Happy New Year

I hope each of you has a chance to reflect on 2010 and to celebrate the arrival of 2011. As I reflect back upon our time together this year I am struck by the many acts of kindness and generosity that I witness each day. Your children are making wonderful choices and are showing that they care. Thank you for all of your support and enthusiasm.

In the coming year, I will be lining up regular weekly classroom volunteers in the afternoons. Our schedule will be changing a bit, and we will dedicate the entire academic morning time to literacy activities. Afternoon times will be math, and science focused with some writer's workshop time as well. We will also continue to have center time each afternoon. Please contact me if you would like to volunteer weekly for an afternoon slot.

Peace, Susan

Fun in the Snow 2010

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Day in the Dark!

It was a great and busy day in the dark. In the morning, we read with our buddies in Mrs. Cody's first grade.We also sang some songs together.

We worked on some projects, then we had a pizza lunch sent in by Ian's family. Many thanks to Max and Karen for our yummy lunch.

In the afternoon we enjoyed making goggles, and also having centers in the dark. Katie, a UVM student,( and former student of Mrs. Koch), helped us to make the day special!

Many thanks to ALL of you who helped by sending in items for the class on this special day!

We Worked Together to Earn Warm Fuzzies

Our class worked so hard to follow our class rules. They met the class goal! We had a special meeting today to decide how to celebrate! There were many excellent ideas, as you can see. We will be having an ice cream celebration in the afternoon tomorrow. I am so proud of these good listeners!

Reading with Fourth Grade Buddies

We had some reading time with our fourth grade buddies today. Mrs. Hickey's class will be visiting each Tuesday to practice literacy skills with our class. As you can see by all of the smiles, everyone enjoyed this experience!

Day in the Dark

On Tuesday, December 21st, the kindergarten classes will be having a day in the dark to reinforce our learning about day and night; including solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year! If you have anything at home that would light up in the dark we would appreciate it if you could send it to school. Here are some suggestions:

Light Brights,Flashlights,Black Lights,Glow in the dark markers/paint

Lava Lamps,Glow Sticks,Glow in the dark stickers/beads

***Disco Balls****

We will return your items the following day (December 22nd). Please bring all items to school by Thursday, December 16th.

If you have any questions, just let us know.

New Book Baskets

We have been exploring the concept of "just right' books these past two weeks. We have tried to determine what kind of books are 'just right'. They are books that are not too short, and not too long. They are books that have mostly words that we know. They are books we can read by ourselves. We recieved new book baskets today to store these books. We will be focusing on reading "just right "books in school. After the winter break, we will begin bringing home books to share with families.

The Three Musicians

We have been looking closely at Pablo Picasso's cubist work. We have studied "Three Musicians."
We decided to replicate this classic work of art.

Look at our "Three Kindergarten Musicians". Can you find your musician?

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What will happen?

November 10, 2010

We looked at some dried corn back in November. We wondered what would happen if we added water. We put the corn in water and made some predictions.Some thought the corn would break into pieces, some thought the leaves would fall off, some thought the corn would get clear, some thought it would get moldy. We watched carefully and noticed many changes. The biggest change of all: The corn got very stinky!!

                                                               December 7, 2010
"It smells like compost."  "The leaves did not come off but they got yucky."" It is slimey."

Working our Muscles

Jen Matthews came to class today to share her expertise in occupational therapy. She helped the kindergarteners to warm up their finger muscles. Kids did "finger pops" a variety of finger grips,the three fingered chuck, rolled putty snakes, then used scissors to cut the putty.Everyone really got to work their finger muscles. Thanks, Jen!

Winter Weather

Thank you for sending your child with winter weather wear. We will go out each day unless the weather is below zero. Your child will need snow pants, a jacket hat, mittens and boots each day. Indoor shoes are also needed.Your child can leave indoor shoes here at school instead of transporting daily. We also are collecting any extra socks, gloves(mismatched are okay) and mittens for emergency use. Thanks so much!

Putting Numbers in Order

As we explore the "Bridges" math program, we have many opportunities to build number sense. Recently, each student was given a number card, and asked to help put the numbers in order. Not only did we get to see how many students were in math class that day, we also practiced math language, and used words like"larger, smaller, more, less, before, after, next to."

It took two shots to capture this ordered group!

Guidance Lessons with Mrs. Baker

Mrs. Baker, school counselor,will be coming to our classroom weekly . She will read stories, teach songs, and create learning opportunities for students to practice social skills. Her focus this past week, was the term"personal space". We each had a chance to participate in a mini skit, demonstrating the use of "personal space." Groups shared  a book, math blocks or legos, and practiced using their words when they needed more space. Some groups also practiced saying, "Excuse me," when they needed to move carefully, or to line up.Look for a letter from Mrs. Baker which includes her contact information should you have any questions about guidance lessons.