Exploring with our senses and practicing our pincher grip.

Playing "match it" with our Peanut Butter and Jelly Partners

Getting a little exercise while learning letter formation!

Reading:  Students spent some time reviewing character, setting, and main events this week.  We also enjoyed re-reading Kevin Henkes books.  We also found our groove reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  This familiar book was so fun when they started thinking of the letters as characters!


Next week we will start our Route to Reading Groups.  These groups are skill-based and change every few weeks as students master the skill.  You should get a letter from your child's route to reading teacher in the next few days.  All Kindergarten teachers will take a group and our reading specialist and reading tutors also take groups.

Writing:  Look for a bundle of writing from September to come home this week!  I will always keep a sample of your child's writing from each month, and I tend to keep the "best" piece so I can share it with you at conferences and so it can go home in a portfolio at the end of the year.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Math partners are the best!

Math:  Students are looking for hidden partners in groups of numbers.  For example, in a stack of 5 cubes, there are hidden partners 2 and 3.  Next week we will really focus on numeral formation.

Young Athletes:  We are lucky to be working with Mr. Tim McDonald this year as Young Athletes.  We will join his group of adapted PE students as peer models once every three weeks.  At the end of the year we will celebrate being Young Athletes at a celebration at Whittier School that is planned together with the Special Olympics of Illinois.



Please look at all of the upcoming events.  There are links whenever possible.


October 5:  Walk to School Day

October 10- no school Columbus Day

October 11:  Picture Day- Pictures will be outdoors this year!   Dress your child ready for outside smiling.  Forms went home on Tuesday.  Let me know if you need another.


October 12: Hispanic Heritage Presentation in the morning for the whole school
Author Visit from Lori Degman, Mr. Degman's mom, in the afternoon!

October 14:  Fun Run:  This is a big fundraiser for our school.  The kids love running around the field and you are welcome to come and cheer them on for a half hour that morning.  (Times are being finalized.)  Please consider raising money for our PTO.

October 19:  Academic Fair

October 27th:  Morton Arboretum

September 25, 2016

It was great seeing so many of you the other night at Curriculum Night.  If you have any questions about the curriculum or the classroom routines and procedures, do not hesitate to ask.  

Conferences

The schedule is available here and on the side of the blog.  Please double check your time and let me know if you need to switch to one of the available times on the schedule.    Please let me know as soon as possible if you need to switch.   If you were not able to attend the other night I assigned a conference for you.   Each conference is about 20 minutes.  It is helpful if I know of any concerns you may have ahead of time.  I look forward to sharing with you all of the great things your child is already doing in Kindergarten.

Field Trips

Thanks to all of you for signing up for chaperoning our field trips.  I will use that list first when we schedule the trips.  If there are too many interested people then I will make sure everyone who wants to chaperone gets at least one trip before chaperones take two trips.  Depending on our numbers chaperones may drive/carpool to a field trip.  We are frequently limited to a certain number of adults so additional interested chaperones may be asked to pay admission prices.  

Reading: This week we read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes.  We did a lot of work on retelling the story and discussing main characters and settings.  Next week we will revisit Chrysanthemum and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  We will do our first "summative" assessment on Chrysanthemum.  I will share that with you at conferences.  

Writing:  We continue to learn the routines of Writers Workshop.  This week students will meet with me in small groups to make goals for improving their writing.  

Math:  We have had a lot of fun learning some fluency games with counting.  We are also practicing numeral formation and counting groups of objects.  We continue to sort by attribute.  The students are working well with their Peanut Butter and Jelly partners.  

 

Reading:  This week we read Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes and talked about character and setting.  Students also learned the sight words
I
see
a
We read a poem with those words and students illustrated the poem and colored a book to match the poem.  We added them to our word wall.

Writing: During Writers Workshop we talked about how we can add to our stories.  We also learned a little bit about labeling our pictures.  Next week we will continue to work on labeling and also visualizing what we are writing.

Math:  Students are practicing number formation during calendar time.  We also got our PB and J partners!  These Peanut Butter and Jelly partners will work throughout the trimester on different math concepts and games.  They did a great job managing another new routine.

Curriculum Night!

Thursday, September 22 is our School-Wide Curriculum Night.  Parents are invited into our classroom for a presentation at 6:30.  AFTER the presentation your child can show you around the school.  Students stay in the auditorium during the presentation as it is directed at the adults.  We will go over classroom routines and procedures.  Of course, we will also discuss Kindergarten curriculum.  It is probably the best way for you to get a glimpse into your child's day.  For those of you new to curriculum nights, you can expect to spend at least 20 minutes in the classroom for the presentation.  After that it is up to you if you want to walk around the school.  I would estimate that about half the families bring their children and half the families leave their children at home.  It is totally up to you.

Best Group!

BEST GROUP!
Every year I have to re-name the email group for my class so I do not accidentally email former parents about Kindergarten happenings.  I try to come up with a name that describes my current class.  This year I simply named the group,  BEST.   Your children, simply, are the best.

Math:  The students are learning our calendar routine and how to use some of our math tools.  They are working on taking care of the things in their math tool kits and have played a game in their "special spots."

Reading:  We read a few books by favorite author, Kevin Henkes.  Chrysanthemum is great book about a little girl with a long name.  We started talking about how books have beginnings, middles and ends.  We practiced retelling.


Writing:  This week we launched Writers Workshop.  Students learned that authors put their ideas onto paper.  They also learned that writers never stop writing.  Finally, students learned that they can solve their own problems when writing.

Lunch: I have only had one question about this, but I know you many new parents are wondering about lunch.  Students have a 30 minute lunch period.  This includes getting from the playground to the lunchroom and getting lunch boxes from our bin next to our table.  Hot lunch students get right in line.  We have several lunchroom supervisors and the students know the routines.  That said, there is not a lot of time to finish a huge lunch.  Obviously, supervisors encourage children to keep eating and to eat the main course first.  If your child is coming home with a lot of leftover lunches, they are probably not alone.  I do offer children a chance to finish eating  in the classroom during play time, which is about an hour after lunch.  I promise in time your child will figure out how to eat a lunch at school.

Curriculum Night: 
Thursday, September 22 is our School-Wide Curriculum Night.  Parents are invited into the classroom for a presentation by the teacher.  AFTER the presentation your child can show you around the school.  Students stay in the auditorium during the presentation as it is directed at the adults.  We will go over classroom routines and procedures.  Of course, we will also discuss Kindergarten curriculum.  It is probably the best way for you to get a glimpse into your child's day.

Homework: Homework begins next week.  Written homework is  OPTIONAL in our class.  I will always send a packet and you can determine how much homework your child completes in a week.  Reading every night is STRONGLY encouraged.  There will be some projects and assignments that are required. You will always get plenty of notice for these projects.

Great First Week!

Great First Week!

We had a wonderful first week in Kindergarten.  Your children are DELIGHTFUL and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their personalities.   

Communication
Keep sending that folder back and forth.  . There are a lot of papers coming home Friday that need your attention.

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 month.  More on this when we are ready.

"Real" homework will start in a few weeks.  It always goes home on Mondays and is returned on Friday.  Your child's first assignment is going home in the folders tomorrow.  Please look for the poster and the letter explaining it.

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."

Lunch

The kids are doing a fantastic job figuring out the lunch room.  I am always so impressed with how quickly they learn routines.  Please continue to talk about what your child will have for lunch each day.  If your child wants milk, they need to put money in their lunch account.  One day I had 9 kids sign up for milk with their lunches from home.  None of them actually had money in their account.  :)  Our awesome lunch supervisor, Ms. McDermott did not charge anyone that day, but I did promise I would mention it in my blog!!

Special Class Schedule
Students go to special classes every day.  The schedule and the contact information for each teacher is on your child's folder.  Please remember that library books (when we check them out) are always due on Tuesday.  PE shoes are needed Thursday and Friday.


Upcoming Dates
September 9th: 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 16th:  All About Me Poster is due.September 22nd: 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.  During the presentation I ask that all students and siblings are in the auditorium.  

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 and instagram.  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.  You can see the menu for the month here.  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. 

Welcome to Kindergarten!

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.
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 to help us keep papers tidy and help with communication.    Some days the folder will be empty-but please check it every day!
• I update the blog about once a week.   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.  
• 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. 
• A few weeks after school starts, kids can order sandwiches or salads.  It is a little confusing the first few weeks, so let's keep it simple.   
• 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. in our classroom. 
• 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 22.)
• I cannot give medicine.  Our school nurse, Ms. Jaime Peterson will help you navigate medical forms.

Other Information

• I am looking for lots of great parent volunteers.  There will be opportunities to work with individual students, help with projects, and help keep 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.