Thursday 9-23-10

Hello! We have had an enjoyable, although hot, week. The students did so well with their first guest teacher on Monday. I was in the building administering assessments, and the students were doing a great job each time I stopped by the classroom. I am so proud of them!

This week we developed our sorting skills--there are some super sorters in the class! The students' handwriting skills continue to improve as we meet new letters. We have now had an introduction to letters a-h. Next week we will practice i-m.

Art class is a highlight of their week. I am amazed by how creative they are. The students pictures based on Miro paintings were out of this world! The students are so lucky to have Mrs. Mansfield. She is such an incredible art teacher. I am always excited to see what amazing creations they bring back to our classroom.

This week we also began our reading groups. We use a program called "Read Well." For thirty minutes each day, the students work in small groups learning about letter sounds, sight words, and "smooth blending" sounds to read words. The reading teachers in the morning are: Mrs. C., Miss Jackson, Mrs. Wallace and Miss Stepaniak. The reading teachers in the afternoon are: Mrs. E., Miss Jackson, Mrs. Wallace, Miss Farley and Miss Stepaniak.

Just a reminder: there is no school for students tomorrow. Teachers will be at an in-service. I can't wait to see them again on Monday! Have a fun three-day weekend!

Friday 9-17-10: What a week!

This has been a wonderful second week of school. The students are learning the school rules quickly and becoming good friends to one another! The morning class did well during our first fire drill and the afternoon class was so respectful of our guest at our first school assembly. Great job boys and girls!

Congratulations to Brooke in the morning class and McKay in the afternoon class. They were our first "Students of the Month."

In math, we developed our matching and sorting skills. The photo at the top is of some of our wonderful students matching with Winnie the Pooh memory. We had an introduction to letters A-E. On Friday we read Please Play Safe and the class helped create a poster for the hallway of ways that we can be Safety Super Stars.

Both classes had art class for the first time this week. Everyone had a great time in art!

This week your child brought home a packet for our school fundraiser. I must share that the wrapping paper is really wonderful! I buy some each year and always get compliments when I give my Christmas gifts to family and friends.

I have to share my favorite quote of the week: one of our afternoon students looked up at me and said, "My mom and dad were right. Kindergarten really is fun!" We are off to a great start and I am looking forward to more wonderful days with this amazing group of kindergarteners.

The First Week of School 2010-2011

Wow! What a wonderful week. It was so exciting to meet all of our new kindergarteners. I just love their enthusiasm and excitement about going to school. The first few days focused on completing assessments and learning some of the fundamentals of going to school. We also practiced matching in math on Friday. I am so impressed by how many students are already experts at matching!

Next week we will begin introducing a letter each day--what it looks like, the sound(s) it makes, and how to write it. We will continue matching and begin sorting in math. We will also learn the school rules and routines.

Thank you to all of the families who sent in items from our wish list! These supplies will be used in our classroom throughout the year.

Just a reminder...the first P.T.O. meeting is on Tuesday. I hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful weekend!