will get his/her page back at the end of the year.  

Routines
Thanks for helping your child remember to bring folders back and forth every day!  Starting next week we will be sending home our CLASS behavior report.  Once we get used to this routine we will send home your child's individual daily report.  

Reading
We are working on getting our book boxes and going to our special reading spots.  Next week we will be learning about characters and setting.

Writing
The students are working hard on getting their ideas on paper. I love seeing their stories!

Math
We work every day on our calendar routine.  During this routine we work on shapes, counting, writing numbers, patterns, and even place value!

Student Teacher
Ms. Caitlin Coffey will be joining our class this year. She is an education student at Elmhurst College. She worked with me last year once a week observing and leading some simple lessons.  This year she will join us once a week in the fall and will increase her hours until she joins us full time for 8 weeks starting in March.

Back to School Party
If your child has any energy left, I would encourage you to go to the back to school party on Friday.  I can only be there for the first few minutes so come early! 

Great First Week!

Hello Families!
We had a wonderful first week in Kindergarten.  There is lots of information in this post, so please read it carefully!

Communication
Starting TUESDAY I will send home a DAILY folder with your child.  Please check and empty the folder daily. 

In a few weeks there will be a daily report.  Your child will color in a circle with a color that indicates what kind of day she/he had. The report stays in the folder all week.  More on this when we are ready.

Homework will start in a few weeks.  It always goes home on Mondays and is returned on Friday.

Snack
Please send in a snack with your child every day.  I will provide goldfish only in  emergencies.  Because of food allergies and dietary restrictions we do not do "community snacks" anymore.

Special Class Schedule
Students go to special classes every day.

Monday: Music, Spanish
Tuesday: PE,Spanish  
Wednesday: Spanish, Music
Thursday:  Art
Friday Library, PE

Gym shoes are needed Tuesday and Friday. Library books Friday. 

Upcoming Dates
September 11th: Back to School Picnic at Barrie Park-This is a great chance to meet your child's new friends and their families. I will be there, too! 
September 24th: Curriculum Night-This is THE BEST chance for you to ask me questions about curriculum, procedures, and routines. Please make every attempt to come to school on this night at 6:30.  I will give a brief presentation and then be available for questions.  There is childcare in the auditorium.  The kids can show you around the building, but they are not in the classroom for my presentation.  

We had a wonderful first day of school!  I can tell that we will have a great year!

A few quick notes for you.

• Snacks should be packed outside of the lunch box.  We bring the lunch bin down right away in the morning and snacks packed in lunches are gone.
• We have a drinking fountain in the classroom so water bottles are not necessary.  IF your child drinks water for lunch, please pack it in the lunch box.  No need to purchase a smaller water bottle-just label it with your child's name and help them remember to put it in the lunch bin.
• Folders will go home on Monday.  We will be a few days behind on some school-wide flyers but the delay means we will have a chance to establish the routine.  Once folders go home they will go back and forth EVERY DAY.

I am working to upload some photos from today.  Thanks to Ms. Diehl, Evangelia's mom, for taking great snapshots this morning.  They will be available SOON!   (They are worth the wait since they are super-cute!)

The Night Before Kindergarten

This is it!  I am sure, like me, you are wondering where the summer went and how your child got to be so old?  Remember I am here to help you make this transition smooth and happy.  You lay out the first day outfit, charge your cameras, and update facebook.  I will take care of the rest.

We will have a great year together and I look forward to starting it tomorrow morning with all of you.  Remember you are welcome to join us for the first hour of Kindergarten.  It is an opportunity for you to see the morning routine.  We will be done with our activities shortly before 9:00.

One of our morning routines is taking lunch count.  I have linked the menu for the month on the left of this post for you to see.  If your child plans on ordering hot lunch at any point this year, it is a good idea to order one this week when we have extra help in the lunch room.

Thanks for being patient this week with almost daily updates on the blog.  Once we are all in a routine you should only need to check back weekly.

Kindergarten is Almost Here!

Kindergarten is Almost Here!

Kindergarten is here! I am sure, like me, you are excited and a little nervous about a new beginning!  Here are a few notes to help you navigate the classroom, the school and our routines.  It was great seeing so many of you at supply drop off!  What a treat to meet so many of you before the first day!

First Day

• I hope you can stay for the first hour of Kindergarten.  At dismissal we will follow our regular procedures.  
• If it is raining during the drop off in the morning, I will open my classroom door.  After the first day, if it is raining, you will drop your child off in the cafeteria.  
• I will have goldfish for snack in case you forget to pack a snack those first few days.  Going forward, your child will want a snack as we eat lunch rather late. 

Schedule:

• Opening Bell rings at 7:55.  We will go in at 7:57.  
• Lunch and Recess is from 11:45-12:40
• Closing Bell is 2:55.  Wednesday it is at 1:55.
• If you arrive after 8:00 please go to the office for a tardy slip.  
• If your child will be absent call the office.  Please let me know via email. 
• Please stay with your child until the bell rings in the morning.  Please arrive promptly for dismissal.  Children get nervous when they see all their friends leave and they are still waiting for a familiar face.

Communication:

• A folder will go home EVERY DAY with a daily report after the first week.  Please talk with your child every day about this report.  I will do my best to get these out on the first day using your child's supply folders.  However-my priority the first day is your children.  It may be the next day before this folder is ready to go home.
• I will update the blog weekly.  I will send you an email when it is updated.  If you prefer a hard copy, please let me know.  
• For day to day communication- email is best.  You can reach me at bparkinson@op97.org
• I will respond to your email within 24 hours.  It is hard for me to email during the day unless I have a planning period.  If you need to get a hold of me during the day please call the office. 708-524-3090

Health and Wellness

• We will have a snack each morning.  I will provide goldfish for the first few days.  After that (or before if you prefer) you should send in a snack for your child.  It is a good idea to have it labeled so there is no confusion.  We have allergies in the classroom.  Please talk with your child about NOT sharing snacks and lunches.  
• Our lunch is late so encourage your child to eat a hearty breakfast and pack a snack that has some staying power.  
• PLEASE TALK WITH YOUR CHILD EACH MORNING ABOUT WHAT S/HE WILL HAVE FOR LUNCH THAT DAY.  
• LUNCH CHOICES ARE: HOT LUNCH (school) or HOME LUNCH.  Milk is included in hot lunch.   IF YOUR CHILD HAS A HOME LUNCH they can order milk-but they need to know it in the morning. 
• NO NUTS in our classroom, but it is fine to have nuts in lunches as the cafeteria has a nut free table.  Please no peanut butter granola bars, no peanuts or nuts in snack mixes, etc.
• Plan on ordering a hot lunch once in the first two weeks when I will be in the cafeteria to help.
• No edible birthday treats.  More on that on curriculum night. (September 24.)
• I cannot give medicine.  Our school nurse, Ms. Jaime Strokosch will help you navigate medical forms.

Other Information

• I am looking for lots of great parent volunteers throughout the week.  There will be opportunities to work with individual students, help with projects, and help with keeping the classroom looking great.  Please consider signing up on curriculum night.
• Homework will start in a few weeks.  It will go home on Monday and should be returned on Friday.

9 days and counting!

Whew!  The countdown is on!  Let's keep this Kindergarten Party going for 9 more days!!!  

Tuesday:  Read and Relax day.  Kids can wear pajamas or other relaxing clothes.  Bring in a favorite book to read and - if you get this email in time - a towel to sit on inside and outside.  

Wednesday:  Picnic and Play in the park. Kids can dress like Super Heroes this day.  If you have not already done so, please look at the sign up genius. 

http://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/60b0c4cabaf2da64-rehm/921501

Thursday:  Team Shirt Day.  Also,  ALL LIBRARY BOOKS ARE DUE!!!  

Friday:  Unique Day-we will draw self portraits.

14 More Days!

Reading:  We did a few assessments this week as we wrap up the trimester.  We did assessments on asking and answering questions and on identifying main idea and details.

Writing:  We continue to work on adding events to narrative stories.  This week we will work on fiction writing.

Math:  We are working on writing and identifying larger numbers.  We are also assessing fact fluency and writing number sentences.

Science:  We are looking at the life cycle of butterflies, plants, frogs, and fish!

ABC Countdown for this Week

M: Math and Movie Day
N:  Note Day
O:  Outside day-dress for the weather, but we may move it to Thursday if it is cold/rainy
P:  Princess Day-Girls dress like princesses and make the rules
Q:  Be Quick!  It's Olympic Day-Dress for being outside and in PE shoes


May 18th-Oak Park Public Library presentation (day)
May 22-Olympic Day (day) Parent Teacher Softball Game (night):  Click link for info
May 27th-Kindergarten Picnic and Play at Rehm Park (day)
June 2 (NEW DATE)- Walking Field trip to the Oak Park Conservatory:  I need at least one adult to join us for this trip.  If we get two adults we will probably stop at Rehm and have our recess there.  We are hoping for a 10:45 tour but it has not been confirmed.

June 5th- Last day of School

On our way to the Young Athletes event
 with our buddies from Mrs. Sak's class

We had a GREAT first week of our alphabet countdown!  Thanks to all of you for remembering so many details.  May is a busy month around Irving!

Reading:  We read a lot of books about plants and seeds.  We are practicing figuring out unknown words using pictures and word clues to help us.  the students did a great job figuring out the meaning of the word seedling.

Writing:  We are working on using transition words like first, next, then, and last in our writing.  The students are working on narrative stories that have more than one event.

Math:  We continue to work on decomposing teen numbers.  We are also working on naming numbers in different ways.  During calendar we are practicing writing two digit numbers and counting on from a given number to solve an addition problem.

Science:  Our classroom is full of spring life!  Seedlings will go home today and our caterpillars are forming their chrysalis.

ABC Countdown for next week:

Monday:  Hat Day!
Tuesday:  Ice Cream Day!  (We will have popsicles in the K pod with our friends.)
Wednesday: Jokes-send in a joke!  I love a good Kindergarten Joke!
Thursday:  Boys dress like kings!
Friday:  Lunch outside.

May 14th Art Fest-This is the culmination of a year's worth of Music, PE, Art, Spanish , Technology and Poetry!  It is a great evening event! 
May 18th-Oak Park Public Library presentation (day)
May 22-Olympic Day (day) Parent Teacher Softball Game (night):  Click link for info
May 27th-Kindergarten Picnic and Play at Rehm Park (day)
June 2 (NEW DATE)- Walking Field trip to the Oak Park Conservatory:  I need at least one adult to join us for this trip.  If we get two adults we will probably stop at Rehm and have our recess there.  We are hoping for a 10:45 tour but it has not been confirmed.

June 5th- Last day of School

Don't forget that book talks start next week.  Be sure to help your child choose a great book to present to the class.  If at all possible, send the book in with your child on the day of the talk.

Poetry Break:
Your child should have come home with a copy of a poem mostly memorized.  Keep practicing this poem with your child for Irving's annual poetry celebration.  Every child in the school memorizes a poem and walks around to different classrooms during library time to present the poems.  We all love a little poetry break!

If your child loves the poem, encourage them to come back for Art Fest on May 14th.  They can walk around and be a traveling poet and recite their poem for anyone who needs a poetry break.  There are also musical performances, visual art displays, technology art projects, and spanish games.  The culminating event is a poetry slam.  Flyers are going home today for kids who want one last chance to perform a poem or song or rap.  They can perform in the poetry slam.  (This does not need to be the poem that was sent home, but it can be.)

Fitness Week

NATIONAL SPORTS AND

FITNESS WEEK

May 4th - 9th

Monday- Ball and Rope Day - bring your favorite ball                             and/or jump rope to school and use it during                           recess.

Tuesday- Healthy Heart Day - wear red and bring a                               healthy snack to lunch.

Wednesday- ACES - 10:55 -11:10am

                     All children exercising simultaneously.

Thursday- Sports Hat Day - wear your favorite sports hat to school and bring a water bottle to use if you have one.

Friday- School Spirit Day - wear Irving school clothing or anything with red and white in it and make sure to get at least 10 hrs. of sleep tonight.

Saturday- District 97’s Annual Fun Run

              8:00 am at Lindburg Park.

May 6th Kindergarten Orientation-Do you know any incoming Kindergartners?  Tell them about this opportunity for them to see the Kindergarten classrooms!  
May 8th Young Athlete's Field Trip in the morning
May 14th Art Fest-This is the culmination of a year's worth of Music, PE, Art, Spanish , Technology and Poetry!  It is a great evening event!
May 22-Olympic Day (day) Parent Teacher Softball Game (night)
May 27th-Kindergarten Picnic and Play at Rehm Park (day)
June 1- Walking Field trip to the Oak Park Conservatory

June 5th- Last day of School