UPDATES for 8/25-8/29 2014

**We are off to a great start!  I am so glad you are a part of our Irving School Family!  I was so happy to meet all of you.  We are going to have a great year!
**We were a bit hot and sweaty, but we survived the heat and humidity this week.  The students were real troopers!!  Although the temperature and humidity will come down next week, you can continue to send a water bottle with your child. 
**Thanks to all of you who have signed up to help at lunch.  Things are going well!  The students are learning about the lunch routine and recycling milk cartons and paper trays.  We are eating with our friends Ellie and Navid from Ms. Von Hagel's class.  Please continue reinforcing--HOME LUNCH or SCHOOL LUNCH---MILK??---WHAT KIND??  Our parent volunteers and I are encouraging the students to eat their MAIN ENTRE first, whether it is a sandwich, pizza, salad, bagel, noodles etc. and then eat their pudding, chips, cookies etc.  Thanks for sending good choices for snacks and lunch.   I will always have Veggie Straws or fruit on hand if your child forgets their snack.  Next week, Denise Frank will help out Wednesday and Thursday. 
**Your child's HOMEWORK FOLDER is in their backpack.  It has their homework for the week and other information for you.  Please check folders EVERY FRIDAY!! 
**Please remember to send/wear GYM SHOES and SOCKS everyday.  Check the special's schedule for gym days.
**Information on EAGLE EXTRA after school programs, Birthday Book Club, Scholastic Book Orders, updated schedule, lunch menu for September, New Family Welcome Dinner and Nut Free Policy letter are in your child's HOMEWORK FOLDER. 
**We have scheduled our lab time for LEXIA CORE 5 which matches up well with our Reading/English Language Arts program.  As soon as I set up the student passwords, we will begin.  You will also be able to access it from your home.  I am also working on setting up our on line activities SPELLING CITY,  BRAINPOP JR, MY MATH and XTRAMATH.  You can access FREE activities STARFALL and MATHNOOK from the left side of the blog under "check out these great resources" if you want to explore.
**ROOM PARENTS WANTED!!!  Email me if you would like to be a room parent.  You can help plan, facilitate and organize activities in  our classroom.  The more the merrier!!!!
**OPEN HOUSE/CURRICULUM NIGHT is Thursday, September 11th from 6:30-7:30 pm in Room 110. (our classroom)  More information will be forthcoming.
**School Pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 30th.  More info coming.
**I have included some information about pencil grasp (tri pod grasp) and the clay recipe in your child's homework folder.  Clay is a great way to get those fingers and hands moving!  We have been developing our tri pod grasp by "feeding" the dog his dog bones and picking up small pebbles with kid tweezers.  Kid chopsticks with a connection is also great for practice--all very tactile and sensory oriented.
**NO SCHOOL--Monday, September 1st in observance of Labor Day.
This week:
It was all about routines, expectations and meeting new people.  Yes.....I talked a lot!!!!!  Our special's schedule is now set.  The students met with most of their special area teachers.  Library, Friendship Club and Mr. Packer Problem Solving start next week.  The students are getting to know each other and fostering new friendships.  The students have learned how to earn individual and class EAGLE SLIPS as part of our school wide behavior incentive (PBIS-Positive-Behavior-at-Irving-School.)  Our daily EAGLE ESSENTIALS are....Be Respectful.... Be Responsible....Be Safe.....Be Peaceful.....Everywhere and HAVE FUN!!!!  Every student has earned eagle slips this week!!!!!  Our class earned 8 Eagle Slips.  Great Start!!!
Reading/Language Arts:    In our first week of school, the students began a 3 week prep in our Treasures Series called Smart Start.  Adoption of Common Core State Standards is now in full swing.  I will be speaking more about this at Open House/Curriculum night.  Our Kindergarten Team is using Treasures along with other materials to ensure that each standard is taught and assessed.   Students used their language skills to respond to a daily warm up question.  We are working on raising our hands to volunteer information.  Students worked on their listening comprehension skills and making predictions and connections by listening and responding to the Big Book story, "Animals in the Park-An ABC Book."  The students worked to identify a sequence of sounds that rhyme in "Hey Diddle Diddle."  We began to speak about rhyming words as words whose ending parts are the same.  Students began to generate words with rhyming patterns.  Students worked on both upper and lowercase letter recognition.  They learned how to play "Hands Up, Hands Down" to reinforce letters.  The sight words I, can, yes, no were introduced.   The students worked on "tracking" their words and pictures from the left to the right by finger pointing each work and picture.  We practiced reading the story, "I Can" during group read aloud and then again reading to partners.  We discussed what a TITLE is and who the CHARACTERS are in the story.  What is an author?  What does an illustrator do?  The students are also using the Haggerty Blue Book to assist in letter and sound recognition, rhyming, upper and lowercase letter recognition, counting words in a sentence and isolating beginning and ending sounds.  Workstations this week included  "Giraffe ABC's," "ABC Letter and Sound Parking Lot," "Oh No," "Go Fish for Letters," "Broken Egg Upper and Lowercase Match, "Hands Up, Hands Down" ABC swat and "Find the Rhyme" and partner reading.
Math:     The student were introduced to calendar activities.  Using a ten frame, the students will count and place a black dot on a ten frame for each day we are in school.  When we get to 100.....PARTY!!!  Our Problem of the Day was about a different positional word each day.  We are counting and counting and counting!!!!  Students worked in small group workstations on "egg carton math," (counting one to one)  "number/picture match," number recognition--"Got It" game, number boards to ten,  find the numbers activity and "what's my number" activity.  The students also explored pattern blocks, unifix cubes, geo boards, simple plain shapes, making numbers with clay and problem solving skills using "Gears."
Social Studies/Cross Curricular:    Our theme is All About Me and My Family!  This week the students shared information about their daily lives and their likes and dislikes.  They chatted about their family life and what is important to them.  Each student constructed their own paper doll.  They also drew their self portrait and related a little fact about themself.  We talked about our differences and similarities in humans.  Some students even shared some future goals!!  The students met with their Book Buddies from Ms. Balicki's 5th Grade.  Each student was matched up with a 5th grade buddy.  They worked on a getting to know you book/interview. Cool!!  So much fun for everyone. 
Writing:    The students discussed what a school journal was and how to it and what to put in it.  We talked about what we could draw and write about and I modeled the format.  Most students were able to talk about the picture they drew and some even wrote some letters, or words to describe their pictures during our Writer's Workshop.
Literature:    "You Are Beautiful As You Are," "It's About You-Writing Your Own Journal," "Your Finally Here," "Kindergarten Rocks," "How Do Dinosaurs Go To School," "We Go To School," "Planet Kindergarten," "Mouse Loves School,"Splat the Cat,"Who Will Be My Teacher?" "School Days Around the World," "Hungry for Numbers."

It's Time for Kndergarten!!

**Welcome to Ms. Gullo's Class!
**Classes begin tomorrow, August 25th at 8:00 am!  Please meet me outside by our patio door.  There will be a line indicating where to line up.  The first bell is at 7:55 am. and I will be opening the door at 8:00 am. with a HUGE SMILE on my face!
**Because of the hot weather---please send a water bottle with your child.  We do not have air conditioning, but have places to cool off in our building.
**We will always enter and exit the BROWN patio door.
**The first hour from 8:00-9:00 is a FAMILY HOUR.  I will chat with both students and adults.  We will have story and perhaps an activity.
**ABSOLUTELY NO NUTS or NUT PRODUCTS in the classroom.  If your child has a nut allergy, arrangements will be made in the lunchroom for them.  
**Your child should bring a healthy snack each day.
**Your child should know if he/she has a HOME LUNCH or will be getting a SCHOOL LUNCH.  Did you send a drink or will they be ordering milk?
**Our LUNCH RECESS begins at 11:45 am on the playground.  We will be eating lunch in the lunchroom from 12:10-12:40.
**For the week of 8/25-8/29----I have KATE MEIER and DEANNA PACELLI helping out.  Please meet us on the playground at NOON.  If anyone else wants to join us---that would be great!
**In the interest of safety--please have your child wear or keep in school a pair of gym shoes and socks.
**For MONDAY--our SPECIAL'S SCHEDULE includes--12:45-1:15-PE (please send or wear gym shoes and socks) and 1:15-1:45-MUSIC.  I am in the process of finalizing the other classes. You will get a hard copy tomorrow.
**Continue to bring in supplies and medical forms if you have not.
**Our regular dismissal is at 2:55 pm.....BUT......tomorrow families can come back at 2:15 pm for a closing activity.
**I have received transportation and aftercare information on students taking the DISTRICT SCHOOL BUS, MAGICAL MINDS, HEPHZIBAH AFTERCARE and HOME DAY CARE.   All transportation will be directly in front of the school.  Hephzibah staff will pick up from our classroom.  I have been told that Hephzibah begins on Tuesday.  Siblings picking up students must dismiss with their own class and walk around to the front of the building to our patio.
**I can't wait to see all of you TOMORROW!!!!!

Welcome Students and Families!!!

**This week is very busy at Irving School.  I am working on getting everything in place for the beginning of our school year.  We have new classroom furniture and some updates in technology for our classroom. 
**Please come to school to meet me and drop off your supplies in the classroom on THURSDAY, AUGUST 21st from 4-6 pm. in ROOM 110.  Once you are finished you can join other kindergarten families on the playground for a popsicle treat!  If you cannot make it....no worries.  I will see you on the first day.
**I will be looking for interested parents to help with the lunch program for the first few weeks.  You can sign up on a week by week basis.  Email me if interested.  The time is 11:50-12:25 each day. 
**Our very first of school is Monday, August 25th.  Students are here from 8:00-2:55 pm.  The first bell rings at 7:55 am.  Please line up on our patio next to the main doors.  You will see my smiling face at 8:00 am.   Families may join us from 8-9 am.  Come see our new furniture and learn more about our class. 
**Some things to ponder---home lunch?  school lunch?  ordering milk?  what kind?
**All medical information about your child is due on the first day of school.
**See you soon!!!!!