**We are one week closer to becoming first graders! This week, the students took a look at their trimester portfolios and were so in awe of what they accomplished. Student portfolios for each trimester are in their backpacks. Check them out!! Science portfolios and journals will go home next week. Please keep sending a backpack with your child even on our final day. Thanks!
**Our Annual All School Olympic Day was great! Lots of great skill demonstration and team work. A shout out to Aidan--the fastest runner in the class. He came close to beating Mr. Packer!
**A BIG SHOUT OUT to my entire physically fit class! Most of them also took part in the Irving Pacers at lunch time and insisted on running!!!!
**We planted our outside class garden. The students, along with volunteers T. Naber and I. Henry, planted zucchini, green onions and nasturtiums. Can't wait to see how fast they grow!!
**We have completed our very last unit assessment in our Treasures Reading Series-Unit 10. All assessments are now completed. If you would like to be updated on end of the year DIBELS or other assessments, just email me and we can set up a time.
**BIG REMINDER--PIZZA and PLAY- End of the Family Picnic is Wednesday, May 30th, from 10:30-12:30 pm at Rehm Park. Volunteer sheet is included in your child's homework folder. Set up can begin around 9:45 am. We will be walking over around 10:15 am. There will be a van to transport all ground covers/blankets, t-ball set, sand toys, jump ropes, balls and supplies. Let's cross our fingers for pleasant weather!
**Messy Math Night was lots of fun and pretty messy! A gooey time was had by all!
**First Grade Tour/Question and Answer Hour is Wednesday, May 30th at 1:00 pm. Kindergarten students can write down any questions that may have regarding First Grade and bring them with. Parents--if you have any questions--send them along with your child. Reading Grandma will also be with us. She has requested that maybe some of our students can share their reading with First Grade. She is so proud of them!
** Mr. Packer's older reading students did a play for us called, "The Lone Wolf Blues." It was very funny with great acting. Mateo's brother, Diego, was the wolf!
**Please join me and the other staff members for our annual Volunteer Tea on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 from 2:00-3:00 pm. There is an invitation for you in your child's backpack. All of our volunteers have really been tremendous. It is a part of what makes our program so successful.
**Stay tuned for information on Irving School's Reading and Math Summer Incentive Programs.
**Friday, June 1st is our last day of school. It is also a full day of school. In the morning our class will take part in a LINE SOCCER game against Ms. Ricchio's class which is part of our PBIS celebration. We will have out last ART class with Ms. Linne, lunch recess and lunch as usual. In the afternoon, we will have our last gym class with Mr. Hancock and from 2:00-3:00 pm we will have PARENT and SIBLING HOUR. We will share some treats, sign autograph books, share kindergarten stories and see our end of the year movie. All are welcome to come! I already have tears in my eyes!!!
**The whole of Irving School will kick off the summer with its End of the Year Party on Friday, June 1st from 5-7 pm at Barrie Park. Pizza and Drinks will be served. Come share the friendship and community.
** Please be so kind as to complete the End of the Year Parent Questionnaire. This is very helpful to me in shaping my program for next year.
**Next week---The reading bubble!!!!!
This week:
It was all about worms and gardening! The students continue to study worm life and worm contributions to our environment. The students again took a look at the worms in our compost bin. We used the magnifiers and our microscopes. They were pretty squirmy! The students could see the segments, saddle and head structure. The bristles could not be seen. (too tiny) The students got a kick out of seeing the worms move--in an inching fashion. They observed a grownup worm and a tiny baby worm. On the internet, we looked at a site called Herman the Worm. I have included it in your child's homework packet. Cool! In our class garden plot, we took our drawing of where we were planting items and got to work. Students helped smooth soil, locate the area to plant and put seeds in the ground. All students took turns watering our garden. We labeled plant types on a special marker and stood back to admired our work. Our zucchini is from seed, our green onions are from the cut bottoms of the plant and our nasturtiums are babies we grew from seed. Should be very interesting! Stay tuned.
Reading/Social Studies: The students reviewed letter sounds, vowel sounds, sound blending techniques. Student small groups chose their own literature and activities to go with it. Most groups chose a story elements format. Some groups listened to each other read aloud. Groups used the ipad for activity completion and emailed their work to me. The last 30 minutes of their reading time was spent either in independent reading or playing a reading game. Their favorite games this week were, "Very Silly Sentences," "What's Gnu?" "Spot a Word," "Cookie Jar-Nouns-Verbs-Adjectives-Pronouns," and "Plants on Your Plate."
Math: The students counted to 100, wrote 2-3 and even some 4 digit numbers and counted by 2's, 5's, and 10's. This week I choose a game format and students were able to select the game they wanted to play.
Small groups of students played "What's My Rule?" "Dice Addition," "Place Value on Calculators," "It Takes 2 and It Takes 3 Game."
Writing: The students continue to put into practice all the elements of writing a good sentence. They continue to work on writing thank notes to people who have had an impact on their kindergarten lives. The students wrote thank you notes to Ms. D. and Miss Amanda. We are so grateful for their time and assistance. The students are very proud of Miss Amanda as she will be graduating from Oak Park High School on June 10th. Ms. D. has been super faithful in coming every Tuesday morning to do whatever she can to help out me and our budding readers. Reading Grandma Mary will be here next week and Ms. Applebey we also hoped to see. The students began writing their worm paragraph drafts. Next week, they will write their final copy.
Science: The students observed what they saw on their seed sponges. They noted seeds sprouting and mold growing. Many students thought it was pretty cool that they actually saw a splitting seed with the coat attached. They also noted that the shoots were growing upward and not sticking to the sponge. The seed bags were also producing sprouting seeds. The roots growing downward and the shoots upward. Students concluded that no matter what way you put or plant seeds, the roots grow downward and the shoots grow upward. The students also experimented with watering conditions. They watered 1 plant everyday and 1 plant for only 2 days. At the end of the week, most students noted that the less watered plant was rather droopy. A big discussion centered around how much water a plant needs. It was decided that it depended upon what kind of plant it was. Some students related prior knowledge of what happened when they water a plant too much. (it died) The last experiment the students worked on was pondering the question --how much sunlight do plants need? The students put a healthy plant in a box and then we cut a small window in it. We set it in a sunny window and observed it each afternoon. Each afternoon, the students noted that the plant was sticking out of the window toward the sun. They concluded that the plants always grow toward the light. Next week we will be looking for gardens for our watermelon, cantalope, pumpkin, bean, and pea plants. If you are interested--let me know!
Technology: The students continued to use the apps they liked the most in delivering assignments and for reading, writing and math pleasure.
Literature: "Garden," "What Principals Do When No One is Looking," "Compost Stew," "Here Comes Summer," "Bumble Bees," "Who Made Me Jump," "I Can't Said the Ant," "Plants," "Super Size Bugs," "Rah, Rah Vegetables," "Earthworms," "Herman, the Worm," "Garden Tools," "Ten Little Caterpillars."
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